Latest news with #StraitsTimes
Singapore Law Watch
7 hours ago
- Singapore Law Watch
Ong Beng Seng set to plead guilty on Aug 4 in case linked to ex-transport minister Iswaran
Ong Beng Seng set to plead guilty on Aug 4 in case linked to ex-transport minister Iswaran Source: Straits Times Article Date: 29 Jul 2025 Author: Christine Tan Billionaire Ong Beng Seng was charged on Oct 4, 2024, with allegedly abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and abetting the obstruction of justice. Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng is scheduled to plead guilty on Aug 4 to offences in a case linked to former transport minister S. Iswaran. This comes after a pre-trial conference on July 28 before District Judge Lee Lit Cheng. Ong is currently out on $800,000 bail. Ong, 79, was first set to plead guilty on April 2, but this was postponed after his lawyers asked for an extension to obtain his medical reports. He was then slated to plead guilty on July 3, but this was rescheduled one day before the hearing as the prosecution and defence needed more time to file further submissions on sentencing. The case then went through several pre-trial conferences. The billionaire was charged on Oct 4, 2024, with abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and abetting the obstruction of justice. According to court documents, Ong had in December 2022 allegedly arranged for Mr Iswaran to fly on his private plane from Singapore to Doha. The flight was valued at US$7,700 (S$10,400). The businessman also allegedly arranged for Mr Iswaran a one-night stay at Four Seasons Hotel Doha, valued at $4,737.63, and a business-class flight from Doha to Singapore, valued at $5,700. Court documents showed Ong allegedly told Mr Iswaran that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau had seized the flight manifest for the December 2022 trip. It prompted Mr Iswaran to ask the tycoon to bill him for the flight to avoid investigations. For this alleged offence, Ong was charged with abetment of obstruction of justice. Hotel Properties Limited, where Ong was managing director, said in an announcement on the Singapore Exchange in February that he intends to plead guilty to the obstruction charge and consents to having the other charge taken into consideration for sentencing. The businessman is known as the man who brought Formula One (F1) to Singapore in 2008 – the first night race in the sport's history. Mr Iswaran was chairman of the F1 steering committee and the Government's chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters related to the race. The two men had worked in the mid-2000s to convince then Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to make Singapore the venue for that first night race. Mr Iswaran was handed a 12-month jail term on Oct 3, 2024, for, among other things, accepting a number of valuable items from Ong. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
Singapore Law Watch
7 hours ago
- Singapore Law Watch
Man exposed daughter's identity despite court order after she was removed from his care
Man exposed daughter's identity despite court order after she was removed from his care Source: Straits Times Article Date: 29 Jul 2025 Author: Selina Lum A Youth Court judge said the girl should not be returned to the man's care until he is sufficiently fit to care for her. A man exposed the identity of his teenage daughter despite court orders not to do so, after she was placed in the care of her grandparents to prevent him from emotionally abusing her. He also disclosed her identity when he sent e-mails to various foreign embassies to seek political asylum, saying that he wanted to relocate out of Asean and the Commonwealth to return to his 'Ural-Altaic' roots, seemingly referring to a language grouping largely rejected by modern linguists. In a written judgment published on July 26, a Youth Court judge said the girl, who is now 16 years old, should not be returned to the man's care until he is sufficiently fit to care for her. District Judge Wendy Yu considered the man's breaches of court orders, such as by disclosing her identity to others, and his refusal to accept professional attempts to help ease the girl back to living with him. The judge said: 'The father's recent act of disclosing the child's identity... by copying the multiple foreign embassies also persuaded me that the father still does not seem to have insight currently as to how his conduct would compromise the well-being of the child.' Nevertheless, the judge said attempts should be made to heal the father-daughter relationship. She extended the girl's stay with her grandparents by six months to offer some stability as she is taking her O-level examinations at the end of 2025, and to give the professionals a chance to help reintegrate her back to living with her father. 'If the father still refuses the therapeutic sessions to work on helping the child feel safe at the prospect of living with him, it is to his own detriment and will only delay the reintegration process. The ball is in his court.' According to the judgment, the father has care and control of the girl. No details were given on the custody arrangement between him and her mother. In May 2022, the Child Protective Service (CPS) recommended that the child be put in the care of her paternal grandparents for a year, with a review after six months. In applying to the court for a care and protection order, CPS said the girl was at risk of being ill-treated by the father and that she behaved in a manner that was harmful to herself. But the father was unwilling to take remedial steps. CPS added that she was likely to suffer from emotional harm owing to emotional or psychological abuse by the father. At the review hearing in December 2022, CPS recommended that she stay with her grandparents for a year. The man contested the recommendations. In August 2023, after speaking to the girl, who was then 14 years old, the judge ordered the child to be placed under her grandparents' care for a year. In August 2024, CPS recommended for the order to be extended for another year. The father objected to this, while the mother agreed. CPS submitted that he had subjected the child to 'persistent acts of rejection or degradation' that are harmful to her well-being or sense of self-worth. The court was told that the man was confrontational during access sessions between the child and him. He had also persistently revealed her identity online. In particular, he recorded six access sessions between January and March 2024 without permission and uploaded them on YouTube and his website. He also uploaded a copy of an affidavit that contained references to the child's name. He was given a two-year conditional warning by the police for recording and uploading photos of his access sessions on social media platforms. According to CPS, the girl's 'emotions became very unstable' after she learnt of the uploading of the videos. In November 2024, the man alleged that he had 'discovered corrupt practices' and that CPS wanted to extend the order 'for as long as possible to generate fraudulent counselling fees'. He also told the court that he did not intend to remove the online content. Subsequently, CPS told the court that, between May 6 and 21, the man sent multiple e-mails to foreign embassies, which resulted in the disclosure of the girl's identity. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Straits Times
The new age of AI
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The world's most advanced AI models are exhibiting troubling new behaviours – lying, scheming, and even threatening their creators to achieve their goals. This is a special Straits Times resource for pre-university students as part of The Straits Times-Ministry of Education News Outreach Programme. The team behind the ST-MOE News Outreach Programme has compiled a series of news resources for you. This week, we look at artificial intelligence.
Singapore Law Watch
a day ago
- Business
- Singapore Law Watch
Global intellectual property agency's Singaporean head Daren Tang aiming for second term
Global intellectual property agency's Singaporean head Daren Tang aiming for second term Source: Straits Times Article Date: 26 Jul 2025 Author: Tham Yuen-C When he assumed the role of director-general in 2020, Mr Daren Tang became the first Singaporean to head a United Nations agency. Singaporean Daren Tang, 53, who led the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) to the conclusion of a historic multilateral treaty that helps to protect traditional knowledge and cultural expressions, is aiming for a second six-year term in office. The director-general of the global intellectual property (IP) and patents office was nominated by the Singapore Government for another term that will run from October 2026 to September 2032, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Law said in a joint statement on July 24. Under his leadership, the organisation was able to conclude two multilateral treaties for the first time in more than a decade, an 'unprecedented achievement', said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in his nomination letter to the Wipo Coordination Committee. The Wipo Treaty on IP, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, adopted in 2024, makes it mandatory for patent applicants to disclose the origin country of genetic resources, such as from medicinal plants, as well as the indigenous communities that provided the traditional knowledge an invention drew on. It was hailed as ground-breaking in linking IP and traditional knowledge, which has typically been hard to protect, and has been viewed as a step forward in combating biopiracy, the commercial exploitation of biological resources without compensating communities and countries where the resources are from. The other treaty, the Riyadh Design Law Treaty, also adopted in 2024, simplifies the procedures for protecting industrial designs, so designers can better protect their work at home or abroad. Dr Balakrishnan said the treaties have helped to strengthen multilateralism at a time of geopolitical fragmentation. 'Under his leadership, Wipo has demonstrated that multilateralism can continue to drive real change,' said Dr Balakrishnan, noting that Mr Tang will be a 'steadfast, dependable, and principled leader who serves the interests of all member states'. He added: 'Singapore looks forward to the support of Wipo member states for Mr Tang's re-election as director-general.' The Geneva-based Wipo is responsible for shaping global rules for IP and oversees trademarks, designs and patents. When he assumed the role of director-general in 2020, Mr Tang became the first Singaporean to head a United Nations agency. Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong said Wipo has made significant strides in strengthening the global IP ecosystem, promoting innovation and creativity, and enhancing inclusivity across member states under Mr Tang's leadership. In the past five years, the organisation has gone beyond its legal and technical focus to position IP as a catalyst for economic growth, helping many developing member states modernise their national IP strategies, said the ministries in the statement. Wipo has also gone beyond supporting national IP strategies and has extended its help, such as through tailored projects and the Wipo Academy, to a wider spectrum of organisations including micro, small and medium enterprises, women and youth, added the ministries. The ministries also said that Mr Tang has ensured Wipo is run efficiently and effectively, maintaining its strong financial standing, adding that Wipo member states have 'warmly welcomed Mr Tang's transformational work'. Mr Tong said Mr Tang had demonstrated 'thoughtful, principled and forward-looking leadership in steering Wipo through a time of rapid technological change and growing global uncertainties'. 'His ability to bring people together, build consensus and foster collaboration has earned the respect and confidence of stakeholders around the world,' added Mr Tong. Mr Tang, the former chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, began his first six-year term at the helm of Wipo on Oct 1, 2020. He was selected by the agency's 83-member coordination committee from a slate that originally comprised 10 candidates. Mr Tang had taken over from Mr Francis Gurry from Australia, who held the post from 2008 to 2020. Before Mr Gurry, Mr Kamil Idris from Sudan held the post from 1997 to 2008. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#NST180years: Growing up with the iconic NST
OUR village headman used to carry the (then) Straits Times everywhere he went. He would place the newspaper neatly on the table of the Hailam coffee shop together with a pack of Players Navy Cut cigarettes and a box of matches followed by a round of kopi-o. The village head would then start reading the pages from the jawi script of an Utusan Melayu newspaper while leaving the English paper untouched. When my father opened his barber shop in the afternoon, the same headman would often drop in with the same copy of the Straits Times, still in pristine condition, and the paper would then be left on a box where my father kept his wares. I was told the newspaper was delivered to him daily by a taxi driver plying the Muar-Batu Pahat route very early in the morning. As I grew up, I realised the villagers looked up to the headman with respect not just because of his position, but also because they were awed that he read the Straits Times and carried it under his armpit wherever he went. The headman was a good story teller, or more precisely, a good conveyor of news, not unlike Captain Kidd — the character played by Tom Hanks in the movie News of the World. In a village where almost everyone was illiterate, he was the enlightened one. It didn't matter if his source of news was actually Utusan Melayu. FONT OF KNOWLEDGE My father, a rubber tapper in the morning and a barber in the evening, would narrate what he heard from the headman to my mother when we had our dinner after the Maghrib prayers. I could sense his awe over the knowledge and news relayed to him by the headman I guess that was the reason he sent me to an English school in 1960 — a move that surprised many at that time. Perhaps he wanted his son to hold the Straits Times just like the headman... and to be able to converse in the language that no one in the village understood. The school was far, but he made it a point to send me there on his bicycle after he finished tapping rubber in the morning. As I grew older, the headman was less frequently seen with his newspaper. I, on the other hand, started collecting copies of old English newspapers and magazines, sourced mainly from a fish monger next to my father's shop. I needed something to read. There was no library in school and I didn't have a dictionary, so I learned English the hard way. The Straits Times, I realised, was more than a newspaper. It symbolised intellect, knowledge and even status. It didn't matter if the village headman couldn't read the newspaper — being seen carrying it was a source of pride. In the village, or perhaps in the entire district, he was the only one with a copy of surat khabar orang putih (the white men's newspaper). We had a Yorkshireman teaching us English in primary school. He was a language purist and a disciplinarian. I remember that even in Standard One, he was already regaling us about a great Englishman who wrote dramas — William Shakespeare. His method of teaching English was strict and his intolerance of mistakes was legendary. And he told us to read the Straits Times, which most in the class had never seen. I finally started reading the Straits Times when I was in Form One. My English teacher had a habit of leaving the copy he read on his table. It was delightful going through the pages. even though I couldn't understand most of the content. I wrote phrases I liked and words I didn't understand. My father would make sure the newspapers and magazines I brought home were well-kept... perhaps it became a source of pride for him that I could read stuff which the village headman used to do. I liked the advertisements most — Cream Puff of Max Factor, Olvaltine, Titoni, Eye-Mo, Lux Toilet Soap and Cussons Baby Soap. Double Diamond was hailed as the best beer (Mind you the models in the advertisement were Malays!). Oh yes, I remember the Sunday Times had a Sunday Pin-Up back then. There were times when bikini-clad women were featured in the advertisement. When my father once asked about it, I told him it was advertisement for sakit kulit (skin disease). FROM READER TO WRITER Later in life, I ended up as a columnist for the New Straits Times, and chairman of the media conglomerate that owned the newspaper I envied five decades earlier. I started writing for the New Straits Times since my university days, and also wrote for many Malay papers like Mingguan Malaysia, Utusan Malaysia, Berita Minggu and Berita Harian. I knew many of the editors and reporters at Jalan Riong, including the late Tan Sri A. Samad Ismail whom I regard as my iconic journalist and laureate. My column in the NST then was called "Point Blank", and the first piece appeared on Saturday, Nov 30, 2002. It went on to be one of the longest-lasting columns. I wrote a total of 965 articles in 13 years. I survived six chief editors, and my last last article as a columnist was on Oct 17, 2015. This newspaper has a special place in my heart. For me it is not just a chronicler of the nation's history or a source of information and knowledge for the reading public. The New Straits Times has been around for the last 180 years and this in itself is proof of its resilience. It has a tradition unmatched in the history of newspaper publishing in the country. It has produced some of the finest editors and journalists — many of whom were legends in their own right. This is no ordinary newspaper. It is an icon and part of the proud heritage of this beloved nation. Dirgahayu the New Straits Times! . He was also the Chief Editor of Utusan Melayu in the 90s. Johan is an award-winning creative writer. He was a stage actor, playwright and director.
