public

Activist Gilbert Goh investigated for holding up placard outside ICA building

aseanpr 3 5 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Police are investigating local activist Gilbert Goh for carrying out a public assembly without a permit. Last Saturday (May 1), Mr Goh posted a picture on his Facebook page showing him holding up a placard outside the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building. The placard had the words "Please ban all flights from India we are not racist! Just being cautious". The post has more than 400 comments and had been shared more than 1,400 times as at Monday morning. A police spokesman said it received a report last Saturday alleging that Mr Goh had taken part in a public assembly without a permit. "Mr Gilbert Goh did not have a police permit to carry out the public assembly," said the spokesman. "The police would like to remind the public that organising or participating in a public assembly without a police permit in Singapore is illegal and constitutes an offence under the Public Order Act." Investigations are ongoing. All long-term pass holders and short-term visitors who travelled to India within the last 14 days have been barred from entering or transiting through Singapore since April 23. The move was announced by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, foll...

S’pore to have 11 public holidays in 2022, including 5 long weekends

aseanpr 6 4 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - There will be five long weekends in 2022, according to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) release on gazetted public holidays - one more than this year's four. Of the 11 public holidays next year, three will fall on Sundays, while two will fall on Mondays. One falls on a Friday. However, as Labour Day and Hari Raya Puasa fall on consecutive days on May 1 and May 2 next year, they will be part of a single long weekend of four days. As May 1 is a Sunday and the following day is also a public holiday, Tuesday that week - May 3 - will be a day off. The two other Sunday holidays are Vesak Day and Christmas Day. The days off for these will be the following day. The other Monday holiday is Deepavali on Oct 24, while the Friday holiday is Good Friday on April 15. More on this topic Related Story Free outdoor fun at new playgrounds in East Coast Park and Botanic Gardens Related Story More orchids, attractions at National Orchid Garden's enhanced display area

BuzzFeed in talks to go public via Spac merger

elean 11 3 月

2 minutes

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - BuzzFeed, the digital-media outlet founded in 2006, is in talks to go public through a merger with 890 5th Avenue Partners, a special purpose acquisition company (Spac), according to people with knowledge of the matter. Once public, the company may use its currency to target future acquisitions, said one of the people, who requested anonymity because the talks are private. A transaction value couldn't immediately be learned. As with any deal that hasn't been finalized, it's possible terms change or talks fall apart. 890 5th Avenue - named after the fictional Avengers mansion - is led by executive chairman Adam Rothstein and CEO Emiliano Calemzuk. The blank-cheque firm raised US$287.5 million (S$386.5 million) in a January initial public offering and has said it's focused on technology, media and telecommunications. Representatives of BuzzFeed and 890 5th Avenue didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The deal talks follow a tumultuous year for BuzzFeed, which laid off employees during the pandemic and lost revenue from advertising and live events. The company's balance sheet had improved by last November, when it agreed to buy the HuffPost online ...

Police investigating MP Louis Ng for not getting permit before holding placard supporting hawkers

aseanpr 3 3 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng is currently being investigated by the police for not applying for a permit before he visited hawkers with a placard in June last year. Mr Ng had posted about his trip to Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Facebook on June 20, encouraging residents to visit the hawkers. In four pictures that accompany the post, Mr Ng is seen holding up a piece of paper that read "Support Them" followed by a smiley face. In a statement on Wednesday (March 3), the police said they have been looking into a possible offence of public assembly without a permit by Mr Ng. "We have already interviewed Mr Ng. Police investigations are ongoing," they added. In Mr Ng's Facebook post in June, he wrote that hawkers "worked hard during the past few months to try to make ends meet and to provide yummy food for us". "More than ever, our hawker heroes need our support," he added. On Wednesday, Mr Ng wrote on his Facebook page that he was at the Yishun Park Hawker Centre in June last year doing his regular walkabout. "This was an especially important walkabout as we had just emerged from the circuit breaker. I was there to make sure our hawkers were doing okay. As we all know, they suf...

Northgate Public Services Becomes NEC Software Solutions UK from July 2021

ruth 22 2 月

4 minutes

TOKYO, Feb 22, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) and Northgate Public Services (NPS) today announced a name change that means from July 2021, NPS will become NEC Software Solutions UK.The new name brings NPS under the global NEC brand, strengthening the company's position as a market leader in the development of cutting-edge software and services for the local government, police, health and housing sectors.Tina Whitley, CEO designate of Northgate Public Services, said, "Since being acquired by the NEC group in 2018, our customers have benefited from over £71 million of investment, comprising £42 million on products and £29 million for acquisitions. This has enabled us to develop innovative solutions and services to meet continually changing market needs. "We've transformed our cloud first enterprise housing software to become the market leader. Our policing system, Connect, has evolved so that police officers can access information about crimes, victims and suspects while on the beat, and in health, we have evolved to become the foremost supplier of non-cancer screening services in the UK."NEC values our expertise. They believe in what w...

Community-organised dialogue suggests ways to help lower-income, bridge social divide

aseanpr 19 2 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Most residents who live in public rental housing find their Housing Board blocks only have rental units. This gives families little opportunity to get to know others in their transient neighbourhood, and they may feel isolated as a result. Ways to overcome this - such as integrating rental HDB flats into blocks of Build-to-Order flats for purchase and having a special fund that tenants can tap on for community activities - were among suggestions by participants to address the needs of lower-income communities and boost social solidarity at a virtual dialogue on Thursday night (Feb 18). Among the participants was Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, who welcomed these ideas and said those living in rental units should not have to face stigma, and their situations should not be construed as something out of the ordinary. They could also be in temporary straits. "But that may not be how the cookie crumbles," added the Workers' Party secretary-general and MP for Aljunied GRC. "We need to accept that there are imperfections in society and... we should be more open-minded as a people. That may not be an end point but at least it will be a better place than where we were," h...

4,600 public rental-flat families became HDB home owners over the past five years

aseanpr 7 2 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - About 4,600 families in public rental homes have become owners of Housing Board (HDB) flats over the past five years through various housing schemes and grants. By 2023, around 1,000 families will be offered help by HDB to do the same. Among the 4,600 households, three in four bought a flat directly from the HDB while the remaining bought a resale flat on the open market, said the HDB on Sunday (Feb 7). More than half of these households bought a three-room flat while a quarter bought four-room flats, it added. About two-thirds of the rental households that bought a flat had tapped housing grants such as the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG), which was introduced in September 2019 and dispenses up to $80,000 in grants to eligible buyers. Others had also tapped the previous Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) and Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG), which gave up to $40,000 in grants each. These two grants are now replaced by the EHG. Families with at least one child below the age of 18 who live in public rental flats, and who had previously bought a subsidised flat, can also buy a two-room flexi flat through the Fresh Start housing scheme. Close to 100 families have been plac...

Dip in those satisfied with public transport, but most feel improvement from previous year: PTC survey

aseanpr 2 2 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Fewer commuters were satisfied with Singapore's public transport last year compared with 2019, despite those who said they were happy giving public transport here a higher score. Still, a vast majority of Singaporeans - 97.6 per cent - did not have too many complaints about the trains and buses here, and three in four said services had improved from a year ago. This is according to the annual public transport customer satisfaction survey conducted by the Public Transport Council (PTC). The survey seeks to better understand commuters' needs and identify areas for improvement. In results released on Tuesday (Feb 2), the PTC said satisfaction levels recorded last year were consistent with the pattern established in the previous four years, despite the unprecedented circumstances caused by the coronavirus. Some discontent over reduced bus services to match lower commuter demand, for example, was compensated by people who were impressed by the deployment of public transport workers and ambassadors to help commuters at MRT stations. Overall, public transport here was given an average score of 7.8 - same as in 2019 - by respondents. "Commuters continued to be satisfied with pu...

Commuters with mobility issues can learn to take buses at Jurong East interchange

aseanpr 30 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Commuters with mobility issues can practise boarding and alighting from buses at the interim Jurong East interchange as part of bus operator Tower Transit Singapore's efforts to boost their confidence when taking public transport. It is part of a free course, with trainers guiding such commuters through the layout of public buses and the interchange, which is located next to JCube along Jurong Gateway Road. The two-session course is open to the public, as well as social service agencies and hospitals looking to equip their clients and patients. Tower Transit launched the programme on Saturday (Jan 30), along with several other initiatives aimed at promoting inclusivity in the public transport sphere. For the first run of the course, Tower Transit has partnered SPD, a charity which helps people with disabilities, to coach its clients. Mr Kishon Chong, Tower Transit's customer experience and inclusivity officer who will facilitate the course, said it would help commuters with mobility issues to "regain some independence and confidence to travel on public buses". Mr Chong, a wheelchair user, added: "It will teach participants to board, ride and alight from a moving bus saf...

Covid-19 pandemic still taking a toll on public transport worldwide

aseanpr 26 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - More than 40 per cent of people around the world have cut back on public transport rides, with 8.5 per cent staying away completely since the Covid-19 pandemic started nearly a year ago. In a survey done last month, Israeli mobility app provider Moovit found that of those who still needed to get around, 4.6 per cent have switched to other modes of transport. The firm found that the frequency of public transport usage did not change for 38 per cent of people. Another 7.6 per cent of respondents said their bus and train usage had actually gone up since the pandemic started. Moovit said it polled "tens of thousands" of respondents in more than 100 cities across 28 countries; and pointed out that "at the lowest point in 2020, many cities around the world experienced more than an 80 per cent drop in public transportation ridership". For Singapore, the December survey revealed the aversion to public transport was less severe. More than half of respondents said their usage had not changed since the pandemic, with another 8.2 per cent saying their trips had actually risen. Less than 2 per cent of those polled said they were still staying away from buses and trains, while just o...

NEC’s Northgate Public Services Acquires Charter Systems Ltd to Improve Information Sharing for Undercover Policing

ruth 5 1 月

4 minutes

TOKYO, Jan 5, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) has announced that Northgate Public Services (NPS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC, has entered into an agreement to acquire Charter Systems Ltd, a leading supplier of Covert Operations software to police services in the UK and Canada.NPS is the market leader for policing IT solutions in the UK with more than 50% of police forces currently using NPS' CONNECT crime, custody and intelligence management system to manage information on victims and crimes. Charter Systems is part of Equinity Group plc's Digital division and provides mission-critical software to manage Covert Operations which is used by more than 60% of UK police forces as well as major customers in Canada. The potential for these two sets of technologies to be brought together could bring substantial benefits to the police service.Ian Blackhurst, executive director of Public Safety, Northgate Public Services, said, "It's essential for undercover officers to have access to the most up to date and accurate information to be able to predict and prevent crime. Putting reliable intelligence into the hands of police forces means they are in a good position to...

SPRG Achieves Progress On Various Fronts Despite Toughest Year In Decades

indie 4 1 月

4 minutes

HONG KONG, Jan 4, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Strategic Public Relations Group ("SPRG" or the "Group") has finished 2020 in fine shape despite the many challenges the pandemic posed during the past year. This was largely attributable to the SPRGers, who have continued to provide professional and exceptional quality services to clients during these difficult times, along with its commitment to acting as a good corporate citizen and giving back to the community. These values form the most fundamental part of the Group's DNA, enabling its success over the past 25 years.Richard Tsang, Chairman of SPRG said, "Talent has always been our most important asset since our establishment in 1995. As a result, we have chosen to act in defiance of the poor market conditions, never considering cutting our talent investment. As was announced in early February, following discussion with all the regional heads, we made the decision that no layoffs or salary cuts would result from COVID-19. This is because we are determined to be a responsible employer and will therefore try our very best to protect everyone's job, particularly during the most trying and unpredictable time in decades."The Group's success ...

G.H.Y. Culture & Media up as much as 6.1% on SGX debut

elean 19 12 月

3 minutes

Entertainment and content provider G.H.Y. Culture & Media Holding began trading on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) yesterday at 70 cents, some 6.1 per cent higher than its initial public offering (IPO) price of 66 cents per share. As at 10.02am, the stock eased to trade at 66.5 cents, translating to a gain of about 0.8 per cent from the IPO price. With nearly 8.7 million shares having changed hands at that time, G.H.Y. was one of the most active counters by volume on the Singapore bourse in the morning. G.H.Y. group chief executive and chairman Guo Jingyu yesterday said the listing enables the firm - which produces and promotes dramas, films and concerts in the Asia-Pacific region - to enhance its profile both in Singapore and abroad. G.H.Y. sold 21.7 million shares priced at 66 cents apiece as part of its listing on the SGX. The offering comprised 18.7 million placement shares and a public offer of three million shares. The public offer closed at noon on Wednesday. The firm on Thursday evening reported that it received applications from both retail and institutional investors for 16 times the number of shares available in the IPO's public tranche. There were 1,402 va...

$25m boost for people with disabilities, public education

aseanpr 19 12 月

3 minutes

A new $25 million initiative with the dual aim of supporting projects that help people with disabilities and funding public education for a more inclusive society was launched yesterday. The new Enabling Lives Initiative (ELI) - a partnership between SG Enable and the Tote Board - will run from this year to 2024, taking over the previous Tote Board Enabling Lives Initiative that ran for five years from 2015. Under the new scheme, the Tote Board has committed $20 million to the ELI Grant that will support initiatives on the ground and $5 million for public education. Care & Share Movement, led by the Community Chest, has also committed $1.196 million to co-fund public education efforts. Yesterday's launch at the Enabling Village, a community space at Lengkok Bahru for people with disabilities, was attended by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli. Mr Masagos said the ELI is another milestone in Singapore's endeavour to build a caring and inclusive society. He said: "It takes more than just the efforts of the disability sector to realise this vision. Everyone has a part to play. "By sharing a common goal, we can rally a diverse community of partners - each with ...

Two-thirds of public transport vouchers for needy families disbursed

aseanpr 18 12 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - More than 300,000 public transport vouchers, worth about $15 million, have been disbursed in an exercise which started in November 2019, according to a joint statement by the Transport Ministry and People's Association on Friday (Dec 18). This represents around two-thirds of 450,000 $50 vouchers set aside to help low-income families cope with transportation expenses. The disbursement includes a tranche of 30,000 vouchers which were directly distributed to low-income households. These families need not apply for the vouchers. Eligible households can continue to apply for the vouchers till Jan 31, 2021. Households are eligible if their monthly household income per person - from all sources - does not exceed $1,200. Each voucher must be redeemed by June 30, 2021. They can be used to top up fare cards or buy monthly concession passes. "Eligible households who have yet to apply are encouraged to do so at their local community centres or clubs before the deadline," the joint statement said. More on this topic Related Story No increase in Singapore public transport fares this year amid Covid-19 Related Story Second batch of $150 grocery vouchers for about 150,000 Singaporeans ...

Bendera Bay on St John’s Island to be opened to public via scheduled programmes

aseanpr 13 12 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A lagoon on St John's Island will soon be opened to the public for research, education and conservation activities. The 3.9ha Bendera Bay, which was previously inaccessible to the public, consists of a lagoon with a variety of mangrove, coral, seagrass, sandy shore and rocky shore habitats. Access to the fenced up area will be allowed via scheduled programmes only, as part of efforts to safeguard it. These planned programmes will be carried out from early next year, subject to Covid-19 restrictions. Bendera Bay was launched by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, together with Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Nadia Ahmad Samdin, on Sunday morning (Dec 13). Its name was inspired by Pulau Sekijang Bendera, the indigenous Malay name for St John's Island. The Friends of Marine Park community, which comprises stakeholders and volunteers such as divers, anglers, boat owners, academics and government agencies, will schedule programmes that will take place there. The activities, supported by the National Parks Board (NParks), are centred around four themes: research, recreation, heritage, and education. For instance, researchers from the St John's...

Activist Jolovan Wham will be charged on Monday

aseanpr 21 11 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Civil rights activist Jolovan Wham, 40, will be charged in court on Monday (Nov 23) with two offences under the Public Order Act. Wham, who is the former executive director of migrant worker advocacy group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home), had staged a protest on the steps of the former State Courts building on Dec 13, 2018. That location is within a prohibited area delineated in the Public Order (Prohibited Areas) Order 2009. Wham had also allegedly staged a protest on March 28 this year in the vicinity of Toa Payoh Central Community Club and Toa Payoh Neighbourhood Police Centre. No permit was granted for the protest. If found guilty of either offence, he can be fined up to $5,000, the police said in a statement on Saturday. Organising or taking part in a public assembly without a police permit in Singapore is illegal and constitutes an offence under the Public Order Act, the police stressed. "The Speakers' Corner is the proper avenue for Singaporeans to express their views on issues that concern them, and to allow Singaporeans to conduct assemblies without the need for a permit, subject to certain conditions being met," the police statement sa...

ST Engineering to reorganise into commercial and defence & public security clusters

elean 18 11 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - Mainboard-listed ST Engineering will be reorganised into two main clusters from the new year - commercial, and defence & public security, which replace the sector-structure of aerospace, electronics, land systems and marine. The change in structure was announced in a regulatory filing on Tuesday (Nov 17), which ST Engineering said will position the group for its next phase of growth, and propel it towards becoming a global technology, defence and engineering powerhouse. The commercial cluster will drive the group's international growth in commercial aerospace, urban solutions and satellite communications. This cluster combines into one integral unit the group's smart-city technologies and capabilities, which now reside in the four sectors. The commercial aerospace team will continue to drive long-term growth of the aerospace businesses in aero structures and systems, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), and aviation-asset management. Urban solutions and satellite communications teams will drive the group's smart-city business growth, said ST Engineering. The defence & public cluster will integrate capabilities in digital systems and cyber, land s...

Seven arrested for drug-related offences, 57 investigated for breaching Covid-19 rules

aseanpr 4 11 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Seven people have been arrested for suspected drug-related offences while 57 are under investigation for allegedly breaching Covid-19 measures. The police said on Wednesday (Nov 4) that those arrested for suspected drug activities comprised four men and three women, and they are being investigated by the Central Narcotics Bureau. Those who supposedly breached Covid-19 rules had gathered in groups of more than five and are between the ages of 19 and 66, the police added. Two men are also being investigated for providing public entertainment and selling liquor without a valid licence. All suspects were caught during enforcement efforts against unlicensed public entertainment outlets along Ubi Road 1 and Kallang Pudding Road between Oct 28 and Oct 31. The offence of providing public entertainment without a valid licence carries a fine of up to $20,000. The offence of supplying liquor without a valid licence also carries a fine of up to $20,000. The police said they "take a serious view of anyone found breaking the law, and offenders will be dealt with in accordance to the law."

AGC files disciplinary complaint against lawyer M. Ravi with Law Society

aseanpr 25 10 月

3 minutes

A disciplinary complaint against lawyer M. Ravi was filed with the Law Society by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) last Friday. The complaint relates to "possible professional misconduct" by Mr Ravi, the AGC said in a statement last Friday evening. It was filed because Mr Ravi had neither apologised nor retracted statements he made earlier which the AGC had said were "false, misleading, and unfairly and illegitimately discredit AGC", the statement added. The AGC further said Mr Ravi's conduct "falls short of the standards of professional conduct to be expected from an advocate and solicitor of the court". Last Monday, Mr Ravi told alternative news website The Online Citizen that the prosecutor had been "overzealous" in prosecuting his client Gobi Avedian, and this "led to the death sentence" being given to him by a High Court judge. Mr Ravi made the comments after the five-judge Court of Appeal reversed a 2018 decision to convict Gobi on a capital charge for drug trafficking. He also said, among other things, the apex court's judgment calls into question "the fairness of the administration of justice in Gobi's case by the prosecution". The AGC said in last Friday's statement t...

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