Category: Singapuraku

Car Park Pricing Review To ‘Help Keep Pace With Inflation’

The ongoing review of parking rates at all public car parks here is to avoid a scenario where non-car owners are subsidising parking costs for car owners, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong. While price adjustments would help drive the car-lite movement in Singapore, the main reason is inflation, he added, noting that rates have remain unchanged for 14 years.

“Inflation has gone up overall and so the main reason the agencies are raising this, is really because of the need to keep pace with inflation and to keep pace with cost increases,” Mr Wong told reporters on the sidelines of Car-Free Sunday SG yesterday. “We don’t want a situation where, inadvertently, we subsidise car parks — meaning to say, non-car owners subsidising car owners.”

In April, Mr Wong had told Parliament that raising parking charges may be something to consider if Singapore wants to move towards creating a car-lite society. Asked by how much the rates would increase, Mr Wong declined to comment yesterday, saying the agencies involved are studying the matter.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority had told TODAY the aim of the review was to “reduce the gap between the fees charged by private and public car parks” and appropriately price public car park charges. Mr Wong said the agencies should be able to finalise the details “very soon”.

Source: TODAY Online

June 28, 2016
Restoran 1 Market By Chef Wan Ditutup Hujung Bulan Ini, Cef Wan Marah Kualiti Kucar Kacir

Restoran 1 Market by Chef Wan di Plaza Singapura, akan ditutup penghujung bulan ini (Jun) setelah beroperasi sekitar tiga tahun setengah.

Ketika dihubungi oleh BERITAMediacorp menerusi panggilan jarak jauh ke Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Chef Wan atau lebih senang disapa sebagai Chef Wan berkata: “Kontrak kita selama tiga tahun dah sampai, mereka naikkan sewa jadi tentulah akan bertambah kos kita kan. Itu yang kita kena fikirkan.”

Selain dari peningkatan sewa restoran popular tersebut, Chef Wan, 59 tahun, yang menjadi ‘wajah’ restoran tersebut, tidak menafikan bahawa ada juga beberapa faktor yang membuatnya tidak terfikir untuk menyambung kontrak kerjasama bersama rakan kongsi restoran tersebut yang beliau namakan sebagai Food Junction. Cef Wan tidak memiliki restoran tersebut, namun memberikan namanya digunakan dan memberikan khidmat konsultan kepada restoran tersebut.

CEF WAN MARAH, KUALITI KUCAR KACIR

Cef yang sememangnya petah bercakap itu berkata: “You boleh lihat kualiti pengurusan kucar-kacir, makanan dan resipi pun tak buat apa yang kita dah tunjuk. Cef pun ikut suka-hati mereka. Bila I dengar tu, I marahlah.

“I pun tak dijemput lagi untuk develop resipi hampir 10 bulan. Masalah pengurusan memang I dapat lihat jelas dan terbawa-bawa hingga ke kualiti makanan. Bila kita dah habis 3 tahun kontrak ni kita bincang baliklah. Sudah tentunya I tak puas hati kan?”.

Selain itu, beliau turut menjelaskan bukan mudah untuk mendapatkan tukang masak di Singapura yang mahir untuk restoran itu, yang dibuka pada November 2012.

Berita mengenai penutupan restoran itu dihebahkan Cef Wan menerusi Instagram rasminya ChefWan58 petang tadi.

ISU PEMBAZIRAN MAKANAN

Menurut Cef selebriti itu, pembaziran makanan turut berlaku di restoran 1 Market by Chef Wan memandangkan makan tengah hari dan makan malam dihidang secara buffet.

Dengan pembaziran itu, ia turut menambahkan lagi kos operasi restoran tersebut kongsi Cef yang peramah itu.

Beliau sedar bahawa restoran tersebut adalah besar dan ini juga menambah lagi kos operasi.

Cef Wan memberitahu BERITAMediacorp, beliau tentunya berasa sedih dengan penutupan restoran yang terletak di Plaza Singapura itu memandangkan ia berjaya menjana pendapatan sebanyak S$1 juta setiap bulan ia dikendalikan.

Lagipun, ia juga adalah peluang untuk beliau menemui dan beramah-mesra dengan peminat-peminatnya yang menetap di Singapura.

“Benda ni sayang sebab kami bekerja keras. Banyak promosi. Saya jenis ‘tough person’ yang selalu percaya hujan atau panas, apa pun yang terjadi kita kena teruskan kehidupan. Bukan sesuatu yang you bimbang atau nak terjun diri dari bangunan,” katanya dengan nada gurau dalam mengungkap isu tersebut.

Meskipun restoran itu akan ditutup pada penghujung Jun nanti, beliau akui sudah pun ada beberapa pelabur yang melahirkan minat untuk membuka restoran lain pula di sini mahupun di Kuala Lumpur.

Buat masa sekarang ini, beliau tidak dapat mendedahkan butiran lanjut.

Cuma satu sahaja yang beliau inginkan jika berpeluang membuka sebuah lagi restoran di Spura nanti: “Kali ini ia adalah sebuah restoran Melayu ala Malaysia macam Azizah (Azizah Restaurant) buat dulu.”

Source: BERITAMediacorp

June 28, 2016
US Special Rep To Muslim Communities: Important To Give Singapore Minorities Equal Entrepreneur Opportunities

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA – For Singapore’s entrepreneurship landscape to reflect the diversity of its society, business owners and youths from minority groups must have equal access to funding and opportunities, a United States official said.

This is important because entrepreneurship can act as a powerful counter to violent extremism, while also exposing young people to new ideas and opportunities, noted Mr Shaarik Zafar, the US Department of State’s Special Representative to Muslim Communities.

Mr Shaarik was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which is being held over three days on the Stanford University campus in California.

More than 700 entrepreneurs and 300 investors from around the world are taking part in the summit, including at least seven representatives from Singapore.

Mr Shaarik has made three visits to Singapore, most recently in May this year when he met with Singapore’s Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

“Singapore’s diversity, just like diversity in other countries, is its strength,” he said in response to questions from The Straits Times at the Summit.

“Singapore has strong rule of law, and access to capital. But the challenge is, as in many parts of the world, sometimes minority youth don’t have access to this,” he noted.

“I think the key is mentorship, and often that means people mentoring young people outside their community.”

Mr Shaarik added that Singapore can be an “important role model” when it comes to helping minorities access entrepreneurship opportunities.

“The next step is engaging Muslim youth, and other minority youth, and making sure they have access to the same training, the same mentorship, and the same capital…It’s important that all aspects of Singaporean society are able to access (these).”

Mr Shaarik also said promoting entrepreneurship is a “fundamental part”of US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, “because we recognise entrepreneurship is directly linked to stability, economic growth and connectivity with the world”.

His comments echoed remarks made by US Secretary of State John Kerry earlier the same day, during the official opening of the Summit.

Entrepreneurship can create jobs and opportunities for young people all over the world who might otherwise be vulnerable to violent extremist ideas, Mr Kerry told the audience.

“Think of the peril if we leave those minds, which have the same desires that many of you do here, if we leave them to the pickings of extremists and exploiters and demagogues,” he added.

“(Entrepreneurs) provide a highly visible and very effective rebuttal to the propaganda of violent extremist groups. Because your optimism provides an alternative to their nihilism. Because you’re trying to build the brighter future that in fact these folks are determined to prevent.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 27, 2016
SQ368 Passenger: Lucky To Escape Blazing Inferno, Thankful Didn’t Burn Alive

I just escaped death!!!!

Our Singapore Airline plane was leaking oil 3 hours flying off and the plane had to turned back. After reaching Changi Airport, as the plane was landing, the engine burst into flames!!!! Huge fire was burning! See video!

It was a heart wrenching 5 mins! Waiting for the fire engine and fire fighters to put out the fire! They shot foam and water into the fire and eventually it was put out! We were so close to death!! I am still in the plane with all passengers. But I think we are safe for now….they will be evacuating us soon.

I thank God I am alive! I going home to hug my kids…. Europe Sale has to wait for a while.

Sorry everyone!

Bee Yee (shocked..)

Source: premiummall.sg

June 27, 2016
Teens Who Helped Two Cardiac Arrest Victims In A Day Get SCDF Awards

Two teenagers became the first civilians to respond to two calls for help by cardiac arrest victims in a day through an innovative mobile phone app by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Mr Hairil Aidilfitri Johari, 19, and Mr Muhammad Adhwa Ahlami Johari, 19, went to the aid of two victims in two hours, after Mr Adhwa received two alerts from the myResponder app on Wednesday.

The boys had watched Croatia upset favourites Spain 2-1 in a Euro 2016 group match and then tucked into their pre-dawn Ramadan meal at Mr Hairil’s Woodlands Street 82 flat.

Just as they finished their meal at 5.30am, Mr Adhwa heard a siren. It did not come from a passing ambulance outside, it was a notification from his myResponder app.

The two ITE students, who are been trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated external defibrillator (AED), sprinted to the scene in two minutes

They were just in time to assist paramedics and help direct traffic.

They had barely caught their breath after the first case when Mr Adhwa and Mr Hairil received another notification, at 7.33am.

“We were very thirsty but could not stop for a water break as we are fasting,” Mr Hairil told The New Paper. Rain poured while they sprinted to their next case. They reached the victim’s flat in a minute.

They saw the victim’s family members administering CPR while he was seated in an upright position, which was wrong.

Remembering their cadet training at Evergreen Secondary School, the teens took control of the situation.

They placed the victim on the floor, and took turns to administer CPR on the elderly man with the assistance of the voice call function on the app.

Once paramedics came seven minutes later, the teens consoled the victim’s distraught family members.

“It was the least we could do,” said Mr Hairil. Despite their efforts, both patients died later.

The SCDF decided to recognise the teens’ exceptional efforts and gave them the Public Spiritedness Award at the 4th SCDF Division Headquarters in Bukit Batok on Friday (June 25).

Their former secondary school principal, Ms Carol Lim, beamed with pride when they were presented with the award.

“They are boys of good character and always selflessly offering their help in times of crisis,” Ms Lim said.

Assistant Commissioner Yazid Abdullah, the director of the medical department at SCDF, commended Mr Adhwa and Mr Hairil’s courage.

He said that even though these two were equipped with first-aid training, responders without any background knowledge can also use the myResponder app.

“It is not essential to have previous first-aid training as responders will have the assistance of our control room.

“We highly encourage more people to offer their assistance using myResponder,” said AC Yazid.

Source: The Straits Times

June 26, 2016