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S’porean businessman sentenced to 3 years and 10 months’ jail for funding terrorist acts in Syria

aseanpr 9 9 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - A Singaporean businessman gave a Malaysian man cash totalling over $1,000 to facilitate the latter's journey to Syria to become a fighter for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Mohamed Kazali Salleh, now 51, who committed the offences in 2013 and 2014, was on Thursday (Sept 9) sentenced to three years and 10 months' jail. He admitted to two charges under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act involving RM1,000 (S$385) and US$351.75 (S$450). A third charge under the same Act linked to another RM500 was considered during sentencing. The Straits Times understands that this case marks the first time someone was prosecuted in Singapore for financing the travel of an individual to a foreign country to become or train to become a terrorist. Some time in 2009, Kazali went to Malaysia and befriended a Malaysian man identified as Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin, also known as Akel Zainal. Akel also used to be a member of 1990s Malaysian rock band Ukays. Deputy Public Prosecutors Edwin Soh and Andrew Chia stated in court documents: "During this trip, Akel told the accused about his religious views, as well as his Jewish conspiracy theory - that the Jews wanted to c...

‘Talk to rich people nicely, you’re a poor girl’ – 2 women fined $3k each for verbally abusing auxiliary police officer

aseanpr 8 9 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The victim was merely doing her job but had to suffer insults such as "talk to rich people nicely, you're a poor girl". These words came from two women after an auxiliary police officer approached them for smoking outside a designated area. Koh Lee Yen, 50, and Chee Kam Fah, 49, were each fined $3,000 on Wednesday (Sept 8). They pleaded guilty each to one count of using insulting words against a public service worker. Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority records show that Koh and Chee are shareholders and directors of jewellery retailer Gold Star Resources. They also hold shares in other companies while Chee is a director in various firms. The court heard that the incident occurred on Sept 21 last year, outside shopping mall Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road. Ms Asyikah Suri Kamsari was on duty with her colleague in the area. She was authorised under the National Environment Agency to carry out enforcement action against public health offenders. She spotted Koh and Chee smoking outside the designated area and approached them for their personal particulars, so that she could issue a summons to them. The duo started verbally abusing her as she was recording Koh's detai...

Racial discrimination, wage issues raised by Indian grassroots leaders at post-NDR dialogue

aseanpr 8 9 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Discrimination and racism in Singapore were the main concerns that Indian community leaders raised during a dialogue session on Tuesday night (Sept 7) to discuss views on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech. About 200 participants from various Indian organisations and grassroots volunteers attended the two-hour virtual session, which was organised by the People's Association Indian Activity Executive Committees Council (Narpani Pearavai). Other issues raised included the impact of the progressive wage model implementation and mental health concerns among isolated elderly residents. One of the dialogue participants, undergraduate student Loshini Sivakumar, 21, said the session helped her gain fresh perspective on some of the topics mentioned during PM Lee's speech. Ms Loshini, a grassroots volunteer since last year, said: "The session gave me a chance to share my views on how our civic curriculum in school can be restructured to dismantle racial stereotypes and promote a better understanding. "My takeaway was that beyond the school curriculum, lived experience outside the classroom can be equally important in fostering a good relationship between t...

Covid-19 pandemic opens doors for firms to shape fairer, greener, more inclusive future: Finance Minister Lawrence Wong

aseanpr 8 9 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Two years ago, like many people around the world, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong had not heard of video-conferencing app Zoom. He preferred to meet people for discussions and scoffed at the idea of having virtual meetings, he said. Yet today, nearly all his work meetings are conducted online. "I've found them to be equally effective in getting things done. I'm sure many of you share a similar experience," he told a group of corporate leaders on Wednesday (Sept 8). Speaking on the theme of Asia's Renaissance: The New Era Of Recovery And Reopening at the Singapore Institute of Directors Conference, Mr Wong added that traditional barriers to digital adoption are falling, especially in industries that were slow to adapt before. This will likely speed up digital transformation in sectors such as energy, construction and other domestic services, where there are still many opportunities for digital solutions to generate new value and productivity gains, he said. He added that Covid-19 is likely to become yet another endemic disease that people will have to learn to live with, such as chicken pox and influenza. "So we can't talk about post-Covid-19 anymore because Covid-19 will...

Construction firms’ efforts recognised at BCA’s inaugural Integrated Digital Delivery Awards

aseanpr 8 9 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Building firms Ong&Ong and Woh Hup, as well as two projects, Paya Lebar Quarter and the Kallang Polyclinic and Long Term Care facility, have received top accolades at the inaugural Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) Awards by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Wednesday (Sept 8). The awards recognise those who have applied digital technologies across various stages of a building project to achieve increased productivity and resiliency. Awards are grouped into two categories - firm and project - and are given out in three tiers: platinum, gold plus and gold. Ong&Ong, which took home a platinum award, invested in a cloud-based solution that allowed its employees to work remotely. The firm also set up a digital technology department, which helped to drive digitalisation across its projects and conduct internal training programmes for staff. To further optimise its workflow, an in-house software development team was formed to develop building modelling tools and customisation capabilities. Mr Ashvinkumar Kantilal, group chief executive for architecture at Ong&Ong, said that since adopting more automation tools, tapping augmented and virtual reality solutions, a...

All 8 cases from Covid-19 cluster at madrasah in Braddell Road from the same Primary 4 class

aseanpr 8 9 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - All eight cases of Covid-19 at the Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah in Braddell Road involved pupils from the same Primary 4 class. The cluster was reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday (Sept 7). The first two cases were detected last Friday (Sept 3) and the pupils were last in school on Sept 1. They were well when they attended, said the school in a Facebook statement on Wednesday morning. Teachers and classmates of the affected pupils were placed under a quarantine order by MOH. Since then, another six pupils from the class have tested positive, bringing the cluster to a total of eight. All Primary 4 pupils in the school have been placed on leave of absence. All physical activities in the school have ceased, including supplementary classes for Primary 6 pupils, which are now online. Primary 1 to Primary 5 students will also have home-based learning (HBL) when the new term begins on Sept 13. Primary 6 pupils will be allowed to return to school after the holidays to prepare for their Primary School Leaving Examination. Classrooms will be thoroughly disinfected to facilitate the return of the students. The school has said it is prepared to conduct HBL for ...

S’pore cannot rely solely on vaccines to fight Covid-19 Delta variant, says NCID director

aseanpr 7 9 月

7 minutes

SINGAPORE - When it comes to the Delta variant of Covid-19, one thing has become clear: Vaccination is not enough. This means Singapore cannot let up in its fight against the disease, said Professor Leo Yee Sin, executive director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). "If I did 100 per cent in 2020, this year I have to do 200 per cent - because that is what the Delta variant demands of us," she told The Straits Times in an interview to commemorate the centre's second year of operations. "We cannot solely rely on vaccines." In other words: Keep your mask on, hands clean and guard up, even if you have been vaccinated against Covid-19. Three characteristics make the Delta variant - which accounts for 99.6 per cent of the 1,100 community cases the NCID has treated this year - more contagious than its wild-type predecessor, Prof Leo said. First, infected people emit larger quantities of the virus. International studies have shown that the Delta strain can better attach to a person's upper respiratory tract, making it more easily transmitted to others. And it has a reduced incubation period of three to five days, meaning it can be passed to others more quickly. If the ou...

Touching vegetables at market could have led to Covid-19 spread: Infectious disease experts

aseanpr 7 9 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - People who contracted Covid-19 at Bukit Merah View Market and Hawker Centre in June typically had three things in common. They were not vaccinated, did not wear their masks properly and tended to touch fruit and vegetables with their bare hands. These were the findings of a National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) study on the market cluster, which had a total of 94 cases and saw all 182 market stalls closed for two weeks. The cluster was Singapore's largest for some time, with smaller clusters subsequently emerging in neighbouring blocks. The Health Ministry subsequently conducted multiple rounds of testing which covered more than 200,000 residents. As part of the study, researchers interviewed people affected by the market's closure, including stallholders and customers, said Adjunct Associate Professor Matthias Toh, who is director of the National Public Health and Epidemiology Unit. They zoomed in on the market outbreak because of the large number of seniors who frequent the area, given that seniors have borne the brunt of the outbreak, added Professor Leo Yee Sin, NCID's executive director. Naturally, people who spent less time in the market were also less li...

The Online Citizen repeatedly fails to declare all its funding sources: IMDA

aseanpr 7 9 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Online Citizen (TOC) has repeatedly failed to declare all its funding sources for last year despite reminders and extensions, and it has been asked to explain its non-compliance, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Tuesday (Sept 7). TOC has informed IMDA that it does not intend to comply with its obligations under the law, IMDA said, adding that it may take "appropriate enforcement action" if TOC is unable to provide good reasons for its non-compliance. It did not elaborate on what action it might take. In a media statement, IMDA said that there is no reason for TOC not to comply with the declaration requirement as other registered Internet content providers provide such information to maintain transparency of their sources of funding. It noted that TOC complied with the annual declaration when it was first registered in 2018, but has not fully complied with this obligation since 2019. The regulator added that TOC failed to verify a donor and clarify discrepancies in its foreign advertising revenue in its 2019 declaration, for which a warning was issued on May 4. "The threat of foreign interference in our domestic politics has always been present...

6 people under investigation after police raid massage outlets in Ang Mo Kio, Upper Serangoon

aseanpr 7 9 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Six individuals, including outlet operators, are under investigation following police raids on 10 massage establishments. Six outlets were found to have committed various offences under the Massage Establishments Act, while four outlets were allegedly operating without valid licences, said the police in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 7). Vice-related activities were purportedly detected at two other outlets. The raids, conducted by Ang Mo Kio Police Division, took place between Aug 26 and Sept 2. The massage establishments were located in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Avenue 4, as well as Jalan Selaseh, Simon Road, and Upper Serangoon Road. Those found guilty of running a business providing massage services in an establishment for massage without a valid licence can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to two years, or both. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to five years, or both. People found to have breached the prescribed rules and conditions under the Massage Establishments Act can also be fined up to $5,000, with repeat offenders fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to two years, or both. The police said in the statement that they have been "conduc...

Hillview Heights condo management flagged by security association for discriminatory hiring practices

aseanpr 7 9 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The managing agent of Hillview Heights condominium has been flagged by the Security Association Singapore for discrimination against non-Mandarin speakers and older workers in its tender for security services. In a Facebook post and statement to the press on Monday (Sept 6), the association highlighted clauses of the tender by Savills Property Management, which stipulate that a security agency must provide a "Chinese-speaking" security guard for more than six shifts each month, with those who speak dialect acceptable. Penalties for not complying include a warning letter and deduction of $100 per shift. The security agency could also be fined $100 if the guard provided is not within the age limit of 21 to 60 years old. The tender, which lasts a year from Nov 1 to Oct 31 next year, closed on Sept 3. The security association said that while there were other clauses that were of concern, it shared these particular ones "because they appear to penalise security agencies unless they exercise discrimination in their hiring and deployment of security officers". The statement said Mandarin and the dialects are not the same, "so what exactly is the job requirement here that Savil...

16 weeks’ jail for woman caught not wearing mask at MBS and several places

aseanpr 6 9 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - A woman who failed to wear a mask on numerous occasions at public places, including the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) integrated resort, admitted to her offences in a district court on Monday (Sept 6) and was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail. Phoon Chiu Yoke, 54, who appeared via video link, was first charged last year after she failed to have a mask over her nose and mouth at Newton hawker centre between 7.20pm and 8pm on May 8, during the Covid-19 circuit breaker period. She left Singapore for Britain soon after and returned to Singapore on June 28 last year. The Singaporean then had to stay in a room at MBS under a 14-day stay-home notice. But she left the room between 8.07pm and 8.23pm on June 28. After that, Phoon loitered around various places in the hotel and was not wearing a mask when she did so. In May this year, she was captured on video not wearing a mask at MBS. She committed similar offences at other places, including outside the State Courts building, between Dec 2 last year and May 24 this year. Phoon was out on bail when she failed to wear a mask at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore hotel on June 25. A month later, she was charged over this incident. Her bail of $12...

Singapore’s unemployment rate up by 0.2% in July for first time in 10 months

aseanpr 6 9 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - For the first time in 10 months, Singapore's resident and citizen unemployment rates saw a slight increase in July, rising 0.2 per cent each, following tightened Covid-19 restrictions under phase two (heightened alert). Figures from the Ministry of Manpower showed that the resident unemployment rate, which covers Singapore citizens and permanent residents, rose from 3.5 to 3.7 per cent, while unemployment among Singapore citizens rose from 3.7 to 3.9 per cent. The overall unemployment rate in July was 2.8 per cent, up from 2.7 per cent in June. This likely reflected "a dip in demand for manpower in affected sectors such as food and beverage (F&B) and retail trade", wrote Manpower Minister Tan See Leng in a Facebook post on Monday (Sept 6). The phase two (heightened alert) period lasted from July 22 to Aug 18, when curbs were implemented to contain the then growing Covid-19 clusters linked to the Jurong Fishery Port. This resulted in measures such as the cessation of dining-in at all F&B establishments and the reduction in social gathering group sizes from a maximum of five people to two. Said Mr Tan: "We will continue to monitor the unemployment rates closely. The Singa...

Shareandstocks.com Provides Clients with News and Data to Help Make Informed Investments

aseanpr 6 9 月

2 minutes

Singapore - Shareandstocks.com, a digital stock market news outlet, launches premium aggregate finance news from major sources. They have a team of professionals in the field who are experts at collecting information and articles from various sources around the world. The company is made up of a team of Individuals with a wide-ranging and in-depth understanding of the stock market events in US, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Malaysia as well as other countries around the world. They are equipped with proving clients with the best possible experience, thanks to their incredible manpower, supported by cutting-edge computer systems. The company's main aim is to build a community of investors. Investors needs a wide array of information to help them to make wise investment decisions and timely news is of paramount importance. They are also constantly working hard to include more investor friendly features. What shareandstocks.com offers here is tons of business and economic news that can keep viewers informed of what is going on in the markets. And to be successful and have better information, viewers want instant news about stock trading from various sources. That's where...

Singapore lifts flight ban on Boeing 737 Max planes

aseanpr 6 9 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Singapore's aviation authority has lifted a flight ban on Boeing 737 Max planes that was imposed more than two years ago. The 737 Max had been banned from commercial operations in Singapore in March 2019 after two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia involving the aircraft. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Monday (Sept 6) said it has lifted the restrictions on the 737 Max after completing its technical assessment. This comes after other aviation authorities - such as those in the United States and the European Union - earlier lifted restrictions on the plane. The CAAS said it had evaluated the design changes made to the aircraft by Boeing, which were approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other validating authorities. "CAAS also reviewed the operational data of flights of the aircraft that had resumed service over the past nine months and observed that there have been no notable safety issues," it added. The 737 Max was grounded by aviation authorities worldwide after two crashes in five months - from October 2018 to March 2019. A total of 346 people were killed. Investigations pinpointed a faulty flight handling system known ...

5 arrested, more than 6,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes seized by Singapore Customs

aseanpr 6 9 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - More than 6,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized by Singapore Customs officers who observed activity at the loading and unloading bay of an industrial building in Woodlands Industrial Park. Four men - three Singaporeans and a Malaysian - as well as one Malaysian woman, all between 21 and 54 years old, were arrested last Thursday, Singapore Customs said in a statement on Monday (Sept 6). Customs officers had observed boxes being transferred into a Singapore-registered truck at the loading and unloading bay of the industrial building and suspected that they contained duty-unpaid cigarettes. They found 1,120 cartons of such cigarettes in the truck and arrested the Malaysian woman and three Singaporean men. Further checks uncovered another 4,928 cartons in another Singapore-registered truck in the vicinity, making it a haul of 6,048 cartons in all. Subsequently, the driver of a Malaysia-registered lorry that was suspected to be used to deliver the cigarettes was arrested at Tuas Checkpoint when he attempted to leave Singapore. The duty evaded amounted to $516,490 and the goods and services tax (GST) evaded was $41,430. All three vehicles were seized. The agency...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Sept 6

aseanpr 6 9 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Monday, Sept 6. Covid-19 cases linked to bus interchange clusters grow to 469 There are six new cases linked to the Changi General Hospital cluster, bringing the total to 46. READ MORE HERE S'pore updates border measures, stricter pre-departure testing for countries including Australia, NZ The new requirement takes effect at 11.59pm on Thursday. READ MORE HERE 'I don't know how many days her body was there': Neighbours find woman dead in Bedok flat Neighbours opened the woman's unlocked front door, and a rotting smell wafted out. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Autonomous robots check on bad behaviour in Singapore's heartland Illegal hawkers, gatherings that exceed current limits on group sizes, beware. READ MORE HERE Paralympic medallist Yip Pin Xiu, fraternity call for monetary rewards to be on a par with Olympians Para-swimmer Yip will get $200k for a Paralympic gold, one-fifth of the $1m for an Olympic gold. READ MORE HERE Taiwan scrambles jets after 19 Chinese planes enter air defence zone It is not clear what drove Beijing to conduct the activity. READ MORE ...

First virtual Community Chest Vertical Marathon aims to raise $2 million

aseanpr 5 9 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Community Chest Vertical Marathon kicked off, virtually for the first time, on Sunday (Sept 5). It was previously a segment of the annual Community Chest Heartstrings Walk, organised by the Community Chest with Marina Bay Sands (MBS) since 2011. But now, with Covid-19 restrictions in place, it is a standalone virtual event. It will go on till Oct 31, and aims to raise $2 million. The marathon features an interactive digital platform that will take participants on a virtual expedition up five peaks in Asia, including Bukit Timah Hill and South Korea's Mount Yongmasan. It hopes to rally the community to achieve a collective elevation of 38,000m. Participants can track their progress by climbing stairs or hills and receive an e-badge on completing the elevation tied to each peak. The elevation can be tracked using the fitness app Strava or a preferred tracking app. At the launch, Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Education and Social and Family Development, said: "As we physically scale these heights, they also become a metaphor for all the challenges that are thrown our way, especially in these trying times. "When participants conquer the vertical marathon, I hope...

Autonomous robots check on bad behaviour in Singapore’s heartland

aseanpr 5 9 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - An autonomous robot designed to help weed out bad public behaviour has made its way into the heartland. Called Xavier, it will patrol the neighbourhood in Toa Payoh Central as part of a three-week trial starting on Sunday (Sept 5). Two of these robots will be on the lookout for illegal hawkers, smokers who light up in prohibited areas, errant motorcycle and e-scooter riders on footpaths, and gatherings that exceed the current limits on group sizes. With cameras that have a 360-degree field of vision and can see in the dark, the robot will be able to alert public officers in real time to these "undesirable social behaviours", the authorities said. It will also be able to display messages educating the public against such behaviour. This is the first time that an autonomous robot is being used to patrol and survey a public area with high foot traffic to enhance public health and safety, said the five public agencies involved in the joint project. The agencies are the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), National Environment Agency, Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore Food Agency and the Housing Board. They said Xavier, developed by HTX in partnership with ...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Sept 5

aseanpr 5 9 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Sept 5. S'pore's new race law to include non-punitive sanctions to shape social behaviour: Shanmugam These will help offenders understand others better, and increase belief in multiracialism. READ MORE HERE What's behind the decision to close Yale-NUS College? Need for realignment, concerns over high cost and controversies are among the possible reasons suggested. READ MORE HERE Lunch With Sumiko: No such thing as a silly idea, says billionaire inventor James Dyson James Dyson, inventor and entrepreneur, likes the 'unobvious suggestion' and gets worried when people say they are experts. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Covid-19 cases linked to staff at bus interchange clusters rise to 416 21 new Covid-19 cases were also linked to the cluster at Changi General Hospital, bringing its total to 36. READ MORE HERE How governments around the world are keeping up with shifting Covid-19 vaccination goals Amid this shifting of goals around the world, what it means to be fully vaccinated may change too. READ MORE HERE $12m gone if not for vigilant S'pore bank staff O...

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