SINGAPORE - A unique species of orchid has been named after New York fashion designer Michael Kors on Monday (Nov 14).
The designer was honoured with a dendrobium orchid genus by Kirk Wagar, the US Ambassador to Singapore, and Serene Tan, a member of the Singapore Tourism Board.
Danish gypsy brewer Mikkeller, headed by owner and brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergso, is not afraid to experiment with unusual flavours in its beers.
The company has tried everything from a Vietnamese Kopi Luwak stout (made with coffee beans excreted by civet cats) to another stout variation called The Forager, made with US$10,000 (S$14,100) worth of black truffles.
Even its Berliner Weisse - a light, refreshing sour wheat beer - is brewed with fruit flavours such as lemon, blueberry and passionfruit.
Gypsy brewers do not have their own breweries and, instead, produce experimental beers around the world in breweries owned by other brands.
Unlike commercial beers, their unique brews are made in smaller quantities and challenge tried-and- tested flavours and methods.
Mikkeller uses five breweries, two in the United States and three in Europe.
Mr Bjergso, 41, sends extremely detailed recipes with the ingredients, temperature and water treatment specifications off to the brewers he works with, and they take it from there.
"My strength is in creating an idea and then the recipe, but I don't always know how to make an idea a reality," he says in an interview with The Sunday Times.
"I don't want it to sound wrong because I respect brewers a lot and they're skilled at what they do, but I say you can train a monkey to brew beer because it's pretty much just following a recipe."
Focusing on the recipes allows him to continue pushing the envelope with flavours.
Recreating a beer that has already been done no longer excites him, as "the second time you do the same beer, you already know what it's going to be like".
So last year, he created more than 200 flavours of beers in various styles, adding that since the company started, it has made "more than 1,000 beers".
But just 10 years ago, he was a high-school mathematics and physics teacher experimenting with hops, malt and yeast in his kitchen in Copenhagen.
Now, he is exploring low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beers, which have less than 0.5 per cent alcohol.
While the big brands do non-alcoholic beers, he says they "taste really bad". Such beers are also something new that has not been explored among his counterparts.
"We're pretty much the first brewery to do non-alcoholic beers that actually taste like beer," he says.
He adds: "Sometimes I drink beer to get drunk, like everybody else, but for me, drinking beer is more about flavour. So if I can drink a good beer that has less alcohol, then I can drink more of it."
Mikkeller Bar Singapore, which opened last year, is the second in South-east Asia. The first opened in Bangkok in 2014.
Its 20 taps rotate frequently, with core and seasonal Mikkeller beers, although beers such as the Bugis Brown, Prinsep Pilsner and Waterloo Wit are staples.
While a customer can walk in on any day and find a new beer, Mr Bjergso understands that others just want something familiar.
Even then, he relishes being able to shape the craft beer scene in Asia, unlike in the US, where he says "there's already a lot of craft beer and a lot of hype".
"In Asia, we can be involved in defining the whole craft beer scene," he adds.
Photo: The Straits Times
Then there are the naysayers of the global craft beer movement such as travel and food show host Anthony Bourdain. He has likened craft beer enthusiasts to zombies that over-analyse beers rather than enjoy them.
In response, Mr Bjergso says: "I don't think Anthony Bourdain is the right person to judge. Instead, he should admit that he has no clue about craft beer and therefore should not talk about it. I don't talk about handcrafted carpets, for example, as I don't know anything about them.
"One of the things (Bourdain) says, that 'the entire point of a bar is to get a little bit buzzed and not sit there f***ing analysing beer', proves my point.
"So that's like saying that the entire point of a restaurant is to 'get full' and not to enjoy food?"
While there are doubters, he is continuing with his expansion plans, even entering the restaurant world. He now has two ramen restaurants in Copenhagen, alongside a Texas-style barbecue joint that seats 400 people.
Still on the cards is a massive Mikkeller bar that will open in Los Angeles later this year.
He even intends to open one on the secluded Faroe Islands, located halfway between Norway and Iceland.
He acknowledges that it is probably not the best business decision.
"It's a very small country with 50,000 people in total and there's obviously no business case to do a bar, but it's pretty much the most beautiful place in the world."
It fits in with his company's ethos of projects that are based on his personal interests, rather than the interests of the business.
"It's just fun to do something new that people don't expect," he says with a nonchalant shrug.
He is modest about the empire he has created and admits that he never imagined it would become as far-reaching as it has.
"I started it because I wanted to make good beer - and that's pretty much still what I want," he says.
"I want to make good beers that I want to drink and good bars and restaurants that I want to go to."
• Swig is a new weekly page dedicated to all drinks distilled, brewed, fermented and aged.
This article was first published on Nov 13, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
It looks like stout – jet-black and topped with a white foamy head.
But this is where the similarities between black lager and stout end.
Stout, a dark ale, is known for its full-bodied and pronounced roast notes with a bitter aftertaste.
On the other hand, black lager has a crisp and light-bodied taste with a mild finish.
Black lagers are not an entirely new product here – restaurants such as The Boiler in the Tai Seng area offer Coedo Shikkoku by Coedo Brewery in Japan. It is a German- style Schwarzbier, known for its smooth flavours with notes of cocoa, liquorice and coffee.
Asahi Super Dry Black Lager is said to combine the roasted malt flavours of a stout with the soft, elegant flavours of a lager. Photo: The Straits Times
The latest brewery to join the fray is Japanese brewery Asahi, which introduced the Asahi Super Dry Black Lager here on tap in restaurants and bars in February last year.
According to Carlsberg Singapore, the exclusive distributor of Asahi here, distribution for the black lager has since quadrupled.
Its sales have also gained traction in the past year, with about 100 eateries and bars serving it.
They include Loof in Odeon Towers, No. 5 Emerald Hill Cocktail Bar in Emerald Hill Road and the District 10 Bar&Restaurant chain. The beer has also been made available in pint bottles in bars and restaurants from April last year.
Spurred on by the burgeoning demand, Asahi started selling the black lager in 350ml cans at 7-Eleven stores here in September.
The Asahi Super Dry Black Lager is the ebony-hued sibling of the popular Asahi Super Dry Lager, which has been available here for the past three decades.
The black lager is said to have the best of both worlds, combining the roasted malt flavours of a stout and the soft, elegant flavours of a lager.
The aromatic beer has a sweet, nut-like flavour with mild vanilla notes and does not leave a bitter aftertaste.
It also has the brewery’s trademark “karakuchi” taste. Karakuchi is a Japanese term that is used to describe the dry and light characteristics of sake.
To achieve it, Asahi developed a lager yeast, called No. 318 yeast, which converts sugar in the wort (a sweetened liquid made from water and barley) into alcohol and carbon dioxide effectively during the fermentation process.
With sugar content kept to a minimum, the beer develops a clear and crisp taste. Rice and corn are also added to the brew to smoothen the lager.
Stout gets a bitter aftertaste from a more robust roast of the malt and from the types of hops used.
Mr Jimmy Toh, 40, general manager of Carlsberg Singapore, says that black lagers have piqued the curiosity of consumers here.
He says: “Consumers today are adventurous with a more sophisticated palate and willing to try something new and different from regular lagers.”
This article was first published on Nov 13, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SEMARANG, Central Java - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has expressed his disappointment that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is now unlikely to be passed under US President-elect Donald Trump, whose opposition to it was a key part of his election campaign.
"Well, we feel disappointed that the TPP looks very unlikely, or will not be passed, or ratified now", before the new president is sworn in on Jan 20, said PM Lee.
Mr Lee was speaking on the sidelines of his first Leaders' Retreat with President Joko Widodo in Indonesia on Monday (Nov 14).
"He had no sympathy for the TPP at all and I think that's a disappointment to all of us who worked so hard to negotiate the TPP," he added. "But that's where it stands, we will be meeting in Apec in Peru later this week and the TPP members, including President (Barack) Obama, will be meeting to exchange notes to see what we can do in this situation."
352198
2016-11-14 15:20:11
Photo Gallery
PM Lee and Jokowi meet in Semarang for leaders' retreat
The TPP is a landmark trade deal that the US signed with 11 Pacific Rim nations, including Singapore. However, the US has not ratified the pact.
The pact's 12 signatories account for 40 per cent of global trade. With the TPP, Singapore would have been able to enjoy lower tariff and non-tariff barriers for both goods and services, but observers say it will probably not be pushed through in a Trump administration.
PM Lee had said previously that the US risks injuring its standing and credibility with countries around the world if the TPP is rejected by its lawmakers.
When asked it the TPP could be salvaged if its terms are reviewed or possibly changed to include countries like Russia or China, PM Lee said that would be "a completely new animal".
"It's not so easy to say we change the terms, what are you going to change?... And if you bring in a new country, it would be a completely new deal altogether because a new country, particularly if it's a big one, is not going to sign on to everything which has already been agreed before they were participants.
"They will want to re-open everything, so effectively you'll be talking about a new exercise but I think it's premature to pursue very definite alternative possibilities for now. Let's first assess how everybody feels and what they think could be done as a practical second best or solution for the time being."
This article was first published on Nov 14, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE - An agreement on the upcoming High Speed Rail (HSR) project linking Singapore and Kuala Lumpur will probably be signed next month.
The Ministry of Transport said in a statement on Monday (Nov 14) that "Singapore and Malaysia are working towards signing the bilateral agreement'' on the project at the Leaders' Retreat on Dec 5.
Malaysian daily The New Straits Times reported on the same day that the signing would be witnessed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at the retreat, to be held in Johor.
Singapore-Malaysia ink landmark High Speed Rail MOU
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
The Straits Times
A memorandum of understanding for the HSR project was signed in July by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan. It was witnessed by the prime ministers of the two countries.
The project, targeted to be completed by 2026, is expected to cut travelling time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes.
This article was first published on Nov 14, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo agreed to form an Indonesia-Singapore Business Council to enhance business networking and boost co-operation.
"President Jokowi and I have agreed to form an Indonesia-Singapore Business Council to add value to our partnership. This will allow our businesses to network and more deeply understand opportunities on both sides," PM Lee said at a news conference yesterday after talks with the Indonesian President.
PM Lee suggested that the council, to comprise business leaders from both countries, could be co-chaired by Singapore's Economic Development Board and Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board.
He also thanked Indonesia for thwarting the rocket-attack plot by militants in Batam that was targeting Singapore's Marina Bay.
In addition, he acknowledged Indonesia's efforts in combating the haze, which had "made a difference this year".
He also offered Singapore's help to deal with the problem which "affects all the countries in South-east Asia".
352198
2016-11-14 15:20:11
Photo Gallery
PM Lee and Jokowi meet in Semarang for leaders' retreat
President Joko told reporters that it was a productive meeting with PM Lee and the Singapore delegation, where aside from economic collaboration, they also discussed the issue of terrorism and the South China Sea.
He agreed that the two countries will continue with their economic co-operation and welcomed the signing of a new agreement on tourism co-operation between Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry and Indonesia's Tourism Ministry.
The two countries will co-operate in these areas: cruise, joint marketing and promotion, as well as meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions.
It was one of four memorandums of understanding signed between the two countries yesterday.
The other agreements cover plans to jointly build capabilities in the digital economy, hospitality and tourism, and a smart city development in Makassar by trade agency IE Singapore.
These will expand on the longstanding and strong economic ties between Singapore and Indonesia, which recorded bilateral trade of $58.7 billion last year.
The retreat, which followed President Joko's state visit to Singapore in July last year, was in keeping with a long-held tradition of leaders from the two close neighbours meeting informally each year to boost ties.
PM Lee and President Joko, better known as Jokowi, began the retreat with a "four-eye meeting", before the high-powered delegations from Singapore and Indonesia gathered for discussions.
The delegation meetings centred on economic collaborations between the two close neighbours, as well as ways to co-operate on counter-terrorism, capability development and tourism.
Accompanying PM Lee are his wife, Ho Ching, and political office-holders.
The commute from Buangkok to Serangoon station usually takes about 10 minutes.
Commuters said the fault affected travel on the NEL in both directions.
At about 10.15am, announcements were made at Chinatown station to inform commuters that fares were not being deducted at the exit gantries for affected stations.
Commuters were also observed to be waiting for about 15 minutes in a stationary train that was bound for HarbourFront station.
A 36-year-old woman from Singapore who was on a business trip in Hong Kong was found dead in a hotel on Saturday (Nov 12).
The woman, who is identified as Ms Linda Koh, had arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday (Nov 9) and was scheduled to fly back to Singapore on the day of her death, reported Shin Min Daily News.
She is the company director of family-run KSP Marketing, which specialises in processing pork.
On Saturday morning, she had breakfast with her friends and returned to her hotel room, where she was later found unconscious.
She was rushed to the hospital, but doctors failed to revive her.
Upon receiving news of her death, her brother and ex-husband flew to Hong Kong that night, reported Shin Min.
Hong Kong authorities have yet to determine the cause of death, and will require at least one to two days before the body can flown back to Singapore, said the Chinese newspaper.
While the body could return to Singapore earliest by Thursday, Koh's brother said in an interview with Shin Min that he hopes the process can be sped up.
According to reports, the deceased has a history of hypertension and is on medication.
She also has two children, whom she called every day while in Hong Kong, according to Shin Min.
The Singapore consulate in Hong Kong said they are aware that there is a Singaporean who died in Hong Kong over the weekend, and is in touch with the deceased's next-of-kin.
This article was first published on Nov 14, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
He heard people shouting outside his Roberts Lane shop and went out to see what was going on.
Mr Michael Nassim, 57, owner of Emri Electronics, said after he and his six employees went out to the road, they saw a small fire at the second-storey window of the neighbouring shophouse.
Within five minutes, the fire spread to his shop.
The owner of the two-storey shophouse off Serangoon Road told The New Paper: "My wife's office is on the second storey, and the laptops, phones and tables were damaged. The roof was also burned."
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it was alerted to the fire at 3.20pm.
They dispatched one fire engine, three Red Rhinos and three support vehicles. The fire was extinguished using two water jets within half an hour.
There were no reported injuries.
"The SCDF officers were very brave and they got the fire under control very quickly," said Mr Nassim.
"I was in a state of shock when I saw the fire, because it was big. But now I'm concerned about business continuation."
Building and Construction Authority (BCA) personnel had told him that the building was subject to a structural engineer's report.
"If it's found to be unstable, we would have to close our shop for one to three months," he said.
LOSSES
"We run an online business selling watches, so we can find alternate premises to continue our business. Our stock wasn't damaged, and we have fire insurance for the shop."
But Mr Nassim said the losses he suffered may be substantial.
"The partitions, wallpaper, laptops and carpeting would cost around $25,000," he said.
The owner of the shophouse where the fire started, Mr Abdul, 46, who declined to give his full name, said that he received a call from a staff member who was in the shop around 3pm.
He told TNP: "I rushed down, and the SCDF was already here. The fire has been put out.
"It's just an empty room on the second storey, so I'm not sure how it started. Just the front part was damaged. I'm still in shock."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
This article was first published on November 15, 2016.
Get The New Paper for more stories.
An operations manager of a bus chartering firm who sent SMS messages to a prosecution witness, in a bid to influence her testimony in court, was fined $6,000 yesterday.
Ng Ang Heng, 59, who works for Sin U Lian Travel & Coach, admitted trying to pervert the course of justice during the trial of his colleague Xu Yajie at the State Courts on April 28 last year.
He sent messages through another colleague Toh Lee Hong to the witness, Ms Xu Xiaona, telling her to give a specific testimony.
The court heard last month that on Jan 14, 2014, enforcement officers stopped a private bus along the Pan-Island Expressway and caught the driver driving without a vocational licence.
Land Transport Authority investigations showed it was Sin U Lian's human resource head Xu Yajie who interviewed and hired the driver without the valid licence. Charges were brought against her.
On the day of Yajie's trial on April 28 last year, Ng met Ms Xu Xiaona in court and realised she was a witness.
Worried about the testimony she would give, Ng wanted to tell her it was him who made the final decision to hire the driver.
Just before noon, Ng sent a series of text messages in Chinese to Ms Toh, an accounts executive of the company, and asked her to forward them to Ms Xu.
They informed Ms Xu to say that Ng, and no one else, was in charge of hiring and paying staff.
Ms Xu did not agree with the content of the text messages and did not testify accordingly.
Yajie was later acquitted after the trial.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jasmin Kaur said Ng's actions showed a complete disregard for the court's jurisdiction, and argued that the custodial threshold was crossed in this case. The DPP had sought a jail sentence of six to eight weeks to be imposed.
But District Judge Kessler Soh felt that a high fine was sufficient.
He said Ng believed what he was telling the witness was the truth. There was no threat or coercion, he said. Ng did not do anything for his own benefit and neither did he succeed in getting the witness to change her testimony.
Ng, represented by Mr S.K. Kumar, could have been jailed for up to 3½ years and/or fined for the offence.
elena@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on November 15, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Ms Linda Koh, 36, who was respected and well-liked, was found unconscious in her hotel room while on a business trip there last Saturday (Nov 12).
She was taken to the island's Queen Mary Hospital but died soon after, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Ms Koh was the managing director and successor of family-run local business KSP Marketing, which specialises in processing pork and other chilled or frozen meat products.
The divorcee, who was the third generation to helm the family business, leaves behind a young son and daughter.
The Chinese newspaper reported that Ms Koh had flown to Hong Kong last Wednesday for work, and had arranged to meet an old friend from her university days.
On Saturday morning, she had breakfast with friends before returning to her hotel room.
352289
2016-11-15 11:26:40
Photo Gallery
Singapore businesswoman found dead in Hong Kong hotel room
When she did not come out later, a friend got the hotel management to open the room door, and they found her unconscious.
Hong Kong police told local newspaper Oriental Daily that the room was not in a mess, and they did not rule out the possibility that Ms Koh had collapsed suddenly.
They said the autopsy report would be able to confirm the cause of death.
Shin Min reported that Ms Koh's younger brother and ex-husband flew to Hong Kong on the night of her death to identify the body, but were told they had to wait a few days for the autopsy to be completed.
They are expected to return to Singapore on Thursday with her body.
The Singapore consulate in Hong Kong said they were aware that a Singaporean had died there over the weekend, and were in touch with the deceased's next-of-kin.
Her father, Mr Alan Koh, 74, told Shin Min that his eldest daughter had a history of hypertension but had seen a doctor and was taking medication.
While she was in Hong Kong, Ms Koh had called her family here every day and chatted with her children.
Mr Koh said his daughter was supposed to return to Singapore on Saturday evening. But at around 11pm, the hotel in Hong Kong called to inform the family that something had happened to her.
He thought it was just a minor illness. They were then told she was taken to hospital and had died.
One of Ms Koh's friends told The New Paper yesterday that she was an affable woman and a vivacious boss who was always coming up with new ideas for the family business.
Mr Aydan Ang, 31, who owns a design studio, started working with her a few years ago when she wanted to re-brand the business.
STUDENT
They met four years ago when she was a student at a music school where he used to give vocal lessons and had kept in touch.
He said she was an avid cook who cared deeply for others and was always game to try new things, whether it was a business idea or a recipe.
Ms Koh used to share her recipes online under the moniker Guru Home Chef.
"She would always share her happiness, dreams and passion with her friends and family. Everyone thought highly of her. And she was very down-to-earth and very hands-on in her business," said Mr Ang.
He said he had heard about Ms Koh's death around 5pm on Saturday from friends.
He said: "It was very shocking. When I met her two weeks ago, she was upbeat and appeared healthy.
"I couldn't believe it. I even left her a text after hearing the news, just to check on her. But there was no reply. One of her staff members later confirmed (that she had died)."
Another friend, Mr Amos Goh, 36, a cook, said he had known Ms Koh for about seven years and she had visited him at his restaurant about three months ago.
Calling her a loyal friend, Mr Goh said she had helped him look for employment after he lost his job previously.
He said in Mandarin: "It's really sad to lose a friend like her."
This article was first published on November 15, 2016.
Get The New Paper for more stories.
A woman must be 35 or older, or have experienced at least two failed pregnancies or implants, to take part in a clinical trial to genetically screen embryos before they are implanted.
The National University Hospital (NUH) will be leading the trial, which will start next year. There is no age restriction for women who fall into the second category.
Last week, Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor said NUH will conduct a three-year trial to genetically screen embryos for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
Singapore does not allow such screenings but several countries, such as the United States, Britain, Australia, China, Malaysia and Thailand, do.
In these countries, the screenings were found to have increased the chances of successful pregnancies and live births.
In Singapore, one in five IVF attempts results in the birth of a baby.
Dr Lim Min Yu, from NUH's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility - and an investigator in the trial - said the biggest reason for failed pregnancies or implants is chromosomal abnormalities.
Screening the embryo will ensure that only embryos with the correct 22 pairs of chromosomes, and the sex chromosomes XX in female and XY in male, are implanted.
While this does not guarantee a baby, it significantly increases the chances of success.
Dr Lim said fears that parents will abuse the system to select certain characteristics for their baby, including its gender, are unfounded.
He said: "Preimplantation genetic screening does not screen for genetic diseases, in terms of looking for these faulty genes. It is designed to assess the number of chromosomes each embryo has, and only select embryos with the correct number (46) for transfer."
He said a stringent study, carried out in Beijing and Los Angeles involving more than 100 women, found that women whose embryos had been checked for the correct number of chromosomes had a 65 per cent higher chance of getting pregnant.
The study did not report on the number of live births.
Dr Lim said the purpose of the Health Ministry-funded trial is to find out if such screenings "can improve the outcome of an IVF cycle in our local population, by increasing the live birth rate and reducing the risk of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities".
He added that screening for the correct number of chromosomes is very different from checking for known hereditary diseases, which is called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, and is done here to check for disorders like thalassemia, haemophilia and muscular dystrophy.
Singapore does not allow screening for Down syndrome in embryos. The syndrome affects a child's mental and physical development, but the extent of impairment varies.
Under the trial, embryos with Down syndrome will not be used, as they have an extra chromosome.
Thomson Fertility Centre medical director Loh Seong Feei said one of his patients, who found that her baby had Down syndrome, terminated her pregnancy, after much heartache.
He said: "Many of my patients have suffered this fate. That is why I am very much for the technique to be allowed in Singapore.
Preimplantation genetic screening can help the patient avoid the pain of mid-trimester termination because of chromosomal abnormality."
But some religious groups object to the screening due to concerns that embryos found defective will be discarded, along with spare embryos.
The principal investigator for this trial is NUH professor P. C. Wong but patients can also go to SGH and KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Recruitment of couples for the trial will start next year.
This article was first published on November 15, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
At least four money changers at Change Alley ran out of the Malaysian currency yesterday as people stocked up on the plunging ringgit.
One money changer, who wanted to be known only as Mr Bill, said he was cleaned out within a few hours of opening because he underestimated demand.
Even though the rates on offer yesterday were down on last week, there was still strong demand for the currency. Money changers were offering between 3.01 and 3.03 to one Singdollar - below the 3.05 up for grabs last week.
The volatile currency has been on a rollercoaster ride for months, buffeted first by the commodities downturn and now by fears that Malaysia will suffer badly if United States President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his anti- trade rhetoric once he assumes the top job in January.
Foreign exchange markets are already pricing in more falls. The ringgit was trading at about 3.05 to the Singdollar yesterday, almost at the low point of 3.06 reached in January.
That rate of 3.05 to the Singdollar may filter down to money changers, which would likely spur even more buying by people here, especially those who frequently travel across the Causeway.
One customer, who wanted to be known only as Madam Saiedah, said she travels to Johor Baru twice a month for shopping. The 30-year-old administrator said her frequent visits prompted her to change "a small amount" yesterday, even though she did not think the rate was that good. Others at money changers said they were there to browse and holding off on buying.
Foreign exchange experts said that there is more volatility ahead for the Malaysian currency.
Mr Nizam Idris, head of forex strategy at Macquarie Bank, said he had earlier forecast that the ringgit could weaken further to hit 3.15 against the Singdollar in the first quarter of next year.
He added that he now thinks the ringgit could hit that level earlier, given the political developments in the US.
Mr Heng Koon How, senior investment strategist at Credit Suisse, noted that many Asian currencies have weakened, but the pressure on the ringgit is more intense.
"Malaysia's foreign exchange reserves have diminished, from about US$120 billion (S$170 billion) at the end of 2014 to about US$98 billion now," he said.
"This is contrary to the rest of Asia, where most central banks have had strong growth in their reserves. As such, the Malaysian authorities will be less able to mitigate any excessive weakness in the ringgit."
This article was first published on November 15, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Madam H. Tan, 37, was over the moon when she became pregnant with twins after undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) two years ago.
But a routine check-up left the logistics specialist grief-stricken. She had miscarried one of them.
With Singapore reviewing its laws on genetic screening of embryos to ensure they have the right number of chromosomes, doctors and potential parents hope there will be fewer miscarriages like Madam Tan's.
She said: "This will put couples at ease, especially when the woman is above 35 and the quality of her eggs is a concern.
Going through IVF can be emotionally and financially draining."
She said that couples undergoing IVF are made aware only of the "grades" of the embryos. Hers were grade A -, the highest quality.
"However, there is still no way of knowing about other defects."
Pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) of embryos for IVF has long been disallowed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) as its effectiveness was "unclear".
There was also a risk it would be used to select embryos for non-medical reasons, such as gender.
Some religious groups oppose it as embryos found to be "defective" will be destroyed.
But with new technologies, the MOH is relooking the issue. It announced last week it will review the clinical effectiveness of PGS in a three-year trial to start next year.
It will also look into the ethical concerns and regulation, and consult the public for their views.
An old method of PGS was able to check embryos for only a few chromosomal abnormalities, said Dr Loh Seong Feei, medical director of Thomson Fertility Centre.
New methods can now test all 46 chromosomes in an embryo.
Embryos found to be chromosomally normal can be selected, reducing the risk of miscarriage and eliminating the risk of chromosomal abnormalities.
One concern is that genetic screening of embryos could lead to selecting them based on non-medical reasons, or selecting desirable genetic traits in offspring.
Assistant Professor Tamra Lysaght from the Centre for Biomedical Ethics at the National University of Singapore said this raises "concerns about the stigmatisation of disability in society".
Some chromosomal abnormalities cause conditions that compromise the embryo's survival; others result in Down syndrome.
But she said it is important not to lose sight of the goal, which is to help couples conceive in cases where the woman's fertility is diminished or compromised.
Religious groups are mixed in their reactions.
Singapore Buddhist Federation's president, Venerable Seck Kwang Phing We, said it has "no objections, as this is a precautionary screening before implantation".
Others have more fundamental objections. The Catholic Church considers IVF illicit to begin with.
Reverend Father James Yeo said: "Any pre-implantation genetic screening vis-a-vis an IVF treatment is deemed illicit, too, especially when it involves spare embryos and any risks posed to the life of embryos in the screening process."
The National Council of Churches said it does not have any serious objections to PGS, but it is "concerned that this procedure will be used to select only 'normal' or 'healthy' embryos for implantation".
"The council would regard PGS as immoral if it leads to the destruction of defective embryos," said a spokesman. "To eliminate or destroy 'undesirable' human embryos is to already put into practice a form of eugenics."
This article was first published on November 15, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE - An unfortunate series of lift breakdowns at People's Park Complex forced some residents to climb 30 floors back to their homes, reported Shin Min Daily News on Tuesday (Nov 15).
All three lifts at the 31-storey complex broke down on Monday (Nov 14) afternoon at around 1.30pm, according to the Chinese newspaper.
One resident who was interviewed by Shin Min said two of the lifts were unoperational when she arrived at the complex that afternoon.
She then took the third lift, which was still operating at the time. Upon reaching the 15th floor, however, the doors of the lift were unable to close and became unresponsive.
After waiting for two minutes, she decided to climb the stairs of the remaining 14 floors to her apartment.
The building's management told Shin Min that the lifts often break down as they have been in operation for a long time.
Technicians were sent to repair the lifts, and one lift was back in operation quickly, it added.
The management also said it conducts regular maintenance checks on the lifts and technicians are on standby throughout the day in case of a breakdown.
This article was first published on Nov 15, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
They are "smart", act as Wi-Fi spots, send alerts when they need to be cleared and can show you where to shop.
Ten of them have been placed along a 500m outdoor pedestrian walkway between Wisma Atria and Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road, in a three-month pilot trial launched yesterday by technology firm Terra Sol and the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba).
The 1.3m-tall Bigbelly smart bins will be up and fully running by the end of the week.
Each has a compactor that can crunch rubbish, giving it eight times the capacity of a normal bin.
And when these bins start to fill up, their sensors can detect it and send e-mail or text message alerts to their cleaners' mobile phones.
Imported from the United States, the bins are also solar powered and self-sufficient when it comes to energy. They can store power for periods when there is no sunlight.
Shoppers will be able to log on to the bins' Wi-Fi network, which is provided by StarHub, using their Facebook or Weibo accounts.
A bin's Wi-Fi has a coverage radius of 30m and surfing speeds of between 10Mbps and 20Mbps. This is faster than Wireless@SG, which has a surfing speed of up to 5Mbps.
The bins let you surf the Web for 15 minutes after which you must log in again.
The free Wi-Fi will be available from 11am to 9pm daily.
Those logged on to the Wi-Fi network may see advertisements from retailers located close by popping up on their screens.
Steven Goh, executive director of Orba, said these higher-capacity bins could reduce litter on the floor while providing retailers another way to promote their brands.
"The hot spots will improve the visitor experience, especially for tourists using Wi-Fi," he added.
Thanks to compacting, these bins may need to be cleared just once a day, said Jason Kumar, co-founder of Terra Sol.
A 125l Bigbelly smart bin with sensors costs around $3,000 - not including other features like Wi-Fi.
SINGAPORE - After rain and cloudy skies obscured the supermoon on Monday (Nov 14) night, the elusive full moon finally emerged the day after, to the delight of photographers and enthusiasts.
While the supermoon on Tuesday (Nov 15) night was not as close to the Earth as it was a day earlier at its peak, photos shared on social media - by professional and amateur photographers alike - prove it was well worth the wait.
Unhindered by poor weather, photographers whipped out their equipment to capture the moon, which still appeared to be bigger and brighter than normal.
On Facebook, photographer Darren Soh said he "figured it was still worth a shot" and looked for the time and coordinates of the moon rise.
The photo, which was taken at Bendemeer, shows a red-tinged full moon against a foreground of Housing and Development Board flats.
"The apparent movement of the moon was so great I could see it moving in my camera's viewfinder and a 5 minute window was all I go before it went back into the clouds," he said in the post.
Missed the supermoon phenomenon due to bad weather. So I decided to try my luck this morning. 151116
Time of shoot: 0545 - 0615
Lens: Canon EF 500mm F4L IS USM
The number of visitors at national museums and heritage institutions hit an all-time high of 3,751,475 in 2015, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said yesterday.
This was almost one million more than the 2,970,981 visitors in 2014, spurred in part by the opening of the National Gallery Singapore and the Indian Heritage Centre.
There was also a rise in visitorship at most institutions.
The number of visitors to the Malay Heritage Centre more than doubled, from 166,506 in 2014 to 445,186 in 2015. That for the Singapore Art Museum also shot up from 743,718 to 903,357.
Heritage culture got a tremendous boost during the SG50 year. Non-ticketed attendance at heritage events rose from 5.2 million in 2014 to 6.2 million in 2015.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu said in a statement: "The SG50 Concert Series in the Park, Jubilee Walk, opening of National Gallery Singapore and many more events drew large crowds."
Attendance at ticketed and non-ticketed performing arts events remained largely stable, with 1.6 million tickets sold and 2.8 million attendees at non-ticketed arts events.
There was, however, an increase in the number of ticketed and non-ticketed performing and visual arts events.
MCCY said, on average, there were 23 arts performances and 72 visual arts exhibitions daily in 2015.
The ministry also highlighted an increase in individual and corporate donations to the arts and culture sector, from $60 million in 2014 to more than $150 million in 2015.
Another $80 million was matched in funds by the Government.
Singapore - Singapore will launch a new electronic payment system using blockchain, the technology behind the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, the city-state's central bank chief said Wednesday.
The Singapore stock exchange and eight banks will take part in the pilot project, which includes payment between banks, said Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) chief executive Ravi Menon at the Singapore Fintech Festival.
Blockchain technology debuted in 2009 as a public ledger for the digital currency bitcoin, but its potential for securely tracking transactions has meant it is being eyed for other uses.
The pilot project aims to integrate the service into the mainstream as the Southeast Asian country seeks to become a regional hub for new financial technologies.
During the pilot phase, banks will be able to purchase a virtual currency regulated by the MAS, which can then be used for an inter-bank payment. The digital currency can then be redeemed for cash.
This removes a need to send instructions through the MAS, a process that adds time and cost to the payment process, Menon said.
He added: "The next phase of the project will involve transactions in foreign currency, possibly with the support of another central bank." Blockchains are considered tamper-proof registers in which entries are time-stamped and linked to previous "blocks" in a data chain.
Blockchains serve as public ledgers considered easy to audit and verify. They are also automated, speeding up transactions and limit potential for error or revision.
Ms Linda Koh, managing director and successor to family-run business KSP Marketing, had been on a business trip. The company specialises in processing pork and other chilled or frozen meat products.
Ms Koh went to Hong Kong on Wednesday last week and had been expected to return on Saturday night, reported Shin Min Daily News. But that morning, she was found unconscious in her hotel room and rushed to the Queen Mary Hospital. She died soon after.
352289
2016-11-15 11:26:40
Photo Gallery
Singapore businesswoman found dead in Hong Kong hotel room
Photo Gallery
