Business travellers are spoilt for choice in Singapore with new hotels opening that are pulling out all the stops to make them feel at home. BTWeekend looks at how the new kids on the hotel block are raising the bar In the hospitality game.
As for food lovers, there’s no better time to eat than now, when the Autumn season unleashes some of the finest quality ingredients of the year. Meanwhile, check out how to tell time with a calculator and make crispy rice snacks in a rice cooker as we pick out the best of the latest Red Dot design awards.
Low-cost carriers are slugging it out with full-service airlines in the long-haul flight sector, and the cheaper fares can only be good news for consumers. But in a market rife with price wars and overcapacity, is the low-cost carrier model sustainable? Brunch takes a look at the business in the main paper.
Women may be leading the charge to battle sexism, but both sides need to play their part in order for change to happen. Men need to realise it’s their fight too. Cubicle Files looks at how men can do their part.
In The Finish Line, our columnist attempts to get over tennis withdrawal by recounting the biggest moments of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals.
Three generations on, the new Porsche Cayenne makes its debut in a market now crowded with high performance Sport Utility Vehicles. But will it be a dinosaur, or another cash cow for Porsche? The Steering Column takes the car for a spin.
After a reconciliation attempt with his girlfriend of 18 years went awry, a 53-year-old man strangled her, stabbed her in the throat with a letter opener, and bashed her head with a brick, causing the victim to flee for her life.
The incident happened at a Bedok North Housing and Development Board (HDB) block on Jun 4, 2017, at around 10am.
The man, Lim Kok Beng, 53, was sentenced on Tuesday (Oct 31) to 27 months’ jail, The Straits Times reported.
He was living with the victim, Ms Liaw Bih Jiuan, 43, and his mother in the flat at the time of the incident.
In May, the couple had talked about Ms Liaw moving out and ending their relationship.
Ms Liaw reiterated her desire to break up with him when she returned home on Jun 4 at around 2am.
At around 5am, Lim told Ms Liaw that he was not feeling well and left their room to look for his mother.
He returned to the room shortly after and locked the door.
He proceeded to wake Ms Liaw up, saying that he wanted to talk to her.
Ms Liaw ignored him and prepared to leave the room.
Lim then used his hands to choke her, and the two fell to the floor after a brief struggle.
Ms Liaw tried to kick him and shouted for help, but Lim grabbed her neck in an arm lock and continued choking her.
Lim’s mother overheard the commotion and tried to enter their room by unlocking the door.
However, Lim stopped her from entering.
Seizing the opportunity, Ms Liaw escaped to the living room to try and call her family members.
She was followed closely by Lim.
As Ms Liaw messaged friends asking them to pick her up, Lim pleaded with her not to leave or call the Police.
Lim, in the meantime, grabbed a letter opener which he placed in his pocket.
The court heard that Ms Liaw spotted something in Lim’s pocket and asked him what the item was.
Lim’s mother felt his pocket and realised that it was a knife.
Hearing that, Ms Liaw quickly fled out of the flat and was pursued by Lim, who grabbed her arm, telling her not to leave.
He then drew the 10cm-long letter opener and stabbed her in the neck.
Ms Liaw managed to grab the letter-opener blade and broke it.
She threw the blade and handle of the letter opener away.
Lim then grabbed her head and hit it twice with a brick, causing her to fall.
His mother intervened, while Ms Liaw ran to the ninth floor to ask for help from a neighbour, who called the police.
She was subsequently hospitalised for six days.
Lim could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined.
SINGAPORE: More public gardening plots will be installed in parks across Singapore as part of the new national gardening master plan announced on Friday (Nov 3).
A total of 160 gardening plots will be launched at HortPark, and another 200 across 10 other parks such as Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Clementi Woods Park and Punggol Park by the end of this year, the National Parks Board (NParks) said.
Plots will be rented to interested parties at S$57 yearly, for up to three years.
Existing public gardening plots at HortPark. (Photo: Dawn Ang)
“We plan to eventually have more than 1,000 allotment gardening plots for (all) to use,” said Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, who was speaking at NParks’ biannual Community Garden Festival.
The Edible Horticulture Masterplan has four focus areas in total, said Mr Lee.
Under the plan, courses will be held for community garden enthusiasts and landscaping professionals. On Friday, NParks also unveiled a new training centre at HortPark – a refurbished colonial-style house named HortHouse, which will host arboriculture, botany and horticulture courses. Classes will begin in January next year.
Fast-growing edible plants that also bear fruit quickly will be promoted along with new gardening technologies. Education and outreach efforts to encourage community gardening activities among members of public, families and neighbours will also be ramped up.
The aim is to get more Singaporeans involved in the community gardening movement, said Mr Lee, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development.
NParks also announced on Friday that starting January, it will take over the management and development of the orchid sector from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, bringing the entire landscape industry under its scope.
The new HortHouse, where classes in botany and horticulture will be held. (Photo: Dawn Ang)
NParks will engage with landscape industry partners in the coming months to keep them abreast of developments such as on land tender and account manager changes, said Mr Chong Whye Keet, director at NParks’ Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology.
Orchid industry partners can expect more details to be released early next year.
LOS ANGELES – Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is seeking unspecified treatment, according to his representatives, following allegations of sexual misconduct that have forced a halt in production of his Netflix show”House of Cards” and a social media backlash.
“Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment,” his representatives said in a statement late on Wednesday. No details on the nature of the treatment were provided to an email from Reuters seeking further comment.
On Thursday, CNN published a report in which eight current and former employees of “House of Cards,” who were not identified, alleged sexual misconduct against Spacey.
“House of Cards” production company Media Rights Capital said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Thursday that it was”deeply troubled to learn about these new allegations.”
The company said in the statement that it had handled one incident in 2012 in which a crew member it did not identify had “shared a complaint about a specific remark and gesture made by Kevin Spacey” and that immediate action had been taken and the issue was resolved.
It said Spacey had “willingly participated in a training process” and that it was not aware of any complaints since then involving the actor.
Netflix said in an emailed statement that it was aware of the 2012 incident involving Spacey and “is not aware of any other incidents involving Kevin Spacey on-set.”
Netflix said earlier this week that it was “deeply troubled”by Rapp’s allegation and suspended production of the upcoming sixth and final season of “House of Cards,” in which Spacey plays US president Frank Underwood.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the accusations.
Media Rights Capital said that it had installed an anonymous complaint hotline, crisis counselors and sexual harassment legal advisors for the “House of Cards” crew this week, and would”continue to thoroughly investigate all current claims and any new claims that are formally brought to our attention.” Spacey over the weekend apologised to actor Anthony Rapp, who had accused him of trying to seduce him in 1986 when Rapp was 14.
As part of his apology, Spacey announced he was gay but angered many in the LGBT community and beyond who saw his announcement as an effort to divert attention from the accusation by Rapp.
Rapp has said on his Twitter feed that he would have no further comment.
Spacey’s announcement follows harassment allegations against him this week by Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos, who worked in the London theatre where Spacey was artistic director from 2004-2015, and US filmmaker Tony Montana.
Singaporean prosecutors and police are looking at Goldman Sachs Group’s relationship with the Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Singapore’s economic crime unit and city prosecutors have interviewed current and former Goldman Sachs executives who worked on bond offerings from 1Malaysia Development Bhd, Bloomberg reported.
1MDB, founded by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, is facing money laundering probes in at least six countries including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing.
Officials from Goldman Sachs, the Singaporean police and 1MDB were not immediately available for comment.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore had earlier in the week barred two individuals involved in breaches related to Malaysia’s 1MDB fund from taking part in financial services management and advisory activities.
A luxury boutique is probably the last place you’d expect to get hurt, but that’s what happened to Singaporean singer Harris Baba, when a hot light fixture in the shop fell from the ceiling and on to his 9-month-old baby girl.
The incident at a Louis Vuitton boutique in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (Oct 30) caused baby Aleena, nicknamed “BomBom”, to suffer second degree burns on her face and hands.
The Malaysia-based actor, who got his showbiz break after participating in the 2013 reality singing competition The Final 1, described the incident in an Instagram post on Tuesday, adding that he has “engaged a really good lawyer to sue and fine the boutique”.
“The wound will take months to heal and we will have to send her for laser afterwards to remove the scar,” he wrote.
“We take care of Aleena so well but due to other people’s negligence and mistake, Aleena had to pay the price.”
Harris posted a photo showing the burn on baby Aleena’s chin.Photo: Instagram/Harris Baba
On Thursday, Harris posted more photos of Aleena’s injuries, and clarified that he is not suing the boutique located at the upmarket The Gardens Mall for money. Instead, he hopes to ensure that the accident doesn’t happen again “to someone else’s son or daughter or to anyone”.
“It’s so sad, disappointing and embarrassing to know that so many people think I’m suing and fining the Louis Vuitton boutique at The Gardens just for money,” said Harris.
“I’m suing and fining them so that they never take this matter lightly ever again.”
A blister on baby Aleena’s fingerPhoto: Instagram/Harris Baba
He added: “As a father I cant bear to see my 8-and-a-half month old baby girl like this in such a situation. How do you expect me to forgive and forget so easily.”
Harris’ posts on Instagram have so far received more than 50,000 likes combined, with many commenters voicing their support.
Photo: Instagram/Harris Baba
Baby Aleena is the first child for the 26-year-old, who is of Pakistani, Kashmiri-Iranian and Chinese descent. The Zayn Malik look-alike married his Singaporean sweetheart last year.
Despite getting kicked out of the The Final One after making it to the top 40, the singer-turned-actor has gained popularity across the Causeway for his roles in local television dramas.
Kevin Spacey faced fresh allegations of sexual harassment in Britain on Thursday, with an ex-employee accusing his old theatre of turning a blind eye to the Hollywood star’s misconduct.
Former workers at The Old Vic, where the US actor ruled the roost as its artistic director from 2003 to 2015, told The Guardian newspaper that the London theatre ignored allegations of groping and inappropriate sexual behaviour.
“We were all involved in keeping it quiet. I witnessed him groping men many times in all sorts of different situations,” one said, on condition of anonymity.
The two-time Oscar winner “was taking advantage of the fact that he is this great icon.
“He touched men on the crotch. Doing it really fast so they couldn’t get out of the way.
“The thing that really upsets me is the hypocrisy of places like The Old Vic that pretend now that they didn’t know.” Rebecca Gooden, an intern at the theatre in 2010, said there were regular stories about Spacey’s behaviour.
She told The Guardian it was a “running joke” that “pretty” young men were not hired to work in theatre administration.
“I was informed that I was not allowed to talk about it outside the theatre. I am honestly sickened that the theatre has chosen to plead ignorance,” she said.
Spacey became embroiled in Hollywood’s widening sexual misconduct scandal when he apologised this week over accusations he made a sexual advance on a 14-year-old actor in the 1980s.
CONFIDENTIAL EMAIL ADDRESS
The Old Vic said it was “not currently in a position to comment on specifics of what may have taken place in the past”.
The theatre said it had set up an email address where “anyone who has concerns about the inappropriate behaviour of Kevin Spacey at The Old Vic” could come forward.
“Since we set up this confidential line of communication, we are already seeing the great benefits of the new policy of openness and the safe sharing of information,” a spokeswoman told AFP.
“We stand by, support and strongly encourage the industry-wide culture shift that is under way.” Spacey, 58, found himself in the spotlight when Anthony Rapp accused the star of making a “sexual advance” when he was 14 and Spacey was 26.
Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos then accused Spacey of sexual harassment, saying he fended off two “unpleasant” advances that “bordered on harassment” while at The Old Vic, but that others were afraid to do so.
Film-maker Tony Montana also alleged Spacey grabbed his crotch in a Los Angeles bar in 2003.
On Tuesday, British barman Daniel Beal accused Spacey of exposing himself in front of him and then giving him an expensive watch to keep quiet, according to The Sun newspaper.
Then on Wednesday, a US man who was not identified, told BBC television that when he was 17, he had been invited to stay at Spacey’s New York home and the actor asked him to sleep in his bed.
He slept on the sofa but woke up with Spacey’s arms around him.
Spacey said he could not remember the alleged encounter with Rapp but apologised, saying he was “beyond horrified”.
SINGAPORE: Capping off a four-day visit to Singapore, Prince Charles arguably received the most Singaporean honour of all on Wednesday (Nov 1) – an orchid named after him and his wife Camilla, called the Dendrobium Duke Duchess of Cornwall.
It was a gift fit for a (future) king. And perhaps one well-earned, after a gruelling and packed programme over the last couple of days.
From an official dinner hosted by President Halimah Yacob, tea with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, gracing the Queen’s Baton Relay and meeting crowds while trying to get some lunch at Tiong Bahru Market, Prince Charles and his wife certainly had a lot on their plate, never mind having to deal with the heat, humidity and jetlag.
Scores of world leaders have had orchids named after them including former US President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the late South African President Nelson Mandela and former United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon.
It might have seemed remiss if Prince Charles didn’t get his own – seeing how Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, had an orchid named after them when they visited in 2012.
It is not just foreign dignitaries who receive such distinction.
Foreign celebrities and influential movers and shakers of the performing arts and creative world have also been bestowed this honour by Singapore. Among them are Elton John, Michael Kors, Andrea Bocelli and Jane Goodall.
This privilege also extends to Singaporeans, who bring national glory through their accomplishments.
Local sporting heroes Joseph Schooling and Yip Pin Xiu have orchids named after them in recognition of their achievements at the 2015 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Stephanie Sun too has an orchid named after her, rounding off the only three Singaporeans to have received such an honour as part of the Singapore Botanic Gardens celebrity orchid naming programme.
The Dendrobium Joseph Schooling is vigorous and free flowering, with each inflorescence bearing at least 15 flowers, with each flower measuring about 6cm in width. (Photo: NParks)
Certainly not everyone can have an orchid named after them, but it does seem like quite a list of people have.
And after the pomp of orchid naming, just what do people do with their namesake orchids?
Said Michael Kors during his orchid naming ceremony at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 2016:
I’m a nature lover even though I’m a city boy. I have orchids all over my apartment in New York and I’m building a house in Florida. I’ll have orchids in the garden.
As the latest-named orchid sits comfortably in the National Orchid Garden, likely tucked away in a temperature-controlled glasshouse, will we see rows of Dendrobium Duke Duchess of Cornwall growing in the gardens of Buckingham Palace for British residents and tourists alike to gaze upon?
Or will the Prince of Wales have a pot at Clarence House, his official residence, where he can admire its beauty and recall its significance?
Perhaps the flower will make a special appearance at the Kew Garden’s annual orchid festival to be held in February 2018.
DIPLOMATIC GESTURE
Without a doubt, the bestowment of honours and diplomatic gift-giving is serious business that requires much thought and effort.
Finding a picture of famed soprano Madam Peng Liyuan during one of her performances in Singapore in the 1990s for her husband President Xi Jinping’s visit to Singapore in 2015 must have been no easy feat.
The picture Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi received from PM Lee during her visit last year of her mother meeting founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1965 probably also depended a lot on good record keeping.
Countries around the world recognise the significance of a good diplomatic gift. In the US, an Office of Protocol’s Gift Unit that resides in the Department of State helps with this onerous task of selecting the gifts to be presented to foreign dignitaries.
As the Christmas season looms, all those of us who will soon face the headache of gift-shopping – finding presents that are tasteful, sincere and sends precisely the right message, particularly to the mother-in-law – can certainly empathise.
Imagine the task that stands before government officials whose daily job is to find the perfect gift for world leaders, important people who shape global developments and mould statecraft.
A gift speaks volume about the receiver and in the case of a diplomatic gift or honour bestowed on a world leader, this is magnified many times over. Often, when the gift is a locally made (or in this case, locally grown) piece, it is offered as a proud tribute, chosen to demonstrate respect for and confers honour on an individual and the country he or she represents.
Diplomatic gifts also symbolise the bilateral relationship between two countries, reflecting substantive ties and strong atmospherics.
Over time, gifts can become an enduring emblem of cooperation and friendship for many years to come, proudly put on display at government houses and places of state business like the Istana.
Aung Sang Suu Kyi received a framed picture of her mother meeting Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 2016. (Photo: MFA)
Orchid diplomacy in particular, according to NParks, “serves as a gesture of friendship to promote goodwill between Singapore and other countries” and “plays an important role in building bilateral ties”.
In a world where animals native to a country are often given as gifts marking significant diplomatic milestones – just think of how China sent two pandas to the US after US President Richard Nixon’s visit or how Indonesia presented four komodo dragons to Singapore in the 1980s – it seems naming people after orchids is a suitably proper Singaporean gift.
But there is something to be said about the importance of execution to ensure that the gift is appropriate.
Many countries choose gifts that appeal to the leader’s personal interests and pursuits but sloppily applying this rule without thinking carefully can backfire.
For one, just think of how many dogs Russian Premier Vladmir Putin has received. Just because the Premier likes dogs and had accepted one Akita doesn’t mean he has an infinite desire or capacity to take more in.
The Japanese would have been wise to heed this advice after they tried to give him another Akita in 2016, just four years after they gave him his first.
This example illustrates how critical staff diligence is – for there is nothing worse than giving something a world leader already has and therefore has little use for a second, at least in this case.
Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall with his dog Yume, a female Akita Inu, before giving an interview at the Kremlin. (Photo: REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin)
UNIQUELY SINGAPORE?
Yet another consideration key to the art of gift-gifting: Don’t buy the same gifts for all your friends unless the gift is really special. For that matter, don’t give out your crown jewels if your vault is running low.
It was just two years ago that an orchid was named the Dendrobium Golden Friendship to mark the jubilee year of Australia-Singapore ties.
Singapore had also named orchids after Francois Hollande, Aung San Suu Kyi and Rodrigo Duterte in the past year alone.
It makes one wonder whether Singapore is giving out names of orchids too fast, too furiously.
A quick check indicates that while more than 200 orchids have been named after distinguished guests so far, the National Orchid Garden records over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids on display, according to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
We can safely assume we won’t run out of orchids for this purpose anytime soon.
Perhaps orchid naming is a Singapore diplomatic practice that speaks volumes of the country – for a gift is arguably an exercise in branding.
The vibrant colours of an orchid, together with the flower’s attributes of hardiness and resilience, projects a strong image of Singapore.
A flower most associated with hybrids, it also represents the multicultural heritage and globally oriented outlook that characterises a sense of Singapore exceptionalism.
These are the attributes and images of Singapore we want important world leaders and influential celebrities to bear in mind when they gaze upon an orchid named in their honour.
So it turns out that in diplomatic gift-giving, it may be that one gives to receive, and in our orchid-naming practice, Singapore’s gift helps send a subtle but clear signal.
Lin Suling is executive editor of the Commentary section at Channel NewsAsia Digital News.
SINGAPORE: Picture terrorists attacking Singapore. Special forces have cornered them in a large warehouse in Tuas. But it is too dangerous to storm the warehouse because a terrorist could be hiding at every turn in the cavernous building.
No problem.
The forces throw in a team of 10 drones. The machines map the warehouse meticulously, drawing up a rich colour image showing every entrance and exit, every object and obstacle, every friend and foe.
This futuristic scenario might soon be a possibility, with defence research and development organisation DSO’s indoor drone-mapping capability.
Designed for counter-terrorism operations, the drones use cameras and infra-red mapping technology to create a real-time, 3D layout of previously uncharted indoor territory.
The drones make use of cameras and infra projectors to create the map. (Photo: Howard Law)
The cameras provide the colour, while the infra projectors provide details such as accurate measurements of the size of an obstacle or the width of a passageway.
“This is the probably the first time you’ll see such an integrated system,” said Mr Poh Yze Yang, a senior member of technical staff in DSO’s guided systems division.
PUTTING THEM TO THE TEST
During a demonstration in the DSO complex, two drones mapped a library the size of a five-room Housing Development Board flat in four minutes.
This was when the drones were flying at a slower, safe speed. They can map the library in half the time, or just two minutes, Mr Poh said.
The drones can work seamlessly in teams. (Photo: Howard Law)
The 3D map produced details down to the colour of the cushions in the library and revealed a hidden alleyway around the back.
As for how big a space the drones can explore, Mr Poh said there is no limit, as long as a data link is maintained.
“We can scale up to more than 10 drones, so long as the data link is able to support the data bandwidth transfer,” he added.
A CUT ABOVE THE REST
The 3D map reveals details like colour and precise distances. (Photo: Howard Law)
This technology also stands out because it does not rely on Global Positioning System (GPS) – which works poorly indoors and may not be available during wartime.
In addition, the drones rely on automatic path planning, meaning they can explore an entire space without smashing into obstacles.
“When you want to go into a room that’s deemed unsafe, the first few seconds are actually very precious,” Mr Poh said. “If they know a threat is in a certain corner of the room, they can react to that corner.”
So why not send in existing robots that can capture video and do the same job? A video feed will not be able to show precise measurements, Mr Poh explained.
“If you have a very narrow alleyway, you need to know exactly how narrow it is. It’s not just a proportionate map, it’s an accurate map,” he said. “So, you can plan for other unmanned assets to squeeze through whatever space that is available.”
3D map showing the location of the drones. (Photo: Howard Law)
And would the drones be defenceless against armed terrorists? Mr Poh said that if a drone is shot down, you would know there are hostile forces inside, and there can be multiple drones working together as back-up.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
While the technology is currently being tested on commercially available drones, there are plans to export it to DSO’s in-house drones.
As the technology develops, classification of hostile and friendly forces in the 3D map will be possible, he added.
Mr Poh also noted that the technology can be brought outdoors, if the current infra projectors, which do not work well under sunlight, are replaced with other types of sensing technology.
“Let’s say we change this out to stereo cameras or LIDAR (light detection and ranging), we can definitely bring the concept outdoors.”
