Starbucks cardholders enjoy 1-for-1 Christmas beverages at all outlets on 14 Dec
Starbucks 1-for-1 Christmas beverages for cardholders at all outlets on 14 Dec 2016
On 14 Dec, Starbucks will be crediting a free one-time use 1-for-1 Christmas beverage treat reward for ANY-size beverages for Starbucks cardholders, redeemable on 14 Dec only
A driver who was filmed having an argument with another road user stepped forward with his side of the story after the video went viral.
Unfortunately, instead of clearing the air, the driver’s own dashcam footage is doing more damage as it reveals that he tried to intimidate the other motorist by overtaking and jam-braking in front of his car.
A first video taken by the driver of a white BMW car was posted on Roads.sg’s Facebook page. According to the BMW driver, the man in the black car accused him of not giving way to him on the PIE. An argument ensued, and the man in the black car threatened to call the police.
Not long after the video went viral, the driver of the black car also shared his dashcam footage with Roads.sg, saying he hoped it would explain why he confronted the driver.
However, instead of restoring his good name, it seems as if the new video has done just the opposite.
Facebook users who watched the video on Roads.sg pointed out that while the driver of the white BMW did not give way for the man to join the expressway, it was the man in the black car who made a dangerous move by overtaking on the road shoulder and jam-braking suddenly on the highway.
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Bangkok – Thailand’s new King Maha Vajiralongkorn has issued a mass prisoner pardon, a first act of “mercy” as monarch as he reaches out to his subjects following the death of his beloved father.
Revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in October aged 88 after a seven-decade reign, leaving the politically febrile nation without its unifying figure.
His only son, 64-year-old Vajiralongkorn, was proclaimed king in early December.
But the thrice-divorced monarch is yet to draw the same level of devotion from a public well-versed in rumours over his private life.
The prisoner pardon was Vajiralongkorn’s “first chance since he succeeded the throne to show the king’s mercy”, according to a statement published Sunday in palace mouthpiece the Royal Gazette.
Pardons were annual events under Bhumibol.
Women jailed for first offences, some inmates who have served one third of their sentences, and prisoners with disabilities or serious illness were among those pardoned.
The decree did not say how many prisoners will be freed.
Ritual, propaganda and law underpin the status of Thailand’s monarchy.
Thai schoolchildren are taught the primacy of the institution, while huge portraits of key royals adorn virtually every main street.
Like his father, Vajiralongkorn is shielded from criticism by a harsh royal defamation law that carries up to 15 years in jail per charge.
That has embedded a culture of self-censorship across the media, academia and the arts.
The prisoner pardons follow a slew of public appearances by the new king, whose four decades as designated heir were characterised by publicity-shyness and long trips overseas.
Since he was proclaimed King Rama X, the new monarch has offered flood relief, opened a town hall and been honoured in a video tribute played in cinemas.
SEOUL – South Korea’s Constitutional Court said on Monday no date has been set for public hearings in the case to review parliament’s impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, who has been caught up in an influence-peddling scandal.
A spokesman said the court’s nine judges met earlier on Monday to discuss the case.
The court must decide whether to uphold the impeachment the parliament voted to approve on Friday, a process that could take up to 180 days.
If it is upheld, Park would be the first elected leader to be ousted from office.
Kids learn coding, cooking and even have Nerf gun shootouts
The school holidays are not just for catching up on studies.
From coding lessons and cooking classes to Nerf gun shootouts and remote car-building workshops, there is a wide variety of activities to keep the young ones occupied during this year-end school break.
At Joyous Learning Enrichment and Tuition Centre, primary school children can discover the secret to crafting great speeches at a public speaking workshop or try their hand at building a remote control car from commonly available electronic parts.
Mr Adrian Kuek, the centre’s dean, said such enrichment activities allow children to take a break, as well as pick up new skills and prepare for fresh challenges.
For instance, participants at the public speaking workshop learn how to deliver speeches in situations such as a Direct School Admission interview or a public event.
“(These activities) allow kids to broaden their knowledge beyond their textbooks and have a bit of fun at the same time,” he added.
Elsewhere, kids are attending coding classes as their parents believe that technological skills will be sought after in the future.
At SG Code Campus, over 100 students have taken coding lessons this holiday period. It now has a waiting list of at least 30 children.
The school in Parkway Centre offers holiday programmes to introduce kids to ideas in computer science and how to bring these concepts to life via the coding of video games and animations.
It also allows them to create real- world applications and build computer programs that solve practical problems.
Its co-founder, Mr Toh Ting Feng, said the sign-up rate shows the “tremendous value parents see in getting their kids exposed to coding at a young age”.
The school sees participants as young as seven.
“Some parents see these as opportunities for their child to develop a new skill over the holidays before the busy school term starts,” he said.
For others, the holidays are for play. Ms Carolyn Wong recently sent her two boys, aged 10 and 12, for a Nerf shootout at indoor playground Kaboodle Kids, which aims to stimulate creativity in kids and engage their senses, among other things.
Ms Wong, 46, who is self-employed, said kids should have the space to sweat it out and enjoy themselves.
“The kids like it. They get to run around and use their collection of Nerf guns,” she added.
Ms Tan Mui Jin, the playground’s founder, said such activities allow kids to explore and unwind.
She added: “Children can finally take the time to do what they do best, away from the stress and pressures of structured schooling.”
EduFirst Learning Centre, which has four branches – in Hougang, Khatib, Sengkang and Yishun – offers programmes such as creative writing and cooking.
Ms May Choong, its centre manager, said: “(The holidays) are a good time for the kids to explore new interests.
Parents want them to learn something different. After all, the kids have been studying for the entire year. It is time to try new things.”
calyang@sph.com.sg
This article was first published onDecember 12, 2016.
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A woman attacked her five daughters with a kitchen knife last Friday (Dec 9), killing four of them, and wounding another.
The grisly incident took place in a village in Guangdong, China, according to media reports.
Initial police investigations revealed that the 31-year-old woman was frustrated and depressed after the birth of her youngest child last month, and this sparked the attack.
Her five children were aged between a month to eight years.
South China Morning Post reported that the woman was arrested after villagers called the police.
According to Chinese media, her husband had been working away from home to support their struggling family.
Investigations are ongoing.
minlee@sph.com.sg
Marine Parade, Ang Mo Kio town councils to remove panels after probes by engineers
Marine Parade Town Council will be removing calcium silicate cladding panels at 25 blocks in the precinct following an investigation by a professional engineer (PE) it had engaged.
In October, parts of a building facade fell from Block 51, Circuit Road. In a separate case last month, a plaster slab dislodged from Block 449, Hougang Avenue 10, and fell to the ground.
Following the two cases, affected town councils engaged engineers to investigate and submit reports to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which yesterday released the findings.
BCA told The Straits Times that “wear and tear” had caused the cladding at Circuit Road to be dislodged.
It said after inspecting the affected block, and 24 others in the precinct, the engineer recommended the removal of similar calcium silicate panels at all 25 blocks.
Panels in the service duct areas will be replaced with new aluminium panels.
Marine Parade Town Council said that during the inspection the engineer found that some boards at Block 51, Circuit Road, had “loose connection of screws to the claddings”.
These damaged boards have since been removed.
The engineer carried out visual inspections at the other 24 blocks.
Marine Parade Town Council told The Straits Times it is working with its engineer and a contractor to perform the necessary works and prevent a recurrence.
BCA said in the Hougang Avenue 10 case, the engineer engaged by Ang Mo Kio Town Council found all existing plaster surfaces at Block 449 “in satisfactory condition”.
“Based on the PE’s investigation report, the fallen plaster had dislodged as it had deteriorated due to exposure to weather over time.
“We understand that Ang Mo Kio Town Council will be repairing the affected area and stepping up checks on the surrounding blocks.”
The investigations follow a string of incidents which saw non-structural facade parts fall off Housing Board blocks.
In September, a concrete sunshade dislodged from Block 201E, Tampines Street 23, and fell on another sunshade below it.
After a probe, BCA said last week that the sunshade, about 5m long, had no reinforcement bars on the side that fell.
Checks showed that other sunshades at the block and in surrounding blocks were built with reinforcement bars.
BCA said it is further investigating to “determine whether there were contraventions to the building regulations when the sunshades were built”.
The building contractor, Hock Guan Thong Construction, ceased operations in 1993.
An HDB spokesman said the contractor had only one other existing HDB project – in Clementi.
She said the HDB has inspected the three blocks at this Clementi project and deemed them “structurally sound”.
While nobody was hurt in any of the cases, BCA told The Straits Times last month that it is carrying out a review on building facade safety here.
yeosamjo@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on December 12, 2016.
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Fred Perry 40% off storewide promotion is back! Valid till 2 Jan 2017
From 12 December till 2 January, enjoy 40% off storewide at Fred Perry Authentic Shops. Fred Perry prides itself on being the first British heritage brand to successfully blend sportswear with streetwear to create some of the most iconic styles of the last century.
Private education provider to offer Sec 1 to Sec 4 classes from September next year
The Singapore Institute of Management, a private education provider popular with Singaporeans and students in the region, will open an international school next year.
Housed at SIM’s Clementi Road campus, the school – likely to be called SIM International Academy – will offer Secondary 1 to 4 classes from September, leading to an International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), the equivalent of the O levels.
The students can then go on to take up the 18-month diploma programmes offered by SIM.
After that, they can enrol in the degree studies that SIM Global Education runs with 10 overseas university partners, including the University of London and Sydney University.
The school will start with a small intake of fewer than 100, at Secondary 1 and Secondary 3, and build up to a few hundred. Fees have not been worked out, but they are likely to be $25,000 to $30,000 a year.
The new international school will be headed by Mr Balamurugan Krishnasamy, the former principal of Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School.
He said a core team of experienced teachers and school leaders, who previously taught in mainstream Singapore schools, has been hired to plan the curriculum and pedagogy.
While the curriculum will focus on preparing students for the IGCSE, some pedagogical approaches will be borrowed from the local school system, he said.
The curriculum will also provide electives across subjects that develop an understanding of regional issues and the spirit of enterprise, said Mr Balamurugan.
The school will offer boarding facilities and the diverse student mix will be used to nurture cross-cultural sensitivities and collaborative skills, which employers say are needed in the workplace.
SIM Global Education (GE) chief executive Lee Kwok Cheong said he is banking on SIM’s good reputation and popularity in the region, which have been built up over several decades.
Noting SIM GE’s enrolment of 20,000 students, including 3,500 foreigners from the region, he said many Asian parents can afford to send their children to Australia or Britain, but opt for SIM as they want a good university degree from those countries but in an Asian setting.
He said: “Parents want the best parts of a Western education combined with Asian values and ethos.”
Mr Gregory Lye , a student recruitment agent who works in Cambodia and Vietnam, said he expects places to be taken up quickly.
He said: “SIM is a brand name, and with the Singapore Government offering fewer places to foreigners in government schools, I expect that there will be good demand for the school set up by SIM.”
The Straits Times has reported on the Ministry of Education cutting down on the number of places it offers to foreigners because of its Singaporeans-first policy.
Indian expatriate parent D. Vijay, who failed to get his 15-year-old son into a Singapore school, said he is keen on the SIM school.
Said the businessman: “I go with the adage, ‘locals know best’. And when Singaporeans don’t get into the local universities, they go to SIM. So, I will be very happy to get my son into SIM.
“It will be the next best thing to a Singapore secondary school.”
sandra@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on December 12, 2016.
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MULAN THE MUSICAL 木兰少女 Advisory 16 (Some Mature Content and Coarse Language)
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