For the first time, 3D printing will be used to build landscape furniture and architectural finishes – such as a bench or a pavilion – in a Housing Board (HDB) estate.
They will feature in the upcoming Tengah and Bidadari estates.
In the long term, the technology could be used to build high-rise homes here. HDB is studying the feasibility of 3D-printed flats, including whether they will remain stable in Singapore’s climate.
The use of 3D printing would not only allow for faster, cheaper and less labour-intensive construction of buildings but could also allow for more unconventional designs than traditional precast methods.
SINGAPORE – Members of the public can apply online for the Singapore Bicentennial $20 commemorative note from Monday (Sept 16) until Oct 13.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced on Monday that it is launching the online application service for two million more pieces of the note.
The application, at go.gov.sg/mas, is open to Singapore citizens and permanent residents.
Each applicant can apply for up to 10 notes.
Successful applicants will be notified by Nov 3. They can exchange the notes at face value from early November.
Applicants can obtain the notes during the exchange period, and there is no need to rush to queue for the notes, said the MAS.
The first two million $20 notes, issued to mark Singapore’s bicentennial year, were exchanged at banks within a week of the launch on June 5.
Each person was allowed to exchange up to 20 pieces per transaction.
The MAS announced in June that it would issue another two million pieces of the Singapore Bicentennial $20 commemorative note to meet the strong public interest.
A Singaporean man was killed when his car skidded after a minor accident with a motorcycle and crashed into a water-filled road barrier at a bridge under construction in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the early hours of Saturday.
The incident occurred on the East-West Link Expressway near the Mid Valley Megamall around 3am, the New Straits Times reported online.
It is understood that the Volkswagen Passat grazed a Honda EX5 motorcycle, which led to the driver, identified as Mr Chua Zhijian, 37, losing control of the vehicle.
Mr Chua, a sales director who was said to be in Kuala Lumpur for work, died at the scene after the car slammed into the barrier at the bridge.
Rescuers found the Passat crushed and wedged underneath the iron frame of the bridge.
“The victim was pronounced dead by a paramedic team at the scene,” said Assistant Commissioner Zulkefly Yahya, head of the KL Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department.
The 25-year-old motorcyclist suffered light injuries.
He was married with children, but that did not stop Jimson Zheng Jun Cheng from filming upskirt videos of unsuspecting women.
Zheng, 31, had pleaded guilty to his offences on July 30.
He also secretly filmed himself having sex with an unnamed “girlfriend” at home and with a prostitute at a Geylang brothel, without the women’s consent.
Zheng, a salesman in the construction industry, was jailed for 21 weeks last Wednesday, on 15 counts of insulting the modesty of a woman and two counts of making an obscene film under the Films Act.
In all, he admitted to taking 45 upskirt videos and three sex videos between March 8 and June 3 last year. They were found on his phone, which was seized during investigations.
He was caught by a passer-by on June 3 at Tiong Bahru MRT station.
SINGAPORE: It would not be just gaming developers and publishers who will benefit when gamescom asia makes its Singapore debut in October 2020, said industry experts. Professional gaming, or e-sports, could also take off, they added.
It will be the first time that a “tier one” gaming trade show is being held in Southeast Asia – joining the likes of Tokyo Game Show and The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.
While business-centric trade fairs have traditionally been a place for creators to present their games for publishers to pick up, professional gaming – or e-sports – could also take off. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
“Just from our experience with gamescom, it can be that incubator… for a league, for a tournament, to be born on a trade fair and then move to its own home with a regular stadium event,” says Ralf Reichert, CEO of e-sports production company ESL.
ESL is headquartered in Cologne, Germany, where gamescom has been held for the past 10 years.
“If you look at these stadium events, these are the most important building blocks of an ecosystem for e-sports,” says Mr Reichert. “We’ve seen that in Poland, in Germany, in Denmark – wherever we did it, whenever we established such an event, the industry skyrocketed and had a sustainable piece.”
Alexander Müller, who is the CEO of German e-sports organisation SK Gaming agrees that the trade fair has helped grow the e-sports industry in his country.
Next year, the tradeshow will venture outside of Germany for the first time. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
Founded in 1997, SK Gaming’s teams have won more than 60 championships in games such as Counter-Strike, Warcraft III, and League of Legends.
“It brought together the business-to-business network,” says Mr Müller. “You need a place where the grown-ups can talk, a platform to develop something.”
HOPES OF SINGAPORE COMPANIES
And Singapore companies are raring to go. While Southeast Asia makes up just 3.1 per cent of the global gaming market, spending on games has grown 22 per cent year-on-year, according to market reports from Newzoo earlier this year.
Future growth will be driven by the region’s relatively young, mobile-savvy population, and as more people gain access to the Internet.
Participants at a Final Fantasy XIV showcase at gamescom in Germany. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
Singapore events management company Zenway Productions has been organising e-sports and gaming events since 2016. Its portfolio ranges from events held in shopping malls, to Blizzard Entertainment’s Southeast Asia tournaments for Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch.
The company attended gamescom this year for the first time hoping to strike deals on organising more of such events in Southeast Asia.
“What I want to see is more opportunities to collaborate with European gaming businesses,” says Lee Jian Ming, founder and managing director of Zenway. “It could be as simple as (organising) white label events for already established brands.”
Fans lining up at Square Enix’s booth. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
“In fact, being here is also part of a learning process for us, what the best practices in event management are and then to bring them back to Singapore,” says Mr Lee. “The next step in mind will be then to expand across the region, to other parts of Southeast Asia, to bring this kind of event concept over.”
And down the road “we’re trying to… potentially have our own intellectual property event”. Mr Lee is referring to an original event conceptualised and organised by Zenway.
BUILDING AN E-SPORTS TOURNAMENT
But organising an e-sports tournament is not just about having an arena, computers, and fast Internet connection. Just like any other sports competition, e-sports is a media product that needs to be broadcast to its fans who cannot be physically present for the tournament. It needs broadcasting capability and commentators.
To that end, local sports media firm Orientivity is looking to develop the technical abilities of its staff by learning from Touch Video Live Broadcast, a Chinese production company that broadcasts the Chinese Super League.
Another crucial ingredient is sponsorship and brands. Newzoo expects e-sports revenues to cross US$1 billion globally for the first time this year, driven largely by advertising, sponsorship, and media broadcasting rights.
THE BUBBLE OF INVESTMENTS
But those who have seen the ups and downs of the industry over the past few decades warn that the euphoria could be short-lived, as companies may not have a good understanding of where the industry stands right now.
“Having unrealistic expectations in terms of the returns of investment that they could get out of it. Gaming and e-sports is a long-term investment. I generally recommend that you are looking at a three to five-year investment before you really, really start to see the returns,” says Elicia Lee, co-founder and managing director of Eliphant, which organises GameStart Asia, Southeast Asia’s game convention.
Attendees pose for a photo at gamescom in Cologne, Germany. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
Mr Müller said there were signs that the bubble is bursting.
“We already see North American teams that are investment-based getting out of the market, slowing down, not signing any more players, and you can see the first signs. Not sure when it’s going to happen in Europe, but I believe it will be an ongoing process that will be more heavy (significant) in two years, maybe three years.”
MONETISING AMATEUR E-SPORTS
For Singapore company Bountie, an opportunity to weather any uncertainty may lie in turning away from pro-gaming, and tapping into the growing market of amateur players in the region.
Bountie is an online platform for casual gamers to play against each other and get paid when they win. It attracted more than 11,000 users on the platform in just three months – more than half of which are from Indonesia. And it hopes to have a million users globally by the end of the year.
An Xbox showcase at gamescom in Cologne. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
Bountie told CNA that league managers in France and Indonesia have expressed interest in using the platform to organise minor leagues and tournaments.
“We are touching base with different event organisers, and we want to reach out to them and let them know that hey, you can utilise Bountie platform to alleviate a lot of the administrative processes in your hosting and tournament organisation,” said Desmond Tan, Chief Business Development Officer of Bountie.
“We’re engaging the Singapore Tourism Board and ESG on how can Bountie come in to assist with gamescom asia next year… any tournaments and competitions held in Singapore, they could utilise Bountie platform to enable their process.”
WHO WILL WATCH E-SPORTS?
In the meantime, interest and awareness of e-sports is only set to grow in the region as it makes its debut in the SEA Games this November. Industry players say that as e-sports tournaments become annual events and develop “histories”, they will become as relatable as traditional sports.
For instance, this year’s DOTA 2 tournament The International was won by the defending champion, Team OG – the first time in the tournament’s nine-year history that a team with the same line-up was victorious twice, let alone consecutively.
So industry players believe viewers do not necessarily have to be gamers in order to enjoy e-sports.
A vehicle is displayed at the Wasteland 3 showcase. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
“Let’s stick with Counter-Strike, I honestly believe it’s the best sport to watch,” says Mr Reichert. “It has action every 90 seconds, something relevant is happening… The way some of these e-sports are built is much closer to how youth and our brains function these days, how the world works. So I just believe, on a pure entertainment level… a lot of these e-sports are better to watch than any of these sports have ever been.”
He says the data also shows that fans engage with the game immediately after the final of an e-sports tournament.
“People jump into the game and try out what they’ve just seen, so the contextual usage of what you’ve seen and just learnt is so direct. Well, it’s really hard at 11pm on a Sunday night to find a soccer (football) place that’s still open and find 10 other people to try the trick that Ronaldo just did.”
FOR THE FANS
While gamescom is targeted at gaming businesses, the trade fair also has strong consumer interest.
More than 370,000 fans visited the event in Cologne when it was open to the public this year.
Fans lined up – sometimes for hours – to try out ten-minute demos of highly-awaited titles, such as the remake of Square Enix’s role-playing game Final Fantasy VII, cult producer Kojima Hideo’s Death Stranding, 2K’s first-person-shooter game Borderlands 3 and a video game version of Marvel’s Avengers.
Fans lined up to try out ten-minute demos of highly-awaited titles such as a video game version of Marvel’s Avengers. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
And there are promises that regional fans can look forward to similar experiences when gamescom asia is launched.
Koelnmesse – Cologne’s trade fair company, which organises gamescom – says it is working to secure some game premieres at Singapore event.
It also said trends such as mobile gaming and cloud gaming will likely feature at the inaugural event, as they are on the rise in Southeast Asia.
But for companies and fans in the region, it feels like the attention is long overdue.
“Six years ago, when we started, Southeast Asia was this tiny little market. It was too small, the spending power was nowhere near anything like Japan, or Korea, or the United States,” says Ms Lee.
“We never got exclusives, we never got special things that the US or bigger markets would get. I’m hoping that will change. I’m hoping gamescom asia will usher that change.”
SINGAPORE -Singaporeans may breathe better when they wake up on Monday morning, with improvements to the air quality expected.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Sunday (Sept 15) that the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading is expected to gradually improve over the next 24 hours to the high end of the “moderate” range overnight – if prevailing wind conditions continue.
Normal activities can largely continue, given the forecast, the NEA said.
“However, caution should still be exercised, and persons who are not feeling well, especially the elderly and children, and those with chronic heart or lung conditions, should seek medical attention,” it said.
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s air quality is expected to “gradually improve” over the next 24 hours if prevailing wind conditions continue, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Sunday (Sep 15).
While the haze situation has gradually improved, “slightly hazy conditions are expected to continue”, said NEA in the media release.
PSI readings of 50 and below denote “good” air quality, “moderate” for 51-100 and “unhealthy” for 101-200.
Man wearing a mask amid the worsening haze situation in Singapore. (Photo: Jalelah Abu Baker)
“The 24-hr PSI is forecast to gradually improve to the high end of the Moderate range overnight if prevailing wind conditions continue,” said NEA.
The one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings are expected to range between Normal and Elevated for the next 24 hours, it added.
For the next few days, the weather is also expected to be generally dry except for a few brief showers, said NEA.
“Dry weather is forecast over central and southern Sumatra, and the haze situation there is expected to persist.
“The prevailing winds are forecast to blow from the southeast or south, and Singapore may still experience slightly hazy conditions,” said NEA, adding that it was monitoring the situation closely.
A total of 439 hotspots were detected in Sumatra on Sunday, mostly in the central and southern provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung.
“Moderate to dense smoke haze continued to emanate from persistent hotspots in these provinces, and some smoke haze from Riau and Jambi has been blown by the prevailing winds to affect Singapore and parts of Peninsular Malaysia,” said NEA.
“Given the air quality forecast for the next 24 hours, everyone can continue with normal activities,” said NEA.
It added that those who are not feeling well, especially the elderly and children, and those with chronic heart or lung conditions, should seek medical attention.
SINGAPORE: A fire broke out at two shophouse units along Geylang Lorong 4 on Sunday afternoon (Sep 15).
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the fire at about 2pm.
“The fire involved the content of shophouses on the third floor of unit 45 and 47,” said SCDF.
Around 36 firefighters and 12 emergency vehicles were deployed to the scene. “At the height of the operations, four handheld jets and an aerial water monitor were used to bring the fire under control,” added SCDF.
About 20 people were also evacuated from the shophouse, as well as the one adjacent to it.
Photos and a video sent by a CNA reader showed smoke bellowing from the building’s roof, with flames visible in the units on the top floor.
A fire broke out at a unit along Geylang Lorong 4. (Photo: Edmund Teo)
The fire was extinguished about an hour later and there were no injuries reported, added SCDF.
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Sunday (Sep 15) that it will consider closing schools when the air quality forecast enters the “hazardous” level.
With schools reopening on Monday after a week-long vacation, MOE assured parents that schools were “ready to respond and take appropriate haze management measures,” it said in a media release.
As of 4pm on Sunday, the 24-hour PSI reading in the western part of Singapore was at 110.
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), PSI reading of 50 and below denote “good” air quality, “moderate” for 51-100 , “unhealthy” for 101-200, “very unhealthy” for 201-300 and “hazardous” above 300.
“As was the case in 2015, we will consider closing schools when the air quality forecast for the next day is ‘hazardous’,” said MOE.
In late September 2015, primary and secondary schools were closed as the air quality in Singapore was expected to enter the “hazardous” range. The GCE O level Music practical exam was also rescheduled due to the air quality conditions.
Cable cars are seen amid the haze in Singapore on Sep 12, 2019. Huge fires in Indonesian rainforests have led to a drop in air quality across Southeast Asia. (Photo: Roslan RAHMAN/AFP)
MOE said that all primary and secondary school classrooms, as well as its kindergartens and Special Education (SPED) schools, have been equipped with air purifiers “to enhance the well-being of students during a haze situation”.
“Teachers will also be on the lookout for students who are unwell or have pre-existing lung or heart conditions,” said the ministry.
MOE reminded parents to ensure their children have their medication, such as inhalers for asthma, with them.
“In making any decision to close schools, MOE in mindful of the disruptions to families’ care arrangement for their child, and will take into consideration all available information, health advisories and forecasts from the relevant authorities regarding the next day’s haze situation,” said MOE.
It added that if school closures coincided with national examinations such as the PSLE, the affected examination papers would be rescheduled and the examination period extended.
Readings across the island also rose throughout the evening, with the PSI hitting 116 in the west, 113 in the south, 104 in the east, 103 in the north and 98 in the central region by midnight.
The one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings ranged from 90-158µg/m3 at 4pm, with the west seeing the highest levels of 158µg/m3 in Band III (High).
We love ourselves some addictive local food, but while nostalgic Bee-Bee crackers and gem biscuits reign eternal as mama shop must-haves, you might just find your new favourite with these local brands.
Whether it’s reinventing local restaurant flavours or bringing the mala craze back in fashion, look beyond industry giants and check out the newest nibbles making their way around town.
