Singapore will not be able to watch the 2016 Olympics live on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) YouTube channel.

A report on Sports24hour.com making its rounds on social media said Singapore is one of 64 countries which can catch the Rio de Janeiro Games live on YouTube.

But a source close to talks between local broadcaster Mediacorp and rights holder Dentsu confirmed that there would be no live screening on YouTube, and that any website which streams content illegally could be shut down.

The IOC did stream the 2012 London Olympics live on its YouTube channel and Singaporeans could watch it.

But this arrangement will not be available this year as Dentsu has acquired the rights for all platforms here.

The Sports24hour report does not contain any official quote from the IOC.

It also appears to have reused information from an IOC press release sent before the London Games, including the fact that there would be 10 different feeds.

The report said the live streams will run from 9am to 11pm London time, which is 5am to 7pm in Rio de Janeiro.

This means viewers will not be able to catch events like the swimming finals, which start at 10pm in Rio and run till about midnight.

THE STRAITS TIMES

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A 41-year-old business development manager of property and retail giant Metro Holdings is facing eight drug-related charges.

Ong Jenn, who is the grandson of Metro founder Ong Tjoe Kim and son of former Metro group managing director Jopie Ong Hie Koan, was first charged on Nov 1, 2014.

His next pre-trial conference is scheduled for Aug 19.

He is accused of abetting Mohamad Ismail Abdul Majid, by engaging in a conspiracy with the latter to traffic in two blocks of cannabis, one weighing 92.68g and the other, 385.1g.

On Oct 30, 2014, Ismail was caught with the drugs along Jurong Port Road at about 4.20pm.

The next day, Ong was himself arrested. Anti-narcotics officers allegedly found a vaporiser for inhaling drugs in his car at the Ngee Ann City carpark at about 1.20pm.

Shortly after at about 2.10pm at 11 Bishopsgate, a landed property, they purportedly found two blocks of cannabis belonging to Ong, one weighing 75.32g and the other, 284.7g, for the purpose of trafficking.

They also found 1.44g of cannabis, and 8.41g of a mixture containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis, that allegedly belonged to him.

The same day, Ong's urine purportedly tested positive for a metabolite of THC that is formed in the body after cannabis is consumed.

If found guilty of his four charges of trafficking in Class A controlled drugs, Ong faces a mandatory jail term of between five and 20 years, with five to 15 strokes of the cane, per charge.

For the two counts of having a Class A controlled drug in his possession, he faces up to 10 years' jail and a $20,000 fine, if convicted.

If found guilty of having an utensil for consuming a Class A controlled drug, he faces up to three years' jail and a $10,000 fine.

And if convicted of consuming cannabis, cannabinol or cannabinol derivatives, he faces up to 10 years' jail and a $20,000 fine.

Ong's father was group managing director of Metro Holdings from 1973 until his death in February.

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SINGAPORE - The popular Song Kee Fishball Noodles at Upper Serangoon Road, once crowned one of Singapore's Hawker Masters, has closed its doors.

In a surprise Facebook post on Monday (Aug 1), it said that operations at 532, Upper Serangoon Road ended on July 30 and thanked customers for their patronage.

The post has been shared close to 200 times, and commented on 85 times, mostly by fans lamenting the closure.

The stall was famous for its fishballs, fish dumplings and tau pok stuffed with fish paste, all of which were made from scratch from yellowtail fish.

But that commitment to quality may have been what caused its shutters to fall for the last time.

One of the owners, Mr Chua Poh Seng, 44, told Chinese daily Shin Min Daily News on Tuesday (Aug 2) that while business was good, manpower was short and the time-consuming labour of making thousands of fishballs by hand took its toll on his body.

"We have considered closing the stall two years ago, the main reason being that manpower is short," he told Chinese newspaper Shin Min.

"We have to make 2,000 fishballs, 400 meatballs and 1,000 fish dumplings a day, and that is very time consuming."

His hand is injured and his body often aches. "I can't even hold a can of Coca-Cola properly."

Mr Chua also told Shin Min that the popularity of the stall has meant that he had to mobilise his entire family to help out. He said that he is worried that that would affect the studies of his five children, who are all still in school.

He also cited the stall's irregular hours and expiring lease, which ends at the end of September, as reasons for the closure.

Mr Chua ran the stall with his two older brothers, Mr Chua Soo Meng and Mr Chua Soo Chai. It opened in Toa Payoh in 1966, before moving to Jurong East in 1989. Twenty years later, it moved to its Serangoon location. Their father, Mr Chua Keok Sip, retired in 2011.

The Straits Times (ST) food critic Wong Ah Yoke praised the handmade fishballs when Song Kee was named a Hawker Master for fishball noodles in 2013.

"Song Kee's freshly made fishballs have just the right bounciness and a distinct fish flavour. The mee pok is smooth, doesn't stick together and yet is not too hard either. The soup version is tasty too and I like the crispy bits of fried lard in it," he wrote.

The youngest Mr Chua told ST then that the stall sold about 400 bowls of noodles a day. He also said that his wife and kids help to clean the stall and wash dishes.

He told Shin Min on Tuesday that customers can to go stalls run by their relatives at Block 74, Toa Payoh Lorong 5 and Block 139, Simei Street 1.

This article was first published on August 2, 2016.
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Update: The fallen canopies have been cleared and operations at the Tuas checkpoint have returned to normal since 1.45pm. 

The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is advising all motorists arriving into Singapore to avoid using the Tuas Checkpoint following an incident where two tentage canopies collapsed on Wednesday (Aug 3) morning.

In an initial Faceboook post at 7am, ICA said the incident happened at about 5.35am and motorists can expect delays.

In an update at about 10am, ICA said that two canopies at the arrival motorcycle and car lane fell due to "very strong winds and heavy thunderstorm."

A Malaysian motorcyclist and his pillion rider were injured and taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in Jurong. No drivers in the car zone were injured, said ICA.

ICA said: "The traffic situation is gradually resuming to normalcy and clearance of the fallen structure is ongoing."

Motorists using the Second Link are urged to check for the latest traffic updates via the Land Transport Authority's One Motoring website or MyTransport.SG portal before they embark on their journey.

For safety reasons, arriving cars and motorcycles are being diverted to other zones for clearance. Motorists are advised to co-operate with officers on site. ICA said it will ensure that safety and border security will not be compromised while traffic is being managed.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused and seek the understanding from travellers using the checkpoint," added ICA.

Social media users took to Facebook to post photos of the scene of the collapsed tentages and traffic jam.

sujint@sph.com.sg

Tucked away among the better-known rules of riding the subway - no eating, no drinking, no smoking - is a Rapid Transit Systems Regulations prohibition against selling goods across the fare gate.

This rule has been in place for decades, but just in case you had not heard of it, at least one train station now has a notice in place for commuters.

Full-time national serviceman Xavier Lur was at Beauty World station on the Downtown Line when he spotted a sign with a quote from the relevant law: "No person shall for the purpose of any trade or business transfer any article or goods between the paid area and unpaid area unless the article or goods is taken by a person through an automatic gate."

Mr Lur, 22, told The Straits Times that he had been unaware of the rule and that this was the first such notice he had seen in a train station.

Ok so no more Carousell transactions to be done between the unpaid & paid MRT gantry area  pic.twitter.com/Tekysb6NJr

— Xavier Lur (@xavierlur) July 31, 2016

Mr Lur said: "I don't see a strong reason as to why train operators have to resort to such a rule, as it doesn't affect the safety of commuters."

He added that he had witnessed goods changing hands in stations in the past, and did not think that the rule would deter such behaviour.

Ms Tammy Tan, senior vice president, corporate communications, SBS Transit, explained in response to a Straits Times query: "For commuter safety and security, we do not encourage loitering in our premises particularly at stations with high passenger flow.

"The notice has been put up at the Beauty World Station as we have noticed increasing numbers of commuters loitering to conduct what appears to be transactions in our premises."

This is not the first time commuters have expressed surprise about the ban on business deals in MRT stations.

In 2009, Rediffusion deejay Gan Yeok Thiam, who witnessed an errant seller receive a warning from SMRT staff, told The New Paper: "We're living in difficult times now. Shouldn't we be more compassionate towards people who are just trying hard to make a simple living?"

Another member of the public wrote to The Straits Times in 2014 calling on the authorities to clarify rail regulations and to publicise the rules more widely.

In both cases, the Land Transport Authority explained that the rule exists to discourage people from using public transportation for commercial goods delivery, since bus and train services are meant for carrying passengers.

Fellow rail operator SMRT declined to comment.

This article was first published on Aug 2, 2016.
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The Ministry of Home Affairs last night described as misleading a statement from the family of terror detainee Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff.

The statement was issued by his wife Shireen Abdul Samad to the media yesterday afternoon, and said information on his arrest did not paint a true picture of him and his comments online.

The family said claims by the ministry and others that Zulfikar supported terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) were based on selected postings of his in 2014. But his stance changed that year after reports of violence and beheadings by ISIS, the family added.

In its reply, the ministry said the statement deals with only one aspect of the Internal Security Department(ISD) investigation and "provides a misleading picture".

"For example, it suggests that Zulfikar did not post any radical views after 2014, which is untrue. It is also clear that Zulfikar supported violence by ISIS, including beheadings, and that at a broader level, he supported the idea of a global Islamic caliphate and the use of violence to achieve this," the ministry said.

Zulfikar, a 44-year-old Singaporean who is based in Australia and also took up citizenship there, was arrested on July 1 when he returned here for a visit. He was detained for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last month.

The ministry said yesterday: "Zulfikar will have the opportunity in due course to present his case to the ISA Advisory Board, which advises the President whether the Order of Detention should remain in force."

In announcing his arrest, the ministry said he made many Facebook posts glorifying ISIS and its violent actions - including beheadings.

He also exhorted Muslims to take up arms in places such as the Middle East and the Philippines, and his posts led at least two other Singaporeans to become radicalised.

The ministry also said he planned to hold training programmes to persuade others of his agenda to replace Singapore's democratic system with an Islamic state, using violence if necessary.

However, Zulfikar's family said he had "never encouraged or promoted others to join ISIS", and he was "not a violent person". It was also never his intention to establish a caliphate in Singapore or use violence, the family added, saying he was also never a member of hardline group Hizbut Tahrir, which seeks to establish a global caliphate.

Read also: Detained S'porean a controversial, outspoken figure

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Facebook screengrabs, Berita Harian

Yesterday, the ministry said ISD's investigation into Zulfikar was for terrorism-related activities and covered a number of aspects.

One, the investigation showed that Zulfikar had contributed to the radicalisation of Muhammad Shamin Mohamed Sidek, who is currently detained under the ISA, and Mohamed Saiddhin Abdullah, who is on a Restriction Order.

"Muhammad Shamin had been radicalised to the extent that he wanted to go to the Middle East to fight with ISIS," the ministry said.

Two, admissions Zulfikar gave to the ISD during the investigation.

Three, evidence from other persons who were interviewed by ISD.

Four, Zulfikar's public statements that had been made online.

"On the basis of all the evidence, Zulfikar was established to be a security threat to Singapore and an Order for Detention was issued against him," the ministry added.

Zulfikar's wife said yesterday she was still in Singapore with their two youngest children, but their four older sons have just returned to Melbourne, where the family has been living since 2002.

Read also: Don't even 'share' extremist views: Yaacob

This article was first published on Aug 03, 2016.
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The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement would help the United States secure its economic interests and its place in the world, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told US officials and business leaders in Washington, DC, urging them to lend their voices to support the deal.

Speaking at a reception hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce and US-ASEAN Business Council on Monday, Mr Lee acknowledged that the politics is difficult in an election year but said that ratification of the 12-nation pact would be a "clear statement" of US "commitment and confidence in our region".

"Asian countries want America to be engaged. We need to know that this engagement will be sustained and we need to know that agreements will be upheld and that Asia can depend on America," he said.

He also dismissed the idea of re-negotiating the deal, saying that "every one of the TPP signatories has had to make sacrifices in order to accept the TPP agreement".

"Nobody wants to re-open the process, with no prospect of doing better and every chance of having it fall apart," he said.

The landmark trade deal, which includes countries such as Singapore, the US, Japan and Malaysia, was agreed to last year after a prolonged negotiation process. The deal now awaits ratification by the domestic legislatures of the participating nations.

Given that this is an election year in the US, ratification by the US Congress has long been considered among the most uncertain. Both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton have said they oppose the deal.

President Barack Obama, however, told The Straits Times in an interview that he "remains committed" to the trade pact.

Reiterating the many strategic and economic advantages that the deal holds for the US, Mr Lee said: "Improved market access will mean cheaper products for consumers and more exports for manufacturers. Incorporated in the TPP are provisions on human rights, intellectual property protection and safeguards for labour and the environment. There will be strong standards that will support innovation and benefit many US technology giants."

Strategically, he said, the deal would add substance to the US rebalance to Asia, which he stressed cannot be just about the military and the Seventh Fleet of the US Navy. "There are no winners, only losers with protectionism. Economic development across the world will be blocked; less interdependence means the clear advantage of co-operation and interdependence over conflict and war will be weakened," he said.

He then added: "As Americans say, you have to be at the table, or be on the menu."

Responding to a question on China's position on its claims in the South China Sea after the international tribunal ruling last month, Mr Lee said he did not think the Chinese had changed their policy as a result of the decision.

Reactions to South China Sea ruling

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Reuters, AFP, Weibo

Once countries have taken positions, to have them "walk back from those and say 'well, it's not quite so absolute and it wasn't so clearly mine after all', I think we have to wait a long time to see that happening - very few countries do it", he said.

He added, though, that he did not think any of the claimant countries would want to "push it to the brink". "They have interests, they have claims, they would want to maintain them, but nobody wants to go to war," he added.

Earlier, Mr Lee met US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Defence Secretary Ash Carter and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

Reas also: President Obama welcomes PM Lee at White House for special talks

He also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

A 19-gun salute rang out and Singapore's national anthem was played by a military band as he arrived. To mark his visit, Mr Lee presented a memento - a figurine of a soldier against the Singapore flag - which he said in a Facebook post "symbolises the warm friendship and strong defence ties shared between Singapore and the US".

Following the wreath-laying, Mr Lee was received at the Pentagon with an enhanced honour cordon featuring all five branches of the US military. A US military band played Majulah Singapura before the Prime Minister and Mr Carter.

Both the Arlington cemetery and the Pentagon are in Virginia state and about 10 minutes' drive from the White House in Washington, DC.

The two military ceremonies set the tone for an official visit by Mr Lee that features ceremonies reserved for the US' closest partners.

Around the White House, streets were lined with Singapore and US flags, and two large flags also adorned the ornate Eisenhower building that houses the offices of the US administration staff.

PM Lee visits Washington

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, The Straits Times, Reuters

On the sidelines of Mr Lee's visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Singapore and the US to establish a platform to help companies from both countries work together to pursue opportunities in third-party markets.

The climax of the visit is the state dinner on Tuesday night (this morning, Singapore time) in Washington.

This article was first published on Aug 03, 2016.
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For more than two hours on the stand yesterday, former China tour guide Yang Yin gave his side of the story in a saga that has transfixed Singapore.

Accused of siphoning $1.1 million from a rich, childless widow, he told the court that 89-year-old Chung Khin Chun had gifted him the money and willed him the rest of her assets, worth an estimated $40 million and including a bungalow at Gerald Crescent, in exchange for his companionship. She saw him as the "grandson" she never had, he said.

"I felt very lucky... She asked me to be by her side forever, not to leave her. I agreed," said the 42-year-old, who in 2014 was sued by Madam Chung's niece Hedy Mok. She claimed he had unduly influenced her aunt, who was diagnosed with dementia that year.

"In 2011, (Madam Mok) knew that Madam Chung had gifted me the money. Why didn't she make the report then? Madam Chung was still clear in her head, she could still testify," said Yang. He also claimed that Madam Chung's close friend, Madam Chang Phie Chin, 86, who had lived with her, was her husband's mistress. "This is a secret in their family," said Yang.

Tussle over widow's $40m assets turns ugly

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, Madam Hedy Mok, Lianhe Wanbao, Madam Chang Phie Chin, Court Documents

Yang said he first came to Singapore in 2006 for a travel fair, where he met Madam Chung and her husband, Dr Chou Sip King, who died in mid-2007. Madam Chung and Madam Chang met him again when they went to Beijing for a holiday in end-2008. There, Yang got closer to Madam Chung, who asked him to call her daily after her return. He said she later asked him to "accompany" her to Singapore, telling him that she would support him financially.

Read more: Widow 'willingly' gave ex-tour guide money

Yang arrived in 2009 after Chinese New Year and was given a hongbao of $5,000. A few days, later he claimed she told him she wanted to leave him everything - and such a will was made the next year.

He claimed he asked her if she was sure and she replied: "You are my grandson. A granny gives her money to her grandson. Is there anything wrong with that?" Last April, the courts recognised a new statutory will that will leave most of Madam Chung's assets to charity.

Tussle over widow's $40m assets: A look at Madam Chung’s bungalow

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, Raymond Tan

Madam Chung's friends would visit her about once a month, while her niece would visit her once every few months, Yang said. Madam Chung told him to avoid the visitors because she "did not want others to know about (their) relationship".

In 2013, after Chinese New Year, she told him to bring his wife and two children over to Singapore, and they arrived in August 2013. "Madam Chung was very happy because she had the children to play with. She felt that the home was livelier. It did not seem as boring as when the two of us were alone together," said Yang, who is set to be cross-examined by the prosecution today.

As for the money that is the subject of the criminal breach of trust charges, Yang admitted lying to police about using it to buy paintings for Madam Chung. But that was because she did not want others to know about it, to avoid jealousy and gossip. He said $500,000 was a gift to help with family debts and $600,000 was returned to Madam Chung after she asked for it.

This article was first published on Aug 03, 2016.
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Singapore is facing another possible surge in dengue infections as the National Environment Agency (NEA) reports rising numbers of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the disease.

The number of dengue cases has just crossed the 10,000 mark for the year and, although infections have dipped in recent weeks, this could be the lull before the storm.

Five of the six people who died this year were aged above 60.

An infectious diseases expert has cautioned that dengue is not only more lethal for the elderly, but also harder to spot when it infects them.

A spate of infections at the start of the year had led experts to warn that it could lead to a record 30,000 dengue cases this year.

The highest number of infections here was in 2013, when more than 22,000 people were struck.

The surge at the start of this year was caused primarily by a change in the circulating virus from Den-1 to Den-2.

There are four dengue strains, so people infected with one strain can get sick when infected with a different strain.

With the NEA swinging into action to stamp out mosquito breeding, the infections tapered off in March and fell to fewer than 300 cases a week by April and stabilised.

Last week, 224 people were diagnosed with dengue, a drop of 42 cases from the previous week.

However, the NEA said its mosquito traps - set around the island - have shown "a steady increase" in the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

"This indicates an abundance of the mosquito vector in our community," it said on its dengue website.

It added: "As we are in the traditional peak dengue peak season, we anticipate an upward trend in the number of dengue cases in the coming months."

Myths about the Aedes mosquito and dengue

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, AFP, Reuters, Shutterstock.com

The mid-year hot and wet weather could push up the mosquito population as they breed faster in such conditions.

The NEA added that as "a large proportion of our population is susceptible to dengue due to the lack of immunity", the higher number of mosquitoes could lead to a surge in cases.

Professor Leo Yee Sin, director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said doctors are seeing more dengue cases among older people here.

The high number of deaths among the elderly is not due to a more virulent viral strain as the five deaths were caused by three different strains.

Prof Leo said: "It is well documented that older patients have higher mortality when infected with dengue.

"As long as the age trend continues, we foresee more severe cases and deaths among the older folk."

She added that it is harder to identify dengue in older people as their symptoms tend to be milder, but the effect of the infection could be more severe.

Their fever is not as high and they have fewer rashes, aches and pain.

They often have existing chronic diseases that make them "have more severe outcomes, more organ involvement, as well as more bleeding", Prof Leo said.

She said doctors need "a higher index of suspicion" when treating older people and should rely more on diagnostic tests to confirm if the person has dengue.

- facebook.com/ST.Salma

This article was first published on August 3, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Much hype has been given to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's visit to Washington DC this week.

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle welcomed PM Lee and Mrs Lee at the White House on Aug 2, as Singaporeans watched from their homes via Facebook live.

Late that evening, Mr Lee became the first Southeast Asian leader to be honoured with a US state dinner, and only the fifth in Asia after India, China, Japan and South Korea.

Here are five of the best moments from the event:

1) Obama knows the Singapore lingo

In his speech at the White House lawn, the US President showed off he was well-versed in Singapore lingo, greeting the crowd in Singapore's four national languages - English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese.

He then referred to Singapore's society as "rojak - different parts united in a harmonious whole. We're bound by the belief that no matter who you are, if you work hard and play by the rules you can make it".

The outgoing President also referred to Singaporeans in the crowd as "uncles and aunties", drawing laughter from the audience.

2) Obama and the "little red dot"

Obama's five-minute speech was peppered with many other references to Singapore, including a joke that Washington was experiencing some "Singapore weather".

Later, he proved that his knowledge of the city-state was deeper than expected when he mentioned Singapore's Blk71, a factory building at Ayer Rajah Crescent which houses a large number of technology-start-ups, venture capital firms and tech incubators.

And although he had a hard time pronouncing founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's name, the President was spot on when he spoke of the pride Singapore has in being "a little red dot on many maps but with a very big impact on the world".

PM Lee visits Washington

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, The Straits Times, Reuters

3) A techie for a Prime Minister

The President appeared impressed by PM Lee's ability to code, and recalled the time the latter created a source code to solve sudoku puzzles.

"The Prime Minister himself wrote a programme to solve sudoku puzzles - which Michelle will want," he said.

Obama was even aware that Singapore's foreign minister Vivan Balakrishnan took PM Lee's code a step further by translating the code into Javascript.

"So I've got to start asking John Kerry to do that," he said as all eyes turned toward the US secretary of state.

4) PM Lee takes over The White House Instagram account

After the meeting, the White House and PM Lee took the opportunity to swap their Instagram accounts.

The White House gave PM Lee's followers a behind-the-scenes look at the White House state dinner in its takeover of his account. Meanwhile, Singapore's Prime Minister was active on the White House account, posting five photos from his visit to the US capitol.

One of PM Lee's photos showing a crying baby surrounded by happy faces at the arrival ceremony proved to be a hit, garnering over 21,400 Instagram hearts in just four hours.

5) "Majulah Singapura"

At the state dinner later that night, President Obama gave a uniquely Singaporean toast to PM Lee, ending off his speech with: "Onward Singapore. Majulah Singapura. Onward America. Cheers, Yam Seng".

PM Lee also raised his glass, and in his toast to President Obama, announced that Singapore had named an orchid hybrid in honour of him.

Mr Lee explained that the orchid hybird, Dendrobium Barack and Michelle Obama, is "a hybrid of breeds native to Singapore and Hawaii, where the President was born … most of us believe", as the audience burst into laughter.

He was referring to conspiracy theories that the President was born outside of the US.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

Read also:

White House state dinner for PM Lee a rare honour

Wagyu beef, crab salad on the menu at White House state dinner for PM Lee

This article was originally on GET.com at: 7 Things Singaporeans Can Look Forward To This National Day

How do you intend to celebrate the upcoming National Day? Whether you're going to be huddling with your loved ones in front of the TV at home or if you're soaking up the atmosphere at the NDP, here are 3 things you should pay attention to this National Day.

We hope you're as thrilled as we are that it's going to be our nation's 51st birthday in just a few days! In case you haven't got time to read up on the news out there regarding this year's NDP, we at GET.com have taken the initiative to put together this list of 7 things for you to look forward to this National Day.

7 Things Singaporeans Can Look Forward To This National Day

1. Free Animated Singapore-Themed Stickers From Line

Photo: Line

I'm not sure about you, but knowing that we can download adorable Singapore-themed animated stickers for free from now till 25 September on messaging app, Line, made me go to my App Store right away.

These tongue-in-cheek and very local stickers are rolled out to kick off celebrations for Singapore's 51st birthday. Expect some of these to be peppered with Singlish, too.

Since we're on the topic of Singlish, here are 4 things Singaporeans always complain about Singlish but secretly love. Have a read and tell me if you agree!

2. Extra Interactive Opportunity For Some Of The Audience At The NDP

This time around, the segment on the singing of the National Anthem will be different as the audience at the seating gallery at the NDP will get to unfurl 'numerous national flags of varying sizes', simultaneously with the State Flag Flypast.

In a way, this gives mere mortals like you and I the opportunity to involve ourselves in the symbolic moment where most of us are possibly at the peak of our patriotism for the entire year. I can't wait to see how it plays out on the TV though, since I unfortunately don't have tickets to the NDP.

3. Free Mobile Data On 9th August For Singtel & M1's Postpaid Customers

9th of August 2016 will probably be a day where even more people will have their eyes glued to their mobile devices as Singtel and M1 are doling out free, unlimited mobile data for their postpaid customers on that day.

M1 customers will also be entitled to free local calls and free SMS and MMS messages in addition to free mobile data on National Day.

4. Free 1GB Mobile Data During The Entire Month Of August For StarHub's Postpaid Customers

StarHub's customers won't be left out, so fret not if you happen to be their customer. Postpaid mobile customers will enjoy a bonus 1GB of complimentary mobile data for the month of August.

As opposed to spamming YouTube videos on one single day like what M1 and Singtel customers are likely to do, you can savour the free data at your own pace, like when you're streaming your favourite K-drama on the MRT train on the way to work.

According to StarHub, the 1GB of data will utilised first ahead of the existing mobile data bundles customers are subscribed to.

5. NDP-Themed MRT Trains

Although commuting on fancier looking trains in the mornings and evenings may brighten up our moods to a certain extent, I'm not sure how much more of an improvement it'll be when it comes to comfort since the trains are always crowded during peak hours.

Nonetheless, these red-and-white hued trains lovingly designed to depict Singapore folklore, racial harmony, unity and this year's NDP theme 'Building Our Singapore Of Tomorrow', will be running until mid-August.

In case you're wondering, there will be 4 of these decorated trains; each will be servicing the North-East Line, Downtown Line, North-South Line and East-West Line, respectively.

Hop on NDP-themed trains

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times

6. New Exciting Elements At The NDP

We all love the spectacular fireworks display, don't we? That's practically the highlight of the annual NDP, for me at least. Besides a cutting edge and super futuristic funpack that lucky attendees of the NDP get to bring home, they'll get to experience things firsthand the likes of 3D projection displays, indoor fireworks, unmanned technology such as drones and dynamic aerial performances.

The people behind NDP 2016's futuristic theme song

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, The New Paper

7. First-Come-First-Served NDP Goodie Bags For SAFRA Members

Are you a SAFRA member who's sulking about not getting the coveted tickets to this year's NDP? Though the experience at the National Stadium will be off the charts compared to you staring at the TV screen, you might very well get to snag a funpack for yourself or your kid.

According to SAFRA, 300 NDP goodie bags will be distributed at each SAFRA club on National Day. So, be sure to check for updates if you're gunning for this year's goodie bag.

Not a SAFRA member? Residents in Singapore can also congregate at all SAFRA clubs across Singapore on 9 August, watch the 'live' screening of the NDP and take part in a myriad of activities lined up.

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SINGAPORE - Orphaned at five weeks when a falling branch killed his mother, a "miracle" tree kangaroo that was later adopted by a wallaby has found a new home at the Singapore Zoo.

Makaia's move here in July from the Adelaide Zoo in Australia is part of a global plan to ensure the survival of his species, the endangered Goodfellow's tree kangaroo.

The two-year-old will be put together with a female, Nupela, in the hope that the pair will start their own furry family.

Australia's 'miracle' orphaned tree kangaroo joins Singapore Zoo

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Adelaide Zoo, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, The Straits Times

Brown with two golden stripes running down its back, the marsupial native to Papua New Guinea is one of only about 50 captive tree kangaroos found in zoos around the world.

Compared to land kangaroos, it has shorter limbs, making it stockier and clumsy on ground. But it has broader feet and can walk backwards, which makes it easier for it to traverse on treetop terrain.

The Goodfellow's tree kangaroo is classified as endangered under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species due to unsustainable hunting and loss of habitat. In the last 50 years, its population has declined by about half.

In November 2014, Makaia made headlines around the world when, at 47 days old, it was adopted by a yellow-footed wallaby after its mother died.

When it grew too big for the wallaby's pouch, Makaia - which means magic in a local Papua New Guinea language - was cared for by a keeper.

Visitors to the Singapore Zoo will be able to see Nupela in the park's Australasian Zone from Wednesday (Aug 3), while Makaia will be put into the exhibit later once it has settled into its new home.

"We are very happy to be the proud custodian of Makaia and Nupela, under the Global Species Management Plan for Goodfellow's tree kangaroos," said Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, Wildlife Reserves Singapore's deputy chief executive and chief life sciences officer.

"Such programmes enable zoos from different countries and continents to breed threatened species in a scientific and coordinated manner to achieve demographic and genetic sustainability. Together with conservation efforts in the animals' natural habitats, these breeding programmes help to ensure the survival of the species," he added.

Keepers hope that Makaia will be a good match with the three-year-old Nupela, which arrived in June from a Sydney zoo. The Singapore Zoo has two other older tree kangaroos in its collection.

This article was first published on August 3, 2016.
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US First Lady Michelle Obama may have dazzled in her brilliant yellow Naeem Khan floral applique dress at the White House.

But it was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's wife Ho Ching's clutch purse that got Singaporeans in a tizzy.

It is a denim pouch with a dinosaur motif, designed and drawn by Pathlight School student See Toh Sheng Jie, 20, who has autism.

Mrs Lee Hsien Loong holding a pouch called the Denim Pouch-Dino Blue Black during the welcome ceremony at the White House on Aug 2, 2016. The pouch was designed by Pathlight student Seetoh Sheng Jie. Photo: The Straits Times

Mrs Lee told The New Paper that she had taken three different pouches designed by Pathlight students - including Mr Sheng Jie - because she could not decide which to use.

She also took to the White House a set of cups and mugs for Mrs Obama, featuring Supertree artwork done by Glenn Phua, another Pathlight student.

Mr Sheng Jie's parents, who found out about Mrs Lee's decision to carry the dinosaur pouch only yesterday morning, are still reeling in shock.

Holding up the same design of the denim pouch, Mr Sheng Jie's mother Wendy Chua said: "Unbelievable.

"We thought (Mrs Lee) would have carried a branded or designer bag to an event like this. But she chose to use this pouch."

Stocks of the dinosaur pouches are now running low due to demand.

UNAWARE

Mr Sheng Jie's father, Mr Jason See Toh, 54, said: "Sheng Jie is not really aware of the impact of Ms Ho carrying his pouch to the White House.

"He is just happy when we tell him someone likes what he's made."

Speaking in a mixture of English and Mandarin in their Yishun flat, the couple said that their younger of two sons has been "obsessed" with dinosaurs ever since he watched his first Disney movie, Dinosaur. Despite his usual fidgety nature, he sat still for the whole movie.

Then, just three years old, he started shaping dinosaur models with Blu-Tack. He started reading voraciously about dinosaurs from library books.

"Of course he wasn't very good with the Blu-Tack at first, but we let him continue playing with it," said Madam Chua, a residents' committee manager.

Without referring to any pictures, Mr Sheng Jie also started filling notebooks with dinosaur sketches.

Mr See Toh, a cabby, showed TNP his son's "dinosaur encyclopaedia", a book filled with his dinosaur drawings. Each page features a different species, along with a short, neatly-written description of its traits.

Mr Sheng Jie's artistic flair caught the attention of his teachers, who suggested developing his artistic skills further.

In 2011, he became one of the pioneer students to join Pathlight's Artist Development Programme.

Now, despite being unable to verbalise his thoughts well, Mr Sheng Jie can rattle off names and traits of dinosaurs from A to Z.

With nifty hands, he shapes blocks of clay effortlessly into life-like dinosaurs, complete with details.

His dinosaur drawings are now printed on pouches, notebooks and notecards, which are sold at both The Art Faculty's shop and online.

Looking at Mr Sheng Jie fondly as he played with his dinosaurs, Mr See Toh said: "He's happiest when he's immersed in the world of dinosaurs. And when he's happy, we are happy."

School VP: It's great mileage for artists

It was both a surprise and an honour to see Ms Ho Ching carrying a pouch designed by a Pathlight School student at the White House, said the school's senior vice-principal Loy Sheau-Mei.

"It gave such a great mileage for the artists on our Artist Development Programme (ADP) and merchandise at The Art Faculty," she added.

Products designed by students under ADP are sold at www.theartfaculty.sg and brick-and-mortar shops at Enabling Village in Lengkok Baru and Pathlight in Ang Mo Kio.

The ADP began in 2011 with the aim of uncovering and developing the potential of artistically-inclined students.

Professional artists work with the students to nurture their talent. Where possible, their works are turned into merchandise.

This article was first published on Aug 04, 2016.
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His job involved disbursing money to low-income families in need of financial assistance.

But a Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) employee allegedly diverted the funds to his own bank accounts, and then used the money to pay off his debts and lead an extravagant lifestyle.

Over three years from 2011 to 2014, he allegedly pocketed $343,480 and splurged part of his ill-gotten gains on fine dining, airline tickets and high-end boutiques.

He is accused of spending $5,465 at Louis Vuitton outlets at Marina Bay Sands and ION Orchard, $3,500 at Francis Cheong boutique at Orchard Hotel, and $1,252 at a Jean Yip salon at Nex mall in Serangoon. (See report, far right.)

He also repaid his debts, amounting to about $13,000, to several licensed moneylenders and an individual, and used nearly $14,000 to pay for the redemption of gold.

In a press statement yesterday, MSF said Chia Kwang Hwee, 33, has been charged with misappropriation of funds.

He faces a total of 126 charges under the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act and the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.

When he was caught, Chia was a team leader at a Social Service Office (SSO) at Geylang Serai.

His duties included assessing applications for financial assistance and putting them up to his supervisor for approval, approving assistance for cases handled by other officers in his team, and case-managing families with multiple needs.

Chia's alleged crime came to light after a ComCare beneficiary alerted MSF on Aug 14, 2014, that he had not received his financial assistance payments.

The management of the SSO at Geylang Serai detected suspicious transactions of social assistance involving Chia, where the Giro payments for 26 clients were disbursed into two bank accounts.

The next day, the ministry made a police report against Chia for alleged fraud after confirming that one of the bank accounts was Chia's payroll account. He was arrested on Aug 18 and suspended the next day.

It was later found that a total of 42 MSF clients had been affected.

The ministry contacted the affected families immediately to ensure their financial assistance was not affected by the case.

MSF started rolling out its network of SSOs island-wide in July 2013.

They are staffed by MSF officers who had previously undertaken the disbursement of social assistance before the SSOs were set up.

Chia's first offence allegedly happened before the SSOs were set up.

He reportedly started small - by encashing cheques worth $2,400 issued by the South East Community Development Council in 2011 - but got increasingly bolder.

In 2012, he allegedly misappropriated cheques worth almost $60,000, and in 2013, he misappropriated cheques worth nearly $140,000.

He also faces 65 charges of using the Social Assistance Network System accounts of his colleagues to misappropriate more than $140,000 in 2013 and 2014.

MSF said its internal auditor has conducted checks on all SSO payment records, and confirmed that there were no other occurrences of a similar nature.

Commenting on the incident, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin wrote on his Facebook yesterday that his ministry had co-operated fully with the police.

He wrote: "Control measures can only go so far. Too many and it becomes onerous and less agile, too few and you run the risks of abuse...

"I am proud that many of our officers serve with passion and dedication.

"But the ministry will not condone or tolerate any conduct that undermines the integrity of our social assistance system and interest of our beneficiaries."

Chia is out on $100,000 bail, and has surrendered his passport.

His case will be mentioned again on Sept 7.

Review findings

After the incident, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) convened an independent review panel comprising senior officials from other government agencies to look into the checks and control mechanisms for financial assistance payments in all Social Service Offices (SSO).

Recommendations include:

- Strengthening the administration of access to MSF's IT system

- Including additional checks to ensure payments to clients

- Allocating cases to ensure no officer is allowed to take charge of a particular client for more than two consecutive years

How Chia allegedly spent the money

Air tickets

Cathay Pacific Airways $3,647 

China Eastern Airlines $1,992 

SilkAir $1,418

Thai Airways $2,480 

Boutiques

Club 21 $3,701

Mulberry $1,930 

Louis Vuitton $5,465 

Francis Cheong boutique $3,500 

Lane Crawford $1,500 

Ssense.com $1,263 

Christian Dior $1,148 

Hotels

Sheraton Towers $1,000 

W Hong Kong $2,047 

Dining

Chao Gang Cun Fine Dining $2,588 

Grooming

Jean Yip $1,252 

This article was first published on August 4, 2016.
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It was a glitzy affair attended by not just political and corporate bigwigs, but also actress Keri Russell and actor Matthew Rhys, as well as Amy Tan, author of best-selling novel Joy Luck Club.

The state dinner, honouring 50 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Singapore, began with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mrs Lee arriving in a black limousine at the North Portico of the White House, where they were received by US President Barack Obama and Mrs Michelle Obama.

The men wore black tuxedos while the women were a picture of elegance - Mrs Lee in a gold and red kebaya matched with a red shawl, and Mrs Obama in a strapless ivory-coloured dress by Brandon Maxwell, singer Lady Gaga's fashion director.

As the Marine Corps band struck up a tune, the two couples descended the grand staircase of the White House, pausing briefly at the foot of the stairs for official photographs before heading off to dinner.

PM Lee visits Washington

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, The Straits Times, Reuters, Facebook / Lee Hsien Loong, Instagram/ @leehsienloong, Instagram/ @whitehouse

Close to 200 guests packed the East Room where dinner was held and which was decorated with yellow orchids and roses, a symbol of the friendship between the US and Singapore.

Flickering candles and a large spray of flowers adorned a feature wall, forming a grand backdrop for the head table, where PM Lee and Mrs Lee were seated.

Much attention was paid to detail as the yellow flower motif was used throughout the room, from the pattern of the table cloth to the projected lighting design on the ceiling.

Midway through dinner, violinists entered the room and played the tune of popular Malay folk song Di Tanjong Katong, prompting many to whip out their cameras to capture the moment. Among them was Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung, who posted the video on his Instagram account.

Mr Lee's Facebook page also offered a 360-degree look at the state dinner, just as he was raising a toast and the cameras were clicking incessantly.

More musical entertainment rounded up the night as the guests filed into the State Dining Room, where chairs were tightly packed.

Mr and Mrs Lee had front-row seats as American singer-songwriter Chrisette Michele opened her segment with the song Be OK.

As guests bobbed to the music, the 16th president of the US, Abraham Lincoln, observed the proceedings from his portrait on the wall. Touching his chin in what must have been conceived as a pensive posture, he looked quizzically at the immaculately dressed guests gathered before him, before the evening drew to a close.

This article was first published on Aug 04, 2016.
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Singapore and the United States announced a slew of measures to boost co-operation, including an agreement to work more closely on cyber security and a US-Singapore scholarship programme.

Both Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Barack Obama welcomed these new initiatives during a meeting in the Oval Office on Tuesday, and noted the growing co-operation in areas such as climate change and counter-terrorism.

The new scholarship would fund summer exchange programmes for 50 Singaporean and 50 American students over the course of the next five years.

PM Lee visits Washington

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, The Straits Times, Reuters, Facebook / Lee Hsien Loong, Instagram/ @leehsienloong, Instagram/ @whitehouse

A new memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries would also bring about regular information exchanges and the sharing of best practices on cyber security.

It commits both parties to "conduct joint cyber-security exercises and collaborate on regional cyber capacity-building and cyber security awareness-building activities", according to a statement.

These announcements came on a day when trade - in particular, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal - dominated a joint press conference at the White House.

Both leaders advocated strongly for the deal, with Mr Obama spending nearly 20 minutes laying out his argument.

First, he said the 12-nation trade pact "knocks out 18,000 tariffs that other countries place on American products and goods".

"If everybody agrees that we're going to have lower tariffs, that's good for American businesses and American workers. And we should want that, we should pursue it," said Mr Obama.

Second, he said the TPP strengthens labour and environmental agreements in partner countries.

"We're raising standards for workers in those countries, which means it's harder for them to undercut labour standards here in the United States. The same is true for environmental standards," he said.

Appealing to liberals opposed to the deal, Mr Obama added: "If you care about preventing abuse of workers, child labour, wildlife trafficking, overfishing and the decimation of forests, all those things are addressed in this agreement."

Both Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her Republican opponent Donald Trump have said they oppose the TPP, but Mr Obama remains resolute.

"Hopefully, after the election is over and the dust settles, there will be more attention to the actual facts behind the deal and it won't just be a political symbol or a political football," he said.

Adding to Mr Obama's argument, Mr Lee highlighted "the other side of the economic benefit" not only for producers but also for consumers in America.

"I am spending, I am consuming, I am importing and, because it's freed up trade, I am getting a wider range of products, of services, of opportunities, which will improve my livelihood," he said.

He also made it clear that America's reputation is at stake if it drops the deal, saying that America's partners had to "overcome some domestic political objection, some sensitivity, some political cost to come to the table and make this deal".

"And if, at the end, waiting at the altar, the bride doesn't arrive, I think there are people who are going to be very hurt, not just emotionally, but really damaged for a long time to come," said Mr Lee.

The TPP would point the world in the right direction.

"If you set the wrong direction, maybe in the next 50 years, some time, you will turn around, but it will cost you many years and the world will have to pay quite a high price," said Mr Lee.

US Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry held a state luncheon for Mr Lee after the press conference.

This article was first published on Aug 04, 2016.
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If you went home and saw a stranger with your wife in a state of undress on your marital bed, what would you do?

Shawnald Lee Hong Heng, 25, concluded that the man was trying to take advantage of his wife, Ms Tricia Wong Kai Yan, and attacked him.

He repeatedly punched Mr Donovan Quek Hon Yong, 25, inflicting severe injury that required two operations.

Mr Quek, who is Ms Wong's friend, suffered a black eye, fractures in the eye socket area, and loose and chipped teeth. He did not retaliate.

For the attack in July last year, Lee was sentenced to five weeks' jail last Tuesday after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing hurt.

The prosecution had deemed the case a unique situation and the presiding judge had acknowledged that Lee was emotionally charged by the scene before him.

Some netizens felt that the sentence was too harsh for someone who had been trying to defend his wife's honour.

Several went to The New Paper's Facebook page to justify Lee's actions, arguing that any husband would have done the same in protecting his home and his wife.

Mr Zad Zainal commented: "Normal reaction from any man, yes, any man. The (other) man has no right to be in the room at that time. Had the husband returned later, it would have been a different story."

Ms Wendy Low wrote: "Hey, the husband is a victim. Yes, he beat up the man, (but) if I'm the man and I see my wife naked, I would also do that. What more on their bed in their bedroom. Isn't that too much?"

Others felt that Lee's five-week term was harsh compared to other cases where offenders received similar sentences for what they felt were more serious offences.

But criminal lawyers TNP spoke to said it was inappropriate to make such comparisons because every case and the sentencing considerations involved are different.

Every case has a different background and the sentences depend on varying factors, said Mr Rajan Supramaniam, a lawyer at Hilbourne Law LLC with more than 15 years of experience.

He said that in Lee's case, which was classified under voluntarily causing hurt (VCH), factors like severity of injuries, compensation and surrounding circumstances would come into play.

Other criminal lawyers like Mr Amarick Gill of Amarick Gill LLC, who has close to 20 years' experience, highlighted the severe injuries inflicted as one of the predominant factors in the case.

He said: "In this case, the injuries sound quite bad. (Lee) probably reacted emotionally and without proper thought, but the court also has to consider the degree of the injuries."

Lawyer Josephus Tan of Fortis Law Corporation said compensation would also be considered in sentencing, but stressed that every fact had to be decided in totality of the case.

He added that while there was an element of provocation - in that Lee was under the impression that his wife was being taken advantage of - he could have reacted differently. SHOVE "Any relatable man might have felt the emotional charge. If you see your wife in such a situation, you could go over there, grab the person with appropriate force and shove him off," said Mr Tan.

"After that, you can contact the authorities to take him away. (If Lee had done this,) the matter would not have escalated."

He added that the victim had sustained severe injuries including fractures.

"Normally (when the victim suffers fractures), the assailant would be charged under VCGH (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) but (Lee) was charged under VCH," said Mr Tan.

"I believe the unique facts of this case meant that discretion could have already been exercised (since) Lee was given a lesser charge."

According to the Penal Code, a VCGH offence is more severe and carries a jail term of up to 10 years and can include a fine or caning.

The lesser VCH offence entails a jail term of up to two years or a fine of $5,000, or both.

On the online reactions to Lee's case, Mr Gill cautioned against the public judging the severity of an offence and sentence on the jail term alone.

"You can't directly compare the sentences of two different cases as the facts differ," he said.

"The layman will not be able to fully see the reason and the justification of such sentencing, but the judge would have considered everything and weighed each element."

Mr Tan said: "This is what we call 'kopitiam law'. Members of the public should not judge or engage in such coffee shop law clinics or compare cases and their sentences because they are not fair comparisons.

"When the public is outraged, this is where vigilante justice might appear, and that is dangerous."

Other cases with five-week jail sentence

OCTOBER 2015

A Briton hit a policeman in his left eye area.

The 39-year-old tourist, who was drunk then, was also fined a total of $1,400 for pushing a motorist on the chest and damaging the backrest of a wooden bench at the police lock-up holding bay.

He pleaded guilty to hurting an officer in a police car, pushing a motorist on the chest and committing mischief.

Three other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

APRIL 2015

A 40-year-old man was riding his power-assisted bike on a pavement in Paya Lebar Way when he knocked down a 68-year-old housewife.

The woman sustained a head injury and facial fractures.

The man was sentenced in July this year after pleading guilty to causing grievous hurt by performing a rash act.

JULY 2014

A 26-year-old man was jailed for five weeks and ordered to pay compensation of $108 to a taxi driver after admitting to kicking him in the face.

The man had vomited in the taxi. He attacked the driver after he was asked to pay for the cost of cleaning the vehicle.

This article was first published on August 4, 2016.
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Taiwan's new representative to Singapore Antonio Chiang has been arrested for drink driving - just hours after being sworn in for his job, the island's media reports said.

Mr Chiang, 72, was pulled over by police for a spot check in Taipei on Tuesday night. A breathalyser test showed his blood alcohol content was 0.27mg per litre.

In Taiwan, drivers caught with 0.25mg per litre or 0.05 per cent of blood alcohol content can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to NT$200,000 (S$8,500).

Mr Chiang, a former deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council and a well-known journalist, was sworn in by President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday morning as her government's top envoy to Singapore.

According to police cited by Taiwanese media, Mr Chiang did not tell the officers who he was when he was detained, but merely pleaded that he had "had a bit to drink during dinner with friends".

Mr Chiang also reportedly asked the police to process his case as quickly as possible as he had "business to attend to the following day".

Police transferred him to the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office under charges of endangering public safety, Taiwanese media said.

He was allowed to go at about 1am yesterday after being questioned by prosecutors.

Ms Tsai's spokesman Alex Huang told Central News Agency yesterday that he "would seek more information about the case".

But he added that drink driving "is wrong and sets a bad example for society".

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the incident was Mr Chiang's "private matter". It added, however, that "it is common knowledge that drink driving should be avoided".

The opposition was quick to condemn Mr Chiang's misdemeanour as unbecoming of a diplomat.

"By sending such a fellow to represent Taiwan in Singapore, President Tsai is making all Taiwanese lose face," Kuomintang legislative whip Tsai Cheng-yuan said in a Facebook post last night.

Mr Chiang was supposed to begin a series of briefings yesterday for his posting to Singapore, the United Daily News reported.

His relocation to the Republic may now hinge on the outcome of the drink driving case.

Singapore Airlines has checked its Boeing 777-300ER engines to ensure there are no internal cracks after investigations revealed this could have caused a recent fire that forced an aircraft to make an emergency landing at Changi Airport.

The inspections and necessary replacements were completed on July 18, spokesman Nicholas Ionides told The Straits Times.

Flight SQ368 which left Changi for Milan, Italy, on June 27, turned back less than two hours later when the pilots received an engine oil warning.

Shortly after the plane landed, its right wing caught fire.

Singapore Airlines plane catches fire at Changi Airport

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

premiummall's Facebook, The Straits Times, Reuters, AFP

In an interim report, the Transport Ministry's Air Accident Investigation Bureau of Singapore (AAIB), which is investigating the incident, noted that fuel was found in the oil system, which is not normal.

The fuel had entered as a result of a crack in a tube in the engine's main fuel oil heat exchanger - a component that exchanges heat between the engine oil and fuel streams.

Following the incident, SIA accelerated the replacement of fuel oil heat exchangers on the GE90 engines powering its Boeing 777- 300ER aircraft, Mr Ionides said.

SIA has 27 B777-300ERs, all of them fitted with the GE engines.

Further investigations revealed that in December 2014, engine-maker GE Aviation had issued a notice to operators for the component to be removed from the engines, inspected for cracks and repaired if needed.

There was no urgency and the checks could be done when the engine was next due for maintenance, GE said then.

The engine on the SIA aircraft which caught fire had been inspected in March 2014, before the notice was issued.

It was not due for another check for some time, The Straits Times understands.

In the wake of the June fire, the AAIB report has recommended that GE Aviation review the urgency rating of the checks "to prevent another fire or other hazardous incident from arising as a result of fuel leakage into the engine oil system".

Aircraft maker Boeing is also advised to consider the need for operational procedures in the event a flight crew encounters a similar fuel leak situation in flight.

As the regulator of both Boeing and GE Aviation, the AAIB has requested that the US Federal Aviation Administration ask both firms to accept the recommendations.

A Boeing spokesman said the firm is providing technical help at the request and under direction of the investigating authorities.

Mr Ionides said SIA will continue to co-operate fully with the authorities.

None of the 222 passengers and 19 crew on board was hurt in the June incident.

This article was first published on August 4, 2016.
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A sum of $40,000 which Yang Yin had received from wealthy widow Chung Khin Chun was raised in court yesterday, as the prosecution sought to poke holes in the former China tour guide's testimony.

Yang said Madam Chung had transferred the money for him to buy a car, after he told her over the phone that he had obtained his driving licence.

The 42-year-old, who faces two charges of misappropriating $1.1 million from the widow, claimed he then used the money to buy a red car in China to practise driving before he came to Singapore.

Tussle over widow's $40m assets turns ugly

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, Madam Hedy Mok, Lianhe Wanbao, Madam Chang Phie Chin, Court Documents

However, deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Sanjiv Vaswani pointed out during his cross-examination yesterday that the money was remitted to Yang on March 25, 2009, while he was in Singapore.

According to immigration records, Yang entered Singapore on Feb 27 and left on March 27 that year.

Records from the Traffic Police also showed Yang had received his licence in China only in August 2009, months after the sum of $40,000 was remitted to his bank account in China, the DPP said.

Referring to Yang's account of the phone call, the DPP said: "There was no such telephone conversation or you had pretended to leave Singapore and then called her and said 'I passed my driving test' and she offered you the money."

Yang later replied that he could have recalled the incident wrongly and that the conversation could have taken place face-to-face.

"To tell you the truth, at that time in 2014... my mind was in a confused state," added Yang.

The DPP also highlighted other inaccuracies yesterday, such as the dates when Yang was in China with Madam Chung and her long-time friend, Madam Chang Phie Chin.

Yang said yesterday that he had acted as a private tour guide for the two women during a trip to Beijing from Oct 20 to Nov 10, 2008.

However, DPP Vaswani produced a letter from Yang dated Nov 4, 2008, in which he told Madam Chung it was a pity their 20-day trip had ended so soon.

"This trip would have ended before Nov 4. Your evidence is that you were happily having a trip until Nov 10," said DPP Vaswani.

Yang, who took the stand for more than two hours on Tuesday to give his side of the story, had claimed that the $1.1 million he is accused of siphoning was a gift from the 89-year-old widow who saw him as the "grandson" she never had.

He also alleged that Madam Chang, 86, had moved out of the bungalow in 2011 after he turned down her request for half of the widow's money - a claim which DPP Viswani said was an "absurd allegation".

Madam Chang had moved in to live at the Gerald Crescent bungalow in 2005.

Tussle over widow's $40m assets: A look at Madam Chung’s bungalow

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, Raymond Tan

The DPP also produced a 2009 medical report, where Madam Chung had told a psychiatrist that Madam Chang did not want a part of her estate.

The medical examination was conducted while the widow was drawing up her will.

The prosecution also disputed Yang's claim that Madam Chung had given him a $4,000 red packet after accepting him as her grandson.

In a letter dated Jan 3, 2009, Yang had written to Madam Chung only to thank her for the red packet, the DPP said.

There was no mention of it being given by Madam Chung after she had accepted him as her grandson.

The trial will enter its ninth day today.

This article was first published on August 4, 2016.
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