OSLO - Singapore will soon make its first deposit into the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world's largest secure seed storage facility.
The seeds of a Singapore-developed rice variety - called Temasek rice - will be deposited next Tuesday into the "doomsday vault", which currently contains the seeds of more than 4,000 plant species, including crops such as beans, wheat and rice.
Temasek rice is naturally bred to be hardy and is able to withstand extreme weather conditions such as floods and drought.
Seeds are stored in the facility to regenerate food supplies in the event of catastrophes such as natural disasters, and as a backup for other seed banks.
Seeds of the world preserved in Norway in the event of global crisis
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The vault is situated on Spitsbergen island in the remote Svalbard Archipelago, located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, where geological stability and low humidity provide an ideal storage environment.
Yesterday, a seed deposit ceremony was held at the Natural History Museum's Botanical Garden in Oslo and was attended by Norway's Queen Sonja and Mrs Mary Tan, wife of President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who is in Norway on a state visit.
The contribution is part of an agreement between Singapore's Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre.
TLL chief operating officer Peter Chia handed over the seeds of seven unique rice varieties to Norway's Minister of Agriculture and Food, Mr Jon Georg Dale.
This article was first published on October 11, 2016.
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The 24-year-old Public Service Commission scholar had been tasked with welcoming the audience to the debate on behalf of the students of the host university, Washington University in St Louis.
"The 60 seconds felt like the longest 60 seconds of my life. It was really quite scary," Mr Sng told The Straits Times.
He is the first inter- national student to be elected as the school's student body president.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, writing on his Facebook page, said he was proud to see the Singaporean making the opening remarks.
Said PM Lee: "Glad that he mentioned 'Singapore, my home' in his remarks. Well done Kenneth. Keep the Singapore flag flying high!"
In his speech, Mr Sng spoke about the ideals of democracy, which was born in the United States and spread across the world - including his home Singapore - but which is now under threat in some countries.
"Too many democratic governments are being undermined by those who have a much different vision of the world, of their power and of their responsibilities to their citizens. This debate provides a momentous occasion to show that while citizens may disagree fervently on issues, they agree that it is important to stay engaged in the democratic process," he said.
He said he had been concerned that developments like Brexit and the Syrian refugee crisis were eroding faith in democracy.
"As I was writing this speech, I was hoping that I could convince the audience that America could send a message of renewed confidence in democracy to the entire world, come Nov 8," he said.
The economics and mathematics major, who went to Jurong Junior College, is the middle child of three boys. His father is a retired car workshop owner, while his mother is a housewife.
The debate prologue that included Mr Sng's remarks was expected to be broadcast only on cable news channel C-Span but ended up aired to millions of households by major networks such as CNN and NBC.
This article was first published on October 11, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - From Oct 12, motorists will be able to purchase new parking coupons at all HDB Branches/Service Centres, The URA Centre and authorised coupon agents such as all petrol stations, Cheers and 7-Eleven outlets.
Old parking coupons can be exchanged for new ones by topping up the difference in value at 155 locations islandwide.
Coupon exchange at 131 participating petrol stations will be available from Dec 1 to Jan 31, 2017, while coupon exchange can be done earlier from Oct 12 at 23 HDB Branches/Service Centres and The URA Centre.
They cited increasing costs of building, operating and managing carparks, as well as construction, manpower and other related maintenance costs as reasons for the fee hike.
Without the latest rate increase, HDB stood to lose $100 million a year, despite the two agencies earning a total of $667 million from their carparks in their latest financials for 2014/2015.
Premium bus services - which guarantee a seat at a fixed fare of around $4 or $5 - are losing some of their shine to City Direct services.
The Government launched City Direct services - which ply one-way express routes from housing estates to the city - about two years ago. Today, there are around 20 such services, which charge less but do not guarantee seats.
Premium bus services are run by private operators who collect fare revenue, while City Direct operators are contracted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) at fixed tendered sums, with routes and timings planned by LTA.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, LTA said 44 premium bus services had ceased between Jan 1, 2014 and Aug 31 this year. Of these, 27 were taken over by other operators, while 17 were not replaced.
"During the same period, there were 12 new premium bus services," an LTA spokesman said, bringing the total to 99, down from 104 in 2013.
Operators reckon the shrinkage will be more noticeable when more City Direct services are rolled out.
Last week, the LTA announced two new City Direct services, and said extra trips will also be added to nine of the 20 existing services.
Xingsheng Transport Services operations executive Ben Chan said: "If the Government continues to grow the City Direct services, we'll see demand for premium services fall further." Fares for City Direct services, he said, were much lower, at less than $3.
Operators said the number of riders on premium services has also been falling.
Bus Hub managing director V. Anilan said passengers on his premium bus services have "more than halved in the last one year".
He has given up one route and will give up another by year's end.
Even the big boys are not spared.
ComfortDelGro said it currently operates 13 premium bus services - eight by SBS Transit and five by ComfortDelGro Bus. "This is less than half what we operated a year ago," a spokesman said.
SIM University senior lecturer Park Byung Joon said he is not surprised that City Direct seems to be cannibalising premium bus service routes. "The two services are effectively substitute services," he said. "I don't think commuters see the two as different from each other."
Commuter and bus spotter Ben Chua said: "Standing is now allowed, so I really don't see how premium these services are."
The 25-year-old administrative assistant said reliability and capacity of the premium services were also patchy. He cited Service 556 as an example. "They downsized the buses from double-deckers to coaches. Then they just withdrew it completely from June 20."
Premium bus services have been around since the 1990s, but became popular recently. Between 2008 and 2013, the number of services more than doubled from 42 to 104.
But with City Direct services, their future is less certain.
Mr Anilan said: "Even if it is not their intention, LTA has in effect been cannibalising premium bus services built by private operators over many years, with the introduction of City Direct services.
"There is conflict of interest when LTA is both authority and operator because in reality, for City Direct, LTA is the de facto operator."
The LTA spokesman said: "The provision of premium bus services is dependent on market demand and commercial considerations. This means that the bus operators do their own market research and establish their own business case."
44
Number of premium bus services that had ceased between Jan 1, 2014 and Aug 31 this year. Of these, 27 were taken over by other operators, while 17 were not replaced.
$4-5
The fixed fare on premium bus services - which guarantee a seat - compared to less than $3 on City Direct services.
This article was first published on Oct 11, 2016.
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A 10-year jail sentence meted out to a pre-surgery transgender man yesterday made clear that women can be charged and punished for sexual penetration of minors.
Lawyers whom The Straits Times spoke to said the Court of Appeal ruling was an important clarification.
Over 22 months, Zunika Ahmad, 40, had regular sex with a minor using a dildo. Yesterday, Zunika was sentenced to 10 years in jail for six counts of sexually penetrating a minor.
This overturned a previous ruling when Zunika was acquitted because the High Court ruled that the law did not apply to women.
Criminal lawyer Adrian Wee said: "The court has held that that is an offence and I think it is rightly so. I think it is very good to clarify this point. The aim is to protect the minor. Does it matter to the minor whether he or she is penetrated by a male or female?"
Some lawyers were surprised by the previous acquittal.
Zunika had pleaded guilty to the six counts of sexual penetration of a minor but was acquitted by Senior Judge Kan Ting Chiu in April.
Section 376A(1)(b) states that "any person (A) who sexually penetrates, with a part of A's body (other than A's penis) or anything else", a person under the age of 16 is guilty of an offence.
Justice Kan reasoned that only a man can be charged with such a crime, given the way the provision was written. He said it was up to the legislature to amend it to make it clear that it includes women.
In the Court of Appeal's decision last month, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said: "Section 376A(1)(b) is gender neutral and is capable of applying to a female offender."
Criminal lawyer Amolat Singh said: "We already know that in other countries, women do exploit other women. It cannot be that Parliament would punish one gender and not the other."
Mr Singh said it was good for Singaporeans to know where the law stands on these matters, and that the previous situation had "created some bewilderment".
Adopting a literal reading "may not serve what Parliament had intended", said criminal lawyer Daniel Chia. "I think, fundamentally, the Court of Appeal recognises that the permutations of sexual misconduct are very wide."
However, criminal lawyer Peter Ong Lip Cheng felt that if the law was ambiguous, benefit of the doubt should be given to the accused and the law ought to be amended by Parliament.
Mr Ong said: "I know minors must be protected, but what I'm saying is, it must be very clear that this is a criminal offence. When you say 'other than A's penis', you're talking about a man."
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The New Paper, Kelly Kimberly Cheong, Ava Gia Munaji Salamat
This article was first published on Oct 11, 2016.
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<p>A 10-year jail sentence meted out to a pre-surgery transgender man yesterday made clear that women can be charged and punished for sexual penetration of minors.</p>
Six months after opening at hip hawker centre Timbre+ at one-north, chef Damian D'Silva has closed his eponymous stall.
On the closure, the Eurasian chef, 60, would only say that he needs to spend more time with his mother, and also cites manpower issues as a problem which has left him with "no other choice".
Known for his Singapore heritage cuisine, D'Silva's stall served dishes such as Hakka fried pork; nasi lemak; Lim Peh slider, where non-spicy beef rendang is stuffed in flaky pastry; and Kai Fan, where rice is cooked in chicken broth and topped with chicken, lup cheong and char siew.
Before opening at Timbre+, he used to run now-defunct restaurants such as Immigrants Gastrobar in Joo Chiat and Soul Kitchen in Purvis Street, as well as a pop-up stall selling Asian-style mini burgers called South East Sliders.
Timbre+ declines to reveal the next hawker who will take over D'Silva's stall.
Instead, taking up another hawker space is the popular Roxy Laksa, which will move from East Coast Lagoon Food Village to Timbre+ next month.
For this opening, Roxy Laksa owner Lim Swee Heng and his wife have partnered with Wild Rocket chef Willin Low as their "successor". Low, 43, who has been learning the recipe from them, says that Mr Lim's children do not want to take over the business.
Wild Rocket chef Willin Low. Photo: The Straits Times
He says: "We have been talking about this for two years, about how the brand will go forward and how to make the business scaleable. If I can succeed, then even if they choose to give up the business eventually, their laksa will still live on."
The 24,000 sq ft Timbre+ houses young hipster hawkers alongside old-timers. Offerings include Spanish tapas and paella from Portico Platos, casual French fare from Garcons and fishball noodles from The Fishball Story.
The industrial-chic food hall opened in April and is owned by the Timbre Group, which also runs music festivals and live music spots at The Substation, The Arts House and Gillman Barracks.
•Timbre+, at JTC LaunchPad @ one-north, 73A Ayer Rajah Crescent, is open from 6am to midnight (Monday to Thursday) and 6 to 1am (Friday and Saturday). It is closed on Sunday. Go to www.facebook.com/timbreplus or www.timbreplus.sg
This article was first published on Oct 10, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - Singapore permanent residents (PR) and international students will have to pay higher school fees from January next year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement today (Oct 11).
For PR students, they will have to pay $20 to $60 more per month. As for international students, fees will go up from $20 to $150 monthly.
Fees for citizens remain unchanged.
The ministry said that the increase is to "further differentiate fees by citizenship".
A passenger's complaint about being offered $15 in compensation after her luggage was damaged on a flight has sparked heated debate among Singaporeans.
The passenger, Xiang Ying, took to Facebook to recount the incident.
She stated that her luggage was crushed after taking a KLM flight, and was supposedly promised that it would be replaced or she would get a compensation within 24 hours.
Xiang Ying then had to bring her luggage home a week later while the incident was investigated, and ranted that it always took KLM over a week to reply to her complaints.
She also said that the conclusion of the investigation was that she would be offered $15 as 'a gesture of goodwill'.
KLM Singapore also responded to her complaint on Facebook, stating that they understood Xiang Ying's unhappiness over the incident.
But they added that because KLM's Customer Care's decision is final, KLM Singapore was unable to do anything about it.
However, KLM Singapore's response did not go down well with Xiang Ying or netizens, who slammed the company.
Xiang wanted to know how they decided on the amount to be $15, to which KLM Singapore responded by asking her to file a complaint with Customer Care.
Facebook users mocked KLM Singapore for asking Xiang Ying to file yet another complaint while the first one had yet to be resolved.
At this point, KLM Singapore responded that they were looking into the matter and they weren't just responding to 'shut you up'.
However, their choice of words only riled up netizens even further.
Following this unusual exchange, KLM has said they will get back to Xiang Ying about the incident.
Don't you just wish that at times, you had people doing things on your behalf? This is especially so when you're busy with work, school or other important matters.
Well, now it looks like your wishes can soon come true!
The Butler, a Singaporean online concierge service is here to serve at your demands.
What Is The Butler?
The Butler works as a platform for clients who want to get their errands done by someone else; and for butlers who want to earn a little extra cash by doing up these few errands and getting paid for them.
With an aim to be a one-stop app for all concierge services, The Butler has a wide range of job categories for clients to choose from, and on the other end for butlers to specifically choose the jobs that they want to do.
The Butler also has appointment setting categories, where if clients need a professional service such as Legal, Insurance or Property, they can put in a request and registered professionals will reach out to them to have a meeting.
"As our tag line goes: 'All you need is The Butler'," says Nicholas Gabriel, creator of The Butler.
So how does The Butler work then?
Simple - clients put up errands they need to get done, of which butlers will bid for.
Clients then select their preferred bid and communicate with the butler via text to settle minor details. Payment is made through the app itself, once the errand is completed.
Nicholas asserts that The Butler app will eventually be the only service app that people will need on their mobile phones.
He explains that idea behind The Butler came about in late 2015, and after he kept hearing more and more people making comments about wanting someone to help them run their personal errands.
"I decided to do something about it and make it happen. In March 2016, I teamed up with an app development company who were able to understand my ideas and vision for the app, and built the app accordingly," he says.
The app is currently available on the Apple Store and Google Play store.
Challenges Faced
With a team of only two at the moment - Nicholas and his wife - raising capital to hire more staff has been one of the more prominent challenging problems he is currently facing.
Marketing the app to gain a wider traction is also a complication he faces.
When asked what his initial dilemmas were, Nicholas says it was the development of the app.
"Developing the app itself has been a unique challenge, as I had no prior knowledge or technical know-how. [Throughout the process,] I've learned a lot about what goes into designing an app and coming up with a flow that is user friendly and intuitive."
"I also had to use the app myself to realise the bugs and limitations of the design, and work on improving things even after the launch, because there are only so many things we think we can predict during the development stage. Whereas some of the other things only become apparent when you start using the app," he says.
Accepting All Requests
Nicholas reveals that when it comes to the type of requests The Butler's team delivers on, there are no limitations.
"No request is too weird for us! That's the very point of our service, to get someone to attend to any personal errand that needs to be done so long as its not illegal or impossible," he says.
The Butler's requests have included buying chicken from a supermarket, a box of donuts for a home party, tampons for a working woman, replicating a favourite dress design, arranging a pet sitter and setting up an appointment with a lawyer to prepare a will.
Food-related requests are most common at the moment, but it has a very broad range of categories in which people can make requests.
Butlers Range From Students To Corporate Employees
Other than not discriminating between butler requests, The Butler also doesn't discriminate between their employees.
"We constantly say anyone can be a butler because it's true. Our butlers range from students, freelancers, stay home parents, small businesses and even corporate employees who want to earn a bit more income through ad hoc jobs," he says.
Nicholas explains that one of the special factors of their service is that they try to connect freelance home based businesses to the public, such as home bakers and tailors and babysitters.
Reason being, they don't require the butlers to be established businesses as it allows more home-based businesses to reach out to a wider client base.
The Butler has specialist butlers for a few categories. For the legal and insurance categories, the app facilitates the setting up of an appointment with a licensed professional and it has a few professional partners who then follow up with the appointments.
For vehicle-related services, it has a specialist valet team who are experienced car handlers and have the appropriate insurance coverage.
Aside from these few categories, anyone can be a butler.
However, as The Butler is only a platform to facilitate transactions, it does not oversee the quality of the services and Nicholas urges clients to do their own checks on their butlers and services received.
The Butler is solving more than one problem with their app. It solves the main issue with people needing help in running errands, but it also creates jobs by allowing anyone to be a butler.
That was the feisty rejoinder from Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo, who oversees the National Population and Talent Division, to a question on whether young people are not getting their flats early enough to have children.
The suggestion was that this could be a chicken-and-egg problem. To qualify for the Parenthood Priority Scheme, which gives first- time married couples first dibs on getting a flat, they must be expecting or have a citizen child below 16.
But to have a child, some say they need to have a flat first.
With a straight face, Mrs Teo declared: "You need a very small space to have sex."
Known for her candid blog posts on dating and marriage, Mrs Teo does not mince her words - think "menstruation" and "cysts" - when it comes to urging young people to look for love and settle down early.
In an interview on marriage and parenthood issues last week, the mother of three teenage children tackled issues ranging from infertility to why the Government should not be "too kaypoh" (Hokkien for busybody).
She noted that the Singaporean love story has a different arc from that of countries in the West. "In our case, man meets woman, man falls in love with woman, man proposes to woman, they then plan the wedding and do the house," she said.
"In France, in the UK, in the Nordic countries, man meets woman, tonight they can make a baby already. They love each other. Both of them partly have their own family, so it is a matter of living in yours or living in mine, and they also don't have to worry about marriage - that comes later," she added.
So how about having a couple declare that they wish to have a child in two years and get the flat first?
"What if they can't conceive? Take back the flat from them? How do you know they really tried to conceive? Can we check whether they use contraceptives? Cannot, right?" she replied, amused.
Instead of having the Government poke its nose into the bedroom, Mrs Teo relied instead on persuasion. She urged women to have babies early as they would not know if they are fertile or not.
"You never really know that you're not fertile until you try. Unfortunately, it is one of those things. There is no fertility indicator. As a woman you will know, if you have regular menstruation, okay, (there is a) likelihood. But maybe you have a major cyst and how would you know until you attempt to conceive, only to realise that you can't?"
The search for love is also not something to be left to chance, she said. "When I meet young people and ask if they go and look for upgrading opportunities, they said 'yes'. I said, 'What about love? Do you go and look for love?' They said 'no'. I said, 'Why not?' They said, 'If it happens, it happens'.
"I said, 'You don't think that upgrading and a good job, if it happens it happens, right? So why is it that you would apply that thinking to your career and your own education, but you don't apply it to your personal life?'"
However, the minister was quick to point out that there is a need to respect personal choice when it comes to marriage and children.
She said: "In this day and age, it is not possible for us to say that you are somehow bad, you are not doing your part for society.
"No, there are many reasons why people remain single. Sometimes, (for) very good reasons. Why should we pass judgment on them?"
Measures being considered to coax couples to marry and have babies
Housing
Reduce the wait for Build-To-Order Housing Board flats
Childcare
Increase childcare spaces to two for every three children
Look for suitable spaces in buildings, such as underutilised carparks, that can be converted into childcare centres
Attract childcare teachers through better pay and career planning, and elevate their social status to that of school teachers
Caring for babies at home
Match local nannies to those who need them
Train maids to look after babies
At the workplace
Get employers to offer flexible work arrangements and promote work-life balance, with the Government taking the lead as an employer
This article was first published on Oct 12, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
How are millennials different from baby boomers and Generation X?
They live longer and have more options.
This means they will be open to being "gung-ho" pioneers by taking the leap to have children even as they begin building their careers, Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo believes.
This is what gives her cause for optimism that Singapore's future population picture is not as dire as it could be.
She said: "This generation must think differently. They are the new pioneers."
One way in which millennials may differ from older Singaporeans is how they view career and families. Unlike some older Singaporeans who see building careers and raising families as two distinct and sequential phases of life, millennials can pursue both at the same time, said Mrs Teo.
And they have the right aptitude to pursue both, she added in an upbeat tone. "They are very gung-ho. And they are game."
She singled out a group that she found intriguing - young couples with children. "I'm the one who asked them, 'Isn't it very difficult?' And they are the ones who shrugged their shoulders and said, 'Ya, but we manage,'" said Mrs Teo with a laugh.
She also noted that living longer and having more opportunities mean that the younger generation will lead different lives from the generations before.
"The tempo of their life, the way their whole life story has to be written probably has got to be different," she said.
"If you are going to live to 80, and just going to peak at 40, 50, then after that what happens?" she asked.
"So this generation must think differently... and redefine how personal, family and career aspirations can be met."
This article was first published on Oct 12, 2016.
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It is against the rules for drivers of private-hire cars, such as those under car-booking apps Uber and Grab, to pick up passengers off the streets without prior booking. But some still try their luck anyway.
The National Taxi Association said some private-hire drivers are picking up fares from the kerbside as well as at taxi stands. While passengers do not seem to mind, the association's executive adviser, Mr Ang Hin Kee, said the taxi group has raised this issue with the authorities, and it has been told enforcement actions were being taken.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said last week it has investigated 35 alleged cases of private-hire vehicles and private cars picking up fares illegally since 2013.
"Out of the 35 cases involving unlicensed private cars or private-hire cars that LTA has investigated, one has been charged and 19 were issued with warnings," a spokesman said. She said the rest were found to "not have infringed any relevant rules" after investigations.
Taxi driver Alan Tang, 53, said such cars have been seen at several places, including nightspots and shopping centres.
"If I were a private-hire driver desperate to cover my rental, I would wait by the side of the road," he said. "People will approach me when they see my Uber or Grab logo. I am not touting or soliciting, so I don't think I am breaking the law. That is a loophole there."
Two weeks ago, Facebook user Mohamed Hanas posted images of a new Toyota Sienta outside Mustafa Centre at 1am. "Blinking 'TAXI' sign on driver side," he wrote. "Uber logo on passenger side. Parked the car with passenger door open... looking at passers-by."
It was the second such posting in recent months. There was another post on a private car spotted in a taxi queue at Changi Airport.
Recent checks by The Straits Times found a number of private cars waiting along slip roads leading to the airport terminals.
The LTA did not say if it is illegal for a non-taxi to carry a Taxi sign, but said all private-hire vehicles are not allowed to pick up street hails like a taxi. "Anyone who operates an unlicensed public service vehicle, or causes or permits a motor vehicle to be used as one, is liable to a fine not exceeding $3,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both," it said. "The vehicle used may also be forfeited."
Lawyer Bryan Tan, 45, said if private-hire vehicles were allowed to pick up fares from the kerbside, "I'd have no qualms getting into one". "My concern, however, will be kids and unaccompanied women," he said. "For them, they need to be a bit more conservative."
In April, Senior Minister of State for Transport Ng Chee Meng said private-hire drivers will be subject to regulations, to safeguard the interest of commuters.
Like taxi drivers, they will have to go through medical tests and background screenings, attend a vocational-licence course, and be put under a demerit point system.
Private-hire cars used for bookings under Uber and Grab - which made their debut in Singapore in 2013 - will have to be registered with the LTA, and the vehicles must display decals prominently so that commuters and the authorities can easily identify them. These rules are expected to kick in in the first half of next year.
This article was first published on Oct 12, 2016.
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When Mrs Lindy Loh had her first child three years ago, she took four months of no-pay leave after four months of maternity leave.
When she had her second child last year, she took seven months of no-pay leave.
Both times, it came at a cost. The first led to an internal transfer while the second caused her position to be made vacant and ultimately led to her decision to move to a new job.
Her former employer had its reasons, she acknowledges. "I think it's fair... because there is work that has to be done. But it will be good to extend the (leeway) period so that mothers can remain in the same jobs if they want to," said Mrs Loh, 32, now a civil servant.
Millennials, from dating teenagers to young mothers such as Mrs Loh, say they face their own set of challenges when it comes to getting married and starting a family.
For one thing, expectations are different. Notes Ms Samantha Chin, a young adults specialist from Focus on the Family Singapore: "Millennials tend to want to 'have it all' - to be successful both at home and at work."
And while they are no different from their parents or grandparents in desiring the basics - a home, a job, a pre-school that will take good care of their offspring - what has changed is the nature of these needs.
So, for instance, today's young parents may no longer be satisfied with the run-of-the-mill pre-schools, but instead hanker for more expensive options such as Montessori schools.
And if they cannot meet the cost, homeschooling may even be an option.
Says Ms Nursheila Muez, 24, a research analyst: "Kindergarten education is so expensive now as competitiveness among parents to send their children to the best school increases. I might consider homeschooling as an option."
Millennials whom The Straits Times spoke to are striving to attain some measure of financial security amid the rising cost of living and uncertain economy and employment scene.
Even as they struggle to find some form of work-life balance, they also feel pressured to raise children who could succeed as adults.
"Things are so expensive and salaries aren't rising as fast. It's stressful," says Ms Amalina Rozman, 25, a creative director.
But the silver lining is also that millennials are more adept at harnessing the latest technologies for greater convenience.
For instance, polytechnic student Faith Ong, 19, says employers can offer options such as telecommuting or lighter workloads during the gap period.
"When I become a mother, at least that allows me to continue earning an income, and yet be near enough to look after my children."
Measures being considered to coax couples to marry and have babies
Housing
•Reduce the wait for Build-To-Order Housing Board flats
Childcare
•Increase childcare spaces to two for every three children
•Look for suitable spaces in buildings, such as underutilised carparks, that can be converted into childcare centres
•Attract childcare teachers through better pay and career planning, and elevate their social status to that of school teachers
Caring for babies at home
•Match local nannies to those who need them
•Train maids to look after babies
At the workplace
•Get employers to offer flexible work arrangements and promote work-life balance, with the Government taking the lead as an employer
This article was first published on Oct 12, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Singapore's retail sector is going through a rough patch. As the economy slows, shops are being boarded up and retail rents are falling.
And yet, amid this gloom, consumers continue to spend - though there is a shift in the pattern and quantum of their spending.
In June, the first month of the Great Singapore Sale, retailer sales were down 3 per cent compared with the same month last year.
It is not just tourists who are staying away, but local consumers are also looking more closely at price tags.
The mood has not been helped by the fact that about 4,800 people were laid off in the second quarter, 48 per cent more than in the same period last year.
Landlords are feeling the pinch as well.
Average monthly gross rents for prime first-storey speciality retail shops dipped 1.2 per cent in the three months to September from the previous quarter, said property consultancy Edmund Tie & Company recently.
Vacancies in the Orchard planning area rose again in the second quarter to 9.2 per cent, after reaching what was then a five-year high of 8.8 per cent in the first quarter.
ANZ economist Ng Weiwen pointed out that home prices have fallen for 12 consecutive quarters, while bank lending has shrunk for 11 straight months.
This has translated into weaker spending.
However, the decline has been gentle across the board and there have been some bright spots.
Those who find this surprising should look at the unemployment rate.
While it rose from 1.9 per cent in March to 2.1 per cent in June, it remains quite low. Said OCBC economist Selena Ling: "When unemployment rate is anything below 3 per cent, it is effectively at full employment."
It could be one reason why consumers continue spending on mid-range goods and services, such as travel and at cafes, even as they cut back on luxury items and seek better deals for necessities.
ANZ's Mr Ng said: "For the different tiers of consumer spending, the high-end consumer segment will be more sensitive to changes in consumer income, so it's not surprising.
"The mid-range segment will still hold up in the near term as wages are still holding up."
In fact, more are paying their credit card bills on time.
Only 32.25 per cent of card holders did not pay their bills in full for the second quarter, down from 33.91 per cent in the first quarter. Ms Ling said: "People have been turning slightly more cautious with spending."
They may spend less on fashion.
And malls could take a hit if their offerings are the same as the ones available on Taobao and the like, she added.
But cheaper options like house brands at supermarket chain FairPrice are seeing stronger demand.
This is what a slowing economy looks like - in Singapore.
This article was first published on Oct 12, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Singaporeans may be famously food-loving but eating out seems to be the first expense to go in an economic downturn.
Most restaurants and bars located in the downtown area interviewed by The Straits Times reported at least a 10 per cent drop in customers or turnover compared with last year.
Mr Philippe Pau, director of Bistro Du Vin at Shaw Centre, said Singaporeans react quickly to economic downturns.
"Companies and employees can sense straight away when things start to slow down and move to 'safe mode', which brings about more caution in spending," he said.
Mr Eldwin Chua, chief executive of the Paradise chain, said the group's high-end outlets like Chinese restaurant Paradise Pavilion at Marina Bay Financial Centre saw the biggest impact, with a "30 per cent fall in customers from last year, while its casual dining eateries such as Paradise Inn are down by 10 per cent".
Mr Chua has slashed the company's corporate expenditure by about 80 per cent. Instead of wining and dining his overseas business partners in the priciest Japanese restaurants, he chooses good restaurants that are cheaper.
Some Paradise restaurants introduced a 50 per cent discount for teatime earlier this year to help make up for lost revenue.
"We have to entice people to visit. Whatever is left of the pie, we snatch," said Mr Chua.
Many restaurants, including two in the Les Amis group - Vietnamese NamNam and Bistro du Vin - are offering more affordable options.
NamNam Noodle Bar senior area manager El Chee said: "While offering a value for money proposition to guests is not something new we have undertaken, greater effort has been made to cater to price-conscious guests looking for both quality and value."
A new dinner set was introduced last October as well as an a la carte buffet option last month which allows diners to eat more at a fixed price.
Bistro Du Vin which serves French food, also introduced a two-course option, on top of its three-course lunch set.
Mr Wesley Gunter, director of a public relations firm, said eating out with three children can be quite expensive, so he and his wife cook on weekends, enticing the children with "more exciting dishes".
"As we tend to entertain friends on weekends, we have now resorted to organising house potluck parties instead of meeting at our usual hangouts to save costs," he added.
Mr Indra Kantono, co-founder of four bars, including Jigger and Pony and Gibson, said he made use of the slower pace to focus on training and to renovate his weakest-performing bar.
He remains upbeat, citing the success of great restaurants born out of the 2008 financial crisis in the US.
This article was first published on Oct 12, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
<p>10% Minimum percentage drop in customers or turnover reported by most restaurants and bars located in the downtown area interviewed by ST, compared with last year.</p>
Non-academic enrichment classes may be experiencing a slowdown in enrolments but companies offering academic classes, such as PSLE tutoring, remain resilient.
Ms Chan Huang Yee, executive director of I Can Read, a chain of English reading enrichment centres, said enrolment has been slower in the last two months, falling 10 per cent compared with last year.
She said the slowdown could be due to parents withdrawing students as the year comes to a close.
But she also expects the economic downturn to affect business.
"New customers will be reluctant to make the commitment.
While parents tend to leave any spending cuts on their child's education as the last option, a prolonged downturn will see even current customers cutting back on their spending," she said.
Ms Fiona Walker, group managing director of Julia Gabriel Education which offers speech and drama classes, has seen shifts in the company's enrolment over the last 12 months.
She said: "We have noticed a trend of parents wanting to see both clear links to academic outcomes, as well as being drawn to shorter, taster programmes."
Mrs Lindy Koh-Teo, operations manager of swimming school Aqua Ducks, said that growth has been slower this year.
In the 2008 financial crisis, she slashed prices and was able to retain customer loyalty.
She may not do the same now though as the firm is much bigger.
However, tuition appears to be most able to weather economic downturns.
Mr Max Tan, director of True Learning Centre, said that his three tuition centres have seen a "marked increase" in enrolments.
"For the PSLE classes, there's definitely an increase.
No matter how bad the economy is, children's education is still one of the priorities."
Lee Xin En
This article was first published on Oct 12, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
At luxury watch retailer Leong Poh Kee, where watches cost upwards of $15,000, sales have plunged by at least half since the beginning of the year.
Its regular customers, who contribute to most of the sales, are from the mineral and oil sector and have taken a hit from the economic slowdown, said its managing director William Leong.
"This is the worst I've seen in my more than 40 years of being in the business," said the 59-year-old.
"Customers don't visit as frequently as before, and even when they come by, it's harder to convince them to buy."
It is not just the luxury segment that is feeling the pinch.
Retail experts have pointed to the slowing economy here and overseas as the key factor for the slump in sales during the recent Great Singapore Sale, which ran from June 3 to Aug 14.
The latest official statistics show that retail sales, excluding motor vehicles, in June and Julyfell 3 per cent over the same months last year.
While it is not all doom and gloom yet, consumers are being more prudent with their spending, it appears.
At supermarket chain FairPrice, sales of its house-brand items, which are at least 10 per cent cheaper than popular brands, and its "everyday low-priced" products - a basket of items most popular among shoppers and which are competitively priced - have risen by about 10 per cent since the beginning of the year.
Madam Tong Xiao Jing, 54, who quit her job as a quality control manager last year and has been unable to find a job since, said she tries to buy cheaper household products now.
She shops at Swanston, a retailer at People's Park Food Centre known for selling products at lower prices than its competitors.
Staff at the store told The Straits Times that business has been "very good".
"The items can be $1 or even $2 cheaper than elsewhere," said Madam Tong, as she loaded shampoo bottles into her shopping basket.
But while consumers scrimp on their daily necessities, one sector remains fairly resilient: beauty services.
Facial, hair and nail salons, as well as aesthetic clinics, said sales are still growing, albeit at a slower rate.
"Sales have been fairly okay. We are still seeing growth although not as fast as compared with five years ago," said Ms Gladys Cheng, director of face spa chain Jet Concepts.
She added: "People will generally still buy when it comes to beauty. They may go for a cheaper option, but beauty is still a need for most."
Said Dr S.K. Tan, medical director of aesthetics practice IDS Clinic: "Patients do remark that the economy is bad... but consumer spending appears to be the same."
This article was first published on Oct 12, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
By the time firefighters put out the "raging fire" about 90 minutes later, all that was left of the market was a tangled mess of metal, charred wood and ashes. The roof had also collapsed.
Another coffee shop at Block 494 was also damaged by the fire.
Some residents of Block 499, a senior citizen's block that overlooks the wet market, said they heard a heated argument that involved some people shouting at around 2.30am, a short while before the fire broke out.
It is not known whether the incident had anything to do with the fire, which they said was initially small but rapidly grew and spread to other areas.
Mr Tony Pan, 66, who lives on the eighth storey of Block 499, told The New Paper that he was woken up by the sound of people shouting.
"I looked out of my window and saw some people quarrelling under a tree, but couldn't tell how many there were," he said.
"Then there was a small fire, about a quarter of a basketball court. By 3am, the fire had spread through the whole market, and the roof caved in."
Another Block 499 resident, Mr Jason Teh, 68, who lives on the 17th storey, also said that he heard loud noises from below but did not think much of it at first.
"People often sit downstairs to play mahjong at night, so when I heard the commotion of people arguing, I didn't think much of it," he said.
"When I smelled smoke at around 2.45am, I looked out of my window and saw a fire that was quite small. But it quickly spread to the market."
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the "raging fire" at 2.45am, and dispatched three fire engines, four Red Rhinos, seven support vehicles and four ambulances.
The SCDF said in a Facebook post that the wet market and coffee shop were "completely engulfed in flames", and six water jets and an aerial monitor were deployed to put out the fire, which was extinguished at 4.15am.
"At the height of the fire, the roof of the wet market collapsed, and the exterior side wall of a coffee shop at Block 494, which was directly facing the raging blaze, sustained fire damage," it added.
No one was hurt but a woman in her 60s, who had breathing difficulties while being evacuated, was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
When TNP arrived at 5.15am, SCDF officers were still carrying out damping-down operations.
A Block 494 resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Teo, 60, said the exterior wall of his three-room flat on the third storey, which is next to the wet market, was damaged.
When TNP visited his flat at 9.30am, a section of the interior wall had burn marks. The wall was still hot to the touch, and the floor was covered in soot.
The container driver, who lives with his wife and two tenants, said in Mandarin: "I woke up to the smell of smoke at around 3am. It was very hot, so we quickly evacuated."
During the blaze, he said he heard three explosions at the wet market, and was afraid the fire would spread to the gas tanks in the coffee shop below his block.
"We're so lucky nothing serious happened," he said.
Madam Aminah Mohammad, who also lives on the third storey of Block 494, said her son woke her up at around 3am.
The 54-year-old, who works in the retail industry, said: "We then woke up my 90-year-old mother, and our maid helped us take her out. The smoke was very thick. I was so confused, it was very scary.
"A husband and wife with a baby helped us to carry my mother, who was in a wheelchair, down the stairs."
GOOD DEED
She said she was extremely grateful for her neighbours' kind deed.
Jurongville Secondary School student Jasmine Lwa, 13, had to take her Secondary 1 mathematics exam paper yesterday despite not being able to sleep for most of the night.
She and her parents were told by the police to leave their fourth-storey unit at Block 494 at around 3am after thick smoke engulfed the area.
At 6am, she was allowed to return to the flat to get ready for school.
Jasmine told TNP later: "I was very tired because I didn't sleep much. I couldn't concentrate during the exam and found it hard to stay awake."
Residents were alerted to the fire through the mobile application SGSecure, said the SCDF. The Ministry of Home Affairs said this was the first incident for which an alert was sent out through the SGSecure app, and encourages more people to download the app, so that they can receive such alerts in future.
The alert was sent to users of the app who were in the vicinity of the fire.
The evacuated residents were allowed to return home progressively.
The fire destroyed 36 stalls in the wet market, which is owned by HDB, and 10 in the coffee shop.
Building and Construction Authority (BCA) engineers later inspected the building structure at Block 493 and found it to be stable, though the roof structure had partially collapsed and was damaged, reported The Straits Times Online.
BCA added that the structural integrity of Block 494 and its upper floors were not affected, though the fire had damaged the coffee shop on the first storey and part of the roof structure and adjacent linkways.
It has advised the owners of affected buildings to cordon off the affected areas.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
MP: Temporary site being considered
A stallholder at the coffee shop at Block 494, Jurong West Street 41, rushed to the scene after a regular customer alerted her to the fire at around 3am.
When Madam Noorlin Rahman, 52, who owns Noorlin Seafood, got there, she saw a small fire at the nearby wet market.
She told The New Paper: "I was scared, but I never thought it would spread all the way here. After the third explosion, the whole place went dark with smoke, and the fire reached here."
Madam Noorlin, who has run the stall for five years, estimated her losses, inclusive of stock, equipment and takings, to be around $3,000 a day.
(Above) MP for Jurong GRC Ang Wei Neng (middle) at the scene yesterday. Photo: The New Paper
"I'm rushing to look for a new place now. I'm very worried that I can't find another place because I have 12 workers to support," she said.
20 YEARS THERE
A flower seller, who wanted to be known only as Mr Teo, 65, said he lost a few thousand dollars which he had kept in his stall of 20 years at the wet market.
Mr Teo, who is single and works alone, had arrived at around 5am to find his stall destroyed.
He told TNP in Mandarin: "I'm angry because that was my hard-earned money. I have regular customers, but now I can't do business.
"It'll be good if we can get compensation. I'll be losing more than $30 a day, and will have to rely on my savings as I have no insurance."
Mr Ang Wei Neng, Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC, visited the area yesterday morning. He said he was trying to help the affected stallholders resume their businesses elsewhere, or set up an alternative site nearby for the time being.
One proposed alternative is to set up a temporary wet market and hawker centre at a new basketball court in front of Block 498 that was constructed in July.
Mr Teo (above) had a stall selling flowers at the wet market. Photo: The New Paper
Mr Ang added: "The wet market's building structure does not appear to be safe, so it will take a while before (the stallholders) can access the area. The two coffee shops adjacent to the market are also unlikely to operate for now."
He added that the Building and Construction Authority is looking to rebuild the market, which will take one to two years. In the meantime, HDB is looking into suspending the rental charges.
"Most importantly, there were no injuries. Our main concern is those units near the fire, and our first priority is for them to be safe. Now, we're checking these units for defects and (we will) see if we can help the residents in any other areas," Mr Ang said.
This article was first published on October 12, 2016.
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Buyers can expect fewer certificates of entitlement (COEs) for the November-to-January quota period.
The Land Transport Authority announced yesterday that there will be an average of 8,075 COEs per month for the next three-month period, down 6.2 per cent from 8,613 for the period from August to October.
There was a 7.1 per cent decrease in vehicle deregistrations, the main driver of fresh COE quotas, resulting in a more modest reduction compared with the 10.6 per cent drop from May-to-July to the current period.
This continues the trend of contraction from the current three-month period (Aug to Oct this year), following a series of expansions earlier in the year.
The monthly COE quota for cars up to 1,600cc and 130bhp will dip by 8.2 per cent to 3,688 from the current 4,016.
For cars above 1,600cc or 130bhp, the quota will go down by about 7 per cent to 2,486 per month from 2,672.
There will be 799 COEs a month in the Open category, or a drop of about 6.8 per cent from the current 857.
Opinions are split as to how the smaller supply will affect COE premiums in the coming months.
In light of the current gloomy economic outlook and stronger Japanese yen, Neo Nam Heng, chairman of diversified motor group Prime, said: "The impact (on COE prices) will not be great."
He added that COE premiums are likely to stabilise as the private-hire sector becomes more saturated.
A large number of bids from private-hire fleets drove an increase in COE premiums earlier this year.
Eddie Loo, managing director for new and used-car dealership CarTimes Automobile, however, said premiums are unlikely to go down as there is still a significant demand for cars.
Bucking the trend, there is a slight increase of 3.1 per cent for commercial vehicles, which will have 361 COEs per month from 350 currently.
For motorcycles, the supply of COEs will also grow from 718 to 741 per month, a 3.2 per cent increase.
The Catholic Church has urged the Government to closely monitor its recent move to allow two lottery operators here to offer online betting services.
A statement to the Catholic community issued by Archbishop William Goh yesterday urged it to take "all necessary measures to help those who may fall victim to online gambling".
It said the Church has also asked for more regular consultations and updates on the consequences of the decision.
Archbishop Goh said the Church shares the concerns of many Singaporeans on the moral and social implications of gambling on society, "especially on the family and in particular on the impending invasion of this potential vice into the sacred space of our homes".
It is the second statement from a religious body on the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA's) nod in September to allow Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club to run online betting services.
The National Council of Churches Singapore, which represents over 250 churches, called for a review of the decision on Oct 5.
The authorities' approval followed applications by the Singapore-based lottery operators to be exempted from the Remote Gambling Act passed by Parliament two years ago.
The Act outlaws all online and phone betting activities.
Singapore Pools will launch online betting on Oct 25, and the Turf Club will offer its new Web and mobile platform on Nov 15. Punters can place bets for 4-D, Toto, football, F1 sports and horse racing.
Archbishop Goh said the Church appreciates that the Government has done its due diligence to ensure that stringent measures are put in place to minimise the ill-effects of online gambling.
For instance, the MHA said operators will have to put in place safeguards, such as allowing only those above 21 to open accounts.
Archbishop Goh said the Church has nevertheless urged the Government to continually review these safeguards to ensure they "keep pace with developments in the online and social environment" and remain effective in protecting individuals from falling into financial difficulty.
"Games of chance or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice… (but) they become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others," he noted.
