Hello sweetie, let’s go to war

IT HAS been declared on drugs and terrorism, and now – diabetes.

“I am declaring war on diabetes,” said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong yesterday (April 13), as he announced new measures to fight back Singapore’s No. 2 killer, including a new NurtureSG taskforce to promote healthier living. (No. 1 is heart disease.) Other suggestions by Members of Parliament (MPs) include a sugar tax and better labelling of sugar content on food products.

By doing nothing, the number of diabetics in Singapore could rise from the current 440,000 to nearly one million by 2050, costing the G billions in healthcare costs, said Mr Gan.

It’s still two months to Father’s Day, but fathers got a sweet deal yesterday when the G gave them a second week of paid leave and a bigger share of their wives’ maternity leave. The catch is that the leave has to be taken before the child turns one.

Mothers with adopted children will get more leave, too – from four to 12 weeks – though, this applies only to children under 12 months who are adopted from July next year.

Things got a bit ugly for sweet-faced celebrity Rui En when she knocked over a motorcycle with her BMW in Clementi on Tuesday. The owner didn’t know who she was, but was bitter, saying: “Even if she’s a minister’s daughter, I don’t care.” When he confronted her, the Singaporean actress had apparently said to him: “Do you know who I am?”

Sweet justice was served yesterday when a 39-year-old married man was sentenced to 12 years for raping a 12-year-old girl. In his trial last year, the prosecution said Lee Seow Peng, a crane operator, had sexually groomed the girl by professing “sweet nothings” to her and described the incident as “every parent’s nightmare”.

The case nearly got derailed when it emerged that one of the investigating officers had taken swabs from Lee’s vehicle but kept them in his locker and did not send them for testing. The officer is currently being investigated for negligence.

 

Featured image from TMG file. 

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