Pritam Singh meets former national football coach PN Sivaji, says the team under him “electrified the cockles of our hearts”

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July 1, 2022

r.kelly-faces-life-imprisonment-at-sex-trafficking-sentencing

Singer R.Kelly is going behind bars for possibly a few decades when he is sentenced on June 29, nine months after being found guilty of trafficking women and children.

Kelly, 55, was convicted of racketeering and eight counts of sex trafficking in September. The singer will receive 10 years to life in prison depending on the sentence. Prosecutors are pushing for at least 25 years.

His fall from meteoric heights marks a big win for women post’s the Me-Too movement, as finally justice has been served.

The singer whose super hit songs include I Believe I Can Fly, Step in the Name of Love, Ignition and Burn It Up played an instrumental role in a violent and cruel scheme to lure women and children for his sexual pleasure.

His trial uncovered how he trafficked women between states in the US with the help of managers, security guards and other entourage members over a period of two decades. Prosecutors said that he showed “callous disregard” for his victims and was not remorseful.

“Indeed, the defendant’s decades of crime appear to have been fueled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct-no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others- to the strictures of the law,” said prosecutors.

The trial also revealed how Kelly had obtained illegal paperwork to marry singer Aaliyah when she was just 15 years old in 1994. Aaliyah later died in a plane crash.
The fraudulent certificate listed Aaliyah’s age as 18 at the time.

In addition to sentencing on Wednesday by the US District Court in New York, Kelly is also facing a separate trial in Chicago for child sex pornography, obstruction, and sex abuse charges.

The million-dollar question many have posed though is if his behaviour started in the 90s, why did it take such a long time for him to be brought to trial. The sad truth is that the singer had an expansive network of people who enabled his megalomaniac behaviour, ranging from close confidants to people in the music industry who knew what he was doing but turned a blind eye.

In fact, according to one of the prosecutors, Elizabeth Geddes, Kelly often paid people off to keep quiet and when that failed he “used his henchmen to lodge threats and exact revenge” going so far as to blackmail women with nude photographs of themselves.

The post R.Kelly faces life imprisonment at sex trafficking sentencing appeared first on The Independent News.

Kirsten Han says she has been smeared, harassed, investigated; reminds the words of PM Lee, who said when criticisms are incorrect or unfair, the govt will respectfully disagree & convince

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Obbana Rajah

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July 1, 2022

MHA issues POFMA correction order to Malaysia’s Lawyers for Liberty, Yahoo Singapore, TOC & Kirsten Han over claims of ‘brutal’ executions

12802963_427185650811178_4944945563294899578_n — Facebook screengrab/Kirsten Han

After being held under investigation for three public assemblies held outside Changi Prison Complex and in nearby Mariam Walk, activist Kirsten Han took to social media on the matter.

In a Twitter post on Tuesday (Jun 28), Ms Han shared a screengrab of a Straits Times article where Prime Minister Lee explains Singapore’s approach to criticism.

She shared the following excerpt: “PM Lee also said that when criticisms are incorrect or unfair, the Government will respectfully disagree and set out its perspective to convince Singaporeans and to prevent any confusion. Ultimately, elected leaders are responsible to their people and face elections, he stressed. “If the people endorse what we do, we will continue to serve them with their mandate. If we are not doing the right thing, well, another team will be in charge. “On that basis, you can accept criticism without being defensive or without being overly swayed by different views and find the right path forward for Singapore.”

In her Tweet, Ms Han said: “I have been smeared, harassed, investigated, and on Friday the police took the shirt off my back”.

Ms Han, another activist Rocky Howe and several others were taken in for investigations. In a statement on Sunday (June 26), the police said Ms Han and Mr Howe were interviewed on Friday as part of investigations into the assemblies. T-shirts with anti-death penalty slogans that Ms Han and Mr Howe wore on the day of the interview were relevant to the probe, the police added in response to queries. The police also added that Ms Han and Mr Howe had agreed to hand over their t-shirts.

On Tuesday (Jun 28), “7 human rights organizations urgently call on the Singaporean authorities to drop their criminal investigations of human rights defenders Kirsten Han and Rocky Howe and cease harassing them through legal processes for their work”.

These organisations are Access Now, Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, FORUM-ASIA, Human Rights Watch and International Commission of Jurists.

In their email, the seven organisations “also call on the Singaporean authorities to repeal or substantially amend all laws that are not compliant with international human rights law and standards, including the Protection Against Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act and the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act”.

I have been smeared, harassed, investigated, and on Friday the police took the shirt off my back

(Source: https://t.co/gX1KtXE3JP) pic.twitter.com/t5rdIwO1K7

— Kirsten Han 韩俐颖 (@kixes) June 28, 2022

Rumours about BTS’ RM getting married are false

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July 1, 2022

rumours-about-bts’-rm-getting-married-are-false

The rumours about BTS singer RM (Kim Nam-joon) getting married to a non-celebrity are apparently untrue. Its agency Big Hit music has unequivocally denied the gossip, stating “RM’s marriage rumors are groundless. We are continuously taking action against malicious rumors that are started on YouTube.”

Talk about RM’s marriage first started when one netizen (whom we will refer to as Miss X) posted, “I received a call from a junior colleague who is seven years younger than me saying, ‘I’m marrying RM.’ She’s from a prestigious university and has a decent family. I heard that she met RM at a fan meeting between 2014 and 2015.”

“X” also unveiled texts she exchanged with her junior colleague, who said, “I can’t tell you the exact date, but he’s a celebrity. It’s still a sensitive time, so just keep it to yourself. [The groom-to-be] is the leader of BTS.”

In addition to this, the YouTube channel Sojan also reported that RM is preparing for marriage. The same channel had earlier disclosed the relationship between Seo Taeji and Lee Ji Ah. “When asked when he wants to get married, he said at the age 32 or 33. He’s currently 29 years old, so that means he wants to get married soon.”

Back in 2021, the agency also denied RM’s dating rumors.

The last time RM caught the public’s attention, fuelling wedding rumours, was when the K-pop star was seen removing a ring from his wedding finger. Those tales were equally baseless, however, RM has confessed to being in a relationship and spoken about it openly.

In 2015, he spoke about being heartbroken on the South Korean television show, Problematic Men. He said that he had been dating his high school sweetheart, but things didn’t work out between them as her behaviour and the things she did were quite unacceptable for her to be his girlfriend.

BTS recently announced that they will be taking a break from the group to focus on solo projects. Among the seven members, J-Hope has been the first to announce his solo album since the disbandment. J-Hope will launch Jack in the Box on July 15.

BTS takes a break to work on solo projects

The post Rumours about BTS’ RM getting married are false appeared first on The Independent News.

Yee Jenn Jong on how 1G leaders moved Singapore forward

By

Obbana Rajah

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July 1, 2022

Talking about how to move Singapore forward, Yee Jenn Jong said that the best way was to “get on the ground”.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Jun 28), the former Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) and Workers’ Party politician wrote: “I wonder how many national conversations our first generation leaders had”.

“The best way to listen is to get onto the ground and dirty your hands. See things in the most unglamourous manner”, he wrote. He said that that was probably how the first generation leaders understood how to move Singapore forward.

In May, following the announcement that Sengkang Town Council was to manage the town directly after no bids were received in agent tender, Yee Jenn Jong expressed that he was not at all surprised.

The former Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) said that the nature of Town Council work has always been political, and added that it was designed that way when the People’s Action Party (PAP) first conceived it.

“As a matter of prudence, SKTC called a tender for (managing agent) services for Buangkok, Compassvale and Rivervale divisions in April, well in advance of the expiry date,” said the town council.

However, no bids were received at the close of the tender on Apr 29.

In his post on Wednesday (May 18), Mr Yee said: “I had always believed that eventually, the town council had to be self managed whether we like it or not. During one of my GE2015 rally speeches, I had said if we win Marine Parade GRC, it will be self managed”.

He added that the situation had been designed to be such “given the heavily lopsided nature of Singapore politics”.

WP’s Yee Jenn Jong: Town Council work has always been political, not at all surprised that there is zero bid to manage Sengkang TC

Australian doctor who posted xenophobic, sexist & degrading comments about his patients in Singapore online forum banned from practice

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July 1, 2022

australian-doctor-who-posted-xenophobic,-sexist-comments-banned-from-practice

An Australian doctor who posted images of his patients online without their consent has been disqualified from practising as a doctor until 2023.

The doctor also made xenophobic, sexist and degrading remarks online, with misogynistic comments like “some women deserve to be raped.”

The doctor in question, Dr Christopher Kwan Chen Lee’s registration, was suspended in 2019, by the Medical Board of Australia.

Lee had been writing on a forum which was hosted in Singapore, thinking he could get away with it, as he said, “Aussies don’t care about what goes on in a separate forum in another country.”

The posts were made in 2016 and between 2018 and 2019 and were extremely offensive.

The decision to cancel Lee’s medical registration and disqualify him from reapplying until December 9, 2023, was made on June 27, 2022, by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Vcat).

He had been suspended from working by the Tasmanian health practitioners tribunal for six weeks in early 2019 after he admitted to posting the sexist and racist remarks online.

Subsequently, upon investigation by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, it was found that Lee did not just make offensive remarks but also shared images of dead bodies, videos of fatal car crashes and sexually explicit photos of his wife.

His blatant disregard for doctor-patient confidentiality also led him to post pictures of patients including one of a foot that had been infected by gangrene which he described as “thoroughly septic” in addition to giving details about the patient’s mental health, age, and treatments.

The Vcat said that Lee’s conduct was “outrageous” and “far beyond the standards expected” of the profession.

On his part, Lee admitted to “utterly unacceptable” behaviour amounting to professional misconduct but stated that he disagreed with the Medical Board of Australia’s decision that his registration should be cancelled. This was attributed to the fact that Lee had untreated autism spectrum disorder.

“On the one hand, the behavior is so offensive and so far beyond expected standards – and relying on medical practitioners – it is difficult to see that Dr. Lee can ever successfully return to practice in such a way as to allay community concerns and protect the medical profession’s reputation.

“On the other hand, we have little doubt in our minds that his ASD is now being effectively treated and managed and because of his relatively young age [35]. It would be unfortunate if he could never return to practice,” said Vcat.

The tribunal found that when Lee’s registration needed to be revoked, the total disqualification period should be four and a half years, backdated to June 2019 when he was last allowed to practice.

The Medical Board of Australia’s chair Anne Tonkin applauded the decision.

“Doctors are respected and trusted members of the community,” she said.

“When that trust is eroded by unacceptable and abhorrent conduct, whether in person or online, that can have serious consequences for patient safety.”

The post Australian doctor who posted xenophobic, sexist comments banned from practice appeared first on The Independent News.

Malaysia faces brain-drain, top talents choose to work in Singapore, even as economy shows signs of growth

By

Anna Maria Romero

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July 1, 2022

Screen Shot 2022-06-30 at 12.37.16 PM — Photo: Unsplash/ Patrick Langwallner (for illustration purposes only).

As Covid-19 pandemic restrictions ease and industries open job opportunities, more Malaysians are being enticed to work elsewhere due to higher pay.

However, this is causing a serious local manpower crunch, and Bloomberg Opinion writer Daniel Moss points out that it’s particularly problematic because it is Malaysia’s top talent who are choosing to work in Singapore.

Mr Moss, who writes about different issues facing Asian nations, pointed out in a June 29 piece the irony of Malaysia’s economy coming to life at a time when many are choosing to work elsewhere.

“To graduate to the next tier of prosperous economies, Malaysia must staunch the flow of talented citizens abroad.”

He further explained that Malaysia is currently experiencing shortages on two fronts: those who are highly-skilled looking for greener pastures, as well blue-collar workers in short supply due to pandemic border closures and a hiring freeze.

Nevertheless, there are some Malaysians, however, who are opting to work close to home.

The Star recently interviewed several Malaysians who had formerly worked in Singapore who, after the long separation from their families due to Covid, is staying put for now despite the lure of higher pay.

These workers are opting for local jobs instead.

Tan Sheau Hui, 48, a business systems analyst who worked in Singapore for almost three decades, resigned, so she could be with her family.

Fortunately, the Melaka branch of the firm that she worked for in Singapore offered her a job shortly afterwards.

One reason why she decided to stay is concern over borders closing again in the future.

“Although I am now working in Melaka and not living near my family in Johor Bahru, at least I know that in case of any emergency, I can still make my way back home.

That was not the case for me during the pandemic, as I could not simply travel back to Johor from Singapore,” The Star quotes Ms Tan as saying.

Bloomberg’s Mr Moss pointed out that while Singapore is also experiencing a labour crunch, Malaysia appears to be facing greater challenges as it “faces a brain — and brawn — drain, driven by hard-to-extinguish racial preferences that favour ethnic Malays at the expense of minorities.”

He quoted a 2021 World Bank report that said that one-third of Malaysia’s emigrants are highly educated and skilled, who “leave the country for lack of opportunities.

“Malaysia has long aspired to join the ranks of advanced economies and proudly paraded some of the baubles of such status: a domestic auto industry, the world’s tallest building and so on. It would do well to focus on less jazzy but vital components of success, like a labor market that can drive development in coming decades, not a relic of the go-go years of the late twentieth century,” he added. /TISG

Pakatan: Government should cut expenses, not subsidies, to help Malaysians with rising prices

Parenting win or fail? White Mazda becomes kids’ whiteboard to scribble their artwork

By

Anna Maria Romero

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July 1, 2022

Screen Shot 2022-06-30 at 1.15.53 PM — Photo: TikTok screengrab/adventurefinds

If you were parents who owned a white car, would you let your kid/s write all over it?

Maybe the answer depends on how talented the kids are, because hey, no one wants to discourage a Leonardo da Vinci in the making, amirite?

On the other hand, does anyone really want to drive to work (or anywhere else for that matter) in a vehicle with rainbows, birds, and multicoloured squiggles all over it?

So many unanswered questions. We’ll let you decide.

@adventurefinds

#fathersday #fatherandson #fatheranddaughter

♬ DRAWING ROOM SERENADE – Cavendish

The car can be seen in a now-viral TikTok video from @adventurefinds, who apparently specializes in “Finding Adventure and Simple Pleasures in Singapore and Beyond.”

It has now been viewed nearly 100,000 times.

The voice-over on the video says, “What a loving father would do… Are you a loving father?”

It shows a white car with “art” all over it—from bonnet to trunk and both sides in between.

Some drawings are identifiable, some are tic tac toe games, but most are just scribbles.

Nevertheless, some netizens were charmed by it.

Some, however, were not.

“Can buy car cannot afford whiteboard,” wrote one commenter.

One hoped that the marker used in the “artwork” was at least washable.

“This is not an act of a loving father but a father with no discipline,” wrote one commenter.

/TISG

Morning Digest, July 1

By

Nick Karean

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July 1, 2022

TISG - Morning Digest - LANDSCAPE — Photo: Pexels/Nataliya Vaitkevich (for illustration purposes only)

VIDEO | Two uncles bloody fight at Bukit Merah kopitiam, riot police activated

Videos of a fight between two men in a coffee shop have gone viral online; one used nearby plastic chairs to defend himself, while another attacked with a knife.

“Bukit Merah!” wrote Facebook user Patrick Tan on Wednesday (June 29), referring to the location of a fight between two men.

Illegal U-turn attempt at Hougang Street ends up in major accident for Mercedes & Renault

An illegal U-turn attempt at Hougang Street 91 resulted in a major accident involving a Renault and Mercedes.

Despite the double white lines and the two single-lane roads, the Renault still tried making a U-turn, which ended in a costly accident.

Customer waits 2 hours for Foodpanda order, Foodpanda cancelled order because customer didn’t pick up phone, but customer says no missed calls received

Photo: Facebook screengrab/ Foodpanda Riders Singapore

A Foodpanda customer waited two hours for her dinner to arrive and ended up with a cancelled transaction after customer service tried contacting her for redelivery multiple times to no avail. However, the customer never got any calls even though her registered number was correct.

“S**tty customer service, s**tty delivery service, don’t say I never think of rider hor. My address is correct one, phone number also correct, wrote a disappointed Jolin Aurora Cheng in a Facebook page Complaint Singapore post on Thursday (June 30).

Grab driver uncle in gas mask apologises with “I can’t breathe” sign

“Thank you uncle. #Iquit,” wrote TikToker @tofububblez after riding in a Grab vehicle where it had a sign that posted warnings about the risks smoking poses to both smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke.

In another sign, the driver explained that he is “very sensitive and allergic” to smoke and other strong smells such as perfume or mothball odours.

Ah Girls Go Army’s XiXi Lim responds to fat-shamer girl’s continuous attacks, netizens get inspired by XiXi’s positivity & grace

Actress XiXi Lim dealt with class and grace with a fat-shamer who slid unwelcome messages into her DMs.

Ms Lim’s responses to a commenter who goes by @4o7j1h6w2m9x and who made numerous malicious remarks about her size were also noticed by the media, and the actress, sharing one of the stories on social media, expressed her gratitude.

Nurse sexually assaulted 14-year-old boy after getting him drunk

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