Protests grow in India over the rape and killing of a doctor at a state-run hospital
A physician who was a participant in the protests on Friday in New Delhi, Richa Garg, claimed she no longer felt secure at her place of employment. ” As a woman, it boils my heart. Our workplaces may be safer, she said, and the culprits of this offense should beContinue Reading
Protests may start off well-intentioned but often ‘get hijacked’, putting police in ‘impossible position’: Shanmugam
Aside from propaganda, hate speech, unusual disturbance, as well as underlying socio-economic problems such as employment and housing are different factors that have contributed to the demonstrations in the United Kingdom, said Mr Shanmugam.
The minister continued,” We do n’t allow this in Singapore,” noting that the nation makes efforts to “prevent such a situation from arising by having a carefully designed legal framework and also carefully designed set of policies that give priority to law and order.”
First, Singapore has a number of laws in place to address these possible problems.
The Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act ( MRHA ), which protects against the incitement of racial and religious hatred, includes a strict policy toward hate speech, in addition to the regulations imposed by the Public Order Act.
” Because when people are constantly exposed to hate talk … the hidden prejudices, biases may earn and finally, violence. That is evident everywhere in the universe. So we do n’t even allow it to start and we take action”, said Mr Shanmugam.
Since the MRHA was passed in the 1990s and afterward amended in 2019, government “haven’t had to get serious motion”, he said. He continued, adding that there have been “very few” situations involving race and religion that have been reported over the past five years.
His administration will also be introducing the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Bill, which, among other things, aims to strengthen existing laws that deal with cultural problems.
Separately, Singapore also has laws to deal with falsehoods and foreign interference, namely through the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act ( POFMA ) and Foreign Interference ( Countermeasures ) Act ( FICA ) respectively.
Collectively, this legal foundation forms a” helmet” that protects Singaporeans from the violence seen in other areas.  ,
Residents are not normally distinct or have always existed. But our model acts as a weapon”, said Mr Shanmugam.
Beyond that, we have empowered law enforcement to prevent it from becoming a mob or into anything more critical, including the few who make it through. So the result is no riots, racist attacks, violence- the kind of thing that you saw” . ,
End of the line for ‘Big Joke’
Police chief expectations will rise as the departure is suddenly announced.
Discussed: 16 Aug 2024 at 20: 38
With the standard news of his departure from the army, any hope that Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn might have had of becoming the federal police chief this year has vanished.
The high-profile official known as” Big Joke” was removed from his position due to a pending investigation of a major breach of discipline, said the statement. The decree was effective from April 18 onward.
The Royal Gazette news, countersigned by Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, even stated that a royal command to reject Pol Gen Surachate under Sections 140 and 179 of the Royal Thai Police Act Get 2565, and Police Commission laws, had been issued.
Pol Gen Surachate is disqualified from being considered as a member for federal police chief as a result of the departure. The present captain, Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, will leave on Sept 30.
The expulsion order stems from claims that Pol Gen Surachate was a part of an online gaming community, which are still being looked into. In June, the Police Commission affirmed the purchase with a vote of 12: 0.
He then appealed to the Police Commanders’ Merit System Protection Commission. However, the percentage agreed that the order was reasonable and ideal on August 5.
One more legitimate card is left for Pol Gen Surachate to play. He has filed a complaint against the purchase with the Supreme Court, according to Pol Gen Ek Aungsananon, a part of the Police Commission.
According to Pol Gen Ek, the expulsion order may be voided if the court decides in his favor, allowing him to become reinstated as deputy national authorities key.
The Supreme Court wo n’t say when or if the case will be considered.
Pol Gen Surachate has asserted on numerous times that he was the front-runner to Pol Gen Torsak as the leader. He has stated that the accusations of legal action are a part of his battle against him.
After the latter was chosen as general despite having less rank than any other member, a long-running conflict between loyalties to Pol Gen Surachate and Pol Gen Torsak grew even more so. Pol Gen Torsak is the Crown Property Bureau’s mind, Lord Chamberlain, and ACM Satitpong Sukvimol’s sibling.
In March, then-prime secretary Srettha Thavisin moved both officers generals to inert positions pending the outcome of an inspection because the conflict became such a diversion for the force.
The research report stated that investigations into alleged crime were up to other bodies, even though it stated that there had been ongoing political conflict on the force.
It furthermore stated that Pol Gen Surachate had been unfairly dismissed from his duties pending investigation and that Pol Gen Torsak should be reinstated.
However, the Police Commission also went back and approved the termination order.
Much regarded as a rising star on the police force, Pol Lt Gen Surachate. He was often out of the spotlight, putting himself at the center of cases involving everything from illegal motorcycle riders to immigration violators, as well as computer crime cases involving members of a division he led.
The child of a police, Surachate was born in 1970 in Songkhla. He immediately rose through the ranks to take over a neighborhood train before moving to Bangkok to lead the 191 job force. Before moving on to the visitor police, he received the most powerful position at the Immigration Bureau in 2018 and eventually became a deputy key.
In 2020 a shooter fired eight bullets into Pol Gen Surachate’s parked Lexus while he was at a “business gathering” in Bang Rak city of Bangkok. The event has never been solved.
According to a police origin, three officers commanders are candidates to become the next key: Kitrat Phanphet and Thana Chuwong, now assistant chiefs, and Kraiboon Suadsong, an inspector-general.
41 Palestinians injured in Gaza war flown to Malaysia for treatment
SELANGOR:  , Forty-one Palestinian civilians who suffered various injuries in the war in Gaza were flown to Malaysia on Friday ( Aug 16 ) for treatment, officials said. The lot Muslim country was reached by air travel from Egypt to the country’s capital, Cairo, using two Indonesian air force transportContinue Reading
India announces Kashmir polls after 10-year hiatus
From September 18th, India will carry important regional elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which is a disputed region.
These surveys are the first in nearly ten years and the first since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration removed the country’s unique position in 2019.
The 90 districts ‘ three-phased election will end on October 1 and counting will begin on October 4.
Some 8.7 million people, including 4.26 million people, may become eligible to vote, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said.
Assembly elections typically take place after five years, but democratic doubt had slowed down the process.
Elections are scheduled to take place in Jammu and Kashmir after a long absence, Mr. Kumar stated at a press event in Delhi on Friday.
He added that Kashmir had voted” for poll over gun”- as the place had witnessed a traditional voter participation of 58.46 % in the recently-held legislative elections, a 30-point leap in voter turnout from the 2019 general election.
The commission later stated on X ( previously Twitter ) that the long lines of voters during the general elections were” a testament to the will and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in writing their own destiny.”
Friday’s news comes just weeks after India’s Supreme Court upheld the state decision to scrap the amendment’s Content 370, which gave the place significant freedom. Additionally, the judge mandated that council votes be held by September 30.
The state had likewise divided the state of more than 12 million people into Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, two of which were under the federal government’s control, in addition to removing Kashmir’s unique status.
The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) under Mr. Modi’s leadership made the decision very unpopular in the state. The revocation was one of its poll promises in 2019.
The prime minister made his first appearance in the region since 2019 in March, telling reporters he was “working hard to win your souls.” He also announced projects worth 64bn rupees ($ 774m, £607m ) to support local agriculture and tourism.
However, local politicians and experts claim that the BJP’s rage is still present.
After India and Pakistan’s independence from Britain in 1947, the Alpine place split. Both the two nuclear-armed countries have fought two wars and had a brief fight over the place in the decades that have followed.
Tens of thousands of lives have been lost due to an armed rebellion against Delhi’s law in the Indian-administered area since 1989, and there is a significant military presence there.
Delhi accuses Islamabad of stifling harmony in the area and harboring insurgents, a command Pakistan refutes.
Kashmir continues to be dogged by incidents of violence. A recent spurt in militant activity – which seems to have shifted from the Kashmir valley to the relatively calmer Jammu region – is a particular cause for concern.
In June, nine Hindu pilgrims were killed and dozens injured after militants opened fire on a bus in Reasi – where the bridge is located – in one of the deadliest militant attacks in recent years. There have been several other attacks on the army and civilians.
Poisoning case witness nabbed for illegal tours
Discussed: 16 Aug 2024 at 20: 16
A Asian male has been detained for working as a trip guide without authorization after being a witness in the case of six colleagues who were found dead last month at a Bangkok guesthouse.
Phan Ngoc Vu, 35, was detained on Friday night as he addressed a group of visitors at a resort in the Bangkok district’s Ratchathewi area.
Following the ominous identification of six body in a place at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, police interviewed Mr. Vu next month. He had served as the group’s link, and the officers were attempting to establish a timeline of the events that occurred.
When five Asian women met at the resort to fix a financial dispute, police suspected a 56-year-old Asian lady with US citizen of using a deadly combination of cyanide and tea to poison five of their relatives. She therefore took her personal life, they concluded.
After Mr. Vu was questioned by police, visitor authorities became curious and decided to keep an eye on his behavior. They saw him many times taking Taiwanese tourists to various Thai attractions.
Without proper identification and a job force, he was charged with operating a tour company and working as a tour guide. He was taken for legal control to the police station in Phaya Thai.
Mekong group to work on human security
Among the areas of focus are waters resources management, air pollution, and intergovernmental crime.
Described: 16 Aug 2024 at 19: 57
One of the main topics raised at the ninth Mekong-Lancang Cooperation ( MLC ) foreign ministers ‘ meeting co-chaired by Thailand and China on Friday in Chiang Mai was human security.
Individuals agreed that enhancing surveillance at the local level may help ensure equitable progress in the greater Mekong subregion, which includes China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
People safety is a local challenge, and officials agreed to strengthen cooperation against frequent security threats, such as transnational crime, said Eksiri Pintaruchi, continuous secretary of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A combined statement called for increased cooperation on intergovernmental crime, mainly drug trafficking and crime, such as online scams and scam facilities.
According to Ms Eksiri, participation under the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Framework may include sharing of information and knowledge, observing border regulates, and establishing capacity.
Officials also focused on tackling transnational air pollutants, another obstacle to human security, by agreeing to do a Clean Air initiative to create a haze-free Mekong-Lancang community, she said.
A plan to expand cooperation in the field of water resources was also agreed on, encompassing both the Mekong River ( known as the Lancang in China ) and the countries through which it flows.
” Thailand pledges to continue working with all MLC members on fostering biodiversity, especially through the Mekong-Lancang water resources cooperation centre and the Mekong River Mission Secretariat”, said Ms Eksiri.
Singaporean previously linked to Newcastle United takeover bid jailed 15 years and nine months
SINGAPORE: A former director of Novena Global Healthcare Group ( NGHG ) was on Friday ( Aug 16 ) jailed for 15 years and nine months.
Nelson Loh Ne-Loon was found innocent of nine counts of fraud, fraud, and four for lying. The punishment also took into account 60 additional, comparable charges overall.
Loh was a member of a group of buyers looking to acquire English Premier League side Newcastle United in the 2020 season. A bargain not materialised.
Michael Wong Quickly Yuh, a former personnel of the medical company who worked closely with Loh, was found guilty of five counts of lying, according to the police, on Friday.  ,
He received an eight-year, six-month prison sentence.
The two Singaporeans, then both aged 45, left the country in earlier September 2020.  , They had travelled to China on a private charter journey, court records showed.  ,
But shortly after their departure, officers received a statement that petitions of accounting firm Ernst &, Young had been forged on some of NGHG’s financial statements.  ,
The men were detained in Shanghai in November 2022 and issued with permits of imprisonment and Interpol dark finds.  ,
According to Singapore officers, the pair returned in December 2022 with the assistance and cooperation of their Chinese counterparts.  , They have been in custody since their profit.
Between July and November 2018, Loh and Wong forged and submitted audited financial statements from NGHG, Giron, and a company of NGHG known as Novena Global Healthcare Pte Ltd .
The men then used those statements to obtain bank loans amounting to about S$ 68 million ( US$ 51.6 million ), the police said on Friday.
Court records showed that Loh and Wong improperly obtained money from six banks- Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, DBS, UOB, Citibank and HSBC.
The police claimed that the majority of the illegal money derived from these loan services were later transferred to local or foreign institutions.  ,
According to the police, US$ 630, 000 was used to finance a business deal involving Novena Global Healthcare Pte Ltd, which introduced illegal proceeds into the company’s offer network.
Up to four years in prison, a good, or both are possible penalties for each charge of forgery or conspiring to build.  ,
Engaging in a cheating conspiracy is punishable by a 10-year prison sentence and a good.
Those found guilty of money laundering may be jailed for up to 10 times, fined up to S$ 500, 000, or both.
‘I just wanted to play more golf’ says the most successful golf startup founder in Malaysia
- David Wong ran Deemples as a small fleet of 5 team when he raised US$ 2m ,  ,
- Moving from 12 % to 15 % of GTV, the company achieved first profitability last year.
Deemples and chairman of Malay golf Deemples and creator David Wong received US$ 2 million from a Singapore-based business venture capital firm, V Ventures, in May 2024. This brought its total funding raised to US$ 2.625 million ( RM11.6 million ), making Deemples the most successful startup, from a funding point, targeting the Malaysian golf market.
This is David’s eighth month, making this the longest David has ever lived. Since the late 1990s, startup founders have been trying to break into the Indonesian golf industry from a player and golf club perspective. Few have succeeded.  ,
Not a bad achievement by the 41 , year-old David, who admits,” I actually did n’t want to do it, because I just wanted to be a user, and play more golf”.
Grains wrought in 2014
Deemples seeds were planted in 2014, to be planted in 2015. Users then presently had programs to address their needs for a lot of items, like Tinder with dating, Capture with ride-hailing, FoodPanda with food and food delivery, Airbnb with hospitality.  ,
Therefore, it made feeling for there to be a system where golfers could enjoy along, as David had intended.
” I was hoping that there was a Tinder for sport out there that I could use to meet and get different people to play with at particular times that were suitable for me,” he said.
But he could n’t find such a platform.
Deemples ‘ concept was born with the intention of amp;nbsp; achieving his desire to play more golf. ” My friends could n’t play whenever I wanted to play because our times did n’t match, and I did n’t know a whole lot of golfers”.
With a full-time career in Shanghai and the luxury of working with an outsourced development team to create the software in the hopes of testing the market response, he decided to jump in with both feet and took the only chance. It did not go well.
Working with a team that did n’t care about his project was a lot of work. So he gave up on this. It was 2015.
At this point, David however wanted to pursue Deemples, even though it would be simple to do so. He took the experience while,” Part-and-parcel of trying and failing”.
He was aware from the beginning that it would be challenging, particularly since he had no leader to give him a blueprint or advice. He continues to struggle with the latter.
His knowledge selling books during his student days helped him emotionally for the challenging road ahead.
” I was selling ebooks door-to-door part-time, across three state, while studying in Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in the US. They told me it was going to be hard, and I was mentally ready”.
He adopted that mind-set and was willing to give up a bit, also go broke developing Deemples.
Things improved in 2016 when he hired a friend with a background in technology to work on the game for his first CTO.  ,
The software was launched in Sept 2016, with David’s primary aim to find 1, 000 downloads in Malaysia and 500 in Singapore. ” I told myself that if this hits 1, 500 files, I had quit my job”, he said.
Little did he know, but by Jan 2017 it had reached over 3, 000 files. David left his job in June with a distinct market potential.
His confidence was further bolstered when three friends whom he pitched Deemples to in 2014 when he was based in Shanghai, invested a combined US$ 125, 000 ( RM525, 000 ) after he went full time.
A minute funding round was provided for David in April 2019, which ultimately totaled US$ 150, 000. It was announced as US$ 105, 000 but David explains that another US$ 45, 000 came in after the news. In the interim, he appointed Ahmad Daleen as CTO, replacing his second CTO who left the same year.
Trying to monetize the marketing design and user growth
David made a point of getting as many users as possible in accordance with the company ecosystem’s prevailing pre-pandemic time mantra.
” In that same year, 2017, we expanded to Manila, to Jakarta, trying to build a customer basic, but nothing really stuck”, David said.
The corresponding argument of Deemples was finally realized that neither the business model nor the user experience aspect were sufficient. After all, no a pays to record for their Grab, FoodPanda, or Boost apps, charging customers to use the matching services may turn many people out.
From the user experience, it does n’t complete the experience.  ,
” After I find someone to play golf with, I would still need to book a golf program”, David explains. Which is why David focused on a transaction-based booking system for Deemples in 2019 where users give a tee off fee to Deemples, who would then reimburse the clubs. This marked the beginning of his monetization journey.
” We started testing the model at a number of programs in the Klang Valley,” he said.
When profits started coming in 2020, he immediately raised US$ 350, 000 through pitchIN’s capital fundraising program in Sept. He actually raised US$ 230, 000 but with the Malaysian government matching any funding raised through equity crowdfunding via the Malaysia Co-Investment Fund ( MyCIF ) grant initiative, he received an extra 50 % investment.  ,
Moving from 12 % to 15 % cut of GTV &, doubling revenue for past 3 years
Initially from 2020, Deemples took a 12 % cut of the Gross Transaction Value ( GTV ) from tee off bookings. ” Only now, we are moving towards a 15 % cut”, he said.
The first year it activated its income type, Deemples generated RM1 million in GTV, in 2021 it was RM2 million, in 2022 it was RM4.8 million and last year it was RM9 million in GTV.
” We’ve been doubling our GTV every year for the last three years, and 2023 was the first time that we reached revenue at around RM1 million and were profitable”, David said.
” This year however, we wo n’t reach profitability because we are investing more into growing the business, growing users, increasing marketing activities, and helping golf courses achieve their revenue goals by upgrading our product”.
The team has already begun developing innovative features, underlying fundamental modifications, and design improvements that may make it simpler for both golfers and golfers to employ.
Running a small fleet
What is distinctive about David is how, pre-raising the US$ 2 million, he has run Deemples as a very small fleet with staff at five individuals.
” We had to concentrate on growing the business rather than creating new products, so it was only Ahmad on the digital side.” But after May of this year, we have grown the technical staff to five top designers and one UI/UX people”, said David. The current personnel is 16
The latest overall customer base is between 80, 000 to 90, 000 with 11, 000 monthly active users on the game while the web has 30, 000 monthly active users.  ,
This engaged user base provides useful information for golf clubs. ” Since many of these clubs do n’t have their own CRM ( customer relationship management ), they can use us to reach a lot of golfers”, he said.
” While sportsmen is article games at all golf clubs in Malaysia, we work competitively with 80 venues, who accept payments sincere from golf via Deemples”, he added.
Hotels work together to offer package services for lodging and transportation when golfers travel from outside the state or the country.
Various brands in real estate, finance, travel, luxury, and automotive who want to engage with golfers, who are mainly middle to high income males ranging between 25 and 65 years old, also partner Deemples.  ,
Lessons learnt
Over his eight-year journey, the key lesson David has learned is to say’ No’ to a lot of things, and focus on things that matter.
Because everyone will want you to behave in their ways, it’s clear that you wo n’t do anything well and that there are only so many hours or resources to play around with if you try to please everyone.
He has also learned to be focused, especially when resources are tight, not just on the product offering but also on the geographic focus. And even now, with resources available, thanks to the US$ 2 million funding, he says, “you can plan product and geographic expansion accordingly with a specific amount of focus”.
For the ardent golfer, who has been playing since 2009 and has a lowest ever handicap of 14 versus 19 when he launched Deemples in 2017, David says he has” no desire to improve it- because golf is a tough game and it takes a lot of effort to improve.”
Nonetheless, it is a game anyone can enjoy, despite their handicap, says the Deemples power user who has racked up around 450 tee times. ” Sadly, I am not the top power user as there are those who have racked up over 500 tee times” . , But that’s good for business.
Money laundering syndicate crippled in joint Hong Kong, Singapore and Interpol operation; 8 arrested
Digital SUPPORT SCAMS ,
Between January and July, 185 information related to technical support schemes were made, with costs amounting to at least S$ 17.9 million, said SPF.  ,
Victims of this kind of fraud would often get screen pop-ups claiming their laptops or desktops had been hacked by malware on their computers.  ,
The pop-ups would also provide phone numbers for the sufferers to phone in addition to telling them to call Microsoft or Apple technical support right away.  ,
Scammers who pretend to be Microsoft or Apple tech support personnel would then make the claim that the patients ‘ devices had been hacked by “hackers” and used for illegal purposes when they received the call.
The scammers would therefore advise patients to download software and/or access websites that would give them remote access to their devices.
After this, the patients may be instructed to log into their i-Bank balances under the excuse of helping to catch the “hackers.”  ,
This, however, was to help the scammers to get the victim’s online bank ID and password.  ,
From there, they could use the victim’s bank account’s distant access feature to carry out illegal deals.
In some situations, victims were instructed to create bitcoin accounts or deliver one-time passwords to e-wallet transactions.  ,
They would only become aware of their own being defrauded when they discovered illegal payments or conclusions from their bank balances.