A former private tuition agency owner was fined $2,000 on Monday (Feb 5) for lying to a policeman when asked about her connections to the main suspect in a cheating scam.

Previously, the owner of Pivot Tuition agency, Wong Mee Keow, 39, had told an officer that she did not know the suspect Poh Yuan Nie, alias Pony Poh, despite the latter being one of her workers.

Wong, now jobless, pleaded guilty to two counts of giving false information to a policeman in August and November 2006, reported The Straits Times.

A third charge of intentionally obstructing the course of justice by deleting Poh's photographs from her phone in October 2016, was taken into consideration during the sentencing.

Poh and Wong, both Singaporeans, are in a relationship, said defence lawyer, Mr Peter Ong Lip Cheng.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Vadivalagan Shanmuga told the court that two Chinese students had gotten places in a local secondary school without sitting for an entrance examination.

The incident was uncovered after the two performed poorly in subsequent exams.

The students then told their teachers that they were placed in the school through their agents, two Chinese nationals.

The names of the students, school, as well as the two female agents, were not disclosed in the court documents.

During the course of the investigation, the police uncovered the scam and Poh's alleged involvement in it.

DPP Vadivalagan said:

"Pony had allegedly promised the said agents that she would get the students emplaced in the school, without the students having to take the entrance examinations."

Police questioned Wong in August and November 2006 and on both occasions, she denied knowing Poh.

This eventually caused the investigation to come to a standstill as Poh could not be traced.

The case was later reopened after she was arrested for her alleged involvement in other similar scams between 2015 and 2016.

Mr Ong pleaded for a minimal fine for Wong, saying that she was remorseful. He also added that his client suffered from depression and was receiving treatment.

Poh's case is still pending.

For each count of giving false information to a civil servant, Wong could have been jailed up to six months and fined up to $1,000.

Singapore - Colombia has lodged an angry complaint with Singapore over a restaurant in the city-state named after drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

In a three-page letter to the foreign ministry dated February 2, the Colombian embassy expressed "serious concern", saying the eatery was paying tribute to the "worst criminal in the history of Colombia".

"The Embassy of the Republic of Colombia wants to share some information to refresh the horror that this criminal caused in Colombia... not to mention the drug addiction he promoted and the war he declared," the letter said.

"If the idea of the owner was to make his or her business look profitable and trendy, it is inducing... confusion, because Colombia is not what 'Narcos-Netflix' portrays anymore."

It said Colombia cannot "tolerate any more tributes to that criminal."

When AFP visited the restaurant in the heart of Singapore's business district Tuesday evening, patrons occupied about a dozen tables having post-work drinks, seemingly unaware of the controversy. Several bouquets stood on stands by the door next to a decal of Escobar's face, congratulating the eatery on its recent opening.

Owner Stan Sri Ganesh told AFP that he decided on the name "simply because it had the word 'bar' in it". Several users have posted abusive comments and sent threatening messages to the gastropub's Facebook page, he said.

"It was meant to be a pun... we never expected the abuse."

More than two decades after police shot Escobar dead in his stronghold of Medellin, the cocaine cartel leader was immortalised in the hit Netflix series "Narcos".

Escobar is still deeply popular in Medellin, where he is regarded as a saint and anti-hero -- souvenirs with his face on them do brisk business.

Colombia has recently come out of a decades-long civil conflict fuelled by drug trafficking that claimed thousands of lives.

The United Nations ranks Colombia as the world's biggest producer of coca, the raw material for the drug. Affluent Singapore takes a strong stance against drugs, with traffickers punishable by death.

Singapore would never have achieved so much without the support of an army of maids from the Philippines and Indonesia, silently cleaning homes and looking after kids while their employers go out and conquer the world.

But not everybody is comfortable with having an omnipresent live-in maid, especially when space is at a premium in land-starved Singapore.

The only alternative, other than doing your own household chores, is to hire a part-time cleaner. However, this is an option few people look into, because of the perception that it's expensive.

But is that really true? Let's investigate.

How much does it cost to hire part-time cleaners in Singapore?

Part-time cleaners can be hired either through agencies, or through word-of-mouth.

Fees are usually charged by the hour or by blocks of 3 or 4 hours. The cleaner will be engaged to work a certain number of hours at regular intervals. For a 4-room flat, 4 hours of cleaning a week would probably be appropriate.

Currently, the market rate for part-time cleaners is about $50 to $60 for blocks of 4-hours, or $15 to $19 per hour.

Cleaners charging an hourly rate will usually impose a minimum number of hours (usually 2-4 hours) per visit. All in all, you can expect to pay at least $50 to $60 per visit.

Is there a difference between hiring an independent cleaner or one from an agency?

While agency prices might be a wee bit higher than those charged by independent cleaners, agency cleaners also tend to be a bit more reliable in the sense that they will show up no matter what happens. If the cleaner is unable to make it, the agency will dispatch another to do the job. And if you have any complaints, you can simply request a change of cleaner.

With independent cleaners, however, it really depends on the individual, so be careful where you get your recommendations from. Some people have complained about cleaners cancelling on them at the last minute or slacking off when unsupervised.

What does a part-time cleaner do?

Whilst maids have been known to get saddled with all manner of tasks, from picking the kids up at school to going to the supermarket, a part-time cleaner's tasks are much more narrowly defined.

Other than mopping, vacuuming and dusting, part-time cleaners will also clean your toilets and kitchen.

They can also do the dishes, do the laundry and iron clothes if you wish, although you should note that that might take time away from more important tasks.

Is it worth it?

Assuming you hire a part-time cleaner to do a 4-hour clean-up of your home every week, you're looking at paying approximately $200 to $240 a month.

That's certainly lower than the salary of a live-in maid, which tends to be about $500 to $750 a month. However, a live-in maid will be able to look after kids, cook meals and basically be on-call all day, every day. For households that need that kind of help, it makes more sense to hire a maid.

However, for those who really just need some help cleaning, a part-time cleaner is the way to go. Even if you're not the OCD type who cringes at the sight of a single speck of dust, having someone do your laundry and dishes can be a very time-saving prospect.

What's more, if you are sharing your accommodation with several people (e.g. you're renting out a room in your flat to a tenant, or you live with several flatmates) you can split the cost of the cleaning service.

If you go on holiday or decide to clean up after yourself, you can always save money by forgoing the cleaning service for a week or two.

A couple were en route to the National University Hospital (NUH) to visit their youngest child, who suffers from heart failure, but ended up there with injuries following a traffic accident.

They were travelling along West Coast Highway on Jan 28, at around 3.10pm, in their Toyota when a prime mover hit them.

The driver, sales executive Jason Ho, shared dramatic footage on Facebook showing how the prime mover had sideswiped his vehicle and "dragged it for 5m to 10m after the impact".

He also provided more details about what happened:

When contacted by Stomp, Jason said he and his wife had been travelling from Pandan Gardens to NUH when the collision occurred.

The couple, both aged 30, were planning to visit their 20-months-old daughter, who has been warded in NUH's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for two months due to heart failure.

"Actually, doctors have asked us to prepare for the worst. She may need to stay [in the hospital] until she leaves us," Jason told Stomp.

However, the traffic accident led to the couple being sent to NUH for their injuries.

The father of three said: "I was in pain after being hit and became semi-unconscious. It all became clearer to me only when I was in the hospital."

It was his wife who called the ambulance while a passer-by contacted the police.

Jason, who suffered injuries to his neck, spine, neck and left hand, shared that he was hospitalised for four days and given 13 days of medical leave.

Meanwhile, his wife injured her back and was given three days of medical leave after being taken to the A&E department at NUH.

Jason, who also previously suffered from heart failure and underwent a transplant 11 years ago, added: "The prime mover driver does not want to admit that he sideswiped me during the accident.

"The workshop, who is authorised to do my claims, told me that my chance of winning the dispute is only 80 to 90 per cent. They said winning 100 per cent is impossible.

"I don't get it as I was just driving in my lane when I got hit by the prime mover driver, and now I have to pay for the damages.

"So I really need passers-by who witnessed the accident to provide their videos and help me."

In response to a Stomp query, the police confirmed that they were alerted to the accident and said a male victim was conscious when taken to the hospital.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Young Singaporean parents or newlyweds giving out Chinese New Year hongbaos for the first time often have no clue about the market CNY hongbaorates and traditions surrounding hongbao giving.

Giving out hongbaos for the first time during Chinese New Year can be a very daunting experience. Just prior to this, you were on the receiving end of the hongbao and having a lot less to worry about (other than what you would be spending the money on).

Many young parents and newlyweds approach this season with trembling hands and wallets, which is why the following information on CNY hongbao rates as well as some other important points to note is going to help you prepare for the upcoming CNY season.

Here’s what you need to know to get yourself prepared for the festivities:

What is the minimum amount to give?

This is the golden question and one that is foremost on everyone’s mind. Let’s begin first by saying that most seniors will tell you it is not good practice to give odd number amounts like $5 or $7 as Chinese traditions do not consider these odd numerals to be auspicious.

Amounts for hongbaos should always be in pairs or even numbers, so you are going to be in good shape this Chinese New Year if you are “bao-ing” amounts like $2 or $8 or $20.

The $4 amount is debatable because although it is an even number, the “4” in Chinese sounds like “death”, inferring bad luck, so some couples stay clear of this just because they don’t want to send out a bad signal (we know it’s tempting as it’s a nice low amount to give kids that you don’t really know very well). This does depend sometimes on your dialect group; it has been said that Teochews do not see “4” as inauspicious.

CNY hongbao rates by hierarchy

Of course, there is no fixed minimum amount for each level of recipient as it should be dependent on your financial situation and how much you feel you can afford. Rich folk are possibly giving out Ang Baos with thousands of dollars but we’ll focus on us regular Singaporeans here.

The following are approximations we gathered from speaking with seasoned couples with some years of hongbao giving under their belts, and in accordance with family hierarchy.

Something to note is that peers do not usually give hongbaos to each other, or rather it is less expected. So, if you meet an old classmate at a CNY gathering who isn’t married yet, it would not be weird if you did not give one to this person.

Is there an age limit to receiving hongbaos?

The tradition mostly points to the fact that once you are married, you do not receive hongbaos anymore and become the giver of them. Assuming you are not married, most people we spoke to believe that receiving hongbaos when you are in your late 30s becomes awkward and many will meet such kind gestures with “Wah, so old already – no need lah uncle / auntie”!

Giving hongbaos  to adults who are already earning a living on their own isn’t always necessary. However, you should ultimately go with giving according to your comfort level, and according to your family practices.

Should hongbaos be opened in public or in front of the giver?

Most will attest to having been scolded as young children for opening hongbaos in the living room for the world to see. It is made worse if the giver of the hongbao is in your presence. So, parents who have young children who receive hongbaos – a prior briefing about not opening it publicly is usually advised.

Where to get hongbao packets to use?

The trend seems to be towards giving hongbaos that are from banks, and better yet prominent banks in Singapore. This all sounds very flashy and materialistic, but hey we don’t make the rules, we just point them out. Some even say that it’s not just the bank but also the account level that is meant to send out a signal to gawking relatives. i.e. giving out hongbao packets that make it abundantly clear that you are some high level priority banking customer.

Honestly, don’t bother about these subtle nuances during your first few years of Chinese New Year giving. Call your bank and get them to send you red packets in the mail or drop by your nearest branch where you have an account and ask if you can get some. In most cases, they will be happy to oblige.

Alternatively, more and more companies are creating unique hongbao designs, so you might also get some from your neighbourhood petrol station or supermarket. If all else fails, you can brave the crowds and buy your own Ang Baos from stalls in Chinatown’s Festive Street Bazaar.

Two Singaporeans who went missing after trekking at a Gunung Pulai, a closed off mountain in Johor, on Monday evening (Feb 5) have been rescued by a boat. 

The couple, Ms Lum Jie and Mr Dominick Tan Chang Xiang, were spotted near a water body by rescuers in a helicopter at around 11.30am on Thursday (Feb 8).

A boat was then deployed, and the two were rescued five minutes later. 

Read also

2 Singaporeans reported missing after trekking on Malaysia mountain

Kulai Fire Station chief Mohd Khairi Zainuddin, who is also head of the search operations, told The Straits Times:

“The victims looked exhausted and slightly dehydrated with cuts and bruises on their bodies but they could still converse and interact normally.”

Photos of the pair were posted by Johor police on Facebook after the rescue.

Mr Tan and Ms Lum, both 27, were conveyed to Pontian Hospital after they were rescued. 

The pair had gone to Gunung Pulai, located in Johor's Kulai district, for a hike on Monday (Feb 5). 

According to The Straits Times, Mr Tan is reportedly an experienced climber and previously scaled Gunung Pulai.

The area where the two went is part of the Gunung Pulai Forest Reserve.

Rescue efforts were beefed up and there was almost 100 personal involved on Wednesday (Feb 7), up from 60 people on Tuesday.

Personnel involved comprised of police officers, park rangers, members of the Fire and Rescue Department and volunteers. 

The search was expanded to a 36 sq km area based on the pair’s last reported location, traced from a phone signal. 

They had made two emergency calls to the police on Monday, the first at 5.55pm, after losing their way. 

The second call was made at around 10pm, when Mr Tan described to the police their location and asked for help, as Lum Jie leg was ‘pancit already’. 

WASHINGTON - Iconic US motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson is recalling nearly 175,000 bikes in the United States due to fears the brakes could fail, a government regulator announced Wednesday.

If brake fluid on the motorcycles is not replaced for a "prolonged period" beyond the recommended two-year schedule, deposits may form on internal components "reducing braking ability and increasing the risk of a crash," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement.

NHTSA began investigating the problem in July 2016 after receiving complaints about sudden brake loss, and said the recall covers 31 models from the 2008 to 2011 model years.

The agency told the company last month that a safety recall was necessary, and rejected Harley's proposal to instead launch a campaign to educate riders about the safety matter and the importance of regularly changing brake fluids.

The company will notify owners that dealers will offer a free brake fluid flush beginning February 12.

SINGAPORE - In 2014, Danny Perna found himself caught up in the global shortage of pilots that has vexed airlines from China to the United States.

For the first time in 15 years, the founder of Epic Flight Academy in Florida couldn't find enough trained US pilots to be flight instructors at his school.

Offering sign-on bonuses of up to $10,000 did not help, he said. Eventually, they decided to advertise a sponsorship programme to partially fund pilot cadets' training.

"Basically once we started to fund training then it satisfied the pilot shortage," he told Reuters by phone from Florida. Newly trained US pilots are usually required to teach at flight schools to gain the hours needed to join an airline.

"So in our opinion it's not a pilot shortage, it's a funding or finance shortage, the inability for young people to be able to afford training."

His realisation is hitting other airlines and flight schools too, as growing competition across the world for a shrinking pool of trained pilots pushes up salaries and prevents carriers from operating at full capacity.

Pilots say the burden on cadets to pay for their flight training, which can cost more than $70,000, has been a key reason why enrolment has plummeted at flight schools, especially in places like the US and Australia. Many banks suspended loans for flight training after the 2008 financial crisis.

Many experienced pilots were also laid off at the time, which analysts said concealed how few new student pilots there were.

"Trainees now have to consider where the cash will come from, be it huge bank loans or turning to the 'bank of mum and dad,'" said Brian Strutton, general secretary of British Airline Pilots Association, which has expressed concerns that the profession was becoming "inaccessible."

In June, training company CAE Inc forecast that the global commercial aviation industry would need an additional 255,000 pilots by 2027 to sustain rapid growth, but said that more than half of the necessary pilots have not yet begun training.

"Many countries are in the same state (as the United States). They are having shortages in their military and in their commercial environment," said Vietnam Airlines JSC's chief executive, Duong Tri Thanh.

"The problem we see, and are spending investment on, is how you reduce the cost or the time of getting somebody qualified into a jet," he added.

PAID TO TRAIN

Carriers such as Air France have in recent months announced plans to launch so-called "ab initio" programs, in which airlines pay for training pilots, then hire them.

In October, Cebu Pacific said it would sponsor 240 aspiring aviators through a programme through in which pilots would pay for their training later through salary deductions.

Lufthansa Aviation Training in October said it was dropping the cost of its two-year training programme to 80,000 euros ($98,080.00) from 100,000 euros.

"We see a growth in airline-sponsored programs, where graduates have line of sight to a job, from day one," said Nick Leontidis, group president of civil aviation training solutions at CAE Inc.

"Today, about 80 per cent of our graduates are sponsored by an airline, where aspiring pilots have secured a job from day one."

A spokesman for Air France said it its ab initio programme last operated 9 years ago. The airline plans to put about 100 cadets through the relaunched scheme by 2022.

Plane makers Boeing and Airbus said they were also expanding their range of flight training products and services to meet rising demand.

Boeing has more than 80 flight simulators operating worldwide, while Airbus has more than tripled the number of flight training centres it has globally in the last five years, the companies said.

Airbus is even looking to get into the ab initio game, said Laurent Martinez, the company's head of services.

"We want to develop ab initio programmes in partnership so we can extend our training capabilities from high school to a certified pilot," he said. "We are developing this as we speak."

NO SHORT-TERM ANSWER

These efforts are not likely to help in the short term, however.

Many airlines are for example competing against deep-pocketed Chinese carriers who are hiring aggressively because of fleet expansion. Chinese airlines fully sponsor training for pilots from China and sign them to long-term contracts, but have not been able to keep up with demand.

Ryanair in September cancelled 20,000 flights after saying it had a shortage of standby pilots due to a mismanaged regulatory change. The pilot shortage has also caused an increased number of flight cancellations by regional Australian airlines.

Besides changing how aspiring pilots can obtain funding, flight schools also said that the cost of flight training and recruitment tactics deserved a rethinking.

"We have to be realistic in as far as the education standards and the expectations of students are changing. You are dealing with millennials," said Shannon Wells, managing director at Airlines of Tasmania which owns the Par-Avion Flight Training school in Hobart, Tasmania.

"The recruitment strategy for aviation has to change a bit. I think it is still a bit stuck in the past in terms of learning techniques."

The owner of a Singapore bar named "Escobar" said a picture of the Colombian drug lord may have been a bad choice after angry complaints and a warning from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

The gastropub in the financial district has drawn the attention of Singapore's drug enforcement agency as well as a complaint from the Colombian embassy and angry reaction from anonymous callers that included death threats.

The owner, Stan Sri Ganesh, said the name and picture of Pablo Escobar, who was killed in a police operation in 1993, on its sign had seemed perfect for the bar he opened in January.

Read also

Colombia protests Escobar restaurant in Singapore

That opinion changed after a visit on Wednesday by the police and the Central Narcotics Bureau agents. "Our intention was never to offend a particular individual or a community," Ganesh told Reuters. "We also never intended to condone the actions of Pablo Escobar."

In a joint statement from the CNB and Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Friday (Feb 9), it called the naming of the bar after a drug lord "highly objectionable" and also "irresponsible".

Said the CNB and SPF: "That Pablo Escobar’s name and image are being used to promote the bar is highly objectionable and runs counter to Singapore’s zero tolerance approach towards drugs and our efforts in preventive drug education. The glamorisation of
a drug kingpin and associated drug use is irresponsible."

"While we acknowledge that some businesses may adopt certain themes or associations as part of their marketing strategy, this should be done in a manner consistent with Singapore’s policies to keep our country safe and secure."

It added that the owner of the bar has agreed to "remove all references to drugs and Pablo Escobar", and that they will be monitoring the situation to ensure that the rectifications are made.

Ganesh said he wasn't happy to be changing the bar's logo with the picture of Escobar, which had cost him $20,000 in additional expenses.

Some curious patrons thought nothing of the association with the infamous drug dealer. "I mean if the owner of Escobar actually wanted to open a'drug place', it would not be right smack in the middle of town," customer Katie Kang said.

Ganesh said he was baffled by the reaction by the Colombian embassy, which had sent a three-page letter to Singapore's foreign ministry expressing its "serious concern" that the bar"pays tribute to the worst criminal in the history of Colombia". Ganesh said he had no plans to change the name of the pub.

SingPost has confirmed with Stomp that a postman who was caught on video throwing away mail instead of delivering them has been fired.

This comes after videos showing the employee being confronted by a man at Reflections at Keppel Bay on Wednesday (Feb 7) for failing to perform his work duties went viral online.

The videos were posted in several different threads by a Facebook user known as Leena a day later and had garnered over 2,000 shares as of Saturday afternoon (Feb 10).

It is unclear if the videos, which Stomp contributors Edwin and Ah Boy alerted Stomp to, have been deleted but they are no longer publicly accessible.

The confrontation is believed to have occurred after the man discovered that his flyers had gone undelivered. He also apparently found neat stacks of unopened letters in various dustbins at the condominium.

Based on the videos, the man had apparently spent "a few thousand dollars" printing 7,500 flyers at SingPost -- only to realise that all 1,200 units in the residential complex did not receive them.

The man can be heard asking the SingPost employee if he had seen the flyers before and where the latter had delivered them to.

The employee insisted that he had delivered them all and said some units did not receive anything as there were not enough flyers left.

The man told the SingPost employee: "Not enough? Do you know how many units here? There are 1,200 units here and not one received the flyer."

He also asked the employee whether he had thrown the flyers away.

"I'll give you another chance. I have been observing you every day. Don't play this game with me. You have played the wrong person. You didn't think I would be living here, did you?

"There are 1,200 units here and I didn't see you deliver the flyers to a single one. Have you done your duty? Do you know how much effort I spent making these things? Do you know? You are here to make a living. So am I."

The man had also apparently found neat stacks of letters left unopened in dustbins at "every block" and believed that they were intentionally thrown away by the postman.

Holding a stack of letters, he told the employee that they would not have looked so neat in the dustbin if they had been thrown away by residents.

The man added: "Someone needs to take responsibility for this" and "I won't let this matter rest. I am going to find out where my flyers are exactly. To you, it might be just another piece of paper. To me, it's very important."

This led the employee to complain about how his superiors treated him unfairly and how he had to work overtime without being compensated.

"I am very tired, do you know?" he lamented.

In response, the man said: "Who is the victim here? You? Or the customer? So people bully you and you bully others?" and "If [your boss] is unfair to you, that's his fault. Have I been unfair to you?"

At the end of the confrontation, the SingPost employee said he truly thought he had delivered all the flyers and stopped after thinking he was done with every block.

He continued: "I am really sorry towards you. I didn't know [the flyers were supposed to be delivered here too] and I didn't ask you. This is an oversight of my duty.

"Anyway, I'm going back home on Friday's flight and not returning. If not for this incident, I might still come back. It's that simple."

In a separate clip, the man can be seen showing a third guy multiple stacks of letters that he found in several bins and asking, "How can it be so nicely stacked together?"

In response to a Stomp query, a SingPost spokesman confirmed the incident and said: "One of our postmen was found to have thrown away returned letters and direct mail at a condo on 7 February 2018.

"His action is a serious failure of duty. We do not condone this and he has since been dismissed.

"SingPost thanks the member of the public for bringing this to our attention, and we would like to apologise to the residents of the estate for the service lapse.

"We have since retrieved the mail and will be processing them."

Referring to allegations made by the employee in the videos, the spokesman added: "We will be looking into the claim made by the postman on his work environment, but it does not excuse his actions on the job, nor our decision to dismiss him."