An impressive 98.4 per cent of pupils who sat for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) this year can go on to have a secondary school education.

The record number exceeds slightly last year's already excellent performance of 98.3 per cent and is Singapore's best performance at the PSLE since its introduction.

A statement from the Ministry of Education said 66.4 per cent are eligible for the Express stream while 21.4 per cent will go on to the Normal (Academic) stream. About 10.6 per cent qualified for the Normal (Technical) stream.

A total of 38,808 Primary 6 pupils took the exam this year and received their results today (Nov 24). Last year, 39,286 pupils sat for PSLE.

The 628 pupils, or 1.6 per cent of the cohort, who did not qualify for a secondary school education or attempted the PSLE for the first time may re-sit the PSLE in the coming year or apply to Assumption Pathway School (APS) or NorthLight School (NLS).

"Those who have made more than one attempt at PSLE will be preferentially offered a place in APS or NLS," said the statement.

The ministry also gave advice to those choosing their favourite secondary school, but stressed that all seek "maximise the potential of every student".

There are many different secondary schools to choose from, including some with unique programmes and some offering different educational paths.

The statement said: "When choosing secondary schools, we would encourage students, in discussion with their parents, to consider schools with environments best suited to their learning needs and interests (e.g. Applied Learning Programmes, Learning for Life Programmes, CCAs), and the proximity of the school from their home, amongst other factors."

chenj@sph.com.sg

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Photo Gallery

PSLE 2015 results released

Source: The Straits Times, The New Paper

Two motorcyclists were injured after one was sent flying after getting hit by a vehicle and landed in the path of another rider on the PIE today (Nov 24).

A video was posted on Roads.sg's Facebook page showing what happened.

In the video, everything happens extremely quickly after one rider is hit by another vehicle.

He and his motorcycle are sent flying two lanes over and he lands in the path of another motorcyclist who runs over him and is sent flying off his bike as well.

According to an update on Roads.sg, the two riders escaped with minor injuries only.

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SINGAPORE - A shipment of nine armoured vehicles belonging to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has been seized in Hong Kong.

The Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICVs) were discovered at Kwai Chung terminal during a routine inspection, news agency FactWire reported.

In response to media queries, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) confirmed in a statement that the Terrex vehicles and associated equipment were delayed at Hong Kong's Kwai Chung Container Terminal on Wed (Nov 23), due to a request for routine inspections by the Hong Kong Customs authorities.

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Photo Gallery

SAF armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong port

Source:

Factwire

"Singapore authorities are providing relevant assistance to the Hong Kong Customs and expect the shipment to return to Singapore. expeditiously," Mindef said.

"The Terrex ICVs were used by the SAF in routine overseas training and shipped back via commercial means as with previous exercises."

A Hong Kong government official who declined to be named told the South China Morning Post earlier that the consignment was en route to Singapore after an overseas training exercise. It is unknown why the vehicles were unloaded at Hong Kong.

The same source added that the vehicles could have been unloaded by mistake along with other general cargo. The armoured vehicles were wrapped in blue and grey covers and placed on container racks at the point of discovery, FactWire reported.

The commercial vessel transporting the vehicles was transiting in Hong Kong's territorial waters when it was intercepted, a source told FactWire.

The SAF is the sole operator of the 24-tonne Terrex vehicles, which is developed by local defence manufacturer Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics.

In March, ST Kinetics was awarded a US$121.5 million (S$173.84 million) contract to supply 13 Terrex 2 - an upgraded and heavier version of the Terrex - to the United States Marine Corps (USMC) for an evaluation phase.

The Terrex 2 beat industry heavyweights General Dynamics Land Systems, Lockheed Martin and Michigan-based Advanced Defence Vehicle Systems in the shortlist phase, and will vie against BAE Systems in the final phase.

According to DefenseNews.com, a winner will be selected in 2018 to deliver 204 next-generation Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) by 2020.

grongloh@sph.com.sg

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2016-07-01 15:01:52

Photo Gallery

SAF will overcome manpower issues through technology: Defence Minister

Source: The Straits Times, Mindef, tabla!, Berita Harian

From December, commuters will be allowed to carry their foldable bicycles and personal mobility devices (PMD) such as e-scooters onto buses and trains all day in a six-month trial.

Currently, only bicycles with a length of 114cm, a height of 64cm and a width of 36cm when folded are allowed on board public transport only during off peak hours.

In a statement today (Nov 24), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said: "This is another step taken by LTA to encourage more people to use public transport, and to adopt active mobility for the first and last mile of their daily public transport commutes."

The foldable bicycles and PMDS must meet the following dimensions: Length of up to 120cm, a height not more than 70cm and a width of 40cm or less.

Most bikes and PMDs currently used by commuters fulfil these requirements.

Signs showing the specifications will be put up in stages at all MRT and LRT stations, as well as bus hubs and interchanges, from December.

Bikes and PMDs must be folded at all times, and the power switched off when carried onto trains and buses. They are also not allowed to be placed on the staircase or on upper deck of double-decker buses.

Mr Jeremy Yap, deputy chief executive for public transport, policy and planning at LTA said: "This initiative integrates active mobility with our public transport system, and brings us closer to our aspiration for walking, cycling and riding public transport to be the best way to get around in Singapore."

chenj@sph.com.sg

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2016-01-22 11:11:32

Photo Gallery

North-South Expressway reconfigured for cyclists, pedestrians, and bus commuters

Source: The Straits Times, LTA, Ministry of Transport

SINGAPORE - For his historic gold-medal feat at the Rio Olympic Games, swimmer Joseph Schooling received $1 million as part of the Singapore National Olympic Council's (SNOC) multi-million dollar awards programme (MAP) on Thursday (Nov 24).

The 21-year-old will give 20 per cent of that amount to the Singapore Swimming Association for its training and development schemes, as stipulated by the SNOC.

He was presented with the cheque by Tote Board chairman Moses Lee, together with guest of honour SNOC president Tan Chuan-Jin and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Said Schooling: "It's great support from (the Tote Board); I don't think a lot of people will offer that much money to people that easily and that just goes to show how genuine they are and how invested they are in the sporting scene in Singapore, and that's really sweet."

Paying tribute to the 2016 Olympians, Mr Tan, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development, said: "I had the privilege to be in Rio to support our athletes and officials and to witness the tenacity of our athletes as they put in their best efforts to compete against the best in the world.

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Joseph Schooling attends 'fight camp' by MMA star Angela Lee

Source:

The Straits Times

Stomp

"I witnessed the camaraderie of Team Singapore, displayed when athletes of different sports come together to form friendships, cheer each other on and encourage one another when times were tough. What I witnessed truly exemplifies the spirit of Team Singapore."

The MAP rewards medallists of the SEA, Commonwealth, Asian and Olympic Games, and is sponsored by the Tote Board family comprising Tote Board, Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club.

Schooling set a new Olympic record of 50.39 seconds en route to winning the 100m butterfly final in Brazil in August, nearly one second ahead of a joint-silver finish of 51.15sec shared by 23-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps of the USA, South Africa's Chad le Clos and Hungary's Laszlo Cseh.

Last year, Schooling received $31,250 for his six individual golds and three relay golds at the SEA Games.

The swimmer also received the Meritorious Service Medal (Pingat Jasa Gemilang) from Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu.

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Photo Gallery

Dressing up Olympic champ Joseph Schooling

Source:

AsiaOne

Alvin Toh/ The Schooling Effect

This article was first published on November 24, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - Just nine days before she took her first Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) paper, Putri Lydia Hemamalini lost her father to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Despite the death of her 64-year-old father, who had suffered from the condition for about three years, the 12-year-old decided to soldier on with her revision for the PSLE.

"(My father) was like my best friend. When I had problems, I would share with him and he would give me advice," the Primary 6 pupil at Lianhua Primary School said.

"I wanted to do my best at the PSLE and make him proud."

On Thursday (Nov 24), Putri was recognised by her school principal for her perseverance. She attained an A grade for Malay, C for English, and Ds for science and mathematics at the national exam, and can move on to a secondary school.

Putri had to juggle preparing for the PSLE and offering emotional support to her 47-year-old mother and three siblings aged between eight and 17. Besides revising daily, she would go home after school to help out with household chores.

"I had to stay positive for my family, because we need to move on," she said.
Her teachers and schoolmates rallied around her during that trying period, clarifying doubts that she might have and encouraging her to remain positive.

"The school is like a second home to me," said Putri. "My teachers and friends have been very supportive. I am thankful for them and will miss them when I leave this school."

Madam Po Mun Ying, her form teacher, said Putri is a cheerful and bubbly girl who demonstrated resilience to work hard in her studies.

Madam Po added: "She also knew she had to do her best to make her dad and family proud."

calyang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on November 24, 2016.
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Read also

• Record 98.4% can make it to secondary school

   

Start-up nuTonomy has resumed trials of driverless cars after a traffic accident involving one of its vehicles on Oct 18.

The company has improved its software system after an investigation into the accident, it said yesterday.

One of nuTonomy's self-driving cars hit a lorry in Biopolis Drive at one-north while on a test drive at about 9.30am on Oct 18.

It is believed to be the first accident in Singapore involving an autonomous vehicle.

No one was hurt. However, the right bumper of the car was damaged.

The lorry had a dent on its side, according to a Facebook user who posted photos of the accident.

The self-driving car had two engineers on board and one was behind the wheel as a safety driver, nuTonomy said in an earlier statement. It added that its car was travelling at a "low speed".

nuTonomy found that the accident was due to "an extremely rare combination of software anomalies".

This affected how the vehicle detected and responded to other nearby vehicles when changing lanes.

"We've made improvements to our software system to eliminate these anomalies, and have extensively tested it both in simulation and on private roads to ensure that our vehicles will operate safely going forward," nuTonomy said.

After the changes and tests, the United States-Singapore firm resumed public trials on the roads in one-north recently, it added.

It said such fixes demonstrate the value of "conducting extensive testing".

"The ongoing public trial of nuTonomy's self-driving cars continues to provide us and our partner, Grab, with valuable feedback, data and insights from a growing number of riders," it noted.

Thousands of people have signed up online to participate in the trial since August.

"The majority of passengers quickly accept and grow comfortable with the technology during their rides," nuTonomy said.

One of the findings from the trials was that passengers "humanise" the car, by giving it a name or compare its driving ability to that of a relative or friend.

nuTonomy is one of four agencies permitted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to conduct trials of driverless vehicles in the one-north area.

The other three are A*Star, Delphi and Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.

The LTA has also signed partnership agreements with nuTonomy and Britain-based Delphi to test self-driving taxis in Singapore.

nuTonomy targets to have a limited commercial service by 2018 with up to 75 vehicles available in certain areas, with services rolled out islandwide by 2020, said reports.

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A motorcyclist died after he was run over by a container truck along Jalan Buroh at the junction of West Coast Highway on Thursday (Nov 24).

The accident occurred at around 6.15pm and was captured on video. Road safety community Facebook page Roads.sg uploaded the dashboard video shared by user Fai Kor.

The graphic video footage shows the motorcyclist riding in between two trucks before disappearing from sight. He is seen lying on the narrow two-lane road seconds later.

At least two other motorcyclists were seen to have stopped right after the incident took place. The two trucks had also come to a stop.

The video has garnered over 68,000 views and more than 1,000 shares on Facebook. Some netizens left comments on the post advising fellow motorists to "ride safe" and not "squeeze" in between heavy vehicles when on the road.

This accident follows a crash on the Pan Island Expressway that involved two motorcylists on Thursday. A video was also posted on Roads.sg's Facebook page showing what happened. Based on update by the community page, the two riders escaped with minor injuries.

ssandrea@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Armed Forces welcomed the latest locally-made vehicle to its arsenal on Friday, which will replace most of the army's five-tonne trucks.

Called the Belrex, it is meant to be used by the army's motorised infantry combat support and combat service support forces, hence the categorisation as a Protected Combat Support Vehicle (PCSV).

"The Belrex PCSV is more agile, versatile, offers stronger fire power, better protection, and greater situational awareness," said Second Minister for Defence Mr Ong Ye Kung, who commissioned the vehicle today (Nov 25) at the SAFTI Live Firing Area.

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SAF rolls out new customisable vehicle to replace 5-tonners

Source:

The Ministry of Defence

"With the Belrex platform, our infantry forces will be more effective, and can better adapt to the changing nature of the modern battlefield."

The Belrex PCSV can be modified in 10 different ways to fit mission requirements - a common modular design in modern military equipment.

The 10 variants are: Combat engineer, fuel, logistics, maintenance, medical, mortar, mortar ammunition carrier, security, signal, and reconnaissance.

With a maximum capacity of10 crew including the vehicle commander and driver, the Belrex PCSV can reach up to a maximum speed of 110km/h, with a range of 600km, and carry a payload of up to 4,000kg.

The 20-tonne vehicle will be equipped with a full suite of C4 systems (command, control, communications and computer) - a standard feature in the army's third generation assets.

Its weapon and armour complements include a 7.62mm Remote Machine Gun operated from the cabin, and small arms fire and mine protection.

The platform is a collaboration between the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics).

The introduction of the Belrex PCSV is part of the army's motorisation and Third Generation transformation efforts, which follows the introduction of other assets such as the Peacekeeper Protected Response Vehicle and the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle.

grongloh@sph.com.sg

Retrenched workers will get faster help and protection from the Government and labour bodies.

From January next year, employers who employ at least 10 employees are required to notify MOM if five or more employees are retrenched within a six-month period.

Also, they must inform the authorities within five working days whenever an employee receives notification of his retrenchment.

The new ruling was announced by Ministry of Manpower (MOM), said the ministry, National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation in a joint press today (Nov 25).

Failure to notify the authorities within a required timeline is an offence with penalties including a fine of up to $5,000.

Said the Manpower Ministry on its Facebook page: "These notifications will provide more complete and timely retrenchment information, to better assist retrenched local employees with alternative employment and relevant training."

chenj@sph.com.sg

Singtel has been slapped with fines amounting to $145,000 for two separate pay-TV disruptions.

Both incidents saw customers being tuned out of programmes across more than 10 channels.

In the first incident on Oct 1 last year, 100 Singtel TV subscribers islandwide could not watch any programmes on 11 channels for more than one hour, said Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in a statement today (Nov 25).

Investigations by the regulator revealed that damaged fibre optic cables had caused the initial disruption.

It added: "That would have normally triggered an automatic switchover to the secondary fibre to prevent a service disruption. However, the switchover was unsuccessful due to a faulty fibre optic receiver card on the secondary fibre. SingNet did not have a robust process to test that the receiver card was functional."

IMDA had to fine Singtel $55,000 for this incident. SingNet is a unit of Singtel.

It was again fined $90,000 for a disruption on Jan 5 this year.

Some 1,400 Singtel TV viewers saw sporadic blurry images on their TV screen across 15 channels for about three hours.

Explaining the fault, the regulator said: "This service difficulty was caused by a failure to properly configure two line cards on a router at SingNet's Bukit Timah headend in August 2015. At the point of installation, the vendor was supposed to implement a router configuration that would increase the shared limit of the two line cards. However, as that was not carried out, when data traffic on 5 January 2016 was exceeded, intermittent pixelation occurred on the channels."

IMDA's assessment is that SingNet should have ensured that its vendor carried out its work properly, it concluded.

In determining the amount of penalties, IMDA said it took into consideration factors such as SingNet's response to the incidents, the extent of the disruptions and its track record.

"IMDA notes that SingNet has committed to implementing the necessary measures to prevent future recurrences," it added.

chenj@sph.com.sg

Read also: SingNet fined $90,000 for pay-TV disruption

Veteran lawyer Lucien Wong, 63, will be Singapore's new Attorney-General (AG) from January next year when current AG, Mr V.K. Rajah, 59, completes his term.

Mr Wong, who is currently chairman and senior partner of law firm Allen and Gledhill, will first be appointed Deputy Attorney-General on Dec 19 during the transition period before he assumes the top post at the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) for a similar three-year term.

This was announced in a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a statement today (Nov 25).

Mr Wong is also chairman of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and Singapore International Arbitration Centre. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Singapore Business Federation. He is also a board director of Singapore Press Holdings, Temasek Holdings and Singapore Health Services.

When he takes over as AG on Jan 14 next year, Solicitor-General Lionel Yee will be appointed Deputy Attorney-General, and share the No. 2 position at the AGC with Mr Tan Siong Thye.

In its statement, the PMO thanked Mr Rajah for his service and contributions as AG.

It noted that Mr Rajah had "broadened the prosecutorial philosophy of the AGC and oversaw significant criminal cases, including the largest ever market-rigging securities case and the largest scale money-laundering case in Singapore".

Mr Rajah had also set up working groups to enhance legal processes, including one relating to youth justice, among other initiatives.

Under his leadership, the AGC has provided legal support to help the Government formulate and implement programmes and successfully negotiate significant international agreements.

Mr Rajah directed the legal work on Singapore's negotiations with Malaysia on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail and the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System, it added.

Law Society pledges its support

Welcoming Mr Wong's appointment, The Law Society said in a statement: "His broad transactional experience, proven management skills in helming Singapore's largest law firm and practical track record in cutting edge deals will bring to the office a skill set uniquely equipped to deal with the evolution of the changing legal environment in Singapore. The Law Society pledges its support to Mr Wong in his new appointment and looks forward to working closely with his Chambers in furtherance of the administration of justice."

The society also acknowledged the contribution of Mr VK Rajah, who was well respected and "well known for his lucid and robust judgments".

"Many of his decisions are landmark and transformational pronouncements of the law. His contributions to the legal landscape here have helped to lay the foundation for the development of the law for many years to come. As Attorney-General, Mr VK Rajah sought to strengthen the relationship between his Chambers and the Bar and provided inspirational leadership on tackling many of the issues concerning practice and practitioners," the society said.

"He was well respected for his work ethic and sense of compassion and fair play, and often took a personal interest in many of the more difficult cases handled by his Chambers." it added

chenj@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival has to either cut or clothe two shows programmed for next January.

Performance lecture Naked Ladies and interactive piece Undressing Room have exceeded the R18 rating under the Arts Entertainment Classification Code (AECC) and cannot be shown here in their current form, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Friday (Nov 25).

An IMDA spokesman said: "The performances had excessive nudity which included scenes of audience-participants stripping naked, and graphic depictions of exposed genitalia.

"In regulating and classifying such events, IMDA is guided by the AECC to protect the young from unsuitable content, while enabling adults to make informed viewing choices. It is also advised by the Arts Consultative Panel."

The latter is a 40-member panel of housewives, artists, educators and working professionals, which can make recommendations on ratings for arts shows.

It is understood that festival organisers could make changes to the shows and resubmit them for classification. Festival organisers are yet to respond to queries from The Straits Times about whether they would change or drop the shows.

IMDA's statement comes after anonymous complaints posted online that the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival is presenting pornography in the guise of art.

Noted for its boundary-pushing fringe performances, the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival was started by home-grown theatre group The Necessary Stage. Next year will be its 13th edition, which will run from Jan 4 to 15.

The theme is Art & Skin and the festival's line-up includes shows such as Naked Ladies, Canadian Thea Fitz-James' performance lecture about the history of the naked female body in art. She strips in front of the audience and is nude for much of the show.

Undressing Room is a one-to-one encounter with Singaporean dancer Ming Poon. In a private space, he will challenge one participant at a time to literally bare all along with him.

On Nov 22, a Facebook group called Singaporeans Defending Marriage And Family highlighted these shows among others.

The anonymous post said: "Does the government deem inviting an audience to participate in the 'show' that includes undressing and exploring each other (sic) naked body not an obscene act punishable by law? If the government allow (sic) this, isn't this a solicitation for a public sex act? This is as good as prostituting the performing art sector and is downright revolting."

The post also dismissed the festival's artistic director Sean Tobin as "a foreigner who has no vested interest in Singapore's well-being", who should not be allowed to comment on divisive issues. Tobin is also the head of the School of the Arts's faculty of theatre.

On Nov 23, the festival's organisers posted a statement in response saying works such as Undressing Room and Naked Ladies "are thoughtful, well conceptualised pieces that deal with the Festival theme, through the lens of nudity and the politics behind it. They question issues of identity, and how that is formed, thwarted and reasserted. They are most certainly not acts of pornography or titillation".

Arts practitioners rallied online to the cause of the festival and festival director. R. Chandran, a veteran producer of theatre for children, said on Facebook: "As an educator he continues to cultivate fertile grounds with passion, and as a practitioner, he pours heart and soul into his work. As a parent, I find his relationship and interaction with his young son an inspiration.

"Therefore, I will stand on the frontline to defend Sean Tobin's personal and professional integrity as well as his right to practise his chosen vocation and contribute to the overall growth of Singaporeans."

akshitan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on November 25, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

China's Foreign Ministry has commented on the seizure of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) military vehicles and equipment by the Hong Kong customs, even as the SAF dispatched officers to Hong Kong "to address the security of the equipment".

At a routine press briefing on Friday (Nov 25), the ministry's spokesman Geng Shuang said China is currently verifying the related details when asked if Singapore has to contact the Chinese Foreign Ministry for the release of the vehicles.

"All people and goods entering Hong Kong Special Administrative Region should follow the laws of the SAR. I'd like to reiterate that the Chinese government firmly opposes any of the countries that has diplomatic ties with us to have any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, including defence exchanges and co-operation," said Mr Geng in response to another related question.

Singapore's Defence Ministry (Mindef) said in a statement on Friday that a SAF team is en route to Hong Kong"to address the security of the equipment".

This comes a day after the territory's customs officials seized nine Singapore-bound armoured vehicles and related equipment on board a container ship from Taiwan.

In the meantime, Japanese-owned container shipping firm APL, which was hired by the SAF to transport the cargo, has "assured the SAF that they are working with Hong Kong authorities to resolve the issue", Mindef added.

Mindef said that APL was required to comply with all regulations including the declaration of transported equipment in the ship's cargo manifest. This included obtaining the necessary permits required to transit through ports.

Shipped in 12 containers, the cargo comprises nine Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles "with no ammunition or sensitive equipment on board", said Mindef.

"During the transit through Hong Kong, customs officials raised queries if the necessary permits and declarations by APL were in order and in the process detained the Terrex ICVs," said the statement.

The Singapore Consulate General in Hong Kong is also assisting in this matter, it added.

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Photo Gallery

SAF armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong port

Source:

Factwire

Mindef said that all commercial shippers used by the SAF are required to comply with stringent requirements for protection against theft and tampering of equipment during the shipment as well as applying for all relevant permits. "These requirements have worked well and there have been no incidents of losses, theft or tampering over the years," said Mindef.

It added: "The SAF will review the circumstances of this incident and determine if added measures are required to prevent such occurrences."

Hong Kong Customs told The Straits Times that the "suspected control items have been moved to a temporary storage place of Customs in Tuen Mun for further investigation". They would not confirm if the Chinese Foreign Ministry has been officially informed of the seizure.

Quoting sources, the South China Morning Post said in a report that Singaporean authorities will have to contact the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to secure the return of the armoured vehicles.

Additional reporting by Jermyn Chow in Taipei and Joyce Lim in Hong Kong

This article was first published on November 25, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - Civil servants will receive a year-end bonus of 0.5 month this year as the already-bruised economy continues to slow.

But for the 1,900 lower-wage workers, the payout will be at least $900, said the Public Service Division (PSD) in a statement on Friday (Nov 25).

Giving an example, the statement said an officer earning $1,500 a month will get a year-end bonus of $900, which is $150 more than what he would get at 0.50 month of his monthly salary.

Together with a mid-year bonus of 0.45 month, which they have already received, and the traditional 13th-month payout to be given next month, civil servants will get a total of 1.95 months bonus this year.

This is 0.2 month lower than last year, a decline the PSD said is "in line with the lower economic growth for 2016 compared with 2015".

The Singapore economy expanded 1.1 per cent in the third quarter compared to 2 per cent in the same quarter late year.

On Thursday (Nov24), the Ministry of Trade and Industry revised downwards its growth forecast for the whole of this year. The new forecast is 1 to 1.5 per cent, from 1.0 to 2.0 per cent.

The civil service year-end bonus is closely watched by the private sector, which uses the figure as a guide for its bonus payments.

The payout was welcomed by unions, especially the minimum amount assured for lower-wage workers.

"It is a timely sum to help our members cope with year-end expenditures such as their children's education and back-to-school spending," said Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Workers general secretary G. Muthukumarasamy.

This article was first published on Nov 25, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - SMRT has refuted claims that it did not give ample notice to organisers of the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS) that it would not be providing early train services for this year's race on Dec 4.

Explaining the late announcement to participants- just three weeks before race day - SCMS organisers said on Nov 14 via Facebook that they were only informed "recently" that train services could not be provided, despite discussions starting in June.

They added that there was "track maintenance" to be done on the race day.

This has been sharply refuted by rail operator SMRT Corp on Friday (Nov 25), which said that it had told SCMS organisers of its decision in May.

"The organiser was given ample notice to plan alternative travel arrangements and communicate these early to its participants," said Mr Patrick Nathan, SMRT's vice-president for corporate information and communications.

He added that SMRT is reaching a "critical point" in its network maintenance and renewal works, that include "sleeper replacement, re-signalling and third rail replacement efforts".

"Such projects are planned as far as 12 months in advance in order for engineering staff to maximise track access time on viaducts and tunnels," Mr Nathan said.

"Every minute of track access time is valuable because engineering staff have around three hours every night to set up the work site, perform the maintenance or renewal work and then dismantle the work site in preparation for the first train service."

Since 2011, SMRT has been starting train services earlier on the SCMS' event day, to bring participants to the marathon, which will flag off as early as 4.30am this year.

The SCMS, now its 15th edition, is the largest running event in Singapore, and organisers have set aside 52,000 spots across five race categories this year.

In place of train services, first-time organisers Ironman Endurance Asia said they have arranged for buses to ferry participants from 30 pick-up locations across the island. It is also working with taxi companies to bring participants to the race site.

Ironman also added that discussions with SMRT started back in May.

The firm declined to say when it was informed by SMRT that train services could not be provided, when asked by The Straits Times.

This article was first published on Nov 25, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - Paralympians Theresa Goh and Yip Pin Xiu are not only good at winning medals, they are great comedians as well.

The good friends demonstrated their camaraderie in a video of themselves sharing puns at a supermarket.

Goh, 29, uploaded the video on her Facebook page on Friday (Nov 25) with this introduction: "So this was what happened when Yip Pin Xiu and I found a 24-hour supermarket last night. We were on a rollllllll~ #enjoy #lameathletes #literally #oneteamsg btw: 'oil' in Chinese sounds like 'you'."

Here's a selection:

Goh, holding a carton of Ceres fruit juice: "You're going back to school right? It's time to get Ceres (serious), Ceres, Ceres-ly."

Yip, holding Nu brand drink, then Snapple: "Nooooo... I'm getting mad I may Snapple at you."

Goh: "You know when you're in a dog park or garden... you have to be careful where you walk..."

Yip: "I don't walk."

Goh: "Aiyah, if you walk...in case you Kickapoo."

They ended the video by singing "All I want for Christmas is you" in an aisle filled with cooking oil. As Goh explained, the Chinese word for "oil" sounds like "you".

Both were giggling uncontrollably by then at their own jokes.

Watch the video for more puns from the Wheaties, I mean witty, duo.

At the Rio Olympics, Yip won two golds (50m backstroke S2, 100m backstroke S2) and Goh returned home with a bronze (100m breaststroke SB4).

This article was first published on Nov 25, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - Imagine a system which can predict which lift will fail, and when.

Infrastructure consultancy Surbana Jurong (SJ), which monitors over 24,000 lifts in Housing Board estates, believes it may have just the system.

In July, the consultancy worked with several town councils to place sensors in 720 lifts, of varying models and ages, in HDB blocks.

The sensors detected and recorded lift speed, acceleration and deceleration, and jerky movements.

By putting the data through an algorithm, SJ predicted two lift breakdowns - on specific days - two weeks before they actually happened.

Three other breakdowns were predicted, but those lifts underwent scheduled maintenance before the predicted dates came around.

The consultancy said it can do even better. As more data is collected over time, the algorithm will improve, allowing breakdowns to be predicted even earlier, said a spokesman.

Lift maintenance gained prominence after a series of incidents, including one in which a woman's hand was severed by lift doors in Oct 2015.

In March this year, a lift in Ang Mo Kio abruptly shot up 17 storeys because the brakes were not functioning well.

The Government announced in September that it will set aside $450 million to modernise public housing lifts.

Under the new Lift Enhancement Programme (LEP), town councils will get 90 per cent funding to install safety features recently recommended by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) after a series of lift incidents.

SJ group chief executive officer Wong Heang Fine said the lift monitoring system, along with other solutions such as smart lighting, will be rolled out in some town councils from next year.

The lift system is one of many digital solutions SJ offers as a package, to building owners and town councils.

The Smart City in a Box package, which comprises different apps, was launched in July.

The package includes apps that track public lighting, water tanks and pumps, and electricity supply.

The Smart City in a Box package can be used in managing a building or running a town. It is versatile enough to suit mayors and town councils as well as condominium management committees.

SJ said its system also makes it possible to automate responses to a problem. If a light goes out somewhere, for instance, an alert can be sent automatically to the engineer responsible for fixing it.

The consultancy signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft on Friday (Nov 25) and will use the tech giant's Azure cloud-computing platform to improve the Smart City in a Box package.

SJ taps the computing platform, which comprises a network of Microsoft-managed data centres, to deliver the Smart City in a Box apps.

By using Microsoft's platform, users do not have to invest in powerful computing hardware of their own.

Microsoft's technology will also be used to improve the apps. For instance, its predictive analytics were used to improve SJ's prediction of lift breakdowns.

Microsoft also has the video analytics capability to automatically detect when a passenger faints in a lift using closed-circuit television footage.

This article was first published on Nov 25, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Singapore's former foreign minister George Yeo has resigned as chancellor of Nalanda University over what he said was the Indian government's failure to maintain the university's autonomy.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Yeo said that as chancellor, he had not been consulted about or informed of the important decision to reconstitute the governing board, which makes key decisions for the university.

"The circumstances under which the leadership change in Nalanda University has been suddenly and summarily effected is disturbing and possibly harmful to the university's development. It is puzzling why I, as chancellor, was not even given notice of it," he said.

Mr Yeo has been involved for close to a decade in the project to revive Nalanda, an ancient seat of learning in India's Bihar state. As foreign minister, he led Singapore's diplomatic effort in 2007 to get support for the project at the East Asia Summit, an ASEAN-led annual forum that today brings together leaders of 18 nations.

His resignation added to the uncertainty surrounding the future of the university, which has been mired in controversies over autonomy issues and seen many delays.

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2016-01-28 21:42:13

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George Yeo visits Buddha's enlightenment site, helps revive ancient university

Source: George Yeo's Facebook

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen resigned as chancellor in July last year but remained on the governing board. He had criticised the Indian government for bureaucratic delays and failing to safeguard the international character of the university. The Indian government, which provides the biggest share of funds, had wanted greater oversight over finances and other key decisions.

Mr Yeo said: "When I was invited to take over the responsibility from Amartya Sen last year, I was repeatedly assured that the university would have autonomy. This appears not to be the case now."

On Monday, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, who is the visitor of 126 universities including Nalanda and oversees them, had dissolved Nalanda's old governing board and created a new one.

In a post on his Facebook page, Mr Yeo said the dissolution of the old board "is bound up with Indian domestic politics which I do not wish to be embroiled in".

Nalanda currently has 130 students from 13 countries and 30 faculty members. It held its first convocation in August.

Harvard University professor Sugata Bose, an Indian politician who was on the disbanded governing board, called Mr Yeo's resignation a "setback to the Nalanda dream".

Read also: George Yeo visits Buddha's enlightenment site, sees Nalanda U taking shape

This article was first published on November 25, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Chinese herbal chain Eu Yan Sang has recalled its Infant Brown Rice Si Shen Powder from stores after a consumer found a piece of wire mesh in it.

Consumers who have purchased the product are advised not to consume it, said a statement by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) today (Nov 26).

AVA said it had received feedback from a member of the public on Nov 23 about a piece of wire mesh that was found in a tin of the rice powder.

AVA is working with Eu Yan Sang to investigate the matter. "While investigations are ongoing, the product has been voluntarily recalled by Eu Yan Sang as a precaution," it added.

The item is sold out on its Singapore website. The prices shown include the one on special offer at $13.20 while the normal price is listed as $16.50.

Consumers may contact Eu Yan Sang at 1800 888 1879 or email info@euyansang.com for enquiries or refund, it said.

chenj@sph.com.sg