Reformative training for youth who had sex with 2 underage girls and impregnated them
SINGAPORE - At just 21 years old, he is already the father of two children by different mothers, one of whom he had sex with when she was 15. The other mother was not a minor when she had sex with him and is now 18. The offender had also impregnated a third victim when she was a 12-year-old child but she aborted the foetus. All three were his girlfriends at different times but they are no longer with him, a district court heard. On Friday (Nov 19), the offender was sentenced to undergo reformative training for at least one year. This means that he will be detained in a centre and made to follow a strict regimen that includes foot drills and counselling. The Singaporean youth pleaded guilty on July 13 to four counts of having sex with a minor. He also admitted to one count of assaulting the 18-year-old girl. The offender turned 21 later that month. Seventeen other charges, mainly relating to sexual acts with the underage girls, were considered during sentencing. He committed the offences between 2017 and last year. The three victims cannot be named due to a gag order, while the youth cannot be identified as he was just 16 years old when he started committing the offences. He was in ...
Govt to announce decision on HBL extension for primary schools later this week
SINGAPORE - An announcement will be made later this week on whether home-based-learning (HBL) will be extended for primary schools, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. All Primary 1 to 5 pupils are currently due to return to school next Monday (Oct 11) after two weeks of HBL to help reduce the risk of transmission amid Singapore's largest surge in Covid-19 cases. MOE had initially announced that these pupils would be placed on HBL from Sept 27 to Wednesday (Oct 6) - the end of this year's PSLE exams. This was later extended by a day to Thursday, with Children's Day on Friday. Mr Chan said the announcement is not being made immediately because school staff should focus on the ongoing PSLE, and his ministry wants to inform educators first. He was responding in Parliament on Monday (Oct 4) to Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who had asked if HBL could be extended past this week or even to the start of the school holidays - which start on Nov 20 this year. Mr David had also asked about HBL plans for older students taking the upcoming N, O and A level exams. Mr Chan replied that the considerations for primary and secondary schools are different. HBL was necessary to protect primary...
MAS reviewing ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes
A review is under way to see if it is necessary to ring-fence consumers from overspending on "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) schemes. BNPL schemes have gained prominence over the past year in Singapore and other countries because they cover many products in the online shopping sphere, including clothes and fashion accessories, that appeal to young consumers. 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.