A video capturing a young mother in the middle of a heated dispute with a commuter on board the MRT is going viral online. It remains unclear when or where exactly the incident occurred.
In the video, the mother can be seen sitting in a priority seat while holding on to a pram carrying her daughter. The mother can be seen arguing with a commuter standing beside her and tells her:
“You just now, I was supposed to put here, then after that you cross over my freaking daughter to stand here.”
As the argument grew even more heated, the mother suddenly stands up and exclaimed: “Why, you want to fight ah? You want to fight, you say, don’t talk so much. You want to fight, you say.”
Enraged, the mother punches a glass panel on the train and warns the other commuter: “Don’t force me, really.” Watch the video here:
The police have arrested a 66-year-old and a 60-year-old for their suspected involvement in a violent brawl that broke out at the S-11 coffee shop at Block 101 Yung Sheng Road in the Taman Jurong area, at around 7.20pm on Sunday (3 Mar).
According to the police, a 52-year-old man was assaulted with a knuckle-duster and conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. The alleged assailants fled the scene when the police arrived.
The police have reported that officers from Jurong Police Division established the identities of the two suspects through ground enquiries and footage captured by police cameras.
Both senior citizens were arrested on Monday (11 Mar) and were charged in court on Wednesday (13 March) with voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon with common intention.
International human rights NGO, Front Line Defenders (FLD) has publicly condemned Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for initiating legal action against local blogger, Leong Sze Hian.
PM Lee filed a defamation claim against Mr Leong, for sharing on Facebook an article alleging that PM Lee played a part in laundering money from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The article, which was not written by Leong, garnered 22 reactions, five comments and 18 shares.
FLD, an Ireland-based organisation, asserted that “the disproportionate legal action being taken against Leong Sze Hian for his Facebook post is a targeted attempt by the authorities to silence the human rights defender”.
In a statement on its website, FLD added that it “strongly condemns the proceedings brought against Leong Sze Hian which is one of many cases being brought against human rights defenders, including Jolovan Wham, in the country. Front Line Defenders recognises that these cases are part of an ongoing effort to clamp down on freedom of expression in Singapore”.
On Tuesday (12 Mar), the High Court struck out blogger Mr Leong’s counterclaim against PM Lee, due to his failure to disclose a “reasonable cause of action” in his counterclaim.
Posts circulating online over the past day have puzzled Singaporeans after Taipei’s National Taiwan University (NTU) allegedly censored an email announcement of the Singapore ambassador’s guest speech.
Photos of the email body were circulating online and on popular Internet forum Reddit.
While the email source is unclear, it seemed to be have been addressed to faculty members and students.
However, in the revised version of the email, references to Singapore have been removed and in their place is the following apology, “Please see the updated version below. We are sincerely sorry for the mistakes in the previous email.”.
Also removed was a reference to Taiwanese mayor Han Kuo-yu’s recent visit to Singapore.
Further still, the revised email omits the line, “Are you interested in Singapore’s unique method of punishment, “caning”, which makes people afraid, effectively deterring crimes, also creating a safe environment for Singapore?”.
Netizens are having a field day speculating the reasons behind Taiwan’s sudden censorship.
One user, Ambitious_Operation said, “When they talk about singlish and caning, I knew they were being sarcastic. Taiwanese think that there is only 1 correct way to speak English which is the American way and the law is known to be liberal and not strict”.
TISG reached out to NTU to verify the email, and for further comment.
China – Cancer survivor Sun Ying has had more than her fair share of burdens as she lives with the grief of having lost her father to lung cancer in Dec 2015, after he had given up treatment to pay her costly medical bills. These burdens, however, have given Sun an iron will to battle her illness with help of her family members and university mates.
Currently a top-notch student at Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Sun Ying was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2015, after having sat the “Gaokao” which is the national higher education entrance examinations .
At that point in time, her father had already been in his last stages of lung cancer and had spent US$30,000 to US$40,000 on his medical bills.
After his death, Sun journalled, ”My superhero left this world. For a long time, the world loses all its colours. From now on, I’ll stop being weak and wilful, but be strong and independent.”
Within half a year of her own cancer diagnosis, Sun had undergone chemotherapy 16 times and cut her hair short. Drug side-effects caused her weight to increase from about 50kg to 70kg.
Presently, Sun has been battling her illness for four years during which she has had three relapses.
In her first three years at university, her teachers and classmates were not aware of her condition. They only knew that she was frequently sick and often had to go to the hospital.
While her roommates were aware of her chemotherapy sessions, they did not know the severity of her treatment.
Her grades in the those first three years were also impressive.
Apart from university work, Sun would draw comical characters to maintain her positivity, cheer up other cancer patients and encourage them to persevere in their arduous cancer journeys.
Sun’s drawingsSun’s drawings
This went on until April 2018 when Sun could no longer continue with her cancer treatment as her body had developed an immunity to her medicines and her family could no longer afford her medical expenses, including costs for a stem cell transplant.
At that point, Sun had thought of giving up treatment but in recalling how others had tried to help her, she persevered.
Death, observes Sun, does not matter as much as her mother whom she feels has undergone a turbulent period and whom she cannot abandon.
Also, the constant reminder of her father’s sacrifice inspires Sun to live for him.
Unfortunately, Sun admits that there have been many times she has barely escaped death. Thus, she hopes for help from kind souls.
Netizens’ comments in response to Sun’s aid request were poignant and heart-warming.
Photo Credit: Facebook page of Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa
Malaysia probably saw its first pro-LGBT march in the country but it has more than that to worry about with a surge in ‘religious’ attacks online
Last week was an eventful one for Malaysia, with an LGBT march in Kuala Lumpur, the arrest and jailing of Malaysians for insulting the Prophet of Islam.
The country also saw the condemnation of the government for its anti-LGBT stance and for apparently condoning the ‘harsh’ sentencing of the islamophobic offenders.
Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religion Mujahid Yusof Rawa lambasted the LGBT community and civil rights organisations for what he calls “the misuse of the democratic space to defend things that are wrong in the religion of Islam.”
Shouting in Malay saying “Hidup LGBT” (long live LGBT), the marchers challenged the norms in Malaysia, risking the full brunt from the authorities but surprisingly enough they were allowed to carry out their illegal march.
However, the country’s authorities have bigger problems on their hands with a sudden surge of religious strife on social media, prompting the Pakatan Harapan government to threaten it will vote a new law to curb on the freedom of speech.
The actions taken by the authorities against the Islamophobic attacks are not unique but it is the long jail term of 10 years and 10 months that shocked many.
Many from the non-Malay community are asking whether the country is going against the freedom of the citizens to criticise and to post comments on the Internet.
A former Minister in ex-PM Najib Razak’s cabinet who turned against the latter Zaid Ibrahim posted a comment that gained traction.
He asked whether this was the ‘new Malaysia’ where a citizen gets arrested for criticising Islam while a foreigner with permanent residence is not targeted for ‘insulting’ other faiths.
Zaid was probably referring to Zakir Naik, the Indian religious figure who is well known for his scathing speeches against other faiths during debates.
Zakir was given permanent residence by the Najib regime but has been allowed to stay in Malaysia by the government of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The current government and the Najib regime did not see any harm in Zakir’s speeches and do not agree that he insulted anyone in the country.
Nevertheless, the government has a plan in its attempt to curb the rising religious intolerance online where all parties are attacking each other’s faith.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo on Monday this week made it clear his government is mulling a new law against news portals that purportedly allow insensitive comments to be left on their online platforms by readers.
The Malaysian social media scene has become the battlefield for a few who are either calling for the death sentence for those insulting Islam or for stronger regulations of the Internet in the country.
Mujahid Yusof Rawa said last Thursday the Islamic Affairs Department had set up a unit to monitor writings and communications insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
Some non-Malays are threatening to use their voting power to oust any government that does not act fairly against all forms of religious and racial attacks, but the Pakatan regime is now solidly in place.
Perhaps it needs to impose itself a little bit more in order to calm the spirits that are disturbing the peace in Malaysia?
The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) has revealed that it had consulted the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) before having given Swedish band Watain the go-ahead to perform here, in a statement released on Tuesday (12 Mar).
Last week, IMDA abruptly cancelled the Watain concert on the same day the band was due to perform. At the time, it had explained that its decision to cancel the concert was for reasons of public order after the Ministry of Home Affairs “expressed serious concerns about the concert, given the band’s history of denigrating religions and promoting violence, which has potential to cause enmity and disrupt Singapore’s social harmony.”
In response to questions by netizens on why the authorities had approved the concert in the first place, IMDA has pointed fingers at MHA and said that the ministry had been among the “relevant parties” that had been consulted before it approved the concert.
IMDA’s cluster director of communications and marketing Karen Low revealed: “Given the band’s history and concerns expressed by MHA, IMDA allowed the Watain concert with a rating of ‘Restricted 18 (R18).
“IMDA also imposed stringent requirements including the removal of songs which are religiously offensive, that the band could not make references to religion or use religious symbols, and that no ritualistic acts were to be performed on stage.”
Low said that MHA had suddenly asked IMDA to consider cancelling the concert on the same day it was set to occur, due to “new and serious concerns about public order, and ground reactions relating to social and religious harmony.”
She recounts: “After careful consideration, IMDA agreed to do it.”
After the concert was cancelled, home affairs minister K Shanmugam said that he could not see how the band could have been allowed to perform here, given their anti-Christian song lyrics. He said:
“I saw the lyrics – it’s four-letter words on Jesus Christ, on Christianity, on religion, abusing the cross – everything that is so far out that I can’t see how we could have agreed to it.”
In the aftermath of the concert cancellation, the Catholic Archbishop of Singapore and the National Council of Churches of Singapore are among the individuals, and groups that have commended the government for cancelling the concert.
Other Singaporeans however have decried the cancellation and have criticised authorities for approving the concert in the first place, only to prohibit it later on.
Watain, itself, cursed the “tragic excuse of a government” and “honorless rats” for the abrupt cancellation, in a statement on social media.
Wine’s popularity in Singapore has soared through the sky in the past few years. In just 10 years, wine consumption in the country has grown by more than 5x from $187mn in 2008 to well over $1bn 2018. Now, with the rise of “subscription economy,” companies like WineMasons and the French Cellar are offering subscriptions that provide a convenient access to new, good quality wines that can be hard to find in Singapore. However, are they really good value for the money you pay? We’ve crunched the numbers to figure out their value.
On the Surface, They Seem to Help You Save Money
Among wine subscription services in Singapore, we only found the French Cellar to provide both the subscription price and an a la carte pricing for their wines. Using these figures, we were able to calculate that the subscriptions provide 8-35% of savings from a la carte pricing, depending on the package. For example, their “Vineyard Gems” plan provides 2 bottles every month for S$88/month under their annual plan. Judging from their price range, this annual subscription likely provides 2 bottles that they normally sell for S$68, meaning the plan saves S$48 from S$136 (35% saving) you would normally have to spend to purchase those bottles separately. We also found that the percent savings declines with more premium plans, though the absolute dollar savings do increase to up to S$70 per month.
While the math above seems quite attractive, a deeper look actually reveals that there’s more to this than meets the eye. It’s no secret that wines cost exorbitantly more in Singapore than they do overseas due to various factors like shipping costs and import duties. However, these subscription services seem to be charging a much higher markups than do other wine shops in Singapore. For example, we found 2 wines that the French Cellar sells for S$68 in Singapore to cost just about S$9-S$13.5 overseas in the US or France, representing a mark-up of 5-7.5x. In contrast, we found some of the wines sold by the Straits Wine Company, WinesOnline and Vinofomo to be marked up by about 3-5x, though some of this difference may be accounted for by free delivery services provided by the subscription companies.
True Value of Subscription: Rare Wines, Curation & Convenience
Still, this is not to say that these wine subscription services are not great value. In fact, they offer something that other wine shops will not: rare wines curation & convenience. In fact, we could not find any of the wines offered by the French Cellar or WineMasons at online stores of other wine stores like the Straits Wine Company, WinesOnline or Vinofomo. In particular, WineMasons specifically mentions on their site that they only carry “exclusive and artisanal wines sourced from small quality producers,” while the French Cellar seems to provide certain French wines exclusively in Singapore, meaning these wines would be rather difficult for individuals to acquire in Singapore on their own.
Last but not least, these services send wine to your home without a separate delivery fee for maximum convenience. In contrast, other local wine shops generally have a rather high bar to qualify for a free delivery.
Wine Shop
Free Delivery Requirements
Wine Subscriptions
None
Straits Wine
S$200 or more
WinesOnline
S$200 or more
Vinofomo
3 cases or more
Other Ways to Save on Wine
For Singaporeans who thoroughly enjoy their expensive hobby of wine consumption, there are other ways for them to save besides buying in bulk or signing up for a subscription. First and foremost, Changi’s duty free actually charges a very low markup. For example, we found Reserve Sepciale Barons de Rothschild Bordeaux Rouge, which costs S$49.5 at Changi, to cost about S$40 in France, representing a markup of only about 24%.
Another way is to utilise rewards credit cards. Since supermarkets & their specialty wine shops are popular place for Singaporeans to purchase alcohols, credit cards that provide rebate or miles on groceries could help you save at least 2-10% on your wine purchases. If you tend to shop for wine online either through online shops or subscription services, online shopping credit cards could also be a good bet for additional source of savings.
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Regardless of what type of business your small business conducts, customer service should always be a top priority. Research from PwC, a consultancy, revealed that approximately 42% of consumers would pay more for a “friendly, welcoming experience”. The report also estimated that positive customer experience could result in a price premium of up to 16%, which is a clear motivation for all businesses. With that said, we’ve highlighted a few ways that your SME can improve its customer experience.
Track Your Business’s Progress
Customer experience can often seem abstract and intangible. To address this issue, it is important to monitor the effectiveness of your efforts. One way to do this is to identify and track quantifiable measurements, also referred to as key performance indicators (KPIs). Ultimately, you want to identify data points that help you understand the customer’s entire journey. This can be difficult to isolate, so it is helpful to break this down by aspects that would be important to your customers. For example, key factors may include ease of shopping and purchase, wait times and availability of customer support when necessary.
How to Seek Customer Feedback
Depending on your business’s scale and sophistication, KPIs may take different forms. For example, if your business relies on a website, you may have access to troves of web analytics data that can help you assess user behavior on your site. Similarly, large companies may already have access to a wide variety of customer information that can provide insights into customers’ preferences. On the other hand, if you are running a small shop or restaurant, you may not have the these luxuries. In this case, you may have to rely on solicited customer feedback in the form of brief surveys or even simple conversations, to identify the most important experience factors for your customers.
Address Prioritised Problems
Once you’ve had a chance to review your KPIs and feedback from your customers, you will be better equipped to address your most pressing customer experience problems. If you identify several problems, you may want to prioritise these by how easy they are to fix or by the potential impact on revenue. Due to the wide variety of small businesses, there is not a one-size-fits-all type of rule for this task. Instead, your SME will have to prioritise based on its own circumstances.
Train & Retain Great Employees
Finding great employees can be a chore in itself. However, a business’s work does not end after the hiring process. To ensure that you are providing customers with great service, it is crucial to ensure that your employees are happy and well-trained. Clearly, those that are more knowledgeable about your product will be best suited to assist customers. Additionally, studies have found that engaged employees are more likely to improve customer relationships and even increase sales. For these reasons, it is essential that the skills and engagement of your own employees are a part of your customer experience mission.
What if Great Customer Experience Gets Expensive?
It can be costly to to hire additional employees in order to meet your growing customer service needs, or to hire an analyst to track KPIs. If your business requires financing to grow your team, there are a number of options available. These range from business term loans to equity financing. In order to ensure that you get the best type of financing for your business needs, it is crucial to carefully review the best products available before beginning your financing application process.
Bottom Line: Know Your Customers
Many successful businesses are already providing great customers experience, whether or not it’s been a primary focus for their team. That said, there is always room for improvement when it comes to customer experience and given the potential impact on your company’s bottom line, it is an issue that cannot be ignored. When it comes to making customer experience a priority, you’ll ultimately want to learn more about how your customers interact with your company, in order to more effectively deliver your product.
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Following the closure of Hanjin Heavy Industries (HHI) during the start of 2019, the Philippine government is faced with a dilemma that goes beyond the plight of 3,000 Filipino workers who were laid-off. The South Korean ship-building firm is in dire straits. It currently owes creditors around $1.3 billion of which $400 million of is to be paid to Philippine banks.
Since starting its operations back in 2006 at the former US naval base in Subic where it occupied around 300 hectares of land, HHI has emerged as one of the world’s top shipyards. It ranks fifth among the biggest firms in the industry with its exports boosting the country’s stature.
With a void to be filled, Manila is looking for an entity to replace the South Korean company. Among the outfits that have shown interest are those coming from Japan, Korea Turkey, Europe the US and China. Although the government is seeking a Filipino entity to assume the venture, it is the Chinese who are emerging as the leading player to acquire Hanjin’s stake.
This is where the troubling issue begins. Judging from Beijing’s aggressive approach in gobbling up territories in the South China Sea, several Philippine groups are concerned about giving the Chinese a vital presence which it can capitalize upon in the country. It is no secret that the Mainland is having a major territorial tussle with the Philippines at the Spratlys.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy (PN) is also interested to take over the HHI undertaking. The Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana want to strengthen the sea-faring capability of the nation.
The task ahead for the PN is definitely immense. Considering that the institution is looking to modernize within five to 10 years, it does not have the needed resources to repel recent incursions into Philippine territory where the coastline range is 36,000 kilometers.
Because it is preoccupied with a weapons upgrade, venturing into the Subic shipyard will be a problem for the government.
