Monday, June 8, has been declared a Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Sabah earthquake.
Six pupils and one teacher from Tanjong Katong Primary School are confirmed to have died. The Singaporean adventure guide who was with them on a school field trip also died.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
US Geological Survey reports that the source of the earthquake occurred 19km North West of Ranau.
The earthquake with magnitude 6.0 occurred near Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia at 7.15am today.
The tremor lasted for 30 seconds.
According to Ranau police, damages caused by the tremors to building nearby appear minimal, with several business premises in Ranau town reporting shattered windows.
Source: www.theborneopost.com
It sounds like a scene from a horror movie. Patrons of the Rex Cinema claim they have been leaving with more than just shivers down their spine – after finding themselves covered in bedbugs.
The theatre in Mackenzie Road which shows Bollywood films has admitted to The Straits Times that it has a problem with the bugs – and pest controllers say it may not be the only cinema here to have them.
A group that watched a film at Rex on May 31 told how they began feeling uncomfortable during the two-hour showing.
Hairstylist Srirutiran Mathivanan, 29, said that as the movie was drawing to a close, his friend’s wife began complaining that she felt itchy.
When he turned on his mobile phone’s flashlight, he noticed that her hand was swollen – but that was not all.
“I saw many bedbugs at her feet and when I peeled the seat cushion back, even more came out,” said Mr Mathivanan, who added that he had previously been bitten at the cinema.
His friend, Mr Narasinga Rao Vandasan, 26, felt the incident was “no small matter”.
He said: “I sometimes see children going to the cinema. What if they get bitten? Cinemagoers don’t want to spread this to their friends and family.”
Mr Vandasan said the cinema’s management had previously told him they would clean up the place but the situation has not improved. “I don’t think I’ll go back to the cinema again,” he added.
Student Harini Vee, 20, who visits Rex Cinema once every two months, said: “The hygiene there is quite bad, especially during off-peak hours. It’s not uncommon to see popcorn bits on the floor. But bedbugs sound quite extreme, I wouldn’t have expected it.”
Rex Cinema acknowledged the problem and told The Straits Times it plans to install new seats by the end of next month.
Spokesman Noor Jahan said: “We get about two complaints about bedbugs a week. However, we have procedures in place to deal with them. Pest control conducts regular (cleaning) every week and we go in and clean the place after every show.
“We also offer to change the seats of patrons who complain about bedbugs mid-show, or offer compensation for those who complain after the show. If (Mr Mathivanan) had come to us, we would have offered him the same treatment.”
When contacted, other cinema operators said they have pest-control measures in place.
Shaw Theatres, for example, said all its cinemas are disinfected by specialists every month and no bedbug infestations have been reported.
Bedbug bites are manifested in rows of two or three bites – usually at the ankles or back of the neck. A female bedbug can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifespan of one year.
Mr John Ho, co-founder of Aardwolf Pestkare, recommends that cinemas be treated for bedbugs at least once a month. “Bedbugs are a continuous problem,” he said.
“Once their eggs are laid, there can be an infestation within three months. Bedbugs do not transmit diseases, they are just a source of irritation.”
Source: www.straitstimes.com
The woman who was charged and convicted with selling curry puffs without a licence was the operator of a foreign syndicate mass producing curry puffs from her flat, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a statement.
The New Paper published Madam Robiah Lia Caniago’s story on Monday, which attracted many responses from readers wanting to help her.
The 40-year-old’s husband was jailed for drug offences in March 2012, and Madam Robiah claims she had to make curry puffs from her two-room rental flat at Lengkok Bahru to support her son, nine, and daughter, seven.
She was fined $3,000, but as she could not pay up, she served a five-day default jail sentence instead.
NEA said they had found Madam Robiah operating the curry puff business with eight other people in her flat. The curry puffs were being prepared on the floor and in “very unhygienic conditions”.
The agency also released photographs of Madam Robiah’s flat when they inspected it in June last year.
NEA’s statement is in full below:
In 2014, the National Environment Agency (NEA) received public complaints concerning unlicensed mass preparation of curry puffs for sale at Block 61 Lengkok Bahru.
Acting on information received, officers from NEA conducted a joint inspection together with the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM), on 27 June 2014 at the HDB flat and found a foreign syndicate mass producing curry puffs. During the inspection, Mdm Robiah and eight other people, all of whom are on social visit passes, were preparing curry puffs on the floor of the premises. The food preparation was done in a very unhygienic condition and caused disamenities to the neighbours such as smell nuisance.
When questioned, Mdm Robiah claimed that they were all her relatives. NEA’s records showed that four of them had been ticketed between four to 13 times previously for illegal hawking of curry puffs at various public places, such as MRT stations.
This was also the second time within a month that the same premises was found to be used for unlicensed mass preparation of curry puffs.
As they had not stopped their operations but continued to flout the law after the first inspection, Mdm Robiah was prosecuted in court for an offence under the Environmental Public Health Act, Section 32 for operating a food establishment without first obtaining a licence from NEA. Under the law, any person who contravenes the provision for the first time shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000. Mdm Robiah was fined $3,000 by the District Court on 27 May 2015.
Assistance rendered to Mdm Robiah and family
The Government is aware of Mdm Robiah’s family situation and has been rendering various financial assistance to Mdm Robiah and her family since 2012, when her husband was incarcerated. This includes help for rent and utilities, monthly financial assistance from Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Education (MOE), as well as services provided by Family Service Centres (FSCs).
Guidelines on food hygiene and hawking
NEA takes a tough stance towards errant food operators who flout hygiene regulations, especially those who run unlicensed operations, as they could pose serious threats to public health. Members of the public are advised not to buy food from illegal hawkers. In particular, illegally sold food items such as curry puffs may not have been prepared in accordance with proper hygiene procedures or undergone quality control checks.
Any Singaporean who wishes to embark on hawking may rent a hawker stall from NEA. Local illegal hawkers in genuine financial difficulties are referred to social service agencies, Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) and self-help groups. They can approach the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) Career Centres located island wide for career and training advice and services to enhance their job search skills and employability. They can also register with Jobs Bank to search for jobs.
Source: www.tnp.sg
Gereja-gereja di Singapura akan pakai putih atau Wear White pada 13 Jun 2015 ini sebagai simbol tidak setuju mereka terhadap acara perhimpunan tahunan yang mempromosikan gayahidup kaum Sodom di Singapura.
Mereka sebulat suara akan memakai putih pada tarikh tersebut, sepertimana yang mereka lakukan pada tahun lepas secara besar-besaran. Inilah cara mereka menyuarakan keperihatinan mereka terhadap gejala negatif dengan cara aman, iaitu dengan hanya memakai putih.
Wear White ini sebenarnya bermula dari Wearwhite yang dipelopori masyarakat Islam tahun lepas apabila acara tahunan kaum Sodom itu bertembung dengan malam 1 Ramadhan. Tahun lepas, Wearwhite ini hanya menggalakkan Muslim untuk memakai pakaian putih pada malam 1 Ramadhan sebagai kesucian untuk Kembali Kepada Fitrah dan tidak menyokong acara yang mempromosikan gayahidup kaum Sodom. Golongan Kristian memberi sokongan kuat lagi padu dengan mereka memakai pakaian serba putih pada hari Sabtu (petang 1 Ramadhan) dan Ahad (1 Ramadhan) apabila mereka ke gereja masing-masing.
Golongan Kristian tahun ini meneruskan Wearwhite tahun ini dengan mengenakan pakaian serba putih pada hari acara mempromosikan gayahidup kaum Sodom dijalankan sebagai cara mereka menyuarakan keperihatinan mereka secara aman. Dan mereka pun sudah persiapan awal untuk menggalakkan anggota setiap gereja untuk Wearwhite pada hari tersebut.
Source: Mohd Khair