The dining room of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's home at 38 Oxley Road is a space within the site that would be considered «less private», said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo in Parliament on Thursday (Nov 6).Neo was responding to questions posed by MPs following his ministerial statement on the Government's intention to preserve the site. MP for West Coast-Jurong West GRC Ang Wei Neng had sought clarification on Neo's statement that the Government would remove all traces of the Lee family's «private living spaces from the interior of the house». In particular, he asked if the basement dining area would be considered part of this «private space».Neo, in his response, had stated that the dining room would be one that would be considered «less private».

Jewish people in Singapore have been facing increased acts of hostility both online and offline in recent months, revealed Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, K Shanmugam.Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a closed-door session with members of the Chesed-El Synagogue on Thursday (Nov 6), Shanmugam said that there have been «worrying developments on the ground» in regard to antisemitism and religious hostility towards Jews.One such incident saw a member of the Jewish community with his kippah — a Jewish skullcap — being verbally attacked by a passing motorist who shouted «free Palestine» at him.«Followers of any faith who wear visible markers of their religion... should never be made to feel targeted based on their religion,» said Shanmugam.Earlier in September, some toilets in international schools, with Jewish students in attendance, were vandalised with anti-Israel vulgarities.«They faced unpleasant incidents, hostility, both online and offline, and they feel less secure,» he said.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will acquire Elbit Systems' Hermes 900 as its next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).In a Facebook post on Monday (Nov 3), RSAF said that the acquisition is part of the SAF2040 transformation.«Ministry of Defence (Mindef) / Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will progressively take delivery of the Hermes 900 (H900) UAV to replace the Hermes 450 (H450), which has been in service for close to two decades and is becoming obsolete,» RSAF added.In an interview with Janes ahead of the 2024 Singapore Airshow, then-Chief of Air Force, Major-General Kelvin Khong, told the defence journal that the air force will be replacing its fleet of Heron 1 and H450 unmanned UAVs «as part of the service's renewal plans», adding that the selected platform will suit SAF's operational requirements.The H450, also manufactured by Elbit, entered service with RSAF in 2007. It is deployed for real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, target acquisition and designation, and battle damage assessment.

The Immigrations and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) foiled an attempt to smuggle controlled drugs and drug paraphernalia into Singapore on Oct 17 at the Singapore Cruise Centre.In a Facebook post on Thursday (Nov 6), ICA said that a 50-year-old male Singaporean traveller was directed for enhanced screenings after anomalies were detected in the scanned images of his belongings. One syringe suspected to be used for consumption of controlled drugs, one sachet containing a small amount of substance suspected to be controlled drugs and seven drug paraphernalia were detected.The 50-year-old man was directed for a swab test and tested positive for methamphetamine. He was subsequently arrested in connection with the case. 

Gazetting the site of 38 Oxley Road — home of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew — will retain its historical significance while preventing anyone from acquiring the site just to have an address associated with Lee's residence, said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo.Giving a ministerial statement in Parliament on Thursday (Nov 6), Neo explained the Government's considerations for preserving the site in addition to the next steps needed to move forward.He also expressed agreement with the National Heritage Board's (NHB) and the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board's (PSM AB) recommendations to gazette the site.«It is the confluence of people, place, and events that gives a site its historical significance. We have very few such sites in Singapore, where there is such a confluence. 38 Oxley Road is one of them,» he said, adding that the site is a «foundational part of Singapore's independence». Neo stated that 38 Oxley Road had served as a venue for conversations, activities and decisions of Singapore’s founding leaders.

Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will visiting Singapore on Friday (Nov 7) to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In a statement on Nov 6, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the upcoming visit will be Anutin's first official visit to Singapore since becoming Thailand's 32nd prime minister on Sept 5.When in Singapore, Anutin will receive a ceremonial welcome before holding a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The two leaders are expected to witness an exchange of bilateral memoranda of understanding in the areas of food security and healthcare.Anutin will also have an orchid named in his honour.Before leaving Singapore on the same evening, Anutin will call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana. 

Residents in Hougang will soon be able to enjoy the new and rejuvenated facilities at the Hougang Sports Centre when it reopens by June 2026.The update was given on Thursday (Nov 6) by Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo in a written response to a parliamentary question by Workers' Party MP for Hougang SMC Dennis Tan. Tan had asked about the status of renovation works and whether members of the public will be able to play pickleball in the sports centre. He had also asked for a similar update in a July 2024 parliament sitting after works started about what facilities will be enhanced or added. Hougang Sports Centre closed on April 1, 2024 for renovation.The acting minister also listed some of the new and refreshed facilities including: an expanded gym; additional fitness studios; sheltered teaching pool with ramp access; water play features; fitness stations; and a refurbished running track.The refreshed sports centre will also feature a revamped sports hall which can be used for activities such as basketball, badminton and pickleball.

SINGAPORE — A man engaged three foreign hackers to come to Singapore to probe «sites of interest» for vulnerabilities, conduct penetration attacks and obtain personal information from the exploited systems.Police arrested the trio — Chinese nationals Yan Peijian, Liu Yuqi and Huang Qin Zheng — in an operation in September 2024, and they were linked to an organised criminal group.Yan's laptop was later found to contain messages discussing vulnerable domains, which included five Australian, Argentinian and Vietnamese government sites.Liu's laptop contained a confidential e-mail between officers of Kazakhstan's ministries of foreign affairs and industry and infrastructure development.The prosecution said that Vanuatu citizen Xu Liangbiao, 38, had earlier engaged the trio, but he left Singapore on Aug 14, 2023, a day before the Singapore authorities arrested offenders linked to the $3 billion money-laundering case. His current whereabouts are unknown.

SINGAPORE — A man who deflated the tyres of seven cars in Woodlands has been handed a $3,000 fine.On Nov 6, Benjamin Chia Yit Loong, 24, a student at the National University of Singapore, pleaded guilty to one charge of mischief.The court heard that Chia, a Singaporean, was interested in climate change and environmental issues, and wished to make ownership of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) unattractive.He thus decided to deflate the tyres of cars parked near his house and to leave fliers on the environmental damage caused by SUVs on these cars.On Nov 19, 2024, at around 10am, Chia purchased a packet of green beans and took them with him to two multi-storey carparks in Woodlands Drive 14.He then unscrewed the tyre cap of each car, placed green beans inside the tyre valve and screwed the cap back in, causing the tyres to deflate.Deputy Public Prosecutor Lu Huiyi said Chia deflated all four tyres for the first car and subsequently deflated one to two tyres of each remaining car.He also left fliers on the cars' windscreens.

The Singapore government has not made a decision on whether to deploy nuclear energy, with studies presently focused on the suitability of latest nuclear technologies, including safety and viability aspects, said Minister-in-Charge of Energy, Science and Technology Dr Tan See Leng on Thursday (Nov 6).Dr Tan was responding to questions from both People's Action Party (PAP) and Workers' Party (WP) MPs, who asked a range of questions including deployment timeframe, potential sites and safety-related concerns. The minister said that while dedicated nuclear energy teams have been established at the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and National Environment Agency, they are presently focused on the safety and viability aspects. "EMA is focused on helping Singapore understand the safety and viability of various advanced nuclear power plant technologies. 

A Malaysian man will be charged in court on Thursday (Nov 6) for his suspected involvement in a government official impersonation scam (GOIS).In a press release on Nov 5, the police said they received a report on Nov 4 involving the impersonation of a government official purportedly from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The 33-year-old man was identified through follow-up investigations and subsequently arrested by the police. The victim who filed the report was allegedly told he was being investigated for money laundering and instructed to withdraw $15,000 from his bank accounts and hand it over to an unknown person for the purposes of investigation.Preliminary investigations revealed that the 33-year-old man is believed to be involved in other similar cases, allegedly being tasked by unknown persons to collect cash and valuables from victims of GOIS, before handing them to said unknown persons. Remanded by Anti-Scam CommandThe man will be charged in court with the offence of abetment by conspiracy to assist another to retain benefits from criminal conduct, according to the police. 

Decisive steps will be taken to give victims of online harms an avenue of «timely, effective, and accessible» redress, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 5). Teo was speaking during the debate on the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability), or OSRA Bill, which seeks to tackle online harms.«Two in five online harms survivors experience at least one severe form of impact. These include serious emotional mental or physical consequences like depression or self-harm,» said Teo. Teo added that platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram — where people often go for entertainment — are also spaces where such online harms can occur.She emphasised that the proposed legislation will give these victims a legal basis to seek redress, and provide them with means to identify who harmed them.New agency formed to support victims of online harmsMinister Teo stated that the OSRA will cover three main areas.