With the launch of the US-Singapore Trusted Traveller Programme, travellers will allow eligible citizens of Singapore and the US to use the automated clearance kiosks in both countries.
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Top 8 items graduates will spend most on
For senior students in the colleges, it’s time to depart. As graduation season has come, these students are holding activities to celebrate their final days of school.
However, graduates are being criticised by media outlets for spending too much money during graduation season. It is said that graduates’ spending is higher than the average monthly salary of Chinese people.
According to an online job-hunting platform, ChinaHR.com, more than 45 per cent of graduates spend over 6,000 yuan when they are graduating; 26.71 per cent of graduates spend over 10,000 yuan (S$2,000), and the graduates’ expenditures controlled under 3,000 yuan are only 17.77 per cent.
Earlier, the National Statistics Bureau (NBS) said the average monthly salary for non-private sector employees in China’s urban areas reached 5,169 yuan and for private sector employees, 3,299 yuan.
But another media outlet said graduates’ spending is on an acceptable level because the graduation season is not only one month, it should include May and June. The graduates’ average spending of 6,000 yuan in two month is less than Chinese people’s average monthly salary.
So, where does the money go? Please have a look.
Farewell party
Saying good-bye to each other at a farewell party is the graduates’ common choice. According to Yangtze Evening Post, the cost of a farewell party for one graduate often reaches around 1,000 yuan per month.
Searching for jobs
In order to search for a good job, most graduates will travel to take interviews. The traffic fare and hotel expenses are necessary expenditures for college graduates during graduation season.
Renting a house
Some graduates who do not want to go back their hometown have to rent a room. It takes up a large portion in graduates’ total expenditure.
Graduation travel
Although graduation travel is not necessary for every graduate, half of graduates have plans to take a journey during the graduation season, according to a survey from Yangtze Evening Post . The average cost of graduation travel is 2,000 yuan, Yangtze Evening Post reported.
Purchasing office wear
In order to give a good impress to future employers, most graduates want office suits to primp themselves.
Cosmetic surgery
Want to be more beautiful? Want more opportunities in job hunting? Some graduates do cosmetic surgery when they graduate. Because there are different types of surgeries, the cost varies from hundreds to thousands of yuan.
Graduation photo
Almost all graduates like taking photos with friends, classmates and teachers to keep their memories. Therefore, they hire a professional photographer to make a photo album, a popular expense among college graduates.
Graduation souvenirs
As a symbol of memories, graduates often exchange gifts with friends. The expenditure on more gifts is not less, although a gift might be inexpensive.
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Monday, June 27, 2016 – 11:58
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Why is Singapore's household recycling rate stagnant?
The household recycling rate has remained at around 20 per cent despite over a decade of national recycling initiatives.
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Breaking fast at the bazaar
The azan, or call to prayer, coming from their small radio signalled that it was time to break their fast.
However, they had no time to stop and have a proper meal.
The constant stream of customers at their stall meant…
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'Cat lady' with 20 cats gets help in cleaning cockroach-infested flat
She was dubbed the neighbourhood’s cat lady by residents who saw her feeding strays regularly.
But after a bad fall in November, which rendered her immobile, Madam Koh Poh Choo was unable to take care of herself – and her 20 cats.
Last week, the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) highlighted the state of Madam Koh’s kitchen in a video posted on its Facebook page.
Cockroaches were seen darting around and crawling about the cages the cats are kept in at her Jurong East flat.
The video, which has had more than 42,000 views, received a mixed response from netizens.
Some users said the 63-year-old was torturing the cats by keeping them in dirty cages. Others praised her good intentions.
Madam Koh told The New Paper in Mandarin: “After I fell, I couldn’t walk and clean the cat cages. That’s when the cockroaches started swarming in from the rubbish chute.”
The infestation was also an issue for her neighbour two doors away, Madam Angeline Lee, 42.
‘Cat lady’ with 20 cats gets help in cleaning cockroach-infested flat
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
The New Paper, Facebook screengrabs/ Cat Welfare Society
The landscaping coordinator said: “I know she keeps a lot of cats in her house and I’ve became used to the odour.
“But it was worrying when the odour from her house started to get stronger over the last few months.”
Madam Koh started bringing home stray cats more than 10 years ago after she saw them being caught to be culled.
DETERIORATING HEALTH
“I tried to stop them from catching the cats, but they (the authorities) turned me away,” she said.
“I feel sad when I see them roaming around without food. That’s why I bring them home – so I can feed them.”
All of Madam Koh’s cats were sterilised two years ago, after a CWS volunteer she befriended from cat feeding over the years found out that she had 20 cats at home.
Her current problems started only after she became immobile.
Madam Koh’s 36-year-old son, who is intellectually disabled, left his job as a shop assistant to be her primary caregiver after her health deteriorated due to diabetes and high blood pressure.
Madam Koh’s husband, a collector in a recycling company, became the sole breadwinner.
She said: “Even though we have to scrimp and save, there’s always enough money to feed the cats. Their food is very cheap, only 10 dollars a week.”
She admitted that it took her son quite a while to adapt to his new responsibility after leaving his job.
“He had to take care of me and my cats and he was not used to cleaning after them. That’s why there were a lot of cockroaches,” she said.
Madam Koh said that when the number of cockroaches got out of hand, they tried spraying insect repellent around the kitchen three times a day, but it was no use.
After CWS was alerted last month, a group of volunteers stepped in to help clean Madam Koh’s flat.
After discarding unused items and old cages, CWS bought Madam Koh 11 new cages from donations the society received from members of the public.
Some even provided flea treatment and food for the cats.
“If possible, I want to raise my cats until they die, but if people are willing to adopt them, I’ll let them go,” said Madam Koh.
See also: Bedok flat with 30 cats raises a stink
A Ministry of Social and Family Development spokesman said it is working with various agencies in the community to reach out to and assist Madam Koh.
“Madam Koh has declined applying for assistance at the Social Service Office (SSO) at Jurong East and shared that her family is able to cope financially,” said the spokesman.
“She has also been informed to approach SSO in the future if she needs help.”
CWS chief executive officer Pauline Leow said: “Out of the 10 cases of such families that we handled this year alone, there are more than 200 cats in these homes combined.
“It is simply impossible to find a place for them and that’s why we depend on members of the public to come forward and adopt.”
She added: “Now her son knows how to take care of the cats and since he’s been cleaning after them twice a day, the condition has improved drastically.”
When TNP visited Madam Koh’s flat last week, her flat was clean and there were about 20 cats.
The less aggressive cats roamed around freely, while others slept in their new cages.
Madam Koh is grateful for all the help given to her.
“The house is now very comfortable. I like it and I’m sure my cats like it, too. We will try to keep it this way,” she said.
When asked if she named the cats, she said: “There are too many of them so I call all of them mao mao (cat in Mandarin). They are like my children and I love them all equally.”
fnawang@sph.com.sg
See also: Woman with 20 cats told that they must go
Clean-up at Eunos’ cockroach flat
This article was first published on June 27, 2016.
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Monday, June 27, 2016 – 14:00
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Rainier weather this year may help ease haze episodes: Masagos
More rain is expected around the last quarter of the year, and this means the forest fires that cause the annual transboundary haze are more likely to be put out, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.
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Better haze, hotspot detection with new satellite
The Himawari-8 satellite has a higher frequency of updates, more spectral bands, as well as higher spatial resolution compared to the older MTSAT-2 satellite.
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President Tony Tan meets Austrian President Dr Heinz Fischer
President Tan met his Austrian counterpart on Sunday (Jun 26) while on a working visit to Germany.
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Passengers unharmed as Singapore Airlines plane catches fire
THE passengers and crew on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) plane en route to Milan, Italy had a close call when the aircraft’s engine caught fire early this morning within minutes of landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
According to The Straits Times, the plane was forced to turn back to Singapore due to an emergency but the 222 passengers and 19 crew on board Flight SQ368 were evacuated safely with no reported injuries.
The Boeing 777-300ER returned to the airport after experiencing engine problems between two and three hours after its 2.05am departure from Terminal 3 on Monday.
The passengers were either put on other fights several hours after the incident or given overnight accommodation at a nearby hotel by the airline.
The fire led to delays of several other flights and the temporary closure of Runway 2.
Forty-three-year-old Lee Bee Yee told local media that the aircraft’s pilots informed the passengers of an oil leak.
The wing was left badly damaged after the fire. Image via Lee Bee Yee
“The pilot said he was going to turn back because the engine is leaking oil on the right side. The captain said that they cannot turn on that side of the engine or else the plane will be vibrating. And they can’t fly like this to Milan… that’s why they turned back,” she said, as quoted by Channel News Asia.
“We were sleeping and didn’t think too much about it,” she added.
She said the plane’s right wing burst into flames after it touched down at Changi airport at around 6.45am.
It took several minutes for the airport’s emergency response team to arrive at the plane and douse the fire.
Passengers were evacuated safely with no injuries reported. Image via Lee Bee Yee
Lee, who decided to defer her flight, commended the airline’s “very smooth, very good” handling of the situation.
A probe into the incident is currently underway and the airline had pledged to provide full cooperation to the authorities.
The post Passengers unharmed as Singapore Airlines plane catches fire appeared first on Asian Correspondent.
Singapore Airlines 4-Days Sale at Zuji from 27 – 30 Jun 2016
Singapore Airlines promo fares to 10 destinations at Zuji till 30 June. Cheaper than booking directly via SIA
Singapore Airlines 4-Days Sale at Zuji from 27 – 30 Jun 2016
Zuji is having a 4-day sale featuring all Singapore Airlines destinations from $184 (return). Additional 5% rebate when you pay with Visa or $50 rebate with Visa Checkout (min $500 spend required)
