Singaporean man charged with murder after wife found dead in luxury apartment in UK

SINGAPORE - Madam Pek Ying Ling, a Singaporean, was found dead on Monday (Dec 6) in a luxury apartment in Newcastle. The 51-year-old was allegedly murdered by her husband, Fong Soong Hert, 50, while the Singaporean couple were on a visit to Britain. The police received a called at around 7.15am on Monday (3.15pm Singapore time) and emergency services found that she was not breathing in the apartment in Westgate Road, Newcastle. She was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after. Fong was arrested at the scene and has been charged with murder. British media reported that the couple were at the County Aparthotel, a facility that features 18 luxury serviced apartments in the Newcastle city centre. Madam Pek's next of kin are reportedly being supported by specialist officers and the family has asked for privacy. Fong is expected to stand trial at the Newcastle Crown Court on Jan 7 next year. Checks by The Straits Times found that the couple were involved in the events industry here, and had been married for more than 27 years. Business records show that Madam Pek is listed as the director of events management company Epic Times, while Fong is listed as its secretary. Fong is also the d...

How the US plans to tax the rich

(NYTIMES) - So how do you define who's wealthy? The latest proposed tax changes from the House Ways and Means Committee essentially say a wealthy individual is someone who earns US$400,000 (S$542,000) a year or a couple with US$450,000 in annual income. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

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Couple fined $7,000 for trespassing on state land next to Seletar house for nearly 15 years

SINGAPORE - For close to 15 years, an architect and his wife unlawfully occupied 144.2 sq m of state land next to their three-storey house in Jalan Tari Zapin in Seletar, which was built in 2005 but had been left vacant since. The main gate, entrance driveway, two boundary walls and a fence of the house effectively annexed the parcel of state land - which was larger than a five-room Housing Board flat - as part of the couple's property. Part of the swimming pool also jutted out onto the enclosed land. The encroachments were discovered in 2013 when national water agency PUB implemented a drainage improvement project to alleviate flooding in the area. Following numerous requests and demands by the authorities, the offending structures were finally removed in December 2019. Tan Teck Siong and his wife Cheah Mee Poh - the first people to be prosecuted for trespassing on state land under the State Lands Encroachments Act - have been respectively fined $4,000 and $3,000 for their offences. The offence carries a maximum fine of $5,000 or a jail term of up to six months, or both. Tan was fined another $5,000 under the Building Control Act for making false declarations in December 2005 that...