@X im sowwy

@T3D_SIMP

!chuds

!asians

The funny thing is that even if he contested he'd have lost LOL

!asians

https://old.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/1jfi5l6/look_what_the_rain_brought_in/

You may have woken up to the sound of rain pitter-pattering in Singapore on Mar. 20.

Rain has been falling over the island since Wednesday morning.

As of 10:02am on Thursday morning, temperatures in Tuas South have fallen to 21.9°C.

The west side of Singapore lodged temperatures that were slightly lower than the east.

Temperatures in Newton fell to 22.4°C.

The most amount of rainfall received was in Simei in the east, which recorded 123.2mm of precipitation since 10pm on Wednesday night.

Jurong Pier, in the south-western part of Singapore, only received 82.8mm of rainfall over the same period.

Newton received 111.8mm while Tuas South received 81.8mm.

Monsoon surge

Meteorological Service Singapore said in a Mar. 17 media advisory that a surge of north-easterly winds, also known as a monsoon surge, is expected to form over the South China Sea between Mar. 19 and 21, 2025.

For Singapore and the surrounding vicinity, the surge could bring windy and cooler conditions with periods of moderate to heavy showers.

While the monsoon surge will usher in aircon weather for a few days, intense rainfall may overwhelm drains and canals temporarily, causing flash floods, warned PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency.

As such, PUB encouraged residents to stay informed by subscribing to the PUB Flood Alerts Telegram channel and adjust their travel plans if needed.

!nooticers !chuds

https://old.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/1jaecej/meetthepeople_session_is_not_a_protest_venue_says/

Meet-the-People Session is not a protest venue, says Shanmugam after 2 women cause commotion

SINGAPORE – Two women confronted Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam at his Meet-the-People Session on March 12, causing a commotion outside his Chong Pang branch office that was caught on camera.

In a seven-minute video posted on Facebook by Mr Shanmugam, the two are seen wearing shirts with the word "Press" in front, and the names of journ*lists killed in Gaza on the back. They approach him to talk about the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma).

The video shows them questioning him in a confrontational tone as residents and volunteers look on.

At one point, they show onlookers the middle finger and shout at the minister when he walks away to attend to his duties.

In his Facebook post, the Nee Soon GRC MP said both women, who are sisters, were not residents in his constituency, and belong to a small group that has gone to different PAP Meet-the-People Sessions in the last few months to be "deliberately confrontational, create incidents, try and provoke".

They typically put out their version of events afterwards, painting the MP and his or her team in as negative a light as possible, he said.

The women belong to an activist group called Monday of Palestine Solidarity, said the People's Action Party in a statement.

The group has visited more than 10 Meet-the-People Sessions, including National Development Minister Desmond Lee's in West Coast GRC and Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo's in Jalan Besar GRC.

The PAP said the group would create a ruckus in the waiting area and disrupt the queue system while also filming and raising their voices, affecting residents who were at the sessions to speak to their MPs and volunteers.

The volunteers would also be subject to heckling by members of the activist group.

The PAP said: "It is not right that our volunteers are subject to taunts and accusations about their motives and character."

Mr Shanmugam said Meet-the-People Sessions are not places for protests.

"I understand that people may feel strongly about some issues. But (a Meet-the-People Session) is not a protest venue. It is where residents go to their MPs to seek help. Many have acute concerns – housing, jobs, medical needs, family issues, and would wait patiently, often for hours, to speak with their MP," he wrote.

"Hijacking these sessions is unfair to residents. There are appropriate avenues for advocacy – but disrupting sessions meant to help residents who are struggling with everyday challenges crosses a line."

Describing a Meet-the-People Session as "one of the most direct lines of assistance for many Singaporeans in need", the PAP said it empathised with the frustration and helplessness many feel about Gaza, and that people can turn to their MPs for support.

"Our MPs and volunteers have always taken the time to hear the views of our residents on this issue, which we then relay to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on their behalf," it said.

It added that many Singaporeans who feel strongly about the issue have already raised funds for Gaza through the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation and encouraged more people to step up efforts in donations to help displaced Palestinians.

In the video, Mr Shanmugam is seen explaining to the women that he sees only his residents at Meet-the-People Sessions, after one of them said she lives in Punggol.

She asks for proof that MPs cannot attend to non-residents at Meet-the-People Sessions, to which he responds that he will speak to them after attending to his own residents, if they do not mind waiting.

Initially, the two women agree. However, one woman then states that Mr Shanmugam's explanation is "not true", as other MPs have met non-residents.

In his post, Mr Shanmugam said MPs can exercise discretion in seeing non-residents, even if the branch decides that only residents will be attended to.

Most people understand this and would not accuse the MP of lying, he added.

The minister said the women accused him of lying, more than once, during the night.

"Their accusation, that I was lying, was typical of the way the engagement proceeded, through the night," he noted.

Added Mr Shanmugam: "The antagonistic way in which they spoke, behaved, interrupted, threw accusations of lying, suggested that they wanted to make a scene, get some material to put out, rather than engage in a genuine discussion."

In the video, one woman is seen getting agitated after being told that the conversation is being filmed. She demands that the video be deleted, adding that she did not consent to being filmed.

Mr Shanmugam responds that as it is a public area, his volunteers have a right to record it.

"I told them that, sometimes, my volunteers will follow me on my rounds, including at (Meet-the-People Sessions), video my interactions, take photos," Mr Shanmugam added in his post.

Reiterating that the sessions are for residents, he said he informed the women that he would be happy to discuss Pofma with them, if there is time.

"If there is no time, then they would be given a time for either me or someone else to see them, discuss Pofma," he wrote.

"I also had to step out for a while to join my Malay community leaders to launch a Hari Raya light-up in my constituency. I explained to them that it was a busy night, I had a lot of office work pending as well – so they had to understand if I was not able to see them that night."

In the video, when Mr Shanmugam turns to go back into the branch office, the two women, joined by a man, shout at him and call him a "coward".

Mr Shanmugam said in his post: "I went back to them to tell them off for behaving in this way – I was quite unhappy with the disruption they were causing.

"They can't, as non-residents, come to (Meet-the-People Sessions) and insist that their political discussion take priority over the needs of the waiting residents."

He added that he spoke to the women, along with two others, for 30 to 45 minutes towards the end of the session.

"I told them that we were recording the discussion – because I know what had happened in other Meet-the-People Sessions," he said.

He added that they told him they were not recording their discussion.

Said Mr Shanmugam: "I treat discussions at Meet-the-People Sessions as confidential, so won't go into what was discussed."

In a separate Facebook post, fellow Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng stated his view that advocacy is important.

Citing his own experiences in advocating different issues, he said: "But we must remain civil and respectful to get the change we want. That is part of advocacy as well."

!asians lol

Unlike Mr Trump's first term, when Singapore went without a US ambassador, this nomination came early. That Mr Trump nominated an ambassador to Singapore not even two months into his second term is a positive sign for the US-Singapore relationship.

The announcement also came just days after Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan's introductory phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where they reaffirmed the "strong and longstanding relationship" between the two countries.

An embassy can carry out most of its interactions with local agencies without the leadership of an ambassador. We saw this in the US Embassy in Singapore, which was run by two consecutive chargé d'affaires ad interim during Mr Trump's first term.

Yet, there is a significant gap between what a chargé and an ambassador can access and represent. An ambassador is seen as the personal representative of the president, giving them access to national leaders at a level that a chargé is unlikely to enjoy. That the nomination was made this early adds a welcome sense of urgency as well.

Starting the confirmation process early provides more time to address challenges that might emerge.

In 2017, Mr Trump nominated former Deputy National Security Advisor KT McFarland to be the ambassador to Singapore. However, the confirmation process in the Republican-held Senate was stalled due to concerns over her testimony during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Ms McFarland ultimately withdrew her name from consideration in February 2018.

Republicans may once again be the majority in the Senate, but it is advisable to play it safe and get the confirmation process started early.

!nooticers GRC = imagine if your congress/parliamentary representatives are voooooted in as a group, a lot of frickery abound when popular politicians are able to carry shittier ones

SMC = single member constituencies or the usual way an individual would be voted into congress/parliament

Some quick observations and potential implications:

Former Jurong GRC (best-performing PAP GRC in GE2020) split into four, will likely help to secure against opposition votes in the former Bukit Batok SMC and West Coast GRC. Grace Fu (former Yuhua SMC) will probably helm the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

Former Marine Parade GRC (third worst-performing PAP GRC) absorbs parts of former Potong Pasir and Macpherson SMCs (70% vote in GE2020), which is likely to improve the PAP's vote.

East Coast GRC, despite its boundaries being significantly changed, will probably still be a highly contested GRC, since it absorbed parts of (former) Marine Parade GRC.

Creation of Punggol GRC gives the same vibes of creation of Sengkang GRC in GE2020, could be risky for the PAP if they don't play their cards right.

SINGAPORE: Major changes have been made to Singapore's electoral map, with just five Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and four single-seat wards remaining unchanged from the last election.

Five new GRCs and six new Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) have been created, according to the report released by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) on Tuesday (Mar 11), almost seven weeks after it was convened.

The total number of constituencies now stands at 33, compared to 31 previously. The next parliament will comprise 97 elected Members of Parliament, up from the current 93, with each MP representing 28,384 voters – slightly fewer than in the last election.

The EBRC explained in its report that the changes took into consideration the significant growth in voter numbers in certain areas, along with consequential changes to adjacent wards. Some boundary lines have also been realigned along geographical features such as major roads.

Six of the 15 SMCs are new – Bukit Gombak, Jalan Kayu, Jurong Central, Queenstown, Sembawang West and Tampines Changkat.

Gone from the map are Yuhua, Bukit Batok, Hong Kah North, MacPherson and Punggol West, which have been absorbed into GRCs.

There are now 18 GRCs, including five new ones: Pasir Ris-Changi, Punggol, Jurong East-Bukit Batok, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights and West Coast-Jurong West.

Of the GRCs, 10 will have five MPs while eight will have four members.

The boundaries of the opposition-held Aljunied GRC were also redrawn for the first time since the 2011 hustings.

The EBRC was tasked to "keep the average size of GRCs, the proportion of Members of Parliament elected from SMCs, and the average ratio of electors to elected MPs, all at about the same as that in the last General Election", when it was formed in late January.

A total of 82 seats will be contested in GRCs in the coming General Election — an average of 4.56 MPs per GRC.

This continued a downward trend over the past election cycles. The 2020 contest saw 4.65 MPs per GRC, down from 4.75 MPs per GRC in 2015 and five MPs per GRC in 2011. The figure had peaked at 5.36 in 2001 and 2006.

The GRC system was established in 1988 to ensure that the minority races will be represented in parliament.

GRCs can have three to six MPs and at least one of them must be from a minority race. Moreover, the number of GRCs with a Malay MP cannot be more than three-fifths the total number of GRCs.

UNEVEN VOTER GROWTH

The overall growth in voters across the island was not evenly distributed across the various wards, said the EBRC in its report.

"Due to population shifts and new housing developments, some EDs (electoral divisions) such as Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Sembawang GRC, Tampines GRC, Hong Kah North SMC and Potong Pasir SMC have experienced higher growth than others," it said.

There were 2,753,226 voters on the electoral roll as of Feb 1 this year, an increase of 101,791 electors from 2,651,435 electors in the last contest, said the EBRC.

The starting point of its review was to look at wards which had grown significantly since the last election – Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Hong Kah North SMC, Sembawang GRC and Tampines GRC.

"Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC has seen the largest increase in the number of electors since the last GE, and will continue to grow with new housing developments," it said.

There are currently 184,593 voters in the constituency, up from 166,556 who cast their ballots in the 2020 contest – an increase of 18,037, or 10.8 per cent

The Punggol estates in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC were hence carved out and merged with Punggol West SMC to form a new four-member Punggol GRC, the EBRC said. "This will also better reflect the identity of the estates in Punggol town."

Hong Kah North SMC, which currently has 45,586 voters and breaches the upper limit for a single-seat ward, "has grown significantly and will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years, due to new housing developments in Tengah and Bukit Batok West", according to the report.

"It has become too big to remain as an SMC," said the EBRC, in explaining its rationale for absorbing the Tengah estates into Chua Chu Kang GRC.

A new Bukit Gombak SMC was then formed from the Bukit Gombak and Hillview estates in Chua Chu Kang GRC, in order to keep the ward as a four-member team while "accommodating significant future population growth in Tengah".

Voter growth also saw the creation of Sembawang West SMC from Sembawang GRC, and Tampines Changkat SMC from Tampines GRC.

"The committee also recommended reducing the size of Ang Mo Kio GRC, which has the most electors of any ED, by carving out some polling districts to form a new Jalan Kayu SMC," the EBRC said.

Ang Mo Kio GRC currently has 190,800 voters.

IMPACT ON ADJACENT WARDS

With the formation of the new Punggol GRC, the remaining districts in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC were then merged with adjacent areas from East Coast GRC. Together with the Loyang and Flora estates, they form a new four-member Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.

East Coast GRC then in turn took in districts from Marine Parade GRC, comprising the Chai Chee HDB estates and the Siglap private estates.

High population growth in Potong Pasir SMC due to the new Bidadari developments meant the EBRC moved districts from the single-seat ward to Marine Parade GRC.

MacPherson SMC and an adjacent district from Mountbatten SMC, were also absorbed into Marine Parade GRC.

"Even with the Tengah estates being absorbed into Chua Chu Kang GRC, the remaining Hong Kah North SMC, comprising Bukit Batok West estates, is still too big and growing," said the EBRC.

The remaining districts of Hong Kah North SMC, together with adjacent ones in Bukit Batok and Yuhua SMCs, hence merged with Jurong GRC to form a new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

To maintain the new constituency as a five-member team, some areas were carved out to form a new Jurong Central SMC.

Some estates in Jurong West and Taman Jurong were also moved to the adjacent West Coast GRC, with the new bloc renamed as West Coast-Jurong West GRC.

To maintain the number of MPs there, the eastern-most district of the current West Coast GRC, namely estates in Harbourfront and Sentosa, were placed under Radin Mas SMC.

Areas in the Dover and Telok Blangah estates were also absorbed into the adjacent Tanjong Pagar GRC. A new Queenstown SMC was then created from Tanjong Pagar GRC in order to maintain its five-member quota.

REALIGNMENT, DOUBLE-BARREL NAMES

Some other boundaries were also altered to align with key geographical features, said the EBRC.

"In particular, the HDB developments under construction at Rail Green I @ CCK and Rail Green II @ CCK straddle the current electoral boundary between Chua Chu Kang and Holland-Bukit Timah GRCs. The boundary was aligned to the former railway track which no longer exists," it explained.

The boundary was hence realigned along Woodlands Road instead, effectively assigning these new housing estates to Chua Chu Kang GRC.

Polling districts in Tampines West, located in the east of Bedok Reservoir and currently under Aljunied GRC, were also shifted to Tampines GRC.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC has also absorbed a portion of Upper Bukit Timah Road, currently under Jurong GRC.

"The committee recommended maintaining status quo for Bishan-Toa Payoh, Jalan Besar, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Nee Soon, Sengkang GRCs and Bukit Panjang, Hougang, Marymount and Pioneer SMCs," the EBRC said of the wards left untouched from 2020.

Double-barrelled names have also been adopted to "better reflect the identities of the geographical areas in the GRCs", added the EBRC.

POLLS IMMINENT

The next milestone will be to update and certify the registers of electors, before the elections are called later, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

The EBRC is made up of five senior public servants. Chaired by Secretary to the Prime Minister Tan Kee Yong, it also includes Singapore Land Authority chief executive Colin Low, Housing Board chief executive Tan Meng Dui, chief statistician Koh Eng Chuan and ELD head Lim Zhi Yang.

The government has accepted the committee's recommendations and will implement them.

With the release of the new boundaries, voters now await the date of the next general election, which must be held by Nov 23 this year.

The next step is for President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to dissolve parliament under the advice of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, after which the contest must be held within three months.

The government will continue to retain decision-making power until the election is over and the next government is sworn in. The public service also continues functioning as usual.

The writ is typically issued on the same day as parliament's dissolution.

There is no fixed timeline between the release of the EBRC report and the announcement of the election.

In the last hustings, Singaporeans waited just over 14 weeks, when the General Election was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in 2001, the gap was just one day.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ge2025-ebrc-grc-smc-general-election-boundary-changes-4992551

SINGAPORE: New citizens enrich Singapore and invigorate its economy "in ways beyond what numbers can show", said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Mar 9).

Speaking at the Teck Ghee citizenship ceremony at Nanyang Polytechnic, Mr Lee said new arrivals bring fresh experiences, diverse perspectives and global connections.

This helps Singapore to plug into the world and thrive as a regional hub and a global node.

"This is how cities like London, New York or Shanghai become great centres of culture and prosperity. They attract enterprising and adventurous people from all over the world to go there, to live and work.

"And the steady infusion of new arrivals sharpens them, sparks cross-fertilisation of ideas and cultures, and creates an environment of constant innovation and enterprise," he said.

Recalling his visit to Google's headquarters in Silicon Valley two years ago, Mr Lee noted that most of the presenters he met had grandparents who hailed from all around the world.

"That is America's enormous advantage – it draws top talent from every continent, and therefore it can innovate and stay ahead," he said, adding that Singapore must always be open to ideas and talent from around the world.

"This is how we became a shining red dot. Because our ancestors came here from many lands, made this their home, and built up this country. And is what we must continue to do, to shine even brighter in future – not just for our own sakes, but for our children and grandchildren too."

MEASURED AND BALANCED

The Singapore government is "keenly aware" of the need to handle immigration and integration sensitively, especially as the inflows are not small either, said Mr Lee.

Every year, there are about 30,000 citizen babies born and Singapore takes in about 22,000 new citizens.

"Even dragon year − last year − still not quite 30,000 citizen babies born. So we do need to bring in more people, more talent, more contributions," he said.

It is therefore crucial for Singapore to manage its immigration inflows carefully by keeping it measured and balanced, said Mr Lee. It is also important to pay close attention to relations and harmony between different ethnic groups, between new arrivals and people who are here, and take in people who can fit in and add to society.

He highlighted various ways Singapore integrates its new residents.

All of them undergo the Singapore Citizenship Journey prior to obtaining their citizenship. The Integration and Naturalisation Champions from the People's Association also run programmes to welcome and integrate new citizens into their communities.

"I hope now that you have become citizens, you will participate wholeheartedly in society, and make the effort to integrate," he told the audience.

"Learn our values and cultural norms, get involved and contribute actively to your communities."

"OUR SINGAPORE TEAM"

Mr Lee said other Singaporeans must play their part too, such as by making friends with the new arrivals who may be neighbours, colleagues or schoolmates.

He also encouraged Singaporeans to be "big-hearted" and welcome new citizens as valuable members of "our Singapore team".

"To help new citizens to fit in − to feel at home here, to pick up how our society works, and how we can live harmoniously together. And to firmly reject those who play up nativist and xenophobic sentiments for political gain, which will do great harm to our society."

Rounding up his address, Mr Lee emphasised how Singapore's success has always been built on its people – those who came earlier from distant lands, their children born here, and those who continue to join the country every year from all over the world.

"As long as we open our hearts and minds, we can together build a nation that remains vibrant, cohesive, and full of opportunity for those who call it home."

minister is cute !coomers

!asians in shambles

SINGAPORE: Singapore will consider caning scammers in certain cases, in recognition of the serious harm they cause, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said on Tuesday (Mar 4).

She was responding to a suggestion from MP Tan Wu Meng (PAP-Jurong) in her speech laying out the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) spending plans for the year ahead.

Dr Tan had earlier called for mandatory caning for scammers in egregious cases.

"We must send a clear message to scammers, the syndicates and those who abet them: If you mess with our people, make off with the life savings of Singaporeans, scam Singaporeans, we must do everything in our power to teach the scammers a lesson they won't forget," he said.

Ms Sun agreed with the need for stiff and deterrent sentences against those who facilitate scams.

After the recent introduction of new guidelines by a sentencing advisory panel, jail terms have generally been imposed for offences which facilitate scams, going as high as 19 months in one case, she noted.

GOING HARDER ON MONEY MULES

Ms Sun also announced that efforts to better detect money mule activity will be ramped up this year.

"We have been clamping down on them, because they are the main way overseas scammers launder their ill-gotten gains and transfer it out of Singapore," she said.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) will share more information with banks on known mule accounts, to improve their fraud analytics and enable them to uncover other mule accounts, she said.

"We will also work with the industry to implement cooling-off measures for certain activities which are tell-tale signs of money mule activity," she said.

Ms Sun warned that anyone seeking an easy profit by passing on their SIM cards or bank accounts to strangers, while "turning a blind eye" to what they are used for, would be breaching the law.

"Let me be clear. This is a crime and there is an imprisonment term for passing on your SIM cards or bank accounts to facilitate scams. Claiming ignorance does not get you off the hook," said Ms Sun.

Over 8,000 money mules and scammers were investigated last year, from 25 islandwide anti-scam enforcement operations by the SPF, said Ms Sun.

Of them, over 660 have been charged in court and will be jailed if found guilty, she said.

In one concluded case, a money mule had received RM1,000 (US$224) for sharing access to his internet banking account, without taking "reasonable steps to ascertain the purpose of this arrangement", said Ms Sun.

The bank account was later used to launder more than S$160,000 (US$118,989) of criminal proceeds.

"The money mule was convicted and sentenced to six months' imprisonment," said Ms Sun.

In her speech, Ms Sun reiterated that scams were a huge concern globally, and a scourge Singapore has been fighting for several years.

Despite efforts such as making banking apps malware-resistant and blocking calls from known scam numbers, the total amount lost to scams still hit a new high of S$1.1 billion last year, she said.

This was a 70 per cent increase from the year before, noted Ms Sun.

"Many people are rightfully very concerned about this, and so is the government. We must and we will redouble our efforts in this fight against scams," she said.

DBS Group Holdings plans to cut about 4,000 of its contract and temporary staff workforce over the next three years as artificial intelligence increasingly takes on roles carried out by human beings.

South-east Asia's largest lender has approximately 8,000 to 9,000 of such staff, according to chief executive officer Piyush Gupta replying to a query from Bloomberg News. He confirmed a Press Trust of India news agency report which said the bank will trim its workforce following further adoption of AI across its business.

Permanent staff will not be affected, the outgoing CEO said. DBS : D05 -0.58%has around 41,000 staff and Tan Su Shan, currently deputy CEO, will succeed Gupta on Mar 28.

A DBS spokesperson said: "The reduction in workforce will come from natural attrition as temp and contract roles roll off over the next few years."

Global banks will cut as many as 200,000 jobs in the next three to five years as artificial intelligence encroaches on tasks currently carried out by human workers, said a Bloomberg Intelligence report last month.

Chief information and technology officers surveyed for BI indicated that on average they expect a net 3 per cent of their workforce to be cut, according to the report.

Still, many firms have stressed that the shift will result in roles being changed by technology, rather than replaced altogether. Teresa Heitsenrether, who oversees JPMorgan Chase's AI efforts, said in November that the bank's adoption of generative AI was so far augmenting jobs.

In its latest results announcement, DBS said net profit for the fourth quarter rose 11 per cent from a year ago.

Net profit for the three months ended Dec 31, 2024, was S$2.52 billion, compared with S$2.27 billion previously, and was slightly short of expectations.

Excluding one-off items – a S$100 million corporate social responsibility commitment to DBS Foundation and other charitable causes – Q4 net profit would have been up 10 per cent at S$2.62 billion.

Following the results, analysts raised target prices and dividend estimates on DBS, predicting higher valuation ahead.

Maybank said DBS was giving significant visibility on capital returns. While earnings could grow at just 1 per cent compound annual growth rate between FY2025 and FY2027, dividends could expand at 7 per cent, delivering yields higher than 6.5 per cent, it said.

It upgraded its estimate for dividend per share (DPS) by 14 to 22 per cent between FY2025 and FY2027.

RHB added that one key highlight was DBS' management providing clarity on the quantum of excess capital of S$8 billion, and reaffirming its commitment to return this to shareholders over the next three years.

That will start with a capital return dividend of S$0.15 per share per quarter for FY2025 that DBS announced on Monday.

That is over and above its earlier share buyback programme and a S$0.24 increase in ordinary DPS this year, RHB noted. After factoring in the capital return dividend, RHB's estimate for its FY2025 DPS is S$3.06, from S$2.46. BLOOMBERG

!asians

!asians !chuds lol

SINGAPORE: An 18-year-old Singaporean student who identified as an "East Asian supremacist" and was radicalised by violent far-right extremist ideologies has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Nick Lee Xing Qiu, who is of Chinese ethnicity, had aspired to conduct attacks against Malays and Muslims in Singapore. He believed that the Chinese, Korean and Japanese ethnicities were superior, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Monday (Feb 10).

Lee was issued with a detention order in December last year. He is the third Singaporean youth with far-right extremist ideologies to be dealt with under the ISA.

The first case involved a then 16-year-old detained in December 2020 for planning machete attacks on mosques. The second case also involved a 16-year-old who was issued with a restriction order in November 2023 after authorities found that he identified as a white supremacist and aspired to conduct attacks overseas.

ISD also announced on Monday that a Singaporean housewife who was radicalised after the Israel-Hamas conflict has been put under ISA restrictions. A Malaysian man, who worked as a cleaner in Singapore, was repatriated for supporting Islamic State.

SELF-RADICALISATION PROCESS

Lee first started developing hostility towards Muslims in early 2023 after encountering Islamophobic and far-right content on social media. He spent several hours a day searching for and consuming extremist online content, according to ISD.

In June 2023, Lee searched for the livestream video footage of far-right terrorist Brenton Tarrant's attacks against Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Mar 15, 2019.

He watched the footage repeatedly and came to idolise Tarrant. He then downloaded video game modifications and role-played as Tarrant killing Muslims at the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch.

By early 2024, Lee's radicalisation deepened and he had developed a strong enmity towards Malays and Muslims, as well as other ethnicities traditionally targeted by far-right extremists including Jews, Mexicans, African Americans and Indians.

"He was also supportive of white supremacy because he felt that Islam was a threat to white culture," ISD said.

He had come across ethno-supremacist ideas that made him believe that Chinese, Korean and Japanese were superior ethnicities, resonating with them given his Chinese ethnicity and antipathy towards Muslims.

In September 2024, Lee got a tattoo on his right elbow of a sonnenrad, a symbol that was seen in Tarrant's manifesto and on his rucksack during the Christchurch attack. He also purchased T-shirts with custom printings of symbols associated with neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other far-right groups.

ENVISIONED STARTING A "RACE WAR"

Lee aspired to carry out attacks against Muslims in Singapore with other far-right individuals that he spoke to online. Although he claimed that he was too afraid to conduct an attack alone, he admitted he would have participated in attacks together with those he met online.

"His attack aspirations included conducting a Tarrant-style attack on Muslims at a mosque in Singapore using homemade guns, knives and Molotov cocktails," ISD said.

Lee had hoped to livestream the attack online, dedicating it to Tarrant.

He also thought about throwing Molotov cocktails at his Malay-Muslim neighbours during a religious holiday to maximise casualties. But apart from enquiring online on how to make a Molotov cocktail, he took no further preparations towards this.

The ISD also said Lee was deeply convinced by the Great Replacement Theory, which claims that white populations in the West are in danger of being replaced by non-white immigrants.

He believed that violence was necessary to prevent the Chinese majority in Singapore from being displaced by what he perceived to be a rapidly growing Malay population.

Lee envisioned starting a "race war" between Chinese and Malays in Singapore, by creating anti-Malay and anti-Muslim propaganda to post online, hoping to create animosity between the two races.

He started a social media account in late 2024 to instigate others to conduct attacks against Malays and Muslims. This account was used to repost far-right extremist videos, and he uploaded about 20 self-made videos glorifying far-right terrorists and containing anti-Malay and anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Lee's family, teachers and schoolmates were unaware of his radicalisation and there is no indication that he tried to influence them with his violent extremist views, ISD said. His attack plans were aspirational with no set timeline and investigations into his online contacts have found no imminent threat to Singapore.

"Far-right extremism is a growing security concern globally, and Singapore has not been immune to this threat," ISD said.

Although the movement is often associated with white supremacy, its broader messages of ethno-religious chauvinism, racism and xenophobia can appeal to non-whites.

"ISD will take firm action against any individual in Singapore who supports, promotes, undertakes or makes preparations to undertake armed violence, regardless of how they rationalise such violence ideologically or where the violence takes place," it said.

https://old.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/1iqhn87/involuntarily_celibate_inside_the_minds_of_incels/

lol sgraw has lots more salty threads:

https://old.reddit.com/r/SingaporeRaw/comments/1iqklhj/to_readers_of_st_who_come_here_after_reading_the/

https://old.reddit.com/r/SingaporeRaw/comments/1iqixh8/complain_about_ns_incel/

https://old.reddit.com/r/SingaporeRaw/comments/1iqj06y/straits_times_never_bash_incels_cannot_sleep/

Bump

crap didn't know the deleted the text too

someone archived the post https://old.reddit.com/r/SingaporeRaw/comments/1impt4x/love_how_people_still_talk_about_this_on_the_main/

https://old.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/1imlyk9/circle_line_train_fault_serangoon_station/

https://old.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/1imoa29/smrt_admits_fault_only_after_2_hours/