MHA plans location-based SMS alerts for crisis situations

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http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/mha-plans-location-based-sms-alerts-crisis-situations-20

The mobile phone in your hand may soon save your life in a disaster.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is planning to tap mobile phone networks to warn the public of danger in an emergency.

While it is not the first time the authorities have sent out SMS alerts - the police have a subscription-based crime notification system - it will be MHA's first "location-based" system.

Under this system, warnings can be sent to active mobile phones in a particular area without users having to pre-register.

The system will allow "time-critical" messages to be broadcast in "any selected geographical area in Singapore", according to MHA tender documents on the new system that The Straits Times obtained.

Examples of crisis situations identified by the ministry as warranting such warnings include terror attacks and riots. The ministry also wants the notifications to be sent out quickly, at "no less than 30 SMSes per second".

Mobile phone users do not need to register in advance for the service and they are identified based on their last-known locations provided by the telephone companies' networks.

But users can opt out.

The ministry did not spell out when the system will be ready.

Anyone can call the Institute of Mental Health's 24/7 helpline

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http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/health/story/now-anyone-can-call-institute-mental-health-helpline-247-20141018

A helpline that used to be for the Institute of Mental Health's (IMH) patients and caregivers, and people in the business, has now been made open to everyone.

The IMH's helpline number, open 24 hours, is 6389-2222.

Family members, neighbours and friends who suspect mental illness in a person can call the IMH's line for tips on what to do.

Trained counsellors on the helpline will focus on assessing the risk of each case, said IMH chief executive Chua Hong Choon yesterday at the Singapore Mental Health Conference.

These counsellors can also advise callers on how to defuse crises and link them up with appropriate social services.

Public Wi-Fi users, beware of Poodle

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http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/public-wi-fi-users-beware-poodle-20141018

Computer users may want to hold off e-banking or even checking their e-mail over public Wi-Fi networks until Web browser makers fix a newly discovered flaw.

Known as Poodle, which stands for Padding Oracle on Downgraded Legacy Encryption, the bug allows Web sessions and transactions to be hijacked without even needing victims' passwords. It exploits an outdated encryption protocol - Secure Sockets Layer version 3 (SSLv3) - which, ironically, is meant to secure Web links.

BEWARE OF POODLE

And SSLv3 is supported by nearly all the Web browsers that are in use today: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE).

The bug was discovered by three Google security researchers, who published a paper about it on Thursday.

29 injured after two lorries collided at Lim Chu Kang

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/29-injured-after-two/1420132.html

Two lorries collided on Thursday night at the junction of Lim Chu Kang Road and Lorong Rusuk, resulting in 29 people injured and sent to hospital.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted at 9.52pm of the incident, and seven ambulances were sent to the scene. 

They subsequently sent 29 people to hospital - 10 to NUH, seven to Alexandra Hospital, seven to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and five to Singapore General Hospital.

Various injuries to the head, hand, leg, back and abrasions were reported, the SCDF added.

Apple's new iPads to land in Singapore this month

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/apple-s-new-ipads-to-land/1420394.html

The iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, both with WiFi and cellular capabilities, will be available in Singapore later this month, according to StarHub and M1.

StarHub said Apple's latest tablets will be offered with its data plans that will allow customers to access its 4G LTE-Advanced mobile network, it said in a statement on Friday (Oct 17).

M1 also announced that it would offer the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 this month. "M1 will offer these new iPads with a range of attractive data plans that will allow customers to connect to its ultrafast nationwide 4G network with speeds up to 150Mbps," it said in a statement.

The announcements came hours after Apple unveiled its next generation of iPads. The updated models feature its Apple Pay mobile payments system and include the Touch ID functionality used on iPhones. The Cupertino-based company also launched its iMac and Mac Mini devices, and released the Yosemite operating system for free.

M1 hotline accidentally diverted to Police hotline

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/m1-hotline-routed-to/1420486.html

Local telco M1’s 1627 hotline was routed to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) hotline for a period of time on Friday (Oct 17) afternoon due to a flawed configuration file, the telco said.

M1 said about 150 customer calls were diverted to the SPF hotline.

An M1 spokesperson said in a statement: "Our investigation showed that during preparation works to support 4G voice’s (Voice-over-LTE) emergency call feature, a flawed configuration file incorrectly translated our hotline numbers to the universally accepted emergency number 112 which is automatically translated to each territory’s local emergency number. In the case of Singapore, this number is 999, the Police’s hotline."

The telco said only mobile users who accessed the Internet with their handsets at around 12.00pm to 1:30pm.

The issue was resolved by 1:30pm, according to M1, which also apologised to the Singapore Police Force and its customers for the inconvenience caused. It also alerted consumers that handsets that downloaded the file in question "may experience this same issue until the handset is turned off and on, which will refresh the configuration file".

"We encourage all customers who were in the above locations during this timeframe to take this action, as to avoid undue inconvenience to the police’s emergency hotline," the spokesperson said.

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) said it is investigating the issue. In a statement, a spokesman said M1 had reported the technical fault to IDA, adding that it understands the issue has been resolved and noting that M1 has "advised all their customers to reboot their phones when possible".

Changi Airport T1 car park closed from Fri 17 Oct 2am till Tue 21 Oct 2am

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/changi-airport-t1-car/1420472.html

The temporary closure of the open-air car park fronting Changi Airport's Terminal 1 (T1) kicked off with minimal fuss on Friday (Oct 17), with little sign of congestion or chaos.

The four-day temporary closure began at 2am on Friday and will last till 2am on Tuesday.

The updated road signs and lane markings are part of the dry-run of the relocation of T1's open-air car park in the last quarter of 2014, as part of the terminal’s redevelopment plans called Project Jewel, to allow more space for aviation facilities.

Drivers of private cars picking up arrivals at T1 will also need to detour to a new arrival pick-up point. There will be no change to departure drop-offs as well as taxi boarding and drop-offs.

A shuttle bus service between T1 and Terminal 2 (T2) will also supplement the existing Skytrain service for this period. Running daily at regular five-minute intervals, the T1 stop is located outside the Arrival Hall on Level 1 near Burger King. T2's stop is at the Departure Check-in Hall, on Level 2, Door 1.

Changes to upcoming concerts at National Stadium to help pitch recover

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/changes-to-jay-chou/1421198.html

Mandopop star Jay Chou's Opus 2 Jay 2014 World Tour on Nov 8 at the National Stadium has been postponed to Dec 27, the Singapore Sports Hub confirmed on Friday (Oct 17).

The stage set-up for the Mariah Carey concert on Oct 24 will also be re-positioned off the pitch to the East quadrant of the stadium, to enhance pitch recovery and ”in the interest of our long-term goal to develop and further enhance the spectator experience".

The announcement comes on the heels of fierce criticism of the state of the pitch at the National Stadium. Sport Singapore has told SportsHub Pte Ltd to do everything necessary to make sure the field meets the requirements of the ASEAN Football Federation for the AFF Suzuki Cup, which kicks off on Nov 23.

Those who have bought tickets for the Jay Chou concert will be able to keep their original tickets. Those unable to attend the rescheduled concert should call Sports Hub Tix Hotline at +65 6333 5000 or +65 3158 7888 for a full refund, including your pre-sold parking ticket if purchased. Refund requests have to be made by Nov 9, 8pm.

Affected patrons for the Mariah Carey concert have the option of reallocating their seats and will receive a $10 F&B voucher for this event at the National Stadium or request a full refund.

Cement tanker overturns at Clementi Ave 6 exit on AYE

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cement-tanker-overturns/1418036.html

A Malaysian-registered cement tanker overturned at the Clementi Avenue 6 exit along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) towards Tuas on Wednesday (Oct 15) evening, causing traffic to be backed up to Buona Vista.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident at 7.06pm. The truck driver, a male in his 40s, was trapped in his seat and extricated by SCDF using hydraulic rescue tools. He was later conveyed conscious to hospital.

The SCDF said it dispatched a fire engine, a Red Rhino, two fire bikes, a Specialised Rescue Tender, an ambulance and two support vehicles to the scene.

A member of the public tweeted a picture Wednesday night at 7.42pm, while SCDF were extricating the trapped driver.

There was minor oil spillage on the road caused by the accident, but the spillage has since been cleaned up, it added.

Separately, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) tweeted at 7.21pm that the Clementi Avenue 6 exit along AYE towards Tuas has been closed and there was congestion till the Buona Vista exit.

Five arrested for knife attack at Woodlands

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/five-arrested-for-knife/1418758.html

RANDOM IMAGE

Five people, aged between 16 and 22, were arrested for rioting with a deadly weapon in Woodlands on Tuesday (Oct 14).

Police received an alert that people were fighting along Woodlands Avenue 3 at 6:27pm. A 21-year-old man was attacked by a group of men who fled before police arrived. One of the attackers had injured the victim with a knife.

Officers from Jurong Police Division managed to get CCTV footage from the area and established the identities of the suspects.

The suspects - all male - were rounded up at various locations on the same day. They will be charged in court on Friday. If convicted of rioting with a deadly weapon, they face up to 10 years' jail and could be caned.

Found anti-tank dummy weapons spark MATADOR memes

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/found-anti-tank-dummy/1418440.html

The discovery of two sets of dummy anti-tank weapons, also known as MATADORs, in the Lim Chu Kang area on Thursday (Oct 16) morning has sparked a flurry of discussion on social media.

Some on Facebook and Twitter have created memes. One post which has gone viral references an incident in 2011 where a National Serviceman's domestic helper was photographed carrying his field pack.

Other memes allude to a prayer circle for the soldier who could be in hot soup. Some online have posted messages of support for the unknown soldier as well.

More than a handful have criticised the person who posted a photo of the MATADORs on social media instead, saying the decision to publicise the incident, may result in harsher punishment.

The Singapore Armed Forces has said it takes a "serious view" of this incident, and that an investigation is underway.

Public servants called up to train as election officials

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/public-servants-called-up/1419900.html

With the January 2017 deadline for the next General Election looming closer, the Elections Department (ELD) has been calling up public servants for training to be election officials, as part of the electoral process.

Teachers TODAY spoke to confirmed that they have received letters – some last month and others in the past week – informing them that they have been identified as election officials, and requiring them to complete an online training module before attending in-person training at a later date.

Overseeing voting at polling stations – usually located within schools, community centres or void decks – will be among the various roles election officials will take on.

For the 2006 and 2011 General Elections, public servants were called up for training about 18 months and 31 months before the elections, respectively.

USS Halloween scare actors roughed up and molested by horror-seekers

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/halloween-performers/1419910.html

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Several performers working for the annual Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore – which started on Oct 3 – said they had been roughly treated by guests on the set of the event. At least one said she had been molested in the dark.

In a Facebook post last Sunday (Oct 12), which has since gone viral, a scare actress said she had been pushed around and groped by guests on the set the night before and “felt violated”.

“I was standing at my position and different people poked my clown nose, touched my hair, my face, my chest, my shoulder … They tossed the props around, slamming it into me. And then they came nearer and brushed past me again,” she wrote. “We put in so much effort for a good performance, only to be molested by people, touching scare actors everywhere,” she added.

The post was taken down on Wednesday afternoon, but screenshots of the post continue to circulate online, gathering more than 1,300 retweets and about 180 favourites on Twitter as of press time. When contacted by TODAY, the scare actress declined to comment.

However, it was understood that she has met up with the management to discuss the matter.

TODAY spoke to seven other performers, six of whom said they had experienced first-hand “attacks” from guests. However, they had brushed these incidents off as a common occurrence. None pursued the matter though they were advised to report it to their respective crew member in charge.

Mr Neo Ri Xin, 20, a polytechnic student working at Bogeyman, one of the scare zones, said: “We can alert our crew and they will help us to chase the guests and if we want to pursue the matter, we can. But most of the time, we do not because it’s nothing much and we understand that it’s a natural reaction when people get scared.”

A 20-year-old crew member working at one of the haunted houses, who only wanted to be known as Min, told TODAY: “It’s more common for the scare crew in the haunted houses to be attacked compared with the scare crews in the zones because it’s enclosed and they (guests) think that nobody can see them provoking the scare crew.”

In response to queries, a Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) spokesperson said: “The safety of our guests and performers is of utmost importance to us. There is a no-contact rule and we have measures in place to ensure the safety and well-being of both our guests and performers. Our performers receive dedicated training on this as well.”