The_King

SINGAPORE - A Hurri-Kane is set to hit Singapore shores this summer as Tottenham Hotspur announced that their first team, headlined by England captain Harry Kane, will visit the Republic in July. While the 25-year-old striker is currently nursing an ankle injury, he could return at the end of the month to boost English Premier League title hopes for Tottenham who are currently third behind Manchester City and Liverpool but within striking distance. Other Spurs stars expected to feature prominently are France's World Cup-winning skipper and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, England midfielder Dele Alli and South Korean sensation Son Heung Min. Tottenham said in a statement on Tuesday (Feb 19): "We are delighted to announce that the first team squad will travel to Singapore and Shanghai as part of our pre-season tour in July in preparation for the 2019/20 season. "The tour will also enable us to join in the Centennial celebrations of our Global Principal Partner, AIA, whose roots trace back to Shanghai in 1919. "Our tour to both Singapore and Shanghai will form an important part of the Pan-Asian life insurer's Centennial, with a 12-month programme of special events and activities across its 18 markets in the region having commenced in January. "The visit also affords the club the opportunity to engage with our millions of fans across Asia including Official Supporters Clubs in both countries in which we will be playing fixtures." The announcement virtually confirms Spurs will be one of the four teams competing in the International Champions Cup at the National Stadium in July. Last week, The Straits Times reported that English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Tottenham are all but confirmed for the visit and negotiations are ongoing to add Italy's Juventus and Inter Milan to the line-up. It is understood that the ICC is set to take place here over the July 19-21 weekend and will feature four teams - one more than in the last two years. But there will be just two games instead of the previous three. Although the fixtures will be confirmed only on March 27, the new arrangement means the four teams do not need to take a break between matches and the weekend scheduling should attract more fans to the National Stadium. While Spurs last visited Singapore in 1995, when they lost 4-2 to the Lions on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation, tours to Asia are not new to them. They were in Beijing for the 2009 Premier League Asia Trophy and Hong Kong for the 2013 edition. They also played in Malaysia in 2015, as well as Hong Kong in 2017. Spurs fan Fabius Chen, a 33-year-old public servant, said: "I was there as a kid in 1995 and it was the first time I watched them in person. My favourite player at the time was Darren Anderton and I have never forgotten Singapore goalkeeper David Lee saving his spot-kick in the shootout. "I'll be there again in July because as a fan from Singapore, chances to see the team live are few and far between. "I hope manager Mauricio Pochettino and defender Toby Aiderweireld will still be at the club then. I'm also looking forward to seeing a few new faces that can hopefully take the team further next season, a couple of future stars like striker Troy Parrott, and definitely a better result than the last time they were here." https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/football-tottenham-announce-first-teams-visit-to-singapore-and-shanghai-in-july

SINGAPORE: A 24-year-old man who was caught in a viral video stomping on a man's face at Golden Mile Complex was sentenced to jail for three years and nine months on Tuesday (Feb 19). Wee Boon How carried out a four-minute assault on the victim, 26-year-old Bong Hong Yun, in the wee hours of Oct 11, 2017, at the first floor of Golden Mile Complex. It began when the two men got into a staring incident near a pub in the complex, before they began exchanging vulgarities. This progressed to punches and kicks, with their friends trying to separate them to no avail. Eventually, the victim fell to the ground but Wee continued his assault, punching his face until he lost consciousness. Wee rained blows on the victim's face before stamping on his face, kicking him multiple times. The victim was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he was warded for two days before being re-admitted for facial reconstruction as he had suffered fractures. VICTIM INSULTED ATTACKER'S MOTHER, SAYS DEFENCE Wee's lawyer told the court that the victim had insulted Wee's mother. This was an "extremely raw nerve", he said, as Wee's mother had abandoned him and his father when Wee was only seven years old. Additionally, Wee had a low IQ of 60 and studied only up to Secondary 2, he said. The prosecution asked for a jail term of at least three years and nine months, saying that footage of the attack showed the "savageness", protraction and "absolute violence" Wee used. Deputy Public Prosecutor Zhou Hongyi said Wee "has not learnt his lesson", pointing to the fact that he had carried out the attack while on bail for assaulting another man in April 2017. After the Golden Mile attack, Wee again reoffended while on bail, assaulting another man at St James Power Station on Oct 28, 2017. She added that Wee also attacked the victim's friend, and that while he claimed to have surrendered himself to the police, he did so only after "much persuasion" from the authorities. PROSECUTION TOOK INTO ACCOUNT WEE'S LOW IQ, DID NOT ASK FOR CANING In response to the defence's arguments, she said the prosecution had taken into account Wee's low IQ. The defence asked for a jail term that was three months shorter than what the prosecution asked for, saying Wee wishes to turn over a new leaf and is trying to find help to curb his anger management issues. After leaving school, Wee worked as a door-to-door salesman selling ice cream and keychains, said the lawyer. He claimed that the Wee's low IQ exempted him from National Service, but the prosecutor disputed this, saying there was no proof. Before being taken into remand in November 2017, Wee worked as an attendant at an economic rice stall, earning about S$1,600 a month. He gave S$300 of this to his father, whom he lived with in a one-room flat, said the defence. Wee, who is now the father of a young son, pleaded guilty to one charge of causing grievous hurt and two charges of rioting. District Judge Marvin Bay agreed with the prosecution's position, noting that the prosecutor had been "extremely moderate not seeking any caning in your sentence". "There is no place for acts of wanton group violence, especially in a crowded public place in modern-day Singapore," he said, calling the assault "barbaric". Source: CNA/ll(cy)

WINCHESTER, Kentucky: The US citizen accused of leaking details of 14,200 HIV-positive people from Singapore's HIV registryappeared briefly in a Kentucky courtroom on Monday (Feb 18) on trespassing charges, telling the judge he believes the Singapore Government may be interfering in the case. Mikhy Farrera Brochez, 34, arrived without an attorney at a Clark County District Court in Winchester, Kentucky, where he had been arrested in December and charged with third-degree criminal trespassing for refusing to leave his mother’s home. Judge Charles Hardin delayed the case until Mar 4 at the arresting officer’s request, noting that Brochez had pleaded not guilty and the charges carried no possibility of jail time. The judge told Brochez he did not know anything about his allegation of interference. Outside the courtroom before the hearing, Brochez did not directly address a reporter's question on whether he leaked information from Singapore's HIV registry. But he recently told Vice News that he shared the data with government and media sources and that the information had already been exposed. Brochez repeated claims on Monday that he contracted HIV only after "they had me gang-raped in prison". Singapore authorities have said his allegations are "blatantly false”. Asked about those potentially hurt by the leak, he said: “I was thrown in prison for something I didn’t do. And I was held down and gang-raped by your government. And you want to talk to me about someone’s feelings? Do you have any idea what I’m going through right now?” Brochez stood during the hearing in a plaid button-down shirt before the judge. He said his mother wanted to drop the case, and that it was causing hardship by interfering with his ability to work. Judge Hardin said his mother did not have the right to dismiss it and continued it for two weeks. His mother, Ms Teresa King, was not present and could not be reached. It was at Ms King’s house near Winchester where Brochez was arrested in December after he refused to leave, three months after police responded to a similar call and he was warned to stay away. “This deputy informed the suspect about the past warning and the suspect was instructed to leave numerous times but the suspect kept wanting to ask about the property that T. King had of his and wanting to talk to the sheriff,” according to an arrest report. After the hearing, Brochez declined to answer questions. He was accompanied by the sheriff’s deputies outside, climbing into a white Mercedes SUV and driven away. Court documents listed his home address in Lexington, Kentucky. Brochez, who had worked in Singapore as a psychology lecturer, was sentenced in 2017 to 28 months in jail on drug and fraud charges, including for using a fake blood test to lie about his HIV-positive status and gain an employment pass. His partner, Singaporean doctor Ler Teck Siang, had access to the HIV registry as part of his work as the former head of the National Public Health Unit. The pair started living together in Singapore in 2008, and were married in New York City in 2014. Singapore's Health Ministry announced on Jan 28 that Brochez, who was deported last April, had leaked online information from Singapore’s HIV registry. That included names, phone numbers, addresses, test results and medical information. He is now wanted in connection with the data leak that includes 5,400 Singaporeans diagnosed with HIV from 1985 to January 2013 and 8,800 foreigners, including work and visit pass applicants and holders, diagnosed with HIV from 1985 to December 2011. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said in Parliament recently that the Singapore police will “spare no effort” in bringing Brochez to justice and that they are "engaging their American counterparts and are seeking their assistance in the investigations against Brochez". The US Embassy in Singapore has previously declined comment. Investigators say Brochez also forged his degrees including a doctorate from the University of Paris to a US teaching certification. In 2010 he had told a local newspaper that his mother was a renowned professor of child and adolescent psychology in the UK. Source: CNA/de(mn)

i always touch and press the green part if it soild or like it is shaky, etc.i nv knew they make it this small, like this i must check the slot itself already https://www.facebook.com/inforoadblockjpjpolis/videos/391410178077399 https://www.facebook.com/inforoadblockjpjpolis/videos/323723551587488 https://www.facebook.com/inforoadblockjpjpolis/videos/2286180218371593

https://www.facebook.com/deanna.manuel/videos/2578401255510662/

Diana Chang Chung-wen, one of Hong Kong’s brightest starlets from 1960s, has passed away at the age of 82. Headline Daily reports that Chung’s family confirmed today that she died in Texas on Friday, Feb. 15 of natural causes. Chang was born in 1936 in Hubei, China, and rose to fame during the 50s and 60s, appearing in more than 30 films by the famed Shaw Brothers Studio. One of her most famous film appearances was her starring role in the 1964 Shaw Brothers film The Amorous Lotus Pan about a woman in an arranged marriage who falls in love with her husband’s brother. To promote the film, Chang embarked on a three-month US tour accompanied by Bruce Lee, who would not only dance the cha-cha with her on stage each night, but also acted as her bodyguard. (It was during this three-month tour that the infamous Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man fight took place in San Francisco.) Chang was known for her sex appeal, and was given many nicknames by reporters covering her tour, including “the most beautiful creature,” “the fire-breathing lass,” and “the Mandarin Marilyn Monroe.” Ming Pao reports that Chang retired from the film industry in 1966 after marrying a German man, and later settled in the US. She’s most famous for singing the Mandarin version of the Rosemary Clooney hit Mambo Italiano — only the Mandarin version is actually an ode to “char siu bao,” or “steamed barbecue pork buns.” The chorus literally translates to, “Barbecue pork buns, who likes to eat barbecue pork buns?” instead of Clooney’s “Hey, mambo, mambo Italiano.” (The Mandarin version celebrates other buns, too, including lotus seed buns, Shanghai buns, “mantou” rice buns, cabbage and pork buns, and so on.) https://coconuts.co/hongkong/lifestyle/mandarin-marilyn-monroe-famous-for-song-about-steamed-barbecue-pork-buns-dies-aged-82/

The fears of Beach Road icon Golden Mile Complex getting demolished has been put to rest (Urban Redevelopment Authority promises to conserve it), but that’s not stopping the brutalist beauty from getting memorialized in a video game. Thanks to the meticulous efforts of one very capable gamer, Golden Mile Complex was lovingly recreated in city-building simulation video game Cities: Skyline. The attention to detail is astounding — an individual who goes by the handle Ali Cafe Hao YEAH! crafted an accurate digital replica of the property, complete with the stepped terrace design, the rusted makeshift zinc roofs, and even the void deck on the ninth floor of the building. The works of Ali Cafe Hao YEAH! should be familiar to local fans of Cities: Skyline. The creator has been uploading assets of Singaporean buildings, structures, and landmarks that can be used in the game, and yes, that includes ERP gantries. For those who are interested, the Golden Mile Complex model for Cities: Skyline can be downloaded for free via Steam. Photo: Ali Cafe Hao YEAH! via Steam Saved from demolition Completed in 1973, Golden Mile Complex was once hailed as an advanced development that combined residential, office and retail units under one roof. Years went by and the building was later deemed as an eyesore and a shady place for sleazy entertainment and violent fights. In August last year, the building underwent an en bloc sale, which meant that the landmark would have been totally demolished to make way for a new development. But after overwhelming outcry by Singaporeans, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) revealed that it might not be knocked down after all. “URA has assessed the building to have heritage value, and is in the process of engaging the stakeholders to explore options to facilitate conservation,” a URA spokesperson noted to Coconuts Singapore. The property is still on the market for sale though — it’s just that the buyer will have to figure out a way to preserve the structure.

SINGAPORE: Local footballer Benjamin Davis has defaulted on his National Service (NS) obligations, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said on Monday (Feb 18). “Mr Benjamin Davis is a National Service (NS) defaulter," said MINDEF in response to Channel NewsAsia's queries. "He failed to report for NS as required. He is also staying overseas without a valid Exit Permit. Mr Davis has committed offences under the Enlistment Act, and is liable upon conviction to a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 years.” Davis, 18, signed a two-year contract with newly promoted English Premier League (EPL) side Fulham, the club announced in July last year. He is the first Singaporean to sign a professional contract with a top-tier English club. The former Singapore Sports School student had joined Fulham on a two-year scholarship deal in July 2017. His application to defer his national service (NS) enlistment was rejected by MINDEF, who said he did not “meet the criteria for long-term deferment from full-time NS". "As all male Singaporeans liable for full-time NS put aside personal pursuits to dutifully enlist and serve their NS, it would not be fair to approve applications for deferment for individuals to pursue their own careers and development,” MINDEF had said in a statement. "Very few applications have been approved over the years and based on criteria which are made known to the public. In sports, deferments are granted only to those who represent Singapore in international competitions like the Olympic Games and are potential medal winners for Singapore. In the last 15 years, only three have met this criteria.” In response, his father, Mr Harvey Davis, said a deferment would have allowed his son to pursue his dream of playing in the EPL and “make Singapore proud by being the first Singaporean to play in the EPL”. Speaking in Parliament in August last year, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had stressed that NS obligations are “crucial to our nation’s survival”, as he referred to a 2017 written judgement by the Appellate High Court during an appeal on the sentencing of NS defaulters. The judges said that every male Singaporean must serve NS at the time he is required to under the Enlistment Act, “without regard to his personal convenience and considerations”. “The Enlistment Act is blind to 'personal convenience and considerations’, no matter how talented the individual or exceptional his circumstances,” Dr Ng said. Continuing on that theme, Dr Ng added deferment is granted to individuals very selectively, “if their deferment serves Singapore’s interest first and foremost, never their own”. Source: CNA/mt

SINGAPORE — The choice of date for a Japanese cultural event organised by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students has raised some eyebrows among members of the public. This year’s edition of the Japanese Cultural Festival, held by the NTU Japanese Appreciation Club, takes place on Monday (Feb 18) — the 77th anniversary of the Sook Ching massacre. Operation Sook Ching was a Japanese military operation in 1942 aimed at identifying and killing suspected anti-Japanese elements among the Chinese community in Singapore. According to the National Library Board’s Infopedia page, the Japanese put the official Sook Ching death count at 5,000, although the actual figure is believed to be much higher. The annual festival at NTU — which aims to showcase Japanese arts and culture — is held on campus and is open to the public. Some members of the public have objected to the festival’s chosen date. “The event says a lot about our students’ lack of knowledge and appreciation about the significant events in our country’s history,” said Facebook user Angeline Lee in a post criticising the event. However, others felt that the outrage was going too far. “There are unfortunate anniversaries on every day of the year. At what point do we stop?” asked Facebook user Edward C Yong in a comment on a shared post. An NTU spokesman explained that the date of the event was picked based on the venue’s availability. “The student organisers will observe a minute of silence at the start of the event to honour those who lost their lives during Sook Ching and World War II,” said the spokesman. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/ntu-japanese-cultural-event-sook-ching-anniversary-raises-eyebrows

got. it at #02-611/612

suntec city

SINGAPORE - This year's Budget will be announced by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in Parliament at 3.30pm on Monday (Feb 18). Will this be an election Budget, amid expectations that early polls may be called this year? Will there be an increase in government spending? What will Mr Heng prioritise as a leader of the ruling People's Action Party's fourth-generation team? Follow The Straits Times' live coverage of the Budget for answers to these questions. Here's what readers and viewers can expect on Monday: * Real-time updates: Watch a live stream of the speech and get instant updates through ST's Budget live blog on straitstimes.com. There will be more reports on the Budget microsite at str.sg/budget2019, as well as on ST's Facebook and Twitter accounts. * Live discussion: Join ST columnists at 6.30pm for a Facebook Live show, The Budget & You: Why It Matters. The panellists - associate editor Ravi Velloor, opinion editor Chua Mui Hoong and senior health correspondent Salma Khalik - will answer questions from viewers. Send them your questions in the comments section during the show on ST's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/TheStraitsTimes/videos/558035834698368/ * Quick summary: Get Budget highlights delivered to your e-mail inbox, right after the speech. Sign up now for the special-edition newsletter at str.sg/newsletters. * In-depth analysis: Associate editor Vikram Khanna, who expects an expansionary Budget that will be high on government spending, will give his take on how the measures will affect Singapore's economy and its ability to meet future challenges. Read it on straitstimes.com. Ms Chua, who will take part in the Facebook Live discussion, said this will be the first Budget presented by Mr Heng as a clear successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. "Mr Heng has an opportunity to take back the political initiative from critics, with a Budget speech and fiscal policy that bring everyone, including naysayers, on board the journey to the future," said Ms Chua, 50. Ms Khalik, 64, will discuss the much talked about Merdeka Generation Package. The multi-billion-dollar package for Singaporeans born in the 1950s will help cushion the impact of rising healthcare costs for nearly half a million people. Mr Velloor, 60, meanwhile, notes that this is a particularly critical year for the Budget amid an increasingly challenging external environment, including trade tensions between the United States and China. "We can expect Mr Heng to talk about ways to help companies grow in the region and have a wider footprint in Asia," he said. Multimedia journalist Hairianto Diman, 31, will facilitate the discussion. Pressed for time on your way home? Tune in to the post-Budget discussion on Money FM 89.3 at 7pm on Monday. Readers can also look out for more Budget special reports in the print edition of ST on Tuesday. For post-Budget analysis, there will be The Straits Times-UOB Budget Roundtable discussion with economists and trade union representatives. Follow the discussion, which https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/all-you-need-to-know-about-singapore-budget-2019-with-the-straits-times-live-coverage

too much excuse given, best is to work for someone else

HENG i am impotence

Singapore's parliament may make the practice of “stealthing” – the act of non-consensually removing a condom during sex – illegal, in a landmark bill that also addresses revenge porn and upskirting. The Criminal Law Reform Bill will, if passed, change the country's penal code "to ensure that it remains relevant and up-to-date", according to the city state's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). "The bill introduces a new offence criminalising the procurement of sexual activity where consent is obtained by deception or false representation regarding (a) the use or manner of use of a sexually protective device, or (b) whether one is suffering from a sexually transmitted disease," a spokesperson for the department said in a statement. People convicted of stealthing could be imprisoned for up to 10 years, according to the bill's current text. Those found guilty could also be caned. Rape crisis organisations around the world have condemned stealthingas a sex crime which negates consent, but a 2017 study suggests that the deception is a commonly practised one. Singapore's government introduced the proposed legislation in parliament on 11 February for its first reading. If passed unchanged it will also criminalise the act of non-consensually taking an image or recording of a person's genitals, a practice often known as 'upskirting'. Lawmakers also hope to criminalise revenge porn, including the act of threatening to distribute an intimate image of a person to cause them "humiliation, distress or alarm". The draft legislation follows a landmark case in Switzerland where in 2017 a man was convicted of rape after he removed his condom during sex with an unconsenting partner. https://sg.yahoo.com/news/apos-stealthing-apos-singapore-set-140038677.html

they can always quit and work for someone else

BERLIN (AP) — Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, who played Adolf Hitler cooped up in his Berlin bunker in "Downfall" and an angel in Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire," has died. He was 77. German news agency dpa reported that Ganz's management said Saturday he died in Zurich. Ganz, a prominent figure in the German-language theater world, shifted into movies in the 1970s, appearing in Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu" and Wenders' "The American Friend" among others. In one of his more recent appearances, he starred as Sigmund Freund in "The Tobacconist," released last year. Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller said Ganz was "one of the greats" of the screen and stage. He said that "the death of Bruno Ganz is a great loss for the German-speaking theater and film world." this is him which most of us known

SINGAPORE: In March, Chinatown Complex food centre will undergo renovations and will shut for three months. Alex Ho and Gay Yu Ting who jointly own a stall there are taking that as the cue to close for good. Mr Ho, 28, and Ms Gay, 32, are behind Sutachi, which offers Japanese-Italian fusion food more commonly found in cafes. Ingredients in their dishes include foie gras, wagyu beef, squid ink and salmon mentaiko, uncommon in hawker fare. “We wanted to provide the opportunity for people to try new foods in an affordable setting,” said Ms Gay. An order of their rice bowl comes with a side of soup, and costs between S$5 and S$7.50. The most expensive item on the menu is a foie gras dish with slices of beef at S$19.50. The stall opened in December 2017 and was featured on food blogs and review sites for their affordable take on gourmet fusion food. But that did not necessarily translate into consistent profits. “When we opened, the first three months was very good (because) people were interested. Friends came, Eatbook came. That time, we made money. After that, it was survival period,” Ms Gay said. “Even though we were popular, we were not popular enough. The stall still could not cover our salaries. We had to take a pay cut. We have never taken a full salary in the last 14 months,” she added. BECOMING HAWKERS Ms Gay worked as an auditor for six years before she decided to pursue her passion in the culinary arts. She enrolled with At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy where she met her business partner and friend Mr Ho. Both of them worked in restaurants and hotels for a few years after graduating from the academy. Mr Ho said he started out with a monthly salary of S$1,600 which grew to S$2,000 by the time he left to set up Sutachi four years later. “As chefs, we know the food costs, suppliers and how the F&B business works. When you know the food costs, margins and your salary, you know how much the business is making. I asked myself why do I want to continue working for someone else?” said Mr Ho. They each invested S$15,000 of their own savings into the venture. They chose to set up stall at a hawker centre as it was the most financially viable option, after surveying a range of alternative locations. “In a hawker centre, we don’t have to pay for the seating or buy any furniture. That’s already saving a lot,” Ms Gay said. “The rent at a hawker centre is also more accessible. It is based on how much you are comfortable with bidding at the start,” Mr Ho said. Their successful rental bid for the stall at the Chinatown Complex food centre was S$1,000. They considered opening a stall at the newer Socially-Conscious Enterprise Hawker Centres (SEHC) where they thought their food would be more well-received but found it to be too expensive. They were quoted close to S$4,000 in monthly costs which include S$1,600 for rent. The rest were for conservancy charges, table cleaning and dishwashing fees, rental of a cashless payment system as well as a concept and marketing fee. “There are too many unnecessary costs. The S$4,000 doesn’t even include utilities, food costs and our salaries. How many bowls do we have to sell to even reach the break-even point,” Mr Ho said. In addition, they did not have total control over their menu and food prices and had to contend with stringent contractual terms. “If we want to change our menu, we have to write a proposal and submit it to management. There will be another round of food tasting and the change is subject to approval,” Ms Gay said. “Over here if I want to change, I can just stick ‘not available’ and change right now,” Mr Ho said. CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS They spent more than S$6,000 outfitting their stall, said Ms Gay, who is in charge of the books. About S$1,500 a month went to rent, utilities and a cleaning service. The cost of ingredients for their dishes range between S$2,000 and S$3,400 depending on the month, added Ms Gay. The stall which operates six days a week also has to make enough sales to pay them a monthly salary of S$2,000 each. “With the expenses, it comes up to almost S$8,000. The average price of our food here is S$6. To hit S$8,000, we’ll have to sell about 1,300 rice bowls a month. It’s about 60 a day. When we started the stall, we agreed that our daily target is 50 to 60 bowls or about S$500 a day,” Mr Ho said. “It sounds very little but when you actually become a hawker, S$500 is very hard to achieve. When it’s a peak period, we can hit this target. But the thing is, there are too many lull periods,” Ms Gay said. These include the June and December school holidays, they said. Even with the initial success in the first three months, the stall did not make money for both of them to bring home full salaries. “I’m doing the accounts so Alex will come and ask me, ‘So how, next week got salary or not?’ And I will say, this month not bad. Both of us will have half a salary of about S$1,000 each,” Ms Gay said. At its worst, they have had to take home nothing when Mr Ho went away for reservist. “When we get zero, it feels bad but I think the both of us understand the situation,” Ms Gay said. “If we were working for someone else then it’s a different story. When you are your own boss, it’s very clear to you if the business is not making money so you have no gripes about not taking a salary,” said Mr Ho. CAN THINGS GET BETTER? Wanting to stem the tide and give their stall a fighting chance, Mr Ho and Ms Gay signed up with several food delivery apps to become more accessible for their customers. “We were very open to trying many methods but sales rose by just a little bit. Maybe it rose by 10 per cent? I didn’t really see potential growth in the future,” Ms Gay said. Friends who saw their predicament offered many suggestions which they explored. “A friend said that our food is not suitable for the crowd around the Chinatown area because of the elderly folk. We considered moving to Amoy Street Food Centre where the crowd is mostly office workers,” Mr Ho said. “Once we did the calculation, the option to move to Amoy didn’t make sense anymore. Over here we have to sell 50 bowls. If we move to Amoy, and the rent is two or three times higher there, we have to sell 100 or more bowls over there,” he added. Amoy Street Food Centre also has its operational challenges. Catering mostly to only the office crowd, hawker stalls make most of their dime on weekdays and between the 11 am to 2 pm time slot. This according to Ms Gay could make it very difficult for Sutachi to work out there. “We figured out that every two minutes, we need to serve at least one dish that’s worth S$5. If we shift over there, we must sell our donburi (rice bowls) like cai png, which means that everything is pre-cooked and we just scoop and serve,” Mr Ho said. Some friends also suggested a change of menu and focus on local food instead. While they agreed it was doable, they also recognised the stiff competition they would face. “Imagine you’re at ABC Brickworks Food Centre and you are selling Hokkien Mee. Do you think people will choose to buy from the young person to give them a chance or go directly to buy from the more established hawker?” said Mr Ho. “You might earn money when people who visit those famous, established hawkers and find that they are closed for the day. Those people will be like ‘Oh it’s closed but I still want to eat Hokkien Mee so I’m going to try it from another stall’,” said Ms Gay. DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND “We gave ourselves a year to see if Sutachi would work out. With a year, I have the profit and loss statements to look at. We made our decision based on what we saw. I told Alex that we are still making losses and I feel that the potential growth here is minimal. We’ve already reached our potential,” Ms Gay said. The three-month renovation of Chinatown Complex was a huge push factor. After sustaining losses for a year, the duo could not stomach three months without work and earnings. “There’s no money coming in and our savings are depleting. We need some kind of livelihood somewhere else,” Mr Ho said. Despite the lack of success, Mr Ho and Ms Gay do not see the last 14 months as a waste of their time and money. “I don’t think we failed. I take it as one year’s school fees. We still got to learn. We were losing money but we are happy that we managed to stay afloat for a year without having to top-up money or take loans,” said Ms Gay. Sutachi was a way for them to understand the hawker trade and culture. "How and what Singaporeans think of the hawker trade and hawker food ... I’ve stepped into a hawker’s shoes and I understand. For example, most are not willing to try new food. In a hawker centre, people want fast, cheap, good food. People who are attracted to fusion food won’t even go to the hawker centres,” Mr Ho said. “They would rather pay for the ambience and their Instagram-worthy photos,” Ms Gay chimed in. Both are quick to defend themselves against those who say young Singaporeans are not cut out for the tough hawker life. "I will ask them, but have you supported young hawkers? Are you willing to try their food? If you're not willing to try their food then how are they going to make money?" said Mr Ho. SUPPORT FOR YOUNG HAWKERS To help support young hawkers like Mr Ho and Ms Gay, the National Environment Agency (NEA) introduced a hawker incubation programme in February last year to help ease difficulties they may have in going into the trade. Under the programme, pre-fitted stalls are offered for rent for six months at 50 per cent off the market rate. Since its launch, NEA said that it has received more than 40 applications for its 13 incubation stalls. Its applicants are also much younger, with an average age of 34 and the youngest at 27. Hawkers at NEA-run hawker centres have a median age of 60 years. “The programme came out two months after we started Sutachi. If we started our business later, we could have applied to the programme. Maybe it will help to cut some losses,” said Mr Ho. “Maybe we’ll have more salary each month, S$250 more each because of the rental subsidies but other than that, I don’t think it will help much,” said Ms Gay. Source: CNA/fs

SINGAPORE - With food waste among the five largest sources of waste in Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) hopes to get people to adopt three habits when eating out so as to combat wastage. The year-long drive, part of the Year Towards Zero Waste campaign, was launched by Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor at Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Saturday (Feb 16). It encourages people to order only what they can finish; ask for less rice or noodles if they are unable to eat that much; and say "no" to side dishes they will not consume. NEA will be reaching out to people at 25 hawker centres and at partner organisations such as Sheng Siong Supermarket and Prime Supermarket. It will also spread the message at schools and institutions of higher learning. Last year, more than 150 schools organised food waste reduction activities. Dr Khor said that outreach efforts will be conducted at hawker centres, which are one of the most popular eating spots for Singaporeans. "Actually there are also benefits in terms of eating more healthily, because you don't overeat. Usually if you don't want to waste, then you just eat everything up. Also, it is good for the pocket, because you can save money if you don't over-order," she said. Apart from such efforts on the ground, there will also be publicity on digital platforms, with a Web series featuring public figures incorporating food waste reduction practices into their daily lives, to inspire viewers to do the same. "Singaporeans love their food, yet food waste is the second-largest waste stream to be disposed of. There is clearly more we can and should do together," said NEA chief executive officer Tan Meng Dui. "We would like to create a pervasive culture where everyone will have an instinct to 'buy, order and cook just enough', encourage their friends and family to do the same, and even influence the practices and behaviours at their workplaces towards reducing food waste." In Singapore, food waste has risen 40 per cent over the past 10 years, from 568,000 tonnes disposed of by households and the food industry in 2008 to around 809,800 tonnes in 2017. This made up 23 per cent of total waste disposed of in Singapore in 2017, with only 16 per cent recycled. The top five waste types in 2017 were construction debris (1,609,300 tonnes), ferrous metal (1,378,800), paper/cardboard (1,144,800), plastic (815,200) and food. Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah, who is chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for the Environment and Water Resources, called the anti-food waste campaign "timely". "I remember when I was young, my mum used to tell us 'Don't waste food, there are still people in this world who do not have food'. And this advice is still valid," said Ms Lee. She added that with the creeping effects of climate change, more Singaporeans have ambitions about saving the Earth, and this latest campaign also works towards that. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nea-launches-year-long-battle-against-food-wastage

Singapore has a way of really milking a milestone. It seems like just yesterday that corporations, small brands, even hawkers, were jumping on the bandwagon to partake in the giant publicity stunt that was SG50. The nation as a whole has barely recovered from it, and 2019 is quickly shaping up to be no different. With every single event, launch and product imaginable themed after the Singapore Bicentennial, it’s going to take a Birdbox-scaled feat to get through the rest of the year without hearing about our 200th anniversary. And we’re already off to a bad start. Soon after announcing plans for the Bicentennial, the Singapore Bicentennial Office (SBO) received accusations that it was condoning and even celebrating colonialism. They’ve since backpedaled in rather embarrassing ways, including reframing the programming as a “commemoration” rather than a celebration, and going so far as to extend the timeline of retrospective history an additional 500 years before 1819—effectively defeating the purpose of a Bicentennial anniversary. Although admittedly “Singapore Septcentennial” doesn’t have as nice a ring to it. Then there was the gimmick of making Raffles disappear quite literally from the land—only to restore him to his former glory within a day. In a follow-up move that stank of insincerity, SBO introduced four additional statues of lesser-known historical personalities to stand alongside Raffles, to explicitly convey that Singapore’s progress was not the Englishman’s doing alone. Photo credit: Singapore Bicentennial Office All this, in an effort to play down the textbook-endorsed narrative of the British lifting our poor fishing village out of squalor. To that end, numerous representatives from the SBO have taken pains to clarify that “it’s not about celebrating colonialism”. “It’s about looking at every aspect in the entire journey, and all the different characters that joined us at different times,” said Minister Josephine Teo, Co-Chair of the Ministerial Steering Committee for the SBO, at a press briefing ahead of the Bicentennial’s official launch. As such, a full year of events and festivals await. In March, the Singapore Heritage Festival will return with events themed to the Bicentennial; later in the month, a new festival called Find Your Place in History will bring visitors around projection installations to learn more about less prominent points in our history, in what an SBO representative called the “darker sister to i Light”. June holds immersive experiences in Fort Canning detailing our 700-year history, while new exhibitions in August will look at nation-building in the “early days” (that’s the aforementioned 500 years before 1819). Sails Aloft at i Light Singapore 2019. Photo courtesy of Urban Redevelopment Authority But programming has been lacklustre thus far. Key events in the arts calendar such as i Light Singapore and the newer Light to Night Festival, formerly vibrant and well-attended among the public, suffered in terms of creative output in an effort to bend to the theme. A reduced preparation time could have contributed to that. Typically held in March along the Marina Bay promenade, this year’s edition of i Light was moved forward to late January to coincide with the Bicentennial launch. Gone were the expansive, visually dazzling works that championed sustainability; in their place were uninspired, stilted pieces that spoke to specific moments in Singapore’s 700-year history, but left you walking away indifferent. Specifically curating works to the theme ‘Bridges of Time’ limited many of the installations to the various bridges along the Singapore River—which not only alienated visitors on foot, but also took away from the fun of getting up close and personal with an artwork. Within the same month, this year’s Light to Night Festival saw more misses than hits. The festival’s projection mapping series on the facades of Civic District institutions returned, bearing good intentions but forgettable illustrations. Multimedia tributes paid to William Farquhar and composer Zubir Said felt more cursory than sincere. And a site-inspired interactive theatre piece titled Shadows in the Walls, touted as a highlight of the festival, took visitors through the National Gallery Singapore where roving actors put on cringe-worthy performances honouring lesser-known pioneers in Singapore’s history. Sayang di Sayang, a tribute to Zubir Said But boring art is not the Bicentennial’s biggest fault. Perhaps most troubling in all of this is how the underlying portrayal of Raffles remains unchanged. Singapore’s pre-1819 founders may be receiving more attention, but the pandering programming still conveniently ignores the British’s offenses as colonisers. Commissioned programmes like the new augmented reality trail BALIKSG paints Raffles as a friend, allowing you to converse with him about signing the 1819 treaty—a bizarre thing to highlight, given that the treaty gave the British East India Company the right to set up a trading port on the island, marking Singapore as a British settlement henceforth. While there have been some exhibitions that have dared to take a different stand, just as many skeptics have questioned their genuineness. An ongoing exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Raffles in Southeast Asia: Revisiting the Scholar and Statesman, paints the coloniser in a less than flattering light, pointing out his errors and outdated prejudices in curating culture during his time in Southeast Asia. In a viral Facebook post shared on Feb 12, local author Alfian Sa’at pointed out the hypocrisy in presenting a show meant to undermine Raffles that still placed him at the centre. Sharing his frustrations after leaving a Q&A with the curator of the show, the vocal personality called out the curators for defending Raffles’ actions as being symptomatic of his time. “I found this deeply troubling, because it smacked of wrapping Raffles up in a bubble wrap of immunity, as if he was simply acting out a historically predetermined role and that any attempt to critique him would be accused of as presentism,” Sa’at wrote. Fellow writer and attendee of the talk Ng Yi-Sheng echoed these grievances in a post of his own. He criticised the exhibition for downplaying the significance of Raffles’ crimes, playfully mocking the colonial oppressor’s omission of key aspects of culture when it itself “erased the bloodshed of colonial violence”. Indeed, it becomes problematic when even the government’s attempt to critically reevaluate a time-worn narrative presents the only faults committed by Raffles as mere human errors. If Singapore is sincere about wanting to present a fair picture of the country’s long, multi-layered history, we cannot simply brush aside Raffles as being a stupid white man “for his time”; nor colonialism as an unfortunate by-product of his misjudgement. Photo credit: Vincent Ng Logistically, it is not feasible to scrap many of the events to come—besides, some definitely do look promising. Two programmes happening in October will shine a light on Malay communities and non-European perspectives from the 16th to 19th centuries. But there needs to be a more concerted effort to objectively present history—even if it means confronting the uncomfortable reality that the founder of modern Singapore was an intrinsically bad man. We're not here to start a debate on Raffles' contributions; there is a time and place for that. But subverting the narrative to bring home an unconcerted point and in the process reinforce existing messages is pointless to a disengaged audience. This country’s citizens are not dense; we’ll know to stop attending arts events when they all start sounding the same. Here's hoping it at least got people thinking of the Singapore to come in the next 200 years. https://sg.asia-city.com/arts-city-living/news/its-only-february-and-weve-already-got-bicentennial-fatigue

SINGAPORE: An error in the computer system administered by NCS caused about 7,700 individuals to receive inaccurate healthcare and intermediate- and long-term care subsidies, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Saturday (Feb 16). The affected individuals are among those whose applications or renewals of their Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) cards were processed from Sep 18 to Oct 10 last year. The error arose in the computer system when it calculated means-test results. The means-test system calculates the healthcare subsidies which individuals are eligible for, based on their income information. Healthcare subsidies are means-tested so that greater financial support is extended to lower-income households. "The means-test and subsidy tiers for all affected individuals have been corrected by Feb 16, 2019,” MOH said. MOH said no proactive action is required on the part of the affected people at this point. The ministry added that it is working closely with healthcare service providers and scheme administrators to reach out to those affected. "About 6,400 individuals received higher subsidies than what they are eligible for. The total amount is estimated to be about S$2 million. MOH intends to recover from NCS the costs and expenses incurred as a result of this incident, as allowed for under our contract. "About 1,300 individuals received lower subsidies than what they are eligible for. The total amount is estimated to be about S$400,000. This will be reimbursed to the affected individuals," MOH said. MOH said discrepancies in the means-test results of a few CHAS cardholders were noticed by the CHAS card processing team in MOH Holdings when it was reviewing CHAS applications and appeals. "We received three appeals for the group affected," MOH said. The first case of discrepancy was detected on Sep 24, 2018 and NCS was alerted immediately, MOH said. “The issue was initially attributed to intermittent network connection problems. Five more cases were subsequently detected between Oct 9 and Nov 2, and a more thorough investigation was initiated,” added the health ministry. In late November, NCS traced the root cause of the discrepancies to a software version issue on a server used by the means-test system when it was migrated to another government data centre in September. “This resulted in the means-test results being computed without the requisite income information. NCS further discovered that their deployment team had in fact fixed the software version issue earlier on Oct 10, 2018 in response to an unrelated slow performance issue. “This stopped further cases of errors but it did not correct the means-test results that had been generated from Sep 18, 2018 to Oct 10, 2018,” MOH said. CORRECT SUBSIDY TIERS RESTORED BY FEB 16 On Dec 5, MOH received NCS' assessment that the glitch could have affected thousands of people across multiple schemes. Before making any public announcements, MOH said that it was important to rectify the root cause of the glitch in the system to prevent more inaccurate means-test results. It was also important to fully establish the different groups of people and subsidies that were affected, and how they were affected, as well as limit the impact of inaccurate means-test results from affecting more schemes and individuals. MOH added that it was important to have a clear rectification plan that can be deployed quickly after the announcement, to reach out to the affected individuals to inform and reimburse them, where applicable. "If we do not do so, we could cause confusion and uncertainty, not just among the affected, but the larger group of unaffected. Scheme administrators and service providers will also face many queries for which they are unable to respond," MOH said. MOH said that it worked with NCS from December to establish the extent of the impact, including the correct subsidy tiers for each individual under the different services and schemes. This was to determine who could have received higher or lower subsidies than what they were eligible for. The final assessment was completed on Jan 14 and MOH worked with grant scheme administrators and healthcare institutions to finalise the remedial action plans, including how affected individuals will be informed and reimbursed. The correct subsidy tiers of all affected individuals were restored by Feb 16. Service providers and scheme administrators will now progressively inform the affected individuals and arrange for reimbursements where applicable. “We expect all the affected individuals to be informed by mid-March 2019,” MOH said. MOH said that NCS has acknowledged the error and has taken further remedial action by tightening the system deployment processes. “Additional safeguards have been put in place to prevent any recurrence of such incidents. NCS has reiterated its commitment to being held to the highest standards as a service provider. MOH takes a serious view of the incident, and has worked with NCS on appropriate remedial measures. MOH will work with NCS on measures to prevent such errors in the future,” the ministry stated. NCS is an information and communications technology (ICT) and communications engineering services provider. It is a subsidiary of the Singtel Group. According to its website, NCS offers services that include consulting, technology solutions, as well as systems development and integration. Source: CNA/zl