WASHINGTON – Hungry for a new fine dining frontier, Michelin’s fabled guide is rolling into the US capital city for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

Anonymous Michelin inspectors are already out dining their way across Washington, the fourth US city to get its own guide.

The guide goes on sale in October, covering just the federal District of Columbia, for now, and suburbs in later editions.

The tiremaker’s guides are written by inspectors who remain anonymous, reserve anonymously and pay for their own meals so they experience dining as any customer would.

“Washington is one of the great cosmopolitan cities in the world, with a unique and storied past that includes, among so many other things, a rich culinary tradition that continues to evolve in exciting new directions,” said Michael Ellis, international director of the guides.

Though famous for ranking the best of the best, Michelin’s guide also will identify the best meal for under $25 (S$34).

Washington is the fourth new international guide added this year, along with Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore.

A couple with 30 cats in a three-room flat in Bedok North has raised residents’ hackles, with the Housing Board and Cat Welfare Society stepping in.

The pair have kept more than 40 cats in their flat at Block 703, Bedok Reservoir Road in seven years, Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.

Even though they have given away more than 10 in two years, neighours are still unhappy over the remaining 30 felines and the hygiene issues they could cause.

The owner of the cats, who gave her name as Rosna, told Shin Min that it started when she fed a stray cat seven years ago. It kept reproducing, and the house was filled with cats.

“The stray cat had four kittens, and the family just kept growing, till at one point there were 44 cats under the same roof,” said the housewife in her 60s.

Responding to neighbours’ complaints, Ms Rosna said that there is protective wire mesh in the house to keep the cats from wandering out. She said that it could be strays outside passing urine or defecating that made the residents unhappy.

She added that she and her husband were cat lovers, but that there were more and more felines in the house, so they hoped to find people to adopt them.

“We spend more than $300 a month to look after the cats. The house was originally supposed to be rented out, but whenever potential tenants see there are so many cats, they are unwilling to sign the contract,” she said.

An HDB spokesman told My Paper yesterday that HDB’s principal consideration n setting the rules on pet ownership is “to preserve a pleasant living environment and maintain good neighbourly relations”.

“We need to strike a balance between residents who are pet lovers and those who are more sensitive to the disamenities caused by animals,” she said.

“When we receive feedback about unpermitted pet ownership in HDB flats, we will advise the flat owners to make alternative arrangements to rehome their pets.”

HDB received feedback about this particular case in February this year and “advised the owners to find an alternative home for the cats”.

“With their agreement, we have contacted the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) to help rehome the cats. The CWS is in the midst of assisting the family with the rehoming.”

A CWS spokesman told Shin Min that they have been aware of Ms Rosna’s case for two weeks now, and have interviewed her as well as neutered the cats.

“Some members of the public have also donated cat food, beds and such items to the owner, but there are too many cats, we were unable to take in all of them and can only wait for kind-hearted people to adopt them.”

The spokesman also reminded cat lovers to neuter their pets.

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FOUR Bangladeshi workers detained last month under the Internal Security Act (ISA) were found guilty yesterday of financing terrorism.

The four are Rahman Mizanur, 31; Miah Rubel, 26; Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul Islam Sowdagar, 31; and Sohel Hawlader Ismail Hawlader, 29. All pleaded guilty in court yesterday.

They were charged on Friday with providing or collecting money to fund terrorist acts in Bangladesh.

The four were part of a group of six charged under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act. The other two – Zzaman Daulat, 34 and Mamun Leakot Ali, 29 – have denied the charges. A pre-trial conference for them will be held on June 9.

27 radicalised Bangladeshis arrested under ISA

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Ministry of Home Affairs

Court documents show that they were led by Rahman, with Mamun as the deputy leader. Miah was in the group’s financial council, while Jabath handled the group’s media.

Zzaman and Sohel were in the group’s security and fighter councils respectively.

The six were among eight men arrested between late March and early last month. Working in the marine and construction industries, they called themselves the Islamic State in Bangladesh (ISB). They were planning attacks back home in hopes of toppling the government, with the aim of forming an Islamic state in Bangladesh.

dansonc@sph.com.sg

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A BOY who was taken to hospital after a wild boar reportedly chased and injured him in Punggol has returned home.

The boy, whose age is unknown, was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Sunday after the Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to an incident at Block 184 Edgefield Plains at 2.17pm and dispatched an ambulance.

However, it was not clear what injuries the boy suffered.

When approached at his flat on Monday, the boy’s father would only say that his son had returned home and was feeling better, reported The New Paper.

Meanwhile, several people also said they spotted the creature in the neighbourhood.

A Facebook post by user Joanne Wan on Sunday night claimed that a wild boar about 1m in size had been spotted at the same block.

“It was last seen fleeing near Meridian LRT,” she added.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Reuters, The Straits Times, Facebook screengrabs, Law Ing Sind, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Marcus Chua

Related: Wild boars sighted in Punggol

A wild boar was also sighted in the vicinity by a contributor to citizen journalism website Stomp at around 3.30pm on the same day. She said the animal had dashed in front of a lorry she was in, near Block 106B.

In response to queries, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said it had received feedback on wild boar sightings in the Punggol area and was conducting control operations.

“Members of the public who encounter wild boars should stay calm and not approach the animal,” said a spokesman.

The presence of wild boars in the area is not new.

Last year, residents of Edgefield Plans also complained to the AVA regarding wild boars, with some even resorting to carrying wooden sticks to defend themselves.

A recent joint advisory by the AVA, National Parks Board (NParks) and Wildlife Reserves Singapore states that the wild boar is native to Singapore. It can weigh up to 100kg and has a lifespan of over 20 years.

The advisory said the animals are increasingly spotted all over the island in recent years, due to their quick reproduction rates, presence of ideal foraging habitats and the lack of natural predators.

“Although they appear shy, they are still wild animals and are unpredictable in behaviour which could pose a risk to public safety,” the advisory said.

“Like many other wild animals, wild boars will only attack if they are cornered or if they feel threatened.”

The three tips when one encounters wild boars are:

Be calm and move slowly away from the animal. Do not approach or attempt to feed the animal;

Keep a safe distance and do not corner or provoke the animal, such as using a flash while taking pictures of it;

If you see adults with young piglets, leave them alone. These are potentially more dangerous because they may attempt to protect their young.

mklee@sph.com.sg

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