Lawrence Wong announces new social benefits in National Day Rally speech; Hassan Sunny retires after 20 years in international football: Singapore live news
We feature a curated selection of some of the biggest, most important, and fascinating news that’s making waves online
Yahoo News Singapore
Updated
And that's a wrap. Thanks for tuning in. We'll catch y'all again tomorrow.
Hello to all our readers, Yahoo Singapore will be bringing you live news updates today.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced new social benefits and policy changes to address concerns among Singapore citizens. These include expanded parental leave, temporary financial aid for those who lost their jobs, and priority access to BTO flats for singles who want to live with or near their parents.
Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny is retiring after 20 years in international football. The 40-year-old made the announcement on Instagram. To read what he said about retiring, head on over here.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, has been sworn in as Thailand's youngest-ever Prime Minister. She is the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra but insisted that she is her "own person".
Disney said a husband can't sue them over wife's wrongful death because of a Disney+ trial from five years ago. To find out why, read here.
A vessel collision on Monday (19 Aug) morning has the Philippines and China trading blame. This latest incident comes on the heels of an agreement between both nations to ease tensions and manage disagreements at sea.
A Singaporean woman's supper trip into Johor Bahru turned into a four-day trip after she lost her passport. She took to TikTok to complain about the incident. To learn how the unfortunate incident was resolved, read here.
The Workers' Party shared that they welcomed the policy shifts announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. However, they urged the government to make a deeper policy reform to improve accessibility to public housing among singles.
A new government policy in the UK could see employers paying thousands of pounds in compensation if they repeatedly contact their workers outside of normal working hours. To find out more about the policy, read here.
This year's Mr World Singapore sees a new milestone as they crowned the oldest winner of Mister World Singapore Senior 2024 – 56-year-old Terence Tea. Tea, who is the executive chairman and managing director of Accrelist, said being the oldest among the competitors gave him a "slight advantage".
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER10 updates
Featured
Bryan Lim
Hassan Sunny retires after 20 years in international football
Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny is hanging his gloves up.
The 40-year-old announced his retirement in an Instagram post on Sunday (18 Aug). He wrote, "The time has come for me to step aside and let the younger goalkeepers take over. I will always give my utmost support to the goalkeeping department and the team, and will always be rooting for them."
Hassan made his professional debut as part of Geylang United in 2003, before going on to the international stage in 2004 when Singapore faced off against India.
Most recently, he gained viral fame among Chinese fans for his stellar performance in the World Cup qualifier match against Thailand. His 11 saves denied Thailand the chance to qualify over China.
To know more about Hassan's retirement, read here.
Featured
Bryan Lim
Lawrence Wong announces new social benefits in National Day Rally speech
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced new social benefits for citizens at the National Day Rally on Sunday (18 Aug).
These include a mandated four-week paternity leave, a shared pool of 10-week parental leave, and a training allowance of $3,000 a month if Singaporeans take time off from work to study full-time.
There will also be temporary financial aid for those who lose their jobs. They'll get up to $6,000, across six months, with more details to be shared in due course.
Wong also addressed growing housing concerns among singles and admitted it is hard to "make any major near-term changes", but there is something the government can do now.
From the middle of next year, singles who are buying new flats to live with or near their parents will also get priority access to BTO flats. Wong added that more details will be shared by the Ministry of National Development.
Wong said, "We have seen what happens in other countries when the broad middle falls behind. The centre does not hold. Societies begin to fracture and collapse."
Mr World Singapore sees oldest winner crowned for the Senior title
You're never too old to be in a pageant.
During the Mr World Singapore coronation night held last week, the pageant saw its oldest winner of the Mister World Singapore Senior 2024 – 56-year-old Terence Tea.
The executive chairman and managing director of Accrelist told The New Paper that he "did not expect to come this far".
He added, "However, I have a slight advantage because I'm the oldest, so some people gave me some credit for that."
The theme for this year is Reaching Higher and it was a personal message for Samuel Seow, founder of Beam Artistes. He was disbarred in 2022 because he physically and verbally abused his employees.
In a press release shared with local media, Seow said, "I wish to set an example for the Class of 2024 and show them that life has its ups and downs but we each just need to concentrate on doing better than what we have done the day before."
Bryan Lim
UK: Workers getting contacted outside of normal working hours could be compensated
Time is money, and now, there might be a price on your personal time even.
A new government policy in the UK is set to introduce a worker's right to switch off, establishing a boundary between professional and personal lives.
According to the policy, the employer and employee will agree to an expected set of hours in which they can be contacted.
And, if employers repeatedly breach this agreement, they could be liable for thousands of pounds in compensation.
Workers' Party welcomes PM Wong's policy shifts, calls for deeper reform on housing
The policy shifts announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the National Day Rally on Sunday (18 Aug) have been well-received by opposition party Workers' Party (WP).
In a press release shared with local media, the party welcomed the temporary financial aid for workers who have lost their job and the expanded parental leave.
Wong announced an unemployment support of up to $6,000 over a period of up to six months, and an additional 10 weeks of parental leave shared between both mother and father.
Additionally, Wong admitted to looking into housing concerns among singles but said more time was needed to make changes. The one change that can be made now, though, is extending BTO priority access to singles who are buying a flat to live with or near their parents.
On this new perk, WP reiterated the call to lower the eligibility age for singles to apply for a HDB flat from 35 to 28. This was first made in their 2020 manifesto during the General Elections.
WP wrote, "We urge the government to make this deeper policy reform sooner than later, to more comprehensively allay concerns among singles regarding housing access."
For more on WP's thoughts surrounding the new policy shifts, read here.
Bryan Lim
Singaporean loses passport, stuck in JB for 4 days
A lost passport turned a supper trip to Johor Bahru (JB) into a four-day stay.
Singaporean TikToker Sabrina Sim took to the social media platform to complain about the incident. She, and her friends, left their passport in the car as they thought it was safer than carrying it around.
When they were preparing to leave for Singapore around 5am, they realised that a few passports were missing – hers included.
As it was the day after National Day, and a weekend, the embassy wasn't open. To make matters worse, the coming Monday was a holiday for Malaysia, which meant the embassy would only open on Tuesday.
Police bust foreign-linked housebreaking syndicates in Bukit Timah
The recent rise in housebreaking cases at private residential estates seems to be linked to foreign syndicates involving Chinese nationals, according to local police.
Three individuals have been arrested and charged, and the police is still locating 14 others who are currently out of Singapore.
Police believe the suspects are transient travellers who enter Singapore one to two days before carrying out the crime.
Over the course of two months, from 1 June to 4 August, 10 housebreaking crimes were reported, mostly at private residential estates around the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road.
Philippines, China trade blame for vessel collision in South China Sea
A collision took place early Monday (19 Aug) morning in the South China Sea between a Philippine and Chinese vessel.
Both nations are pointing the finger at each other.
China's Coast Guard said the Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings and "deliberately collided" with a Chinese vessel.
The Philippines dispute the account and said Chinese vessels engaged in "unlawful and aggressive manoeuvres" against two of its coast guard vessels on a supply mission.
This latest incident comes on the heels of an agreement between both nations to ease tensions and manage disagreements at sea.
He tried to sue Disney over wife's wrongful death, but they said no. Why?
A man lost his wife and is suing Disney, but the entertainment giant is saying no.
The reason? He signed up for a Disney+ trial.
Jeffrey Piccolo and wife, Tangsuan, ate at a restaurant in Disney Springs, Florida, in October 2023. Tangsuan died after suffering a severe allergic reaction to the food.
According to court documents, she had informed the staff of her nut and dairy allergies multiple times and they reassured her that the food could be allergen-free.
They also got multiple confirmations that the food was safe to eat.
Disney is arguing that according to the terms Piccolo agreed to when he signed up for a Disney+ trial five years ago, any legal disputes with the company can only be settled via arbitration.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is Thailand's youngest-ever PM
Paetongtarn Shinawatra was sworn in as Thailand's youngest-ever Prime Minister on Sunday (18 Aug).
Shinawatra, 37, replaces former PM Srettha Thavisin, who was dismissed by the courts for appointing a Cabinet member convicted of bribery.
Both Shinawatra and Thavisin are from the Pheu Thai party. The party's de facto leader is Thailand's divisive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra (also Shinawatra's father), who will be indicted for defaming the monarchy.
The younger Shinawatra acknowledged her family ties but insisted she is her "own person".
She said, "I have my own things and my own goals that I have to achieve in the future, but of course all the comments from him (have) value to me."
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said his main aim in Ukraine after 30 months of fighting was to capture the eastern Donbas area -- and claimed that Ukraine's Kursk counter-offensive had made that easier."The aim of the enemy (in Kursk) was to force us to worry, hustle, divert troops and to stop our offensive in key areas, especially in the Donbas, the liberation of which is our main primary objective," Putin said at a forum in Vladivostok, in Russia's far east.
Donald Trump gave a rambling news conference Friday that was unhinged even by his standards, with him blasting his own legal team despite their recent victories for him in other trials.Trump also skewered E. Jean Carroll, his sexual abuse and defamation accuser, and claimed that he was again being treated unfairly by courts in New York City.As Trump aired his grievances at everyone including his own legal team, his defense attorneys, including Alina Habba, were photographed standing awkwardly be
The troops stagger onto a dusty track, then onto their knees, hands placed on their heads. Seconds later, the Ukrainian drone footage shows, they lie motionless.
The two Trump campaign staffers accused of being involved in a dispute with an Arlington National Cemetery official have been identified, according to a report from NPR.The broadcaster broke the allegations last week, revealing how two Trump staffers—whom it did not identify—got into a physical and verbal altercation with an Arlington employee who told them they couldn’t take photos in the cemetery’s Section 60.The staffers involved in the incident were identified by a source Thursday as Justin
Today, we bring you the latest news from the front lines, analyse the latest developments in Russia with former British Defence Attache John Foreman and we interview the director of a new documentary series, The Zelensky Story.
Former President Donald Trump will not be sentenced in his New York criminal case until after the 2024 election, Judge Juan Merchan announced Friday, explaining that his decision to delay the sentencing is in part to avoid any appearance of affecting the outcome of the presidential race.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday called on China to stop supporting Russia's war in Ukraine and said Beijing's assistance has been a significant factor in the continuation of the war. "China has become a decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine," Stoltenberg told reporters in Oslo. "China is the one that enables production of many of the weapons that Russia uses."
A former Taiwanese presidential candidate who was once mayor of the capital Taipei has been returned to custody as part of a sprawling corruption investigation. Ko Wen-je was returned to detention Thursday night in handcuffs after a legal panel overruled an earlier order allowing him to return home. Ko’s case involves alleged illegal favors and payments from a web of business people and local level politicians brought to light by an urban redevelopment project that stood to bring investors massive profits by avoiding required reviews.
The United States on Friday warned of growing risks for businesses operating in Hong Kong, saying that routine activities could run afoul of the financial hub's new national security regulations.The United States has repeatedly warned that Beijing-led security regulations are putting at risk the openness that allowed Hong Kong to flourish as a trading hub.