QOO10 SUPER SALE: Grab free $5, $20 & $100 cart coupons! Valid till 28 May
Qoo10: Grab free $5, $20 & $100 cart coupons from 25 – 28 May 2017
Qoo10 is running a Great Singapore Supersale promotion featuring free cart coupons worth $5, $20 & $100 till 28 May 2017. Event runs from 25th May 201 7 00:00 Hours to 28th May 2017 23:59 Hours
Only hours before Jakartans looked forward to enjoying the Ascension of Jesus Christ public holiday, a twin bomb attack struck the Kampung Melayu Transjakarta bus terminal on Wednesday night.
Two suspected suicide bombers died instantly, the police said.
At least five policemen who were escorting a traditional parade to welcome the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan also fell victim, three of whom are reported to have died. At least five civilians were also injured.
The terrorist attack took place while the world was still mourning the victims of the suicide bombing of the concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester, UK, only a day before.
The busy Transjakarta bus rapid transit hub in East Jakarta and the surrounding area descended into chaos after the explosions. The terminal is located in a densely populated area.
Footage and pictures of the scene have gone viral on social media. Some of the footage shows people panicking, screaming and running away from the terminal. Other images depict scattered body parts.
Traffic around the scene was blocked off and rerouted.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said one explosion occurred at a motorcycle parking lot.
“The glass at the corridor seven [bus stop], where passengers alight, was smashed to pieces,” Transjakarta president director Budi Kaliwono said, adding that the Transjakarta service would continue, but would not stop at Kampung Melayu.
He added that no Transjakarta staff or passengers were among the casualties and urged members of the public to immediately report any suspicious activities.
The injured victims were treated at the Premier Hospital and Hermina Hospital in East Jakarta.
As of midnight, no claim of responsibility for the attack had been received.
Setyo said he was optimistic the police would be able to identify the perpetrators and any possible terrorist ring soon.
“The body parts [of the attackers] remain at the scene. The parts from the neck above are still intact so the face can be identified,” he said.
The attack is believed to have been targeted at the police, making it the latest terror attack to have targeted the police in recent years.
On Jan. 14, 2016, Jakarta was rocked by multiple explosions, including one at a police post, and gunfire around the Sarinah shopping mall in Central Jakarta. At least eight people, including four attackers and four civilians, were killed. A total of 20 people were injured, including five police officers.
Setyo said the police had detected possible attacks in Jakarta. “We were not able yet to identify when or where [they might happen],” he said.
Setyo said the police suspected the perpetrators of the attack were related to terror groups behind other attacks in other countries, including the Manchester bombing.
#PrayForJakarta and #KamiTidakTakut (We are not afraid) emerged on the worldwide internet trending topic list immediately after the incident.
“Everyone, please stay safe! #PrayforJakarta,” Singer-songwriter Raisa posted on her twitter handle @Raisa6690, which has been retweeted by more than 1,000 users as of 1 a.m. on Thursday.
“Deep condolences over bombing act in Kampung Melayu, Jakarta. Please don’t share any unverified information,” official Twitter Indonesia account @TwitterID posted.
FAIRPRICE: Grab Haagen-Dazs ice cream pints at 3-for-$29.50 (U.P. $43.35)!
Haagen-Dazs fans, Fairprice’s two-for-$29.50 bundle deal is back! Stock up on your favourite ice cream with Fairprice’s latest promotion, valid only for a week
SINGAPORE: Owners of private cars fitted with compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders will be required to send their vehicles for inspection by Jun 9, announced the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday (May 24).
The cost of the inspection will be borne by LTA.
This is to safeguard public safety, said the authority, after two recent incidents which saw taxis with CNG cylinders catch fire.
All 980 CNG taxis in Singapore are already required to undergo mandatory testing by Thursday to be allowed on the roads. So far, 832 of those taxis have been checked, of which 74 failed the inspections and have been taken off the road for further investigation, said LTA.
It added that compulsory inspections are also being carried out on 13 buses – 12 public and one private – and seven goods vehicles.
“CNG taxis and public buses that have passed the mandatory inspections will continue to be subject to stringent checks and will have to undergo inspections every three months, in lieu of the current six-month inspection cycle,” said LTA.
According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), preliminary investigations showed that both the recent fires involving CNG taxis happened due to the leakage of compressed natural gas within the vehicles, which was then ignited by the lighting of cigarettes.
LTA reminded CNG vehicle owners not smoke in their vehicles, and to send them for inspection immediately if they detect any sulphur-like odour, similar to the smell of rotten eggs.
There are about 1,600 CNG cars in Singapore, according to statistics from LTA.
Owners will be sent inspection notices and they can send their vehicles to any of the nine Authorised Vehicle Inspection Centres.
(Table: LTA)
PRAGUE: Nurturing human talent and staying open to expand global networks are important for “small, young countries like Singapore and the Czech Republic”, said President Tony Tan Keng Yam on Wednesday (May 24) during his state visit to Czech Republic.
To facilitate the exchange of knowledge between universities and businesses, Dr Tan and Czech President Milos Zeman witnessed the signing of three new partnerships.
President Tan received a ceremonial welcome on Wednesday and was hosted to a state lunch by President Zeman at the Prague Castle, after arriving in the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Speaking at a joint press conference after their meeting, President Tan said both leaders had reaffirmed the “warm and friendly relations” between Singapore and the Czech Republic, describing the relationship between both countries as “multi-faceted, with good political, economic, education and cultural ties”.
On his part, President Zeman said he is pleased that President Tan “has selected our territory as the place of his last state visit”, adding that he is considering re-opening an embassy in Singapore.
The Czech Republic closed its embassy in Singapore in 2008, in a move which Mr Zeman said was to save costs. “We should correct this mistake”, he told Dr Tan.
Singapore and Czech Republic established diplomatic relations in February 1993, a month after the Czech Republic achieved independence. The last time a Singapore president made a state visit to the Czech Republic was in 1998 when Mr Ong Teng Cheong was president.
Then-Czech president Vaclav Klaus also made a state visit to Singapore in 2006.
LEARNING FROM MR BATA’S ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
But Dr Tan pointed out that Czech-Singapore ties go back even further, with Tomas Bata travelling from Zlin to Singapore 80 years ago to establish the Bata Shoe Company, which became known for white shoes for school children. The company slogan “First to Bata, then to school” is well-known to Singaporeans.
Now, Singapore is home to Bata Asia Pacific and Africa, which manages 3,000 outlets in the region. Dr Tan said he hopes that more companies will “embody the entrepreneurial spirit of Mr Bata”, and explore opportunities in each other’s markets.
There are currently 47 Czech companies in Singapore.
A general view of Prague’s river bank and Prague Castle in the background. (Photo: Michal Cizek/AFP)
Dr Tan said both he and President Zeman agreed that there is potential to deepen links, and that the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement will boost ties further, once it is ratified.
The Czech Republic is Singapore’s 16th-largest trading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade amounting to S$851.5 million in 2016.
Memoranda of Understanding were signed between the Singapore Business Federation and the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic (SPCR), and between IE Singapore and CzechTrade to promote bilateral trade and investment opportunities.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Charles University also signed a partnership to facilitate more exchanges between the two universities.
“For small countries like Singapore and the Czech Republic where human capital is a key resource, nurturing human talent is vital to our survival,” said Dr Tan.
He added that with both countries as gateways into their respective regions, it is important for Singapore and the Czech Republic to remain open and expand global networks as “fellow small states in an ever-changing environment”.
The Czech Republic is the 14th-largest city in the European Union, with a population size of about 10.6 million people, and less than 1.3 million living in the capital city of Prague.
CULTURAL EXCHANGES HAVE “FLOURISHED”
Apart from economic ties, Dr Tan said cultural exchanges between both countries have flourished, citing the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s performance at the Prague Spring International Music Festival in 2016, and the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra in Singapore in 2004.
Close people-to-people links, too, support the strong relations between both countries, he said. In 2016, Singapore received more than 10,000 Czech tourists.
Dr Tan said he is confident that bilateral relations between the two countries will strengthen, as both countries approach the 25th anniversary of diplomatic bilateral relations next year.
The Singapore President will be in the Czech Republic for four days, after a three-day state visit to Poland.
SINGAPORE: Owners of private cars fitted with compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders will be required to send their vehicles for inspection by Jun 9, announced the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday (May 24).
The cost of the inspection will be borne by LTA.
This is to safeguard public safety, said the authority, after two recent incidents which saw taxis with CNG cylinders catch fire.
All 980 CNG taxis in Singapore are already required to undergo mandatory testing by Thursday to be allowed on the roads. So far, 832 of those taxis have been checked, of which 74 failed the inspections and have been taken off the road for further investigation, said LTA.
It added that compulsory inspections are also being carried out on 13 buses – 12 public and one private – and seven goods vehicles.
“CNG taxis and public buses that have passed the mandatory inspections will continue to be subject to stringent checks and will have to undergo inspections every three months, in lieu of the current six-month inspection cycle,” said LTA.
According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), preliminary investigations showed that both the recent fires involving CNG taxis happened due to the leakage of compressed natural gas within the vehicles, which was then ignited by the lighting of cigarettes.
LTA reminded CNG vehicle owners not smoke in their vehicles, and to send them for inspection immediately if they detect any sulphur-like odour, similar to the smell of rotten eggs.
There are about 1,600 CNG cars in Singapore, according to statistics from LTA.
Owners will be sent inspection notices and they can send their vehicles to any of the nine Authorised Vehicle Inspection Centres.
(Table: LTA)
STARTS 8AM: Tigerair 24hr FLASH sale featuring fares fr $39 all-in to over **45** destinations! (25 May 8am – 26 May 8am)
TigerAir will be having their weekly 24hr Tigerflash from this Thursday 8am to Friday 8am. Create golden memories with your loved ones in the mystical land of Myanmar. Fly to Yangon from only $69* now.
Manila – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has imposed martial law on the southern region of Mindanao to combat militants who have declared allegiance to the Islamic State group.
Here is what we know about his reasons and what happens next:
What happened to trigger martial law?
Duterte acted after security forces on Tuesday battled dozens of gunmen in Marawi, a city of about 200,000 people. One policeman and two soldiers died in the fighting, authorities said.
Tuesday’s violence was the latest in a series of deadly clashes with militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group, and are based throughout Mindanao.
Duterte’s declaration fulfilled an often-repeated promise to impose martial law to combat the IS-linked militants, whom he has said are a growing threat to national security.
But he has said repeatedly that martial law may be needed to solve many other problems, including illegal drugs.
Who are the militants?
Authorities said they were battling members of two of the best-known groups to have declared allegiance to IS, the Abu Sayyaf and Maute organisations.
The military said it was hunting Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf leader who has been named the Philippine head of IS. The US government is offering a $5-million bounty for his capture.
The Abu Sayyaf is infamous for kidnapping foreigners and killing them if ransoms are not paid. It is also blamed for the nation’s worst terror attacks, including the 2004 bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay that claimed more than 100 lives.
Is martial law necessary?
Duterte has said repeatedly the growing influence of Islamic State was one of the nation’s top security concerns, and martial law was necessary to stop it.
However Islamist militancy is not new to the southern Philippines, where a decades-long Muslim separatist insurgency claimed more than 120,000 lives.
Muslim rebels orchestrated a siege in the southern city of Zamboanga in 2013 that left more than 200 people dead, but the government of then-president Benigno Aquino did not declare martial law.
Aquino also said he had considered imposing martial law just before standing down last year in Sulu, island strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf in the far south of Mindanao.
But Aquino said he decided against it partly because military rule could spark resentment among local people.
What will happen under martial law?
Martial law allows the president to “call out the armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion”, according to the constitution.
Duterte said Wednesday he would be “harsh” and his version of martial law would include warrantless arrests and searches, along with curfews in some provinces.
Critics fear it will give security forces cover to carry out human rights abuses, citing the experience under dictator Ferdinand Marcos a generation ago.
During the nine years of martial law under Marcos, police and troops tortured, abducted and killed thousands of people who were critical of the dictatorship, according to rights groups and historians.
“Martial law of Mr Marcos was very good,” Duterte said, adding military rule in Mindanao would be similar to that under the dictator.
What happens next?
The constitution limits martial law to 60 days unless congress agrees to extend it.
The post-Marcos constitution also imposed safeguards on martial law, including the requirement for congress to approve its imposition and extension. The Supreme Court can also rule on its legality.
But Duterte had previously said he was prepared to ignore the constitutional safeguards.
He said Wednesday martial law would remain until there was no more terrorist threat, and that he was prepared to expand it nationwide.
“I will not hesitate to do anything and everything to protect and preserve the Filipino nation,” he said.
“If it means many people dying, so be it.”
