Singapore – 9News Nigeria https://9newsng.com Nigeria News - Nigeria's favourite news source Wed, 27 Apr 2022 07:03:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://pub-c2bc1600c0ae4735bcabd5f23f03a1c5.r2.dev/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/20152806/cropped-9icon-32x32.jpg Singapore – 9News Nigeria https://9newsng.com 32 32 114098865 Singapore executes a mentally disabled Malaysian man for drug trafficking despite outcries https://9newsng.com/singapore-executes-a-mentally-disabled-malaysian-man-for-drug-trafficking-despite-outcries/ Wed, 27 Apr 2022 07:03:19 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=153677 Singapore executes a mentally disabled Malaysian man for drug trafficking despite outcries

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Singapore on Wednesday, April 27th 2022 executed a Malaysian man with a mental disability condemned for a drug offence in spite of outcries from different pressure groups including Amnesty International in Malaysia. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who trafficked a small amount of heroin into the country, was hanged. His case sparked widespread criticism because he was believed […]

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]]> Singapore executes a mentally disabled Malaysian man for drug trafficking despite outcries

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Singapore on Wednesday, April 27th 2022 executed a Malaysian man with a mental disability condemned for a drug offence in spite of outcries from different pressure groups including Amnesty International in Malaysia.

Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who trafficked a small amount of heroin into the country, was hanged. His case sparked widespread criticism because he was believed to be mentally disabled.

According to a post by Amnesty International on their Twitter account, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s family confirmed their son was executed this morning.

The Human Rights group Amnesty International who previously called the trial “a travesty of justice,” said it was “unspeakably heartbroken at this incredible cruelty.”

“May he rest in peace. May the fight against the death penalty continue in his memory.”

“Life is precious. #AbolishTheDeathPenalty”

Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was hanged for attempting to smuggle less than 43 grams (1.5 ounces) of heroin into Singapore.

The city-state’s government has said its use of the death penalty for drug crimes is made clear at the borders.

His case sparked widespread criticism because he was believed to be mentally disabled with an IQ of only 69.

His brother Navin Kumar said the execution had been carried out and said the body would be sent back to Malaysia, where a funeral would be held in the town of Ipoh.

Dharmalingam was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010
The 34-year-old Dharmalingam had been on death row for more than a decade.

His lawyers had filed multiple appeals against his execution but a Singapore court on Tuesday had turned down a last-minute legal challenge put forward by his mother.

At the end of Tuesday’s hearing, Dharmalingam and his family reached through a gap in a glass screen to grasp each others’ hands tightly as they wept.

Rights groups condemn the death penalty

“Hanging an intellectually disabled, mentally unwell man because he was coerced into carrying less than three tablespoons of diamorphine is unjustifiable and a flagrant violation of international laws that Singapore has chosen to sign up to,” Maya Foa, director of non-governmental organization Reprieve told the Associated Press.

lo/wmr (AP, Reuters)

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]]> 153677 Police Arrest Singaporean Man After He Attempted To Slash Wife’s Throat in Public https://9newsng.com/police-arrest-singaporean-man-after-he-attempted-to-slash-wifes-throat-in-public/ https://9newsng.com/police-arrest-singaporean-man-after-he-attempted-to-slash-wifes-throat-in-public/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2022 08:00:41 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=152727 Police Arrest Singaporean Man After He Attempted To Slash Wife's Throat in Public

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Singapore police arrested a 46-year-old man after he was allegedly stopped from slashing his wife’s throat in a public place on Thursday 14th April 2022. Police said in a statement on Thursday night that they had responded to a case of assault with a chopper at 75 Beach Road at 5.30 pm and found a […]

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]]> Police Arrest Singaporean Man After He Attempted To Slash Wife's Throat in Public

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Singapore police arrested a 46-year-old man after he was allegedly stopped from slashing his wife’s throat in a public place on Thursday 14th April 2022.

Police said in a statement on Thursday night that they had responded to a case of assault with a chopper at 75 Beach Road at 5.30 pm and found a woman with slash wounds at the scene.

The police had said earlier on Thursday evening that the man and the woman are believed to be known to each other, before updating in a later statement at night that the 41-year-old woman is believed to be the alleged assailant’s wife.

According to the statement, the victim was saved and taken conscious to the hospital while the suspect will be charged with attempted murder. The man has also been taken conscious to a hospital and a chopper has been seized, they added.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had slit his own wrists with a chopper, the police also said.

In an amateur video seen by 9News Nigeria Asian correspondent, the man with blood on his arms was seen brandishing a chopper knife and running around, and was later seen cutting his own wrists and neck.

A Singaporean man, known as Mr Lim, who runs an online media site in a nearby rented shophouse, had witnessed the incident with four colleagues from their unit on the third floor.

Recounting the incident, he said: “We heard a commotion and went to our toilet window to see what was happening,” said Mr Lim.

“It was really shocking and it felt surreal”, he said.

In another video, the man can be seen apparently attacking a woman, who had a bloodied face, with a chopper.

Onlookers attempted to stop him by throwing chairs, ladders and signboards at him.

According to the police account on Thursday night, several members had helped to prevent the man from further harming the victim.

Police officers who arrived at the scene then located the armed man in the vicinity and deployed a taser to subdue him.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Jeremy Ang, commander of the Central Police Division, said: “The police would like to commend the members of the public who had intervened to prevent the man from causing further harm to the woman.”

The 46-year-old man will be charged in court on Saturday with attempted murder under Section 307 of the Penal Code.

Those found guilty of the offence of attempted murder will be liable for life imprisonment, imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine, or both.

The police added that they are “aware of videos circulating online on the incident, and would like to urge members of the public to refrain from circulating the videos and speculating on the case”.

Singapore police investigations currently continuing with the investigation of the crime.

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]]> https://9newsng.com/police-arrest-singaporean-man-after-he-attempted-to-slash-wifes-throat-in-public/feed/ 1 152727 Covid-19 Pandemic: Singapore registers fewer marriages in 2020 and lowest number of divorces in 15 years https://9newsng.com/covid-19-pandemic-singapore-registers-fewer-marriages-in-2020-and-lowest-number-of-divorces-in-15-years/ Wed, 07 Jul 2021 06:40:13 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=130590 Marriage in Singapore

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The covid-19 pandemic has divergently skewed many aspects of the social and economic lives of people around the world without leaving out family functions. This report from Channel News Asia has hinted at how the pandemic has affected marriages and family functions in the Island state of Singapore, South East Asia. Fewer marriages in Singapore […]

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]]> Marriage in Singapore

9News Nigeria

The covid-19 pandemic has divergently skewed many aspects of the social and economic lives of people around the world without leaving out family functions.

This report from Channel News Asia has hinted at how the pandemic has affected marriages and family functions in the Island state of Singapore, South East Asia.

Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2020 due to COVID-19 disruptions; the lowest number of divorces since 2006

Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant fewer couples in Singapore got married last year, said the Department of Statistics Singapore on Wednesday (Jul 7). 

Last year also saw the lowest number of marital dissolutions since 2006. The pandemic, including measures taken during the “circuit breaker” period, “may have contributed” to fewer divorces being filed, the department added.

MARRIAGES

A total of 22,651 marriages were registered last year, down 10.9 per cent from 2019, when 25,434 marriages were registered. 

“This was due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including circuit breaker restrictions and safe management measures applied to wedding solemnisation and receptions from March 2020,” said the department.

Singapore implemented a circuit breaker between Apr 7 and Jun 1 last year to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Consequently, the annual average number of marriages in the last five years was 26,255, lower than the annual average of 27,635 marriages registered between 2011 and 2015. 

The statistics also showed that the general marriage rate for men and women fell in 2020 compared to a decade ago.

The general marriage rate for men was 35.7 marriages per thousand unmarried men aged 15 to 49 years old in 2020, down from 39.3 in 2010. The rate for women was 34.9 in 2020, down from 35.3 a decade ago.

Between 2010 and 2020, the median age at first marriage rose from 30 years old to 30.4 years old for men, and from 27.7 years old to 28.8 years old for women. 

The age gap between couples in their first marriage narrowed over the past decade, said the department. 

Last year, 42.1 per cent of couples in their first marriage were either of the same age or aged one year apart – an increase from 35.4 per cent in 2010. Another 18.1 per cent were aged two years apart, up from 15.5 per cent over the same period.

“Couple who were aged at least five years apart decreased to 19.2 per cent in 2020, from 28.3 per cent in 2010,” added the department. 

DIVORCES

A total of 6,959 marriages also ended in divorce or annulment last year, an 8.7 per cent drop compared to 7,623 in 2019, said the department in its press release. 

Between 2016 and 2020, the annual average number of marital dissolutions was 7,424, slightly lower than the annual average of 7,439 in the preceding five-year period.

The general divorce rate also fell for both men and women over the past decade. 

For men, there were 6.3 divorces for every thousand married men aged 20 years and over in 2020, down from 7.5 in 2010. For women, the rate in 2020 was 6.1, down from 7.2 a decade ago.

The median age at divorce rose over the last decade, from 41 years old in 2010 to 43.2 years old in 2020 for men, and from 37.4 years old to 39.5 years old for women.

The median duration of marriage for divorces in 2020 was 10.4 years, compared to the 10.6 years in 2010.

Couples who were married for five to nine years accounted for the largest share – 29.4 per cent – of all divorces in 2020. 

Source: CNA/ad

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]]> 130590 Singapore begins Mandatory COVID-19 testing for residents of HDB Housing Units where positive cases were reported https://9newsng.com/singapore-begins-mandatory-covid-19-testing-for-residents-of-hdb-housing-units-where-positive-cases-were-reported/ Fri, 21 May 2021 06:23:33 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=126761 A resident arrives for COVID-19 testing at Block 506 Hougang Ave 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)

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Residents from more than 100 units will be tested on Friday and Saturday. SINGAPORE: All residents living in Block 506 Hougang Ave 8 will be tested for COVID-19, after investigations found that “a few” positive cases live there, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said late on Thursday (May 20) night. MOH did not say how many cases […]

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]]> A resident arrives for COVID-19 testing at Block 506 Hougang Ave 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)

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Residents from more than 100 units will be tested on Friday and Saturday.

SINGAPORE: All residents living in Block 506 Hougang Ave 8 will be tested for COVID-19, after investigations found that “a few” positive cases live there, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said late on Thursday (May 20) night.

MOH did not say how many cases tested positive. 

The ministry said that the move was a “precautionary measure”. The residents will be tested at the void deck of the block over two days, beginning at 1pm on Friday. 

An MOH notice pasted at the void deck of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)
An MOH notice pasted at the void deck of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)

“We have distributed leaflets to affected residents and will also send them an SMS notification. Residents of 506 Hougang Avenue 8 are also advised to monitor their health closely and consult a doctor immediately if they feel unwell,” said the ministry.

“NOT A LARGE OUTBREAK”: GERALD GIAM

On Friday, Member of Parliament (MP) Gerald Giam (WP-Aljunied) was at the block, which is in his ward. Speaking to reporters, he emphasised that the swabbing was a precautionary measure.

COVID-19 testing is carried out for residents of Block 506 Hougang Ave 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)
COVID-19 testing is carried out for residents of Block 506 Hougang Ave 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)

While he said he could not reveal the number of cases, he said it was “not a large outbreak that’s happened here”.

“It’s a small number of cases, so there’s no need for the residents to be overly alarmed. But it’s important for all the residents to be swabbed because MOH wants to make sure that the cases are contained,” he said.

“I hope the residents would take this calmly and comply with the instructions that they would have received from the MOH via SMS.”

Workers set up a COVID-19 testing area at Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long) -
Workers set up a COVID-19 testing area at Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long) –

Given that the block is “relatively large”, housing “about 116” four-room flats, Mr Giam said that the residents will be swabbed according to the levels they live on to “space out” the testing. 

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) was facilitating operations, he added. 

He urged residents to stay home after the swab test. He also gave assurances that the block had been “thoroughly disinfected”. 

“We did a wipe down of the entire block including all the high-touch surfaces on the ground floor,” he said, adding that another round of cleaning will be done.

MPs Pritam Singh and Gerald Giam speak to Ministry of Health officials at Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)
MPs Pritam Singh and Gerald Giam speak to Ministry of Health officials at Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)

Mr Giam was accompanied by fellow Aljunied MP Pritam Singh, who was seen speaking to residents. Mr Singh, who is also the Workers Party secretary-general, wrote about the swabbing operation on his Facebook page. 

Residents from the lower floors will be tested on Friday while those on the upper levels will be tested on Saturday, he said. A “key concern” is that residents may go to the void deck once the swabbing starts, crowding the area, he said.

Aljunied-Hougang Town Council workers clean the lift lobby area of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)
Aljunied-Hougang Town Council workers clean the lift lobby area of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long)

Mr Singh urged residents to stick to their assigned timings “so that the safe distancing ambassadors deployed at the block do not have a difficult time”.

“Residents of block 506, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the HPB team (excellent officers on the ground) or MP Gerald Giam if you have any queries/concerns,” he wrote. 

TESTING AT TAMPINES  BLOCK IN JUNE 2020

Testing of residents in an HDB block was similarly carried out in June last year, when contact tracers noticed that members in two households in the same block in Tampines tested positive for COVID-19 and flagged this for closer monitoring. 

Six residents in one household and two residents in another household had tested positive.

Workers set up a COVID-19 testing area at Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long) -
Workers set up a COVID-19 testing area at Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 on May 21, 2021. (Photo- Jeremy Long) –

As a precautionary measure, 58 households living in the same section of Block 111 Tampines Street 11 that are served by a common lift lobby and stairwell were “proactively identified”.

MOH placed the households under phone surveillance and facilitated voluntary COVID-19 testing for them and their visitors.

In an update on Jul 17, the ministry said that 152 residents and 25 visitors were contacted in relation to the Tampines block. Of them, 123 people took up the offer for testing and all of them tested negative, the ministry said.

Additional reporting by Kurt Ganapathy.

Source: CNA/ja

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]]> 126761 Singapore shuts schools from May 19 amid spike in Covid-19 cases https://9newsng.com/singapore-shuts-schools-from-may-19-amid-spike-in-covid-19-cases/ Sun, 16 May 2021 15:28:31 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=126333 Secondary schols in Singapore

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Singapore Ministry of Health (MOE) has announced that schools in the country will be closed from May 19 2021 following steady increase in Covid-19 cases in the country. The Ministery said that all schools will start full home-based learning (HBL) from Wednesday (May 19) until May 28 when the school term ends, amid a sharp […]

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]]> Secondary schols in Singapore

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Singapore Ministry of Health (MOE) has announced that schools in the country will be closed from May 19 2021 following steady increase in Covid-19 cases in the country.

The Ministery said that all schools will start full home-based learning (HBL) from Wednesday (May 19) until May 28 when the school term ends, amid a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases in the community.

This applies to all primary, secondary and junior college students, as well as those from Millennia Institute and special education schools.

The mid-year GCE O and A-level mother tongue examinations will proceed as planned, with strict safe management measures in place, said the Education Ministry (MOE) in a statement on Sunday.

During the HBL period, schools will provide instructions and support for students to access a range of both online and hardcopy materials, so that learning continues uninterrupted. They will also help students who may require digital devices or internet access.

“Schools will remain open for students who require additional support. In particular, parents working in essential services or are unable to secure alternative care arrangements may approach their children’s primary schools for assistance,” MOE added.

Institutes of higher learning will convert more classes to online learning where possible until June 13when the current set of tightened measures endor further notice, with the exception of essential in-person sessions such as labs, practicals and final year projects.

Singapore had reported 38 community cases as of Sunday noon, of which 18 are currently unlinked.

home based learning singapore
home based learning singapore

Explaining why MOE chose to implement HBL instead of bringing the school holidays forward, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said the measure is meant to reduce activity outside the home as much as possible.

Parents and educators have given feedback to say they would like students to be meaningfully engaged in the next two weeks, and HBL achieves part of this objective, he said at a virtual press conference on Sunday evening.

He also noted that schools prefer to have additional time to wrap up teaching for this term, rather than carrying this forward to Term 3. The June school holidays run from May 29 to June 27.

“We don’t know what will happen in Term 3. If we load everything onto Term 3, it can be very stressful on students, parents and schools,” the minister said. “So taking into account the feedback, we thought it is meaningful to move to HBL for the remaining seven days.”

The move to full HBL comes after seven primary schools had earlier done so as a precautionary measure, after several of their pupils tested positive for Covid-19. The cases are linked to tuition centres, and none of the pupils appeared to have caught the virus while in school thus far.

All centre-based tuition centres and enrichment classes should move activities online till June 13 or further notice, to reduce interactions between students from different schools, said MOE.

Mr Chan said pre-schools and student care centres will remain open to support families who require their services, but he encouraged parents to keep their children at home where possible if they are able to do so.

He also laid out his ministry’s approach to allow students to continue taking classes in a safe school environment in future.

This will involve using new and faster testing methods to ring-fence affected schools, so that lessons in other schools can continue.

It also includes vaccination of school-aged children once the vaccines have been approved for younger age groups, he said.

“We all know that home-based learning over a prolonged period will have certain limitations,” he said.

“So going forward, if the community situation doesn’t warrant it and we only have sporadic cases in schools, we will be able to use more targeted measures to ring-fence schools that are affected while allowing other schools to continue to operate.”

Source: Straight Times

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]]> 126333 Singapore trader’s lavish lifestyle allegedly fuelled by S$1 billion fraud https://9newsng.com/singapore-traders-lavish-lifestyle-allegedly-fuelled-by-s1-billion-fraud/ Thu, 15 Apr 2021 14:52:09 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=123716 Singapore Trader’s Lavish Lifestyle Allegedly Fueled By $740 Million Fraud

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By Alfred Cang, David Ramli and Chanyaporn Chanjaroen At 33, Ng Yu Zhi had all the trappings of a wildly successful trader: a Rolodex full of rich clients, a three-story villa in a posh Singapore neighbourhood and a Pagani Huayra supercar reportedly worth more than US$5 million. Local prosecutors allege Ng also had a dark […]

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]]> Singapore Trader’s Lavish Lifestyle Allegedly Fueled By $740 Million Fraud

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By Alfred Cang, David Ramli and Chanyaporn Chanjaroen

At 33, Ng Yu Zhi had all the trappings of a wildly successful trader: a Rolodex full of rich clients, a three-story villa in a posh Singapore neighbourhood and a Pagani Huayra supercar reportedly worth more than US$5 million.

Local prosecutors allege Ng also had a dark secret: His lavish lifestyle, they say, was built on lies.

In a case that has riveted Singapore’s moneyed-classes, Ng was charged last month with four counts of fraud for allegedly raising at least S$1 billion (US$740 million) from investors for commodity trades that didn’t exist.

The police have called it one of the city-state’s largest-ever suspected investment fraud schemes. It’s also the latest in a series of scandals in the financial and commodities-trading hub, where assets under management have swelled to S$4 trillion thanks largely to inflows from overseas.

Much about Ng and his dealings remains shrouded in mystery. But open court proceedings, interviews with investors and charge sheets by Singapore prosecutors indicate the young financier was able to raise huge sums of money by touting average quarterly gains of 15% –- a track record that would have placed him in the same league as the world’s top-performing hedge fund managers.

Singapore Trader’s Lavish Lifestyle Allegedly Fueled By $740 Million Fraud
Singapore Trader’s Lavish Lifestyle Allegedly Fueled By $740 Million Fraud

While Singapore offers plenty of legitimate business opportunities, there will likely be other instances of suspect behaviour as money flows into the country and investors reach for returns in an era of historically low interest rates, according to Song Seng Wun, an economist at CIMB Private Banking who’s been working in the country’s finance industry for more than three decades.

“This won’t be the last case and that’s the sad reality,” Song said.

Attempts to reach Ng for comment via email were unsuccessful. His lawyer, Davinder Singh, executive chairman of Davinder Singh Chambers, didn’t reply to emailed questions. It’s unclear from charge sheets and court proceedings whether Ng has entered a plea. A citizen of Singapore, he’s been released on S$1.5 million bail and is subject to electronic monitoring. The court will hear further proceedings in coming weeks.

While little is known about Ng’s early life, he had become an increasingly visible figure in Singapore’s philanthropic, supercar and corporate communities in recent years.

In August 2020, he won praise from the prestigious Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore for his contribution to a fundraising drive.

A Pagani Huayra supercar was among S$100 million of assets seized from Ng by the nation’s Commercial Affairs Department, the Straits Times reported, citing sources it didn’t name. “It is inappropriate to comment on ongoing police investigations,” the Singapore police said when asked about the seizure.

Industry sources have valued Ng’s Pagani Huayra at between S$7 million and S$8 million, according to the Straits Times.

Ng’s business interests spanned everything from commodities trading and tech startups to Japanese restaurants and a veterinary clinic, according to corporate filings.

Trader Ng Yu Zhi
Trader Ng Yu Zhi

The fraud allegations against Ng centre on his dealings at Envy Asset Management and Envy Global Trading, companies he controlled and where he was a director. Of the more than S$1 billion that was invested in the companies, S$300 million was transferred to Ng’s personal account while an estimated S$200 million remains unaccounted for, prosecutors alleged in court proceedings last month.

While investors received payments worth S$700 million, they’re owed another S$1 billion based on the face value of outstanding contracts, prosecutors said.

Both Envy Asset and Envy Global are under investigation by Singapore police, according to a police statement, though only Ng has been charged. An external representative for Envy Global didn’t respond to emails seeking comment. Envy Asset is no longer active, the representative of Envy Global said in February.

Ng’s purported investment strategies that are under the spotlight were linked to nickel, a key ingredient in many electric-car batteries. The metal has become a popular speculative bet in recent years amid soaring demand for Teslas and other EVs.

In one transaction described in charge sheets, Ng was involved in raising money from investors claiming he would use it to buy nickel from an Australian company called Poseidon Nickel Ltd. He never followed through with the purchase, prosecutors said. Poseidon’s chief executive officer, Peter Harold, said in an email that the company has had no engagement with Ng or related entities.

Singapore Trader’s Lavish Lifestyle Allegedly Fueled By $740 Million Fraud
The lavish llfestyle of Ng Yu Zhi, a 33-year-old Singapore trader, was allegedly fuelled by S$1 billion fraud. (PHOTO: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Ng was involved in deceiving investors into buying supposed forward contracts that were purportedly with French lender BNP Paribas SA, but those contracts didn’t exist, according to the charge sheets. BNP had no account or trading history with Ng, Envy Asset Management or Envy Global Trading, a person familiar with the matter said. A BNP spokesperson declined to comment.

One person who said he began investing with Ng in 2018 after hearing about him through business associates said he never withdrew money because he believed Ng was delivering sustained high returns.

Documents seen by Bloomberg that were sent by Envy Asset Management to potential investors and partners include details such as purchase and sale prices of prior nickel transactions, contract durations and expected profits in percentages down to the fourth decimal point.

Ng’s investors included Envysion Wealth Management Pte., a Singaporean fund management company, and its founder Shim Wai Han. While Envysion has a similar name to those of Ng’s companies and shared meeting rooms and pantry services with them through a rental agreement, Shim said in an April 1 interview and subsequent messages that Envysion is otherwise unrelated to Ng. He isn’t an owner or executive at Envysion, she said.

Prosecutors allege that Ng convinced Envysion and Shim to invest S$48 million in receivables on nickel products that never existed.

“Our objective now is just one thing,” Shim said in the interview. “To get back the money for investors and for ourselves.”

The Monetary Authority of Singapore, the nation’s financial regulator, is conducting a supervisory review of Envysion to determine if there have been governance or risk management failures by its board and senior management. Envysion hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, Shim said in the interview.

Shim said she and Envysion are “working on this together with MAS to help investors.” She said she conducted due diligence into her investments with Ng, including by asking friends in the commodities industry to assess his trades and strategy. Other executives at Envysion also did due diligence on the investments with Ng, according to Shim.

Both Envy Asset and Envy Global aren’t licensed by MAS, since the regulator doesn’t require licenses from firms investing in physical assets for high-net worth investors or institutions. MAS put Envy Asset on its investor alert list last year to highlight that the firm may have been wrongly perceived as being licensed by MAS, according to a March statement from the monetary authority.

Ng has been removed as managing director of Envy Global, the company said last month, adding that it established an independent interim management committee to meet obligations to clients in cooperation with authorities.

While Singapore is far from the only place grappling with instances of suspected fraud, large corporate scandals have made waves in the city in recent years — including the collapse of oil trading giant Hin Leong Trading Ltd. last year.

Authorities have to strike a balance between ramping up reporting requirements to alleviate concerns about misbehaviour and supporting the expansion of the financial centre, said Lawrence Loh, director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore Business School. “If you put in the sledgehammer too harsh, maybe no investment will come.”

© 2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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]]> 123716 Singapore Invites about 50,000 education sector workers for COVID-19 vaccination, more than 80% already made appointments https://9newsng.com/singapore-invites-about-50000-education-sector-workers-for-covid-19-vaccination-more-than-80-already-made-appointments/ Thu, 25 Mar 2021 05:10:28 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=122221 Singapore Invites about 50,000 education sector workers for COVID-19 vaccination, more than 80% already made appointments

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SINGAPORE: Almost 50,000 COVID-19 vaccination invitations were sent out to the first batch of workers in the education sector on Mar 10, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (Mar 25).  Of these, more than 80 per cent of those invited made appointments, and some have taken their first dose, said Mr Wong in a Facebook post.  “Vaccination will […]

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]]> Singapore Invites about 50,000 education sector workers for COVID-19 vaccination, more than 80% already made appointments

9News Nigeria

SINGAPORE: Almost 50,000 COVID-19 vaccination invitations were sent out to the first batch of workers in the education sector on Mar 10, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (Mar 25). 

Of these, more than 80 per cent of those invited made appointments, and some have taken their first dose, said Mr Wong in a Facebook post. 

“Vaccination will help to reduce the risk of transmission in the community, together with other measures such as safe management, testing and contact tracing,” he said, adding that he is “very glad to see them step forward, in the spirit of protecting not just themselves, but their students and school community.”

The Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) announced on Mar 8 that more than 150,000 teachers and other workers in this sector will be offered the vaccine.

Singapore Minister of Education, Lawrence Wong
Singapore Minister of Education, Lawrence Wong

The exercise, which began on Mar 10, is in line with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) efforts to extend vaccination to workers who offer essential services. 

“It complements existing efforts to keep our educational institutions safe, as children and the majority of our students are not yet medically eligible for vaccination,” authorities said earlier in a press release. 

Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is approved for use only in individuals aged 16 and above. Meanwhile, the Moderna vaccine is only approved for use in individuals aged 18 years and older. 

The vaccination exercise will cover all staff members in educational institutions, as well as individuals who work in these institutions and come into regular contact with students. 

More than 770,000 people in Singapore have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, according to MOH. Of these, more than 300,000 have received their second dose and completed the full vaccination regime.

Source: Channel news Asia

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]]> 122221 TRAGIC: Aircraft Carrying Footballers Crashes After Take off, Leaving No Survivors. https://9newsng.com/tragic-aircraft-carrying-footballers-crashes-after-take-off-leaving-no-survivors/ Mon, 25 Jan 2021 13:13:53 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=116947 FB IMG 1611580162160

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AIRCRAFT CARRYING FOOTBALLERS CRASHES AFTER TAKE OFF LEAVING NO SURVIVORS. Four Palmas players and their club president have been killed after their plane crashed on take-off in Brazil on Sunday. The small aircraft was taking the group to Goiania, around 500 miles away for their Brazilian cup game against Vila Nova on Monday in the […]

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AIRCRAFT CARRYING FOOTBALLERS CRASHES AFTER TAKE OFF LEAVING NO SURVIVORS
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Four Palmas players and their club president have been killed after their plane crashed on take-off in Brazil on Sunday.

The small aircraft was taking the group to Goiania, around 500 miles away for their Brazilian cup game against Vila Nova on Monday in the Copa Verde.

The pilot of the small plane was also reported to have died as fourth-tier team Palmas said there were no survivors.

The club announced that president Lucas Meira, as well as players Lucas Praxedes, Guilherme Noe, Ranule, and Marcus Molinari, all died including the pilot, named as Wagner.

A statement from Palmas said:
“The plane took off and crashed at the end of the runway at the Tocantinense Aviation Association. We regret to report there are no survivors.”

This is the latest air tragedy to befall Brazilian football in recent years. In 2016, Nineteen Chapecoense players died when a plane taking them to the Copa Sudamericana final in Colombia crashed on a hillside outside Medellin.

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]]> 116947 Singaporean man sentenced to death for killing pregnant wife and 4-year-old daughter over financial squabbles https://9newsng.com/singaporean-man-sentenced-to-death-for-killing-pregnant-wife-and-4-year-old-daughter-over-financial-squabbles/ Thu, 12 Nov 2020 12:44:52 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=110439 Singaporean man sentenced to death for killing pregnant wife and 4-year-old daughter over financial squabbles

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A Singaporean man was sentenced to death on Thursday November 12th for murdering his pregnant wife and four-year-old daughter in their Woodlands flat three years ago. The presiding judge called it a “tragic case” of lives lost and “a family torn asunder”. Teo Ghim Heng, 45, was convicted of two counts of murder for killing […]

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]]> Singaporean man sentenced to death for killing pregnant wife and 4-year-old daughter over financial squabbles

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A Singaporean man was sentenced to death on Thursday November 12th for murdering his pregnant wife and four-year-old daughter in their Woodlands flat three years ago.

The presiding judge called it a “tragic case” of lives lost and “a family torn asunder”.

Teo Ghim Heng, 45, was convicted of two counts of murder for killing his wife, Choong Pei Shan, who was six months pregnant, before doing the same to their daughter.

He strangled his 39-year-old wife with a towel after quarrelling with her about finances. She purportedly insulted him in front of their daughter, calling him a useless father and husband, and he strangled her with a towel before using his hands to finish the job.

The girl was in the room playing and watching television while this went on. After killing his wife, Teo decided to kill his daughter and himself to “reunite the family” in death.

The girl cried as she was strangled, and Teo placed the two bodies on a bed and slept beside them for seven days.

He tried to kill himself repeatedly but failed, eventually setting fire to the bodies and tried lying next to them but “chickened out” because of the heat.

Woodlands double murder - Pregnant wife and daughter killed by Singapore man
Woodlands double murder – Pregnant wife and daughter killed by Singapore man

They were found on the first day of Chinese New Year in 2017, when Teo’s brother-in-law came knocking at the door and detected an acrid smell coming from the window slats.

He had gone to look for his sister after she did not turn up for their usual Chinese New Year festivities and did not respond to phone calls and messages.

When Teo finally opened the door to a group of police and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers, he appeared “shocked”, before going close to his brother-in-law’s face to tell him that his sister was dead.

Teo’s motive for the killings was not disputed by both sides – he was previously a top property agent earning about S$20,000 a month, before the industry shifted and he faced financial difficulties, struggling to pay the bills as an employee at a renovation firm.

He also racked up gambling debts, credit card bills and school fees for his daughter’s school, which he was unable to pay and kept putting off.

The money issues led to frequent quarrels with his wife, and Teo started to suspect that his daughter was not his after finding his wife with another man in the master bedroom in October 2014.

The couple also quarrelled over moving their daughter to a less expensive school, and over Teo asking his wife to find a job.

Singaporean man sentenced to death for killing pregnant wife and 4-year-old daughter over financial squabbles 2
Woodlands murder suspect Teo Ghim Heng (red) being escorted back to the crime scene on 10 Feb 2017,photo by Wee Teck Hian

The prosecution argued that Teo lied to the police and defence psychiatrist to support a defence of diminished responsibility, where an accused person is suffering from a specific abnormality of mind that substantially impaired his mental responsibility for causing the deaths.

The prosecutors also said Teo retained his mental capacity at the time, as he could describe in great detail how his wife had supposedly scolded him, as well as how he killed his wife and daughter.

Defence lawyers led by Mr Eugene Thuraisingam asked the court to convict Teo of culpable homicide not amounting to murder instead, saying that Teo had been suffering from major depressive disorder and had been gravely and suddenly provoked.

JUDGE’S REASONS FOR REJECTING DEFENCES

Justice Kannan Ramesh highlighted Teo’s behaviour after the killings. He made up multiple excuses to people who were looking for him, his wife or his daughter, and logged into his wife’s Facebook account to change the cover photo to give the impression that she was alive.

He also left the air-conditioning on in the room to slow the rate of decomposition and shut the windows to prevent the smell of decomposition from spreading, said the judge.

Teo fabricated suicide notes and told the police that his wife had agreed on a suicide pact with him, but the notes were later found to have been written by Teo.

Justice Ramesh rejected all three of Teo’s defences: That he suffered from diminished responsibility, that he suffered grave and sudden provocation, and an argument on the constitutionality of the offences.

He found that Teo did not fulfil the criteria for major depressive disorder at the time of the offences, pointing to several factors, including his performance at work.

“I’m not satisfied that he suffered depressed mood (most of the day and almost every day),” said the judge. “I accept he was upset with his financial circumstances and the acrimony that had been building between him and his wife. But being upset is not the same as being depressed.”

Messages between Teo and his wife did not show that he was depressed, but depicted a “loving husband constantly showering his wife with affection”, said Justice Ramesh.

Teo also indicated that he would “fight to the end” and not give up, and his behaviour in general showed an uplift in his mood and positivity towards his difficult financial circumstances.

Teo’s behaviour after the offences was also “telling”, said the judge. He spent a significant amount of time surfing the web, watching videos and looking at pornography.

He slept regularly, left the house for food and did not appear to show any despondency over the deaths of his wife and child, said Justice Ramesh.

Such behaviour was not one of a person labouring under depression almost every day, said the judge.

He also found inconsistencies in Teo’s evidence. Teo claimed he had no interest in sex with his wife since 2015, as loss of pleasure is one of the indicators for depression, but he clearly had sex with his wife as she conceived around July 2016.

Teo’s account of insomnia also could not square with his strong performance at work, and there was no loss of weight. Instead, he visited porn sites “constantly” before and after the offences.

In the immediate aftermath, he was able to fashion multiple lies, which is behaviour “demonstrative of shrewd cognitive ability”, said the judge.

He also rejected Teo’s defence of grave and sudden provocation – that he had suffered a sudden and temporary loss of self-control that made him so subject to passion as to not be the master of his mind.

“I’m prepared to accept that what Pei Shan said to the accused made him angry. A person in his shoes would arguably have felt incensed,” said the judge.

The judge pointed out that Teo had said in his account that a red mist that had descended upon him and made his mind go blank cleared within five minutes.

His wife was still alive at this point, but he decided to continue strangling her with the towel, and later with his hands to finish the job.

Justice Ramesh added that Teo knew exactly what he was doing when he strangled his daughter, who did not provoke Teo.

“(She) was not at fault for Pei Shan’s behaviour,” he said.

The maximum penalty for murder is death. A third charge against Teo of causing the death of the unborn foetus was withdrawn after the conviction on Thursday.

The defence intends to appeal against the conviction and sentence.

Source: Channel News Asia

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]]> 110439 Singapore ‘fake news’ law set to come into force on Wednesday https://9newsng.com/singapore-fake-news-law-set-to-come-into-force-on-wednesday/ Tue, 01 Oct 2019 11:37:58 +0000 https://9newsng.com/?p=80626 Singapore 'fake news' law set to come into force on Wednesday

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SINGAPORE (9News Nigeria) – Singapore is about to introduce a law against “fake news” which rights groups have warned may stifle free speech and opposition politicians have said could give the government too much power as elections loom. The law was passed earlier this year after a public consultation. It will take effect on Wednesday, […]

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]]> Singapore 'fake news' law set to come into force on Wednesday

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SINGAPORE (9News Nigeria) – Singapore is about to introduce a law against “fake news” which rights groups have warned may stifle free speech and opposition politicians have said could give the government too much power as elections loom.

The law was passed earlier this year after a public consultation. It will take effect on Wednesday, according to a government notice.

Singapore 'fake news' law set to come into force on Wednesday
Singapore ‘fake news’ law set to come into force on Wednesday

The legislation will require online media platforms, including social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, to carry corrections or remove content that the government considers to be false.

Individuals deemed to have maliciously spread false information on the web damaging to the public interest face jail terms of up to 10 years. Media platforms that fail to comply with the law face fines of up to S$1 million ($730,600).

The bill is called the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, but is commonly referred to as the fake news law.

The People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled Singapore since its independence over half a century ago, says the city-state is vulnerable to so-called fake news because of its position as a global financial hub, its mixed ethnic and religious population and widespread internet access.

Singapore is expected to hold elections within months, after the government said last month it had formed a panel to review electoral boundaries.

Senior PAP officials have rejected suggestions from opposition politicians that the law could be used for political gain.

Reporting by John Geddie; Editing by Pravin CharOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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]]> 80626 Drug that kills mosquitoes to fight malaria https://9newsng.com/drug-that-kills-mosquitoes-to-fight-malaria/ Tue, 03 Apr 2018 18:22:16 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=49889 Mosquito 640x360

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Researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) have shown the large potential impact of a completely new type of antimalarial drug that kills mosquitoes, as opposed to existing drugs that target the parasite, to reduce the spread of malaria. The team, working in partnership with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the United […]

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Researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) have shown the large potential impact of a completely new type of antimalarial drug that kills mosquitoes, as opposed to existing drugs that target the parasite, to reduce the spread of malaria.

The team, working in partnership with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other colleagues from around the world, carried out a randomized controlled trial in western Kenya. The results of the study, funded by the Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance (MESA), are published in one of the world’s leading medical journals The Lancet Infectious Diseases, and show that adding high doses of ivermectin, an endectocide class of drug, to the antimalarial dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) had a major and prolonged effect on mosquito mortality.

Dr. Menno Smit (LSTM) is first author on the paper. He said: “This is an entirely novel type of intervention which could be added to community-wide campaigns with antimalarial drugs, such as mass drug administration and seasonal malaria chemoprevention, to kill both mosquitoes and parasites. We worked with colleagues from Imperial College London, who used our results in a mathematical model, which predicts that the addition of high dose ivermectin increases the impact on malaria reduction by potentially as much as 61 per cent.”

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug and in lower doses is widely used in the treatment of other tropical diseases. It has safely been used in doses up to 10 times the standard dose. The team evaluated doses that were predicted to give drug levels that were two times and four times higher than the standard dose. They combined it with the malaria drug DP, which is routinely used in mass drug administration in many malaria endemic countries.

They found that three-day courses of ivermectin 300 and 600 mcg/kg/day were safe and routinely killed mosquitoes feeding on the blood of the treated individuals for at least 28 days post-treatment. These results suggest that ivermectin has the potential to become a novel tool for malaria control and elimination.

“This first evaluation of the impact of high dose ivermectin on mosquito mortality is highly encouraging and requires further evaluation in larger scale trials that target both malaria parasites and the mosquitos, as the world pushes towards malaria elimination,” explained LSTM’s Professor Feiko ter Kuile, senior author of the paper. “The drug’s impact on mosquito mortality, long effect-duration, and tolerability make it a promising new tool in malaria control. It has a different mode of action from other insecticides, meaning that it could also be effective against mosquitos that rest and feed outdoors, as well as mosquitoes that are resistant to the standard insecticides used on bed nets and indoor spraying.”

Preliminary results of the study were presented at a World Health Organization (WHO) evidence review group meeting, while UNITAID has issued a call for further research into the use of endectocide class drugs, of which ivermectin is currently the only one registered for human use, as new vector control tools in the fight against malaria and other mosquito borne disease.

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]]> 49889 Is Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Integrity Now Questionable? – Singaporean writer https://9newsng.com/is-singapore-prime-minister-lee-hsien-loongs-integrity-now-questionable-singaporean-writer/ Sat, 17 Jun 2017 10:34:15 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=27164 Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

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Enough is enough. The time has come to reject the notion that this is just an ugly family fight and start looking at it as an issue with huge implications for Singapore as a nation. It is no more about whether the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s house at 38 Oxley Road should be […]

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]]> Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

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Enough is enough. The time has come to reject the notion that this is just an ugly family fight and start looking at it as an issue with huge implications for Singapore as a nation.

It is no more about whether the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s house at 38 Oxley Road should be demolished. The person being targeted is not only a Lee family member. Lee Hsien Loong is also the Prime Minister of the country. The charges levelled at him are very serious: abuse of power, nepotism, conflict of interest, dishonesty.

And these allegations have not been made by dissidents, activists or opposition members who might have an axe to grind. These are being made by the founding father’s flesh and blood who are also products of the system.

For PM Lee’s younger siblings – Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang – to charge that their brother had “misused his position and influence over the Singapore government and its agencies to drive his personal agenda” is unsettling,  disturbing and, more important, scary.

PM Lee has responded by releasing an edited summary of statutory declarations he had made to a ministerial committee looking into the options for 38 Oxley Road and asking if his sister-in-law and a lawyer, Lee Suet Fern, had explained to Lee Kuan Yew the details of the seventh and last will and if his father had given specific instructions to reinsert a clause to demolish the property.

Even the formation of this committee, led by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, is shrouded in mystery. When was it formed, what were its terms of reference, who are its members, will its deliberations be made public? No answers so far.

Where the allegations get murky and troubling is the contention of Wei Ling and Hsien Yang that PM Lee had used his position to settle a family fight by getting documents from Minister Wong, which were then handed to his personal lawyer, Lucien Wong, to bolster his case. Even worse was the innuendo that Lucien Wong was appointed the Attorney-General soon after the Oxley Road property dispute.

Specific allegations like these by Wei Ling and Hsien Yang go against the very heart of what Singaporeans believe their country stands for. It is a place that not just delivers economic growth but also has a system that is corruption-free and law-abiding. In one fell swoop, both of them have left the edifice that the first PM built, nurtured and  vigorously defended in ruins.

PM Lee cannot just deny the allegations and throw back more accusations. He has either to take his siblings to court or set up an independent panel to get to the bottom of this scandal. Both routes are not new in Singapore. Those who defamed political leaders have been sued till they lost their pants. Public inquiries, though rare, have been held with the one on the Little India riot taking place just three years ago.

There is no doubt that PM Lee is in a moral dilemma. He is the first born, and after his father’s death on 23 March 2015, has a responsibility to look after the well-being of his brother and sister. But then he is also the Prime Minister and has the responsibility to an entire nation. Deputy PM Teo Chee Hean, who is acting as PM since Lee Hsien Loong is on leave, tried to contextualise the problem by saying that Singapore is facing “so many issues, problems and challenges…We need to focus and work on them”. But there is no bigger problem than PM Lee’s credibility, which has been questioned by none other than two of his closest family members.

The cynical Singaporean will say it is difficult to find truly independent citizens to sit on this panel. “Looking for people to be members of this panel is the hard part, given the divisive nature of the case,” one Facebook post said. That is a defeatist approach to take.

What the Lee siblings have been toing and froing about is not just about their father’s house. In the context of the bigger picture, it is about Singapore and what kind of Singapore its citizens want to call country. The Rubicon has been crossed. PM Lee’s credibility has been questioned. And Singaporeans need to know what is the truth.

P N Balji is a veteran Singaporean journalist was formerly chief editor of Today, as well as an editor at The New Paper, and currently a media consultant. The views expressed are his own.

Source: Y! News

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]]> 27164 Lee Kuan Yew’s last will made upon his ‘express instruction’, says younger son https://9newsng.com/lee-kuan-yews-last-will-made-upon-his-express-instruction-says-younger-son/ Sat, 17 Jun 2017 10:01:40 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=27161 Lee Kuan Yews last will made upon his express instruction says younger son

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of Singapore’s prime minister, said on Saturday his father had expressly instructed the drafting of a last will directing the demolition of the family’s iconic home, the latest salvo in a public feud between the city-state’s leader and his two younger siblings. The comments by Lee Hsien […]

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]]> Lee Kuan Yews last will made upon his express instruction says younger son

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of Singapore’s prime minister, said on Saturday his father had expressly instructed the drafting of a last will directing the demolition of the family’s iconic home, the latest salvo in a public feud between the city-state’s leader and his two younger siblings.

The comments by Lee Hsien Yang, made on his Facebook account, followed those made by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday that there were “serious questions” and “deeply troubling circumstances” over how the final will of their father, Lee Kuan Yew, was drawn up.

The prime minister’s office was not immediately available for comment on Saturday.

The feud between the children of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister, over the future of the family home erupted publicly this week in a flurry of accusations and denials through press releases and Facebook postings, which also touched on Lee Hsien Loong’s leadership.

Both Lee Hsien Yang and his sister Lee Wei Ling say they had lost confidence in their older brother as a leader and feared that state power would be used against them in their dispute with him.

The prime minister has denied these allegations, and said he was very disappointed that they have chosen to publicise private family matters.

In his last will, part of which was released by Lee Hsien Yang on Thursday, Lee Kuan Yew, who ruled Singapore for three decades, said he wanted his house, a humbly furnished home near the bustling Orchard shopping district, to be demolished.

Lee Hsien Loong questioned in a six-page timeline whether Lee Kuan Yew knew a clause about the demolition, which was removed in the fifth and sixth versions of the will, was re-instated in the seventh and final will, saying there was no evidence that he did.

The prime minister said he had recused himself from all government decisions regarding the house, and in his personal capacity, would also like to see Lee Kuan Yew’s wish honoured.

His brother Lee Hsien Yang said on Saturday Lee Kuan Yew’s final will was engrossed on the basis of Lee Kuan Yew’s “express instruction” to revert to his first will, attaching to the statement what appeared to be an email message from Lee Kuan Yew that states his plan to sign it before a solicitor.

“Lee Kuan Yew’s final will was simply Lee Kuan Yew’s first will of 20 Aug 2011 re-executed on his instruction,” Lee Hsien Yang said on his Facebook account.

(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Sam Holmes)

 

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]]> 27161 Singapore inflation accelerates to 2-yr high https://9newsng.com/singapore-inflation-accelerates-to-2-yr-high/ Thu, 23 Feb 2017 08:47:36 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=18788 Singapore inflation accelerates to 2 yr high

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By Fathin Ungku | SINGAPORE Singapore’s inflation rose at its fastest pace in two years in January, led by services and oil-related items, virtually shutting out the prospect of further monetary policy easing at the central bank’s next meeting in April. The all-items consumer price (CPI) in January rose 0.6 percent from a year earlier, […]

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]]> Singapore inflation accelerates to 2 yr high

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By Fathin Ungku | SINGAPORE

Singapore’s inflation rose at its fastest pace in two years in January, led by services and oil-related items, virtually shutting out the prospect of further monetary policy easing at the central bank’s next meeting in April.

The all-items consumer price (CPI) in January rose 0.6 percent from a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday, the fastest growth since September 2014.

The momentum in consumer prices, combined with stronger-than-expected economic growth at the end of 2016 and the government’s generous budget for the coming year will take near-term monetary policy easing off the table, analysts said.

“Given that budget 2017 was expansionary and growth and inflation are actually evolving in line with MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) expectations, I think this reduces the odds of any shift in…policy at the April meeting,” said Weiwen Ng, and economist for ANZ.

Ng said the rise in CPI reflects higher transport costs and can be partly attributed to a low base of comparison from a year ago.

ANZ still sees a risk of further policy easing although the possibility of such a move at the next meeting in April is now lower, Ng said.

The central bank last eased its exchange rate-based policy in April 2016.

Singapore posted its fastest growth in more than six years in the fourth quarter, expanding at an annualised 12.3 percent from the previous three months.

But risks from rising protectionism in the United States and a still-soft services sector point to an underpowered economy that may be in need of more stimulus.

Headline CPI had been dragged down over the past two years by lower global oil prices, only rising for the first time in two years in December 2016.

Looming water price hikes and plans for a carbon tax could further stoke inflation.

The MAS core inflation measure in January rose 1.5 percent from a year earlier, the fastest rise since December 2014. In December it rose 1.2 percent.

The MAS and Ministry of Trade and Industry kept their 2017 forecasts for both headline CPI and core CPI. Imported inflation is likely to rise on the back of a higher global oil prices while domestic inflation should be muted due to a subdued labour market, they said in a joint statement.

The central bank has said that core CPI is the most relevant indicator for monetary policy. The MAS core inflation measure excludes changes in the price of cars and accommodation, which are influenced more by government policies.

(Reporting by Fathin Ungku; Additional reporting by Masayuki Kitano; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

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]]> 18788 Huge fire breaks out at waste management plant in Tuas Singapore https://9newsng.com/huge-fire-breaks-out-at-waste-management-plant-in-tuas-singapore/ Thu, 23 Feb 2017 08:40:22 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=18779 Huge fire breaks out at waste management plant in Tuas

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SINGAPORE: It took four hours of “intensive” firefighting by 200 Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters to extinguish an enormous fire involving chemical waste and flammable materials at a waste management plant on Thursday morning (Feb 23). At the height of the fire, a total of 38 SCDF emergency vehicles, including three Unmanned Firefighting Machines (UFM), were involved, […]

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]]> Huge fire breaks out at waste management plant in Tuas

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SINGAPORE: It took four hours of “intensive” firefighting by 200 Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters to extinguish an enormous fire involving chemical waste and flammable materials at a waste management plant on Thursday morning (Feb 23).

At the height of the fire, a total of 38 SCDF emergency vehicles, including three Unmanned Firefighting Machines (UFM), were involved, SCDF said. One firefighter who sustained heat exhaustion during the operation was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

SCDF was alerted at 6.15am to the fire, which broke out at 23 Tuas View Circuit, the address of Eco Special Waste Management.

tuas scdf fire 4 data

(Photo: SCDF)

In an update at 8.40am, SCDF said the 200m by 200m premises were “fully engulfed in flames” when its firefighters arrived.

“Periodic explosions could be heard as firefighters battle the blaze to contain it within the affected premises. SCDF is also applying foam to suppress the fire in the drains within the immediate vicinity,” it added in a later update.

By 11.21am, SCDF reported that the fire was “well under control” and that firefighters were dousing pockets of fire within the premises with foam.

After the fire was extinguished, SCDF said that damping down operations were continuing to ensure that the fire was not rekindled.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, said SCDF.

tuas fire under control data

(Photo: SCDF)

During the operation, Tuas South Ave 3 and Tuas View Crescent were closed and the public was advised to avoid the area.

When Channel NewsAsia arrived on the scene at 9.50am, there was an acrid chemical smell in the air. An extensive cordon had been established around the area extending to Tuas South Avenues 3,7,8 and 9, with SCDF personnel and police preventing people from getting any closer.

Marine and offshore manufacturer Pride-Chem, which is situated nearby, told Channel NewsAsia at 9.15am that the fire had been “contained” and it looked like “SCDF has it under control”. Chemicals company Framo Singapore located across the road from the fire said its staff had been evacuated to a staging area, with masks distributed as a precautionary measure.

tuas fire 1 data

The aftermath after the fire was extinguished. Photo: Noor Farhan

tuas fire 3 data

Photo: Noor Farhan

StarHub mobile subscribers within the immediate vicinity of the fire incident would have received an advisory message urging members of the public to stay away from the area, according to SCDF.

tuas fire 4 data

Photo: Noor Farhan

tuas fire 5 data

Photo: Noor Farhan

Eco Special Waste Management’s plant had previously caught fire in May 2012 but the fire was contained in the incinerator and put out in 30 minutes by four fire engines, according to past reports.

– CNA/mz

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]]> 18779 Singapore minister says seized troop carriers left Hong Kong port https://9newsng.com/singapore-minister-says-seized-troop-carriers-left-hong-kong-port/ Fri, 27 Jan 2017 08:54:56 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=17179 9News Nigeria

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s defence minister said on Friday that the Singaporean armoured vehicles seized by Hong Kong in November, on their way home from military exercises in Taiwan, have left Hong Kong port and were headed back to Singapore. Hong Kong had said on Tuesday it would release the nine Singaporean armoured vehicles, easing […]

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]]> 9News Nigeria

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s defence minister said on Friday that the Singaporean armoured vehicles seized by Hong Kong in November, on their way home from military exercises in Taiwan, have left Hong Kong port and were headed back to Singapore.

Hong Kong had said on Tuesday it would release the nine Singaporean armoured vehicles, easing tensions between China and Singapore.

“Our Terrexes left Hong Kong port this morning at 0415hrs. Next stop, home,” Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post.

Hong Kong’s Cable Television carried footage of the carriers being transported on trucks away from the facility where they were being held, with armed police standing by.

Asked whether the Singapore-bound containers had been released and shipped out, Hong Kong’s Customs and Excise Department said: “The batch of controlled items were reclaimed by the relevant shipping company from Customs warehouse in Tuen Mun early this (January 27) morning”.

After the nine troop carriers had been seized in November, Beijing, which regained sovereignty over the former British colony of Hong Kong in 1997, warned countries against maintaining military ties with Taiwan, which it views as a wayward province.

The seizure came amid signs of tension between China and Singapore, which has deepened its security relationship with the United States over the last year and remains concerned over China’s assertive territorial stance in the South China Sea.

(Reporting by Masayuki Kitano; Additional reporting by James Pomfret and Greg Turode in HONG KONG; Editing by Michael Perry)

 

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]]> 17179 Hong Kong has no right to hold on to our troop carriers, Singapore says https://9newsng.com/hong-kong-has-no-right-to-hold-on-to-our-troop-carriers-singapore-says/ Mon, 09 Jan 2017 07:59:21 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=15481 Hong Kong has no right to hold on to our troop carriers Singapore says

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s defence minister said on Monday nine armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong could not be detained or confiscated and that the city-state had repeatedly asked for their return. Hong Kong customs seized the troop carriers in November as they were being shipped from Taiwan to Singapore after military exercises on the […]

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]]> Hong Kong has no right to hold on to our troop carriers Singapore says

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s defence minister said on Monday nine armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong could not be detained or confiscated and that the city-state had repeatedly asked for their return.

Hong Kong customs seized the troop carriers in November as they were being shipped from Taiwan to Singapore after military exercises on the island that Beijing regards as a breakaway province, sparking tension between Singapore and China.

Beijing, which regained sovereignty over the former British colony of Hong Kong in 1997, then warned countries against maintaining military ties with Taiwan.

Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, answering questions in parliament, said the vehicles were Singapore government property.

“They are protected by sovereign immunity even though they were being shipped by commercial carriers. They are immune from any measures of constraint abroad. They cannot legally be detained or confiscated by other countries,” Ng said.

Ng added Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had written to Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying to request their return.

The seizure of the vehicles came amid mounting regional uncertainty and signs of tension between China and Singapore, which has deepened its security relationship with the United States over the last year and remains concerned over Beijing’s assertive territorial stance in the South China Sea.

Singapore and Taiwan have a longstanding military relationship that began in the 1970s and involves Taiwan being used as grounds for Singaporean infantry training.

Beijing has grudgingly tolerated this agreement since China and Singapore re-established diplomatic relations in the 1990s.

But China has repeatedly warned Singapore against getting involved in the South China Sea dispute in which China asserts sovereignty over various waters and islands claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

Singapore has no claims in the South China Sea, but as the biggest port in Southeast Asia, its open economy depends on free navigation in the area.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s Communist forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.

(Reporting by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

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]]> 15481 300 tonnes of oil spills after Malaysia ship collision https://9newsng.com/300-tonnes-of-oil-spills-after-malaysia-ship-collision/ Wed, 04 Jan 2017 11:40:10 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=14944 malaysia

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Nearly 300 tonnes of oil spilled into the narrow strait separating Singapore and Malaysia after a collision between two container vessels, the Singapore Marine Port Authority (MPA) said on Wednesday. There were no reports of injuries and 12 anti-pollution craft had been sent to clean up the mid-sized oil spill, the MPA said in a […]

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]]> malaysia

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Nearly 300 tonnes of oil spilled into the narrow strait separating Singapore and Malaysia after a collision between two container vessels, the Singapore Marine Port Authority (MPA) said on Wednesday.

There were no reports of injuries and 12 anti-pollution craft had been sent to clean up the mid-sized oil spill, the MPA said in a statement.

“Traffic in the East Johor Straits and Singapore’s port operations remains unaffected”, it said, adding that the spill had been contained off the western side of Singapore’s Pulau Ubin island.

The spill was caused by damage to the fuel tank of the container vessel APL Denver after a collision with the WAN HAI 301 off Pasir Gudang Port in Johor, Malaysia late on Tuesday.
APL Denver is owned by Germany’s HLL Pacific Schiffahrts and registered in Gibraltar, while WAN HAI 301 is owned by Wan Hai Lines Singapore and operated by Taiwan’s Wan Hai Lines.

The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, a non-profit organisation dealing with oil and chemical spills, defines a large oil spill as more than 700 tonnes.

Source: Reuters 

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]]> 14944 Nigerian man and a Malaysian Hanged in Singapore for drug trafficking https://9newsng.com/nigerian-man-and-a-malaysian-hanged-in-singapore-for-drug-trafficking/ Fri, 18 Nov 2016 06:11:19 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=11788 Chijoke Stephen Obioha hanged in Singapore

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SINGAPORE – Two convicted drug traffickers were hanged for their offences at Changi Prison Complex on Friday (Nov 18). The two men were Chijioke Stephen Obioha, a 38-year-old Nigerian, and Devendran A/L Supramaniam, a 31-year-old Malaysian, said the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in a statement. Obioha, who said he came here in 2005 to try […]

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]]> Chijoke Stephen Obioha hanged in Singapore

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SINGAPORE – Two convicted drug traffickers were hanged for their offences at Changi Prison Complex on Friday (Nov 18).

The two men were Chijioke Stephen Obioha, a 38-year-old Nigerian, and Devendran A/L Supramaniam, a 31-year-old Malaysian, said the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in a statement.

Obioha, who said he came here in 2005 to try out for a football club, was arrested in April 2007 by anti-narcotics officers who found 14 blocks of vegetable matter in the bag he had with him. The officers escorted him to his rental flat and found another 14 blocks in various bags.

Obioha was convicted of trafficking 2,604.56g of cannabis here and sentenced to death on Dec 30, 2008. The Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) provides for the death penalty if the amount of cannabis trafficked is 500g or more.

After his appeal against conviction and sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in 2010, Obioha elected to be considered for re-sentencing in May 2015, under the new death penalty regime that came into effect at the start of 2013. He subsequently withdrew his re-sentencing application in April this year.

His counsel filed a criminal motion in court for a stay of execution and to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment on Wednesday (Nov 16), which was heard and dismissed the following day.

His petition to the President for clemency was also turned down.

Devendran was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint in May 2011 carrying six packets of granular and powdery substances in his motorcycle, which were found to contain 83.36g of diamorphine.

He was convicted of importing not less than 83.36g of diamorphine into Singapore, an offence under section 7 of the MDA, and sentenced to death on July 29, 2014.

His appeal against conviction and sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in May 2015.

His counsel filed two criminal motions in court for a stay of execution and to re-open his appeal on Thursday (Nov 17), which were heard and dismissed the same day. His petition to the President for clemency was also turned down.

The CNB said both men had been “accorded full due process under the law”.

– Strait Times Singapore

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]]> 11788 Amazon to launch in Singapore 1Q2017: report https://9newsng.com/amazon-to-launch-in-singapore-1q2017-report/ Thu, 03 Nov 2016 08:23:01 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=10577 Amazon to launch in Singapore 1Q2017 report

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Online retail giant Amazon is set to make its entrance into Southeast Asia, starting with a launch in Singapore next year, according to a media report on Wednesday (2 November). Citing two sources close to the company, tech media portal Techcrunch said that Amazon is quietly acquiring assets, including refrigerated trucks, and making new hires […]

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]]> Amazon to launch in Singapore 1Q2017 report

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Online retail giant Amazon is set to make its entrance into Southeast Asia, starting with a launch in Singapore next year, according to a media report on Wednesday (2 November).

Citing two sources close to the company, tech media portal Techcrunch said that Amazon is quietly acquiring assets, including refrigerated trucks, and making new hires ahead of its entry into Singapore.

Amazon plans to launch in Singapore by the first quarter of 2017, the report said, adding that the company will initially offer its Prime delivery service alongside its AmazonFresh grocery services.

Earlier this year, Amazon’s bid for grocery delivery startup RedMart was rejected for being too low. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Southeast Asian e-commerce firm Lazada announced it is buying RedMart for an undisclosed sum.

Amazon’s plans for Singapore comes months after it pumped US$3 billion into its India business and a week after it introduced its Prime services in China.

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]]> 10577 McDonald’s set to sell Singapore, Malaysian franchise to Saudi company https://9newsng.com/mcdonalds-set-to-sell-singapore-malaysian-franchise-to-saudi-company/ Thu, 06 Oct 2016 11:20:20 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=7814 103584219 GettyImages 461116732.530x298

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McDonald’s is nearing a deal to sell 20-year franchise rights for its Singapore and Malaysia outlets to Saudi Arabia’s Reza group, in a transaction estimated at up to $400 million, people familiar with the matter said. Reza Food Services, which owns and operates McDonald’s restaurants in the western and southern region of Saudi Arabia, has […]

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]]> 103584219 GettyImages 461116732.530x298

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McDonald’s is nearing a deal to sell 20-year franchise rights for its Singapore and Malaysia outlets to Saudi Arabia’s Reza group, in a transaction estimated at up to $400 million, people familiar with the matter said.

Reza Food Services, which owns and operates McDonald’s restaurants in the western and southern region of Saudi Arabia, has tapped Malaysian bank CIMB to finance the deal, said two of the sources, who declined to be identified as the deal has not been publicly announced.

CIMB declined to comment, while there was no immediate response from McDonald’s. Reuters was not immediately able to reach Reza for a comment.

The deal was expected to be completed by the end of the year, one person familiar with the transaction said.

McDonald’s has about 120 restaurants in Singapore and about 260 in Malaysia. The move is in line with the company’s reorganization of its Asian operations, bringing in partners as it switches to a less capital-intensive franchise model.

Source: Reuters

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]]> 7814 Stingray Kills Singapore Oceanarium Diver https://9newsng.com/stingray-kills-singapore-oceanarium-diver/ Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:40:11 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=7681 Stingray Kills Singapore Oceanarium Diver

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A professional diver has been killed by a stingray at an oceanarium in Singapore. Philip Chan, 62, was heading a team of divers who were removing sea creatures from the Underwater World attraction on Tuesday. The once-popular marine life park shut down earlier this year. Police said Mr Chan was taken to hospital where he […]

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]]> Stingray Kills Singapore Oceanarium Diver

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A professional diver has been killed by a stingray at an oceanarium in Singapore.

Philip Chan, 62, was heading a team of divers who were removing sea creatures from the Underwater World attraction on Tuesday.

The once-popular marine life park shut down earlier this year.

Police said Mr Chan was taken to hospital where he died from his injuries. They are now investigating the “unnatural death”.

A police spokesman said the incident was the first of its kind in Singapore.

An official statement from the Haw Par Corporation, which owns the park, described it as a “tragic accident”.

“Mr Chan was one of 10 staff who stayed on to care for the animals while suitable homes were being found,” a spokesperson said, adding that the animal transfer programme has been suspended.

“He was a veteran diver, aquarist and animal caregiver who had been caring for the aquatic animals since Underwater World’s opening.”

Rare attack

Underwater World opened in May 1991 but closed last June after struggling to compete with similar aquarium attractions.

It had faced criticism in the past for keeping rare pink dolphins, some of which had been taken from the wild.

Its animals are being moved to an aquarium China.

Stingrays are commonly found in tropical waters.

Their razor-sharp barbs, located at the end of their tails, are coated in toxic venom which they often use as a means to defend themselves when threatened.

While the animals’ stings are painful, they rarely attack humans.

Wildlife conservation expert Steve Irwin was famously killed by a stingray in 2006 during a diving expedition off the Great Barrier Reef. He was struck in the chest by the stingray’s barb.

– BBC

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]]> 7681 Singapore Prime Minister ditched official entourage in Delhi, takes bus to hotel https://9newsng.com/singapore-prime-minister-ditched-official-entourage-in-delhi-takes-bus-to-hotel/ Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:12:42 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=7563 Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

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New Delhi [India] (ANI): Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived in New Delhi tonight and in a break from tradition opted to take a chartered bus to his hotel rather than an official entourage of official cars. Prime Minister Loong, who is accompanied by his wife Ho Ching and a delegation comprising key ministers, […]

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]]> Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

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New Delhi [India] (ANI): Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived in New Delhi tonight and in a break from tradition opted to take a chartered bus to his hotel rather than an official entourage of official cars.

Prime Minister Loong, who is accompanied by his wife Ho Ching and a delegation comprising key ministers, Members of Parliament and senior officials, was received by Minister of State (Independent Charge) Statistics and Programme Implementation, Planning and Defence Rao Inderjit Singh upon his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a luncheon in the honour of Prime Minister Loong and the two leaders will hold bilateral talks, which will followed by signing and exchange of three memorandums of understanding (MOU), including on cooperation in industrial property between the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Singapore’s Intellectual Property Office and on cooperation on establishment of a North East Skills Centre in Assam.

The Singaporean Prime Minister will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee, while External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on the visiting dignitary.

Later, Prime Minister Loong will also attend a reception hosted by the Singaporean diaspora living in India.

The visiting premier will also tour Udaipur in Rajasthan on October 5 and 6, where Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will call on him and also host a luncheon for Prime Minister Loong.

An agreement on a capacity building programme in tourism and hospitality will be signed between the Rajasthan government and Singapore’s Cooperation Enterprise.

Prime Minister Loong last visited India in December 2012 to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit. (ANI)

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]]> 7563 Singapore Teen Blogger who criticised Lee Kuan Yew is back to jail for criticizing religion https://9newsng.com/singapore-teen-blogger-who-criticised-lee-kuan-yew-is-back-to-jail-for-criticizing-religion/ Thu, 29 Sep 2016 13:19:19 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=7154 Singapore teen blogger

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By Fathin Ungku SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A Singapore court sentenced 17-year-old blogger Amos Yee to six weeks in jail on Thursday for “wounding religious feelings”, his second prison term in a year, reigniting concerns about social controls and censorship in the conservative city-state. Yee pleaded guilty to six charges of deliberately posting comments on the […]

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]]> Singapore teen blogger

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By Fathin Ungku

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A Singapore court sentenced 17-year-old blogger Amos Yee to six weeks in jail on Thursday for “wounding religious feelings”, his second prison term in a year, reigniting concerns about social controls and censorship in the conservative city-state.

Yee pleaded guilty to six charges of deliberately posting comments on the internet in videos, blog posts and a picture that were critical of Christianity and Islam.

Judge Ong Hian Sun told the district court that Yee’s actions could “generate social unrest” and should not be condoned.

Yee, who was accompanied by his mother, described the sentence as “very fair”.

“I am very remorseful”, he told reporters outside the court, surrounded by a handful of supporters.

Yee was convicted on charges of harassment and insulting a religious group last year over comments he made about former premier Lee Kuan Yew and Christians soon after Lee’s death. His sentence then amounted to four weeks in jail he had already served.

His latest month-long trial was attended by officials from the United Nations Human Rights Council and the European Union, and was closely watched by rights groups.

“By prosecuting Amos Yee for his comments, no matter how outrageous they may have been, Singapore has unfortunately doubled down on a strategy that clearly violates freedom of expression,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Right Watch’s Asia division, said in an email.

“For a country that prides itself on efficiency, Singapore should re-examine its approach, because every time the authorities go after him, it just adds to his online audience who are interested to find out the latest thing,” he said.

Critics say Yee’s imprisonment may further deter freedom of expression in the Asian financial hub. Singapore’s parliament passed a controversial bill last month spelling out what constitutes contempt of court, drawing criticism from rights groups and foreign diplomats.

Amnesty International called on Singapore to “repeal or amend legal provisions that criminalize peaceful dissent and end the intimidation and harassment of bloggers and other critics”.

David Kaye, U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, said: “The lesson that somebody can be thrown in jail for their speech is exactly the wrong kind of message that any government should be sending to anybody, but especially to young people.”

(Reporting by Fathin Ungku; Editing by Anshuman Daga and Paul Tait)

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]]> 7154 Nico Rosberg wins Singapore Grand Prix, Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo 2nd, Lewis Hamilton 3rd https://9newsng.com/nico-rosberg-wins-singapore-grand-prix-australias-daniel-ricciardo-2nd-lewis-hamilton-3rd/ Sun, 18 Sep 2016 14:33:49 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=6101 Nico Rosberg wins Singapore Grand Prix

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Nico Rosberg won the Singapore Grand Prix to move ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the World Championship standings. The German started strongly and he held off late pushes from Daniel Ricciardo and the Briton to secure his eighth win of the season and take an eight-point lead in the standings. Rosberg went into […]

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]]> Nico Rosberg wins Singapore Grand Prix

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Nico Rosberg won the Singapore Grand Prix to move ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the World Championship standings.

The German started strongly and he held off late pushes from Daniel Ricciardo and the Briton to secure his eighth win of the season and take an eight-point lead in the standings.

Rosberg went into the weekend just two points behind Hamilton, knowing that he had the power to take control of the drivers’ championship.

https://twitter.com/F1/status/777509516300652544

He did exactly that with a fine race even though it wasn’t without its scares. Rosberg chastised his team on the radio when they let him know how close Ricciardo was to him as the Red Bull man kept on pushing to try and close the gap on the leader.

With Sebastian Vettel down in fifth it was another good weekend for Ricciardo, who further cements his grip on third place in the standings.

Meanwhile young Danish driver Kevin Magnussen managed to finish in the top ten with his Renault.

– Euro Sport

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]]> 6101 Lewis Hamilton breaks down as Nico Rosberg tops Singapore practice https://9newsng.com/lewis-hamilton-breaks-down-as-nico-rosberg-tops-singapore-practice/ Sat, 17 Sep 2016 06:00:45 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=6011 Lewis Hamilton breaks down as Nico Rosberg tops Singapore practice

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Nico Rosberg set the pace just ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull as Lewis Hamilton hit trouble in second practice at the Singapore Grand Prix. Rosberg was 0.275 seconds quicker than Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, with the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo close behind. Hamilton failed to complete a clean lap on his […]

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]]> Lewis Hamilton breaks down as Nico Rosberg tops Singapore practice

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Nico Rosberg set the pace just ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull as Lewis Hamilton hit trouble in second practice at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Rosberg was 0.275 seconds quicker than Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, with the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo close behind.

Hamilton failed to complete a clean lap on his qualifying simulation on the ultra-soft tyres and ended up seventh.

He finished his session early because of a recurring hydraulic problem.

Will this mess up Hamilton’s race?

Hamilton was unable to do any of the race-simulation runs the teams do in the second part of the session on heavy fuel loads.

The heat is on… his leg: Hamilton was wheeled into the garage after he complained of feeling heat on the right-hand side of his cockpit

He was also unhappy with the balance of the car on the ultra-soft tyre that was used for the fastest runs, although Mercedes believe they should be able to solve that problem with set-up changes.

Hamilton, who is two points ahead of Rosberg in the world championship, is nevertheless heading into the weekend at a disadvantage.

However, he can console himself with the knowledge that he had been fastest of all after the first runs in the session were complete, before he started to run into difficulties.

“We had a small hydraulic issue at the end of FP2 but it doesn’t look like anything serious,” said Hamilton. “The guys are working on it and it should be fine for tomorrow, which is the main thing.”

Could Red Bull challenge Mercedes for the win?

The evidence of the day was that Mercedes are not struggling in the same way as they did last year in Singapore, when their previously dominant car was more than a second off the pace of Ferrari and Red Bull.

Listen again: A look ahead to the Singapore Grand Prix

But, considering the long 3.15-mile lap, the margin between the world champions and their closest challengers is much smaller than normal.

Verstappen was 0.380secs off Rosberg’s pace, with Ricciardo just 0.025secs further adrift after recovering from a spin during which he brushed the wall without major damage.

Red Bull
Red Bull could be serious contenders for victory for once

Verstappen was running a Renault engine upgrade which will not be available to Ricciardo until Saturday and which team boss Christian Horner said was expected to be worth in the region of 0.1secs a lap.

And on race pace, Red Bull appeared to have an advantage but the picture was not completely clear.

“We knew they wouldn’t have a massive gap here this weekend,” said Ricciardo. “We know if we get it right we can be very close in qualifying.”

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was fifth quickest after an unconvincing qualifying simulation run, 0.7secs slower than Raikkonen and a second slower than Rosberg.

Disappointment for McLaren

Vettel’s problems put him back in the mix with the midfield runners, headed by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg in sixth.

Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz was eighth, ahead of Fernando Alonso’s McLaren, a position with which the former champions are likely to be a little disappointed.

They expected to be battling for seventh behind the big three, but Alonso was 0.6secs slower than Hulkenberg.

Renault F1 driver Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen is fighting for his seat at Renault, and lighting up the streets of Singapore as he does so

The Spaniard’s team-mate Jenson Button, meanwhile, was struggling – he was three places and a whopping 0.795secs behind Alonso, who is admittedly at his absolute best around the challenging Singapore track.

Alonso had to park his car on track at the end of the session after encountering a gearbox problem.

Englishman Jolyon Palmer was 17th fastest, just 0.005secs behind Renault team-mate Kevin Magnussen as both men fight for their future in F1.

Singapore Grand Prix practice results

Singapore Grand Prix coverage details

Nico Rosberg
Rosberg damaged his front suspension in his crash during first practice
Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton tested the new halo cockpit safety device during first practice
Ferrari F1 driver Sebastian Vettel

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]]> 6011 Unemployment in Singapore rises, more workers made redundant in Q2 https://9newsng.com/unemployment-in-singapore-rises-more-workers-made-redundant-in-q2/ Thu, 15 Sep 2016 08:04:39 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=5876 Unemployment in Singapore rises more workers made redundant in Q2

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SINGAPORE: Amid weaker economic conditions, Singapore’s unemployment rate rose in the second quarter as more workers were made redundant, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The overall unemployment rate rose from 1.9 per cent in March to 2.1 per cent in June, figures released in the ministry’s half-yearly Labour Market report showed. Among citizens, […]

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]]> Unemployment in Singapore rises more workers made redundant in Q2

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SINGAPORE: Amid weaker economic conditions, Singapore’s unemployment rate rose in the second quarter as more workers were made redundant, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The overall unemployment rate rose from 1.9 per cent in March to 2.1 per cent in June, figures released in the ministry’s half-yearly Labour Market report showed. Among citizens, unemployment rose from 2.6 per cent to 3.1 per cent and rose from 2.7 per cent to 3 per cent among residents.

Unemployment rose further among residents aged 30 and above, and in particular, for those aged 50 and above, which saw unemployment rise for the fifth consecutive quarter. Those with higher qualifications were not spared, with unemployment rates among degree holders rising to their highest level since 2009.

Total employment grew by 4,200, down from 13,000 in the previous quarter and 9,700 in the same quarter a year ago.

MORE JOBSEEKERS THAN OPENINGS

For the first time since June 2012, there were more jobseekers than job openings during the second quarter, according to the report.

The number of seasonally adjusted vacancies fell from 50,000 in March to 49,400 in June, continuing a downward trend since March 2015. Coupled with the increase in unemployed people, the ratio of job vacancies to unemployed people fell to 93 openings per 100 seekers, compared to 103 in March.

MORE WORKERS LAID OFF

A total of 4,800 workers were made redundant during the second quarter, up from 4,710 the previous quarter and 3,250 in the same period a year ago. This was the highest second-quarter redundancy since 2009, which saw 5,980 jobs shed, according to MOM.

Altogether, 9,510 workers were laid off in the first half of the year, also the highest since 2009.

Based on Central Provident Fund (CPF) records, 45 per cent of residents laid off during the first quarter re-entered employment by June, the lowest rate since June 2009, the ministry said.

– CNA/cy

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]]> 5876 Singapore woman uses maths to show why Zika is a problem the government cannot solve alone https://9newsng.com/singapore-lady-uses-maths-to-show-why-zika-is-a-problem-the-government-cannot-solve-alone/ Sat, 03 Sep 2016 07:17:06 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4987 Singapore woman uses maths to explain virus spread

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A Singapore woman, Aresha Krishnan-Harling has taken to the social media to campaign for the mass support of the citizenry and not the government alone in combating the recent outbreak of Zika virus in the Island state. She posted the below message on her Facebook page: Many are taking the view that Zika is a small […]

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]]> Singapore woman uses maths to explain virus spread

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A Singapore woman, Aresha Krishnan-Harling has taken to the social media to campaign for the mass support of the citizenry and not the government alone in combating the recent outbreak of Zika virus in the Island state.

She posted the below message on her Facebook page:

Many are taking the view that Zika is a small issue that will be unfortunate for a small minority – and that it doesn’t really concern them because they are not trying to conceive or pregnant. This couldn’t be more incorrect.

I’ve calculated some basic statistics based on the outbreak in Singapore to put it into perspective. There is a critical role that everyone needs to play by protecting themselves with repellent and protecting their homes in order to not feed the reproductive cycles of the Aedes mosquito.

A lot of people believe that public fogging and removing of stagnant water is enough – and that the Government is responsible for getting it under control. But Aedes eggs are fog-proof and can survive without water for more than a year.

One of the most important things we can do is to stop “feeding” the reproductive cycle and transmission. We all need do this with adequate repellent coverage and preventative measures at home/work.

Let me explain why:

1. The virus can only be transmitted through the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, as she needs to feed on blood in order to lay eggs. She prefers and thrives primarily on human blood to reproduce. Given our urban city – we are probably the largest source of “blood” feeding her reproductive cycle.

Seeing that the eggs are only laid if she has a full abdomen of blood, the reproductive cycle is interrupted if she has reduced sources to feed.

2. In addition, without the ability to feed on humans, she is therefore unable to spread the Zika transmission to a non-carrier human. This also prevents a non-carrier mosquito from contracting the virus and becoming a positive carrier.

I can’t stress the importance of those two points any more than to illustrate how fast a female Aedes Mosquito propagates.

To put it into context:

A single female Aedes mosquito lays 300 infected eggs per week in her 5 week lifetime. If we calculate the proportion of female blood feeding offspring at a 1:1 male to female ratio then her zika infected population legacy at the end of her lifetime would grow at the following rate:

1 -> 150 -> 22500 -> 3,375,000 -> 506,250,000

By her fifth generation, she would have laid 506 million hardy clusters of eggs waiting for water conditions in order to metamorphosise within 3 days, therefore increasing the density of infections within her said vector at a phenomenal rate.

If we look at rate of infection, it is said that a single female aedes mosquito feeds every 2 hours for up to 3 days. In volumetric needs, that is 6µl (0.006ml) of blood to achieve a full stomach conducive for a 300 egg-laying cycle. At an extremely conservative rate, that would mean approximately (6µl/0.4µl per bite) 15 bites per mosquito. Assuming it bites three times per person… that’s 5 people per mosquito infected in a single week per egg cycle.

If we work backwards and assume that there are 246 zika infections in the highest density vector cluster (Sims Avenue) in a single week (41 active symptoms + a probable 205 undetected cases), then that would mean an estimated > 50 or so infected mosquitoes in circulation.

Now if we conceal the infected mosquitoes within the vector cluster that is approximately 1.2km² and assume that there are 100 total mosquito population per m² that means the Zika virus will increase in density per vector at the following rate:

[FIRST WEEK/EGG CYCLE]

120,000 mosquitoes / 50 infected in circulation, that’s a probability of 1:2400 chance of contracting Zika.

[SECOND WEEK/EGG CYCLE]

However, after these 50 lay their 7,500 infected eggs, assuming attrition from drain oiling at 80% – 1,500 survive. And in as little as 4 days, that increases the probability up to 1:80

[THIRD WEEK/EGG CYCLE]

By the third week, (assuming attrition… fogging happens once a week and 80% adults die and a further 80% eggs/larvae gets obliterated from oiling) a further 9,000 female zika carrier eggs will be borne out of the second generation survivors. Bringing the probability up dramatically to 1:13… and so on so forth.

This is not taking into consideration the rate of growth in vector size at 400 metres per week, per egg cycle.

I can only conclude this humble Facebook post by reminding you about the extremely important role you play in stopping the spread of this horrendous disease.

I urge you to protect yourself and educate those you know to take a vested interest in this – for the sake of your fellow Singaporeans who are worried about their their unborn babies. The pregnancy journey should be a joyous and happy occasion and not one filled with panic and uncertainty.

It is not just the responsibility of those who don’t want to catch it, it’s everyone’s moral and social responsibility to help reduce and ultimately prevent the spread.

🙂 <3

DISCLAIMER

1. Conservative assumptions have been made as stated to calculate the probabilities in this post. It is by no means an official statistic or fact.
2. Repellent by means of blood supply is not the only means of defence, but a strong contributor.
3. Singapore is largely an urban city and while mammals/livestock can also contribute to the Aedes blood meal, it is a Singapore context of being a concrete, densely populated city that has led me deduce that the majority of the blood feed for mosquitoes here come from humans. I attach a study that states that the Aedes mosquito preferentially and frequently feeds on human blood (see link). In addition Zika has not yet been detected to transmit or infect animals – and they are at the very least, not an active transmitter/carrier of the virus to humans.)
4. Please feel free to correct or make suggestions, this isn’t intended to mislead or misinform, but to encourage the wider public that they have a role to play. And it’s not just the responsibility of those who are trying to conceive or pregnant.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11372967

https://www.cdc.gov/…/resour…/30Jan2012/aegyptifactsheet.pdf

Live Zika case map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer…

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]]> 4987 Spread of Zika to Singapore shows difficulty of containing disease: US CDC https://9newsng.com/spread-of-zika-to-singapore-shows-difficulty-of-containing-disease-us-cdc/ Thu, 01 Sep 2016 07:40:55 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4861 Zika virus in Singapore

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SINGAPORE: The spread of any disease to Singapore shows the challenges of controlling it, according to the Director of the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dr Thomas Frieden. Dr Frieden was speaking to the media on Thursday (Sep 1, Singapore time), according to a report by NBC, after Singapore reported 115 […]

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SINGAPORE: The spread of any disease to Singapore shows the challenges of controlling it, according to the Director of the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dr Thomas Frieden.

Dr Frieden was speaking to the media on Thursday (Sep 1, Singapore time), according to a report by NBC, after Singapore reported 115 locally transmitted Zika cases on Wednesday night at a press briefing.

The NBC report stated that Singapore has a tight system for controlling disease. In the case of Zika, it was added to the List of Notifiable Infectious Diseases under the Infectious Diseases Act, which means doctors must inform the authorities within 24 hours of diagnosis.

The US CDC raised the notice for travellers to Singapore earlier this week in the wake of news of the Zika outbreak. The city-state is currently on Level 2, where visitors are encouraged to “practice enhanced precautions”.

Singapore’s Ministry of Health has identified the Sims Drive/Aljunied Crescent/Kallang Way/Paya Lebar Way area as a Zika cluster, adding on Wednesday night that Bedok North Avenue 3 could be a potential new cluster. The National Environment Agency has said it will begin mosquito control operations at the potential new cluster, and step up vector control in other parts of Singapore.

In a statement, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said: “Over time, we expect Zika cases to emerge from more areas. We must work and plan on the basis that there is Zika transmission in other parts of Singapore and extend our vector control efforts beyond the current affected areas.”

– CNA/dl

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]]> 4861 Pregnant woman in Singapore diagnosed with Zika infection – media https://9newsng.com/pregnant-woman-in-singapore-diagnosed-with-zika-infection-media/ Wed, 31 Aug 2016 16:31:42 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4829 Zika Singapore

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​SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A pregnant woman was among those diagnosed with Zika infections in Singapore, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the health ministry. Singapore confirmed 24 new Zika cases on Wednesday, taking the tally to 115, local media reported. The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the […]

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​SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A pregnant woman was among those diagnosed with Zika infections in Singapore, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the health ministry.

Singapore confirmed 24 new Zika cases on Wednesday, taking the tally to 115, local media reported.

The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. It poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Dominic Evans; CATEGORY-WORLD)

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]]> 4829 Australia, Taiwan, South Korea issue travel warnings for Singapore over Zika cases https://9newsng.com/australia-taiwan-south-korea-issue-travel-warnings-for-singapore-over-zika-cases/ Tue, 30 Aug 2016 07:04:19 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4679 Zika Singapore

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By Marius Zaharia SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Australia, Taiwan and South Korea advised pregnant women and those attempting to get pregnant to avoid travel to Singapore after an outbreak of the Zika virus infected more than 50 people in the city-state. The outbreak and the warnings come as a potential blow to tourism in one of […]

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By Marius Zaharia

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Australia, Taiwan and South Korea advised pregnant women and those attempting to get pregnant to avoid travel to Singapore after an outbreak of the Zika virus infected more than 50 people in the city-state.

The outbreak and the warnings come as a potential blow to tourism in one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, which is already struggling to recover from a slump amid tepid global growth.

Singapore reported its first case of locally-transmitted Zika at the weekend, and the number of reported infections of the mosquito-borne virus has since jumped to 56. At least three dozen of those have since made a full recovery. [nL3N1BA3VK]

The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. It poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect where babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains.

The 56 confirmed cases in Singapore include only one woman.

Taiwan, Australia and South Korea advised pregnant women and those planning pregnancy to postpone trips to Singapore. Those returning from the country should avoid pregnancy for two months. South Korean travellers will receive text messages with the warning when they arrive in Singapore.

Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore’s closest neighbours, have stepped up protective measures following the outbreak, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints.

Singapore’s Tourism Board said it was monitoring developments, adding the city state remained a “safe travel destination”, and it was premature to consider any impact.

More than 55 million people pass through Singapore’s Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals reached almost 8.2 million, compared with around 7.3 million in the same period of last year.

Online retailer Lazada Singapore said on Tuesday it has seen sales of mosquito repellent and other deterrent products rise fivefold over the past three days compared to a week ago.

FOREIGN WORKERS

Authorities continued to inspect thousands of homes in seven parts of Singapore, including five foreign worker dormitories, on Tuesday. Officials sprayed insecticide and removed potential mosquito breeding habitats such as stagnant water and moist dirt from drains.

The majority of those infected with Zika in Singapore were foreign workers, but the government has not disclosed their nationalities. The High Commission of Bangladesh, which represents the largest community of foreign workers, said none of the workers were Bangladeshis.

The Chinese and Myanmar embassies in Singapore said they had not been notified by Singapore whether their citizens were among those infected. The Thai embassy did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Foreign workers in Singapore, employed mostly in the construction and marine industries, can earn as little as S$2 ($1.47) an hour, often work 12-14 hours a day and take few days off. They are unlikely to travel often.

The GuocoLand construction site, where the infected workers were found, remained closed on Tuesday morning, according to a Reuters photographer at the scene. It was ordered on Sunday to halt work and rectify the conditions that allowed mosquitoes to breed.

Regional health experts said the Zika virus is likely to be significantly under-reported across tropical Southeast Asia as local health authorities fail to conduct adequate screening. [nL3N1BA1HR]

(Reporting by Marius Zaharia, with additional reporting by Edgar Su, Aradhana Aravindan, Masayuki Kitano and Mark Tay in Singapore and Jeong Eun Lee in Seoul; Editing by Jane Wardell and Ian Geoghegan)

 

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]]> 4679 The Singaporean man whose cars are all Gold plated revealed https://9newsng.com/the-singaporean-man-whose-cars-are-all-gold-plated-revealed/ Sun, 28 Aug 2016 07:59:18 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4482 Gold plated cars

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Recent sightings of gold plated super cars worth over $1 million that were spotted in London and Singapore, Singapore recently have caused a great deal of speculation over the identity of the owner. The fleet of impressive vehicles includes a $370,000 Mercedes G63 and a $220,000 Bentley, which are covered in gold. A $350,000 Rolls-Royce and […]

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]]> Gold plated cars

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Recent sightings of gold plated super cars worth over $1 million that were spotted in London and Singapore, Singapore recently have caused a great deal of speculation over the identity of the owner. The fleet of impressive vehicles includes a $370,000 Mercedes G63 and a $220,000 Bentley, which are covered in gold. A $350,000 Rolls-Royce and a $350,000 Lamborghini Aventador SV have also been spotted in the capital city. Cars were spotted in Kensington, London, over the Bank Holiday weekend and Singapore, Singapore earlier this month.

Three gold cars from Saudi Arabia (left-right) a 6x6 Mercedes G 63, Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe and Lamborghini Aventador have received parking tickets on Cadogan Place in Knightsbridge, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 30, 2016. See PA story TRANSPORT Knightsbridge. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Gold plated cars worth over $1 million revealed to be owned by Binary Options trader, who works from home, Alex Ong

After some confusion that it could have been a Saudi prince or oil tycoon the owner was finally found on instagram and revealed to be binary options trader Alex Ong. Ong is a new wave of millionaires from the lucrative binary options industry. He is perhaps one of the more flashy types, with most binary options traders preferring to keep a low profile. Some though, can’t help to show off their extreme riches and this may be the most extreme example we have seen to date.

 

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Mercedes AMG parked in London, one of several owned by flamboyant binary options millionaire. British born Ong imported his cars from Saudi Arabia and has yet to change his licence plates to the UK version, causing some controversy.

Now that it has been revealed this is not “yet another rich kid” speeding around Singapore with daddy’s wealth, there has been keen interest in how this self made millionaire earned such massive income from online trading. Binary option trading is not new, its been around for a while. But only recently, with regulation relaxed in Singapore have regular, non finance experts been able to start trading with it. In fact, these days with the new software created by Banc de Binary and other brokers, it is easier than ever to setup a trading account.

 

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Binary Options trader Alex Ong parks his fleet of gold cars at a top London hotel.

So, what is “Binary Options” and how did Alex Ong manage to use it buy $1 million worth of sports cars? Binary options is actually so simple, this is part of its appeal and success. There are only 2 possible outcomes, win or lose. You decide whether the price of a stock like Amazon or Facebook will go up or down. Once the trade is placed, you wait as little as 60 seconds. If you were right and the stock went up (or down if that’s what you chose) then you win, doubling your money immediately. However, if you were wrong, you lose and you also lose your stake.

 

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Ong goes shopping in London’s Mayfair. The Singaporean born options millionaire imports his cars from Saudi Arabia.

So, the question is, how do some guys manage to “beat the system” every time, winning way more trades than they lose and earning millions in just a few weeks from a very small initial stake. We spoke to Darryl Kane of Kane Associates, a Durban firm advising rich clients on how to invest their money. Kane usually manages the fortunes of lottery winners, sports stars and popstars who came into a lot of money, very quickly. Kane’s research revealed “over 80% of our new clients earned their money in binary options trading”. His firm conducted an internal report that revealed more millionaires are created each day in Singapore using binary options than anywhere else. “It’s much easier to earn $1 million from binary options that to play pro sports or win a talent contest!” Kane said. He goes on to say, “It’s remarkable, young men without degrees, experience or any financial knowledge are cleaning up and earning millions.” They use free software programs provided automatically  by the trading platform, so they don’t even need to chose trades. They win a lot more than they lose, so the earnings just shoot up.

 

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Ong shows off his gold watches on Instagram after “a successful day of trading”.

So, we might yet see more gold plated cars on the streets of Singapore, Queenstown and all over Singapore. But if it is so easy, why doesn’t everyone do it? Well, this is the key to it. Due to regulations, only a limited number of people can join per day. We asked around the different brokers and most had already filled their quotas. Eventually, we got talking to Banc de Binary, one of the leading brokerage firms for binary options trading and also the one used by Singaporean millionaire trader Alex Ong. We asked them to explain how it all works.

 

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Banc de Binary reveal the secret to successful trading on BBC Finance show earlier this year.

The process is surprisingly simple. First, you open a free trading account with them, usually you must be invited by an existing trader but most people can sidestep this as we explain below. Once you have an account, you need to deposit some money to trade with, the minimum starting amount is $250. This is like putting money into your online “wallet”.  You can deposit more if you want, the more you start with the quicker your money grows. But you can always just withdraw it. In fact you can deposit it and then withdraw it even if you never trade. Some players do this just to earn their free sign up bonus but this is generally a foolish mistake, as the real money is earned by “trading”. So, how do we then start trading? There are 2 options for this. You can place trades yourself. Say you think the price of oil is going to start going up, you can make that trade. But the easiest way is just to put it on “auto pilot”. Let the advanced trader software do all the trades for you. This is how the “big money” guys do it. It is just that simple.

 

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Binary Options has created more millionaires in 2016 than any other method, eclipsing lottery winners, poker stars and even inherited wealth.

As part of our research, we spoke to Thomas (not his real name). He is was one of the top earning binary options traders last month with Banc de Binary. He shared his experience. “When I started I had no idea what I was doing, I just hit the “auto pilot” button, you  know? I suppose deep down I was expecting to make a few hundred quid. But then the money started going up. And the more it went up, it started rising quicker. To be honest, I felt more anxious than excited, if that makes sense. I didn’t believe it was happening. I let it run for a month and then “cashed out”. I only started with $250 (RM 1000) but made A LOT more than that. I paid off my student debt and I’m going to travel around Europe for a few weeks while I think about what to spend the rest on. I’ll keep on trading, too. Its easier than a day job. I’m very grateful for being accepted by the broker. Will I buy a gold car? No way, I’m not flashy but fair play to anyone who wants to. Real people deserve to be rich, not just people born with moneywho get jobs in their family business.” Thomas would not reveal how much he earned but he has clearly been successful.

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UK Chancellor George Osborne is said to be furious that “regular people” can trade with Binary Options so easily. He wants to close the market to “work from home” traders soon. He has the power to do this in the UK but no control over Singapore, so many British people are moving to Singapore to keep trading.

Our investigation into binary options trading led us to realise that while binary options trading is clearly an easy way to earn money quickly, there is one difficulty. It’s hard these days to find a broker with good auto trading software that will accept new clients. It is also expected that this method of profiting from the markets is so easy it is only a matter of time before the government try to restrict it, causing a rush to get on board while there is still time. There is some good news though, after speaking with Banc de Binary about their service they have offered limited places for Global Finance readers to sign up and test out the service. Not only that, they have even offered a 100% sign up bonus. That means, if you deposit $250, then you get $500 on your trading account.

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Ong plays with his “toys” off road in the middle east before importing them to UK. Born in Singapore, a working class 24 year old, Ong now shows off his extreme wealth with pride.

It should be noted, before you go signing up for it, that not every trader is going to make $1 million per month from trading, although some clearly do. You might find that you make only $5.000 in your first month’s trading. Maybe more, maybe less. But even at that, it’s still a life changing amount for most people. At Global Finance, we won’t promise that you will make millions from binary trading. But we would  like to hear from you about your experience. If you do sign up for Banc de Binary, please tell us how you got on and how much you made during your first month. And what did you buy with it? Just remember, Ferrari’s look better in red 🙂

To sign up for a Banc de Binary trading account with 100% free bonus worth minimum $250, please sign up using this link.

UPDATE: July 2016… In response to lots of interest from our readers we can provide more information about the process of signing up for Binary options trading. Follow the steps below to get started. Please note this is a LIMITED opportunity and only a few people per day can join. Please follow the below steps carefully. If you are not accepted for an account unfotunately we cannot help with that, it is first come first served and there are very limited places available per day. But you have a good chance to get an account with the links we provide here. Good luck and comment below about how you got on. Global Finance News.

STEPS TO GET AN ACCOUNT AND EARN $ FROM BINARY TRADING

  1. First you need to visit the broker Banc de Binary with this link Banc de Binary Sign up
  2. You need to register on their site. You need to fill out all the details
  3. You then must deposit RM 1000 (or more if you want to) to get started. These are your funds and you can withdraw them. You must deposit the minimum amount to be accepted by the broker
  4. Once you are fully registered, Banc de Binary can help you with everything you need to start trading. You can then expect to earn several thousand rand per month, if you follow their advice. This is the lowest estimate based on our extensive research and interviews.
  5. Finally, sit back and watch you bank account grow. Good luck to all our readers.

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]]> 4482 First case of locally-transmitted Zika virus infection reported in Singapore https://9newsng.com/first-case-of-locally-transmitted-zika-virus-infection-reported-in-singapore/ Sun, 28 Aug 2016 07:43:39 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4479 Zika in Singapore

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SINGAPORE: A 47-year-old Malaysian woman living at Block 102 Aljunied Crescent is Singapore’s first reported case of locally-transmitted Zika virus infection, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Saturday (Aug 27). As she had not travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, she was likely to have been infected in Singapore, MOH […]

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]]> Zika in Singapore

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SINGAPORE: A 47-year-old Malaysian woman living at Block 102 Aljunied Crescent is Singapore’s first reported case of locally-transmitted Zika virus infection, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Saturday (Aug 27).

As she had not travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, she was likely to have been infected in Singapore, MOH and NEA said in a joint news release.

According to MOH and NEA, the patient had developed symptoms such as fever, rash and conjunctivitis from Thursday. She visited a general practitioner (GP) on Friday and was referred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC), where she tested positive for the Zika virus on Saturday.

“She has since been hospitalised for observation at the CDC. The patient is currently well and recovering,” the news release said.

aljunied crescent map data

Map of Block 102, Aljunied Crescent. (Map: Google Maps)

MOH is screening the patient’s close contacts, including household members, the release stated, adding that it is also carrying out Zika testing on others living and working in the area, who have symptoms of fever and rash.

“At this point, three other suspect cases – two in a family who live in the area and an individual who works in the area – had preliminarily tested positive based on their urine samples. They are pending further confirmation tests,” the release stated.

The release said MOH has alerted all GPs around the patient’s home and workplace to be extra vigilant and to immediately report patients with symptoms associated with Zika virus infection to MOH. As an added precaution, all suspect Zika cases will be isolated while awaiting confirmation of the blood test results, the release added.

block 102 aljunied data

Block 102 Aljunied Crescent, where the patient lives.

“MOH and NEA will also actively alert residents in the vicinity to seek medical attention should they develop symptoms,” the release said.

This comes after Singapore reported its first imported Zika case on May 13. The patient, a 48-year-old man, had travelled to Brazil from Mar 27 to May 7.

“With the presence of Zika in our region and the volume of travel by Singaporeans as well as tourists, it is inevitable that there will be imported cases of Zika into Singapore. There is also risk of subsequent local transmission, as the Aedes mosquito vector is present here. While MOH and NEA have stepped up precautionary measures, we expect that there may be further cases, as most infected persons may display mild or no symptoms,” the release added.

Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said: “MOH and NEA are working together to carry out vector control and testing of residents in that area with fever and rashes so as to reduce the risk of further spread. I encourage those who are unwell and with these symptoms to visit their doctors for medical attention. We have also alerted our clinics in the area to look out for suspect cases and refer them to the CDC for testing.”

INTENSIFIED VECTOR CONTROL OPERATIONS IN VICINITY OF ALJUNIED CRESCENT

The release also said NEA has intensified vector control operations to control the Aedes mosquito population in the vicinity of Aljunied Crescent by deploying about 100 officers to inspect the area.

These include:

  • Inspecting all premises, ground and congregation areas
  • Conducting mandatory treatment such as ultra-low volume (ULV) misting of premises and thermal fogging of outdoor areas to kill adult mosquitoes
  • Increasing frequency of drain flushing and oiling to prevent breeding
  • Public education outreach and distribution of insect repellents

When Channel NewsAsia visited Aljunied Crescent on Saturday evening, NEA flyers were seen on lift landings, informing residents of the symptoms and dangers of the Zika virus. There were also flyers stating that fogging would be carried out on Sunday, due to dengue cases in the area.

thermal fogging in data

“NEA is also conducting outreach efforts and distributing Zika information leaflets and insect repellents to residents living in the area,” the release said.

Additionally, the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force will be activated to help reduce the risk of the virus spreading further.

The release also noted that the patient’s residence at Aljunied Crescent is not located in an active dengue cluster, but there are two active dengue clusters nearby, each with two cases. It added that as the majority of people infected with the virus do not show symptoms, it is possible that some transmission may already have taken place before this case of Zika was notified.

“Hence, even as NEA conducts operations to contain the transmission of the Zika virus, residents are urged to cooperate fully with NEA and allow its officers to inspect their premises for mosquito breeding and to spray insecticide to kill any mosquitoes. NEA may need to gain entry into inaccessible premises by force after serving of requisite Notices, to ensure any breeding habitats are destroyed quickly,” the release said.

Authorities also urged members of the public to take immediate steps to prevent mosquito breeding in homes by doing the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout every alternate day, and protect themselves from mosquito bites by applying insect repellent regularly.

“Zika is generally a mild disease. It may cause a viral fever similar to dengue or chikungunya, with fever, skin rashes, body aches, and headache. But many people infected with the Zika virus infection do not even develop symptoms,” the release stated.

“Zika virus infection can however cause microcephaly in the unborn foetuses of pregnant women. We advise residents, especially pregnant women, in the Aljunied Crescent area to monitor their health. They should seek medical attention if they are unwell, especially with symptoms such as fever and rash. They should also inform their doctors of the location of their residence and workplace. Those without these symptoms but who are concerned that they have been infected with the Zika virus should consult and follow the advice of their doctors regarding the monitoring of their pregnancy,” the release added.

Members of the public should refer to MOH’s webpage on Zika for the latest health advisory, authorities added.

– CNA/dl

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]]> 4479 Acrid smoke from Indonesian fires drifts over Singapore https://9newsng.com/acrid-smoke-from-indonesian-fires-drifts-over-singapore/ Fri, 26 Aug 2016 07:48:38 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4386 acrid smoke in Singapore

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Air pollution in Singapore rose on Friday as acrid smoke drifted over the island from fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, the city-state’s National Environment Agency (NEA) said. Every dry season, smoke from fires set to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations in Indonesia clouds the skies over much […]

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Air pollution in Singapore rose on Friday as acrid smoke drifted over the island from fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, the city-state’s National Environment Agency (NEA) said.

A helicopter from the Indonesian National Disaster Management agency (BNPB) drops water on a fire in Ogan Ilir, near Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, August 11, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Nova Wahyudi/File Photo via REUTERS
A helicopter from the Indonesian National Disaster Management agency (BNPB) drops water on a fire in Ogan Ilir, near Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, August 11, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Nova Wahyudi/File Photo via REUTERS

Every dry season, smoke from fires set to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations in Indonesia clouds the skies over much of the region, raising concern about public health and worrying tourist operators and airlines.

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Women cover their faces with masks as haze shrouds Singapore”s central business district August 26, 2016.

The 24-hour Pollution Standards Index (PSI), which the NEA uses as a benchmark, more than doubled in the past 24 hours to 65-88 across Singapore. Levels above 100 would be considered “unhealthy”. The more volatile three-hour PSI was 198.

The NEA said it planned a “daily haze advisory” as “a burning smell and slight haze were experienced over many areas” in Singapore. It expected the PSI level to remain below 100 over the next 12 hours.

When heavy, the choking smog closes airports and schools and prompts warnings to residents to stay indoors.

Pollution levels in neighbouring Malaysia were normal on Friday.

Singapore pushes Indonesia for information on companies suspected of causing pollution, some of which are listed on Singapore’s stock exchange.

Under pressure to tackle the problem, Indonesia repeatedly vows to stop the fires but little effective action is taken. This year, Indonesia has arrested 454 people in connection with fires.

A forest campaigner for the environmental group Greenpeace Indonesia, Yuyun Indradi, said the government was struggling to enforce laws to prevent the drainage of peatland for plantations and the setting of fires to clear land.

“It has become a challenge for the government to enforce accountability among concession holders, to enforce its directives on blocking canals, and push companies to take part in efforts to restore peatland and prevent fires,” Indradi said.

“Now is the time for the government to answer this challenge. It is in the law.”

Greenpeace said according to its satellite information, there were 138 hotspots, or fires, across Indonesia on Friday.

(Reporting by Marius Zaharia and JAKARTA bureau; Editing by Robert Birsel)

 

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]]> 4386 Former Singapore President SR Nathan dies at 92 – prime minister’s office https://9newsng.com/former-singapore-president-sr-nathan-dies-at-92-prime-ministers-office/ Mon, 22 Aug 2016 14:47:29 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4178 Former Singapores President Nathan 1

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Former Singapore President SR Nathan has died peacefully after a stroke, the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Monday. Nathan, a 92-year-old former senior civil servant, was the sixth and longest-serving president in Singapore, and was in office for two terms from 1999 to 2011. He also suffered a stroke in April last […]

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]]> Former Singapores President Nathan 1

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Former Singapore President SR Nathan has died peacefully after a stroke, the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Monday.

Nathan, a 92-year-old former senior civil servant, was the sixth and longest-serving president in Singapore, and was in office for two terms from 1999 to 2011. He also suffered a stroke in April last year.

Although mostly ceremonial, Singapore’s president has some powers such as the ability to veto the use of government reserves.

“The late Mr Nathan passed away peacefully at Singapore General Hospital on Monday at 9.48 pm,” the PMO statement said.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Louise Ireland)

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]]> 4178 Malaysian PM, Najib sends a “get well soon” message to Singapore’s PM following news of his illness https://9newsng.com/malaysian-pm-najib-sends-a-get-well-soon-message-to-singapores-pm-following-news-of-his-illness/ Sun, 21 Aug 2016 15:38:51 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4100 malaysian prime minister Najib

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Singapore (CNA) After hearing that Mr Lee took ill during his National Day Rally speech, his Malaysian counterpart, Prime Minister Najib Razak, sent his well wishes. “I hope you’re all right. Get well soon,” Mr Najib said on Twitter. Heard that you're not feeling well. I hope you're all right. Get well soon @leehsienloong. — Mohd […]

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Singapore (CNA) After hearing that Mr Lee took ill during his National Day Rally speech, his Malaysian counterpart, Prime Minister Najib Razak, sent his well wishes.

“I hope you’re all right. Get well soon,” Mr Najib said on Twitter.

  More on succession planning, Singapore’s future

PM Lee said his successor must be ready to take over from him soon after the next General Election.

Concluding his speech, he said the example of national swimmer Joseph Schooling, who won the country’s first-ever Olympics gold medal, will inspire many more to make their dreams come true.

Can things gets better after SG50? “Answer is resounding yes,” Mr Lee said.

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  PM Lee resumes his speech

“Thank you for waiting, I gave everybody a scare,” Prime Minister Lee resuming his speech to a standing ovation from the audience.

He touches on leadership succession, referencing the stroke that Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat sufferedduring a Cabinet meeting. He announced the appointment of National Development Minister Lawrence Wong as the 2nd Finance Minister to help Mr Heng with the ministry.

He added that Mr Heng will progressively resume his duties as Finance Minister, and DPM Tharman will stop covering as Acting Minister.

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  PM’s heart is fine, did not have stroke: PMO

In a latest update, the PMO said Mr Lee was feeling unsteady because of “prolonged standing, heat and dehydration”.

“His heart is fine and he did not have a stroke,” the PMO added. Mr Lee is expected to resume his speech at 10.40pm.

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  “Don’t worry too much”: DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam

In an interview, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is “alright” and that he was “feeling a little faint”.

He said that Mr Lee has had a gruelling schedule recently, but that this was just a “little blip”.

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  PM Lee will return to conclude his speech : DPM Teo Chee Hean

According to Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, PM Lee told him to convey the message that he will conclude his speech later.

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  PM Lee took ill while speaking at National Day Rally: PMO

The National Day Rally 2016 has been temporarily suspended. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO),Mr Lee took ill while speaking and the medical team is attending to him right now. “They assess that his condition is not serious,” PMO said, adding it will update in due course.

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  “Every citizen has to know someone of his community can become President”

“Every citizen has to know that someone of his community can become President, and in fact from time to time, does become President, whether he is Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, or any other race”: PM Lee said, when talking about the Elected Presidency.

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  “Full debate” on changes to Elected Presidency, PM Lee promises

The Singapore Government to publish a White Paper on how it will make changes to the Elected Presidencyand table a Bill to amend the Constitution, and have a “full debate”, said Mr Lee.

“We have operated this two-key system for 25 years, and made many adjustments to it. But some aspects have not been revised and we need to bring them up to date,” explained the Prime Minister.

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  Singapore taking terrorism seriously

The plot to attack Marina Bay Sands from Batam is not the only definite plan by terrorist to target Singapore, said PM Lee, who adds that is not easy to fire a rocket to travel 20 kilometres. The problem is if it doesn’t hit MBS, the rocket hits something else, he said.

The Government has quietly acted on information and taken precautions, with some events shifted or rescheduled in response to terror threats, he revealed. The SGSecure movement will also be launched next month to help Singaporeans protect themselves against terror, said the Prime Minister.

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  Relations with Malaysia and Indonesia

Malaysia and Indonesia are Singapore’s two most important partners, said PM Lee. It is working hard to build ties, but these are sensitive, complex relationships. “There will be differences from time to time, because of their deep-seated attitudes towards us, but today, on the whole, relations with both countries are good,” he said.

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Photo: PM Lee/Facebook

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  South China Sea a “complicated dispute”: PM Lee

Singapore is in a “hot seat” as country coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, said PM Lee. But the country has to take its own principled and consistent stand in South China Sea dispute despite pressure from other countries, he added.

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  World’s first automatic chapati, roti maker

On entrepreneurship, PM Lee highlights the invention of the world’s first automatic chapati and roti maker – the Rotimatic. Attendees of the National Day Rally will get to try it out!

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  “Not just doom and gloom”

That said, disruption is “not just doom and gloom”, PM Lee said. Disruption is also creating new jobs in various industries, and Singapore needs an overall strategy to respond to these changes to make firms here resilient.

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  Defining economic challenge: Disruption, says PM Lee

In opening his English speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the defining economic challenge of this era is disruption, and this is due to technology and globalisation. He also said his National Day Rally speech will address the following three questions:

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  PM Lee urges Chinese community to support minority representation for Elected Presidency

Under the current system, Singapore may not have a non-Chinese President for a long time. This could weaken sense of national identity among minorities and affect unity, says PM Lee Hsien Loong. He called for support from the Chinese community to ensure a minority President from time to time.

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  Plans to strengthen Eldershield to cover more in the works

In his Chinese speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the Health Ministry will form a committee to study how to strengthen Eldershield to cover more people. Currently, it does not cover everyone and payouts are limited to six years.

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  PM Lee on having minority representation for Elected Presidency

Mr Lee says in his Malay speech that Singapore must ensure, from time to time, that the nation has a Malay or Indian President.

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  Asatizah Recognition Scheme to be strengthened, made mandatory

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says that it is critical for Muslim religious teachers, or asatizah, to understand Singapore’s multiracial context and to guide students to practice Islam in this context.

He also said there is a need to strengthen the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS), which is why MUIS will work with Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (PERGAS) and the Asatizah Recognition Board to make ARS mandatory.

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  National Day Rally: PM Lee’s speech in Malay begins, gives update on former President S R Nathan

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong kicks off this year’s National Day Rally, beginning with his speech in Malay. He took the opportunity to give an update on former President S R Nathan’s health, who remains critically ill and unconscious but is restful.

Mr Nathan, 92, suffered a stroke on Jul 31, and he remains in the Intensive Care Unit at Singapore General Hospital.

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]]> 4100 Singapore’s PM, Lee Hsien Loong took ill on stage while delivering his National Day speech https://9newsng.com/singapores-pm-lee-hsien-loong-took-ill-on-stage-while-delivering-his-national-day-speech/ Sun, 21 Aug 2016 15:27:56 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=4097 Singapore Prime Minister slumping on stage while delivering National Day speech CNA

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SINGAPORE (9News): According to report from Channels News Asia online news portal, Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong was delivering his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 21) at ITE College Central when he suddenly started feeling dizzy. The prime Minister was rushed to a medical facility where he received emergency medical attention. As […]

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]]> Singapore Prime Minister slumping on stage while delivering National Day speech CNA

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SINGAPORE (9News): According to report from Channels News Asia online news portal, Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong was delivering his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 21) at ITE College Central when he suddenly started feeling dizzy. The prime Minister was rushed to a medical facility where he received emergency medical attention.

As at press report,  Channels News Asia reported that the Prime Minister has recovered from the illness and has resumed his speech.

Channel News Asia Report:

  PM Lee took ill while speaking at National Day Rally: PMO

The National Day Rally 2016 has been temporarily suspended. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO),Mr Lee took ill while speaking and the medical team is attending to him right now. “They assess that his condition is not serious,” PMO said, adding it will update in due course.

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  PM Lee will return to conclude his speech : DPM Teo Chee Hean

According to Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, PM Lee told him to convey the message that he will conclude his speech later.

 

  “Don’t worry too much”: DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam

In an interview, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is “alright” and that he was “feeling a little faint”.

He said that Mr Lee has had a gruelling schedule recently, but that this was just a “little blip”.

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  PM’s heart is fine, did not have stroke: PMO

In a latest update, the PMO said Mr Lee was feeling unsteady because of “prolonged standing, heat and dehydration”.

“His heart is fine and he did not have a stroke,” the PMO added. Mr Lee is expected to resume his speech at 10.40pm.

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  PM’s heart is fine, did not have stroke: PMO

In a latest update, the PMO said Mr Lee was feeling unsteady because of “prolonged standing, heat and dehydration”.

“His heart is fine and he did not have a stroke,” the PMO added. Mr Lee is expected to resume his speech at 10.40pm.

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  PM Lee resumes his speechshare

“Thank you for waiting, I gave everybody a scare,” Prime Minister Lee resuming his speech to a standing ovation from the audience.

He touches on leadership succession, referencing the stroke that Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat sufferedduring a Cabinet meeting. He announced the appointment of National Development Minister Lawrence Wong as the 2nd Finance Minister to help Mr Heng with the ministry.

He added that Mr Heng will progressively resume his duties as Finance Minister, and DPM Tharman will stop covering as Acting Minister.

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  More on succession planning, Singapore’s futureshare

PM Lee said his successor must be ready to take over from him soon after the next General Election.

Concluding his speech, he said the example of national swimmer Joseph Schooling, who won the country’s first-ever Olympics gold medal, will inspire many more to make their dreams come true.

Can things gets better after SG50? “Answer is resounding yes,” Mr Lee said.

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]]> 4097 Singapore’s swimmer awarded $1 Million for winning Singapore’s first Olympic gold https://9newsng.com/singapores-swimmer-awarded-1-million-for-winning-singapores-first-olympic-gold/ Sun, 14 Aug 2016 15:05:58 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=3743 Joseph Schooling

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SINGAPORE: Butterfly specialist Joseph Schooling, who clinched his first Olympic Gold medal at the 100m butterfly event on Saturday morning (Aug 13), can look forward to prize money of S$1 million. To reward medal-winning athletes, an incentive scheme was devised by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) in the 1990s. The Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme […]

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SINGAPORE: Butterfly specialist Joseph Schooling, who clinched his first Olympic Gold medal at the 100m butterfly event on Saturday morning (Aug 13), can look forward to prize money of S$1 million.

To reward medal-winning athletes, an incentive scheme was devised by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) in the 1990s. The Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP) provides a cash payout to athletes who win medals at the Olympics, Asian, Commonwealth and SEA Games.

Schooling, 21, clocked 50.39s in his pet event to beat the likes of American great Michael Phelps and South Africa’s Chad le Clos.

In a report by American television network CBS, “student-athletes are not allowed to be paid”, under National Collegiate Athletic Association rules. As a Singaporean, however, Schooling is exempted.

Said the SNOC: “For competitive athletes, the cost of training at elite level requires an enormous financial investment over many years. Of all athletes who dream of winning an Olympic medal, only a small percentage will find themselves on the podium at the Games.”

According to the SNOC, athletes will be entitled to awards up to a maximum of three individual gold medals won at the SEA Games, up to two individual gold medals won at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, and the first individual gold medal won at the Olympic Games.

The SNOC also noted that it is mandatory for all athletes to plough back a certain percentage of the MAP awards to their National Sports Association for future training and development. All awards are also taxable, it added.

The Tote Board/Singapore Pools is the primary sponsor of the SNOC MAP awards.

– CNA/xk

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]]> 3743 Singapore’s Joseph Schooling beats Phelps to win his nation’s first ever Olympic gold https://9newsng.com/singapores-joseph-schooling-beats-phelps-to-win-his-nations-first-ever-olympic-gold/ Sat, 13 Aug 2016 14:31:44 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=3713 phelps schooling semifinalsreuters

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Singapore’s Joseph Schooling won his nation’s first ever Olympic gold medal with victory in the 100m butterfly as Michael Phelps was one of three men to finish joint second. Schooling, 21, won in an Olympic record time of 50.39 seconds. The Singaporean was always in control and won by 0.75 seconds from the trio of […]

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Singapore’s Joseph Schooling won his nation’s first ever Olympic gold medal with victory in the 100m butterfly as Michael Phelps was one of three men to finish joint second.

Schooling, 21, won in an Olympic record time of 50.39 seconds.

The Singaporean was always in control and won by 0.75 seconds from the trio of Phelps, South Africa’s Chad le Clos and Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh.

Phelps, 31, could win his 23rd gold in the 4x100m medley relay on Saturday.

The American was not part of his country’s team that qualified for the final having taken the afternoon off after winning his 22nd gold in the 200m individual medley on Thursday.

Phelps, who was denied a fourth successive gold in the 100m butterfly by Schooling, will end his Olympic career by competing in the final race in the Rio pool.

“This is it. I’m not doing it. I swore in London I wasn’t coming back but this is final,” he said.

Schooling said of his win: “I’m just ecstatic. I don’t think it has set in yet. It’s just crazy.

“I hope that Michael can stay around long enough for me to race him again. I’d love that.”

Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos, Laszlo Cseh and Joseph Schooling
Michael Phelps, Chad le Clos and Laszlo Cseh share the second step on the podium alongside Joseph Schooling

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]]> 3713 Anti-social media – Online chats saved Singapore from rocket attack https://9newsng.com/anti-social-media-online-chats-saved-singapore-from-rocket-attack/ Sun, 07 Aug 2016 13:00:56 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=3476 Singapore rocket attack folied by social media online chat

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By Kanupriya Kapoor BATAM, Indonesia (Reuters) – It was social media chatter that gave him away. Changing his profile picture on the LINE messaging app to a banner pledging “Indonesian support and solidarity for ISIS” probably didn’t help. Had it not been for all that, Gigih Rahmat Dewa’s plot to launch a rocket attack on […]

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By Kanupriya Kapoor

BATAM, Indonesia (Reuters) – It was social media chatter that gave him away. Changing his profile picture on the LINE messaging app to a banner pledging “Indonesian support and solidarity for ISIS” probably didn’t help.

Had it not been for all that, Gigih Rahmat Dewa’s plot to launch a rocket attack on the city-state of Singapore from a nearby Indonesian island might never have been uncovered.

Gigih, 31, and five accomplices were arrested on Batam island on Friday after an investigation that showed how much Indonesia’s Islamist militants now rely on social media, including with a Syria-based Islamic State jihadi who allegedly directed them to stage attacks.

It also underlined how militants in the world’s most populous Muslim nation, once tight-knit under the Jemaah Islamiah group and internally focused, are splintering into smaller gangs loosely linked to Islamic State with increasingly regional ambitions.

“The men in Batam seem to have been radicalised over social media, specifically using Facebook, rather than directly,” said police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar.

“They have been in communication with Bahrum Naim in Syria. It looks like he sent funds and instructions to them,” he added, referring to the suspected mastermind of the Singapore plot who left Indonesia in 2015 to join the frontlines of Islamic State.

ONLINE JIHADISM

Multi-ethnic Singapore, sandwiched between two large, Muslim-majority nations, has never seen a successful attack by Islamist militants. But the government of the wealthy island state has said repeatedly it is only a matter of time.

According to police, Gigih and his group had been instructed by their mentor in Syria to fire a rocket at Singapore’s Marina Bay, a glitzy downtown waterfront area that hosts a Formula One Grand Prix and is home to a casino resort and office blocks.

Residents of Batam, 15 km (10 miles) south of Singapore, said they were dismayed to learn that the six local men, five of whom were local factory workers, were extremists.

Gigih, his wife and infant daughter lived in a modest one-storey house in a row of many just like it. His Facebook account showed that he enjoyed cycling and hiking.

“We are shocked that a completely ordinary person like him can be like that, can be suspected of being involved in radicalism,” said neighbour Rubiyati, who goes by one name.

Monalisa, a 23-year-old who attended Batam’s state polytechnic institute at the same time as Gigih, described the IT student she knew until 2014 as a normal guy who was “positive, cheerful, humble and friendly with everyone”.

She was, however, surprised in March of that year when Gigih changed his LINE group chat picture to a photo of a group of people holding up an Islamic State banner.

There was no preaching by hardline Islamists on campus and so it is unlikely he was radicalised there, she said.

“But what people do off campus or online is another matter.”

FACEBOOK POSTS

Jakarta-based security analyst Sidney Jones said Naim, the Syria-based militant, appeared to be using virtually every available form of social media to reach as wide an audience as possible, making it difficult for counter-terrorist forces to track his followers.

“They may have gotten one cluster but there are probably many other clusters out there,” she said.

In a blog post after the coordinated attacks on Paris last November, Naim urged his Indonesian audience to learn from that assault and explained how it was easy to move jihad from “guerrilla warfare” in Indonesia’s equatorial jungles to a city.

Just last month Indonesian security forces killed their most-wanted militant, Santoso, who had been hiding in a jungle. But analysts say he posed a far smaller threat than the cells of Islamists quietly growing in urban areas of the main island, Java.

Kasiman, chief of the neighbourhood association where Gigih lives in Batam, told Reuters the house had been under surveillance for about five months before Friday’s raid.

Experts say a rocket attack on Singapore from a nearby island is feasible, but police found only a stash of bomb-making material, firearms and arrows during their search of the ringleader’s home.

It could be that Indonesia’s would-be jihadis are no more capable of sophisticated strikes than they were in January when a gun and bomb attack by four militants in the heart of the capital, Jakarta, was quickly snuffed out.

Last month a suicide bomber on a motorcycle tried to attack a police station in the city of Solo on Java island, but managed to kill only himself and wound a police officer.

According to police spokesman Amar, investigators had drawn connections between January’s attack in Jakarta and the botched suicide bombing in Solo.

He said the Batam group had been acting as an agent for Indonesians who wanted to go and fight with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and for militants from China’s ethnic Uighur Muslim minority who wanted to enter Indonesia.

But it was Facebook posts that gave them the breakthrough on the plot to hit Singapore.

“Their terrorist action plans were in Facebook,” he said, without giving detail. “They didn’t announce it but they were discussing it – communicating on social media between all the members.”

(Additional reporting by Fergus Jensen, Agustinus Deo Da Costa and Randy Fabi in JAKARTA; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

 

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]]> 3476 6 arrested in Indonesia in rocket attack plot on Singapore https://9newsng.com/6-arrested-in-indonesia-in-rocket-attack-plot-on-singapore/ Sun, 07 Aug 2016 09:37:22 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=3453 160805110703 01 indonesia terrorist raid exlarge 169

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Six suspects were arrested in a raid Friday morning on Batam, an Indonesian island near Singapore, police said. The suspects were allegedly planning a rocket attack on the Marina Bay Sands resort, a major hotel, retail and entertainment hub in Singapore, Indonesian National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told CNN. “We got initial information through […]

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Six suspects were arrested in a raid Friday morning on Batam, an Indonesian island near Singapore, police said.

The suspects were allegedly planning a rocket attack on the Marina Bay Sands resort, a major hotel, retail and entertainment hub in Singapore, Indonesian National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told CNN.

“We got initial information through their conversation on social media and then tracked their location,” Amar said. Indonesia’s special anti-terror task force carried out the raid.

Local terror group suspected

Gen. Tito Karnavian, chief of the Indonesian National Police, said the suspects belong to a local terror group called Katibah Gigih Rahmat, which is suspected of helping Indonesians travel to Syria to join ISIS.

They were ordered to attack Singapore by Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian now believed to be in Syria, Amar said. He added police believe Naim is sending money from Syria to Katibah Gigih Rahmat to finance radicalism and terror activities in Indonesia.

Katibah Gigih Rahmat’s suspected leader, Gigih Rahmat Dewa, was among the six arrested Friday.

‘We were serious about the threats’

“This does not come as a surprise. I have spoken several times, about plans being made in places just outside Singapore, to target Singapore — we were serious about the threats,” Singaporean Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said. “We were aware of the plans being made to attack us with rockets.”

Singaporean police and other security agencies have stepped up measures both inside the city-state and at its borders, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement, urging the public to remain vigilant.

Authorities also have been tracking terror threats planned within Singapore to be carried out in other countries. In May, Singaporean police arrested eight Bangladeshi men accused of plotting terror attacks in Bangladesh.

Source: CNN 

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]]> 3453 Foiled Singapore Rocket Attack: Indonesian police arrest six suspects https://9newsng.com/foiled-singapore-rocket-attack-indonesian-police-arrest-six-suspects/ Fri, 05 Aug 2016 08:18:04 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=3358 singapore monuments

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SINGAPORE: Indonesian authorities have arrested six terror suspects, including the group leader who had plans to fire a rocket from Batam in an attack on Singapore’s Marina Bay, according to Indonesian media reports. The men, aged between 19 and 46, were arrested at various locations across Batam. A stash of weapons was found at one […]

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SINGAPORE: Indonesian authorities have arrested six terror suspects, including the group leader who had plans to fire a rocket from Batam in an attack on Singapore’s Marina Bay, according to Indonesian media reports.

The men, aged between 19 and 46, were arrested at various locations across Batam. A stash of weapons was found at one of the locations, a housing complex, the reports said.

The six were allegedly from terrorist group KGR@Katibah GR – whose ringleader Gigih Rahmat Dewa, 31, is said to be behind the plot to attack Marina Bay.

The other five suspects are: Trio Syafrido, 46, a bank employee, and factory workers Eka Saputra, 35; Tarmidzi, 21; Hadi Gusti Yanda, 20; and M Tegar Sucianto, 19. The group is suspected of harbouring two Uighurs, according to Indonesian police.

“Yes, there were indeed plans for the attack. But the plans did not materialise,” Indonesian national police spokesperson Boy Rafli Amar was quoted in reports as saying.

The plan to fire the rocket missile from Batam was hatched with the help of known Indonesian militant Bahrun Naim, who now operates out of Syria, reports said.

Mr Boy Rafli said police had yet to determine the motive behind the plot or when the suspects were planning to launch the attack with rocket missiles – evidence of which has not been found.

The suspects are currently being investigated at special counter-terrorism squad Densus 88’s headquarters for their involvement in Islamic State’s Indonesian terror network.

SINGAPORE ‘AWARE’ OF TERROR PLOT

In response to media queries, Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said it is aware of the attack plan and has been working with the Indonesian authorities since the discovery of the plot.

“Our security agencies have been coordinating closely with the Indonesian authorities since the discovery of this attack plot, to monitor the activities of the group and to apprehend those involved. We are grateful for the good cooperation by the Indonesian authorities and their actions to apprehend the group,” the ministry said.

The police and other agencies have been stepping up inland and border security measures in Singapore in response to this threat and the “prevailing security situation”, it added.

“This development highlights the seriousness of the terrorism threat to Singapore, and the importance of the SGSecure national movement. The public are advised to remain vigilant.”

– CNA/cy

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]]> 3358 Singaporean man detained under Internal Security Act https://9newsng.com/singaporean-man-detained-under-internal-security-act/ Fri, 29 Jul 2016 14:56:37 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=3054 Singaporean man arrested on ISA 2

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[ Channel News Asia ] SINGAPORE  –  Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, 44, was arrested and detained in July for spreading radical ideology and contributing to the radicalisation of other Singaporeans, the Ministry of Home Affairs says. SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man who openly supported the Islamic State militant group and contributed to the radicalisation of other Singaporeans […]

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]]> Singaporean man arrested on ISA 2

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[ Channel News Asia ] SINGAPORE  –  Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, 44, was arrested and detained in July for spreading radical ideology and contributing to the radicalisation of other Singaporeans, the Ministry of Home Affairs says.

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man who openly supported the Islamic State militant group and contributed to the radicalisation of other Singaporeans has been arrested and detained under the Internal Security Act.

Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, 44, was issued with an Order of Detention in July for two years, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday (Jul 29).

According to MHA, he became radicalised as early as 2001 after reading jihadi-related material. He was supportive of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Jemaah Islamiyah, and advocated Muslims taking up arms in Afghanistan after the Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US.

After moving to Australia with his family in 2002, Zulfikar joined the hardline Hizbut Tahrir organisation. According to his Facebook page, he is a PhD student at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. He was also influenced by the teachings of radical ideologues like Anwar al-Awlaki, and established and maintained contact with radical preachers in Australia and overseas, like Musa Cerantonio and Anjem Choudary, MHA said.

Prior to his arrest, he made “numerous Facebook postings glorifying and promoting ISIS and their violent actions, while exploiting religion to legitimise the terrorist activities of ISIS”, the ministry said. This included a photograph of Zulfikar with his children mimicking a pose commonly adopted by jihadi fighters, while standing in front of a black flag that is commonly used by jihadi terrorist groups.

“He considered his propagation of radical material as a form of jihad, by way of creating awareness of ISIS and promoting armed jihad,” MHA said.

SPREADING RADICAL IDEOLOGY

In his online postings, Zulfikar called for Muslims to take up arms and wage war in places like the Middle East, Palestinian territories, Myanmar and the Philippines. To motivate Muslims to engage in armed jihad, Zulfikar proposed the creation of a support system for the families of the fighters.

In a Facebook post in August 2014, Zulfikar wrote that ISIS’ threat to banish or kill Christians in Iraq was permissible. His rationale was that their refusal to pay the jizyah – a tax imposed on non-Muslims in an Islamic caliphate – was a “declaration of hostility and non-acceptance” of the authority of the Islamic state.

The same month, he posted on Facebook again to defend ISIS’ acts of beheading. Zulfikar claimed in the post that decapitation was permitted in Islam and that the act was practised and approved during the time of Prophet Muhammad and his companions.

According to MHA, Zulfikar admitted that he wanted his online followers to reject the Western secular democratic system and instead establish an Islamic caliphate in its place, governed by Syariah law.

“He believes that violence should be used to achieve this goal if necessary,” the ministry said, adding that Zulfikar had actively looked into holding training programmes aimed at radicalising young Singaporeans.

While residing in Australia, he set up an online group called Al-Makhazin and other Facebook platforms for Muslims to counter the Western media. He also admitted that a Facebook page called Al-Makhazin Singapore was used by him as a platform to “agitate on Muslim issues in Singapore and attack some Singaporean Muslims who did not share his views”, MHA said.

“His real agenda was in fact to provoke Muslims in Singapore into pushing for the replacement of the democratic system with an Islamic state in Singapore. He said that he hid his ulterior motive from the Singaporean Al-Makhazin Singapore members,” the ministry added.

Amid the threat of terrorism that Singapore faces, Zulfikar’s promotion of violence and Islamic State poses a security threat, MHA said.

“At times he has tried to hide his real motivations, by putting out moderate sounding views. But in reality, he believes in the use of violence to overthrow the democratic system of government and the imposition of an Islamic caliphate. He continues to support ISIS and wants Singaporeans to do the same,” it said.

“The Government takes a very serious view of efforts to undermine Singapore’s constitutional democracy, and will take firm and decisive action against any person who engages in such activities.”

EXTREMIST, VIOLENT BELIEFS HAVE NO PLACE IN SINGAPORE: PM LEE

In a Facebook post on Friday evening, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it was fortunate that security agencies caught Zulfikar “before he could do more harm”.

“Such extremist, violent beliefs have no place in our multi-racial and multi-religious country. The government will be alert to spot such individuals, but we need everyone’s help to uphold and protect our harmonious way of life,” said Mr Lee. “Together, we can stay united and strong.”

GOVT WILL TAKE FIRM ACTION AGAINST ANYONE WHO TRIES TO DIVIDE SINGAPOREANS: DPM TEO

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean said on Friday that the Singapore Government will take “firm action against anyone who agitates to divide us or create conflict in Singapore by making use of religious extremism”.

“The social fabric we have built up over the decades is precious. Each of us has to play our part to safeguard the peace, harmony and stability that we treasure,” he said in a post on Facebook.

Channel News Asia – CNA/cy

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]]> 3054 SINGAPORE BANK ROBBERY: Suspected Canadian man arrested in Thailand https://9newsng.com/singapore-bank-robbery-suspected-canadian-man-arrested-in-thailand/ Fri, 15 Jul 2016 05:51:47 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=2460 Canadian Arrested in Thailand for robbbery in Singapore

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[Strait Times] BANGKOK/SINGAPORE – The Standard Chartered Bank robbery suspect currently detained in Bangkok was found with a notebook detailing plans for him to escape to Chiang Mai and then Dubai, Thai police revealed on Wednesday (July 13). It also contained the same phrases that Canadian citizen David James Roach, 26, had allegedly written on […]

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]]> Canadian Arrested in Thailand for robbbery in Singapore

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[Strait Times] BANGKOK/SINGAPORE – The Standard Chartered Bank robbery suspect currently detained in Bangkok was found with a notebook detailing plans for him to escape to Chiang Mai and then Dubai, Thai police revealed on Wednesday (July 13).

It also contained the same phrases that Canadian citizen David James Roach, 26, had allegedly written on a slip of paper used to rob the bank in Holland Village last Thursday (July 7).

The note reportedly said: “”This is a robbery, I have a weapon, give me money, don’t call police’.”

He had purportedly walked into the Standard Chartered Bank branch at around 11.30am, passed the teller the note with his demands, before he fled with about $30,000 in cash.

Shortly after, he boarded an AirAsia flight from Singapore and arrived at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport at about 5pm Thailand time (6pm Singapore time) on the same day. He then took a taxi to Central World and then headed to the hostel on foot.

On Wednesday (July 13), Thai Police Colonel Nithithorn Chintakanon revealed that they took two days to trace the suspect by contacting the taxi driver and examining closed-circuit television footage where he alighted the taxi.

Roach was found with 700,000 baht (S$27,000) in US dollars, Singapore dollars and Thai baht when he was detained by some 20 policemen in Bangkok on Sunday (July 10).

Thai immigration police chief Nathatorn Prousoontorn told The Straits Times on Wednesday that Singapore’s deputy police chief personally called Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan about the case.

Mr Nathatorn added that the Thai police did not technically arrest Roach; they merely cancelled his right to stay in Thailand. Therefore, they are not able to keep him for very long, he said.

Canadian officials are trying to get Roach sent back to Canada, according to the Thai police.

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]]> 2460 Brexit: Singapore bank suspends London property loans amidst uncertainties https://9newsng.com/brexit-singapore-bank-suspends-london-property-loans-amidst-uncertainties/ Thu, 30 Jun 2016 16:22:00 +0000 http://www.9newsng.com/?p=2029 Singapore UOB Bank

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(Channel News Asia) SINGAPORE: United Overseas Bank (UOB), Singapore’s third-largest lender, has suspended its loans programme for London properties in the wake of uncertainties caused by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. UOB would be among the first banks in Singapore to turn cautious on such lending, even though it is not a large […]

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]]> Singapore UOB Bank

9News Nigeria

(Channel News Asia) SINGAPORE: United Overseas Bank (UOB), Singapore’s third-largest lender, has suspended its loans programme for London properties in the wake of uncertainties caused by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

UOB would be among the first banks in Singapore to turn cautious on such lending, even though it is not a large amount, as Brexit spooked global markets and pushed the pound to multi-year lows.

“We will temporarily stop receiving foreign property loan applications for London properties,” a UOB spokeswoman said in an email.

“As the aftermath of the UK referendum is still unfolding and given the uncertainties, we need to ensure our customers are cautious with their London property investments.”

Singapore’s biggest lender, DBS Group Holdings, said it continued to provide financing for property purchases in London but was advising its customers to be cautious.

“For customers interested in buying properties in London, we would advise them to assess the situation carefully before committing to their purchases as there could be potential foreign exchange and sovereign risks,” Ms Tok Geok Peng, executive director of secured lending, consumer banking group (Singapore) at DBS Bank, said in an email.

The Singapore dollar has gained about 10 per cent against the British pound since the referendum.

“There have been London properties available for the last few months before the Brexit. The question is whether these properties can still continue to receive buyers in the short-term,” said Ms Alice Tan, head of consultancy and research at Knight Frank Singapore.

Property consultants say data on the number of properties purchased by Singaporeans in the United Kingdom is not tracked that closely. Banks do not disclose lending data for UK property purchases.

UOB said it was monitoring the market environment closely and would review it regularly to determine when it could resume its property loan offering.

– REUTERS/cy

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