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E-scooter population in S’pore plunges 91.5% to 8,500

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1 minute

SINGAPORE - At the height of e-scooters' popularity less than two years ago, retailer Mobot could sell up to a thousand of them each month. But after personal mobility devices (PMDs), including e-scooters, were banned from footpaths in November 2019, demand for the devices plunged. Now, Mobot's e-scooter sales are just 5 per cent of what they were previously. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

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Global collective action, people on the ground needed to fight climate change: Grace Fu

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Collective and committed global action is needed to overcome climate change. And, in South-east Asia, countries must work together to realise sustainability goals as the region goes about recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Saturday (May 22). She also urged participants at an annual youth forum, by non-profit organisation Global Compact Network Singapore, to start engaging in sustainability activism as individuals on the ground. They can then move on to influencing social norms in the community, before joining national and international initiatives. In opening remarks delivered virtually, Ms Fu noted several ways Singapore is contributing to regional efforts, such as by convening the first special Asean ministerial meeting on climate action in 2018. Singapore has also committed $5 million over five years through the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre - based in the Republic - to aid weather forecasting and haze monitoring. Ms Fu pointed to an Asean Power Grid being explored in the long run, which would enable electricity to be traded freely between member states - and help the region reach its aspi...

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Children are not more prone to getting infected with Covid-19: Experts

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5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Even as more than 40 students and pupils from some 30 schools have come down with Covid-19 in the past month, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that children are now more prone to being infected with the virus, and the rise in infections is likely to be the result of them being in close proximity with one another, experts said. The new variants that are circulating are generally more contagious as well, they noted. The rise in infections includes a cluster at Learning Point tuition centre, which has 28 cases as at Friday (May 21). On that same day, Singapore also reported its first incidence of school-based transmission. But there is little to suggest that the strains of the virus that are currently circulating are more likely to infect children, said Professor Paul Tambyah, deputy director of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine's Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme. Rather, the reason more children have returned positive Covid-19 tests is due to the cluster environment, such as a tuition centre or a school bus, both of which have become the epicentres of two large clusters, Prof Tambyah said. Current evid...

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37 projects to receive $3.7 million under SG Eco Fund

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A total of 37 green projects will receive $3.7 million in grants under the SG Eco Fund set up to aid sustainability efforts, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu announced on Saturday (May 22). Of these, 25 projects will receive up to $50,000 in funding, while the remaining 12 will receive between $50,000 and $700,000. Awarded projects include a self-help recycling zone by the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation, set up to teach the community to recycle the right way; and a laptop repair and upcycling workshop by non-profit organisation Engineering Good to redistribute these refurbished laptops to family service centres and needy beneficiaries. A press release issued by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment said that the winning projects were evaluated on their environmental outcomes, as well as community engagement and implementation plan, among several factors. "They address a broad spectrum of environmental issues, ranging from waste management and recycling to public cleanliness and low-carbon solutions," said a spokesman. "They are a mix of public, private and people sector applicants." Other grant recipients are grassroot...

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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on May 22

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2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, May 22. First school-based Covid-19 transmission in S'pore after 2nd ACS (Junior) pupil tests positive The 11-year-old pupil is the classmate of another patient who tested positive on Wednesday. READ MORE HERE Singapore's largest active Covid-19 cluster: What went wrong at Changi Airport? Could Singapore have closed off for a short period, to review and tighten its defences? READ MORE HERE Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine safe, effective for those aged 12 to 15, says expert committee responding to open letter from some doctors The doctors had called for children to be given traditional Covid-19 vaccines instead of mRNA ones. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Close global and multilateral cooperation key to fighting pandemics: PM Lee at G-20 health summit Repeated waves of Covid-19 globally show no country is safe until everyone else is safe, he said. READ MORE HERE Facing new Covid-19 waves, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam fight to hold the line ST examines the reasons behind the spike in cases and what they are doing to fight the new wave. READ MORE HERE Covid-19 pan...

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Singapore’s largest active Covid-19 cluster: How it all began

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The first hint of trouble arose when an 88-year-old cleaner working at Changi Airport's Terminal 3 developed a cough and runny nose. The man went to see a doctor on May 4, and tested positive for the virus the next day. Subsequent cases flowed in thick and fast, and the virus did not discriminate. Among those it infected: An 18-year-old student who had visited Terminal 3's food court at the same time as two other cases. A 66-year-old passenger escort officer. A married couple - one an aviation officer, the other a coffee shop worker. A total of 43 airport staff have been found to be infected so far. Most worked in a Terminal 3 zone that received passengers from higher-risk countries, and would have visited eateries in the building. This is believed to be how the virus spread to members of the public. Nearly 19,000 front-line workers and airport office staff were subsequently tested for the virus, and Terminal 3's main cleaning contractor, Ramky Cleantech Services, was also put on a 14-day safety time-out after several cases were detected among its employees. Last Wednesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) announced that al...

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Residents at Hougang block started taking polymerase chain reaction tests

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A steady stream of people, including the elderly with walking aid and in wheelchair, came to the void deck of Block 506 Hougang Ave 8 on Friday (May 21) afternoon for their Covid-19 swab test. For the first time, an entire block of residents, comprising 116 households, will be undergoing mandatory Covid-19 testing as a precautionary measure. This is after some residents were found to have tested positive for Covid-19. Health Promotion Board (HPB) staff in full personal protective equipment (PPE) were attending to them at one of four enclosed stations where polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were administered. Residents who have taken their tests are advised to remain at home until the results are out the next day. Mdm Tea Soi Noi, 71, was among the first to arrive. "It was my first time taking a swab test. It was very fast, I didn't feel much," said Mdm Tea, who lives with her youngest son in his 30s. Housewife Amy Azni, 52, also took the test early Friday afternoon with her youngest daughter, aged 18. She said her two other children, aged 29 and 28, would go for the test later in the afternoon as they were still working. "I cook at home so we don't really need to go...

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Over 71,600 in Singapore have psychotic disorders, says study

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7 minutes

SINGAPORE - Like many others her age, Ms Michelle Lai enjoys baking, hiking, drawing and doing barre, a workout that incorporates elements of ballet, yoga and Pilates. She hangs out with friends and volunteers regularly, giving talks on mental health. The 30-year-old is living proof of what a diagnosis, medications and therapy can do for someone with a mental health condition. Ms Lai has a schizoaffective disorder and up till just three years ago, used to experience things that were not there. "When I'm unwell I hear voices, see things people can't see, smell smells that people can't smell, and feel people punching or pinching me. Sometimes, my mouth will have a bitter taste too," she told The Straits Times. And she is not alone in her experience. Results from the 2016 Singapore Mental Health Study, released by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) on Friday (May 21), found that one in 43 of those aged 18 and up here has had a psychotic disorder in their lifetime. This translates to roughly 71,600 people. The study was conducted on 6,126 participants representing the population between 2016 and 2018 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Nanyang Technological Univers...

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Former radio DJ Daniel Ong fined $65,000 over underpaid workers at Twelve Cupcakes

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2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Former radio DJ Daniel Ong Ming Yu, 45, was fined $65,000 on Friday (May 21) for failing to prevent Twelve Cupcakes from underpaying its foreign workers. Ong had co-founded the confectionery chain in 2011 with then-wife artiste, Jaime Teo Chai-lin, 43. He pleaded guilty to 10 charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Another 14 similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. Teo was fined $65,000 in March after pleading guilty to 10 similar charges. The duo employed foreign workers in 2012, and seven of those workers were underpaid between 2013 and 2016. They included four customer service executives, two sales executives and a pastry chef. The pastry chef was supposed to receive a monthly salary of $2,300 in mid-2014, but received $1,600 instead and continued receiving the lower salary until mid-2016. The court heard the arrears in salary totalling $98,900 from when the pair owned the company remained outstanding to the workers. No restitution has been made. Ong and Teo sold the firm to Kolkata-based Dhunseri Group for $2.5 million in 2016. In January, Twelve Cupcakes, under its current owner, was fined $119,500 for underpaying seven of its fo...

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Union leaders, health authorities in S’pore to discuss ways to boost healthcare workers’ welfare

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Union leaders have been collecting feedback from healthcare workers amid the recent surge in Covid-19 cases and will be discussing with the Ministry of Health and hospital management on how to look after their welfare during this stressful period. "(We will) discuss with them on how we can further improve our processes and support measures to look after the well-being of our front-line workers, not only in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) but across different healthcare institutions," National Trades Union Congress deputy secretary-general Chee Hong Tat said in a Facebook post on Friday (May 21). Mr Chee, who is also adviser to the Healthcare Services Employees' Union (HSEU), said he had an online dialogue on Wednesday with members of the union and staff from TTSH. This comes in the wake of reports that TTSH and other healthcare workers have faced discrimination by the public, following the emergence of a Covid-19 cluster at TTSH on April 28. Cases were also detected at other hospitals such as Raffles Hospital and Sengkang General Hospital. To thank healthcare workers for their efforts, the labour movement has embarked on an initiative to distribute 12,000 care packs to th...

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Neighbours of SKH nurse charged with harassing front-liner and his family

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A couple appeared in the district court on Friday (May 21) after allegedly harassing their front-liner neighbours amid the Covid-19 outbreak. A male nurse, who works at Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), and his family are said to be the victims. The Straits Times understands that his wife is also an essential service worker. One of the alleged offenders, Lim Sok Lay, 48, was charged with five counts of harassment and one count of being a public nuisance. Her husband, Cheang Eng Hock, 56, was handed two harassment charges. The two Singaporeans are accused of harassing their neighbours at an Edgefield Plains block of flats in Punggol. Between May 13 and 15 last year, they are said to have shouted phrases such as "Covid spreader" and "virus family" at their alleged victims. Cheang and Lim are also accused of spraying disinfection solution in their direction. On Oct 21 last year, Lim allegedly sprayed a similar liquid at her neighbours' flat. She is said to have targeted another flat on the same floor the following month by abusing its occupants with vulgar language. Lim is also accused of spraying disinfection liquid in the direction of this second flat on Dec 10 last year....

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DHG LTD Releases Mogu Mobile App for Home WiFi and IoT Device Management

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2 minutes

Tokyo, JP / SEAPRWire / May 20, 2021 /- DHG LTD (Daiko Holding Group), a global communications group operating from Japan, released the newest version of the Mogu mobile app early last week. Available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, the Mogu mobile app pairs exclusively with Mogu Smart Routers (MSRs) to manage Japanese home WiFi and consumer IoT devices. The recent update to the Mogu mobile app includes enhanced graphing functionality, transparent device usage statistics, and a router visibility module for tracking real time WiFi use. DHG acquired Mogu Technologies, a Singapore-based smart router company, earlier this year. Shortly after the acquisition, DHG released the Mogu Smart Router Version 2 with an integrated mobile app optimized for Japanese internet services providers. The MSR Version 2 and mobile app release marks the second generation of Mogu products to reach consumer households in Asia. Prior to the DHG acquisition, Mogu Technologies successfully launched MSR Version 1 in mainland China with plans to expand throughout Asia in 2020. Now housed under the umbrella of DHG, the new leadership team aims to expand the Mogu brand throughout Japan this year. The r...

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12 weeks’ jail for e-scooter rider whose device struck cyclist, causing fatal injuries

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - An e-scooter rider who was riding a non-compliant device when it struck an elderly cyclist in 2019, causing fatal injuries, was sentenced on Thursday (May 20) to 12 weeks' jail. Malaysian Hung Kee Boon, now 22, pleaded guilty earlier this month to causing Madam Ong Bee Eng's death by performing a rash act. The Singapore permanent resident had also admitted to one count of riding a non-compliant personal mobility device (PMD) on a public path, an offence under the Active Mobility Act. Another charge for riding an unregistered PMD on a public path was considered during sentencing. Before handing down the sentence on Thursday, Principal District Judge Victor Yeo noted that this was the first case in which a PMD user caused the death of another person by riding in a rash manner. The judge also said that Hung's riding was "reckless" and that he had done so at an "excessive speed". Deputy Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok had earlier said Hung's e-scooter was "grossly non-compliant", stressing that its weight, maximum speed and width exceeded the restrictions imposed on PMDs under the law. For instance, it weighed 44.2kg, more than double the permitted weight of 20kg. The DPP had ...

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Suntec City joins list of dine-in areas for front-line workers

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Food delivery riders, safe distancing ambassadors and other essential workers can now dine in at Suntec City in two zones, following a ban on dining in at eateries and restaurants until June 13. The mall has designated the Food Republic and Big Appetite food courts to allow for the consumption of meals in a safe and conducive environment. The mall joins other venues like community centres that have opened up their premises to allow front-line workers to rest and have their meals. "Safe management measures within these dining areas are in place and we hope this will play a small part in helping these essential personnel perform their roles during this difficult time," said Suntec in a release on Thursday (May 20). This will apply to safe distancing ambassadors, safe management inspectors, enforcement officers and food delivery riders, it added. Suntec City said that it will be extending the grace period for parking on its premises, to support delivery drivers and riders. This will give shoppers more flexibility to pick up any orders they make for takeaways, it added. The mall will also allow its tenants to shorten store operating hours to reduce their operating costs. Re...

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Primary 1 registration for 2022 will open on June 30, go online for second year in view of Covid-19

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5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Primary 1 registration for next year will open on June 30, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Thursday (May 20). This year's exercise will not be affected by the ongoing review of the Primary 1 registration framework, which was raised in Parliament during the Budget debate in March. The ministry is reviewing the framework to see how it can increase the number of places set aside under Phase 2C - the open phase for those who do not enjoy any form of priority admission, and is based on home-to-school distance. For the second year in a row, registration will be online in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Parents can register through two modes of registration depending on which phase their child is in. For parents registering their child under Phase 1 - which allows parents to register their younger child at the school where an older child is currently studying - the school will provide parents with more details on how to register their younger child during the registration period using an online application form. For Phases 2A(1), 2A(2) and 2B, the link to the online application form and user guide will be available on the MOE Primary 1 registration website, as well as t...

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Singapore’s challenge is to avoid economic scarring, emerge stronger from Covid-19: DPM Heng

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Countries around the world that are trying to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, including Singapore, must be mentally prepared that it will be a long and uncertain battle. "We are actually fighting a very agile virus. Whenever there is any gap in our defence, it gets through, and multiplies exponentially," said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat at the Nikkei Conference on Thursday (May 20). The immediate challenge, he added, is to contain Covid-19 and avoid economic scarring. Last year, the Government committed close to $100 billion - or 20 per cent of gross domestic product - in Covid-19 support across five Budgets. Explaining the reason for providing this extensive support, Mr Heng said: "If companies were to be closed and workers retrenched, it will be very hard to rebuild when the situation gets better. So, maintaining that capability is very important." At the same time, Covid-19 has accelerated changes ranging from digitalisation to sustainability, he added. This is why industry transformation maps (ITMs) were launched in 2016 under the Future Economy Council (FEC), he said. These are road maps to drive transformation of 23 industries across manufacturing, built e...

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8 Britons who breached Covid-19 measures on yacht off Lazarus Island fined $3,000 each

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2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Eight Britons who flouted Covid-19 rules when they took part in an unlawful gathering on a pleasure craft on Dec 26 last year were each fined $3,000 on Thursday (May 20). Annabelle Morgan Duke, 26, Philip Edward Knatchbull Holmes, 27, Mark Alexander Bellamy, 27, Amy Georgina Hunt, 30, Thomas Cuthbert Williams-Jones, 30, Oliver Francis William Campbell, 31, Benjamin David Waters, 32, and Amy Alexandra Stewart, 32, were part of a group of 10 people who had boarded the craft on Boxing Day. The group had intermingled without masks at a time when social gatherings were limited to five people. The eight Britons pleaded guilty to an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures Act) on Thursday. Earlier in March, Briton Amy Grace Ropner, 28, and Singapore permanent resident Mark Lau San Mao, 30, were also each fined $3,000 for the same offence. Ropner has since been banned from working in Singapore and the validity of Lau's re-entry permit will be shortened upon his next renewal. The court heard that the pleasure craft named Advant was owned and operated by a company called Beyond Luxury. It could be chartered for excursions through a booking agent. Hunt had contacted one suc...

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MFA meets India High Commissioner to express concerns over Delhi minister’s claims of Singapore virus strain

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Wednesday (May 19) said it was "disappointed" that a prominent Indian political figure like Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had failed to ascertain facts before making claims about a "new strain" of Covid-19 found in Singapore. In a statement, the ministry said it "regrets the unfounded assertions" made on Facebook and Twitter by Mr Kejriwal, who claimed on Tuesday that a "Singapore variant" was particularly harmful to children and could cause a third wave of infections in India. "MFA met the High Commissioner of India P Kumaran this morning to express these concerns," said a spokesman. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan quoted Mr Kejriwal's original post in a tweet and said: "Politicians should stick to facts! There is no 'Singapore variant'." Dr Balakrishnan also included a link to a May 11 article in established science journal Nature, which explained how virus variants like B1617 have been dominant in India before spreading to about 40 nations, including Singapore. Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar tagged Dr Balakrishnan in a tweet that sought to clarify that Mr Kejriwal "does not speak for India"...

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askST: What is a mask with ‘higher filtration capability’ and how do I select one?

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5 minutes

SINGAPORE - With more transmissible Covid-19 strains in the community and evidence showing that the virus can be transmitted through aerosols, people should be selecting masks with higher filtration capabilities. The Straits Times looks at what this means and the types of masks that can offer sufficient protection. Q: What does "higher filtration capability" mean? A: A mask's filtration capability refers to how well it is able to filter respiratory droplets, which may contain bacteria or the Sars-Cov-2 virus, and prevent these from going through. This is commonly measured by looking at the mask's particle filtration efficiency (PFE) and its bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE). The PFE measures how well the mask is able to prevent aerosolised droplets - of around 0.1 micron in size - from escaping, while the BFE measures how effectively the mask can filter bacteria-containing droplets, which are about three microns in size. The Sars-CoV-2 virus is said to be around 0.12 micron in size. A good mask - which meets the requirements for medical and surgical standards - should have a BFE or PFE of at least 95 per cent, meaning that it is able to prevent 95 per cent of all such particles...

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Thai restaurant at Golden Mile Tower under investigation for selling pig blood curd

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2 minutes

SINGAPORE - A Thai restaurant is under investigation for the illegal sale and possession for sale of pig blood curd, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Wednesday (May 19). On May 14, the agency conducted an operation at the restaurant in Golden Mile Tower after receiving information about it. The operation found the restaurant selling a dish containing pig blood curd. Unsold pre-packed pig blood curd was also seized. Such products are banned in Singapore because animal blood can easily support the growth of bacteria and may contain diseases, said the SFA. It explained that the unhygienic harvesting of blood can also lead to the introduction of pathogens - which cause disease - into blood food products. As illegally imported food products are from unknown sources, they can pose a food safety risk, said the SFA. In Singapore, food can be imported only by licensed importers and every consignment must be declared and have a valid import permit. SFA advised members of the public who discover the sale of illegal food products to not patronise these food outlets and to provide feedback at this website or to call the SFA Contact Centre at 6805 2871. Those who illegally import and sell...