A forested strip that runs through the proposed Bird Park, which will have a walk-in aviary, in Mandai will be retained, so that wildlife can cross into the nearby Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

This is one of several measures to reduce the impact on nature for the Mandai nature precinct that will be completed by 2023.

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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will visit Australia from today until Thursday for the inaugural annual summit with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between the two countries.

Mr Lee will have an official welcome ceremony at Parliament House, and separate meetings with Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, Mr Turnbull, opposition leader Bill Shorten and Australian Capital Territory chief minister Andrew Barr, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement yesterday.

PM Lee will also address the Australian Parliament – the first time a Singapore PM has done so – and Mr Turnbull will host him to an official luncheon.

Both PMs will witness the signing of four agreements arising from the CSP package reached in May this year.

The pacts update arrangements for military training, a bilateral free trade agreement, collaboration in innovation and science and working to combat transnational drug crime.

Mr Lee will also lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and meet Singaporeans at a reception at the Singapore High Commission in Canberra.

He will be accompanied by Mrs Lee, Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) Lim Hng Kiang, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and MPs Lily Neo and Zaqy Mohamad.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will be Acting PM during Mr Lee’s absence.

rachelay@sph.com.sg

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A man has disappeared with the Toyota Vios sedan he leased from a car rental firm, which he was supposed to use to ferry passengers in his service as a driver-partner of Uber, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Cases of hired cars not returned and not duly paid for are common in Singapore but one connected to the multinational transportation company which nets passengers through its smartphone app is apparently rare, noted the Chinese evening daily.

The car was leased eight weeks ago to the 38-year-old hirer with the understanding that he was working for Uber.

A hiring fee of $455 was to be deducted every week from his income paid into his account by Uber in the next three months.

However, in the ensuing weeks, the car rental firm had never been able to collect the full amount.

Three weeks ago, the man went missing with the car and has not been contactable since.

The amount of fees he owes has grown to $2,225 to date, Mr Ng, owner of the car rental firm, told Shin Min.

According to Mr Ng, his firm had taken a chance with the hirer from day one, as it had to waive the requirement that he pay at least $500 in advance for extended leasing.

“I kindly allowed him to pay only $100 as he claimed he did not have enough money,” added Mr Ng.

However, in the first week, the man apparently did not generate enough income to cover the fee and fell short by $187 in payment.

“Although he seemed to have been working, the fees he owes just kept piling up,” said Mr Ng.

“The last time we communicated with him was on Sept 24, when he promised to pay up,” said the owner.

After his disappearance, the firm’s staff visited his home in Sengkang but did not find him there.

His neighbours told Shin Min the door of the rented HDB unit was always closed.

The firm has reported the case to the police. On Sunday, it stuck pages of the report, with the man’s photo affixed, onto the door of his home, in hopes of forcing him out of hiding.

But lawyer Tan Hee Joek told Shin Min the move might constitute harassment and is chargeable under the law.

“We are not loan shark,” said Mr Ng, pointing out that he has to pay for the car’s instalment and insurance fees.

“If you really are not able to pay up, we can arrange for a monthly repayment.

“But please at least return us the car,” pleaded Mr Ng.

myp@sph.com.sg

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The Government is taking decisive steps to tackle cyber threats – including almost doubling the proportion of its technology budget dedicated to plugging security gaps in critical infrastructure.

The matter, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, is one of “national importance”, as the country becomes more connected in its mission to become a smart nation.

At the opening of the inaugural Singapore International Cyber Week, he announced a high-level national strategy that also includes strengthening international partnerships.

One key prong will be to direct more funds into arming its defence against attacks.

These have ranged from malware infection to the defacing of government websites.

About 8 per cent of the infocomm technology (ICT) budget will now be set aside for cyber security spending, up from about 5 per cent before.

“Singapore aspires to be a smart nation. But to be one, we must also be a safe nation,” PM Lee told more than 3,000 public servants and technology professionals from 30 countries who were attending the 25th GovernmentWare Conference.

The national cyber security strategy is developed by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA).

Central to it is the introduction of a new Cybersecurity Act mid-next year after public consultations, expected to be held after draft legislation is tabled in Parliament next year.

There is currently no over-arching cyber security legislation in Singapore.

The current system of working with various sector regulators is “patchy”, said CSA chief executive David Koh, as the requirement to tighten gaps in critical infrastructure have not been worked into licensing conditions in some sectors.

Globally, cyber threats and attacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated, said PM Lee.

Singapore has not been spared.

“Our government networks are regularly probed and attacked,” he noted.

For example, fake websites of the Singapore Police Force, Manpower Ministry, Central Provident Fund Board and the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority have been set up overseas to phish for personal information or trick people into sending money.

itham@sph.com.sg

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THE police have decided not to take any further action against former Nominated MP Calvin Cheng, who was being investigated after a report was made over controversial comments he made online.

The decision was made after careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case and in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the police said in a letter to Mr Cheng dated Oct 5.

They added that all investigations and enquiries into the matter would stop, and the case will be closed.

A police report was made against Mr Cheng last December by People’s Power Party (PPP) organising secretary Augustin Lee Tze Shih, over Mr Cheng’s comments online about killing the children of terrorists.

In a four-line Facebook comment last November, Mr Cheng had seemed to advocate killing the children of terrorists “in case they grow up to take revenge”, which drew sharp criticism from netizens.

Mr Lee had said in his police report that the comments contravened the Sedition Act.

Following the controversy, the Media Literacy Council, which advises the Government on developments pertaining to the Internet and media, and which Mr Cheng was a member of, issued a statement saying that his words were insensitive but did not amount to hate speech.

Mr Cheng also apologised to his fellow council members, the Media Development Authority and his supporters in a Facebook post.

charyong@sph.com.sg

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