The downtown city area will be bustling this weekend with four major events taking place at the same time: the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM), U2 Joshua Tree Tour, C3 Anime Festival Asia (AFA) and Gardens by the Bay’s Christmas Wonderland.
This rare convergence of schedules is expected to see hundreds of thousands throng the area. The respective organisers have moved to advise event-goers of the potential congestion.
Previous editions of the SCSM usually saw the event begin before dawn. But this year’s 42.195km marathon, half-marathon and Ekiden relay races will flag off at 6.05pm at the F1 Pit Building tomorrow.
The shift is to fulfil various criteria in the organisers’ bid to get the SCSM listed among the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series of the most prestigious marathons in the world.
Major road closures will begin from 1pm on race day, starting at the Marina Centre zone, and normal traffic activity will resume by noon on Sunday, after the 5km and 10km races.
Microsoft is bringing the next wave of their Surface series of laptops and tablet computers to Singapore next month, making it just in time for the Christmas season. Pre-orders have already begun though, so get clicking if you need upgrades to some of the best mobile productivity workhorses in the market.
The Surface Pro 7 2-in-1 PC and the Surface Laptop 3 (13.5” and 15” models) are coming to town on Dec 9 — both additions to the big Surface family that Microsoft announced in its New York hardware launch event back in October.
Though that showcase turned out to be dominated by announcements of the dual-screen Surface Neo tablet and the dual-display Surface Duo smartphone, the other Surface devices do have the advantage in actually being available for consumers right now instead of being products that will only be out in a year’s time.
SINGAPORE: Armed perpetrators are boarding big merchant ships in the Singapore Strait with multiple incidents in the past two months, including one case on Wednesday (Nov 27) involving a crew member being threatened with a knife.
Two of the incidents took place south of Batam’s Pulau Pemping which lies 18km south of Singapore, while another two occurred east of Singapore off Pengerang in Johor. There was a fifth incident where a ship was boarded, but it was not confirmed whether the perpetrators were armed.
All of the incidents happened in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait, although items were reported stolen in only one incident.
This is according to reports by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre.
The centre receives verified incident reports from authorities in its 14 member countries, including Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA). This comes after ships directly report incidents to the nearest coastal state.
The centre’s executive director Masafumi Kuroki told CNA that shipping companies are concerned about the recent incidents. Singapore should be concerned too, he said, pointing out that they are happening in one of the country’s most important shipping routes.
The Singapore Strait is one of the world’s busiest commercial routes, with 2,000 ships passing through every day.
On Friday, the centre released a report detailing how two bulk carriers – big merchant ships specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo – were boarded by armed perpetrators in the Singapore Strait.
In the latest incident on Wednesday, five perpetrators armed with a knife boarded the bulk carrier Kmax Evdokia near Pengerang at 4.58am. The duty oiler was grabbed and had a knife pointed at him, the centre said, although nothing was reported to be stolen.
On Nov 23, five perpetrators armed with long knives boarded another bulk carrier, Faye, near the same location at 5.22am. There were no confrontation and stolen items reported in this incident.
These follow three incidents in September and October of perpetrators boarding big ships near Pulau Pemping also in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait.
In the most serious incident on Oct 19, five perpetrators armed with a gun and jungle knife boarded the bulk carrier Nord Steel at 1am. They threatened a crew member, tied his hands and stole engine spares.
On Oct 18, five perpetrators boarded the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Hirado at 11.24pm. It was not stated if these perpetrators were armed, and no confrontation or stolen items reported.
And on Sep 30, five perpetrators armed with jungle knives boarded the bulk carrier Transpacific at 11.14pm, although there were also no confrontation and stolen items reported.
The incidents took place in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait and are categorised according to seriousness. Perpetrators in category 2 incidents are likely to be armed. (Source: ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre)
Mr Kuroki said the fact that the five incidents bore similar characteristics – they took place during the dark hours in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait – raises questions of whether they could be related.
“In five cases, there were five perpetrators,” he added. “So is it the same group or is it a coincidence that there were five perpetrators?”
Mr Kuroki stated that the centre has no information on whether the perpetrators have been arrested, highlighting that it was a concern that they were armed.
“In other incidents, a gun was not mentioned, but maybe they had a gun but didn’t show the gun,” he said, noting that crew members could only report what they saw.
Mr Kuroki said he does not know why the five incidents took place in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait, which leads to other Southeast Asian countries and China.
However, he pointed out that the three incidents off Pulau Pemping occurred where ships had to slow down before making a turn. This would make them more susceptible to boarding.
In its report on Friday, the centre advised ships to exercise enhanced vigilance, adopt more precautionary measures and report all incidents immediately to the nearest coastal state.
“The ReCAAP ISC recommends to the law enforcement agencies of the littoral states to step up surveillance, increase patrols and enhance cooperation and coordination among them in order to respond promptly to incidents,” it stated.
SINGAPORE – Tech giant Facebook was directed on Friday (Nov 29) under the Republic’s fake news law to publish a correction notice for a post by website States Times Review on its page on the social media platform.
This is the first time the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) is being invoked on an Internet platform.
Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam instructed the Pofma Office on Friday to issue a targeted correction direction to Facebook.
This comes after Mr Alex Tan Zhi Xiang, the editor of States Times Review, refused on Thursday to comply with an order by the Pofma Office to correct false statements in the post.
The post was about People’s Action Party (PAP) member Rachel Ong and a Nussu-NUS Students United Facebook post.
States Times Review is blocked in Singapore and has content that, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), spread “outright fabrications”.
Under the correction direction, Facebook is required to publish a correction notice on the States Times Review post that was published last Saturday, the Pofma Office said on Friday.
Fluffy & Famous is a weekly video series where we interview “infurrencers”, a term we coined for famous fur kids who aren’t like your regular influencers on Instagram.
This week, Rhea the Siberian cat shows off her wild side that’s normally hidden under her chic, classy and catty demeanour. Don’t be fooled by those big eyes, she’s got an insatiable thirst for fun and an equally large appetite for mischief.
Infurrencer’s Profile
Name: Rhea
Instagram handle: @rheathesiberiancat
Number of followers: 11.9k
Date of Birth: Jan 12, 2019
Rhea the Siberian cat might just be a newcomer on the block, having only embarked on her journey to be the ultimate infurrencer in April this year, but she’s got well over 10,000 followers to prove that a swish of her tail is all it takes for anyone to fall in love with her.
A personal mobility device (PMD) rider and a BMW car driver recently got into a dispute after the former had apparently punched the BMW when he was riding on a road.
Several Stompers alerted Stomp to a video of the incident that has been circulating on social media.
According to the video, the incident occurred at about 8.45am on Thursday (Nov 28) along Enggor Street in Tanjong Pagar.
The video was published on Facebook page SG Road Vigilante, where it has since garnered over 80 shares.
The driver can be seen driving along Enggor Street where the PMD rider is riding along the rightmost lane.
The driver passes the PMD rider and a ‘bang’ can be heard.
“Wake up,” the PMD rider says.
The driver replies: “What’s wrong with you? This is a road for motor vehicles, not for e-scooter.”
“I’m serious, behave yourself on the road. I’m serious, I’m gonna bring you to police if you don’t behave yourself all right.”
SINGAPORE: Three products have been found to contain undeclared potent ingredients, including a banned substance, prompting the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to alert the public against consuming them.
Milan Latte and Choco Lose For Fitness have been found to contain sibutramine which was banned in 2010 due to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, said HSA in a release on Friday (Nov 29).
Another brand, Valentus Slimroast Optimum Dark Roast Coffee, was found to contain phenethylamine which has a stimulatory effect on the brain and can be addictive.
The substance can cause rapid heartbeat, psychiatric conditions such as hallucinations and agitation, liver and kidney failure, or even death.
The products were brought to HSA’s attention by consumers complaining of adverse effects, such as breathlessness, heart palpitations, giddiness, nausea and significant reduction in appetite.
Be wary of exaggerated claims on slimming products, says the Health Sciences Authority. (Photo: HSA)
Consumers should stop taking these products immediately, and see a doctor if they feel unwell, said HSA.
Milan Latte carried taglines such as “decrease the growth of cancer cells”.
Such exaggerated claims or unexpectedly quick effects should ring alarm bells that the product might contain harmful ingredients, HSA said.
Choco Lose For Fitness is marketed to be “fast (in) burning fats”, while the Valentus coffee brand claimed to “metabolise fat to energy” and “boost circulation and oxygen delivery”.
These products were sold on multiple e-commerce and social media platforms, said HSA. A shop on Haig Road also sold Choco Lose For Fitness.
Slimming products found to contain undeclared potent ingredients are sold online, says Health Sciences Authority. (Photo: HSA)
Web administrators and the said shop have been told to stop sales of the products.
“All sellers and suppliers must stop selling these products immediately,” said HSA, warning that they would be prosecuted. Convicted offenders may be jailed up to two years or fined up to S$10,000, or both.
SINGAPORE: More digital services are being rolled out to improve convenience for both voters and candidates ahead of the next General Election (GE), the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Friday (Nov 29).
Voters will now be able to login to the SingPass website or mobile app to check their personal particulars such as their name, NRIC and address in the Register of Electors.
They can also check details such as their voting eligibility and voter serial number, as well as electoral division and polling district.
After nomination day, voters will be able to access an electronic poll card, which can be used in place of the conventional poll card, via the SingPass app or the ELD voter services website.
Physical poll cards will still be mailed out to voters.
To better protect personal data in the registers, voters will be required to use the SingPass two-factor authentication (2FA). The ELD is advising voters without SingPass 2FA, especially those who are residing overseas, to register for it early.
The ELD will also be introducing the use of electronic registration at polling stations, where machines scan the voters’ NRICs to register them. This is meant to save time, compared to the existing practice of manual checking against the electoral roll.
Conventional pens will also be replaced by self-inking pens, which are used to stamp an X on the ballot paper. This is meant to make the choice of voters clearer, as well as make the process easier for the elderly.
The self-inking pens are meant to make voting easier for the elderly. (Photo: Zhaki Abdullah)
Self-inking pens will be introduced to make voters’ choices clearer. (Photo: Zhaki Abdullah)
Mechanical counting machines will also be used to tally votes at counting centres, to speed up the counting process, which is currently done manually.
The department said it aims to conduct about 40 roadshows to help familiarise voters with the new electronic registration processes, following the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee’s report.
The committee – which is appointed by the Prime Minister – is responsible for reviewing the electoral boundaries, as well as taking into consideration any significant changes in the number of electors in the current electoral divisions.
The formation of the committee, which was announced in September, is the first formal step towards a GE.
Candidates meanwhile will now have access to a number of services online – such as appointing election agents, paying election deposits and submitting their names for the ballot paper.
Prospective candidates will be able to apply for a minority candidate certificate for GRCs online, among other things. (Photo: Zhaki Abdullah)
Nomination papers can be drafted online, with the details of proposers, seconders and assentors checked to ensure they are in the relevant Register of Electors.
However, nomination papers will still need to be printed out and submitted on Nomination Day with the relevant signatures obtained, as this process is required by law.
“ELD will hold engagement sessions for political party representatives to try out the new digital services for candidates and provide feedback,” said the department.
They will also be shown the new election equipment.
A Singaporean man has pleaded guilty on Tuesday, November 26, 2019, after causing serious injuries to his ex-wife and breaching a Personal Protection Order (PPO) that was issued against him.
Brutal attack in public
According to media reports, the 35-year-old, who is self-employed, repeatedly punched his wife in front of their two children on 26 August 2018.
The couple and their two children were at Pending LRT station when the wife told the man she intended to go back to her mother’s home.
Hearing this, the man immediately grabbed her hand and instructed her to return back to their matrimonial home.
When she resisted and refused to come home, the man in a fit of anger punched her face three times, until she fell unconscious.
Despite her condition, the man continued his attack by kicking her on the face and stomping her head twice.
Their two children, a six-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son, started crying and begged the man to stop.
With multiple food delivery services available in Singapore that make it possible to satisfy our hunger pangs without so much as lifting a finger, it’s safe to say that some of us have gotten a little spoiled.
Case-in-point — one customer who demanded that their GrabFood rider pick up the tab if the food was not delivered by a certain time.
Photos of the unusual request, which were shared on the Facebook page All Singapore Stuff yesterday (Nov 28), showed an order on the GrabFood Driver app.
The customer had ordered food from a Swensen’s outlet at Northpoint City and asked for it to be delivered to The Miltonia Residences, a condominium in Yishun.
Under a section for customer notes, the customer had written: “by 4.45pm of [sic] my food not here. rider will pay for it”
The photos were taken at 4.24pm, which left the rider with 21 minutes to head to the restaurant, collect the food and deliver it.
.jpg "20191129_domesticviolence_tnp-1.jpg")
