Latest news with #ParliamentaryElectionsAct
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GE2025 failed voters may apply to restore names to Registers of Electors from 30 May; Bakes n Bites owners clarify stall still open after Chee Soon Juan video: Singapore live news
Did you vote in the Singapore General Election 2025 (GE2025)? If you didn't cast your vote though you were eligible, your name would have been removed from the Registers of Electors, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act. In a statement on Thursday (29 May), the Elections Department (ELD) said that such Singaporeans can apply to restore their names to the Registers from Friday (30 May). In other news related to a Singapore political figure, an elderly couple who run 15-year-old hawker bakery Bakes n Bites have said that sales have plunged at their stall after Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan published a video on his Facebook page that stated that the bakery had closed. Dr Chee had posted a video on 25 May discussing Singapore's food and beverage industry crisis and in it, he mentioned several eateries that have closed, including Bakes n Bites. However, the stall is still open for business. Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates. Did you vote in the Singapore General Election 2025 (GE2025)? If you didn't cast your vote though you were eligible, your name would have been removed from the Registers of Electors, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act. In a statement on Thursday (29 May), the Elections Department (ELD) said that such Singaporeans can apply to restore their names to the Registers from Friday (30 May). ELD said, "We encourage non-voters to apply to restore their names to the Registers so that they can vote at the next election. Under the law, ELD will not be able to restore their names from the date the Writ for an election is issued until after Nomination Day if the election is not contested, or until after Polling Day if a poll is to be taken." Read more on how to check if you're on the Registers and how to apply to restore it. An elderly couple who run 15-year-old hawker bakery Bakes n Bites have said that sales have plunged at their stall after Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan published a video on his Facebook page that stated that the bakery had closed. Dr Chee had posted a video on 25 May discussing Singapore's food and beverage industry crisis and in it, he mentioned several eateries that have closed, including Bakes n Bites. However, the stall is still open for business. According to a report in Channel News Asia, stall owner and baker Christopher Lau, 72, wrote to Dr Chee seeking an urgent correction and for any mention of Bakes n Bites to be removed from the video. A representative from SDP replied on behalf of Dr Chee, with an apology and confirmation that the video has since been amended. "Dr Chee has removed his original video and uploaded an amended version that doesn't reference Bakes n Bites in it," the email read. The new video was uploaded on 27 May. In the caption, Dr Chee also said, "In an earlier version of this video, I had posted that Bakes & Bites had closed. This was an error. Bakes & Bites are still very much in operation. My apologies to the owners of the outlet for the error." In Tiong Bahru, the 14 Tiong Bahru HDB blocks that had ignited much debate after residents found out the buildings were to be painted in purple, will now be painted in a new brown colour scheme. This comes after a poll among residents, held from 26 to 28 May, showed that 40 per cent of Boon Tiong Road residents picked the "taupe" colour scheme. Read more about the Tiong Bahru HDB flats painting saga. An Indonesian man has been charged in a Singapore court for allegedly using over 250,000 KrisFlyer miles from other people's accounts to go on a shopping spree. Rizaldy Primanta Putra, 28, faces four charges under the Computer Misuse Act, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported. Citing from court documents, CNA reported that Rizaldy was accused of using 4,672 KrisFlyer miles on to buy $31.15 worth of items at Bugis Junction through a KrisPay wallet linked to an account that was not his. Less than two weeks later, he allegedly spent another 245,491 KrisFlyer miles — from a different stolen account — to buy goods worth $1,636.61 at Changi Airport. His bail was set at $15,000. Read more on the case of the KrisFlyer miles here. It's a busy period for Singapore's ministers as they host foreign dignitaries here for a state visit and the Shangri-La Dialogue. French President Emmanuel Macron is in town on May 29 and 30. On Friday, he delivers the keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, making him the first European leader to do so. France and Singapore will exchange agreements to co-operate in areas including defence and security, law, artificial intelligence and transport during his visit. On the first night of his visit, Macron and his wife was hosted by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his spouse to a Lau Pa Sat outing. The two couples walked through the food centre, where they were greeted by swarms of diners. They tried local food such as chee cheong fun and char kway teow. Meanwhile, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth met with Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing on Friday (30 May) on the sidelines of the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue. This is the first time the duo has met, with Chan hosting Hegseth to breakfast. Chan is Singapore's new Defence Minister, after relinquishing his education portfolio in the latest round of Cabinet changes. Hegseth is a former Fox News host and a veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He took office in January under US President Donald Trump's current administration. In a Facebook post after their meeting, Mr Chan said he showed Mr Hegseth the view of the Republic from the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark. Both men are been alumni of Fort Benning, a US Army post in Columbus, Georgia. So far this year, the number of million-dollar transactions for four-room HDB flats has surpassed that for five-room flats. This year, 244 four-room flats have fetched at least $1 million, compared to 205 five-room flats. This is the first time that such transactions for four-room flats have outnumbered those for their five-room counterparts. Why is there such a phenomenon? For one, it's the usual factor when it comes to property: location. Among the 18 HDB towns with million-dollar transactions, six have had more million-dollar four-room flats than five-room flats so far this year. The six towns are Bukit Merah, Central Area, Geylang, Kallang/Whampoa, Queenstown and Toa Payoh. Notably, all six towns are in the central region. Find out more in this deep dive into the HDB towns with such a phenomenon and examine the possible reasons behind it. In a new trial, non-life-threatening 995 calls will be referred to a medical triage helpline, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday (30 May). The nationwide trial will start on 1 June. In a statement, the ministries said that the helpline, known as NurseFirst, will provide medical advice on a caller's medical condition and guide callers to appropriate medical care options. Operated by Woodlands Health, NurseFirst began as a medical triage helpline pilot on 4 February 2022 for the management of non-life-threatening cases in the Northern district. It aimed to reduce emergency department attendances by guiding callers to appropriate alternative care sites. The pilot was supported with funding from MOH. As an expansion of the pilot, the NurseFirst helpline will widen its coverage to serve callers islandwide for six months, the ministries said. Trained nurses, with medical oversight from emergency medicine physicians, will assess callers based on their symptoms, and advise those with non-life-threatening conditions on the various appropriate alternative care options nearest to them. They added that the calls for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have been increasing rapidly over the years. In 2024, SCDF responded to 245,279 EMS calls – that's an average of 672 calls per day, a 57% increase from 2014. "With Singapore's ageing population and rising healthcare needs, EMS calls are expected to continue increasing," they said. A 51-year-old man has been arrested over a fire that broke out at Whampoa Heights on Thursday (29 May). The man, along with four others aged between 12 and 74, were taken conscious to hospital for smoke inhalation, according to SCDF and the police. The Straits Times reported that in photos of the incident, flames can be seen on the second and third floors of Block 20 Jalan Tenteram, with thick black plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Those who failed to vote in GE2025 can apply to restore names to Registers of Electors from 30 May: Singapore live news
Did you vote in the Singapore General Election 2025 (GE2025)? If you didn't cast your vote though you were eligible, your name would have been removed from the Registers of Electors, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act. In a statement on Thursday (29 May), the Elections Department (ELD) said that such Singaporeans can apply to restore their names to the Registers from Friday (30 May). Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates. Did you vote in the Singapore General Election 2025 (GE2025)? If you didn't cast your vote though you were eligible, your name would have been removed from the Registers of Electors, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act. In a statement on Thursday (29 May), the Elections Department (ELD) said that such Singaporeans can apply to restore their names to the Registers from Friday (30 May). ELD said, "We encourage non-voters to apply to restore their names to the Registers so that they can vote at the next election. Under the law, ELD will not be able to restore their names from the date the Writ for an election is issued until after Nomination Day if the election is not contested, or until after Polling Day if a poll is to be taken." Read more on how to check if you're on the Registers and how to apply to restore it. Did you vote in the Singapore General Election 2025 (GE2025)? If you didn't cast your vote though you were eligible, your name would have been removed from the Registers of Electors, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act. In a statement on Thursday (29 May), the Elections Department (ELD) said that such Singaporeans can apply to restore their names to the Registers from Friday (30 May). ELD said, "We encourage non-voters to apply to restore their names to the Registers so that they can vote at the next election. Under the law, ELD will not be able to restore their names from the date the Writ for an election is issued until after Nomination Day if the election is not contested, or until after Polling Day if a poll is to be taken." Read more on how to check if you're on the Registers and how to apply to restore it.
AsiaOne
19-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
WP's Andre Low and Eileen Chong declared elected NCMPs, Singapore News
Workers' Party (WP) members Andre Low and Eileen Chong have been declared elected Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs), the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Monday (May 19). Low, 33, contested the Jalan Kayu SMC against People's Action Party's (PAP) Ng Chee Meng and lost, but received the highest percentage of votes (48.53 per cent) amongst the unelected opposition candidates. WP also contested the Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC) to receive the second highest percentage of votes (47.37 per cent) amongst the unelected opposition candidates. They had lost in the four-cornered fight against the PAP. The team, consisting Eileen Chong, Faisal Manap, Dr Ong Lue Ping, Jimmy Tan and Michael Thng were contacted by the Returning Officer Han Kok Juan on May 9 and asked to determine among themselves the candidate to be declared elected as NCMP by May 19, according to ELD's media release. The WP team informed the Returning Officer on Sunday (May 18) that they would nominate Chong, 33, as the candidate to be declared elected as NCMP. According to the Parliamentary Elections Act, the number of NCMPs to be elected for GE2025 is 12 minus the number of Opposition MPs elected. NCMPs are then determined from among contesting opposition candidates, with the candidate receiving the highest percentage of votes being placed first, followed by the other candidates in descending order based on the percentage of votes polled by them, ELD stated. This year, 10 Opposition MPs were elected, all from the WP. They are: Party secretary-general Pritam Singh, party chair Sylvia Lim, Gerald Giam, Kenneth Tiong and Fadli Fauzi for Aljunied GRC; He Ting Ru, Louis Chua, Jamus Lim and Abdul Muhaimin for Sengkang GRC and Dennis Tan for Hougang SMC. [[nid:718162]] khooyihang@
New Paper
02-05-2025
- Politics
- New Paper
Father under investigation for bringing kids to distribute campaign flyers in Punggol
A man is under investigation after reportedly bringing his two children along to hand out campaign flyers for the People's Action Party (PAP) in Punggol. The incident came to light after a Reddit user shared CCTV footage on April 27, showing two children going door-to-door at an HDB block while distributing leaflets. The user claimed his bicycle was damaged by the children, who were seen playing around during the activity. A thud can be heard after the boy lost his balance. SCREENGRAB: CHARACTER_STOCK_9018 / REDDIT In the clip, a boy is seen jumping to kick a girl before losing balance. A loud thud is then heard. In a joint statement, the Elections Department and the police confirmed that a police report on the incident was received on April 28. Preliminary investigations found that a 48-year-old man was distributing campaign leaflets with two children under the age of 16. Lianhe Zaobao reported that the man brought his children with him as he did not want to leave them alone at home, and was unaware that his actions had violated the law. According to the Parliamentary Elections Act, persons under the age of 16 are not allowed to participate in election-related activities. The Elections Department has advised political parties to remind their members to comply with election campaigning laws. Police investigations are ongoing.
Online Citizen
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Online Citizen
Singapore blocks Jom articles on Meta over election ad rules, citing unauthorised paid promotion
SINGAPORE: On 30 April 2025, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) confirmed that three articles published by the Singapore-based digital magazine Jom were blocked for local users on Facebook and Instagram. The action, carried out by Meta, followed a directive issued by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on 23 April. It came amid concerns that the articles constituted unauthorised third-party paid Online Election Advertising (OEA) during the general election period. Jom, which describes itself as an independent magazine covering culture, politics, and society in Singapore, had promoted these articles through paid advertisements on Meta's platforms. According to MDDI, the three articles in question were titled: These pieces, which either praised or criticised political figures and policies, were deemed to meet the legal definition of OEA under the Parliamentary Elections Act (PEA). The PEA defines OEA as any online material that could reasonably be regarded as intended to promote or prejudice the electoral success or standing of a political party or candidate, regardless of other intended purposes. Singapore law permits only political parties, candidates, election agents, and authorised third parties to publish paid OEA. Such activities must also be declared to the returning officer. MDDI stressed that these rules are in place to ensure accountability and prevent circumvention of election expense limits. Unpaid OEA remains legal outside the campaign cooling-off period, which runs from midnight on 2 May until polling closes on 3 May. In response to media queries, MDDI reiterated that unpaid OEA on Jom's website remains accessible. The ministry noted that other online commentators had complied with these rules. Jom contests classification of journalism as political advertising Jom expressed strong disagreement with the government's classification. In statements issued on its social media platforms, the publication said it had only sought to promote journalism to new readers through standard digital marketing practices. Jom called the order 'shocking' and argued that its content was not designed to influence voter behaviour, but to inform and analyse, as journalistic work typically does. 'Our work was never 'intended' to promote or prejudice anybody, but simply to analyse and report,' Jom said. The magazine specifically cited the housing article, noting that it was first published 18 months ago. It contended that describing public policies from multiple perspectives should not be viewed as electioneering. Jom reported that, after consulting legal counsel, it contacted IMDA via the designated email for election-related issues, requesting clarification within 48 hours due to the urgency of the situation. The agency responded on 29 April, stating that Jom had contravened section 61K(1) of the PEA. Jom said it was not provided with further substantive clarification. Additionally, the outlet revealed that a fourth article, Inequality and your vote, had also been restricted from promotion on Meta, though this was not mentioned in the government's initial announcement. Concerns over press freedom, competition, and public discourse Jom raised concerns about what it views as broader implications for press freedom, democratic engagement, and competition in Singapore's media landscape. 'This order undermines our integrity as journalists,' the publication stated, arguing that it was being unfairly penalised while state-affiliated platforms and influencers operated without similar constraints. It also noted that the ruling hinders the viability of small media firms trying to build readership through legitimate digital channels. 'Our ability to grow our readership and business through social media is vital,' Jom said. 'Far from nurturing media entrepreneurs, IMDA cripples us.' Meta defines boosted posts as advertisements and requires them to follow applicable advertising laws. According to the platform, even if a post is originally published as standard content, paying to increase its reach classifies it as an ad. This distinction played a key role in the enforcement of Singapore's election laws in this case. Jom acknowledged that the order only barred the promotion of its articles on Meta, and that the content remains freely accessible on its own website. Jom questioned whether the decision was a bureaucratic misstep or a politically motivated move aimed at silencing independent commentary during the election season. 'Are [readers] only supposed to hear mainstream media and PAP-influencer views?' Jom asked. Despite the controversy, Jom stated its commitment to continue reporting on Singapore's general election and other pressing national issues. 'We will not succumb,' the statement read. 'We will continue to do our honest work.'
