Deputy Attorney-General Ang Cheng Hock and Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh had a tense exchange in court as the prosecution began its cross-examination of the defendant on Wednesday (Nov 6).  Singh is contesting two charges of wilfully giving false answers to the Committee of Privileges (COP), which was convened in November 2021 to look into a lie that former WP MP Raeesah Khan had told in Parliament three months prior. On Wednesday, DAG Ang questioned Singh on some of the alleged inconsistences between his court testimony and his evident to the COP. One of these issues pertains to Singh's second charge, where he allegedly gave false answers to the COP about telling Khan on Oct 3, 2021 to clarify her story about the rape survivor if the issue was brought up in Parliament the next day.  His first charge relates to a meeting between Khan and the WP leaders on Aug 8, 2021. Singh, 48, allegedly lied when he said he wanted Khan to clarify her untruth in parliament at this meeting.  During the COP, Singh had said Khan would have to clarify the matter, whether or not it was brought up by the government. 

SINGAPORE — The ultimate decision to amend the Insurance Act — which would prevent the current form of the Allianz-Income deal from going through — was made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong himself, together with the Cabinet. Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam clarified this in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Nov 6) after former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Suee Chieh in his own Facebook post said he had passed on his feedback on the proposed deal through Shanmugam. The Government announced in Parliament in October that the deal between German insurer Allianz and Income Insurance in its current form had been called off over concerns about the deal structure and the ability of the local insurer to continue its social mission. It then rushed through an amendment to the Insurance Act to allow the approval of the deal to be withheld. This paved the way for the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to consider the views of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in future applications related to insurers that are cooperatives or are linked to them.

As Americans headed to the polls on Tuesday (Nov 5), the world watched to see who emerged as the 47th president of the United States.  But between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, which administration would have been more beneficial for Singapore?  To find out how either administration would impact Singapore, AsiaOne spoke with three experts to get an insight on the two candidates' policies.  In terms of public opinion, Associate Professor Bilveer Singh from the National University of Singapore's Political Science faculty said that most Singaporeans «will not mind» whoever wins the presidential race. Until the new administration's policies start «biting» Singaporeans, that is. Veteran Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani agreed that the world would be a «calmer place» if Harris won the keys to the Oval Office, Fortune reported. «The last thing you want is an erratic leader like Donald Trump coming in,» he said at the Insights Forum during the Singapore FinTech Festival on Monday.

SINGAPORE — An Indonesian maid was charged on Nov 6 with causing grievous hurt by performing a rash act in an accident in River Valley that killed a four-year-old girl. Lilyana Eva, 32, is accused of committing the offence shortly before 5pm on Jan 23. According to court documents, she allegedly failed to ensure the safety of Zara Mei Orlic that day by bringing her to cross a road at an unsignalised junction without holding on to the child. As a result, the girl ran across the road and suffered serious injuries after a car struck her. She died later that day. On July 12, in Coroner Eddy Tham's findings into Zara's death, he said the Australian girl was on her way home from pre-school with Lilyana. Zara had walked a short distance ahead of the maid, who was carrying school bags and was holding the hand of Zara's two-year-old sister. Zara ran across Institution Hill in River Valley and did not notice an oncoming car from her left. Coroner Tham said the girl, who was just 1m tall, was completely obscured by a stationary vehicle nearby.

He's served up a storm of victories this year — but his next dish will be quite different. National kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder will be working at a curry puff stall as he had promised if he won at the 2024 World Sailing Awards. The 18-year-old clinched the inaugural Young World Sailor of the Year award on Tuesday (Nov 5). Maeder received the award from Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong at a ceremony at Chijmes Hall. «I'm a man of my word,» he said. «I'll be there as early as I can, and as long as I can,» he said. Maeder, who loves the snack, added that he plans to work at Soon Soon Huat Curry Puff in Katong on Thursday. «They have some very, very good curry puffs and I've enjoyed it every time I'm there so I had to pick that one.» He was not able to procure a food hygiene certificate in time to make the curry puffs himself, but Maeder will be serving the snacks to customers.

Three men were caught brawling at an undisclosed HDB estate, with one man ending up in the rubbish bin. A 47-second video was uploaded on Tuesday (Nov 5) to Singapore Road Accident's Facebook page. A man in a black shirt was seen being lifted by the pair of men and pushed into the rubbish bin.  In a separate clip, the man in black was seen acting aggressively towards the duo, throwing punches and kicking the man in white. The man in blue attempted to break up the fight. Speaking to AsiaOne, the police confirmed that a report was lodged and that investigations are ongoing.

SINGAPORE — As the Government ramps up spending to support the growing number of senior citizens, it should remain prudent and avoid wastefulness in its initiatives, said a parliamentary committee. The Estimates Committee, which examines government spending, also suggested that the authorities review initiatives under the Age Well SG programme when there is sufficient data to do so, to reduce any duplication. An estimated $3.5 billion has been set aside for Age Well SG to support seniors in their homes and communities. Noting that the Government had said it would review the cost-effectiveness of Age Well SG programmes, the committee called for the outcomes of these reviews to be shared when ready.

Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh took to the stand on Tuesday (Nov 5) to make his defence after the judge ruled that the prosecution had made out a sufficient case against him. The trial at the State Courts resumed after the prosecution wrapped up its case on Oct 24. The 48-year-old is contesting two counts under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act for wilfully giving false answers to the Committee of Privileges (COP), which was convened in November 2021 to look into a controversy involving former WP MP Raeesah Khan. Here are some highlights from the day in court. 1. Singh on why he chose Khan to be MP Answering questions from his lawyer Andre Jumabhoy, Singh said he first met Khan at a Meet-the-People session in 2019, where she volunteered as a case writer. She summarised resident issues for Singh to read before he spoke to them. During her frequent appearances at these sessions, Singh said that it was «quite clear that Khan was a person who was empathetic» to residents' concerns.

SINGAPORE — Train services will not run between Tanah Merah and Tampines stations from Dec 7 to 10, to facilitate the connection of tracks from the existing East-West Line (EWL) to the new East Coast Integrated Depot. Affected passengers can take a shuttle bus service, Shuttle 7, for travel between Tampines, Simei and Tanah Merah stations, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT on Nov 5. The shuttle service will run at a frequency of three to five minutes, with 55 double-decker buses to be deployed for all four days. Fares for the shuttle will be the same as that for an MRT journey along the same stretch. Alternatively, passengers can switch from the EWL to the Downtown Line (DTL) at Tampines and Expo stations before continuing their journeys. The closure between Tanah Merah and Tampines will affect adjacent sections of the EWL. Shuttle trains will run every five minutes between Tampines and Pasir Ris stations, every eight minutes between Tanah Merah and Expo stations, and every 11 minutes between Expo and Changi Airport.

A Singaporean man was dismissed from his job after drugging allegations were made against him by a woman he had been interviewing for a role. The incident had first been brought to light by the alleged victim, a woman named Hana, who posted on social media platform X on Oct 29.  «On the evening of October 24th, I was drugged by a partner at DWF Labs at a bar in Hong Kong. I have reported this to the local police and have collected video evidence of him spiking my drink,» she wrote. DWF Labs is a crypto trading firm. Hana explained that the man had approached her with a job offer and she, being new to crypto and eager to learn, agreed to meet him. While they were at a bar together, she had stepped away to use the restroom and left her drink attended. When Hana returned and the man left to take a call, she was alerted by a waitress that he had spiked her drink, she wrote. Hana also claimed that the man repeatedly told her to drink faster and even suggested she follow him to his hotel room.

When it comes to getting our kicks, there may be nothing else Singaporeans love more than placing bets. Well, the Singapore public has spent a record $12.2 billion on lottery, sports betting and horse racing in the last financial year, according to the Singapore Pools annual report 2023/24 released on Tuesday (Nov 5). Data from the annual report shows that their revenue has increased by 7%, up from $11.4 billion in the previous financial year, reported Lianhe Zaobao.  According to the annual report, $11.87 billion was returned to Singapore and Singaporeans via $9.14 billion in prize payouts and $2.29 billion in gambling duties and taxes. This also includes some $437 million which was also channelled to the Tote Board, where the money was spent on supporting community-based projects. Singapore Pools is a fully-owned subsidiary of Tote Board, which reports to the Ministry of Finance. Out of the $12.2b, its operating expense was $332 million (3%), one of the lowest in the world for a gaming operator.

SINGAPORE — A number of accidents involving elderly drivers in recent months have sparked debate over whether seniors should continue to take the wheel. In September, at least two elderly drivers were involved in police investigations following separate accidents. One of them, aged 77, was arrested over an accident in Toa Payoh that led to the death of an 83-year-old cyclist. In another case, a 70-year-old driver's car collided with the rear of a double-decker bus at a Hillview bus stop. Such accidents often draw hundreds of comments on social media, with netizens sparring over the merit of having a driving cut-off age. In Singapore, the statutory age limit for taxi, private-hire car and heavy vehicle drivers is 75, but there is no restriction for those who do not drive for a living. Motorists aged 65 and above, however, must be certified fit to drive by a Singapore-registered doctor once every three years in order to renew their licences.

Selling tissues may already be a taxing job to do, but things may have gotten even tougher for some of these vendors. Some local tissue sellers at Bedok Food Centre under Block 216 are claiming that foreigners from China have been stealing their customers, 8world reported on Monday (Nov 4). A local tissue seller surnamed Chen (transliteration) told the Chinese publication that she was wheelchair-bound after suffering a stroke years ago and has been relying on selling tissues at the food centre to make a living. «They come every day to steal my business, which has really impacted people like me who make a living through selling tissues,» she said. Believing these peddlers to be unlicensed, she added that they also operate in nearby food centres and coffee shops. Chen said she hopes that the authorities would be able to step up enforcement to protect legal tissue sellers in Singapore. 'Selling tissues daily' In a Facebook post on Complaint Singapore last Monday (Oct 28), user Lee Cheokcheng questioned if it was legal for foreigners to sell tissues at food centres.