SINGAPORE — A 42-year-old man who lived apart from his wife went on trial in the High Court on Jan 21 for allegedly raping her at the place where he lived. Prosecutors said that after forcing the woman to spend the night with him, the man took her back to her place. After his arrest, the man admitted to the sexual acts but claimed that they were consensual. The prosecution said she did not consent to have sex with the man because she was put in «fear of injury» at the time. The sexual acts took place after the man had physically assaulted the woman and threatened to hurt her with a metal rod, said prosecutors. The case is believed to be the first marital rape trial after immunity for husbands was repealed with effect from Jan 1, 2020. A gag order prohibits the publication of any details leading to identification of both the woman and the man, as well as the location where the incident took place. Both of them are foreigners who work in Singapore. The woman lived in a flat provided for by her employer, while the man lived elsewhere.

At least 198 reports have been made by victims who have fallen prey to tech support scams since the start of 2024, with a total loss amounting to at least $17.5 million. The police and Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) said in a joint statement on Tuesday (Jan 21) that victims of such scams typically receive pop-up alerts informing them that their computer had been compromised, with a phone number to call for technical support.  Phone numbers provided by the scammers often start with the «+65» prefix or the number 6, which give victims the impression that they are calling a legitimate helpdesk for technical support.  Scammers would proceed to impersonate support personnel from reputable software providers such as Microsoft or Apple. They would then instruct victims to download remote access applications before requesting them to log into their bank accounts.  Once logged in, scammers would be able to transfer the victim's money out to other bank accounts, said the police and CSA. In some cases, scammers would ask victims to approve the bank transaction with their digital token when bank authentication is required. 

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has convened the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Wednesday (Jan 22). The committee has been directed to review current electoral division boundaries and recommend the number and boundaries of Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) for the upcoming elections. This review will consider population shifts and housing developments in current electoral divisions, which have impacted the number of electors in certain areas. The EBRC has also been directed to seek to keep the average size of GRCs, the proportion of MPs elected from SMCs, and the average ratio of electors to elected MPs, all at about the same as that in the last General Election. The EBRC is now in the midst of its deliberations and will make its recommendations to PM Wong when it has completed its review. Revision of Registers of Electors The ELD also announced on Wednesday that PM Wong has directed the Registration Officer to revise the Registers of Electors before April 1 so that they are up to date.

Unhappiness and frustrations about the government - even if they are without «logic and rationality» - is a reality everywhere, not just in Singapore, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Jan 21). Speaking at a dialogue session at the University Cultural Centre in NUS, he added that the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) will try to find solutions to Singaporeans' concerns - even if there are «no easy answers». «We explain to you what the situation is to the best of our abilities, and then we find ways to move forward as a country,» said PM Wong to the nearly 900 students across various education institutions. He was responding to a question from a student participant on who had asked: «Do you agree with criticisms of PAP?»  Wong addressed a wide range of topics at the dialogue, including the affordability of public housing, cryptocurrency, and same-sex marriage. Moderated by NUS' vice-provost of student life Leong Ching, the session took a light-hearted tone when another student probed the prime minister about some of the criticisms he had heard about the ruling PAP government.

Singapore's Changi Airport has come full circle as passenger movements in 2024 returned to near pre-pandemic levels, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said in a press release on Wednesday (Jan 22). The airport handled 67.7 million passengers in 2024 - that's 99.1 per cent of the passenger movements recorded in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2024 figures represent a 14.8 per cent year-on-year increase. About 366,000 flights took off from or landed at Changi Airport in 2024, up 11.5 per cent compared to 2023.  Visitor arrivals to Singapore had previously dropped to 2.7 million in 2020 - the lowest in nearly four decades - due to unprecedented global travel restrictions and border closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, reported The Straits Times in 2021.  New routes Amid the 366,000 flights taking off or landing in Singapore last year, eight new passenger airlines - Aero Dili, AirAsia Cambodia, Air Canada, Air Japan, Loong Air, Peach Aviation, Tianjin Airlines and West Air - were added last year. 

SINGAPORE — While taking care of a one-year-old baby who was sick, a domestic helper forcefully pressed his abdomen, hit him in the face and punched him in the chest. She then applied sugar to the baby's bruises, and later lied to his parents that he was injured from a fall. The baby's father discovered the abuse after viewing closed-circuit television footage. Myanmar national Hsu Yee Mon, 29, was sentenced to a year's jail on Jan 21 after she pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating a child. Details about the child and the family's residence were redacted from court documents to protect the victim's identity. The court heard that the incident happened on July 1, 2024. Court documents did not state when Hsu Yee Mon started working for the family. The baby was feeling unwell that day, so his parents took only his siblings to a childcare centre, and left the baby in their helper's care before going to work. At about 6.30pm, the helper fed the infant dinner while he sat in a high chair in the living room. As she fed him, he began to cry.

A 52-year-old male motorcyclist and his 41-year-old female pillion rider were killed in an accident along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) towards PIE on Tuesday (Jan 21) morning. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they were alerted to the fatal road accident which involved a motorcycle and two lorries at about 5.35am. Both motorcyclist and pillion rider were pronounced dead at scene by a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). SCDF told AsiaOne they were alerted to the accident at about 5.40am, and conveyed one person to Woodlands Health Campus. Another two persons were pronounced dead at scene. A video of the aftermath filmed by a fellow motorist and posted to Facebook showed the deceased lying on the road, at the right rear end of a white lorry. Other clips taken later in the morning show two lanes of the expressway cordoned off and two blue police tents erected at the accident site.

Within nine hours of receiving an assault report on Monday (Jan 20) morning, the police tracked down and arrested the two suspected perpetrators. The two men, aged 48 and 61, will be charged in court on Wednesday with voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons with common intention, said the police.  In a statement on Tuesday, the police said they received a call for assistance in the vicinity of Lorong 24 Geylang at about 7.35am on Monday. A 26-year-old man was injured and taken conscious to the hospital. Preliminary investigations revealed that the two older men purportedly got into a dispute with the younger victim and allegedly used a metal stick to attack him. The metal stick was found at the scene and subsequently seized as a case exhibit. Police officers established the identities of the two attackers, leading to their arrest within nine hours of the report. If found guilty, the men may face a jail term of up to seven years or be fined or caned.

SINGAPORE — Children younger than 18 months old should not be allowed screen use or be exposed to screens in the background. Background screen use refers to having the television or other devices turned on in the background even when a child is not watching them. These are part of stricter and clearer guidelines on screen use that the Health Ministry (MOH) has provided for children up to 12 years of age. Previous editions had discouraged the use of screens and recommended caregivers to reduce background screen exposure. The updated guidelines, launched on Jan 21, are part of a new national health strategy to encourage children and adolescents to adopt healthier lifestyles. This will focus on those up to 12 years of age, with plans to later extend it to older children. In a joint statement, MOH, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said that children in Singapore face health risks from inactive lifestyles with excessive screen time, poor nutrition, and inadequate sleep and physical activity.

SINGAPORE — From Tuesday (Jan 21), Instagram accounts belonging to users under 18 years old in Singapore will have more restrictive settings by default as the app faces growing pressure to protect children online. Instagram users suspected to be underage will be prompted to confirm their age by providing photo identification or submitting a video selfie. The move, part of a global clean-up of accounts belonging to users who have lied about their age, was first rolled out in the United States and Britain in late 2024 in response to global pressure to safeguard young users from addiction, cyberbullying and harmful content. Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in particular, has faced criticism as a wave of US state attorneys in 2023 accused Meta of hooking children on its apps without mitigating their risks. Instagram's Teen Account settings — such as being invisible to strangers and receiving messages only from people they follow — will kick in if users cannot prove their age. Videos of people fighting, promoting cosmetic procedures, violent movie scenes and other sensitive content will also be kept off the feeds of teen accounts.

A woman reported her parents' maid to the police after she caught the latter allegedly abusing and neglecting her elderly parents on CCTV.  Huang, 63, told Shin Min Daily News last Sunday (Jan 19) that she brought her 91-year-old father to the doctor to treat the pain in his swollen foot on Jan 4.  Her parents' maid from Myanmar, Kaya, reportedly said that the elderly man fell down the night before. Huang shared that Kaya was hired by her family last October to take care of their elderly parents. The elderly couple lives alone in a three-room flat at Henderson Crescent.  To find out how her father fell, Huang decided to check the CCTV footage in her parents' flat.  According to the footage from Jan 3, Huang's 90-year-old mother was siting in the living room with Kaya at about 3pm. When the elderly woman stood up, Kaya, 40, allegedly grabbed her by the neck and shook her before dragging her into the bedroom.  At 10.22pm on the same day, Huang's father fell down. Upon hearing the commotion, Kaya came out to check on him, but did not help him up. 

Punters can look forward to an opportunity to win big in the upcoming Toto draw, just in time for the Chinese New Year celebrations. This is because the top prize for the Reunion Toto draw, to be held on Friday (Jan 24), has snowballed to an estimated $10.8 million after no winners were chosen in the last two draws.  According to the Singapore Pools website, the top prize grew from $1.35 million on Jan 16 to $3.38 million on Jan 20.   Singapore Pools branches and authorised retailers will extend their operating hours until 9pm on Jan 24 . Tickets will also be available in $10 and $20 packs at all outlets from Jan 20, 6.10pm.  Opening hours will be extended on the Jan 24.  PHOTO: Screengrab/Singapore Pools   

Homeowner Alice Park was delighted when she received an email from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in end-November 2024. The email informed the 57-year-old childcare teacher that she could finally collect the keys to her Build-To-Order (BTO) two-room flexi flat at Punggol Point Cove. The project had been delayed by about nine to 12 months. Park is one of the 1,100-odd buyers under phase two of this project, which was put up for sale in 2019. However, the Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in delays of between six and nine months for this project. A change of contractor in July 2023 led to further delay of about three months, reported The Straits Times then.

SINGAPORE — A man was upset that his former girlfriend had moved on from their relationship in which he abused her, ambushed the 20-year-old woman at her home, and raped her in her bedroom. Throughout the assault, he blamed her for his actions, prosecutors told the High Court on Jan 20. As he repeatedly slapped her, he asked: «Why do you have to make me do this?» Just before he sexually violated her, he told her that this was what she «asked for». After the assault, which he said was «for her own good», he suggested that they should get back together. The clean-cut 26-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years and six weeks in jail, and nine strokes of the cane. He cannot be named under a gag order to protect the victim's identity. He had pleaded guilty to a charge of rape, a charge of voluntarily causing hurt and a charge of mischief for cutting his electronic ankle tag while he was on bail. Two other charges, for sexual offences against the victim, were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The female resident of an Ang Mo Kio flat that was on fire reportedly refused to leave the unit, despite a neighbour's effort to convince her.  That neighbour, surnamed Yu, told Shin Min Daily News that she and her husband were preparing for bed when their helper alerted them to an explosion sound and burning smell.  Shocked to see thick smoke emerging from the fifth floor unit above, the 78-year-old decided to alert some of her neighbours and check on the affected unit at Block 211, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 on Friday (Jan 17).  Yu said that despite her attempts, the female resident of that unit, who was clad in a white shirt and shorts refused to leave and even shouted back, «Don't disturb me!» Yu eventually left due to the smoke. According to a Shin Min reporter who was at the scene, glass fragments were scattered on the floor, with wires peeling from the ceiling. Two charred objects resembling oil lamps were also found near the door of the unit. 

SINGAPORE – The Workers’ Party (WP) election committee has engaged commercial parties to help in candidate screening and personality review, in preparation for the general election in 2025. The party’s secretary-general Pritam Singh, who is Leader of the Opposition, said this in what he described as an “election speech” delivered at the WP annual members’ forum on Jan 11. The transcript of the speech was shared on WP’s Facebook page on Jan 17. But such screening measures are not fool-proof, and cannot guarantee that all previous infractions of an individual will come to light, he said. “It is important that I set this expectation. But the party will do our best,” Mr Singh added. He did not reveal the party’s slate of candidates, but said the WP has been looking carefully at possible candidates. He also said they will be a mix of individuals who have walked the ground extensively, as well as new members. As with previous elections, the WP will carefully consider candidates and the configuration of the team, if a GRC is being contested, Mr Singh added.

Two coffee shops, located in Kaki Bukit and Sembawang, have faced suspensions on the same day for offences relating to the cleanliness and maintenance of toilet and sanitary fittings. Fu Chan Food Paradise and Asian Cuisine, the Food Shop, were both served a one-day suspension on Friday (Jan 17), stated the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in two separate notices released the same day. The former is located at 505 Canberra Link, while the latter is situated at 18 Kaki Bukit Road 3. In the notice for Fu Chan Food Paradise, SFA stated that it had accumulated 12 demerit points within a 12-month period for three offences of failing «to keep toilet clean and in good repair». The coffee shop's licensee was also fined a total of $1,500 for these offences. Similarly, the licensee of Asian Cuisine was fined $1,100 for three offences of failing to «keep toilet clean and in good repair», as well as two offences for failing to «maintain sanitary fittings, etc, in good working condition and repair».

Around two weeks before Christmas, Jurong resident Lim Chwee Guan noticed a strange smell wafting along the corridor of his 18th floor Housing Board unit. After three days, the 78-year-old retiree alerted the police when he suspected something tragic had happened. A number of residents who live in Block 338B Kang Ching Road, near Lakeside MRT, are senior citizens. His fears came true on Dec 15, 2024, when police discovered the decomposing bodies of an elderly couple who lived on the 18th floor. They had died of natural causes. While there have been reports of seniors dying alone in their flat, trauma cleaner Rahman Razali, of DDQ Services, said the Kang Ching Road incident was unusual. His company is one of three firms in Singapore that are engaged by town councils to clean up a flat after such cases. Said Mr Rahman: “My company attends between two and three cases every week involving seniors dying alone at home. “But it is very rare to hear of two people dying together like this. I have only encountered one or two such cases after 10 years in this line of work.”

«Looking to let go of a lunch banquet at Caroline Mansion (at The St Regis Singapore) on March 1, 2025, Saturday. $10,000 will be absorbed on my end. Only for serious couples, thank you,» reads the pitch on one post. Another promises cheaper table rates and a slew of perks from The Westin Singapore. These posts, on discounted wedding packages at hotels here, have transformed online platforms like the Singapore Brides forum into a bustling marketplace for couples trying to offload their banquet bookings. They include packages that come significantly discounted — one such post offered a 20 per cent discount on a $44,200 banquet for 250 people at The Westin Singapore's Grand Ballroom. Those who sell their packages told The Straits Times that they were driven to do so after wedding plans went awry and they found themselves facing cancellation fees that could sometimes amount to tens of thousands of dollars. However, lawyers said these fees, which can kick in the moment a banquet agreement is signed, could be deemed unreasonable and unenforceable under Singapore law.

SINGAPORE - The National Parks Board (NParks) is monitoring an incident involving several crocodiles that escaped from a farm in Batam on Jan 13. Their escape is believed to have resulted from downpours over three days, which caused parts of the fence around a breeding pond to collapse, according to reports by Indonesia media. Bulan island, where the farm is located, is roughly 30km from recreational offshore island Sentosa. NParks’ group director of wildlife management How Choon Beng told The Straits Times on Jan 18 that members of the public should report any encounters with crocodiles to the statutory board. It is unclear how many crocodiles broke free, but at least 23 have been caught so far, according to CNN Indonesia, which identified the reptiles as saltwater crocodiles. Mr Kannan Raja, president of the Herpetological Society of Singapore, which studies reptiles and amphibians, said saltwater crocodiles swim out to sea to find food and as part of their natural movement patterns. But while they could reach Singapore from Batam, “it doesn’t mean they will”, he said.