Polar bear Inuka moves into new home

Polar bear Inuka moves into new home

Singapore-born polar bear Inuka now has a brand new home at the Singapore Zoo.

From a climate controlled "ice cave" to a three-metre deep dive pool with a giant "ice block", Inuka's home just got plusher.

The enclosure is part of the zoo's new Frozen Tundra exhibit which opened on Wednesday.

It seems the 22-year-old polar bear is delighted about his new home.

Chief Life Sciences Officer at Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Dr Cheng Wen-Haur explained: "I think he is thrilled with the brand new habitat. It is much bigger than his old place. He has got a very big land area, over 600 square metres. And very importantly, he has got a very big (and deep) pool. The first time we released him, he went to the deep end… and he really enjoyed it."

The habitat is the size of about two-and-a-half basketball courts and four times the size of his previous home.

Animal lovers who like to see Inuka in his ice cave will have to bear with the cold.

The viewing gallery is about 17 to 18 degree Celsius, the same temperature as what Inuka is experiencing in his cave.

Dr Cham Tud Yinn, who is the exhibit's design and development director, said: "The challenge is to balance the needs of the animal and the people - visitors who enjoy the exhibit and people who maintain the exhibit.

"Too big a space may not be good for visitors because they can't see the bear half the time. We have to make sure that it is easy to clean and maintain and we have to employ very advance filtration system to make sure the water is crystal clear all the time."

And what is a new home without some new neighbours.

One of them is a brother-sister pair of wolverines brought in from a Russian zoo. These fierce carnivores are known to be able to take on animals more than 10 times their weight.

Two raccoon dogs that are native to East Asia are the other new kids in the house.

The Frozen Tundra exhibit is open from 8.30am to 6pm daily.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Singapore Flyer in receivership

Singapore Flyer in receivership

The Singapore Flyer is in receivership.

Accounting firm Ferrier Hodgson has been appointed as the receiver and manager of the company's charged assets.

Still it's business as usual at the giant wheel.

Ferrier Hodgson said it is looking into identifying investors to manage and enhance the Singapore Flyer, and will ensure smooth operations at the Flyer throughout the receivership.

The Flyer has been an icon of the Singapore skyline since 2008.

The Singapore Tourism Board said it reserves its rights as landlord and will be closely engaging the various parties involved to ensure the best possible outcome that enhances the tourism sector.

It adds that it looks forward to a smooth resolution with minimal disruption to visitors.

~~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~~

Marina Bay Sands

Rare artefacts on display at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Rare artefacts on display at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

More than 90 rare artefacts and historical materials from Japan and Singapore are on display at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

The exhibition, called "Kindred Spirits: Dr Sun Yat Sen, Singapore and Japan" is the first exhibition focusing on the historical connection between Dr Sun's revolutionary movement in Singapore and in Japan.

In addition to institutions in Japan which contributed to the exhibition (like Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Kobe and Miyazaki Brothers Museum in Arao), artefact contributors also include families of Dr Sun's supporters in Japan.

Among the exhibits loaned by the families is the haori or short Japanese jacket with the words "kenbo" or "virtuous mother" written by Dr Sun.

Dr Sun presented the jacket to her great grandfather Umeya Shokichi in recognition of his support for the Chinese revolutionary movement.

Artefact contributor Ms Kosaka Ayano said: "Shokichi agreed that Dr Sun raise an army so he promised that he would raise money to support him financially."

Ms Kosaka has contributed some 10 items to the exhibition in Singapore. She hopes that by doing so Singaporeans will know more about the relationship between Dr Sun and his Japanese supporters of the 1911 Revolution.

The exhibition aims to highlight not just the Japanese pioneers residing in Singapore who were supporters of Dr Sun, but also those who contributed to Singapore's growth.

For example, there is an area that features Dr Nakano Kozo, who contributed to Singapore's economy by owning several rubber plantations as well as setting up several medical clinics and hospitals.

Dr Nakano's traditional ink slab, presented to him by a close friend of Dr Sun, is featured at the exhibition.

The exhibition will run till November.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Botanic Gardens to have heritage museum

Botanic Gardens to have heritage museum, "green" gallery



The Singapore Botanic Gardens announced plans on Friday for a heritage museum and a gallery for green exhibits. The new attractions, which cost about S$2 million in cash and kind from City Developments Limited, will open their doors from end November 2013.

The 240 square metre (sqm) heritage museum will house interactive and multimedia exhibits showcasing the gardens' rich heritage. These will include rare historical finds, such as books and paintings that date back to as early as the 19th century.

The museum will be located at Holttum Hall, near the garden's Tanglin entrance.

Members of the public can also look forward to a Green Gallery featuring more botanical exhibits. The 314 sqm gallery, which is an extension of the museum, will also be Singapore's first zero energy gallery.

The gallery, which runs on solar power, will be built using Hempcrete -- an eco-friendly building material.

It will showcase Singapore's "greening" journey as its first exhibition when it opens.

The director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Dr Nigel Taylor, said that the additions will be a "great help" in supporting the gardens' nomination bid as Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

New Terminal 5 likely to be biggest terminal

New Terminal 5 likely to be Changi Airport's biggest terminal

Observers believe the new Terminal 5 at Changi Airport will most likely be the airport's biggest terminal, with the capacity to handle between 30 and 50 million passengers a year.

And they expect the new terminal to contribute to a more seamless travel experience for passengers.

With four terminals by 2017, Changi Airport will be able to cater to more than 85 million passengers every year.

But another passenger terminal could be built at a site in Changi East to cater to more demand.

The area is located between the existing runway two and runway three which is being planned for co-civilian use from 2020. To make way for this, it's understood that the existing Changi Coast Road will have to go or be diverted.

Given the large space, observers believe Terminal 5, slated to be ready by next decade, could have about twice the handling capacity of the current Terminal 2, which can handle about 23 million passengers a year. The new terminal will also help boost Singapore's competitive edge.

Mr Gary Ho, senior lecturer of Aviation Management and Services at Temasek Polytechnic, said: "The trend now in the world is to have mega terminals. If you look at our airport, it's old fashioned - one small terminal. If you look at the new airports like Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong they all have big mega terminals now, so our new T5 will be a mega-terminal. It would make sense to finally have a mega-terminal and for Singapore Airlines to finally be in one terminal instead of across two terminals."

With the national carrier at Terminal 5, each alliance of airlines such as Sky Team or One World could also operate out of dedicated terminals.

If so, aviation experts say this will contribute to a more seamless travel experience.

Mr Leithen Francis, Asia editor of Aviation Week, said: "Going forward, I think if we got more terminals, we are going to see Sky Team at one terminal, One World at another and Star Alliance at another. We are not going to have a situation which we see at the moment where some Star Alliance carriers are at Terminal 2 and some at Terminal 1, and some at Terminal 3, and they kind of spread around.

"Because there are going to be so many terminals, it is conceivable that each alliance will be able to get their own terminals, in which case the members of that alliance will be able to have their gates near one another. They will be able to have their lounges near one another so that the passengers will have a much more seamless experience when you fly in on one airline and you transfer to another, which is part of the same alliance. It will be seamless, it will be quick and it will be easy."

Terminal 5 is also expected to have more self-service facilities and bigger lounges.

Mr Francis added: "One big trend of course is - terminals are becoming more lifestyle destinations. There's a lot more retail, dining options at airport terminals, so Terminal 5 will be able to take all those trends into account.

"It helps with Changi Airport's efforts to compete, because if people know that their experience at Changi Airport is going to be a better experience than in any other airports than if they want to transit, then they will prefer to transit through Changi."

Observers say it may also be necessary to have a Skytrain to transit passengers to and from Terminal 5.

Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew has said that rising middle income groups in India and China mean that these countries will be markets of importance in the coming years.

And within Southeast Asia, the dynamic economies of Thailand and Indonesia are also driving sustained growth in travel demand, and he said Changi Airport should be well-poised to benefit from growth in these markets.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Merlion

Plans for Johor-S'pore rapid transit system in final stages

Plans for Johor-S'pore rapid transit system in final stages: Abdul Ghani

Outgoing Johor Chief Minister Abdul Ghani Othman says plans for the rapid transit system (RTS) linking Johor and Singapore are in their final stages.

Singapore's transport ministry said the architectural and engineering consultancy study for the Rapid Transit System (RTS) linking Johor and Singapore is currently on-going, and its first phase is nearing completion.

The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) for Iskandar Malaysia (IM) will then decide on the option for the RTS Link to be further studied as part of the second phase of the study.

Both countries have agreed for both sides to co-locate their Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities at both the Singapore and Johor Bahru (JB) stations, so that cross-border commuters on the RTS Link need to clear immigration only once at either station.

This means that those who are taking the RTS Link from Woodlands in Singapore will clear both Singapore and Malaysian Customs before boarding the train and need not clear again when they arrive at JB.

A similar arrangement will also be in place for those from JB taking the RTS Link into Singapore.

Meanwhile, outgoing Johor Chief Minister Abdul Ghani Othman on Thursday took his electoral fight to Singapore - by taking a bus down to meet factory workers in the Republic.

Mr Abdul Ghani travelled by bus from Gelang Patah in Johor to Jurong East bus interchange in Singapore.

It was his first time travelling on the Causeway Link bus and he noted that the journey took more than an hour.

The Chief Minister wanted to experience what it was like for Malaysians who travel to Singapore daily.

And he said commuting will be more efficient once the Rapid Transit System is ready.

He said: "A lot more people can be moved with the RTS. The capacity with be enough, the speed will be fast enough, and people will be moved into Singapore and back more efficiently.

"So, that will definitely reduce congestion as a result of the daily usage of the causeway or the second link."

The Rapid Transit System is aimed at enhancing connectivity between the two countries.

It will also be integrated with public transport services in both Johor Baru and Singapore.

Some 100,000 workers in Johor commute to Singapore every day. To help commuters move more speedily, there is a possibility of making the CIQ facilities more efficient.

Caretaker Chief Minister Abdul Ghani Othman is suggesting to have a single CIQ complex for both countries.

He said: “Of course it should be enhanced with a joint CIQ; if that takes place then it will achieve the most optimum objective of an RTS."

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~