Research firm SkyTrax has named Singapore Airport "World's Best Airport" for a fifth consecutive year over regional rival Hong Kong.

"Winning the Skytrax World's Best Airport Award for the fifth consecutive year is immense encouragement to our 50,000-strong airport community at Changi Airport," said Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group.

Hong Kong was ranked in fifth position this year, falling behind Munich Airport in Germany, Incheon International Airport in South Korea and Tokyo International Airport in Japan.

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Photo Gallery

A look at Changi Airport's Project Jewel

Source: Jewel Changi Airport Development

While Hong Kong has been named "World's Best Airport" in the past, Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said Singapore was a clear leader.

"To be voted the world's Best Airport for the fifth consecutive year is a remarkable achievement for Changi Airport, and underlines the airport's popularity with international air travellers," he said in a statement.

"Changi Airport continues to innovate product and service facilities for customers, and is making the travel experience at the airport enjoyable and relaxing. This award is very much a collective recognition for all staff at the airport who contribute to the success of Changi Airport operations."

The SkyTrax World Airport Survey describes itself as a quality benchmark for the world airport industry. It is independent of any airport control or input and undertakes a private survey assessing customer service and facilities across 550 airports.

The award is based on 13.82 million airport survey questionnaires conducted between July 2016 and February 2017. The firm said it evaluates a range of benchmarks from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.

Changi Airport was also recognised as having the world's best airport leisure amenities, a title it has held since 2009. It was also awarded the title of "Best Airport in Asia."

"While we expand our facilities to serve more passengers in the coming years, we will continue to work closely with all our airport partners to further enhance the Changi Experience," added Mr Lee Seow Hiang.

Hamad International Airport in Doha ranked sixth in the world, while Chubu Centrair in Japan was ranked seventh, Zurich Airport in Switzerland at eighth, Heathrow Airport in London at ninth and Frankfurt Airport in Germany rounded out the top ten.

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Photo Gallery

Strange range of unclaimed items left behind in KLIA and Changi Airport

Source:

The StarTV screengrabs

The Straits Times

The top 10 rankings for the World's Best Airport Award in 2017:

1 Changi Airport Singapore

2 Tokyo International Airport (Haneda)

3 Incheon International Airport

4 Munich Airport

5 Hong Kong International Airport

6 Hamad International Airport

7 Central Japan International Airport

8 Zurich Airport

9 London Heathrow Airport

10 Frankfurt Airport

Fans of nanoblock, there is a little piece of heaven waiting for you at Changi Airport's Terminal 3.

A nanoblock museum has popped up on Level B2 opposite Kopitiam food court and there are 249 designs on display. They are divided into six zones - dinosaurs, musical instruments, wonders of the world, outer space, wilderness and Japan.

Spot Singapore's Merlion in brick form and look out for the nanoGauge train - modelled after Japan's most famous train, the shinkansen bullet train, as it moves around a railway track.

Some 80,000 to 100,000 of the micro-sized building blocks were used in total.

This marks the debut of a nanoblock museum outside its birthplace of Japan and the pop-up will run till May 1.

It is open from 11am to 10pm daily.

This article was first published on March 13, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

"Blink and you'll miss it".

That is essentially what movie reviewer Jonathan Roberts had to say about the controversial 'gay' character in Disney movie Beauty and the Beast that has gotten some people in Singapore, Malaysia and parts of the United States all riled up.

Roberts, who is the digital editor at The New Paper, referred to the character LeFou - the sidekick to antagonist Gaston in the movie - as "just the comic relief", "a silliness...not a world away from the 1991 cartoon version".

Lefou is Disney's first gay character and has sparked huge controversy across the world.

"To call it a moment is like calling a minnow a whale. Blink and you will miss it," he wrote. "He is a sycophant. But at no point does he say he loves the guy."

As for the 'gay moment', it was just "essentially a smile", wrote the reviewer.

Two of the greats. @IanMcKellen and #StanleyTucci at the #BeautyAndTheBeast NYC premiere pic.twitter.com/mnZQyHNivh

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 14, 2017

But this has not stopped church councils here from issuing statements regarding the movie's "homosexual content".

The National Council of Churches Singapore (NCCS) said on Tuesday (March 14) that having a "gay moment" in Disney's live-action remake of Beauty And The Beast is "totally unnecessary".

As NCCS issued a letter to pastors and church leaders before the film's opening in Singapore cinemas on Thursday, it said: "Some Christian leaders here are deeply concerned about the LGBT representation in this new Disney movie. They see this as an attempt to influence young children and socialise them at an early age into thinking that the homosexual lifestyle is normal."

Noting that this is the first time an explicitly gay character is introduced in a Disney big-screen production. NCSS said the LeFou character "signals a marked departure from the original 1991 classic".

See for yourself why @IGN call’s Beauty and the Beast “gorgeous,” this Friday in theatres in 3D. Get tickets: https://t.co/OVfl7t2BjRpic.twitter.com/r9ZOT1CJeq

— Beauty and the Beast (@beourguest) March 14, 2017

The Roman Catholic Church of Singapore also issued a statement to parents, urging them to "discern and reflect with their children on whether the lifestyle portrayed is consonant with the teaching of Christ".

"They must explain the implications and the consequences of such a lifestyle for themselves and society," said the statement from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore.

While giving it a PG rating, Singapore censors noted that the movie contains "some intense sequences", which show moderate violence.

Starring Emma Watson as young Belle who falls in love with a beast, the movie will begin its worldwide roll-out on Thursday (March 16).

chenj@sph.com.sg

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Photo Gallery

'Beauty and the Beast' premieres in China

Source:

AFP

Reuters

Walt Disney Pictures

SINGAPORE - If you've ever had to drive through an ERP gantry without enough funds in your cashcard to pay the fee, you should know how painful it is to have to pay a fine for a mistake caused by momentary carelessness.

But this may be a worry of the past.

From now, you will have less reason to fret as EZ-Pay has been enabled for motorists with DBS and POSB credit cards. EZ-Pay allows ERP payments to be charged directly to credit cards as long as the motorist has registered to do so on the EZ-Pay website.

EZ-Pay works by linking an in-vehicle unit (IU) to a credit card, so the CashCard does not even have to be in the IU when an ERP charge is incurred.

The payment system was first rolled out last year to Citibank credit card users. No subscription or top-up fees are needed.

Customers can log in to their EZ-Pay accounts online or refer to their monthly credit card statements to check records of the ERP transactions.

EZ-Pay will be made available for carpark charges soon.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

March 8 was International Women's Day - an annual worldwide movement that celebrates the socio-economic roles and contributions of women.

While it is hard to imagine gender inequality in a developed society like Singapore - where females enjoy equal access to education, and comprise close to half of the resident work force - achieving gender parity in corporate leadership roles remains a challenge.

A recent study by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School's Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations was particularly illuminating: female directors of Singapore Exchange-listed companies are on average paid markedly less than their male counterparts, indicating a gender pay gap of 43.2 per cent.

While the disparity could partly be explained by the types of director roles that women typically held - where they were less likely to serve as committee chairs or lead independent directors, which come with more responsibilities and pay - clearly advancing gender parity on boards is not just about the number of seats but the quality of those seats and the associated remuneration.

LEGISLATION OR PURPOSEFUL CHANGE?

The Government's focus on board gender parity has been apparent with the setting up of the Diversity Task Force, followed by the Diversity Action Committee in recent years.

Despite this, women's representation on boards in Singapore stands at just 9.7 per cent as at June 2016 - a rather dismal increase from 9.1 per cent a year ago.

While legislation may hasten the pace of change, surely a true appreciation of board gender parity and a deep-seated business-driven desire to achieve that would be more purposeful and enduring.

By now, many business leaders would already have heard that gender parity is not a feminist but a business issue.

Research by EY and the Peterson Institute for International Economics, which surveyed some 22,000 organisations globally, found that a company with female leaders will outperform one with none.

In fact, if 30 per cent of a company's leaders are women, its net margin would be six percentage points higher than one without women in their executive ranks.

An analysis of the S&P Composite 1500 has shown that companies with women in leadership positions enjoy an "increase in innovation intensity".

The question for businesses is: Do you know how much you are losing out without appropriate female representation on your boards?

The reality is that many do not have a good sense of that.

This points to one of the key challenges that confronts businesses today - that there is insufficiently clear metrics or data for boards and management to enable them to measure the need for, or the efficacy of their gender diversity efforts and the impact on business performance.

Many look at existing boards and think there is a shortage of female board talent. Various reasons - or misconceptions - could account for that. Regardless, it is the responsibility of both genders to address the issue of the talent pipeline.

IT TAKES BOTH WOMEN AND MEN

Women executives with board service aspirations need to firstly proactively understand what it takes to serve on a board and how their skills and experience can be enhanced to prepare for the role.

Also, women executives can broaden their board potential by seeking mentors to provide advice and guidance, as well as sponsors to endorse them across wider networks.

Some argue that women need to do a better job of advocating for themselves.

On the other hand, given that most senior business leaders are male currently, men can certainly close the gender gap by making diversity both a personal and corporate priority.

They can lead company cultural change with progressive policies that support flexible work arrangements for women.

Making female role models visible is another way to build an inclusive environment - so people throughout the company can visualise what it means to rise to the leadership ranks.

Finally, male leaders can mentor or sponsor female colleagues with leadership potential and endorse them within their networks.

THE RIGHT THING TO DO

Ultimately, the push for gender parity on boards is not about achieving a perfect 50:50 ratio.

Tokenism and quotas would have been the easy answer to that.

What we should demand of ourselves as leaders is to be a change agent for the best outcomes for our businesses and stakeholders - and in this case, it means to respect the business merits of having women leaders for better working boards.

The writer is EY ASEAN and Singapore managing partner, Ernst & Young LLP. The views are the writer's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organisation or its member firms. This article, which has been edited for length, first appeared in The Business Times yesterday.

This article was first published on March 16, 2017.
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THE fact that water prices have not changed in the last 17 years means that a large part of the investment and technology that went into producing Swiss-quality water levels in Singapore have not been covered by the users themselves.

"It's therefore inevitable there needs to be a price that reflects the investment and the cost of running a sophisticated water system," Jochen Krauss, a partner at Simon-Kucher & Partners, told The Business Times yesterday.

The economist was rationalising why the water price increase, announced at Budget 2017 last month, is necessary.

The cost of operating and maintaining the water system has risen over the years, prompting the government to review the price of water.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat told the House during the Budget debate that, including taxes, water prices will go up by 30 per cent in two phases: July 2017 and July 2018.

The previous hike was phased in from 1997 to 2000, and it saw tariffs go up by 20 per cent to 100 per cent on a scale depending on usage.

But costs have gone up sharply since then.

Last month, national water agency PUB said it cost about S$500 million to run the water system in 2000. By 2015, this had risen to S$1.3 billion. This includes collecting used water, treating water, producing NEWater and desalination, as well as maintaining water pipelines.

Read also: Cost of supplying water has more than doubled: PUB

"As a consumer, I would say there's never a right time for a price change," said Dr Krauss.

"But at some point, a good government that cares for its people has to make a decision and force measures that, on the outside, are unpopular.

"If you were to look deeper into why price changes are made or why price systems need to work in a certain way, then I would say this is actually a sign of a good government."

Dr Krauss said countries such as Singapore, where there is no natural resources and has high water stress, it is only through right pricing that everyone will learn to value water as a strategic resource.

Read also: Price hike reflects scarcity value of water: Masagos

He also said how Singapore is pricing its water is "moving in the right direction" and is fair.

"For instance, the current price system has what is referred to as the sanitary appliance fee, which is S$2.80 per fitting. It is a proxy of water usage. Just because I have another fitting in my home doesn't necessarily mean I consume more water.

"By changing that into a variable fee, you are essentially creating a fairer system because you are basing the cost of a variable consumption pattern."

Citing the United Nations' report, Dr Krauss said that what a household has to contribute is actually still a "marginal amount that is being spent on the water bill itself".

"Even with the 30 per cent hike, I don't think the price of water really fully covers the true value of the investment the government has put in to provide good, clean water."

Referring to the recent launch of the fifth NEWater plant in Changi, Dr Krauss pointed out that although it is a new resource for water, "that resource is not infinite".

"I still have the marginal cost of producing that additional litre of water, and that additional litre is again scarce resource that falls under the purveyance of a price system.

"Singapore is striving to provide Swiss-quality water levels and that has a price. It may have new technology (to do so), but it's still the volume of water that needs to be produced and paid for."

Dr Krauss added that as long as pricing works hand in hand with public education, the government will be able to communicate why there is a need to safeguard water for the future.

Read also: 
Challenging times ahead for Singapore's water security
Water price hike necessary, but why now?
Budget 2017's water price hike: What you're not hearing about the 30 per cent increase

This article was first published on March 16, 2017.
Get The Business Times for more stories.

Singapore's law schools need to produce lawyers who are prepared for the demands of a new working environment marked by disruption and new technologies, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Speaking at the official opening of the Singapore Management University's (SMU) new law school building, Mr Lee said the way law is being practised will change in the future, and more cross-disciplinary learning should be encouraged.

He said the Government will be supporting the bigger law firms to venture into new areas of legal practice while helping the smaller ones raise their productivity and deliver better services to clients.

Mr Lee said the SMU School of Law, Singapore's second law school, was set up in 2007 not just to increase the number of law graduates. "We wanted a law school that would provide a rigorous legal education, coupled with exposure to other disciplines, such as business, economics, accountancy, social sciences or information systems."

He added: "We hoped that the graduates will be more versatile, able to apply their knowledge of the law in many different fields, and to contribute to our economy."

He was speaking to some 800 guests at the school's function hall, where future convocation and commencement ceremonies can now be held in-house for up to 1,400 people.

Mr Lee later toured the new 23,000 sq m School of Law building, located at the junction of Armenian Street and Stamford Road. The building was completed last December at a cost of $165 million.

Previously, law students and faculty members shared facilities across the road with SMU's accountancy and business schools.

The building features the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library. Madam Kwa, a lawyer, was one of the founders of Lee & Lee, one of Singapore's oldest firms. Madam Kwa, who died in 2010, is PM Lee's mother.

SMU chairman Ho Kwon Ping, in his speech, said the 2,200 sq m Kwa Geok Choo Law Library will be "at the heart of legal education and scholarship in Singapore".

He added: "Universities around the world are known for their iconic libraries, and this one is strategically placed at the high point of the site next to Stamford Green."

The three-storey library, which can seat more than 500 people, will focus on developing special collections in commercial law, dispute resolution and Asean law, among other areas.

Mr Ho also said students can now better prepare for law competitions with the new David Marshall Moot Court, which simulates a courtroom or arbitration chamber.

Said third-year law student Shriram Jayakumar, 24: "Now with the proper infrastructure in place, more students will be motivated to go further, knowing that the school is behind us."

Mr Jayakumar is part of a five-man team from SMU which will be representing Singapore at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington next month.

In addition, a new pro bono centre in the law school will allow legal clinics conducted by volunteer lawyers and assisted by SMU law undergraduates to be held weekly.

Previously, legal clinics were held fortnightly at the school's administration building.

SMU's law school dean Yeo Tiong Min said that the centre "sensitises law students to social justice issues" and allows them to "appreciate and integrate academic work with real-life experience".

WHAT'S AT SMU'S NEW LAW SCHOOL BUILDING

KEY FACTS

• Spans 23,000 sq m across five storeys and two basement levels

• Completed in December 2016 after 2 1/2 years of construction

KWA GEOK CHOO LAW LIBRARY

• SMU's second library, after the Li Ka Shing Library

• Spans 2,200 sq m across three storeys

• Unique dome-shaped design, with a seating capacity of more than 500

• Able to hold 50,000 print volumes, including books and law journals

DAVID MARSHALL MOOT COURT

• Singapore's first open-concept moot court

• Features flexible furniture and movable walls, and state-of-the-art technology

OTHER FACILITIES

• SMU Pro Bono Centre

• 16 tiered seminar rooms

• 40 project rooms

• 24-hour study spaces

Ng Huiwen

$165m

Cost of the SMU School of Law building.

nghuiwen@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 16, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Over her three decades as a conveyancing lawyer, the late Madam Kwa Geok Choo took a close interest in nurturing young lawyers, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

But while she had one eye on developing talent, she also recognised the importance of work-life balance, even in the early 1980s.

She paid special attention to the female lawyers in her firm.

"In the early 1980s, when a 51/2-day work week was the norm, she declared a five-day week for all married female lawyers in her firm," he said, adding that Madam Kwa believed a happy family was a priority for all working mothers.

Mr Lee shared these anecdotes about his mother in his speech at the official opening of the Singapore Management University's new law school building, which features a dome-shaped law library named in her memory.

Mr Lee also said Madam Kwa kept a small personal library in her office that included a "dog-eared green hardcover book brought back from her student days in Cambridge".

The book, Law Property In Land by Henry Gibson Rivington, was her "constant companion", and on her desk was a copy of the Estate Duty Act for advising clients in structuring trusts and wills.

To keep abreast of new legislation at a time when statutes were not yet available online, she had a complete set of all the ordinances, which she physically updated.

"She flagged the relevant pages with bookmarks that she made herself, out of old Christmas cards, because these were ancient times, even before Post-its and sticky notes existed," Mr Lee said.

When amendments were passed, the Bills would arrive by mail and she would "literally cut and paste them into her set", he said.

Given her dedication to her profession, Mr Lee said his mother would have been proud to have a law library named after her.

Adding that he first saw the completed law library on a walk at Fort Canning Park one night, he said: "The lighted dome glowed like a jewel in the dark - the architects have done a brilliant job."

nghuiwen@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 16, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

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Photo Gallery

S'pore Orchid hybrids named after Lee Kuan Yew and wife

Source: The Straits Times, NParks, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The management committee (MC) of Parc Palais in Hume Avenue has circulated a petition to get a popular restaurant to address residents' concerns about fumes and noise from the restaurant, which is located near the estate.

The petition, which was seen by The Straits Times, follows complaints filed by three residents with the National Environment Agency (NEA) last November.

Even though NEA has verified that their concerns have been addressed by the restaurant, the condo's MC said the issues remained.

The MC said fumes from the zi char restaurant have been blowing into the homes of those living in two blocks which are adjacent to the restaurant.

New Ubin Seafood is located on the sixth level of an industrial building at 63 Hillview Avenue. The petition also noted the residents' complaints about the noise from diners.

The MC called for residents to sign the petition to get the restaurant to take follow-up action and said if the issues are not addressed, the value of their property may be affected.

In response to media queries, the NEA confirmed that three residents had complained to it about the smell and noise from the restaurant after it moved from Sin Ming Industrial Estate to the Lam Soon Industrial Building canteen in November.

Following the complaints, the NEA said improvement works were carried out after it conducted an inspection in December.

Ms Joline Lim, 32, a manager at New Ubin Seafood, said that on top of installing exhaust filters, it has put up deodorising UV lamps and attempted to identify and reduce the use of cooking methods that contributed to the fumes and smells.

Further inspections in late February and earlier this month found that the exhaust system was "functioning well". NEA said the restaurant is complying with regulations for the use of the premises.

Earlier this month, Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Low Yen Ling facilitated a dialogue session that involved New Ubin's operators as well as the condo management.

She told The Straits Times that both parties are working "amicably" towards resolving the concerns raised.

"The meeting ended on a conciliatory note as all parties agreed to allow for the (mitigating) measures to take effect and to keep communication open between all parties," added Ms Low.

Several residents, particularly those who live on the lower floors next to the restaurant, told The Straits Times on Monday that they still faced some issues.

South Korean housewife Kim Yeon Jin, 42, said that exhaust smells still waft into her home during lunch time, and in the evenings.

"I can smell it on my clothes, and even now it is still a problem. Something needs to be done," said Ms Kim, who signed the petition in February.

Another resident in his 60s, who declined to be named, said that noise is less of a problem now."(The noise) no longer bothers me, but you can still smell the oil and smoke, mostly in the evenings," he said.

Ms Lim said the restaurant will continue to work with residents to address the concerns about the fumes.

She also said that while the actions taken were not in response to any violation of legislation, it has done so as a matter of goodwill.

"We are trying to be good neighbours and have kept in close contact with the residents. We will constantly check to see if the steps we have taken are effective."

The NEA said that it is "monitoring the situation closely" and will continue to engage New Ubin about the feedback that it has received.

yuensin@sph.com.sg and melodyz@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 16, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

He grew up seeing his father's picture appear regularly in The Straits Times and assumed it was the same for everyone else.

"I thought it was because you purchased the paper, you got your face sometimes on the front page," Dr Jonathan Marshall said yesterday.

His father was Mr David Marshall, Singapore's first chief minister, from April 1955 to June 1956.

He had already grown accustomed to living with his father's constant presence. After all, in the family house stood a large bronze bust of his father.

That bust is now on permanent loan from the family and is placed in the David Marshall Moot Court at the Singapore Management University's (SMU) School of Law, which was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

Sunday was the 109th anniversary of Mr Marshall's birth. A top-notch criminal lawyer in his day, he served as a diplomat from 1978 to 1993. He died in 1995.

Dr Marshall said: "After he died, I would often look at the bust and think of him. And it was pleasant, it was a lovely thing to be able to reflect on my father while looking at an image of him which contained some of his fire and some of his strength and ruggedness.

"I don't think my father was particularly into images of himself. It is a special piece and I am very glad that it is available for others to see in an environment which he would be surprised and delighted."

The bust of the man once described by then Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong in 2008 as "undoubtedly the greatest criminal advocate that has ever graced the halls of justice in Singapore and Malaya", was sculpted by London-based Peter Lambda after the 1956 constitutional talks there that Mr Marshall attended, said his widow Jean.

"David never spoke about it and when I married him in 1961, it was already there, being commissioned in 1956," she added, noting that the bust was "rather big" for the private flat where they lived.

The works of Lambda, a famed Hungarian sculptor-writer, included busts of renowned thespian Laurence Olivier and founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud.

Mrs Marshall said that when she heard SMU's Moot Court was named after Mr Marshall, she thought the bust should go there.

She added: "It is a very powerful piece and gives a forceful impression of David, and has a good likeness, except the chin is not quite right. We are all very happy - it is going to the right place and embodies David's legacy cast in bronze."

vijayan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 16, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A photo of a mother breastfeeding on an MRT train while in full view of the public recently went viral, with some showing their support for her while others expressed criticism.

The picture, which Stomp contributor Chris alerted us to, has been circulating on WhatsApp and on local forums, sparking a heated debate.

It shows the woman seated beside her husband with one side of her top pulled down and her left breast exposed, as her young daughter feeds.

Some netizens felt that the image was provocative and said that even if her child was hungry, the mother should have at least made an attempt to cover up more.

Others, however, said that she did nothing wrong as breastfeeding is a mother's right.

The woman in question has since responded to the incident on Facebook, explaining her stance on the matter.

In a public post accompanied by another picture of her breastfeeding her kid, she wrote:

"I know that a picture of me breastfeeding is being shared right now. I am ok with it. Thanks for the concern to all those who have pmed me. Personally, I am not too bothered about it since I don't think it is wrong to breastfeed in public.

"I have a nursing cover, but my girl will cry and struggle when I use it. Those who suggest using a cover should try eating or drinking under a cover and see if you like it or not.

"I put my baby first so as long as she is comfortable and feeding well, I don't really care what others think. It isn't that hard to just look away if you don't like to see a baby drinking milk.

"I just want to dress up and be a normal woman while still being able to take care of my kids and their needs. If people are ok with women who show cleavage, I don't know why they would not be ok with me breastfeeding. Unless these group of people think my breast is for sex and not for feeding my baby.

"Anyway, it's just a breast. We all have it. Be it female or male. It's meant to be used to feed a baby, I don't see anything wrong with using it to feed a baby and ensuring my baby is comfortable. What's so sexual/wrong about it? Hahas! Maybe girls should stop eating bananas/popsicle in public as some might find it sexual too."

The mother's post has been met with positivity from netizens, many of whom said they were proud of her and would stand with her.

One user commented, "I've seen the picture and I actually beamed with pride when I saw it. You are as awesome as awesome can be. We should be able to feed in public without any stigma and without people staring like perverts."

Visit STOMP for more stories.

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Photo Gallery

Woman breastfeeds baby at Raffles Place

Source: Jen Pan Photography

All 12 fish farms in Singapore that were affected in January by an oil spill from Johor can now resume sale of their seafood, including fish, crustaceans and molluscs.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said yesterday that clean-up operations at the farms along the East Johor Strait have been completed.

The AVA had earlier partially lifted the sales suspension for just fish but, by Tuesday, it gave the all-clear - two months after the oil spill first clogged Singapore's shores.

On Jan 3, two vessels collided in Johor waters and caused 300 tonnes of oil to spill into the East Johor Strait where the fish farms are.

AVA asked the farms to stop sales until food-safety evaluations were completed.

AVA took samples from fish farms there, including those not directly affected by the oil spill.

The samples underwent a combination of sensory and chemical analyses, to determine if the seafood was tainted with petroleum or if they were contaminated with chemicals that can be found in crude or industry oil.

Mr Timothy Ng, operations manager of 2 Jays, one of the affected farms, estimated that the sales suspension cost his farm $10,000. But he said he was glad that AVA helped with clean-up operations. "As for the stoppage of sales, I think it's okay, because I don't want to sell seafood that may be contaminated," he told The Straits Times.

Mr Raymond Sng, owner of another of the affected farms, Tiberias Harvest Farm, agreed. He said a prolonged interruption in supply could have badly affected restaurant customers, and online home consumers who pre-ordered fish for Chinese New Year.

But AVA acted on such feedback and a number of farms, including his, were allowed to resume operations earlier.

"We are grateful for AVA's responsiveness to farmers' feedback and needs, and also for the guidance and materials provided for protection and clean-up measures," said Mr Sng.

This article was first published on March 16, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE - A 37-year-old Indian national has been charged for various employment and kickback offences here, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement today (March 16).

Sivasundaram Veeramani, a former director of Koa Low Engineering Pte Ltd, faces 20 charges of submitting false information in work pass applications.

Between November 2015 and March 2016, Veeramani falsely declared on behalf of the company the fixed monthly salaries of 20 foreign employees to be at least $4,800, so as to meet the minimum salary requirement of the Employment Pass. He allegedly knew that the foreign employees would be paid less.

He is also accused of engaging in a conspiracy in May 2014 with a Singapore Permanent Resident to employ six foreign workers to work without valid work passes.

Veeramani faces another 16 charges for demanding a total of $34,500 from foreign employees - ranging from $1,500 to $2,200 per employee - as kickbacks for their continued employment with Koa Low Engineering.

The kickbacks have since been returned to most of the affected workers, the MOM said.

Veeramani will appear in court on April 27.

Those convicted of submitting false information in work pass applications can be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to two years or both.

For collecting kickbacks, the punishment is a fine of up to $30,000, a jail term of up to two years or both.

Anyone convicted of illegal employment faces a fine of between $5,000 and $30,000, a jail term of up to a year or both.

The MOM may also ban offenders and their companies from employing new foreign workers and stop granting work pass renewals.

Foreign employees who are pressured into giving kickbacks can seek help by calling the MOM on 6438 5122 or the Migrant Workers' Centre on 6536 2692.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - A Thai woman has been sentenced to 5½ years' jail for stomping her lover to death in their North Bridge Road flat two years ago, Shin Min Daily News reported.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, the couple had been in a seven-year relationship plagued by frequent arguments which at times got physical.

Their final fight proved deadly during the wee hours of March 1, 2015.

55-year-old Lee Yang Boo, a maintenance worker, was furious when he saw his girlfriend, Sukanya Praphuttha, 43, dancing with a man in a bar earlier that night. He chided her on the spot, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

When things blew over, the pair returned home to their rental unit on the 16th floor of Block 8, North Bridge Road, and started drinking together. Halfway through, Lee accused Praphuttha, who was working as a part-time salesgirl, of trying to seduce another man.

He then fell asleep, but woke up again to scold Praphuttha.

They got into a scuffle and when Lee was kicked down to the floor, Praphuttha stomped on his head, crushing his skull.

An autopsy revealed that this was the blow that killed Lee.

But he did not die immediately - Praphuttha helped him back to bed but noticed he was bleeding from his left ear and was having difficulty breathing.

She went to get help from a neighbour who called the police.

Lee was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he was pronounced dead two hours later at about 6.45am.

He had sustained 47 bruises all over his body, while his girlfriend also had injuries on her shoulders and arms.

Lianhe Wanbao added that that Praphuttha was 10kg heavier than her boyfriend at the time of the incident.

Praphuttha, a Singapore Permanent Resident, pleaded guilty to culpable homicide this morning (March 16).

Her lawyer argued that she was provoked when Lee insulted her parents, and said her client felt remorse for killing the man she loved.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

Against a global trend of decreased travel freedom, the Singapore passport continues to be widely accepted, reaching its highest ranking of No. 4 in this year's Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index.

The Singapore passport broke a tie with fifth-placed Japan to move up from last year's ranking of No. 5.

Singapore is now the highest- ranked Asian nation, after Japan lost visa-free access to one country which Henley & Partners, a consultancy firm specialising in residence and citizenship planning, did not identify.

Read also: Singaporeans, you're holding on to world's 2nd most powerful passport according to 2017 ranking

The number of countries and territories that Singapore passport holders enjoy visa-free access to has remained unchanged from last year at 173, putting it level with seven other countries, including Britain and France.

Germany (176) and Sweden (175) retained their first and second positions respectively from last year, although both also lost visa-free access to one country.

Singapore's move up the ranks comes as 10 out of 18 countries in the top five this year lost visa-free access to one or two countries.

The bottom three - Pakistan (28), Iraq (27) and Afghanistan (24) - were unchanged, but all three also saw their visa-free access number fall from last year.

"We have witnessed several major events recently that are likely to have an impact on global mobility - including Brexit and the election of US President Donald Trump," said Henley & Partners chairman Christian Kalin.

"This trend towards curbing travel freedom is already apparent in the shift in rankings on this year's Visa Restrictions Index."

The index, produced with the International Air Transport Association, considers 219 countries and territories.

Another global passport index placed Singapore second in January, with Germany again taking top spot.

Arton Capital's Passport Index looked at 193 United Nations member countries and six territories.

The scores are calculated differently from the Visa Restrictions Index, with the Passport Index also considering countries where passport-holders can obtain a visa upon arrival.

This article was first published on Mar 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The sudden death of Singapore rugby veteran Slemat Rakisan in a freak accident along the Kranji Expressway yesterday has shocked those in the sports fraternity.

The 57-year-old father of three was killed when a runaway tyre from a trailer truck struck him on his head, causing him to fall off from his motorbike.

Tributes and condolences have appeared on social media after news of the rugby coach's death spread.

Said Suresh Nair, a former sports journalist with The New Paper on Facebook: "I'm just lost for words...What a very sad day for Singapore sports. He was a rare breed of Malay sportsmen from Saint Andrew's School, who went on to great heights as an international oval-ball stalwart."

Mr Nair said Mr Rakisan was respected as an international rugby role-model and excelled as a player, coach, referee, referee instructor and leading rugby administrator in Singapore and on the international scene.

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Photo Gallery

Veteran rugby coach dies in freak accident along KJE

Source:

Facebook screengrabs

Mr Rakisan was the past president of the Singapore Society of Rugby Union Referees (SSRUR) and was one of two Singaporeans who served as Citing Commissioner (CC) with the Asian Rugby Union (ARU), said Mr Nair. Mr Rakisan also served as Vice President of the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU).

Mr Rakisan is believed to have skidded after he was hit by a tyre that fell off a trailer truck from the opposite side of the highway, according to a dashcam video of the accident that has been circulating on social media.

Penning his tribute on Facebook, former Singapore Rugby Union President, Dr Chan Peng Mun, said: "A tragic and premature passing of a gentle rugby star. In the mid 90's when rugby awoke from its slumber, he had put his shoulder to the wheel for rugby to gain momentum. Heaven welcomes a very able referee and rugby administrator."

Read also: Motorcyclist dies after runaway tyre hits him

Expressing his condolences, Singapore National Olympic Council's Vice president and current president of the SRU Low Teo Ping, said: "His love for rugby went beyond playing the sport. He went on to administer, referee, coach and promote. Slemat will be missed."

Mr Ridzal Saat, the Rugby Services manager at World Rugby, the sport's global governing body, praised Slemat as an "extraordinary role model" not just for rugby but for football too.

He said: "He was very special in many ways. Whatever Slemat touched, just turned wonders. He was outstanding as a player, referee, referee instructor, SRU senior official and was faithful in his sports-community work at Yuhua Community Club at football and he even actively served at Jamiyah Singapore, too, to help the Muslim community."

Pre-funeral prayers will be conducted at Masjid Almukminin in Jurong East this afternoon.

chenj@sph.com.sg
 

About 5,000 drivers have applied for a new vocational licence that will soon become a requirement for them to operate under ride-hailing apps Uber and Grab.

Drivers have to submit applications for the Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) by June 30, after which they will be given up to a year to complete and pass the 10-hour PDVL course.

Those who miss the deadline will have to stop driving private-hire cars until they obtain the licence.

The new regulations were announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday last week.

Read also: Private-hire car drivers need to obtain a vocational licence

Uber and Grab said last week that they would fully absorb the cost of obtaining the licence, which includes application fees, course and test fees, and fees for a medication examination. This comes up to an estimated $250 per driver.

They have also set up websites to help their drivers process the applications, which they will help submit to the LTA.

Read also: Ride-hailing firms Grab and Uber will help drivers meet new license requirements

Both ride-hailing companies declined to reveal the numbers of drivers who have applied through their websites.

Mr Andrew Chan, head of GrabCar Singapore, only said that the response has been "overwhelming".

Uber Singapore's general manager Warren Tseng said that in the three days following the LTA's announcement, about half of its drivers registered with the firm, to get assistance in obtaining the licence. "We have witnessed tremendous interest," he added.

Private-hire driver Chase Phang, 39, said it may not be "worth his while" to pay for the licence out of his own pocket, since he drives only part time.

"But since Uber is paying, it doesn't hurt to put in 10 hours of my time to take the PDVL course," he added.

This article was first published on Mar 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A machine operator's lapse in judgement during train tunnelling works and ground conditions contributed to a tomb caving in earlier this month at the Mount Pleasant Chinese Cemetery within Greater Bukit Brown.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) told The Straits Times yesterday that the operator of a tunnel boring machine had continued running it in mixed ground conditions instead of stopping. "This led to over-excavation and a localised depression on the surface."

Tunnelling works in the area for the Thomson-East Coast Line have stopped since the incident, LTA said. But no delay is expected for the line, which will have 31 stations linking Woodlands to Bedok by the time it is completed in 2021.

LTA said the cave-in, which was reported on March 4, was about 3m long, 2m wide and 1m deep.

Meanwhile, the authority has engaged an engineer to investigate the incident and propose rectification works. Contractor Daewoo Engineering and Construction has "removed" the operator.

The company will also tighten supervision of future tunnelling operations, LTA said, without going into details. The authority added that it will work with the South Korean company to select a more experienced machine operator as replacement.

When contacted, a Daewoo spokesman directed all media queries to LTA.

Geologist Grahame Oliver, from the Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University, said: "It is possible that underground digging and tunnelling in the vicinity of the cemetery, plus heavy rain, could have caused this subsidence."

Chinese paper Shin Min Daily News had quoted workers in the vicinity as saying it was raining before the incident.

The affected tomb belongs to a Mr Chen Yi Kuan, and work to reinstate it has commenced, LTA said, adding that it will be completed before Qing Ming next month. Efforts to locate the family have not been successful and no other tombs were affected, LTA said.

Singapore Heritage Society president Chua Ai Lin said workers should exercise greater care "as much construction takes place in historic and built-up areas".

Tomb hunter Raymond Goh agreed, saying the cemetery is home to tens of thousands of tombs from the 1890s to 1970s.

Mr Chan Ewe Jin, vice-president of The Institution of Engineers, Singapore, said cave-ins can normally be avoided if prior knowledge of ground conditions has been established. Good instrumentation and monitoring of tunnelling work can also minimise such occurrences.

Green groups said they are concerned if tunnelling works for the Cross Island Line have to be done in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The authorities have found both areas have similar soil types.

Site investigation works are ongoing in the reserve to assess safety of tunnelling works, LTA said. Because such works could damage sensitive habitats as they involve drilling and off-trail surveys, LTA has put in place mitigation measures to reduce the impact, such as reducing the number of boreholes from 72 to 16.

However, this may reduce the amount of information gleaned on the geological profile of the reserve, said Mr David Tan, a biologist from the Love Our MacRitchie Forest volunteer group.

"Sinkholes in forest areas are catastrophic because of the domino effect of large trees collapsing into each other, not to mention the potential danger posed to workers underground," he added.

Green groups are hoping the line will go around, instead of through, the reserve.

melodyz@sph.com.sg@sph.com.sg>

This article was first published on March 17, 2017.
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Singapore's murky waters are an unexpected treasure trove of marine life, and the greatest proof of that now hangs at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

The skeleton of a 10.6m-long sperm whale takes pride of place there, and it is little wonder why.

It is the first sperm whale to be documented in the Republic.

Jubi Lee, as the whale is affectionately known, was found dead and floating off Jurong Island two years ago, when Singapore was having its golden jubilee celebrations.

Observations showed it had suffered a deep cut that may have been caused by a collision with a ship.

But the whale still had a story to tell.

Researchers have documented findings based on their study of the sea mammal, to raise awareness of the importance of marine conservation.

Read also: Dead sperm whale found off Jurong Island

The story of how the giant sea creature was treated is being told in a new book launched recently by the museum.

"The 50th year of Independence, 2015, was marked by the return of the Singapore whale," wrote Professor Tommy Koh, chairman of the museum's advisory board, in the foreword.

"Unlike the whale of 1892, this whale was actually found in Singapore's territorial waters."

He was referring to a 12.8m Indian fin whale that had been found in Malaysia.

It was hung at the old National Museum in Stamford Road from 1907 to 1974 before it was given to Malaysia.

The 155-page book, titled A Whale Out Of Water: The Salvage Of Singapore's Sperm Whale, details how the whale was found, scientific discoveries arising from the carcass, and how museum staff worked round the clock to preserve its skeleton.

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Sperm whale tooth found in Singapore

Source: Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum/Toh Chay Hoon, Kelvin Lim, The Straits Times, Natural History Museum

One important discovery was what researchers found in the gut of the whale: Other than the remains of squids - a major part of its diet, they also found plastic cups.

"Mixed emotions were felt as we discovered both the astounding appetite of a whale and the devastation humans are causing to nature," wrote the authors, museum staff Iffah Iesa, 25, and Kate Pocklington, 30.

"Among the thousands of indigestible squid beaks and eye lenses, was a collection of plastic wrappers and cups."

The book retails at the museum shop for $26.

But from now till the end of this month, it will be sold at a promotional price of $16.

Visitors can also view footage of the whale's dissection at the museum's new Out Of The Water exhibition.

audreyt@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 17, 2017.
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Used-car buyers can refer to a new checklist to have a car thoroughly inspected before buying it.

Developed by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) with motoring industry partners, it helps to address the rising number of car complaints, which relate mainly to used cars with defects.

The checklist is an updated and more comprehensive version of the one distributed to Singapore Vehicle Traders Association (SVTA) members in 2012.

Consumers may download the new two-part Standard and Functional Evaluation (Safe) checklist from the Case and sgCarMart websites.

The first part, to be completed by the dealer and signed by both parties, comprises details of the car and basic functional and visual checks that dealers should go through with the consumer during a pre-sale inspection.

The second part lists minimum checks performed by professional evaluation centres such as Vicom, STA Inspection and the Automobile Association of Singapore.

While the checks are not mandatory, Case advises consumers to walk away if dealers are reluctant to go through the checks with them.

The car industry remained the top source of complaints to the consumer watchdog for the fifth year in a row last year, with grouses about defective cars making up half of the 2,916 complaints.

Seven in 10 of car-defect complaints are from consumers without an evaluation report from an inspection centre, making it difficult to establish the condition of the car when it was bought, Case said.

The cost of an evaluation report is $150 to $200 on average and is typically borne by the buyer, though negotiations can be made for dealers to foot the bill, said Case executive director Loy York Jiun.

Having a thorough inspection helps buyers to have peace of mind and avoid costly repairs and disputes down the road, he said.

The SVTA will be making the Safe checklist available to its 380 members, mostly used-car traders.

It is also tapping funds from Spring Singapore to encourage more members to participate in the CaseTrust-SVTA accreditation scheme by offsetting the cost of joining, said SVTA's first vice-president Raymond Tang.

There are currently 35 used-car traders on the scheme, which subjects participants to an audit by Case, among other requirements.

"By encouraging our members and consumers to use this checklist and support CaseTrust dealers, we hope to cut out the black sheep and reduce complaints," said Mr Tang.

Mr Santhosh Arumugam, 33, who works in finance, said that he plans to buy a second-hand car.

"I'm nervous about what to expect but it's useful to have this checklist so you know your rights and what to look out for," he said.

tiffanyt@sph.com.sg

What to look out for

Here are some of the checks that buyers should go through with second-hand car dealers before purchasing a car:

• Check that the headlights, headlamps, indicators and hazard lights are working.
• Ensure that the air-conditioning remains cold for a prolonged period after being turned on.
• Test that the in-vehicle unit (IU) is able to read and detect the value of the card inserted.
• Ensure that the windscreen wipers can function at different speeds and that there are no abnormal sounds.
• Wind the windows up and down and check that there are no abnormal sounds.
• Sound the horn.

Do a visual check of the car's bodywork, tyres and rims.

This article was first published on March 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.