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Today’s top tech news, December 11: SingPost partners LogiNext to optimise delivery routes

e27
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Today’s top tech news, December 11: SingPost partners LogiNext to optimise delivery routes

Also, pi Ventures invests in OweMe, and more

SingPost

SingPost partners logistics platform LogiNext – [press release]

Singapore Post, or SingPost, has partnered with logistics platform LogiNext to improve its delivery services.

By integrating LogiNext’s machine learning and AI route planning software into its last mile platform (LaMP), SingPost aims to develop optimised courier delivery routes based on multiple factors such as parcel destinations, customer preferences (for instance, ‘blackouts’ or preferred times for delivery) as well as real-time ground data including traffic and weather conditions.

By tapping into LogiNext, SingPost will also be able to automatically send customers delivery alerts half an hour before their parcel arrives.

All of these factors will be dealt with from a single screen called the control tower, providing end-to-end visibility connecting multiple GPS tracking systems and APIs.

SingPost and LogiNext are in the midst of integrating the route planning AI software into
the LaMP, and the integration is expected to be complete next year.

pi Ventures invests US$1 million in blockchain startup OweMe – [press release]

Bangalore-based VC pi Ventures has made a US$1 million investment in London-based blockchain startup OweMe.

OweMe helps businesses cut expenditure by removing supply chain costs using provenance and disintermediation for banks, large corporate buyers and suppliers. The funding will be used for strengthening the product and the team.

Also Read: Hargapedia monitors, tracks and compares grocery prices in Malaysia — both offline and online

The company is registered with the FCA to issue electronic money that lets companies create, pay and track their own currency pegged against fiat currencies to reduce friction and increase financial efficiencies.

The company’s platform enables banks and Fortune 10,000 companies to lend to their supply chain. Its payment model makes it cost neutral for large corporate buyers and cheaper for smaller vendors to borrow.

Wow Venue raises US$1.5 million – [press release]

India-based venue booking platform Wow Venue has raised US$1.5 million from strategic investor Pranav Pathak.

It will use the newly-raised capital to enhance its tech, build its brand, and acquire new talent.

Founded in 2016 by Ganesh Rai, the Wow Venue’s platform makes it easy to search, choose, and book the right venue for any event, including weddings, corporate functions and other social events. The company also offers a ‘dedicated venue expert’ to further support its clients.

The company currently offers 2,000 venues across over 12 countries.

Grab launches R&D centre in Malaysia – [e27]

Southeast Asia ride-hailing giant Grab has launched an R&D centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the company was first founded in 2012.

The new R&D centre is Grab’s seventh globally. It has centres based in Bangalore, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Seattle and Singapore.

The Malaysian centre will hire 100 tech employees in its first year of operations, including software engineers, data scientists and data analysts.

The team will focus on developing and enhancing real-time communications features such as VOIP calls via GrabChat, as well as build other web features. They will also develop new safety measures through machine learning.

Singapore’s Osome raises US$2 million – [e27]

Singapore-based artificial intelligence (AI) platform for business management Osometoday announced a US$2 million seed funding round led by Berlin-based venture capital firm Target Global.

Phystech Ventures, AD.RU funds, and several angel investors also participated in the funding round.

Osome plans to use the funding round to develop new products and expand their services into new markets, starting with Australia and Hong Kong.

Launched in January, Osome facilitates business management for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by utilising AI.

It uses chatbot to run tasks that include business registration, company record-keeping, accounting, filing of annual returns, corporate secretary services, and payroll management, enabling users to cut down on middlemen and perform these tasks more conveniently.

—

Image Credit: Kae Lee

The post Today’s top tech news, December 11: SingPost partners LogiNext to optimise delivery routes appeared first on e27.

Source: E27

S’pore and M’sia to meet in January to discuss Johor Baru disputed waters

Anna Maria Romero
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S’pore and M’sia to meet in January to discuss Johor Baru disputed waters

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced on Monday, December 10, that the government of Malaysia had agreed to meet with officials from Singapore in the second week of January in order to discuss the issues surrounding the Johor Baru port limits, with the hopes of coming to a resolution.

The MFA said that Singapore “is encouraged that Malaysia has undertaken to take all effective measures to de-escalate the situation on the ground, and handle the situation in a calm and peaceful manner.”

However, the MFA also expressed Singapore’s disappointment in the unwillingness of Malaysia to agree to Singapore’s proposal to return to the status quo before October 25, when port limits in Johor Baru were extended by Malaysia, encroaching into waters that belong to Singapore.

According to the MFA, reverting to pre-October 25 status quo would “avoid misunderstandings and potential issues on the ground. Malaysia’s deployments in this area will not strengthen its legal claim and can only heighten tensions.”

In a diplomatic note sent on Saturday, December 8, Singapore turned down a proposal from Malaysia that each country would refrain from sailing vessels in the area currently under dispute, and called for Malaysia to return to the pre-October 25 status quo through having all its government ships withdrawn from the area.

The MFA also said that “Malaysia will be responsible for any untoward situations on the ground that arise from continued deployment of its vessels into this area.”

The MFA also disclosed that a meeting took place on Friday, December 7, between K. Shanmugam, Singapore’s Home Affairs and Law Minister, Attorney-General Lucien Wong, and Tommy Thomas, Malaysia’s Attorney General, where they discussed port limits in Johor Baru.

Shanmugan and Wong proposed that Malaysia return to pre-October 25 status quo, “without prejudice to Malaysia’s and Singapore’s respective positions on the maritime boundary between the two countries in the area which Malaysia now claims”.

Dr. Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, has reportedly said that government ships from Malaysia will stay where they are in the disputed waters until negotiations between the two countries are settled.

The MFA expressed hopes that Singapore and Malaysia’s governments will work together to come to an “amicable resolution of issues between the two countries in accordance with international law, and in the spirit of preserving our important bilateral relationship”.

Read related: Vivian Balakrishnan calls Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs about “urgent need” to stop intrusions into Singapore’s waters

https://theindependent.sg.sg/vivian-balakrishnan-calls-malaysias-minister-of-foreign-affairs-about-urgent-need-to-stop-intrusions-into-singapores-waters/

 

Tan Tock Seng Hospital puts patients at risk of infection by failing to properly sterilise dental instruments

Jewel Stolarchuk
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0
Tan Tock Seng Hospital puts patients at risk of infection by failing to properly sterilise dental instruments

Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has revealed that patients at its dental clinic may be at risk of infections after it found that 8 packs of dental instruments that were used for treatments between 28 Nov and 8 Dec this year had not been fully sterilised.

TTSH said in a press release yesterday that although 575 patients had been treated at the dental clinic during the affected period, only up to eight patients “may have received treatment using the affected instruments.”

The hospital was alerted to the lapse when a staff member found that the last of three sterilisation steps (or Step 3 of the following TTSH sterilisation process) was not completed before the affected instruments were used, on 4 Dec.

TTSH reported that eight packs of instruments that were processed on 28 November were discovered to have not completed the last step of the sterilisation process, on 5 December, and had been used for patient treatment at the TTSH Dental Clinic.

Despite this, TTSH assures that the “risk of infection to patients arising from this incident is assessed to be extremely low given that the completion of the earlier steps in the sterilisation process would have removed close to 100% of organisms of concern.”

In spite of this assurance, the hospital is presently calling “all 575 patients who had been treated at the dental clinic during the affected period to reassure them on their low risk of infection, provide support and address any concerns.”

TTSH’s Medical Board Chairman, Associate Professor Thomas Lew, apologised for the lapse and promised to improve their vigilance:

“We sincerely apologise to our patients and their families for the lapse and distress caused. We are contacting the patients who received treatment during the affected period. Additional measures are in place to bolster and improve our vigilance and workflows to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all our patients.”

This is not the first time dental patients in Singapore have been exposed to the risk of infections due to sterilisation lapses.

Last year, it was discovered that 72 packs of dental instruments, that were used to treat patients between 5 and 6 June 2017 at the National Dental Centre Singapore, were not completely sterilised.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong has since expressed his disappointment at the re-occurence of such a lapse. Speaking to the press, he said that the Ministry of Health (MOH) takes a serious view of this latest incident and will “study” it closely:

“We take a serious view of the incident at TTSH Dental Clinic and I am disappointed it has happened despite our efforts. MOH will study the incident closely, consult relevant technical experts, and consider further actions to be taken to reduce the risks of a re-occurrence across the healthcare sector.
“This incident is a timely reminder to all healthcare institutions to maintain a high level of vigilance in delivering patient care safely at all times.”

MOH has reportedly ordered TTSH to conduct thorough reviews of the incident and report the findings before taking necessary action.

Interestingly, TTSH noted the 2017 National Dental Centre incident in its press release as it said that it had learned from the previous incident and actually had implemented “several improvement measures” to its processes over the past year.

It admitted that this latest “incident shows however that further improvements are necessary.” TTSH revealed that it has since suspended elective procedures at the Dental Clinic until tomorrow to allow a safety time-out:

“Learning from a previous incident at the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) in June 2017, the TTSH Dental Clinic had put in place several improvement measures over the past year. These include revising pouching and documentation procedures, partitioning functional work areas, and instituting that completion of the sterilisation process be verified by two staff. TTSH Dental Clinic staff were also required to undergo a new competency assessment, and sent for training and certification at TTSH’s central sterile supply department (CSSD).
“In December 2017, the Ministry of Health had conducted an inspection of TTSH’s CSSD. The TTSH Dental Clinic also underwent biannual audits on their sterilisation procedures in May 2017, November 2017, May 2018 and October 2018. There were no procedural or equipment gaps found during these audits. In addition, the TTSH Dental Clinic underwent an inspection by the Joint Commission International (JCI), which found its processes to be in conformance with standards.
“This incident shows however that further improvements are necessary. TTSH and the National Healthcare Group are conducting thorough reviews. As a precautionary measure, elective procedures at the Dental Clinic have been suspended since 8 December to allow a safety time-out. Meanwhile we have put in place added controls at the Dental Clinic, and reinforced efforts to heighten staff awareness and full adherence to our processes for patient safety and care across the entire hospital. Elective outpatient dental services will resume from 12 December.”

Melissa Chen, the activist who helped Amos Yee seek asylum in the US now wants him deported, says he is “a stain on the human race.”

Obbana Rajah
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0
Melissa Chen, the activist who helped Amos Yee seek asylum in the US now wants him deported, says he is “a stain on the human race.”

Following pro-pedophilia tweets and posts on his social media, one of Amos Yee’s former supporters and the activist who campaigned for Yee to secure asylum in the United States has now turned against him. Melissa Chen, a human rights activist originally from Singapore, shared a video on her Facebook page detailing how and why she would like Amos Yee to be deported from the US.

In a Facebook video she titled as her statement, Melissa Chen starts off by saying that she is making her video at an airport lounge, on-route to Singapore. She adds that almost two years ago, she met Yee when he was serving his sentence for religiously insensitive comments and gave him documents that would start the process for him to be able to seek political asylum in the United States.

https://www.facebook.com/MsMelChen/videos/vb.914160/10106535660939890/?type=2&theater

Because of Yee’s blatant pro-pedophilia stance, Melissa said, “I am compelled to say Amos needs to be deported from the United States, and if he, in the process, gets sent back to jail in Singapore for going AWOL on National Service, I would find it extremely difficult to actually sympathise with that.”

Since her meeting with Yee in February 2017, she added that Yee had cut off all ties with her because he found she was being too authoritarian in her advice to him.

Even though Chen is a free-speech advocate, she added, “Some repulsive ideas generate too much negative externalities, and especially when these externalities involve the welfare of children, I think society cannot allow them to have free reign.”

Her thoughts on Amos Yee were, “he has betrayed basic human decency, he has betrayed innocent children everywhere, he has also betrayed the moral fabric of society”.

Ironically, the very woman who helped Yee seek asylum in the States, said in her video, “In fact I volunteer personally to escort him on his one-way ticket back, whether he likes it or not”.

She reiterated her call to get Yee out of America, stating “being in America is a privilege, not a right”.

Despite that, Chen also added that Yee was no longer a child and had to be held accountable for his actions as an adult.

Her concluding remarks were that, “Amos is a stain on Singapore, and a stain on the human race.”

Read related:

https://theindependent.sg.sg/amos-yee-is-now-apparently-offering-lessons-on-pedophilia/

________________________________________________________________________

[email protected]

Birthday spirits dampened after pizza joint charged $15 for cake-cutting

Miren Gonzalez
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0
Birthday spirits dampened after pizza joint charged $15 for cake-cutting

Foodie blogger Leslie Tay of ieatishootipost published a post on Facebook on December 9, explaining how the pizza joint where he and others were celebrating a birthday charged a $15 fee to cut a cake the party had brought from outside. The birthday girl decided to cut her cake at home instead, and their festive spirits were dampened considerably.

Here is a photo of the post, which was published on the ieatishootipost Facebook page:
ieatishootipost Facebook post screengrab

The post read as follows:

“So surprised that the pizza restaurant we just had dinner at just told us that they charge $15 if we wish to cut our birthday cake! Since when did this “anti-celebratory” practice start? I really hope this is not the new norm.
What do you all think? Should restaurants start charging if you wish to cut you cake at their premises after spending $XXX at the restaurant? Very sad if every restaurant will start doing this. It’s quite a Singaporean thing to hear people singing Happy Birthday and cutting a cake after a dinner to celebrate someone’s birthday.”

Tay added this postscript:

“I was a guest at the celebration, so I only found out about the $15 charge when it was time to cut the cake. My hosts did not ask at the time of the reservation because we did cut a birthday cake there earlier in the year. They were informed when they handed the cake to the restaurant. Apparently, they started to imposed it in Sep. In the end, we took the cake home to cut, because the birthday girl just did not feel it’s worth $15 to cut a 600g cake. It did burst the bubble on an otherwise joyous occasion. I hope other restaurants can see the marketing opportunity in this and go the other direction and signal that they welcome birthday parties by even offering a free cake! After all, isn’t a restaurant’s real mission to create a positive dining experience for the customer? Isn’t that the reason why we chose to return to the same restaurant for another birthday celebration?”

Imposing corkage fees for outside food or drinks is a standard practice that customers are familiar with. But what about this new “cakeage” fee? Tan called it an “anti-celebratory” practice, resulting in the group leaving the pizza restaurant and bringing the cake home instead.

The food blogger made a point of saying that the $15 cakeage fee “burst the bubble on an otherwise joyous occasion” as the birthday girl “did not feel it’s worth $15 to cut a 600g cake”. He said that restaurants should aim “to create a positive dining experience for the customer”.

Some netizens seemed to take the imposition of the cakeage fee quite hard. It’s a birthday, after all!

Maybe $1-$2 instead of $15?

What’s the point of getting $15 when the restaurant could earn way more?

Boycott the restaurant, they say:

This user seems to think charging a cakeage fee is perfectly reasonable:

If you don’t like it, go elsewhere:

it’s all about letting the customers know in advance if any cakeage fee exists:

This netizen thinks that $15 is not a big deal and said he would happily pay the cakeage fee.

You know what they say. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

SDP: Singapore’s sovereignty cannot and must not be compromised by anyone

Obbana Rajah
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0
SDP: Singapore’s sovereignty cannot and must not be compromised by anyone

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) published a statement earlier today about the state of tensions between Singapore and our closest neighbour, Malaysia. In their statement, the SDP pushed for the Republic to stand strong and to guard her territory, but also to maintain civil ties with Malaysia.

In their statement, they wrote, “Singapore’s sovereignty cannot and must not be compromised by anyone and in any form”.

The SDP also emphasized that Singapore should not waver in her stance. They added, “The current dispute with Malaysia presents a situation where we must be resolute in the defence of our sovereignty”.

However, they ultimately pushed for the tensions to be solved through amicalble means.

“The paramount objective must be to protect the well-being of our people. To this end, we must pursue every avenue to resolve the matter through dialogue and diplomacy. Our survival as a nation is dependent on our good relations with our neighbours”.

https://www.facebook.com/yoursdp/posts/10157331364078455?__xts__[0]=68.ARCl7Nyh7jwkRwbaS_Zn8GU2n_274AhzeuiVdNBavrVYw3wv-pw-5SIigFWAeuf99kvxAsWdW1-Z8PGSQy9ZwNPSU3Pukj0tWWMICtcn2LG7zyLBfgxt8r7ACarHCVJQ3zz-YITK2g3MQL1d7f9N8KVatl8MyLLaLZyU5oNiJASbhIURflcx4k1ELGVZK-iU_qjKjpaIVntvj_bSk8VXO17_LKeA9Qzl8IITxFdZMaEg9F_0_KLpsIlFd_GTID4joAZwXqEXX3_8TW6nfh8qEbC3bfNbDTgVjG1_Qn1sz7n9imeQ7azj0bPo1vt5OdrUjiqD6BPsJapui0DVis7dsEs2eGnuLC-BRZJnl8CfQcL_UPj2HzQf2b6_4UgMks1XD4l2fnQSKScIkVDCLxWXPMeY2X_xTCEVRXQskyCJ7kEhnCmKQ38dqItU05rPju9YzSly9HopncZUbsaXJoK7roBkqfHpAt5pF0Yv6Q&__tn__=H-R

TISG reached out to Dr Chee for his comments on the matter.

________________________________________________________________________

[email protected]

Singaporean man teaching English in Taiwan committed suicide after parents expressed discontent over how he handled his students

Miren Gonzalez
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0
Singaporean man teaching English in Taiwan committed suicide after parents expressed discontent over how he handled his students

A Singaporean man who was working as an English teacher in Taiwan took his own life after thinking that the school was planning to sack him, due to complaints from the parents at how he handled his students.

The incident happened on December 8, 2018, at Gushan District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

The 44-year-old Singaporean man, known only as Guo, was identified as an English teacher working at a primary school near the vicinity. He and his Taiwanese wife of several years had left Singapore and moved to Taiwan just a few months ago.

Original reports of the story indicated that the school had sacked him from his position after parents had expressed discontent at the way he had handled his students and his classes. The school has since clarified the matter – Guo had not been dismissed from teaching, even though it was true that students’ parents had complained about him.

On December 8, 2018, early on in the night, Yahoo Taiwan reported that Guo had spoken to his wife about the situation at school, saying that the school was planning to sack him from his teaching position.

Guo’s wife said that his suicide came as a shock to her since it seemed that Guo had  calmed down considerably after his wife had talked with him and comforted him.

Chinatimes reported that later on that night, at around 12:33AM, Guo flung himself off the 15th floor of the building. According to See Hua Daily News, Guo had jumped off the very same building where he and his wife were living.

Guo crashed through a white car and was found trapped between the dented roof and the driver’s seat.

While the fall did not kill him on the spot, he would later on die from severe injuries that turned fatal.

Yahoo Taiwan reported that Guo’s injuries included multiple fractures and blood all over his body. His heart had also stopped beating.

Although he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, he later on died at around 3:00AM.

Apparently, Guo had left behind a suicide note of sorts, as earlier reported byYahoo Taiwan. The last message he sent to his wife read “I will love you forever” (roughly translated into English).

Upon finding out about his suicide, Guo’s wife was distraught and immediately burst into tears.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, don’t hesitate to call for help. There are people who are there to listen and provide emotional support and emergency help, whenever it is needed.
To learn more about the risk factors and warning signs of suicide, check this Samaritans of Singapore information page.

Here are some suicide helplines:

Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222

Netizens accuse “propagandist” of stoking tensions between Singaporeans and Malaysians on Reddit

Jewel Stolarchuk
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0
Netizens accuse “propagandist” of stoking tensions between Singaporeans and Malaysians on Reddit

Netizens have accused a Reddit user whom they believe is a “PAP propagandist” of stirring tensions between Singapore and Malaysia. Last week, the Redditor, who goes by the username chingchongcheng84, posted a note entitled “Thank You Mahathir!” to the Singapore subreddit.

The post made potentially inflammatory claims, such as that Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad “wanted to play the big brother role to shove us around,” “joked about bombing us,” “played up racial and religious politics,” and “used us as a bogeyman and a punching bag.”

Proudly asserting that Singapore persevered despite these threats, the netizen wrote: “Terima kasih Mahathir, for setting an example for us – an example of what we shouldn’t do as a leader and what we should do for our country and our people as well as to create the best future for ourselves.”

The post quickly went viral on the Singapore subreddit and presently has over 900 upvotes. While many agreed with the netizens, several others have pointed out that the post is “extremely jingoistic in nature” and may have caused tensions between Singaporeans and Malaysians online to heat up.

When the netizen’s post was originally posted on the Singapore subreddit, the moderators of the subreddit asked Redditors to “play nice”:

The post was quickly cross-posted to the Malaysia subreddit and the moderators there locked the post, noticing the “brigading” going on on the Singapore subreddit. The moderator further warned users against “brigading” and making calls to action:

Reddit, an online discussion forum, has five rules. No “brigading” is rule number 2. According to the Urban Dictionary, “brigading” in this case refers to “a concentrated effort by one online group to manipulate another. (e.g. by mass commenting)”

Netizens on the Singapore subreddit also branded chingchongcheng84 as a “PAP propagandist” and labelled the post “a dick move” as they expressed surprise that the remarks made in the article went so viral:

A couple days later, chingchongcheng84 posted a random Facebook comment with one reaction by a Malaysian that called for violence against Singaporeans. The Redditor used the comment to make the point that Singaporeans should be careful.

Instead of receiving a favourable response this time, the Redditor received zero upvotes and was slammed for trying to stir tensions between Singaporeans and Malaysians:

There are credit cards which will give you a credit limit even if you don’t earn 30K

The Independent
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0
There are credit cards which will give you a credit limit even if you don’t earn 30K

Applicants of credit cards will in most instances need to be above 21 years, earn a gross annual income of S$30,000 if they are Singaporeans, or S$45,000 if they are foreigners. But there are certain exceptions.

By: Phoenix Lee/

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has set the minimum annual income requirements for credit card at $30,000 for individuals below 55 years old. In setting the eligibility at this level of income, the MAS balances several objectives.

The aim of this regulation for holders of credit cards is to provide eligible individuals with a convenient mode of payment and access to short-term credit when they need it, while encouraging prudent borrowing and lending practices.

Build a Good Credit for Your Dream Home

To minimise the risk of cardholders borrowing beyond their means, the maximum amount of credit that each financial institution can extend to a borrower is capped at four times his monthly income. This limit applies regardless of the number of credit cards a borrower has with the same financial institution.

Further, there is an industry-wide borrowing limit on the amount of unsecured credit that all financial institutions can provide to the same borrower. The limit will be progressively tightened to 12 times the cardholder’s monthly income by June 2019.

In addition, financial institutions are required to conduct fresh credit bureau and income checks on borrowers, when they receive applications for new unsecured credit facilities or credit limit increases. They must also conduct such checks where there are signs of potential debt problems. These checks will help financial institutions to decide whether to extend credit to the borrower, or make adjustments to any existing credit granted.

But there is an alternative to apply for a secured credit card if minimum income requirement is not met. Some banks will allow you to apply for a secured credit card without meeting the minimum income requirement if you are between 21 to 70 years of age and maintain a Singapore Dollars Fixed Deposit Account with a minimum of $10,000 placement,

The $30,000 minimum income requirement is a regulatory requirement, but some credit cards provide a lifeline for those who can’t meet this stringent requirement.

There are actually three such credit cards which are available to the general public:

  1. Standard Chartered’s Manhattan Card.
  2. Bank of China’s F1RST Card.
  3. Diners Club’s International Ace Credit Card (which has the lowest minimum income requirement of all – $16,000/year.

These are the various eligibility criteria for applying to these credit cards:

STANDARD CHARTERED’s MANHATTEN CARD:
>18 to 32 years old
>Minimum Annual Income: $18,000 and above

BOC’s F1RST:
>Students (min. 18 years old)
>No minimum income required
>Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents or Foreigners

>Working Adults (min. 21 years old)
>Minimum annual income of S$18,000
>Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents

DINER’S CLUB INTERNATIONAL ACE CREDIT CARD
>Min. income: S$16,000p.a (except for students & NSFs)
>Applicants must be Singaporeans or PRs & age 18-65 years old.
>For applicants age below 21, Parent’s / Guardian’s consent is required

It’s hard to say which credit card among the three is the best, but Diners Club has the lowest annual fee ($28).

credit cards

And if you charge $2,000 to the card over the course of a year (average of $167/month, excluding AXS terminal payments) you can get enough Club Rewards points to get a fee waiver — there are no mysterious fee waiver criteria.

Diners Club is not as widely accepted, although that’s probably a very good thing when you’re just looking to build a credit history. Diners Club is the only credit card accepted for CPF top ups.

BOC’s F1RST Card has a ridiculous annual fee (S$190), although it’s waived for the first two years (instead of a one year waiver). It offers the best rebate (0.5%) among these cards.

The Manhattan $500 Card has a slightly higher annual fee than Diners, but unlike the Diners Ace you’ll never be able to claw back the annual fee via points or rebates. So you’re at Standard Chartered’s (or BOC’s) mercy whether they’ll waive the fee or not. It is best to go with the Diners Ace in this category, in part because the annual fee waiver rules are transparent and achievable.

In this case the limited acceptance is a feature not a bug and you should be paying it off automatically every month anyway. This card is just to build a credit history. And it happens to have the lowest income requirement ($16,000/year instead of $18,000).

CIMB had a similar its $500 credit card, but it was discontinued in 2017. That one was a gem with no annual fees to worry about, ever, for life. For those of you who grabbed the CIMB Classic MasterCard while it was available, you can hang onto it. If nothing else it’ll be useful for CIMB merchant promotions in Singapore, and it does not cost anything to keep in your wallet.

How much of your income should you spend on housing?

How to Secure a Personal Loan Quickly

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Whether you are looking for a new home loan or to refinance, our mortgage brokers can help you get everything right from calculating mortgage repayment, comparing interest rates all through to securing the loan. And the good thing is that all their services are free of charge. So it’s all worth it to secure a loan through them.

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Grab launches R&D centre in Malaysia

e27
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Grab launches R&D centre in Malaysia

This is its 7th R&D centre globally

Grab_Singapore_RD

Southeast Asia ride-hailing giant Grab has launched an R&D centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the company was first founded in 2012.

The new R&D centre is Grabś seventh globally. It has centres based in Bangalore, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Seattle and Singapore.

The Malaysian centre will hire 100 tech employees in its first year of operations, including software engineers, data scientists and data analysts.

The team will focus on developing and enhancing real-time communications features such as VOIP calls via GrabChat, as well as build other web features.

They will also develop new safety measures through machine learning. An example of this is Grabś Driver Fatigue feature, which calculates a “fatigue score” based on factors like how long the driver has been on the road, time of day, rest between shifts and even his or her age and profile. When a driver hits a high fatigue threshold, they will be sent a notification to take a break.

Also Read: M17 Entertainment raises US$25M for R&D and more

¨By setting up an R&D centre in Malaysia, we want to play a part in developing deep tech talent in the country, particularly in areas like machine learning,” said Ditesh Gathani, Head of Engineering, Grab, in a press release.

¨We also hope that through Grab, Malaysia’s top tech talent will have the opportunity to put their skills to bear against solving complex, real-world issues right here at home,¨ he added.

Grab plans to add 1,000 new tech roles in 2019, in a bid to fuel continued development of its GrabPlatform, which is a suite of APIs for partners to integrate their services with Grab, as the

The company is also boosting its AI capabilities so it can leverage its vast trove of data to not only  improve and develop new services, but also to tackle complex problems such as congestion and financial inclusion.

The opening of the new R&D centre comes on the heels of Go-Jekś launch in Singapore. The Indonesian company is Grabś archrival in the region; in recent months, it has signalled its intention to challenge Grabś dominance in the region through the launch of its services in markets such as Vietnam and Thailand.

It is still premature to forecast who would come out the victor (if there will even be one), but Grab seems to have the upper hand currently —  its war chest far outsizes Go-Jekś, and it is on track to complete its massive US$3 billion fundraising round (that has major backers including Toyota Motor Corp) by the end of the year, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

—

The post Grab launches R&D centre in Malaysia appeared first on e27.

Source: E27

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