Haze continues to cloud Singapore on Monday

Haze continued to plague Singapore on Monday, as air quality reached the “unhealthy” range for the second straight day this week.

The three-hour PSI reading hit 103 at 8am and climbed further to 116 two hours later before falling into the moderate range in the afternoon.

In an update on the haze on Monday, the National Environment Agency noted that hazy conditions that affected Singapore on Sunday had persisted overnight, with the 24-hour PSI entering the unhealthy range in some regions at 3am. At 1pm, the reading was 103-119, within the 101-200 unhealthy band.

“The haziness was due to smoke haze from southern Sumatra, blown in by the prevailing southerly winds,” NEA said, adding that the current hazy conditions were expected to persist for the rest of the day.

In its earlier update Sunday afternoon, the NEA noted that drier weather in South Sumatra led to a sharp increase in the number of hotspots there.

On Sunday, the three-hour PSI reading hit as high as 127 in the evening, after it started rising in the afternoon.

Given the air quality forecast for the next 24 hours, NEA said healthy persons should reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion, while the elderly, the pregnant and children should minimise such activity.

 

By Yahoo! Singapore | Yahoo Newsroom – Mon, Nov 3, 2014

Contents & images acknowledge by: yahoosg

SMRT train found vandalised at Bishan depot

An SMRT train at Bishan depot was vandalised on Saturday morning.

According to The Straits Times, graffiti was spray-painted on the exterior of the train, and there were no signs of a break-in at the depot.

Staff discovered the graffiti before the train went into service, reported Channel NewsAsia.

Despite increased security measures, this is the second time a train has been vandalised at Bishan depot in 2014.

SMRT was fined a total of $250,000 for security breaches in 2010 and 2011.

In May 2010, two men broke into SMRT’s Changi depot and spray-painted graffiti onto a train. Swiss national Oliver Fricker was jailed seven months and given three strokes of the cane for trespassing and vandalising. His accomplice, 29-year-old Briton, Lloyd Dane Alexander, is still at large.

In August 2011, vandals cut a hole in the fence of the Bishan depot and vandalised a train. In May this year, a train at Bishan depot was also vandalised in the early hours of the morning.

The Land Transport Authority says it takes a “serious view” of the incident and will work with the police and transport operator on investigations.

 

By Yahoo! Singapore | Yahoo Newsroom – Sun, Nov 9, 2014

Contents & images acknowledge by: yahoosg

Monday #sgroundup: Singapore ranks number one for smartphone adoption

We have long known that Singapore has an amazing smartphone adoption rate, but how amazing is amazing? Well as it turns out, according to a global study called Consumer Barometer released by Google, Singapore is the number one smartphone adopter in the world at 85 per cent.

Based on 150,000 interviews, the study also revealed that more Asians use their smartphones to access the internet more than desktop computers, making Asia a truly mobile-first continent.

The blogpost on October 28 by Google reads: “In Asia, consumers are living in a mobile-first world that needs new products and services built with mobile in mind, not as an after thought or nice-to-have. There’s a great chance here for Asian businesses to lead the world in mobile-first innovation by reacting fast to the revolution that’s happened on the streets right outside their office doors. All they need to do is heed the consumers’ call.”

Here are some statistics on Singapore that might fascinate you:

• Singaporeans use an average of 3.3 devices each – one of the highest rates in the world.
• Most Internet users in Singapore go online every day. This is true across all age ranges, with 78% of Internet users 55 or older coming online every day.
• 42% of respondents in Singapore used the Internet to compare choices before making their last purchase.
• 35% of Singaporean smartphone users used their device during their last purchase.
• Singaporean respondents frequently research online and then buy offline.
• 1 in 3 Singaporean respondents watched their last online video with someone else. This was usually their partner.
• Online video is often watched while commuting or travelling

 

By Jacky | Vulcan Post – Mon, Nov 3, 2014 12:30 PM SGT

Contents & images acknowledge by: yahoosg

 

Netizens might get into trouble for harassing Sim Lim’s Jover Chew: reports

Netizens may be breaking the law for harassing errant Sim Lim retailer Jover Chew, reported Channel NewsAsia.

Under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public and Nuisance) Act, there are some provisions that can be applied to in Chew’s case, whose personal details such as his identity card number, address and mobile number were posted on Internet troll SMRT (LTD) Feedback’s Facebook page. The information was subsequently shared multiple times by other netizens.

However, the police may find it difficult to track down the anonymous netizens behind these vigilante tactics.

The Protection from Harassment Act, was passed in March to protect people from online harassment and bullying, but it is not fully in force yet.

Just two days ago, a t-shirt by Singapore pranksters SGAG with expletives printed on it was found lying on the floor outside of Chew’s Mobile Air shop in Sim Lim Square.

The online campaigns against Chew began after a video of his Vietnamese customer begging on his knees for a refund went viral. Many Singaporeans were outraged that the man was duped into paying $1,500 for a warranty package for an iPhone 6.

The case exposed some of the shady dealings that occur at Sim Lim Square, and even made international headlines.

 

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | Yahoo Newsroom – Sat, Nov 8, 2014

Contents & images acknowledge by: yahoosg

CASE investigates Sim Lim shop which refunded customer $1,010 in coins

The Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) is investigating the Sim Lim Square shop that refunded $1,010 to a customer in coins to see if the shop violated the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, said media reports on Monday.

Last Tuesday, the shop made headlines when it refunded a female customer with $1,010 in coins after duping her into paying $3,000 for an iPhone 6 Plus.

The shop was required to pay the refund after the woman filed a complaint at CASE and the Small Claims Tribunal.

The Sim Lim Square management has also reportedly sought help from the police, CASE and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to “eradicate errant retailers” in a move to save their reputation, reported The Straits Times.

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | Yahoo Newsroom – Mon, Nov 3, 2014

Contents & images acknowledge by: yahoosg