SINGAPORE ACCREDITS BRUNEI AS NEW SOURCE FOR HEN SHELL EGGS

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has accredited Brunei Darussalam (“Brunei”) as a new source to export hen shell eggs to Singapore. This was announced by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu during her visit to Golden Chick Livestock Farm Sdn Bhd in Brunei on 13 December 2022. Golden Chick Livestock Farm is the first Bruneian farm to export eggs to Singapore. This brings the number of countries and regions accredited to export hen shell eggs to Singapore to 17, up from 12 in 2019.

Food Cooperation between Singapore and Brunei

2 Minister Fu is on an official visit to Brunei from 13 to 15 December 2022 to discuss and strengthen agri-food, environmental, water resource management, and climate change cooperation between the two countries.

3 Singapore and Brunei share long-standing and close bilateral trade relations. The signing of various Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) in recent years underscores both countries’ commitment in deepening collaboration in food security. These include the MOU to enhance collaboration in agrifood and agro-technology in February 2021, as well as the MOU on strengthening trade and investment in food and medical products in August 2022. The accreditation of Brunei as a new country source for eggs is another step towards augmenting food cooperation between both countries, as Brunei looks to produce eggs for export while Singapore diversifies its egg import sources further.

Strengthening Singapore’s Egg Supply Resilience

4 Eggs imported into Singapore must come from accredited sources that meet SFA’s strict food safety standards and animal health standards. Refer to Annex A for more information about SFA’s accreditation process.

5 Currently, egg imports account for approximately 70 per cent of our egg supply. Efforts to diversify the nation’s egg supply over the past three years have helped us to withstand supply disruptions arising from unexpected events due to disease issues and geopolitical tensions and ensured a stable supply of eggs in Singapore. For example, in 2021, imported eggs from sources such as Thailand, Australia, Spain and Poland contributed to some 18 per cent of Singapore’s egg supply, up from 2 per cent in 2019. SFA will continue to actively accredit new sources, work closely with the industry to diversify their supplies, and strengthen their resiliency including through Business Continuity Planning.

6 Local egg production currently contributes to about 30 per cent of our total egg consumption and complements efforts on import source diversification. The upcoming development of the fourth egg farm in Singapore with a state-of-the-art, productive and sustainable egg facility will further strengthen the resilience of our local egg supply. When fully operational, our local egg farms will meet about 50 per cent of Singapore’s
egg demand and contribute towards Singapore’s 30-by-30 goal to build the agri-food industry’s capability and capacity to sustainably produce 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030. Refer to Annex B on Singapore’s overall strategy to safeguard our food supply.

Issued by SFA
13 December 2022

MAN ARRESTED FOR LOANSHARK HARASSMENT WITHIN EIGHT HOURS

The Police have arrested a 36-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a loanshark harassment case.

On 9 December 2022 at about 3.20pm, the Police were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment along Pasir Ris Street 21 where the doors of two residential units were splashed with red paint and debtor’s notes were left at the gates.

Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from Police and CCTV cameras, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him within the same day. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is allegedly involved in six other cases of loanshark harassment islandwide.

The man will be charged in court on 10 December 2022 under the Moneylenders Act 2008. For first-time offenders, the offence of loanshark harassment carries a fine of between $5,000 and $50,000, with mandatory imprisonment of up to five years, and mandatory caning of up to six strokes.

The Police have zero tolerance against loanshark harassment activities. Those who deliberately vandalise properties, cause annoyance or disrupt public safety, peace and security, will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are advised to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist them in any way. The public can call the Police at ‘999’ or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in loansharking activities.

Singapore actor Desmond Tan shared on Instagram that he was robbed while he was on a train in Italy, according to CNA.

In an Instagram story, Tan said that “My backpack just got stolen from me in a train in Italy. Just want to send a reminder to folks who are travelling during this period to be extremely careful.”

He added, “lost my backpack with all my cash for my trip and my laptop. Many other stuff are lost but those are easier to replace, I guess?”

He then appealed to netizens for help, asking them for advice on what to do.

He said in another Instagram story: “For folks who had similar experience, could you share with me what to do when I make a police report and what else should I do now?”

On his Instagram profile, he also posted some photos of himself enjoying the sights of the Milan Cathedral, hours before he got robbed.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DESMOND TAN 陈泂江 (@thedesmondtan)

59-year-old Abdul Lazis Abdullah, was sentenced to 3 weeks imprisonment on 12 December after pleading guilty to one count of causing alarm to another person and another for insulting that person’s modesty.

He had claimed that he was Covid positive and had run away from a hospital before coughing deliberately near the man, who was a staff member of Sembawang Community Club, according to Channel NewsAsia.

He then flashed his genitals to the man.

Another charge of using criminal force on the man was considered during his sentencing.

What happened?

The incident happened on 8 April 2020 during the height of the pandemic, and the victim was working as a temporary staff at the CC, where he was tasked with conducting temperature screenings and helping visitors with their enquiries.

Abdul asked the victim why he hadn’t received his Temporary Relief Fund of $500 when others had already received theirs, as he got agitated with the victim and said that he was sick and had run away from the hospital.

He then removed his mask and deliberately coughed near the victim, his coworkers and some members of the public.

Abdul then challenged the victim to call the police after the latter said he would do so if Abdul didn’t stop.

At 7pm later that day, the victim then chanced upon Abdul again, who was coughing and claiming that he had Covid.

The victim then told Abdul to move to another area as he was alarming the others, but Abdul then got into an argument with him.

Abdul then questioned the victim’s manhood during the argument, and he then pulled down his underwear and exposed his private parts to the victim in a bid to “prove” to the victim that he was a “man”.

He then did it a second time, and the police were then called by the CC”s workers, and Abdul was then arrested.

He later tested negative for Covid at NCID.

Previously a pair of Corgis were seem to enjoy their business-class cabin on an SIA flight. The post went viral with some netizens saying “Dogs having a better life than me”.

But Singapore airlines publish a new rule that will take effect from April 2023 which stops such cute moments from taking place again. The airline will no longer allow emotional support animals on board any SIA flights.

On the Singapore Airlines website it wrote:

Assistance dogs are accepted for travel on board Singapore Airlines flights. With effect from 1 April 2023 (0000hrs SGT), Singapore Airlines will no longer allow customers to travel with their emotional support dogs on board flights.

Currently (Dec 13), SIA still accepts emotional support dogs as long as they comply with the rules and regulations of the airline and both depart, transit and destination country.

What are emotional support animals?

 An emotional support animal (ESA) is a type of animal that provides comfort and support to an individual with a mental or emotional disability. These animals are not specifically trained to do so, but rather act as a companion and source of comfort. They can be any species of animal, though most commonly they are cats, dogs, or other small animals.

Emotional support animals are different from service animals, who are specially trained to help individuals with physical disabilities. Unlike service animals, ESAs are not allowed in all public places, as they are not considered to be trained to perform a specific task. However, they can accompany their owners in their homes, planes, and other places.

The primary role of an emotional support animal is to provide companionship and emotional comfort. They can help to reduce anxiety and depression, and provide unconditional love and support to their owners. They can also help to reduce loneliness and provide a sense of security and companionship.