“So sad to see this. Hope owner managed to sort it out,” a TikTok user said after seeing a Singapore-registered car missing its wheels while in a parking slot in Johor Bahru.
TikTok user @tiobehpy0 noted the incident took place on July 9, 2022, at a carpark in KSL City Mall.
As the individual approached the red sedan, its four tyres and rims were missing.
The vehicle was tipped over on one side because the jack stands used to elevate the car were left behind.
Photo: TikTok screengrab/@tiobeyph0
Members from the online community commented on the video, providing varying suggestions on the matter.
TikTok user Jr Esmael said this was one reason why he doesn’t drive to Johor Bahru. “Better take a bus. Safety first,” he noted.
“Park your car at woodlands. Take public bus from Woodlands to JB Sentral and from JB Sentral to KSL. Come back using the same method,” said netizen Jeremy Chin with more detail on how to commute to Johor Bahru.
Meanwhile, TikTok user Vince Vince 8989 said, “Go nearest rim shop, and you will see your rims there.”
“Luckily, not the whole car gone. Don’t know there got camera or not,” added another netizen, giving some leads in retrieving the lost possessions.
Regarding parking locations, others noted that KSL City Mall’s car park was dimmer compared to the Johor Bahru City Square carpark. The latter is also closer to the Causeway and has security guards on patrol./TISG
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Dear Editor,
I refer to the Opinion, ”Can universities teach students to be good?” (ST, June 28).
The fundamental basis of education is to educate each individual on how to distinguish right from wrong and embrace moral values (such as honesty, respect, integrity & compassion) and ethical living besides imparting knowledge and skills.
University graduates will be potential leaders in many fields, and therefore they should carry greater social responsibilities and exemplify themselves through their daily words and actions.
For example, law graduates are aspiring-to-be lawyers whose basic or main responsibilities are to uphold the law while representing and protecting their entrusted clients’ rights. In this respect, honesty and integrity are imperative to gain/win the trust and respect of an entrusted client and society at large.
Similarly, in the medical and healthcare profession practitioners should carry equal, important social responsibilities and ethical practices, as many patients are in their hands of care.
In addition, politicians should always bear in mind and place their electorate or people’s interest, safety, and well-being first before self.
Last but not least, any educators in the education profession should carry themselves with high morals and lead by ethical examples so that they can win the respect and trust of their students. Further, school teachers should always inculcate basic morals and ethical practices in their students prior to their graduation.
A recent court case clearly exemplified how important for an educated person to have equipped with moral values: a male school teacher allegedly molested 13 boys over a span of three years between 2015 and 2018 in places including a school “in central Singapore” and a chalet, is a despicable and unfortunate case.
Teo Kueh Liang
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of The Independent Singapore.
Videos of kids walking on top of a walkway roof sparked safety concerns from netizens.
Although playing outside and trying new things are all part of one’s childhood, proper education on safety while outdoors is crucial, said the public.
The first video showed a girl walking casually on the roof. It appears that she was trying to reach a certain spot, perhaps to retrieve something that got stuck on the roof or nearby tree, while her playmates waited below.
Photo: FB screengrab/Complaint Singapore
However, her playmates threw items upwards in her direction instead of the other way around.
Photo: FB screengrab/Complaint Singapore
Another video showed a boy walking on the roof while his playmates flung a badminton racket upwards.
Photo: FB screengrab/Complaint Singapore
The video focuses on the boy who ran to the edge of the roof and exited through the side.
According to the original poster on Complaint Singapore Facebook page, the incident happened in a Tampines Housing and Development Board carpark on July 8.
“Sorry, can Tampines Town Council help to check the condition? It is next to the playground. Worry it might collapse and injure the childcare toddlers. Right next to Sparkletots,” the original poster added.
Netizens commented on the video, noting it was normal for kids to climb trees and the like. “Kids are kids. Thinking process is simple. Looking for fun is a default act. However, there should be some supervision. Again we don’t know the context. If they are neighbours who always play together, probably parents feel safe enough to let them play, especially if they are older kids,” said Facebook user Carlin Lee.
Others wondered if the layout of the carpark and playground made it accessible for kids to climb up to the roof. However, parents should be responsible for educating their children, not the authorities.
“Seriously, I don’t understand why some comments mentioned the authority. It should be the PARENTS who should be looking after their kids, educating these kids on what should be done and what should not. Don’t push the blame when the parents should be the ones to take it,” said Facebook user David Lawson./TISG
A woman singlehandedly tried blocking a vehicle with her body and succeeded in detaching the plate number before throwing it at the windscreen in rage.
The beginning of a video uploaded by Facebook page SG Road Vigilante – SGRV on Saturday (July 9) looked like a typical traffic jam on the Second Link between Singapore and Malaysia.
@theindependentsgWoman upset at another driver for changing lanes, blocks vehicle, removes plate number and throws it at the windscreen in rage
Keanu Reeves has indeed lived up to his reputation for being the nicest guy in Hollywood. The star made a fan’s day when he took the trouble to not only answer his questions but also strike up a conversation with him at the airport.
Reeves was on a transatlantic flight from London to New York and an onlooker witnessed the entire conversation.
In a now-viral thread on Twitter, TV producer Andrew Kimmel who was on the same flight as Keanu Reeves said the actor was at the airport luggage claim area when he was approached by a young boy for an autograph.
Kimmel said that the actor not only obliged but also responded to every single question the child had for him.
“Kid: Why were you in London?” he tweeted. “KR: Filming a documentary.”
Kimmel also said that Keanu Reeves didn’t correct the boy when he wrongly pronounced Grand Prix, but instead continued their conversation about the Formula 1 race as if nothing happened.
“F1! Race cars!” Kimmel recalled Reeves saying, before he told the fan that he doesn’t drive race cars but does “like riding motorcycles.”
The boy then started asking Reeves why he was in town, to which the action star responded that he was going to see American Buffalo on Broadway—and even shared which neighbourhood he would be staying at during his trip, according to Kimmel.
“By this time the kid was running out of questions, so Keanu started grilling him,” he tweeted. “The man could not have been nicer, especially after an international flight. I thought I’d share this because the dude is a class act and little moments like this can make such a big difference in people’s lives. We need more Keanus!”
These days Reeves is playing the villain in the John Wick franchise, where he plays the role of one of the world’s deadliest assassins but the actor is perhaps best known for the Matrix franchise which started in 1999 as well as Speed and Point Break.
In fact, the actor is equally nice to his fellow actors as Speed co-star Sandra Bullock can attest to. She said that one time he gave her a surprise gift consisting of champagne and truffles just because she had made a comment that she had never tried either one.
Reeves’ next appearance will be in DC League of Super-Pets where he plays the voice of Batman. He is also scheduled to appear in the upcoming novel adaptation, The Devil in the White City and John Wick 5.
South Korean actress Hwang Bo-ra is getting married. Hwang has been dating Cha Hyun Woo since 2013. They went public with their relationship in 2014.
The couple has been dating for nearly 10 years and her agency Walk House Company announced that they would be getting married on July 6.
The agency made the following statement:
Hello, this is Walk House Company.
Kim Young Hoon, the CEO of Walk House Company, and actress Hwang Bo Ra, who have been in a precious relationship for a long time, will be getting married in November.
The wedding will be held privately with family members and close close acquaintances. We ask for your understanding that we are not able to give you the details.
We promise to continue to work hard so that they can show better performances in their respective careers, and we hope you send them your warm congratulations and blessings.
Hwang Bo-ra also took the opportunity to share a message with her fans saying;
“Hello, this is Hwang Bo Ra.I am writing this because I have some news that I want to personally deliver to everyone who loves me. This November, I am going to marry my partner whom I’ve been with for a long time.
“Because many people gave us their blessings for a long time, we were able to stay together with firmer hearts.I want to thank everyone who has looked at us in a good light. We’ll live happily together. Please always be healthy. Thank you.”
Hwang started acting in 2003 and was popularly known for being the “cup noodle girl” in a ramyeon commercial. She also played the daughter/narrator in the black comedy Skeletons in the Closet. She won Best New Actress at the Busan Film Critics Awards and Directors Cut Awards for the role.
She played lead roles in ghost romance Jumunjin (2010), revenge drama Dangerous Woman (2011), and the horror movie Navigation (2014).
She was last seen in Dali and Cocky Prince (2021) where she played a secretary. She also appeared in Zombie detective (2020) where she played the female lead’s flamboyant sister.
Cha Hyun Woo is also an actor and singer-turned-film producer and is the younger brother of actor Ha Jung-woo and the second son of actor Kim Yong-gun.
Have you thought about purchasing a new car, buying a home, or financing a wedding recently? Or perhaps you would like to have more cash on hand or have a way to fund your child’s education. Maybe you even have high credit card debt that you wish to pay off as soon as possible.
If you have been considering any of these then the idea of taking out a personal loan may have already crossed your mind. Whatever your reasons may be, personal loans can be an incredibly helpful tool for many people.
However, most people have many questions about the interest rate that comes with a personal loan. The biggest one being: How do I get the lowest interest rate possible?
At first glance, the interest rate from bank to bank does not seem to vary significantly but do not be fooled. Check out the table below to see the variation of interest paid with slight changes in the interest rate.
Loan Amount
Loan Duration
Interest Rate
Total Interest to be Repaid
$10,000
60 months
5 years
12.0%
$3,346.40
$10,000
60 months
5 years
13.0%
$3651.80
$10,000
60 months
5 years
13.5%
$3806.00
$10,000
60 months
5 years
13.8%
$3899.00
Comparison of interest rates across multiple banks
As you can see, even a small increment in the interest rate can translate to hundreds of dollars. This makes it all the more crucial to get as competitive a rate as possible when you plan to take out your personal loan.
Factors That Influence Personal Loan Interest Rates
Before you search high and low for the best interest rates, we think it’s worth knowing how banks produce this number, and what you can do in order to get the best rates.
1. Your Credit Score
Your credit score plays a big role, if not the biggest, in determining your personal loan interest rates. If a bank can ascertain that you are likely to pay back your loan on time, they will reward you with a lower interest rate.
The table below summarizes average estimated personal loan interest rates according to VantageScore risk tiers, according to Experian. Note that this is only a general guideline as there are other factors that can influence the interest rates that are ultimately set by your respective lenders.
Vantage V4 Credit Score
Average Interest Rate
Subprime (500-600)
15.91%
Near Prime (601-660)
15.56%
Prime (661-780)
10.93%
Super prime (781-850)
6.59%
Comparison of credit score to average interest rate offered
As you can see, having a subprime credit score means that you will be paying more than double the interest rate of a “super prime” credit scorer. Therefore, lowering, or maintaining a stellar credit score, is key to saving money in the long run.
2. Your Income
Interest rates on personal loans are significantly influenced by your monthly income. Lenders take into account your monthly income, as well as whether it is steady when they calculate the interest rate. If you have a steady source of income, they are more confident that you can return the loan and will therefore offer you lower interest rates.
On the other hand, a low or unstable income will result in you not being able to get the loan that you need for your house, renovation or any other personal needs, postponing your life plans even further away.
3. Your Existing Loans and Debt
If you have multiple simultaneous loans going on, a bank might be hesitant to lend you another sum of money. Paying off many loans at the same time can be taxing even on the highest earning individuals. As a result, banks may offer you higher interest rates than usual to protect both you, and themselves.
This one may not come as a surprise to some of you but if you are a long-standing customer with your lending institution, they may offer your lower interest rates due to your relationship.
Banks ultimately want to have a working relationship with you. So if you’ve been a loyal customer with your bank, be sure to contact them first and get their quote, before moving onto other lenders.
How to Counter High Interest Rates
Now that you have some idea of what goes into determining interest rates, here are some ways you can secure the lowest rate for yourself.
1. Explore Your Options
Regardless of your income or credit score, one of the best ways to guarantee the lowest price is to explore the options available to you. Reach out to banks you do not typically work with or research online about current rates for people with a similar profile as you. Loan matchmakers like Lendela can also help you quickly compare and contrast the various offerings from different financial institutions.
This way, you can uncover the current market normal and determine which interest rate is the most reasonable. You might be able to negotiate with their primary lender based on the rates they discover other banks are offering with varying degrees of success.
Even though it might be too late to build a relationship with your bank, it is always not too late to build a good credit score – even if your current score might be subpar. In fact, it may even take as less as 6 months to raise your credit score to AA, which is the best score possible.
One way to do this would be to take on a credit card with low minimum spend and low annual fees. Then, you can use this card to pay for daily necessities like transportation, grocery shopping, or gas. These are generally small ticket items that you can confidently pay back in a month.
As you will always meet your credit card payments on time by doing this, your credit score will increase and banks will offer you a personal loan at a low interest rate.
When scouting for the lowest interest rate, it will serve you well to be on the lookout for promotions the bank may offer. On special occasions such as Chinese New Year or National Day, banks may offer personal loans at a relaxed interest rate, making this the best time to snatch one up. So, if an important holiday is around the corner, waiting for a promotional rate might be a good idea.
Another thing to keep in mind are inflation rates. Interest rates and inflation rates are significantly linked in economics. This is because interest rates are usually used to manage inflation by the central bank as a monetary policy tool (for Singapore, the MAS is the central bank).
A regular financial institution lending out a personal loan will use inflation rates as a rough gauge of how much an interest rate should be. General rule is that when inflation rises, interest rates are likely to rise as well. You can then decide the optimal time to take out a personal loan depending on the current trend of inflation rates.
How Debt Can Ruin Your Future
Many Singaporeans carry some debt from time to time. However, high-interest debts will often serve to cripple your financial health, if they are not repaid quickly, or restructured into lower-interest debts. Over time, the constant hanging threat of debt payments will increase your stress and even cause tension with your loved ones.
In some cases, out of desperation, people might resort to illegal moneylenders, who will not hesitate to create trouble for your family or property if you cannot service their sky-high interest rates. Not having the money to qualify for loans will also set your future life plans (be it marriage, your deposit for an apartment, or family car) years or even decades back.
This is one of the many reasons we encourage you to secure as low an interest rate as possible on your personal loan. Be sure that you can pay back your loans on time as the cost of extending or defaulting a loan can be high.
All in all, doing your research, taking steps to improve your credit score, and being patient are some of the things you can do to secure the lowest interest rate possible on your personal loan.
However, if you have existing high–interest loans, then knowing how to restructure your debt with other lower-interest loans will decrease the amount of interest you pay per month. Debt can have detrimental effects on your retirement and wellbeing, so obtaining a lower interest rate than what you have right now, is definitely critical to your financial future.
The world is only just beginning to return to normal (i.e., pre-COVID-19 normal), yet some people are already demonstrating that they are undeserving of the freedom that we are slowly coming to enjoy.
This is a horrible case of murder-suicide.
Here is a 41-year-old man who, in a fit of jealous rage, stabbed his 22-year-old fiancée after she informed him she wanted to break up with him.
The fact that the girlfriend went to meet him to inform him of her choice and that’s when he viciously and mercilessly stabbed her to death is even more upsetting and horrible.
The inquest on the murder of the Northamptonshire woman, Maddie Durdant-Hollamby heard that within ten minutes of arriving at Ben Green’s home in Kettering the woman was killed by her domineering lover.
Maddie, the murder happened in August of last year. The murder case’s specifics are still being discussed in court.
The man has a long history of controlling Maddie, checking her phone for messages and other stuff.
Things got worst when Maddie opted to go on a vacation with her parents, leaving him behind.
Ben, who is a marketing director, became upset. He was unhappy that he would not be able to check Maddie’s phone.
But things got to worst when the woman apparently made comments on a participant in Love Island, a show in the U.K. She said the participant is attractive.
That sparked a long argument between them that lasted for days.
A witness for Maddie testified in court: “I found him to be quite intrusive. However, he made Maddie smile.”
On the day of her death, she told friends she thought she and her boyfriend were not on the same wavelength.
She messaged friends from work saying “I’m so nervous” and shortly after, she instructed her pals to phone her an hour later if they had not heard from her after she went to meet her boyfriend.
Her last message to her friends read: “Love You XX.”
When friends tried to call her, she did not respond. They tried to reach Green and there was no response too.
They desperately contacted the killer’s mother. When informed of the situation, the authorities sent officers to the house the next morning and found both dead at the scene.
Green in a pool of blood in the kitchen and Maddie upstairs on the bed. After killing the girlfriend, he committed suicide.
That ‘handsome’ naval or marine officer you’ve been speaking to and texting online for the last few weeks or days suddenly develops an emergency, maybe his ‘son’ or ‘daughter’ has fallen ill and needs surgery. The poor widower says her money is stuck somewhere and asks if you are able to help out.
Appealing to your good side and compassionate nature is the modus operandi of many love scams. It is sad but true that kind and lonely hearts often want to help and this is how these white-collar criminals lure their victims.
Romantic scammers exploit emotions in order to steal money. Excuses can range from “my brother died suddenly, I can’t cover the funeral costs, I am supporting my sister’s children’s tuition or college, I am the sole breadwinner in a big family supporting elderly parents” and the list goes on and on.
These scum of society really have resulted in many lonely often middle-aged women parting with large amounts of money, sometimes their entire life savings in order to ‘help’.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) these dedicated romance scammers stole $304 million in 2020 alone with a median loss of $2,500 per victim. That’s just in the US, closer to home in South East Asia we are reading about people losing their entire life savings due to these long cons.
These scammers often initiate relationships with their victims through online dating websites, social media sites or professional networking accounts. They assume fake identities to lure the victim and very often say they are widowed with young children using pity play to trap their victims.
Romantic scammers are patient and have Machiavellian skills in manipulation. Their targets are often female (though it happens to men it is much rarer), lonely, middle-aged, well-heeled, and impulsive in the sense that they tend to make snap decisions.
Protect yourself from these artful scammers by looking out for the following:
Eager to commit– If they confess everlasting love after just a few days it’s a possible sign of trouble ahead.
Tragic stories– The more dramatic the back story the more on guard you should be, this can include anything from losing a family in a plane crash to a child with leukaemia to a wife dying of cancer. Unfortunately, there are people who really have had real tragedies occur but these conniving scammers have no problem using any of the above as Greek tragedies in their lives.
Urgency-They always have a sense of urgency about them. “I urgently need money, someone is very sick”. There is almost always an impending deadline or huge emergency that only money can solve.
Don’t use cryptocurrency– In 2021, the FBI reported losses amounting to $133.5million as a result of cryptocurrency love scams.
Never set up a new bank account-It doesn’t matter if it isn’t your money. Love scammers will try to move illegal funds through your new account which can make you liable for money laundering.
Do video calls-That way you know who you’re talking to as the love scammer is terrified of this and will find any reason to avoid it.
Be careful not to send any compromising pictures or videos– This one is obvious, they will use it to blackmail you later on.
Always talk to your friends and family– Get a second and third opinion. Don’t keep your new romance a secret and if you’re reluctant to do so then check with them about things like cryptocurrency, or hacking on social media and what or how much information is safe to give out.
Google/Social Media/LinkedIn– If he really is a naval officer, Air Force pilot or ex-Marine, he is very likely to have at least a professional presence online. Do your homework and stay safe.
It’s almost two years since GE2020. Not exactly mid-term to GE2025 but voters may already have some idea even at this stage of what may possibly happen by then, judging by the developments so far. It’s 55-45 that the Opposition can do better in GE2025. It could be 60-40 if only……I’ll explain later.
The Workers’ Party, which did well in the last election, is still reeling from the Raeesah Khan saga – and, don’t forget, the AHTC trial which is not yet over. The party is holding up reasonably well, though. It seems very entrenched in Aljunied GRC and Hougang. Despite the exit of Low Thia Khiang, the WP MPs from the GRC and the SMC are already seasoned and have earned their spurs and right to be in Parliament, more so than quite a number of People’s Action Party newbies. Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Leon Perera, Faisal Manap, Gerald Giam, and Dennis Tan have become byword politicians.
Holding up well is not quite the equivalent of riding productively on voter desire for more Opposition reps in Parliament to provide a better check on a dominant ruling party which is itself renewing its leadership to meet changing voter demands. There are also other forces at play now.
In its final report on Feb 10, 2022, Parliament’s Committee of Privileges recommended that Pritam Singh and Faisal Manap be referred to the Public Prosecutor for further investigations. And in April, CNA reported the Singapore Police Force as saying the COP has been referred by the PP to the police: “The police have been going through the evidence provided by Parliament and will now be engaging persons relevant to the case as part of the investigations into the possible offenses disclosed.”
So we are still unsure what will happen to the WP leaders.
In Sengkang itself, He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim, and Louis Chua are doubling up to cover the work which would otherwise be done by Khan, with the retired Low turning up to boost morale and do his part. The three MPs – backed by an ever-growing core of WP supporters – will do their job without skipping a heartbeat.
The general rule is that usually, the underdog will work hard and inevitably rise to the occasion – but only if you are nimble and quick to adapt and capitalize on your strengths.
This brings us to the curious case of the Progress Singapore Party’s Leong Mun Wai.
I am not going to dwell on his entanglements with Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin months back, and, just this week, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen over the issue of NSMen and deferment for sports and the arts.
There are those who admire Leong’s persistence and ability to get under the nerve of PAP leaders in trying to extract answers to topics perceived to be under-debated. Such as CECA and Singapore’s sovereign funds. Quote: “PAP can’t handle this guy, can only bully him.”
But there are also others who are getting turned off by a below-par performance. He is not a good public speaker. That, in turn, has given the impression that he is simply not up to it, that he cannot think on his feet.
Is he another Goh Chok Tong, so “wooden” that Lee Kuan Yew had to publicly talk about it to release him from such a psychological disadvantage? Should Leong simply stick to a script in his Parliamentary speeches and not deviate or ramble unnecessarily? Should he speak only in Mandarin?
To be fair to Leong, being able to debate well in Parliament and think on one’s feet is not a common gift. Even the once-designated PM to be Heng Swee Keat was found wanting and had to be sidelined for another to take his place.
The PAP itself has assessed its own weaknesses and has reset itself to meet the changing expectations of younger voters. The WP and the PSP should also not take Parliamentary performance less seriously.
What voters see is at least 60 percent of what counts. Perception matters.
Tan Bah Bah, consulting editor of TheIndependent.Sg is a former senior leader writer with The Straits Times. He was also managing editor of a magazine publishing company.
