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An Indian-origin Singaporean man was charged on Monday with making a false terrorist threat at a church where all services for the day were cancelled, Channel News Asia reported. The incident took place on Sunday. Kokulananthan Mohan, charged with an offence under Regulation 8(2)(a) of the United Nations (Anti-terrorism Measures) Regulations, was arrested after a suspicious item was found at St Joseph's Church along Upper Bukit Timah region, which includes an upmarket residential area. According to charge sheets, the 26-year-old is accused of placing three cardboard rolls "filled with stone pebbles and sporting protruding red wires, held together using black and yellow adhesive tapes" in the church at about 7.11 am on Sunday. This was allegedly done with the intention of inducing another person to a false belief that the item was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property. "Preliminary investigations suggest that the man had allegedly stage
Investigations into the death of singer Zubeen Garg are ongoing but so far no foul play is suspected, Singapore police have said. Garg died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19. The case is currently still being investigated by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), in accordance with the Singapore Coroners Act 2010, the police said on Thursday. Based on our investigations so far, the SPF does not suspect foul play in the death of Garg, said the statement. Upon completion of the investigations, the findings will be submitted to the State Coroner in Singapore, who will hold a Coroner's Inquiry (CI), currently scheduled for January and February 2026. A CI is a fact-finding process led by the Coroner to establish the cause and circumstances of death. Its findings will be made public upon conclusion, said the SPF. Singapore police are committed to conducting a thorough and professional investigation into the case, it said. We seek the pati
Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of the July Uprising who was shot last week, died on Thursday while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital after fighting for his life for six days. Hadi, also a candidate in the scheduled February 12 general elections, was shot in the head by masked gunmen on Friday as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka's Bijoynagar area. The interim government of Muhammad Yunus on Monday sent Hadi to Singapore in an air ambulance for advanced treatment as doctors in Dhaka described his condition extremely critical. In a televised address to the nation late Thursday night, Chief Adviser Yunus announced Hadi's death and promised swift action to catch his killers. "Today, I came before you with very heartbreaking news. Sharif Osman Hadi, the fearless frontline fighter of the July Uprising and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, is no more among us," Yunus said. He vowed to bring those involved in this brutal murder to justice quickly, say
Tourists from India are among the biggest spenders on luxury goods in Singapore, helping the city-state's high-end product retailers defy a global downtrend in spending on premium products, a top business association here said on Monday. Indian tourists spent SGD 812.17 million in Singapore in the first half of 2025, a rise of 4.40 per cent over the same period last year, according to Singapore Tourism Board (STB) statistics. Indian travellers continue to be one of the island's most commercially significant markets, and they are among the tourists helping to lift luxury spending in Singapore, Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) Chairman Mark Shaw said. ORBA is Singapore's key body managing and promoting Orchard Road, a premier shopping belt. Experts say, besides India, tourists from China and Indonesia are also helping the city-state defy a global downtrend in luxury spending. Indian travellers have high spending and longer-than-average lengths of stay at 6.3 days. These long
Singapore, recognising the contribution of migrant workers towards multi-billion-dollar developments, has announced improvements to healthcare, accommodation and sport schemes for foreign workers as the manpower-short city-state marked International Migrants Day on Monday. Manpower Minister Tan See Leng emphasised the importance of appreciating the migrant community's role in Singapore's growth and success. He expressed gratitude on behalf of all Singaporeans to migrant workers, including domestic workers, for their contributions in building the nation and caring for its people, according to a report by The Straits Times. All of you our migrant workers can look forward to refreshed facilities and more diverse initiatives, from sports to entertainment and cultural performances, as well as training programmes such as English and digital literacy classes, The Straits Times quoted Dr Tan as saying. Singapore depends on migrant workers from South Asia, including India, China and ...
The High Commission in Singapore has opened a One Stop Centre (OSC) as part of the government's scheme to support Indian women in distress overseas. The initiative has been taken under the Indian government's Sakhi One Stop Centre scheme, marking a major step in extending women-centric welfare initiatives overseas. The establishment of One Stop Centre' at the High Commission of India in Singapore will provide a comprehensive support system to Indian (national) women in distress, High Commissioner Shilpak Ambule told PTI on Friday. As part of this initiative, assistance would be extended to distressed Indian women to cover legal, medical and other expenses, he said. The centre will offer integrated support services including legal aid, medical assistance, psychological counselling, temporary shelter, and emergency response for women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or economic abuse. Located within the High Commission's premises, the OSC aims to create a safe, ...
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk is close to completing its week-long participation in the Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX-25). The fifth edition of SITMEX, which began on November 23 and was hosted this year by the Republic of Singapore Navy, aims to bolster maritime cooperation, enhance inter-operability and strengthen the collective capability of the three navies in the Indo-Pacific region. The exercise opened with a three-day Harbour Phase that included cross-deck visits, professional exchanges and friendly sporting events to build mutual understanding and camaraderie among participating personnel. Naval Component Commander Commodore Nitesh Garg and INS Karmuk's Commanding Officer called on High Commissioner of India to Singapore Dr Shilpak Ambule and briefed him on the ship's visit for the ongoing maritime exercise, according to the High Commissioner on Friday. The Indian High Commission welcomed INS Karmuk, describing it as an indigenously built Kora-class ..
Singapore's talent strategies must remain flexible amid heightened disruption brought about by AI and other technologies and shifting workforce demands, a senior government official said on Friday. To keep our competitive edge as a global business node, we must continue to strengthen our position as a global hub for talent, by attracting talent from around the world, while also investing in our local talent pipeline, a Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Shawn Huang said. At the same time, we must not overlook soft skills that are AI resilient, such as creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and leadership, which will become more valuable as AI increasingly handles routine tasks," the Channel News Asia quoted Huang as saying when asked about the island state's latest ranking on attracting global talent. Singapore was ranked the world's most attractive place to develop, attract and retain talent, topping the Global Talent Competitiveness Index for the first ...
Bangladesh's High Court on Thursday ordered India's Adani Group not to proceed with its planned international arbitration in Singapore over the payment dispute with state-run Power Development Board (BPDB) until an investigation into its power supply deal is completed. The court officials said a two-judge High Court bench issued the order that the arbitration must remain suspended until a committee it appointed to scrutinise the power purchase agreement and investigate potential irregularities submits the findings. The order came in sequence of a lawyer's petition, seeking the High Court's intervention for review of scrapping BPDB's agreement with Adani, calling it a "one-sided" deal signed during deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's regime. The petition said Adani's power price is much higher than other regional sources, as electricity from Indian state-owned companies costs 5.5 taka per unit against 8.5 taka per unit by other Indian private companies, and from Nepal, it is 8 tak
Singapore businesses have said they are keen to join India's development journey, especially in fast-expanding sectors like green energy, and semiconductor, amid threat of disruptions in global supply chain. New challenges in markets are making it necessary to stay ahead of the curve and compete with a mindset to be global players, said Singapore-based executives at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) held during October 27-31 in the Lion City. One such business group looking at potential participation in India's development is SP Group, one of Asia Pacific's leading utilities groups, which has built and is operating the world's largest underground district cooling network. The group is expanding its portfolio of solar, battery energy storage, and EV charging solutions across the region. "There is increased momentum in India's electrification and clean energy transition," said Dean Cher, Managing Director of SP Mobility at SP Group. "We're open to sharing our experience .
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Singapore authorities have sent singer Zubeen Garg's post-mortem and toxicology reports to the state police. He maintained that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing Garg's death, has made substantial progress and will submit the chargesheet in court within the stipulated time. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme here on Friday, Sarma said, When our SIT visited Singapore, they had assured of cooperation. Today, the Singapore authorities have formally sent the post-mortem and toxicology reports and their guidelines related to sea under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT). The 52-year-old singer-composer had died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19. The 10-member SIT has arrested seven people so far, who are all currently in judicial custody. Sarma, who is also the state's home minister, asserted that the SIT will submit the chargesheet within the stipulated 90-day period. They (SIT
Singapore Police Force (SPF) is likely to provide crucial evidence, including CCTV footage and statements of eye witnesses, related to the death of Zubeen Garg within the next 10 days, a senior official said on Friday. Addressing a press conference, CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta said the Assam Police has requested their counterparts in the Southeast Asian nation to provide all relevant information to complete the ongoing investigation in a timely manner. Gupta and Titabor Co-District SP Tarun Goel, who had gone to Singapore four days ago to probe the unnatural death of the singer, returned on Thursday. Gupta is heading the SIT, while Goel is a member of the nine-member group formed to probe the case. "We met the Indian High Commissioner in Singapore and discussed all legal assistance required. We also had a discussion with a five-member high-level delegation of SPF, and it was a very fruitful meeting," Gupta told reporters here. The two police forces deliberated on the ...
Two senior officials of the Assam Police reached Singapore on Monday to investigate the death of singer Zubeen Garg in the island country last month, an official said. An SIT under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police is currently probing Garg's death case after more than 60 FIRs were lodged across the state. According to a senior official, CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta and Titabor Co-District SP Tarun Goel have already reached Singapore in a direct flight from Guwahati. Gupta is heading the special investigation team (SIT), while Goel is a member of the nine-member group. The official declined to share the details of the probe in Singapore, but a source said the two SIT members will visit the "place of occurrence where Garg had breathed his last". "Linking the series of events with the place of occurrence is one of the most important aspects of the entire investigation process. Besides, the Assam Police team will sit with their counterparts in ...