[ad_1]
Was the driver drunk or did he make a wrong turn?
A man was recently filmed driving a lorry against traffic near Lorong 27A Geylang.
In a video clip circulating on Facebook, the driver of a Toyota Dyna can be seen ignoring honks by fellow motorists as well as several men who stepped onto the road to alert him of his mistake.
He continued driving in the direction opposite to the flow of traffic.
[ad_2]
Source link
[ad_1]
About a week ago, Riot Games dropped a volley of bombshell announcements. Now officially 10-years-young, the American video game studio marked their coming-of-age by (finally) releasing more major properties beyond their flagship money-maker, League of Legends (LOL).
There’s Legends of Runeterra, their foray into free-to-play strategy card games. There’s League of Legends: Wild Rift, their other multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) built for mobile and console gaming. There’s Teamfight Tactics, their take on the burgeoning auto chess genre that’ll be a standalone mobile game. And an animated series set in the LOL universe, because why not.
[ad_2]
Source link
[ad_1]
A thousand congratulations, Aerowolf – that’s yet another victory for local esports on an international stage!
Last weekend from 19-20 October, the six-man team played their hearts out in Sydney, Australia at the Rainbow Six Siege Pro League Season X APAC Finals, and we’re happy to report that their hard work and efforts have paid off.
Snagging an impressive 7-4, 2-7, 7-3 victory over Australian team Wildcard, Aerowolf’s win in Sydney secures them a place in two upcoming competitive events.
The first, which is the Pro League Season X Grand Finals, will take place at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan from 9-10 November, while the second – the Six Invitational 2020, will occur in Montreal from 7-16 February 2020.
[ad_2]
Source link
SINGAPORE: Both jobseekers and employers will have to be more flexible to allow for better job matching, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on Thursday (Oct 24).
The minister’s comments came after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) released preliminary figures in its labour market report for the third quarter of 2019, which showed that the overall unemployment rate in Singapore had risen slightly in September from 2.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent.
“The increase in unemployment rates occurred when there were still vacancies available. This suggests some mismatch in the labour market,” said MOM.
Mrs Teo mirrored this view in her comments on a Facebook post on Thursday, saying that the preliminary data “painted a mixed picture”.
“Total employment growth was higher than the previous quarter and a year ago. But unemployment and retrenchments also inched up.
“Employment growth was fairly broad-based led by sectors such as Community, Social and Personal Services, Professional Services, and Information & Communications.
“Many vacancies remain,” said Mrs Teo.
Mrs Teo said that this suggests “mismatches are widening”.
“It could be jobseekers not having the skills to access available jobs or jobs being insufficiently attractive.
“Closing the gaps require both jobseekers and employers to be more open and flexible,” the minister said.
Mrs Teo noted that jobseekers naturally prefer to return to past occupations or industries despite better opportunities possibly lying elsewhere.
To take advantage of such opportunities, some training and adjustment may be needed, but it has been “heartening” to see that thousands of jobseekers have successfully made the transition each year, with the help of Workforce Singapore (WSG), she said.
Meanwhile, employers may prefer those with the same functional or industry experience, but more have been willing to train and take in mid-career candidates, Mrs Teo highlighted.
“This has helped to raise employment rates of older Singaporeans and we are catching up with OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries,” she said, pointing out that there are more than 100 Professional Conversion Programmes over 30 sectors.
MP for West Coast GRC Patrick Tay, who is also NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, in Parliament.
Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC Patrick Tay also published a Facebook post commenting on the report on Thursday.
He said MOM’s preliminary figures suggest that “structural challenges such as skills and jobs mismatches continue to be the main cause of employment in Singapore”.
“We need to continue our efforts in training and supporting mature workers and PMEs as they are most vulnerable,” said Mr Tay, who is also Assistant Secretary-General of NTUC.
Mr Tay said that the labour movement will accelerate its efforts to overcome structural mismatches.
“The labour movement will promote and encourage Pre-Emptive and Proactive up-skilling; re-skilling; second-skilling; deep skilling; and multi-skilling to help our workers stay ready, relevant and resilient.”
He also said that employers should “cut costs to save jobs and not cut jobs to save costs”.
“In the unfortunate event of a retrenchment, NTUC and our unions/union leaders will render their assistance and support to those affected.
“Companies and employers should observe the tripartite advisory on managing excess manpower and responsible retrenchment, render the necessary support to affected workers, and manage the layoff process responsibly and sensitively.”
SINGAPORE: A total of 1.4 million Singaporeans will receive their Bicentennial Bonus benefits in November, the finance ministry said on Thursday (Oct 24).
These benefits include a cash payment under the GST Voucher scheme, a Central Provident Fund (CPF) top-up and a Workfare bonus for lower-income workers.
In February during Budget 2019, the Government announced a S$1.1 billion Bicentennial Bonus package to commemorate Singapore’s bicentennial and to support those in need.
All 1.4 million Singaporean adults aged 21 years and above this year, with an assessable income of up to S$28,000 for 2018, will receive the GST Voucher cash payment in November.
They will receive either S$150 or S$300, depending on the value of their homes.
The 400,000 workers who qualify for the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) will receive the Workfare Bicentennial Bonus at the end of October.
They will receive an additional 10 per cent of the total annual payment for work done in 2018, or a minimum payment of S$100, to help them with their daily expenses, the finance ministry said.
Those with disabilities and who are below 35 years old in 2018, and who also meet the WIS eligibility criteria, will receive between S$100 and S$150 based on work done last year.
Singaporeans eligible for the GST Voucher and Workfare Bicentennial Bonus, and who have registered their mobile number with SingPass, will receive an SMS notification by the end of this month. Letters will also be sent to all eligible Singaporeans.
A total of 300,000 Singaporeans will receive CPF top-ups and will get both their letter notification and payment next month.
Those aged between 50 and 54 will receive S$300 to S$1,000 depending on their combined CPF Ordinary and Special Account or Retirement Account balance.
(Source: Ministry of Finance)
To qualify for the top-up, the individual’s assessable income for 2018 must not be more than S$28,000. The person’s home should also not have an annual value of more than S$21,000 as of Dec 31, 2018, and he or she should not own more than one property.
Other Bicentennial Bonus benefits were also distributed over the past few months.
Top-ups to Edusave Accounts and Post-Secondary Education Accounts were completed in June, benefiting 570,000 students.
Primary and secondary students received an Edusave top-up of S$150 while those aged 17 to 20 received up to S$500 in their PSEA.
Taxpayers will also receive a personal income tax rebate of 50 per cent, or up to S$200 each, by December this year, the finance ministry added.
In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said that from time to time, when finances allow, the Government shares the surpluses with Singaporeans, and provides more help to those with specific needs.
“With this bonus, I hope all Singaporeans, young and old, will join us to commemorate this significant moment in Singapore’s history,” he said.
SINGAPORE: The overall unemployment rate in Singapore rose slightly in the third quarter of 2019, according to preliminary figures released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in its Labour Market Report on Thursday (Oct 24).
The seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate rose slightly in September from 2.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent, as well as among residents from 3.1 per cent in the previous quarter to 3.2 per cent in the July to September quarter.
“The increase in unemployment rates occurred when there were still vacancies available. This suggests some mismatch in the labour market,” said MOM.
The jobless rate for citizens rose from 3.2 per cent in the second quarter to 3.3 per cent in the three months ending September. (The second quarter’s jobless rate for citizens was previously indicated as 3.3 per cent. However, according to MOM, the rate was subsequently recalculated to be 3.2 per cent.)
In September, the number of unemployed citizens rose from 64,200 to 65,000.
Among residents, the number of jobless went from 72,600 in the second quarter to 74,700 in the three months ending September.
Total employment in the third quarter of 2019 (excluding foreign domestic workers) grew by 22,400, higher than the 6,200 figure in the second quarter and the same period last year (16,700).
Jobs growth was broad-based across main industries.
Growth in services was also higher than a year ago, led by community, social and personal services, professional services, and information and communications, while sectors such as wholesale and retail trade registered smaller declines over the quarter.
Employment in manufacturing also increased after three consecutive quarters of decline, though the growth was lower than a year ago, said MOM.
Employment in construction picked up, due to increasing private and public sector construction activities.
Retrenchments rose between the second and third quarter of 2019 from 2,320 to 2,900, but remained comparable to a year ago (2,860). All three broad sectors saw increase in retrenchments over the quarter.
Services continued to form the bulk of retrenchments (66 per cent), followed by manufacturing (21 per cent) and construction (14 per cent).
[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – A residential development site situated off Upper Serangoon Road has been put up for sale via public tender at an indicative price of $13.5 million.
This works out to $850 per square foot (psf) on a land area of around 15,871 square feet (sq ft), exclusive marketing agent CBRE said on Tuesday.
The site is zoned for residential use with a plot ratio of 1.4, based on the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Draft Master Plan 2019.
The site, which is delta-shaped, is located at 62 Florence Road and enjoys a dual road frontage of 55 metres along Florence Road and 45 metres into Lim Ah Pin Road. It is occupied by a vacant single-storey detached house which was built in the 1930s.
[ad_2]
Source link
[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – A husband-and-wife pair allegedly lived on the prostitution earnings of a Bangladeshi woman originally hired to work as a dancer in a club the man managed.
A district court heard that she was later “coaxed” to perform sex work.
The two Indian nationals, Priyanka Bhattacharya Rajesh, 31, and her husband Malkar Savlaram Anant, 51, have claimed trial to prostitution-related charges under the Women’s Charter.
They are also accused of three offences each under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act.
Court documents stated that Priyanka and Malkar allegedly harboured three Bangladeshi women – including the sex worker – “by means of abuse of power for the purpose of exploitation… in Singapore”.
The women and their workplaces cannot be named due to a gag order to protect their identities.
The Straits Times understands that this case could potentially lead to the first labour trafficking conviction under the Act.
[ad_2]
Source link
SINGAPORE: The entire western part of Singapore will become a testing ground for autonomous vehicles (AVs), under plans unveiled by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday (Oct 24).
The expanded testbed – which will include areas such as Woodlands, Bukit Merah and Choa Chu Kang – will see more than 1,000km of public roads opened up to the testing of such self-driving vehicles.
This expansion will allow organisations to progressively test these vehicles in a wider range of traffic scenarios and road conditions, LTA said.
In comparison, the current largest testing site in the Buona Vista area has only about 70km of roads available for the testing of AVs.
The expanded testing ground will encompass existing testbeds at Buona Vista, Sentosa, Jurong Island as well as the Nanyang Technological University and neighbouring CleanTech Park.
Among the companies currently testing AVs in these areas are ST Engineering, transport giant ComfortDelGro and American firm nuTonomy.
LTA said the move is a response to industry feedback that a more varied test environment will help accelerate the development of autonomous technology.
“This will support the robust testing of AVs’ capabilities to provide inter-town services and longer-haul journeys in a safe manner, and pave the way for the planned pilot deployment of AVs in the early 2020s,” it added.
Map of expanded trial area in western Singapore. (Image: LTA)
The expansion of AV trials will be done gradually over the next few years in a “small-scale, incremental manner”, with all testing subject to LTA approval.
LTA also said that grassroots and community leaders would be informed if there are plans to conduct such trials in their areas.
Any new trials will begin in a “limited manner within a small area”, said the authority, adding further expansions in trials will only be allowed if the AVs pass stringent tests. Public safety, LTA highlighted, will continue to be the “top priority” in these trials.
Vehicles will have to go through a thorough safety assessment before they are allowed on the roads, and must have a safety driver on board who can take over the wheel in case of emergencies.
They must also have third-party liability insurance, and display prominent decals and other markings to allow other road users to identify them as autonomous vehicles.
Image of decal displayed on all AV test vehicles. (Image: LTA)
The move was announced on Thursday by Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary at the opening of the Autonomous Mobility Summit, held in conjunction with the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress.
AVs have been tested on the roads here since 2015. And in the early 2020s, a trial on the use of driverless shuttles to ferry passengers in three areas – Punggol, Tengah and the Jurong Innovation District – is expected to begin.
In February, a report by KPMG ranked Singapore top in Asia and second in the world after the Netherlands in its readiness to adopt AVs.
The consulting firm’s annual Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index ranked 25 countries in areas such as policy and legislation, as well as technology and innovation.
[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – A devotee tripped and fell into a fire pit while fulfilling his vows on Sunday (Oct 20) at the Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown, the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) and the temple said on Tuesday.
As many as seven rescuers quickly attended to the devotee and a medical team rushed him to the Singapore General Hospital.
The devotee is in stable condition. The temple management has also visited him in hospital and will continue to monitor his progress, the board and the temple said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Two people who helped him also suffered injuries during the incident, and they are recovering well, HEB and the temple said.
More details were not immediately available and HEB said it wanted to respect the privacy of the devotee.
“Our prayers are with him and his family… We wish to thank all who provided much needed support to ensure the devotee received medical attention as soon as possible,” said HEB and the temple.
[ad_2]
Source link
