The_King
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SINGAPORE - A 14-year-old boy is the youngest among 102 people being investigated for their suspected involvement in unlicensed moneylending activities.
The oldest suspect is 69 years old.
The police said in a statement on May 7 that the suspects were rounded up following an islandwide operation from April 22 to April 26, conducted by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and the seven police land divisions.
Eleven of the suspects had allegedly harassed debtors at their residences while 45 people are believed to be runners who had allegedly assisted unlicensed moneylenders by carrying out Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transfers.
The remaining 46 suspects are believed to have helped unlicensed moneylenders by opening bank accounts or allowing their ATM cards, personal identification numbers or internet banking tokens to be used, the police said.
Investigations are ongoing, they added.
A person who allows illegal moneylenders to use their bank account, ATM card or internet banking token is deemed to have assisted with the unlicensed moneylending business.
Those found guilty of unlicensed moneylending or assisting with it can be jailed for up to four years, fined between $30,000 and $300,000, and receive up to six strokes of the cane.
Those found guilty of harassment, or attempted harassment, on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender can be jailed for up to five years, fined between $5,000 and $50,000, and receive three to six strokes of the cane.
The police said they will continue to take “tough enforcement action” against those involved in illegal moneylending, including those who open or give away their bank accounts to aid unlicensed moneylenders.
The police advised the public to stay away from unlicensed moneylenders, and to call the police at 999 or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 to report anyone who they know or suspect of being involved in unlicensed moneylending activities.
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sound like the 2m hdb flat before GE 2025 make them scare
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SINGAPORE - The authorities have called out the listings of two HDB flats that were put up for sale for $2 million – one listing was for two adjacent five-room flats in Sengkang marketed as a jumbo flat, while the other was a five-room flat in Toa Payoh with an “unrealistic asking price”.
In a joint statement on May 8, the Ministry of National Development, Housing Board and Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) said CEA is aware of the listings put up by two property agents and is investigating.
The listing on the PropertyGuru platform for a 2,400 sq ft jumbo flat in Block 314C Anchorvale Link with six bedrooms and four bathrooms was “misleading”, as there are no such flats in the block, the authorities said.
“The jumbo flat listed is actually two adjacent five-room flats, which are not eligible to be converted into and sold as a single unit,” it added.
The authorities said the listing was taken down after CEA brought up the misleading advertisement to the agent’s property agency.
“CEA is investigating the matter and will take firm action if any breaches are established,” it said.
It noted that five-room flats in the precinct changed hands for around $580,000 over the past six months, and that the $2 million asking price is more than $800,000 above the combined value of two five-room flats.
The property agent who put up the listing, Mr Andrew Nair from ERA Realty Network, told The Straits Times that the owners of the two flats – who are related – had got approval from HDB to hack the living room wall and combine both units when they bought it about six years ago.
“The owners are looking to sell them together, but the requirement is that there has to be two buyers,” he said.
Mr Nair added that he had removed the listing after ERA’s legal and compliance team told him to market the flats as two separate units. He will list the flats again after getting approval.
Separately, the authorities said a five-room Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) flat in The Peak@Toa Payoh, that was also listed for $2 million, does not have an intent to sell registered with HDB.
This means that the potential seller cannot grant an option to purchase to buyers at this stage. Sellers of HDB flats have to register their intent to sell before they put their flat on the market.
The authorities noted that the $2 million listing price is almost half a million dollars above the highest transacted price in the area, and said many property experts deem it an “unrealistic asking price”.
Property agent Joyce Lim, who is with ERA, told ST that the owner of the 1,258 sq ft flat in Lorong 1A Toa Payoh is planning to register for the intent to sell.
The listing, which was put up on April 16, advertised the flat as being on a “super high floor” with “unblocked city view”.
The highest transaction at the development was $1,568,888 for a five-room, 1,258 sq ft unit between the 40th and 42nd storeys, which was sold in January 2024.
The authorities said a five-room Design, Build and Sell Scheme flat in The Peak@Toa Payoh, that was also listed for $2 million, does not have an intent to sell registered with HDB. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE
At the listed price of $2 million, both the Sengkang and Toa Payoh flats will come with significant cash over valuation (COV), the authorities said. COV is the amount a buyer has to pay in cash when a resale flat is sold above its HDB valuation.
“While the HDB resale market transacts on a ‘willing buyer-willing seller’ basis, the Government will not condone behaviour, whether by agents or sellers, that seek to disrupt the market or fan consumer sentiment,” the authorities said, urging buyers to plan their budget carefully and be prudent to avoid overstretching their finances.
“We should not expect housing prices to increase indefinitely amid global economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability.”
Under the code of conduct for estate agents, property agencies and agents have a duty to uphold the integrity and professionalism of the real estate industry, and to act responsibly in conducting their work, the authorities added.
CEA will look into the information presented by property agents when they market HDB flats, to protect the interests of the public and so buyers can make informed decisions, it said.
Mr Nicholas Mak, chief research officer at property search portal Mogul.sg, said that if the property agents are aware that the $2 million asking price is unrealistic, they should advise the sellers to lower it.
“It is very obvious that the asking price of $2 million for a HDB flat in the current market, regardless of whether it is a DBSS flat or a jumbo flat, is significantly above the recent transacted prices of similar flats in the respective HDB towns,” he added.
The authorities added that Singaporeans have a wide range of affordable flats to choose from, such as Build-To-Order (BTO) flats that come with significant market discounts.
The majority of four- and five-room BTO flats offered in 2023, that do not fall under the prime location public housing model, were below $600,000 before grants, it noted.
Seven in 10 five-room and smaller resale flats changed hands at below $600,000 before grants, it added.
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SINGAPORE: Installing the ERP 2.0 card reader on the driver’s side could come with challenges such as less leg space and difficulties in extending electrical wires, depending on the make of the car.
This is what mechanics and an engineering expert that CNA spoke to said of the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) announcement last week, which made clear that car owners can choose to install the unit at the driver's or passenger's side.
Installation of the units, for Singapore's new Electronic Road Pricing system known as ERP 2.0, started last November. More than 18,000 vehicles have been fitted with the card readers – also called the processing units – so far.
The unit holds payment cards, such as the NETS FlashPay card, NETS Motoring Card and EZ-Link Motoring Card, which drivers use to pay for ERP or parking charges.
When the installation exercise started, the front passenger's footwell was recommended as the default position for the card reader. But this led to complaints that drivers found it difficult to remove or insert their card.
On Mar 28, LTA said drivers can choose where to install the unit, without specifying options, subject to technical feasibility. It clarified in its announcement earlier this month that the driver's footwell is an option.
A mechanic told CNA that allowing car owners to discuss with their workshop which side to put the card reader on is a “good move”.
He expects that most of the customers at his workshop, located at industrial building Synergy @ Kaki Bukit, will want the unit to be installed on the driver’s side for easy access.
He said: “Now that drivers know they can place their processing unit on the passenger or the driver's side, why would they put their unit on the passenger's side?”
He was among three mechanics that CNA spoke to at car workshops at Synergy @ Kaki Bukit.
They were from workshops that have been licensed by LTA to carry out the installation of the on-board unit (OBU) of the new ERP system. All spoke to CNA on the condition that they and their workshops were not identified.
MANY CONSIDERATIONS
Another mechanic said that while customers would likely prefer having the card reader on the driver's side, installing it there comes with its challenges.
For one, not all cars have their electrical control unit, which the card reader has to be connected to, on the driver's side of the car.
For some cars, the electrical control unit is on the passenger's side. This would make it more difficult for the mechanic to install the card reader on the driver's side.
“We have to take out the control panels of the car, and install the wire so that it runs through the middle of the car,” he said.
There are also other considerations such as the "curves" at the footwell area. If the car has too many curves, it may be difficult to fix the card reader there and it may fall off.
He told CNA that many mechanics have run into this issue of the card reader falling off or not functioning because of improper installation.
LTA recommends installing the ERP 2.0 processing unit at either the driver’s or the front passenger’s footwell. (Photos: LTA)
Another consideration is the space available in the driver's footwell.
“For Japanese cars, when the footwell is small, a driver may knock his leg on it when driving, so that’s another consideration,” he said.
Another mechanic from a different workshop said many customers do not realise that the card reader does not need to be near the driver.
“Honestly, it is common sense that the card does not need to be taken out to be topped up. And you can also press a button to deactivate the card,” he said.
He was referring to the auto top-up function, where drivers do not need to remove their card from the processing unit when the balance is low, as well as a new feature where drivers can press a button on the touchscreen display to deactivate the card.
However, his biggest gripe was that the previous ERP system had a largely standardised installation process for all cars, but ERP 2.0 units have to be installed on a “case by case” basis, which will mean more work to discuss the specifications with each driver.
CNA also visited the VICOM inspection centre at Kaki Bukit to speak to mechanics installing the new ERP units, but they said they were not authorised to answer media queries.
Motorists who opt out of installing the touchscreen display (right) can still access key on-board unit information via compatible smartphone apps. (Photo: CNA/Hanidah Amin)
ERP 2.1?
An engineering expert echoed what the mechanics said – that different car models have different layouts, and this could cause challenges when installing the ERP 2.0 units.
“Existing wiring and installed devices, such as cameras and safety devices, may also constrain the installation,” said Associate Professor Zhou Yi from the Engineering Cluster at the Singapore Institute of Technology.
He added that it may be more effective for the authorities to work directly with car manufacturers or authorised car dealer workshops “so that they can better standardise the installations towards their models”.
Some drivers have also questioned why the OBU for cars comes in three separate pieces unlike that for motorcycles, which have a single-piece OBU similar to the in-vehicle unit (IU) of the old ERP system.
LTA has said that the temperature in the footwell area of an enclosed car is significantly lower than the temperature at the dashboard, and that is why the OBU antenna has to be separated from the card reader.
Assoc Prof Zhou added that ERP 2.0’s screen-based OBU is more sensitive to the sun’s heat due to its electronics.
“It is expected to have a shorter lifespan if exposed to the sun for too long unless it is specifically designed for such a purpose.”
While the current system needs three units, it is possible to “further explore whether there can be alternative solutions such as ERP2.1, ERP2.2”, he added.
For instance, payments could be account-based rather than card-based. This would mean doing away with cards and charges going directly to the registered owner of the car.
“This option should be feasible once we can standardise car park payments into the same account system,” he said.
Assoc Prof Zhou added that ERP 2.0 information can also be displayed on built-in car screens.
“It can be feasible, especially for electric vehicles that adopt a more open system,” he said.
Last October, LTA said car owners can opt out of installing the touchscreen display and use a mobile application on their phone instead.
All new vehicles registered from May 1 will come with the ERP 2.0 unit already installed. Installation for existing motorcycles also started on the same day, but will start at a later date for existing cars.
Source: CNA/jx(cy) -
SINGAPORE: Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah on Tuesday (May 7) refuted a Financial Times (FT) report that had characterised government meetings with top international banks as "unusual".
The Apr 20 article, titled "Singapore gives top-level briefings to reassure foreign banks on stability", said the government had given international banks an "unusual series of top-level briefings on geopolitics".
The purpose of this, the article said, was to reassure the banks that Singapore "can remain stable and neutral at a time of rising tension between China and the West".
In a written parliamentary reply to Member of Parliament Louis Chua (WP-Sengkang), who had asked Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong about the objectives and key messages of such briefings, Ms Indranee took issue with the way these meetings were framed by FT.
"It is surprising that such a poorly sourced story, vainly searching for a point, could appear in a major paper like FT, especially after we had repeatedly clarified matters with the reporter, including telling her the briefings were not unusual," said Ms Indranee on behalf of the Prime Minister.
The article was written by FT's Singapore and Southeast Asia correspondent Mercedes Ruehl. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has been in Singapore since 2020.
Ms Indranee added: "As for the suggestion the Government was somehow conducting these briefings under the radar, the FT did not report what we told its reporter: That almost all the briefings her article mentioned had already been publicised by the ministers on their own social media accounts."
According to the FT article, citing sources with knowledge of the talks, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean led several such meetings.
Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong and Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam were also involved in these meetings, according to FT.
Citigroup and Standard Chartered were named in the article as some of the US and European financial institutions that took part in the briefings. Local banks were also involved, said FT.
In her written reply, Ms Indranee said ministers and officials have been conducting such briefings for "decades". Parties involved in such meetings include not only financial institutions – international and local – but also groups such as businesses, non-governmental organisations, unionists and students.
"In brief, we engage as widely as possible," said Ms Indranee.
In response to CNA's queries, an FT spokesperson said on Wednesday: "We stand by our reporting."
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING EFFORTS
Mr Chua also filed a question for the Prime Minister asking about plans to tighten anti-money laundering rules in the wake of a multi-billion-dollar case, Singapore's largest.
Ten people have been charged and five of them sentenced – with jail terms ranging from 13 to 15 months.
Ms Indranee said an inter-ministerial committee intends to provide an update on its findings in "the coming months".
The formation of this committee was announced in October 2023. It is chaired by Ms Indranee, who is also the Second Minister for Finance.
The committee is made up of political office holders from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and four ministries: Home Affairs, Law, Manpower, and Trade and Industry.
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SINGAPORE - The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is following up with DBS Bank to ensure that it identifies the root cause of recent disruptions to its internet banking and payment services, and addresses it effectively.
Following several outages in 2023, DBS and POSB online banking services were down again on May 2.
The latest outages took place even as a remediation plan to identify and rectify the cause of disruptions that took place in 2023 is still ongoing.
“While DBS Bank had made substantive progress to address the shortcomings identified from service disruptions experienced by its customers in 2023, the remediation plan by DBS Bank has not been completed and implementation is still ongoing,” an MAS spokesperson told The Straits Times on May 7.
The disruptions also came just two days after the MAS on April 30 announced that it would not seek to extend a six-month pause on the bank’s non-essential activities.
The MAS spokesperson said: “The six-month pause allowed DBS Bank to focus its resources and management attention on the remediation work and the bank has committed to continue its focus to complete the remediation plan.
“MAS is closely monitoring DBS Bank’s progress on the remaining deliverables and the effectiveness of the measures implemented.”
However, additional capital requirements imposed on the bank on May 5, 2023, as a result of the disruptions will remain.
The capital requirements, which translate to approximately $1.6 billion in total additional regulatory capital, will be lifted when the MAS “is satisfied that DBS Bank has demonstrated the ability to maintain service availability and reliability, and handle any disruptions effectively”, the spokesperson said.
Compared to 2023’s service disruptions, which lasted eight to 12 hours, the latest incident saw a much faster recovery, market observers said.
Banners on DBS’ mobile app were put up around 6pm, alerting customers that access to digital services was unavailable and the bank was resolving the issue.
DBS and POSB digibank online and mobile services returned to normal at 7.37pm and 7.41pm respectively. Services on DBS PayLah! returned to normal at 8.03pm.
But without knowing the details of DBS’ latest outage, IT experts said it will be difficult to isolate the root cause of the disruptions.
Outages could be due to numerous causes from servers, storage, networking, applications on its microservice architecture, software that different applications use to communicate with each other, and databases, among others, they said.
For instance, the outage can be caused by a software misconfiguration in the automatic failover protocols for business continuity and disaster recovery.
This happens when the backup or failover system does not automatically switch to a secondary server or system when the primary one encounters a failure or downtime, said Mr Raju Chellam, cyber-security expert and honorary chair of cloud and data standards at IT Standards Committee.
Malfunctions can also occur if modifications were made during system changes like software updates and upgrades without adequate checks being conducted before it was rolled out to the production servers, he said.
Outages can also be the result of human errors and third party issues such as cables being accidentally cut or burnt in data centres.
On Oct 14, 2023, a fault in the cooling system in Equinix data centre caused hours-long outages at DBS and Citibank.
On April 30, DBS said it had identified several work-in-progress areas including strengthening the bank’s systems architecture and creating more monitoring tools to detect potential problems more quickly.
Chief executive officer Piyush Gupta said while progress had been made, DBS would continue to strengthen its technology resiliency to meet expectations for reliable, seamless and effortless banking.
Mr Sam Liew, president of the Singapore Computer Society, said improvement in digital infrastructure is essential to support a widespread adoption of cashless transactions.
There is also a need for a supportive payment framework to enable a cashless society.
Ultimately, there must be digital trust to encourage widespread adoption, he said.
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SINGAPORE - Tickets to Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey’s upcoming Singapore concert sold out soon after they went on general sale on May 7.
The 25-year-old Grammy-winning jazz-pop singer – who has been credited with repackaging the genre for Gen Z – is set to return to perform at Singapore Expo Hall 7 on Sept 4. Her last gig here at Pasir Panjang Power Station in June 2023 was also sold out.
Fans on social media are calling for organiser Live Nation to add another date. According to posts on Instagram, tickets were already unavailable 10 minutes after they went on sale to the general public at noon.
Fans also commented online that pre-sale tickets for Live Nation members, which went on sale on May 6, were hard to get too.
The concert’s ticketing page on Ticketmaster did not indicate how many tickets were available, but according to the Singapore Expo website, Hall 7 has a capacity of up to 6,700 people. It is not uncommon for the maximum capacity to be reduced based on the stage and seating configurations.
Like with many sold-out concerts in Singapore, resellers promptly listed tickets on online platforms Carousell and Viagogo.
The official ticketing page on Ticketmaster states that prices start at $98. On Carousell, resold tickets were being offered for as much as $598, while Viagogo has listings priced at up to $1,232.
Laufey, whose name is pronounced “lay-vay”, came to prominence with the release of her 2021 debut EP, Typical Of Me. She released her first album, Everything I Know About Love, the following year.
Her sophomore album Bewitched (2023) was a critical and commercial success. It won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards in February, and topped the American jazz charts. She released a reissue of the album, Bewitched: The Goddess Edition, in March.
Laufey’s Singapore show is part of her Bewitched: The Goddess Tour (Asia & Australia), which includes stops in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Manila.
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On 5/7/2024 at 4:25 PM, HarrisY1 said:
@classyNfabulous chiu buy from dis new shop boh?
If theres a cai png shop called Cai Png Ong, I sure sarpok coz ish paying homage to mi whhh
Picture of buttock
Hahahaga
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6 hours ago, HarrisY1 said:
Ddr kgks
Nao going to take dis lift down rike a dskk whhh js sia
You sure it safe?
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1 hour ago, ManOfTheHour said:
Look like a woman
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Bye bye millions
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this is pure flooder and battery can drain in 1hr
https://intl-outdoor.com/dual-channel-dt8k-1-21700-dual-quad-high-power-led-flashlight.html
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10 minutes ago, Coffee_O said:
if what you said is true why now TP wanna activate speed camera using red light camera??? moreover out of the 5 yrs 3 yrs is covid period of cos safer lah KNN gong jiao wei
it call open eye, say lie
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other brand in my list Klarus, acebeam
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13 minutes ago, Satki said:
what if just the room itself and not whole house.
Nitecore sound hardcore as recommended by @sTiCkY but wonder if can go down and see for myself before choosing the model. I think no shopfront.
some light have lousy runtimes and cannot hold it lumen
i suggest this Sofirn SC28 Flashlight or Sofirn sp36 but SP36 is a better flooder
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19 minutes ago, Satki said:
@The_King what are using for your "Armageddon" torch?
I need one that can light up well a flat that has no power source at night.
Name of shop:
Location (if address that would be better):
Model:
Price (if have would be great):
Xie xie
Anyone having experience using one, please chip in.
Cheers
Oh need it by Monday so best is I can go pay and pick up.
which is important
Flood 100% of the whole house with light but battery drain in 1hr
flood 50% of the whole house with light but battery drain in 2hr
flood 20% to 30% of the whole house with light but battery drain in 7hr to 10hr
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meet standards, not our problem, next
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nothing left to eat liao
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Amy Khor shared in Parliament on Tuesday that the junction where the crash occurred on April 22 was designed in line with international safety standards in mind. PHOTO: Screengrab/YouTube/MCI, The Straits Times
The junction of Tampines Ave 1 and Tampines Ave 4 where the six-vehicle crash occurred was designed with international safety standards in mind, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor in Parliament on Tuesday (May 7).
Khor was addressing a Parliamentary question from Sembawang MP Poh Li San about how the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will improve the traffic safety provisions at this junction where the accident occurred on April 22.
The crash took the lives of a 17-year-old student, who was a passenger in one of the cars, and a 57-year-old woman, who was in the van.
The driver has since been charged and is out on $30k bail and electronically tagged.
In Parliament, Khor explained there is sufficient line of sight for road users to see each other clearly at that Tampines junction, and there are appropriate road kerbs, lane and arrow markings installed conspicuously.
The LTA also continually reviews and develops programmes to enhance road safety, she said.
For example, the transport authority has progressively implemented Red-Amber-Green (RAG) arrows to replace discretionary right turns at over 1,200 traffic junctions since 2018.
"Junctions with RAG arrows have shown a 40 per cent reduction in traffic accidents. The work is on-going, and will extend to more traffic junctions," she said.
In addition, LTA has also implemented 371 School Zones and 40 Silver Zones as of 2023, in areas near schools and where there are higher proportions of senior residents, said Khor.
School Zones have designated crossing facilities, coloured pavements as well as traffic signs and markings, while Silver Zones come with reduced speed limits, additional crossings and speed jumps.
The latter has helped to reduce the accident rate among senior pedestrians by 80 per cent, said Khor.
Number of accidents fallen in last 5 years: Faishal
Similarly in response to other parliamentary questions about road safety, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Faishal Ibrahim said that Singapore's roads have become safer in the last five years.
He shared with the House that the number of accidents resulting in injuries or fatalities has fallen by about 10 per cent, from 7,822 in 2019 to 7,025 in 2023.
However, the number of accidents leading to fatalities has increased by about 12 per cent in the last five years.
The top causes of fatal accidents between 2019 and 2023 were due to a failure to keep a proper lookout, and the failure to have proper control of one's vehicle, he said.
In response to a Parliamentary question from Nee Soon MP Derrick Goh regarding the imposition of stiffer penalties on risky driving conduct, Faishal said that penalties under the Road Traffic Act (RTA) currently are adequate to deter dangerous driving, and will not be increased for now.
These penalties were raised "significantly" in 2019, he added.
Under the Act, for an offence of dangerous driving causing death, a first-time offender could face imprisonment of two to eight years.
A repeat offender will be liable for up to 15 years in prison. In addition, an offender could also face a minimum of 10 years' disqualification from driving - which begins after he or she is released.
"What the laws provide today are already quite stiff. We do periodically review different aspects of the framework. In this context, we have been studying the adequacy of composition amounts and the demerit points framework," said Faishal.
The 42-year-old driver involved in the Tampines crash, Muhammad Syafie Ismail was charged with four offences on April 25.
He faces one count each of dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing hurt, dangerous driving, and failing to stop after an accident.
His pre-trial conference has been set for June 7.-
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A leaker claims that Resident Evil 9 will be set on a Southeast Asian island inspired by Singapore and have players explore a rural town.
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SINGAPORE – One of the biggest chess tournaments could be heading to Singapore at the end of 2024, as the Singapore Chess Federation (SCF) has expressed an interest to host the World Chess Championship.
According to reports, India and Argentina are also keen on staging the International Chess Federation (Fide) marquee event, which will see Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju challenging China’s reigning champion Ding Liren in a best-of-14 format, likely to be between Nov 20 and Dec 15.
SCF chief executive Kevin Goh told The Straits Times on May 6 that the idea of hosting the world championship was seeded in April, when he was watching the Candidates Tournament in Toronto which Gukesh won to earn his right to face Ding, 31.
Commenting on the 17-year-old’s victory, Goh said: “It was a remarkable achievement for such a young player, and then we realised that it would actually be India against China, a first in the history of this tournament.
“And we also realised that Singapore could be an ideal neutral venue and also (because) we have both cultures deeply rooted in our society.”
Singapore has a growing chess scene, boasting four grandmasters and one woman grandmaster. In February, eight-year-old Ashwath Kaushik also made headlines by becoming the youngest to beat a grandmaster in a classical game.
Goh, 40, feels that hosting the world championship would “inspire a new generation” of chess players and also grow the number of chess enthusiasts here.
He added: “Such a tournament could range from 11 days to 25 days, and the amount of exposure that this event can provide the Singapore community can have a long-lasting impact. The story of Gukesh and Ding Liren can be inspiring to our young talent.”
Goh said that the SCF is consulting a few parties, both from the private and government sectors, “to see whether a bid is feasible”.
One of the key issues to be resolved will be the US$8.5 million (S$11.47 million) hosting budget, with US$2.5 million going to the players as prize money, US$1.1 million to Fide for licensing fees and the rest for venue and organising costs.
Goh believes that it would be challenging to find sponsors but is confident that they would be able to negotiate a deal, based on Singapore’s reputation.
He said: “Obviously, US$8.5 million is not a small amount by any means.
“But we believe that there could be some room for negotiation because Singapore will post a competitive bid, given our standing in the region.
“If we have a good venue and a good sponsor to come in to host the event, that could defray some of the costs and could also be attractive enough to help us in our negotiations with Fide.”
He believes that a strong bid will come from India, which hosted the 2013 world championship in Chennai, where Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen dethroned home favourite and holder Viswanathan Anand.
“Chess is one of the biggest sports in India, maybe the biggest, and there’s a lot of interest in Gukesh to see whether he can be the new star to lead the future of India chess,” said Goh.
“Argentina has always wanted to host a world chess championship. However, I think that the location and the time zones will not be favourable for Indian and Chinese supporters. It would be ideal for all parties to hold this tournament in Asia.”
India’s chess challenger Gukesh Dommaraju will take on reigning chess champion, China’s Ding Liren. PHOTO: GUKESH.OFFICIAL/INSTAGRAM
Two Singapore grandmasters that ST spoke to believe that hosting the world championship would be a catalyst for the game here.
Singapore’s youngest grandmaster Tin Jingyao, 23, said: “I think it would be the biggest chess event ever held in Singapore and very cool for the players here including young, up and coming players.
“They’ll get to meet chess celebrities and probably participate in some side events as well. It will probably interest many of the younger generation to look into chess as well.”
The Republic’s only woman grandmaster Gong Qianyun, 39, said: “I’m sure that this will definitely boost the enthusiasm for chess in Singapore, if we really manage to host the world championship.”
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LTA recommends installing the ERP 2.0 processing unit at either the driver’s or the front passenger’s footwell. (Photos: LTA)
Motorists who opt out of installing the touchscreen display (right) can still access key on-board unit information via compatible smartphone apps. (Photo: CNA/Hanidah Amin)
Authorities call out $2m HDB flat listings, including misleading ad for jumbo unit in Sengkang
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you dont trust 3 type of ppl, i only trust 2 type of ppl