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Pritam Singh accused of using disciplinary panel to get rid of Raeesah Khan; Watch out for this new scam targeting SP Group customers: Singapore live news
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Hello to all our readers! Yahoo Singapore will be bringing you live news updates today.
In the trial of Pritam Singh, the prosecution on Thursday (7 November) questioned whether there was a conflict of interest for the Workers’ Party (WP) chief and other party leaders to be involved in the disciplinary panel which eventually led to the resignation of Raeesah Khan.
As of 7 November, at least $12,000 has been lost to scammers involved in a recent SP Group impersonation scam. Victims receive an email or a text message seemingly from SP Group asking them to click on a link to perform actions such as receiving a refund for a billing error or to pay an outstanding bill.
Donald Trump, fresh from his US election win over Kamala Harris, has named campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as his White House chief of staff. She is the first-ever female to land the role but according to a report only accepted the job after Trump agreed to certain conditions.
Singapore will have a fifth wildlife park in March 2025 with the opening of Rainforest Wild Asia. The park promises an ‘immersive journey into Southeast Asia’s rainforest’. Details about what to expect can be found in the story.
A 25-year-old Singaporean male student has died in Brussels after being stabbed in the the early hours of Thursday morning in Belgium. Two suspects – both aged 18 – have been detained.
In a rare occurrence in Singapore, police shot a man in Pasir Ris Park early on Friday (8 November) morning after he was allegedly armed and acting aggressively. He was shot in the arm and later sent to the hospital.
Mandopop star JJ Lin will stage two concerts in Singapore next month as part of his recently announced JJ20 Final Lap World Tour. The Singaporean will perform at the National Stadium (28-29 December) and also plans to hold concerts in Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Beijing and Seoul.
A new report by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) revealed shop theft, cheating-related offences, and sexual offences as the top crimes committed by Singapore youth in 2023. The findings were from MSF's inaugural Supporting Youth Rehabilitation Trends Report which was released on Friday (8 November).
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Shop theft, cheating and sexual offences were top youth crimes in 2023
Shop theft was the top crime among youth offenders in 2023. (Photo: Getty) The top three crimes committed by youth offenders in 2023 were shop theft, cheating-related offences, and sexual offences, revealed the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
The findings were released on Friday (8 November) by MSF in its inaugural Supporting Youth Rehabilitation Trends Report.
Figures for 2023 showed there were 509 youth offenders for shop theft, followed by 422 youth offenders for cheating-related offences (mainly scams and cybercrime), and 250 youth offenders for sexual offences involving penetration.
Youth offenders refer to those aged 10 to below 21 years.
The aim of the report is to provide an overview of the key youth rehabilitation and offending trends from 2019 to 2023.
MSF said in a statement: "Completion rates across the rehabilitation programmes remained high at around 90% in 2023. Among youths who have completed their rehabilitation programmes from 2019 to 2021, less than 10% reoffended within two years, which was low compared to other countries."
The report compares Singapore’s youth offending rate to that in Australia and New Zealand.
You can read the full Supporting Youth Rehabilitation Trends Report, here.
Man allegedly armed with weapon shot by police in Pasir Ris Park
The shooting incident happened at 6am in Pasir Ris Park. (Photo: NParks). A man, allegedly armed with a weapon, was shot in the arm by a police officer in Pasir Ris Park early on Friday (8 November) morning, according to multiple reports.
He was sent to the hospital after he was shot.
The incident is believed to have happened at about 6am near a bird watching tower in the park.
The man was reported to have been in an agitated state, appearing to want to attack others.
After the shooting, an area in the park was cordoned off and police were spotted searching the grounds.
Shootings are rare in Singapore.
In March 2022, police shot a 64-year-old man at Block 33 Bendemeer Road. The man was under the influence of drugs and armed with a knife.
When three attempts to subdue the knife-wielding man with tasers had failed, an officer shot him in the chest. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Singaporean student stabbed to death in Brussels, two teenagers arrested
Cobbled street view of Brussels, Belgium. (Photo: Getty) A 25-year-old Singaporean student was stabbed to death in the early hours of Thursday morning in central Brussels, Belgium.
The Singaporean male was stabbed at around 2.30am on Rue Saint-Pierre street which runs parallel to the popular shopping area along Rue Adolphe Max.
According to The Brussels Times, officers from the Brussels-Ixelles police zone arrived at the scene and found the victim with a stab wound in his abdomen. Police then provided first aid until paramedics arrived and conveyed him to hospital where he later died.
Police have said the victim was approached by two male suspects and was stabbed following a short conversation.
The suspects are both aged 18 and have been detained.
Singapore's fifth wildlife park to open in March 2025
Red dholes move in packs and can be seen searching out their prey at the Watering Hole, one of the flexible habitats at Rainforest Wild Asia. (Photo illustration: Mandai Wildlife Group) Rainforest Wild Asia, the first phase of Singapore's fifth wildlife park, will launch in March 2025 at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
It promises to offer an ‘immersive journey into Southeast Asia’s rainforest’ through 10 different zones.
According to press information released on Thursday (7 November), one of the highlights will be The Karsts which has jagged limestone formations peeking through the canopy.
Visitors can also explore the Forest Floor before making their way to the Rock Cascade which is set to feature Malayan tigers.
The largest animal habitat in Rainforest Wild Asia is home to the Malayan tigers. (Photo illustration: Mandai Wildlife Group) Rainforest Wild Asia will have a Canopy area where you can get a glimpse of life in the treetops and potentially encounter species like the Javan langur and red-shanked douc langur.
One other notable highlight for visitors will be The Cavern chambers which is inspired by Malaysia’s famous Mulu Caves. Mandai says visitors can choose to progress along walkways or opt for the more adventurous side path to seek out cave species including racer snakes and giant black scorpions.
Explore various cave chambers at the Cavern, including the oculus, where guests can look up to see the sky through an opening in the rock above. (Photo illustration: Mandai Wildlife Group) “Rainforest Wild Asia allows guests to choose their level of adventure as they explore an immersive rainforest setting, whether through sedate universally designed walkways or high adrenaline scrambling paths and guided climbing adventures,” said Mike Barclay, Group CEO of Mandai Wildlife Group.
The second phase will see the opening of Rainforest Wild Africa.
Trump names first-ever female chief of staff
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump brings Susie Wiles to the podium at an election night watch party Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Donald Trump is back in the big chair again – and it appears he hasn’t forgotten the people who played an integral role in his stunning US Presidential Election win over Kamala Harris earlier in the week.
On Thursday (7 November), Trump named campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as his White House chief of staff.
“It is a well deserved honour to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,” Trump said in a statement.
CNN reported that Wiles expressed to Trump certain conditions before she accepted the job – she wanted more control over who can reach him in the Oval Office.
The move is understood to be about ensuring that only the right people are able to advise Trump which was an issue for his previous chiefs of staff during his last presidency.
Watch out for this new scam targeting SP Group customers
The recent SP Group impersonation scam has claimed $12,000 from victims as of 7 November. (Photo: SP Group) A recent scam targeting customers of utility provider SP Group has seen at least $12,000 lost, according to police on 7 November.
The impersonation scam involves an email or a text message seemingly from SP Group asking the victim to click on a link to perform actions such as receiving a refund for a billing error or to pay an outstanding bill.
Once the victims click on the link, they are taken to a website impersonating SP Group where they enter their personal information as well as credit or debit card details.
If you are unsure about an unsolicited email or text, the best practice is to never click on any links.
Last month, the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) launched a new online anti-scam game called #XiamTheScams to remind the public about making the right choices to avoid falling for traps set by these types of criminals.
For more information on scams, you can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799.
Pritam Singh accused of using disciplinary panel to get rid of Raeesah Khan
Workers' Party leaders Pritam Singh and Sylvia Lim were part of the disciplinary panel looking at Raeesah Khan. (Photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su) Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh was at the centre of his trial on Thursday (7 November) with the prosecution accusing him of using a disciplinary panel to get rid of Raeesah Khan.
The panel was made up of Singh, WP chair Sylvia Lim and vice-chair Faisal Manap. It was formed to investigate Khan’s lie about a sexual assault case in Parliament.
However, the prosecution suggested that there was a conflict of interest as the trio had already been aware of her lie since 8 August 2021.
Singh argued the arrangement was suitable as it would protect her privacy by limiting the number of people who would learn details about her own past of sexual assault.
The panel eventually voted to expel Khan if she did not resign from her position as Sengkang Member of Parliament (MP).
Khan resigned on 30 November 2021, months after the lie in Parliament which triggered a Committee of Privileges (COP) investigation.
Singh is facing charges of lying under oath to the COP on 10 December 2021 and 15 December 2021.
The prosecution will continue its cross-examining of Singh today (8 November).
