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SINGAPORE: Once again reigniting the passionate debate between gastronomes and local hawker fans, the 2018 Singapore Michelin Star list was announced on Wednesday night (Jul 25), as the third edition of the Michelin Guide Singapore was launched. 

With Joel Robuchon Restaurant – Singapore’s only three Michelin-star restaurant – bidding our island-city adieu last month, there was a massive hole to be filled. But in the end, no establishment claimed the elusive spot.

Five new eateries received their very first one-star accolade, including Chef Ivan Brehm’s Nouri, Chef Tomoo Kimura’s Sushi Kimura, modern Australian Burnt Ends, Four Seasons Hotel’s Jiang-Nan Chun and French gastro-bar Ma Cuisine.

Keeping their coveted star were the two fan favourite Singaporean hawker stalls – Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle and Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle. They made history back in 2016 when they garnered one Michelin star each, positioning Singapore as the official home of the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred meal.

Eighteen-year-old Singapore stalwart restaurant Saint Pierre by chef-owner Emmanuel Stroobant, Cheek By Jowl by Sri Lanka-born and Tetsuya-trained Rishi Naleendra, as well as modern Singaporean restaurant Labyrinth by Singaporean chef Han Li Guang and Chef Malcom Lee’s Candlenut, the world’s first Peranakan restaurant with a Michelin star, all retained their star for the second year running.

Osia Steak and Seafood Grill at Resorts World Sentosa was unfortunately dropped from the one-star list.

There were several vacancies on the list of two-star eateries this year, what with Restaurant Andre and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon both shuttering in February and June respectively.

However, no other restaurant rose to the challenge to join the likes of Les Amis, Odette, Shisen Hanten, Shoukouwa and Waku Ghin, resulting in the two Michelin star list remaining unchanged with no new entrants.

Here’s the official Michelin Guide Singapore 2018: 

ONE MICHELIN STAR RECIPIENTS

New entrants:

• Burnt Ends 
• Jiang-Nan Chun
• Ma Cuisine
• Nouri 
• Sushi Kimura

Alma by Juan Amador

Bacchanalia

Braci

Beni

Candlenut

Cheek By Jowl

Chef Kang’s

Corner House

Cut

Crystal Jade Golden Palace

Garibaldi

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

Iggy’s

Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine

Jaan

Labyrinth

Lei Garden

Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle

Meta

Putien (Kitchener Road)

Rhubarb

Saint Pierre

Shinji by Kanesaka (Bras Basah Rd)

Shinji by Kanesaka (Tanglin Road)

Summer Palace

Summer Pavilion

Sushi Ichi

The Song of India

Whitegrass

TWO MICHELIN STAR RECIPIENTS

There are no new entrants in this category this year.

• Les Amis
• Odette
• Shisen Hanten
• Shoukouwa
• Waku Ghin

THREE MICHELIN STAR RECIPIENTS

There are no awardees in this category this year.

All the establishments, according to Michelin Guides, are visited and judged independently.

Over the past year, anonymous Michelin inspectors have gone around the island rating local establishments based on five criteria: Quality of ingredients used, mastery of cooking techniques and flavours, projection of the chef’s personality in his or her cuisine, value for money, and consistency – both over time and across the entire menu.

SINGAPORE: The police are on the hunt for four men who allegedly attacked a 27-year-old man in Little India on Wednesday afternoon (Jul 25). 

The police said they were alerted to the case at 202 Serangoon Road at about 2.20pm, adding that the victim was taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. 

The victim suffered multiple slashes, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force. 

It is understood that the four suspects used a kitchen knife and a samurai sword in the attack before fleeing in a car. The victim was slashed on the back of his head, body, hands and legs. 

Photos on social media show a man lying on the road near a bus stop, with police officers at the scene. 

An eyewitness who declined to be named told Tamil Seithi that he saw four men running past Broadway Hotel and getting into a car parked by the side of the road near a fire hydrant.

Police investigations are ongoing. 

SINGAPORE: Past events like the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data leak has shown that “leaving industry to self-regulate doesn’t work”, said Mr Ng Hoo Ming, deputy chief executive of operations at the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) on Wednesday (Jul 25).

Mr Ng, who was speaking on data governance in his keynote speech at cybersecurity trade show RSA Conference, pointed out that this aspect of safeguarding information tends to be viewed by decision-makers as a hindrance to doing business and only addressed later on.

However, this should not be the case, given that “data is the lifeblood” of today’s digital economy and more care should be focused on this.

The CSA executive also cited Uber’s data breach as another example of how these would eventually erode people’s trust in embracing digital services.

The US-based ride-hailing company revealed last November that the personal data of about 57 million riders and drivers were compromised following a hack in 2016. Compounding the issue was the fact the company did not disclose the incident to those affected, but paid the hackers US$100,000 to destroy the data.

Of the 57 million, 380,000 were Singapore users and the Personal Data Protection Commission said then it was investigating whether the company had breached the Personal Data Protection Act. 

“The push for convenience should not be at the expense of security,” Mr Ng said.

He also briefly reiterated the Government’s message regarding Singapore’s most serious breach of personal data, when hackers burrowed into the patient database of healthcare provider SingHealth and made away with 1.5 million people’s data, including that of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The CSA deputy chief executive demurred on giving “juicy insider stories” about the hack, but stated, again, that such incidents while serious, should not derail the nation’s Smart Nation ambitions. This was the message put out by both Mr Lee and Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran when the cyberattack was first announced last Friday.

Thus, Mr Ng said the onus is on governments and organisations to work together to foster trust on the Internet.

He pointed out that many organisations today have corporate social responsibility programmes that allow them to give back to the wider society, and some of them even have key performance indicators baked into how they conduct such initiatives.

Similarly, organisations should consider doing so for something Mr Ng coined as “corporate cybersecurity responsibility”.

This way, companies would have a compelling reason to regularly relook and improve their cybersecurity processes and posture, he explained.

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) on Wednesday (Jul 25) launched a public appeal for donations and said it would pledge S$50,000 in humanitarian aid, after a hydropower dam collapsed in Laos.

Nineteen people have died and more than 3,000 need to be rescued according to local media, after a wall of water unleashed on Monday swept away homes and left an unknown number of people missing.

READ: 19 people confirmed dead after Laos dam collapse: Report

Donations will fund the purchase and distribution of relief items including first aid supplies, blankets and mats for survivors, as well as other disaster relief and recovery efforts, said the Singapore Red Cross in its press release.

Calling the consequences of the collapsed dam “dire”, the organisation said it is also working closely with the Lao Red Cross Society to dispatch a three-person advance team made up of experienced volunteers on Thursday.

The team will deliver relief supplies to an estimated 1,000 families and conduct ground assessments to determine urgent and mid-term needs.

“With continued rain and strong winds predicted for the next few days, there is much uncertainty surrounding the situation at this point,” said Mr Benjamin William, the secretary-general and CEO of Singapore Red Cross. “We are deeply concerned for the survivors, and plans are already in motion for SRC to provide immediate response.”

“Our first priority is to address the urgent needs and to provide support to the homeless,” he said, adding that the organisation would continue to monitor the situation closely and work with its partners to “render appropriate aid in this challenging time”.

The appeal comes after the Singapore Government announced on Tuesday that it has offered to provide aid and immediate supplies to assist with flood relief efforts in affected areas.

READ: Singapore offers aid, supplies to areas affected by Laos dam collapse

Donations to the Singapore Red Cross can be made at Red Cross House, 15 Penang Lane, Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm.

Online donations via POSB/DBS Internet banking and PayLah! will also be available in the later part of next week, according to the organisation.

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has bought 66 new trains to replace its oldest fleet on the North-South and East-West lines (NSEWL).

The LTA announced on Wednesday (Jul 25) that the trains, made by Canadian transportation company Bombardier, are set to arrive in batches from 2021. 

The “pioneer” set of 66 trains have been serving commuters since the NSEWL – operated by SMRT – started in 1987. 

Speaking at the contract-signing ceremony, Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan remarked that “30 years of wear and tear is significant”. 

“There is a limit to how much upgrading and refurbishment we can do to keep these trains running smoothly,” he said. “Hence, after decades of service, it will soon be time to retire them.”

The LTA is considering preserving one or two of these “pioneer” trains for display to the public.

LTA said the conceptual design of the trains will be done in Germany, while the design coordination will be led by Bombardier’s team based in Singapore. 

They will be manufactured and assembled in Bombardier’s facility in Changchun, China. Once delivered to Singapore, the trains will undergo testing and commissioning before being put to service. 

Mr Khaw said Bombardier was chosen as it is a familiar partner, having supplied all 92 trains for the Downtown line. 

“There are many shared systems between the Downtown Line, and the 66 new trains on the North-South and East-West lines. This means that there will be synergies in technical expertise across all three lines in future.”

As part of the contract for the new trains, Bombardier also has the option to provide long-term technical and logistics support to SMRT for 30 years. 

If SMRT takes up this option, then the cost of the whole package is S$1.2 billion. Excluding the maintenance, the cost of the 66 new trains is approximately $827 million.

Deputy Chief Executive for Infrastructure and Development at LTA Chua Chong Kheng said: “A successful and durable rail system relies much on an efficient and assured long-term logistics and technical support network, which we are confident Bombardier will be able to provide based on their track record and close working relationship with LTA and our rail operators. 

“The award of the contract to Bombardier will revitalise our oldest rail lines and improve rail reliability, as well as Singapore’s rail capabilities.” 

The new-generation trains boasts a better design and new “predictive maintenance” features to improve reliability on the NSEWL.

The trains will have a suite of “condition monitoring” sensors and back-end analytic systems so that engineers can diagnose and rectify anomalies early, thus reducing the likelihood of the anomalies becoming train faults and affecting commuters.

Four of the trains will also be fitted with an Automatic Track Inspection (ATI) system of cameras, lasers and sensors, to also help detect rail defects and avoid train disruptions.

“The new trains will be designed to cater to all commuters, including those with different needs,” said Mr Khaw.

“Without reducing the number of seats in the trains, our engineers have catered for wider spaces near the doors to allow passengers to enter and exit the trains more easily. 

“Parents with strollers, wheelchair users, and commuters with personal mobility devices or foldable bicycles will all be able to benefit from the new design.”

Mr Khaw also called for strong support from the public as the major assets on the North-South and East-West lines undergo renewal. He said “strong public support is critical to the success of our renewal works”. 

“I am grateful for commuters’ patience over the past year and a half of Early Closures and Late Openings, or ECLO for short. The extra hours granted by ECLO have enabled us to accelerate the re-signalling of the East-West Line,” he said.

“We are halfway through the asset renewal programme for the North-South and East-West lines. Later this year, we will commence the critical task of renewing the power supply. Work on replacing the track circuits will also begin later this year. All these works will again require more periods of ECLO.”

Sleeper replacement, which started in August 2013, was completed in December 2016. Meanwhile, replacement of the power-supplying third rail was completed in August last year.

Rail operator SMRT has also completed the switch over to the new signalling system on the North-South Line, and the new signalling system has also been used on the East-West Line for daily passenger service since May 28. 

SINGAPORE: French league champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) arrived in Singapore on Wednesday (Jul 25) ahead of the 2018 International Champions Cup (ICC), which kicks off at the National Stadium on Thursday.

The team received a warm welcome from fans despite the absence of Brazilian superstar Neymar and World Cup-winning French striker Kylian Mbappe. 

Club captain Thiago Silva as well as forwards Angel Di Maria and Edinson Cavani have also been left out of the squad. They are on an extended break after featuring at the World Cup. 

Fans were nonetheless excited by the presence of legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and German midfielder Julian Draxler who took time to pose for photos and sign autographs. 

PSG stars Adrien Rabiot, Kevin Trapp and Marco Verratti are also in Singapore.

The squad list was announced by the club on Twitter on Tuesday evening.

The seven-time French champions will face English Premier League side Arsenal on Jul 28, followed by Atletico Madrid on Jul 30. 

Singapore is the only Asian stop for the ICC’s 27 matches, which will also be played in the United States and Europe.

SINGAPORE: Five Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers involved in a ragging incident that led to the death of a full-time national serviceman (NSF) in May were charged in court on Wednesday (Jul 25).

Corporal Kok Yuen Chin died on May 13 after being found unconscious at the bottom of a 12m-deep fire station pump well which was filled with water at Tuas View Fire Station.

Staff Sergeant Muhammad Nur Fatwa Mahmood, 33, was charged with one count of causing death by a rash act and one count of abetting the obstruction of justice.

First Warrant Officer Mohamed Farid Mohd Saleh, 34, was charged with abetting a rash act causing death.

Lieutenant Chong Chee Boon Kenneth, 37, and First Senior Warrant Officer Nazhan Mohamed Nazi, 40, were both charged with abetting a rash act causing grievous hurt by illegal omission.

Staff Sergeant Adighazali Suhaimi, 32, was charged with intentionally obstructing the course of justice.

READ: SCDF NSF Kok Yuen Chin’s body cremated in hometown of Melaka

READ: Corporal Kok’s last conversation with his father

According to charge sheets, Staff Sgt Nur Fatwa allegedly pushed Cpl Kok into the pump well, resulting in the NSF’s drowning. 

He was also charged with abetting Staff Sgt Adighazali to delete a video of the incident from his phone.

1WO Farid is accused of instigating Staff Sgt Nur Fatwa to commit the offence by telling him to push Cpl Kok into the well.

1SWO Nazhan and Lt Chong allegedly did not stop a group of servicemen from pressuring Cpl Kok to enter the well. They are also accused of intentionally aiding the group to commit the offence of causing grievous hurt to Cpl Kok.

Staff Sgt Nur Fatwa intends to plead guilty on Sep 25, the court heard. He is out on bail of S$20,000. 

The rest of the men are out on bail of S$15,000 and will be back in court on Sep 3.

The penalties for causing death by a rash act are a maximum jail term of five years and a fine, while the punishments for causing grievous hurt by a rash act are a maximum jail term of four years and a fine of up to S$10,000.

For obstructing justice, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

READ: SCDF ragging rituals – from being dunked in pump wells to blanket parties

Eight other officers who were present during the incident were referred by the police to SCDF for departmental investigations.

SCDF said in a statement on Wednesday that six of the eight officers are regular officers, while two are full-time NSFs.

“If investigations find that they had contravened SCDF rules and regulations, the regular officers will face public service disciplinary actions, which may include dismissal from service or demotion in rank, while the NSFs will be liable for detention and or demotion in rank under the Civil Defence Act,” said SCDF.

SCDF added that it takes a zero-tolerance stance towards ragging and will take firm action against any officer involved in such activities.

SINGAPORE: Five new large childcare centres will open in Sengkang and Punggol over the next two years, creating an additional 2,600 childcare and infant care places in these estates.

These large childcare centres can accommodate 300 to 1,000 children.

Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee announced this at the official opening of a large childcare centre, the Skool4Kidz Campus@Sengkang Riverside Park on Wednesday (Jul 25). 

Four of the new centres, with about 2,000 places in total, will be located in Sengkang. The remaining centre, with about 600 places, will be in Punggol. 

Sengkang and Punggol are newer estates with more young families.

Mr Lee said even as authorities continue to build more preschools, they have to make sure that the schools have better learning experiences for every child.

“We are closely working with operators to design preschools and design programmes that create more opportunities for our children to interact with the community, play and learn outdoors. For example, our centres will be designed to enable children to access the outdoors easily and safely,” said Mr Lee.

At the Skool4Kidz Campus@Sengkang Riverside Park, children are brought outdoors daily as part of their curriculum. For instance, in their school’s garden, children learn about Singapore’s biodiversity and grow plants to harvest for food.

Mr Lee said authorities will see how they can bring such outdoor learning experiences to other childcare centres, including smaller centres that are located at HDB premises.

Registration details for the five new large childcare centres will be out in the first half of 2019. The operators for those centres will also be announced then.

There are currently nine large childcare centres in Singapore, the majority of which are located in Sengkang and Punggol.

SINGAPORE: Arsenal manager Unai Emery is confident that Mesut Ozil will have a successful season with the club, after the star playmaker’s recent decision to quit the German national squad.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday (Jul 25) before the start of a training session at the Singapore American School, Emery said the 29-year-old has been training well and that he expects Ozil to be one of the Gunners’ key men for the season ahead. 

“For him, it is one thing with the national team and another with us,” said Emery. 

“With us, normality helps him to feel good every day in the training sessions. This normality is best for him and I’m sure he’s going to have a big season for us.”

Ozil is in Singapore with the Arsenal squad for the 2018 International Champions Cup as part of pre-season preparations. 

The team will face Atletico Madrid on Thursday, before taking on Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday at the National Stadium. 

Emery added that Arsenal are doing the best they can for Ozil to feel comfortable. 

“He is doing nicely every day, training well with partners,” added Emery, who has taken over from the long-serving Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. “We want him to feel good with us.”

QUITTING GERMAN NATIONAL TEAM

Ozil, who has Turkish roots, had said on Sunday in a four-page statement on three images on Twitter and Instagram that he was quitting the German national team due to a “feeling of racism and disrespect”. 

He had earlier defended his decision to pose for a photograph with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May which sparked questions about his loyalty to Germany’s squad ahead of the World Cup in Russia.

The Arsenal midfielder blamed the German Football Federation (DFB) for failing to defend him against his most strident critics in recent times.

“Arguably the issue that has frustrated me the most over the past couple of months has been the mistreatment from the DFB, and in particular the DFB President Richard Grindel,” he said.

He also explained in the statement that he had been unfairly blamed in Germany for the side’s shock first-round defeat at the World Cup.

“I will no longer stand for being a scapegoat for his (Grindel’s) incompetence and inability to do his job properly,” he said.

“In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose.”

Ozil added he could handle criticism of his performance on the pitch, but not when it was linked to his ethnic background.

“If a newspaper or pundit finds fault in a game I play in, then I can accept this,” he said.

“But what I can’t accept are German media outlets repeatedly blaming my dual-heritage and a simple picture for a bad World Cup on behalf of an entire squad,” he added, calling it “right-wing propaganda”.