Fliers and letters containing alleged terror threats on Batam have been circulating, but Singapore travellers seemed unperturbed.

When The New Paper contacted hotels in the nearby Indonesian destination, they said they had received calls from concerned travellers, but there were no cancellations.

Mr Vico Alfarin, a sales executive with Batam View Beach Resort, said: "There is a tour group that is re-considering their stay here, but none has cancelled so far."

Harmoni One Convention Hotel & Service Apartments marketing executive Nadya Setoresmi also confirmed that although many had called in, none of them cancelled.

"The issue cropped up yesterday, and many called to ask whether the ferry terminal is safe, and whether our hotel has ramped up our security measures. However, we have yet to receive any cancellation," said Ms Setoresmi.

At the Singapore Cruise Centre, crowds were spotted waiting for their weekend getaway to Batam.

ISIS activities in Southeast Asia

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

BHM, The Star/ANN, Royal Malaysian Police, Utusan Malaysia, AFP, Reuters, YouTube screengrabs

One woman, who wanted to be known only as Ms Tan, 50, said: "When I heard about it, I got a little unsure if I should still go. But I have booked the tickets and everything else, so I'm just going to go."

BatamFast, one of the ferry operators, was running its usual 14 trips to Batam.

"We haven't seen a decrease in passengers and we don't expect to as it is the peak period," said its general manager, Mr Chua Choon Leng.

The fliers and letters warned of bomb attacks in popular Bintan and Batam.

They also warned of attacks specifically targeted on Singaporean and Malaysian tourists.

SECURITY STEPPED UP

According to news reports, security in Batam has been stepped up.

Hotels also said they were increasing checks and being more thorough.

Harmoni One Convention Hotel & Service Apartments, for instance, has doubled the number of security guards at its entrance.

Harris Resort Waterfront Batam sales executive Bayu Tarigan told TNP: "We are keeping things as per normal, but our safety checks are now more thorough and detailed."

But one traveller decided against her trip to Batam.

Ms Audra Chow, 44, was looking forward to a spa trip with her friends on July 24, but they chose to cancel their plans.

"We decided against the trip as a precautionary measure," said the housewife.

Ms Chow's fear is not unfounded as Indonesia has seen two terrorist attacks this year.

Jakarta was rocked by bombings and gunfire, which killed seven, on Jan 14.

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a police station in the city of Solo, Central Java.

Read also: Blasts are just the beginning of IS attacks in South-East Asia, expert says

This article was first published on July 9, 2016.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

Think you are too alert to be scammed? You'll be surprised.

While the elderly are stereotyped as easy targets, statistics show that younger, educated people are susceptible to being scammed as well. In fact those aged between 20 and 49 years old comprise 67 per cent of victims who have fallen prey to scams involving fake Chinese police officers.

Here are seven types of scams that are happening in Singapore right now:

1) SP Services scams

The newest scam tactic, as reported by AsiaOne on Friday (July 8), involves phone scammers pretending to be from Singapore Power Services. These scammers try to con their victims by claiming that their utilities accounts are in arrears or that their electricity meters need to be changed.

The victims are then asked to make payment to a designated bank account.

SP Services said on its website that it did not make these calls, and that those who have received such calls should contact SP Services at 1800 222 2333.

2) '999' Scams

If you happen to miss a phone call with numbers that begin with '999' on your mobile phone, you may be the target of another phone scam.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Wednesday (July 6) that some people have received such calls, and when they returned the calls, they found themselves calling the police emergency hotline instead.

In an advisory released on Facebook, police urged the public to ignore such calls and contact the police at 1800-255 0000 should they have any related information to the case. The emergency hotline at '999' should be used only if urgent Police assistance is required.

3) Internet love scams

According to the Singapore Police Force, Internet love scams have resulted in the highest amount lost by scam victims from January to May this year. Together, victims of such scams have lost $8.9 million in just five months.

Those who carry out such scams usually claim to be foreigners, and seek out those who are looking for love or companionship online. The swindlers then cook up stories that they are in trouble, and ask the victims to transfer money to them.

In a report, The New Paper said that there has been a 294 per cent increase in such cases as compared to the same period last year. One woman even went into debt when a man she met on Facebook cheated her of $1.2 million.

The Scam Alert! website set up by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) to educate Singaporeans about scams says that you should exercise caution when befriending strangers online.

Do not send money to people you do not know well, even if they have spent a long time building an online relationship with you. You should also contact the police if you are asked to send money to someone claiming to be in trouble overseas.

4) China officials impersonation/ parcel phone scams

Also known as the "DHL scam", this seems to be one of the most common scams in recent months, with over $4.9 million reportedly scammed from victims from January to May.

In such cases, victims receive calls from individuals claiming to be authorities from China. The perpetrators tell the victims that there are illegal items in parcels under their names.

They are then told they have to make a payment, usually through remittance of money, or face jail time.

Just this week, AsiaOne reported that two different victims were nearly scammed of $180,000 and $25,000. Fortunately for them, alert employees at remittance agencies called the police when they noticed the victims had no good reason to transfer such large sums abroad.

According to the Scam Alert! website, scammers are now also asking victims to download certain applications onto their mobile phones. These applications may be infected with malware to allow third parties to access private information on their victims' phones.

Those who receive such calls should protect themselves by not following the caller's instructions, and safeguard their personal information by not divulging their name, identification number and other details.

5) Credit-for-sex scams

In such cases, swindlers befriend their victims on social media and convince them to buy transfer cards or online shopping credits, with the promise of sexual services or dates in return. These meet-ups never materialise and victims realise they've been scammed only when it is too late.

In April this year, it was reported that more than 200 men had already fallen prey to such scams since the start of 2016. In May it was revealed that up to $646,900 has already been lost by victims of credit-for-sex scams since the start of the year.

Those who befriend strangers online should be wary of any escort, massage or sexual services offered. You should never provide personal details in online engagements, and do not share any payment receipts with personal information with people you do not know.

6) Online purchase scams

It's a case of too good to be true.

Victims of such scams usually respond to online advertisements selling electronic gadgets at low prices. They are then told to make advance payment, but find that they have been conned when the items fail to arrive. In some cases, victims have also been told to make payment for duties and delivery charges.

From January to May this year, a total of $623,500 was lost in such scams.

To protect yourself from such scams, make sure you are purchasing from reputable vendors and do not make advanced payments to people you do not know or trust. If you do need to make a payment, make sure you have the seller's contact number and can verify his/her identity and track record.

7) Authority impersonating scams

Victims in such scams usually receive calls from individuals claiming to be officers from various government or authority bodies such as the police, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The impersonator will then ask the victim for his/her personal information such as their bank account numbers, and may even tell them to transfer money to absolve themselves of involvement in made-up cases.

According to the police, over $100,000 was lost in such scams in the first four months of 2016.

Similar to the DHL scam, those who receive such calls or messages should ignore them and refrain from transferring money to the caller. You should also call '999' should you receive calls from individuals pretending to be government officers.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

See also:

Hacker talks like Singapore man on Facebook, asks his family for money

Plucky salesgirl helps customer escape $4,000 parcel scam

Top 7 scams in Singapore and more

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

www.scamalert.sg

For more tips and information on other types of scams in Singapore, go to Scam Alert!

SINGAPORE - Do not be surprised when you spot butterflies fluttering near manicured plants encased in glass containers below MRT viaducts in the future.

These outdoor terrariums - the first in Singapore - together with butterfly-attracting plants and artworks, can already be found under the MRT viaduct along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, which is part of the government plan to encourage Singaporeans to go 'car-lite'.

Ang Mo Kio will be transformed into Singapore's first walking and cycling town with infrastructure upgrades such as bicycle maintenance workspaces, dedicated cycling paths, parks along the routes, and seamless connectivity.

These dedicated cycling paths will be demarcated in red to distinguish them from footpaths, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a joint press release with the National Parks Board (NParks) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

An additional 16km-long cycling path network, including a 1.6km-long walking and cycling corridor along the MRT viaduct between Yio Chu Kang MRT station and Ang Mo Kio MRT station, will be ready by 2019.

This network is part of the second phase to transform Ang Mo Kio, allowing all homes in the town to be within a 5-minute walk to the nearest cycling path.

The government agencies added that the network will also link up to the upcoming Mayflower and Lentor MRT stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line, as well as the cycling trunk route along North-South Corridor, which offers a direct cycling connection from Ang Mo Kio to the city.

Work to start on 150km Round Island Route

45km of existing park connectors will also be connected through the 60km Coastal Adventure Corridor.

The Coastal Adventure Corridor is the first of three corridors forming the 150km Round Island Route (RIR), boasting paths 6 metres wide, compared to current park connectors measuring 4 metres.

NParks will commence development works by the end of the year, and users will be able to cycle along the coasts of Punggol, Pasir Ris, Changi and East Coast Park to get to Gardens by the Bay from Lower Seletar Reservoir Park when completed.

Sengkang Riverside Park will also boast a man-made island with wetland plantings for otters to build their holts.

Queenstown-City and Geylang-City inter-town cycling routes

Future plans in the pipeline include inter-town cycling routes to connect cyclists directly from their homes to the city from the east to the west through the city centre.

Plans are already in place to construct the Queenstown-City and Geylang-City routes, allowing people to cycle from Geylang and Marine Parade to Queenstown and Bukit Merah.

"We have also identified some towns that are within a 30-minute cycling distance from the city such as Bishan, Hougang and Bukit Timah, and will be plugging gaps along the existing cycling routes to the city, to make the riding experience smoother and more seamless," the agencies said in the joint statement.

In the longer term, towns in the north such as Sembawang, Yishun and Ang Mo Kio will be linked to the dedicated cycling paths integrated with the North-South Corridor, providing a direct route for people to cycle from their homes to the city.

Ang Mo Kio to become Singapore's first walking and cycling town

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times

grongloh@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Annoyed that a house in their neighbourhood was being used for short-term rentals, close to 40 Sembawang residents submitted a petition asking for the authorities to take action against the home's owner.

The house in question is a four-storey corner terraced house, located at Penaga Place in Sembawang. The house is listed on home-sharing websites Airbnb and Homeaway.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that neighbour Madam Wendy Ng, 52, who lives in the house next door, said that she found the noise and large number of comings and goings by strangers difficult to bear.

Madam Ng, who moved into the area four years ago, said she initially found it strange that the house next to hers never seemed to sleep, with noises emanating from it even late at night.

"I did not know what was going on at first. It was only later when I noticed that there were people whom I had never seen in the area before that I realised the house was being used as a short-term rental provider," she told Lianhe Wanbao.

URA inspects Sembawang house used for Airbnb rentals after complaints

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Lianhe Wanbao, Internet screengrabs / Airbnb

Last September, Madam Ng lodged a complaint with URA. The authorities then tried to inspect her neighbour's premises, but no one was at home.

The next day, however, she received a note from the owner of the property, who claimed that there were no short-term rentals there, and that all tenants had taken leases of at least six months. The owner also claimed that Madam Ng had been reported to the police for harassment.

But noticing that there were still many strangers staying at the house next door in the past few months, Madam Ng decided to start a petition last Thursday, getting 37 signatures in two days.

Previously in June, she had even employed a private investigator to gather photographic and videographic evidence of what went on inside the property by pretending to be a tenant at the house for a week.

On Friday (July 8), the authorities took action by conducting a spot check on the premises. During the 40-minute raid, they took down the details of tenants who happened to be renting the property for the night.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, two Filipino tenants immediately packed their bags and left the house after the inspection. One Filipino girl said that the pair had rented a room in the house for one week via Airbnb for $60 a night.

"It was only when the enforcement officers came in that we realised that the house may be violating the law. The home's owner is not around, and we did not want to be involved in any trouble, so we decided to move to a hotel," she told Lianhe Wanbao.

At present, it is illegal for both public and private home-owners in Singapore to rent out their properties for less than six months. The authorities are still trying to decide if the rules should be relaxed for private properties, but in May the URA said that it needed more time to review the issue.

A check on the Airbnb website revealed that the owner of the house at Penaga Place house is Dione Schick, a New Zealand national who has been living in Singapore for 11 years and had taken up Singapore citizenship. On her profile, she wrote that she and her husband, William, are "offsite during the week and only at the property sometimes during the weekends to tend to the garden".

When asked about the concerns of the neighbours, Ms Shick told Today that they were only looking for long-term rentals, and added that she felt that Madam Ng's actions had not been civil.

seanyap@sph.com.sg

Is this the right time to buy a car? Before the Monetary Authority of Singapore decided to ease car loan curbs and before the sudden boom in the private-hire industry, the answer to that question would have been quite clear.

But now, it seems all bets are off, with COE prices looking like they will remain buoyant for several more months.

So, if you have been planning to buy a car, you might now have to put that on hold for the time being. Or do you?

First of all, your buying decision should not be governed by COE prices alone. Sure, COE is a substantial portion of the car price, but if you look at the lifetime ownership cost of a car, the COE component becomes far less significant.

Even at $70,000, a certificate of entitlement would translate to about 30 per cent of the cost of a Toyota Corolla Altis over its lifetime.

That is based on current HDB parking charges, which would total up to $10,800 over 10 years, fuel cost of $40,000, an optimistic repair and maintenance bill of $10,000 over 10 years, and ERP expenditure of $4,800.

You are likely to incur higher charges than those cited above (parking elsewhere is not factored in, for instance), but even at those rates, you will tally up operating expenses of $84,100 - more than the $70,000 COE.

Now, the COE is currently hovering at around $50,000 - down from a high of $90,000 just more than three years ago. The current price of a Corolla starts from about $118,000. Which means the COE portion today works out to be 25 per cent of the total ownership cost of the car.

Not really worth the angst, is it?

So, when people ask me whether they should buy a car now, I always shrug and say: "It depends."

Because it really depends - on a whole host of factors which vary from one individual to the next.

Read also: Best value-for-money cars in 2016

What is your financial situation now and in the foreseeable future? How geared are you? Do you really need a car? Can you do better things with the money?

On that last question, it is interesting to note that you will have at least $500,000 more in your retirement fund if you did not drive.

That is based on just three 1.6-litre Japanese cars a person owns in his working life. Based on prevailing prices, the total outlay for those three cars - including operating expenses - would come up to no less than $600,000.

Now, if you took public transport, a family of four making four trips a day would spend about $60,000 over 10 years, or $180,000 over 30 years. Again, for simplicity's sake, we do not factor in inflation or the value of time (moving around on public transport takes about three times longer than driving).

So, if you subtract the cost of public transport from the cost of motoring over 30 years, you will get $420,000.

Now, if you had to put aside the extra money in an investment with the most dismal returns (insurance, for instance), you would easily have $500,000 more for your retirement.

Of course, it is hard to assign a monetary value to the freedom, privacy and comfort of having a car. It is like saying you would save a bundle if you lived in a three-room HDB flat instead of that shoebox condominium.

What if you already have a car and are wondering whether it is better to trade it in for a new model now? The guiding principle should always be whether the prevailing COE premium is higher or lower than the one you paid for your current car.

If it is higher, you are better off sticking to your current car. If it is lower, you can consider trading in.

Read also: No nonsense explanation of why cars in Singapore are so expensive

Do not be swayed by the salesman's favourite pitch, which is "if you wait, your current car will be worth even less".

That is a fool's argument. Because if you gave up your "low COE" car for one with with a higher COE, you would have given up enjoying a more economical asset for an inflated one.

But people are irrational. They see a shiny new car and they make all kinds of excuses to buy it. Just like those who rushed in when the MAS eased its car loan rules in May.

They have helped push up COE prices by close to $8,000 in just one month. So, a VW Golf 1.2 cost $99,800 before the MAS change, and $107,300 as at July 7.

Before the change, a buyer had to make a downpayment of $39,920. On Thursday, the downpayment was $32,190. Hardly a significant drop.

Previously, the Golf 1.2 buyer would have incurred $67,365 in instalment charges over five years (based on 2.5 per cent interest rate).

Now, the same buyer will incur $88,254 in instalment charges over seven years (the new allowable maximum tenure).

In total, buyers like him who rushed in end up paying $13,159 more - enough for a week-long holiday to the United States for four people. That does not make much economic sense.

Then again, the smell of fresh leather and the glimmer of fresh enamel do not always gel with economics.

So, is it the right time to buy a car now? It depends. Are you the sort driven by your head or your heart?

This article was first published on July 9, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE - The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) student injured in the Nice terror attack has passed the critical period, and will be repatriated after the hospital has cleared him for travel, the school said in an update on Tuesday (July 19).

Malaysian Esmond Chuah, 22, suffered back and other injuries after being hit by the side of a 19-tonne truck which ploughed through a crowd during Bastille Day celebrations in the southern French city on July 14, killing 84 and injuring more than 200 others.

The driver, Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was shot dead by police.

Mr Chuah was among 12 SUTD students in Nice for a three-week summer programme, which ends on Friday (July 22).

A doctor is reviewing his medical test results, and no internal bleeding or neurological damage has been found, an SUTD spokesman said in a statement.

The university has sent a senior staff member to Nice to support the students, in addition to their insurance company's emergency team, said the spokesman.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, Reuters

The students have been issued a travel advisory to return to Singapore upon completion of the summer programme on Friday, and so far, three of the 11 students have stated that they will be returning, while the rest will decide later or have decided to proceed with their personal travel plans after the programme end.

Several of the SUTD students had told The Sunday Times that they were at the Promenade des Anglais to watch the fireworks, and fled during the attack which began around 10.45pm.

During a roll call at their hostel later that night, they discovered that Mr Chuah was missing, and heard from him only the next day, when he contacted them using a nurse's cellphone.

A Singaporean man was also injured in the attack, but his injuries are not life-threatening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

This article was first published on July 19, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

By slashing travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to just 11/2 hours, the high-speed rail will draw the people and economies of both sides closer, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Singaporeans can zip up to Kuala Lumpur, watch a show or do business, work on their laptops on the way back and be home for dinner, he said. "It will not seem like going overseas at all."

"We can think of Singapore-KL in the same way that people think of London-Paris, Taipei-Kaohsiung and Tokyo-Osaka," he added, citing major cities connected by fast rail.

When two cities are closely linked, both benefit, he said. "There's more competition but there's more business to be done. It means vitality, it means a wide variety of options, it means a more rapid pace of growth."

In short, the rail link will make it "very easy to get in touch to do business, to make friends, to be one integrated economy".

At a joint press conference in Putrajaya, Mr Lee and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak both acknowledged that the targeted timeframe to have the trains up and running by 2026 is "very tight".

But the two leaders said they were committed to working closely together to ensure it will be met.

PM Lee added in a Facebook post last night: "Good execution will be crucial. We need to work closely together on many joint decisions and implementation issues. PM Najib and I will give full attention to this, because we want this major project to be done right."

Both men also highlighted the spin-offs for regions along the line.

The express service from Jurong East in Singapore to Bandar Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur will pass through six other stations in Malaysia, such as Muar and Batu Pahat, without stopping. But separate services will connect these stations to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

In Singapore, the terminus will be part of the Jurong Lake District, slated to be Singapore's second Central Business District.

This article was first published on July 20, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Malaysia's Ministry of Transport (MOT) said it will announce the start of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) requirement and road charge on Singapore cars in "due course", refuting earlier reports which stated that the system would kick off last Saturday.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the MOT said "ample notice" will be given as to when the proposed RM20 (S$6.80) charge will be levied on foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia. Commercial vehicles and motorcycles will be excluded.

The VEP - which also requires that Singapore cars be registered with Malaysia's Road Transport Department (JPJ) before entry - had been targeted to commence as early as last October, but its implementation has been postponed repeatedly.

Malaysia's New Straits Times newspaper reported on Monday that while the system was planned to be launched last Saturday, it was pushed back owing to a "technical glitch".

This was because the authorities are working out "integration issues" to allow motorists to pay the existing toll and the new VEP fee together, with a single swipe of their cashcard. The Malaysian ministry said: "The MOT and JPJ are currently conducting the system tests to ensure smooth and seamless implementation."

It added that about 144,000 vehicles have been registered for the VEP. Drivers of Singapore vehicles that have not registered after the VEP is implemented will have to do so at checkpoint counters at the Causeway in Johor Baru and the Second Link crossing.

Read also:

Malaysia extends Vehicle Entry Permit registration

Johor conducts trial Vehicle Entry Permit run for Singapore vehicles

Malaysia's Vehicle Entry Permit website faces teething issues

This article was first published on July 20, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE - More than 20 residents of an HDB block in Sengkang had to be evacuated early this morning (July 20) after a fire broke out in one of the units.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who were alerted to the incident at around 4.15am, had to force their entry into the unit at Block 257B Compassvale Road to extinguish the fire.

A man, who is not an occupant of the flat, was conveyed conscious to Singapore General Hospital for breathing difficulties.

The SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

Singapore, 20 July 2016 --- ​Whether you are a long-time print reader of Lianhe Zaobao or a new Zaobao.sg reader who uses our mobile app while on the go, be in for a pleasant surprise this Thursday, July 21 when you wake up to a refreshed Lianhe Zaobao. ​

The 93-year-old Lianhe Zaobao will take on a new look in both print and digital format that is eye-catching and more reader friendly. ​ To support this revamp, Zaobao's newsroom has undergone a complete transformation and integration.

Mr Goh Sin Teck, Editor of Lianhe Zaobao, said: "In today's fast moving world, Zaobao can no longer be just a newspaper. What we want to offer readers is a multi-platform experience that informs and engages our readers throughout the day, according to their lifestyle needs.

This also means that we have to transcend the richness of our printed word to include more exciting pictures, layout, animation, videos and user interaction."

​A new print edition

To cater to the evolving needs of our print readers, the font size of the article's body text will be increased. Bigger pictures, infographics as well as more white spaces can be expected to make reading easier on the eyes. ​

Mr Coel Tan, Art Editor of Lianhe Zaobao : "In an era of information explosion, white space may be seen as a luxury, but to create a unique style and a sense of elegance, empty spaces are also cleverly incorporated into the design."​

To provide readers with more information, prime news pages will be increased from two to three pages. The back cover of section 1, which used to be Sports News, will now be International News. There will also be a "quick-read window" and more infographics to present news in a more attractive and easy-to-read manner. ​

The revamp took into account the feedback from existing readers, as well as former and non-readers. The aim is not only to retain our loyal readers, but also to build a new readership base.

New offerings on digital platforms

​The Zaobao app has also undergone a revamp to make it more user-friendly. There will be an all-new function in the Zaobao app. Users can click on the earphone symbol on the top right-hand corner of an article and it will be read aloud to you.

"This will allow readers who find it difficult to read Chinese to still access the vast world of information offered by Zaobao. In fact, this is a good way for readers to practice their Chinese," said Ms Han Yong May, Digital Editor of Chinese Media Group and Associate Editor of Lianhe Zaobao. ​

To keep up with the trend of using mobile devices to go online, web pages will be adjusted to suit screens of different sizes for the convenience of readers.

With the revamp, Zaobao All-in-One subscribers will also be able to access the full content of news stories scheduled for the next day at the earliest possible time, without having to wait for the print edition to hit the street. ​ "Many are under the impression that only subscribers can log in to zaobao.sg.

In fact, our special content, breaking news and videos are all free. Of course, subscribers will continue to enjoy additional benefits, like in-depth news reports and analysis as well as the PDF version of Lianhe Zaobao," she added. ​

In addition, the recently announced partnership between SPH and StarHub also allows StarHub subscribers unlimited data usage when using the Zaobao app to read news stories or watch videos.

A new song and a mass readers engagement event

​In conjunction with the revamp, Zaobao has also launched a specially commissioned song titled "Rediscovery". Written by veteran Xinyao singer and composer Liang Wern Fook and performed by popular local singers Tay Kewei and Alfred Sim, it depicts Zaobao's long-standing relationship with its readers and encourages them to rediscover the new Zaobao. ​ ​

​The launch of the revamped Zaobao will culminate in a mass readers' party at the Marina Barrage on September 10 at Marina Barrage.

Readers and their families will be treated to a day of fun, laughter, music and food as they seek to rediscover the magic and charm of Zaobao.

​More details about the mass readers' party will be released later.

If I had to nominate one cliche that rings all-too-true in Singapore, it would be "there's no such thing as a free lunch".

Sure, we know you're annoyed by the recent news that car park charges are going to rise, but after offering our condolences we'd like to reassure you that there are still some car parks where parking is free-if only for a little while.

Plaza Singapura

Free parking from Monday to Friday (excluding PH and eve of PH) for first hour between 10am to 5:59pm. $0.32 per subsequent 15 min or part thereof.

Photo: PLAZA SINGAPURA

The Plaza Sing carpark is one of the cheaper ones on the Orchard stretch, which is why you always see a long line of cars stuck on the slope queuing for dear life. Just note that the ERP gantries will be on in full force after 12pm so you might end up paying more than if you were to just park on the Prinsep side.

Mustafa Centre

First hour free daily, $1 per subsequent 30 minutes or part thereof.

Photo: The Straits Times

Not only does Mustafa Centre offer cheap groceries and some of the best money changing rates in town, you also get free parking for an hour. Yay. Great if you just want to stop by for a quick prata meal nearby. The only thing you want to avoid doing is actually shopping at Mustafa, since that's going to take at least 10 years.

Far East Plaza

Free parking daily for first hour from 8 to 5pm. $2.14 for next hour and $0.70 for subsequent 30 minutes

Almost nobody knows that Far East Plaza offers an hour of free parking. Looks like they're getting really desperate ever since the ah lians started shopping on ASOS instead.

IKEA Tampines

Free parking daily.

Photo: The Straits Times

While the Alexandra branch requires you to spend money at IKEA in exchange for free parking hours, Tampines is still ulu enough to offer parking space completely free.

The Grandstand

Free parking daily.

Photo: THE GRANDSTAND

We're noticing a pattern here. The more ulu or inaccessible a place is, the more likely you are to enjoy free parking.

West Coast Park

Free parking daily from 6:30am to 8:30am, then $0.0167 per minute

Photo: The Straits Times

Parking at East Coast Park may no longer be free, but there's still West Coast Park… although this applies only if you're the disciplined type who can haul yourself out of bed early in the morning to exercise.

Clarke Quay

Free parking from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, $2.14 for first two hours afterwards.

To make people feel better about the fact that they're about to get ripped off, Clarke Quay tries to lure the lunchtime crowds by offering free parking. We just hope that helps subsidise the cost of your $20 beer.

Gillman Barracks

Free parking on Saturdays from 11pm to 7pm, then $2 per entry.

If you've never even stepped into the Gillman Barracks (who cares about art, right?), you might be interested in the fact there are some restaurants there… and that parking is free on Saturdays.

Sim Lim Square

Free parking daily for first hour from 6 to 10pm, then $2 per entry.

Since you're almost certainly going to be ripped off by the computer / handphone shop, it's only fair that Sim Lim Square offer free parking.

IMM

Free 2-hour parking daily for first entry only, $0.30 per subsequent 15 minutes.

Photo: The Straits Times

IMM's got a lot of competition from the other Jurong East malls these days, which is probably why they're the only ones who still offer free parking after JCube decided to withdraw the privilege.

Jurong Point

Free parking from Monday to Thursday (excluding PH) for two hours between 12pm to 2pm, $1.07 per subsequent hour or part thereof.

Photo: The Straits Times

Each time I enter Jurong Point (which is, admittedly, not often), I feel like I'm Mufasa falling into that wildebeest stampede. But with a rather generous two hours of free parking, Jurong West dwellers might be encouraged to brave the crowds and head there for lunch.

Big Splash

Free parking on Mondays to Fridays from 12am to 5pm, $1.50 per hour thereafter

Just when you'd lost all hope because parking at East Coast Park stopped being free, big Splash stepped in and saved the day. If you're going for a seafood lunch or a run at ECP on your day off, park here.

Singapore Flyer

Free parking from 12pm to 2pm on Monday to Friday (no PH), subsequently $2 per hour or part thereof

Office workers in the area can park for free at the Singapore Flyer during lunchtime. Even if the only time you bother to venture that close to the giant ferris wheel is during Beerfest, this is a pretty attractive incentive to try out the restaurants in the area.

Chinese Gardens

Free parking daily for first hour between 6am to 6pm, then $1 per subsequent hour

This place is like Haw Par Villa minus the ten courts of hell and uh, all the other bizarre statues. Exotically oriental, cheap to visit and filled with mosquitoes.

The article first appeared on MoneySmart.

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SINGAPORE - Not enough mobile data? Fret not, starting Wednesday (July 20), there will be free WiFi access at multiple public locations, OCBC announced in a press statement.

These OCBC free WiFi zones are at selected locations on Orchard Road as well as at OCBC Centre, the Singapore Sports Hub and 33 OCBC Bank branches.

There are five hotspots at bus stops in the Orchard Road area. Wi-Fi coverage extends up to a 100-metre radius from each of these hotspots outside the Royal Thai Embassy, Tangs, Far East Plaza, Royal Plaza at Scotts and The Heeren.

Singapore Sports Hub alone is installed with 684 WiFi zone hotspots, allowing visitors to surf the Internet for free at the Singapore National Stadium, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Kallang Wave Mall and OCBC Arena to OCBC Aquatic Centre, Water Sports Centre, Sports Hub Library and Sports Hub Museum.

The 33 OCBC branches which now offer free WiFi access for visitors include ION Orchard, Causeway Point, Ang Mo Kio.

debwong@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices went up in the second round of bidding in July on Wednesday (July 20), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced the same day.

Premiums for cars in Category A increased from $52,301 to $53,000 while those in Category B went up from $56,089 to $57,508.

Meanwhile, premiums for vehicles in the open category were raised from $56,002 to $57,501.

Premiums for motorcycles also went up from $6,012 to $6,302.

Of all the categories, premiums for goods vehicles and buses saw the highest increase, from $47,889 to $49,890.

debwong@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - A crane lorry crashed into a sheltered walkway in Bukit Batok on Wednesday (July 20), The Straits Times reported.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident between Block 504 and Block 506, Bukit Batok Street 52 at 2.57pm.

It added that there were no reported injuries.

Photos circulating online revealed that some red tiles on the shelter had fallen off and were scattered on the road.

This is the second accident in two months involving a crane to happen in Bukit Batok.

On June 17, a lorry with an attached crane crashed into a covered walkway at Bukit Batok Avenue 6, crushing a car.

No one was hurt in that incident. 

debwong@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - A total of 3,190 cartons and 1,512 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized in three separate checks at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Tuesday (July 19), Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced on Wednesday (July 20).

The total potential customs duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) involved amounted to about $259,280 and $26,100 respectively.

The first check occured at about 4.15am and involved a lorry. Officers uncovered 2,508 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in 38 pieces of large wooden doors.

At 5.30am, ICA officers seized 439 cartons and 812 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes as well as a sachet suspected to contain controlled drugs in a Malaysia-registered car.

The sachet of controlled drugs was recovered from the floor mat of the vehicle, while the duty-unpaid cigarettes were concealed in various parts of the car and inside the driver's sling bag.

About an hour later at 6.25am, officers seized 43 cartons and 700 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes from various parts of a Malaysia-registered car.

Investigations are ongoing for all three cases.

debwong@sph.com.sg

Travellers are calling off plans to visit Turkey after a travel notice was issued on Wednesday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advising Singaporeans to reconsider non-essential travel to the country.

Turkey has been rocked by violence in recent months, including an attack by three suicide bombers on Istanbul Ataturk Airport last month that left at least 42 dead, and an attempted military coup last Friday that resulted in at least 232 people dead and 1,400 injured.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday declared a three- month state of emergency.

Travel agencies told The Straits Times that demand for trips to Turkey had plummeted.

Dynasty Travel, which had about 1,500 customers travelling to Turkey last year, has seen bookings decrease by more than 50 per cent.

Its public relations and communications director Alicia Seah said all its tour packages to Turkey up to the third quarter of this year have been diverted to other destinations.

SA Tours said it has not organised any packages to Turkey for the past three months, following attacks earlier this year.

Ms Zuran Ilias was in Istanbul for a holiday with her family when the coup attempt happened.

She said she could hear low-flying jets and explosions from her apartment, as well as prayers being broadcast from the mosques aimed at rallying the population.

"My mother couldn't sleep throughout the night," said the 23-year old.

Chief operations officer for volunteer group Thatsus.sg Iskandar Reza Ismail had planned a trip for a group of 30 to Turkey in December to assist Syrian refugees there.

He said he will make alternative arrangements to go to Jordan instead if the situation in Turkey remains volatile.

"Many of our volunteers are students, so of course their parents are concerned and told them not to go," he said.

Mr Shahrizal Ismail was set on Turkey for his honeymoon next year, but is now considering other destinations.

Said the 34-year-old computer graphics artist: "I don't feel safe travelling there any more."

This article was first published on July 22, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE - Withholding customers' personal items and criticising their looks are among the pressure sales tactics used frequently by beauticians here, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said in a statement today (July 22).

According to data released by the national consumer watchdog, such tactics top the list of complaints with regards to the beauty industry.

Of the total of 1,525 cases it has filed and assisted with from January 2011 to June 2016, 485 were about aggressive or deceptive tactics.

"Consumers complained that the beautician withheld their personal belongings while pushing more products or services to them, or used harsh and critical words to make consumers feel self-conscious about their looks or body," Case said.

It added that some beauticians even made their sales pitch for hours in an enclosed room, resulting in "mental exhaustion" by the consumers.

Read also: Woman paid $5,000 for hair treatments after being told she might lose hair

Her $5 haircut ends up costing her $5,000

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The New Paper

Also, consumers have reported getting injured or receiving substandard beauty treatments from unprofessional or incompetent staff.

Such "unsatisfactory services" were the second most common consumer gripe, making up 311 or about 20 per cent of the complaints handled by Case.

The association has since signed letters of undertaking with four beauty businesses to stop their unfair practices.

Read also: Complaints lodged against beauty and skincare stores for high-pressure sales tactics

As at June 20, there are 641 businesses under the CaseTrust spa and wellness accreditation scheme, all of which have pledged to provide a five-day cooling-off period for their customers and to adhere to a "no selling" policy in treatment rooms.

Despite this, there were 129 complaints against CaseTrust-accredited businesses.

Case will hold a free seminar on July 30 to educate consumers about what to look out for when buying beauty products or services.

The half-day Beauty Fair will be held at the National Trades Union Congress Centre on One Marina Boulevard from 10am to 1pm.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

A high-speed rail link between Singapore and Malaysia could cause serious damage to budget airlines, experts believe.

With train fares expected to be pegged to what low-cost airlines charge, and maybe lower, the 90-minute train ride should appeal to many.

Singapore-KL round-trip budget airfares typically range from about $80 to less than $200.

To make the rail option even more attractive, Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to co-locate their Customs and Immigration facilities at three places - Singapore, Iskandar Puteri and Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore-Malaysia ink landmark High Speed Rail MOU

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times

This means commuters will be cleared by the authorities on both sides at the point of departure.

Singapore Management University assistant professor Terence Fan, who specialises in transport, said the extent of the impact will depend on train fares and station locations when the rail link opens in around 10 years' time.

From Bandar Malaysia - the KL stop - it is a 10-minute drive to the city centre, whereas from the airport, it takes about an hour.

While the Singapore-KL flight time is about 50 minutes, passengers need to also account for check-in and security clearance time at both ends.

He said: "If you take all these into account, then the 90-minute train ride is very competitive for travellers who currently take to the air."

Citing similar examples elsewhere, Prof Fan noted that when a high-speed rail system was introduced on the Taipei-Kaohsiung and London-Paris routes, budget carriers were badly affected.

From half-hourly flights throughout the day, the Taipei-Kaohsiung air link is now serviced by only a few flights a week.

Mr Abbas Ismail, course manager for aviation management and services at Temasek Polytechnic, said: "There is little the budget carriers can do fare-wise as fares are already low. They could choose to fly to more convenient locations such as Subang (airport) or redeploy aircraft to higher-yielding routes. Budget carriers would definitely feel a pressure on yields."

The new rail link is expected to carry about 20 million commuters a year.

Official data shows that about 1.2 million Malaysian residents visited Singapore in 2014, excluding citizens arriving by land.

Traffic between both countries through the Causeway and Second Link is estimated at 400,000 crossings both ways daily.

Despite the impending challenge, budget carriers are not sweating yet.

For one thing, the rail link is still at least 10 years away.

A spokesman for Scoot-Tigerair, which operates 21 Singapore-KL flights a week, said the rail connection could in fact create new opportunities.

"With greater connectivity between Singapore and Malaysia provided by the new rail link, particularly to areas that are currently not served by flights, it will enable more land-air connections via Singapore for Malaysian travellers to fly to other destinations in our network, as well as for international travellers visiting the rail stops in Malaysia to connect through the Singapore hub."

A spokesman for Jetstar, which operates up to five flights a day to KL, said the airline welcomes the competition "as experience has shown that increased competition grows demand and encourages more people to travel for both business and leisure".

Cross-border bus operators have less to worry about, Mr Abbas said. "Buses will still be popular with the price-sensitive and time-insensitive leisure travellers," he said.

A bus trip takes about five hours with one-way tickets priced between $25 and $50.

karam@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on July 22, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

When Mr Wayne Wee was 10, he was so afraid of heights that his mother had to ask for a roller-coaster ride he was on to be stopped because he was crying so badly.

Now 22, Mr Wee has conquered his vertigo in order to be part of this year's National Day Parade (NDP).

He is among 26 performers - called aerialists - who will be spinning and soaring at up to 30m in the air.

He quipped: "When you're up there, you're so disoriented you don't notice how high you are."

It is the first time the parade has featured a large formation of aerialists.

This is made possible as the celebrations this year take place in the National Stadium which, unlike previous open-air venues, has a domed roof from which performers can be suspended.

Twenty of the aerialists, including Mr Wee, are from the Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company (MDC).

They will be performing a choreographed dance sequence 5m to 13m above ground.

They have undergone intensive aerial training since May, each clocking about 88 hours in the air even before they take the stage on Aug 9.

Major Tan Sheng Yang, the officer in charge of aerialist training, said it was a challenge to get the performers acclimatised to the demands of aerial work, as most had not done it before.

He added that safety is a "top priority", and that there are stringent measures in place such as load bearing tests and pre-flight safety checks.

Performers also spend only 10 to 15 minutes in the air each time, and must rest in between sessions.

MDC aerialist Biwa Mastura Mohamed Said, 26, said: "This has been the most physically gruelling thing I've done in my life."

The tight harness bruised her body, and her severe motion sickness left her feeling faint during training. At one point, she broke down in tears.

"It was draining physically and emotionally," she said.

Now, when she is nervous, she looks to her fellow aerialists for support.

"When we are going up, we don't look down. We look at each other," said Ms Biwa, adding that it was "a good experience" and she would want to explore more aerial work in future.

Besides the MDC group, other aerialists include an actor playing Malay folk hero Badang, who will be flown to a height of 30m, and a seven-year-old boy who will ride a glimmering unicorn through the air.

Four aerialists will play the Four Beauties, each representing a different race.

Suspended at 9m, they will wear long, colourful skirts that flow all the way to the ground.

This article was first published on July 22, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and SPH Foundation presented a total of 38 scholarships at their annual joint scholarship awards ceremony held at the SPH News Centre auditorium on Friday (July 22).

There were seven recipients for the SPH Journalism Scholarships and a total of 16 scholarships were also given out to the children of staff and newspaper vendors, including six for junior college studies, four for polytechnic studies and six for university studies.

Chairman of SPH and SPH Foundation Dr Lee Boon Yang graced the event as guest-of-honour.

SPH Journalism scholarship award recipient Mr Clement Yong Jia-Xuan did his internship stint with The Straits Times and will be reading History at Oxford University in the UK.

He said: "I am honoured to be one of those selected for this year's scholarship. My four-month stint at SPH has reinforced my belief that journalism is for me as I am an information junkie, which makes working in the newsroom perfect since I'm not only expected to keep up with the latest news, but to approach all developments around me with an active mind."

Another SPH journalism scholar Ms Zhang Xi Ying, who was an intern at Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao, will be doing Chinese Studies at Peking University.

She recalled that her six months in Lianhe Wanbao was "extremely meaningful and satisfying".

Ms Zhang shared: "Not only did I meet passionate people who shared with me their love for journalism, the people whom I interviewed also showed me aspects of society that I otherwise would not have the chance to see.

"Most important of all, I got to interact with the audience reading my articles, as a few of them actually emailed or called in to thank me for covering certain stories which impacted their lives."

Since its inauguration in 2006, the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships are awarded annually. The bond-free scholarships have helped students from modest family backgrounds further their degree programmes in languages, linguistics and the humanities at the local universities.

This year, a record total of 15 Lim Kim San Memorial scholarships were given out.

One of the recipients is Ms Hilary Ho, who will be pursuing the third-year of her Sociology studies at the National University of Singapore.

She said: "This scholarship will free me from my financial worries and give me more time to focus on my studies and pursue my interest. I look forward to acquiring new skills and experiences made possible through this scholarship and I hope to pay this forward to others in need in future."

ssandrea@sph.com.sg