F1 tweaked from Turns 11 to 13

Formula 1: Singapore Grand Prix circuit tweaked from Turns 11 to 13

The track modifications were in line with the enhancements made to the Civic District, Singapore GP says.

The series of turns on the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix circuit spanning Fullerton Road and Anderson Bridge will be modified for this year's race, organisers said.

The Civic District has undergone significant enhancements to mark the country's 50th year of Independence. This includes the Urban Redevelopment Authority's integration of Esplanade Park and Empress Place to form a new arts, culture and lifestyle precinct which includes the Asian Civilisation Museum, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall and the National Gallery.

The FIA - F1's governing body - and race promoter Singapore GP have approved modifications to the alignment of the track between Turns 11 and 13 to dove-tail with the new Civic District enhancement plans.

The right-hand Turn 11 will be realigned to sit tighter with the left-hand side of Fullerton Road, for a slightly slower corner speed compared to the 2014 circuit.

The left-hand Turn 12 will be modified slightly so drivers enter the left lane of Anderson Bridge, which will allow them to accelerate to Turn 13 at 200kmh.

The hairpin at Turn 13 will be widened by 1 metre to enable more overtaking opportunities, organisers said.

The new Jubilee Bridge, linking the Merlion Park to the Esplanade promenade, has also been incorporated into the Circuit Park, Singapore GP said.

The changes to the Singapore circuit were overseen by Faithful+Gould Senior Project Manager and Engineering Track Manager Jonathan Giesecke.

"It's a fantastic challenge to translate changes to Singapore's Civic District into improvements to the Marina Bay Street Circuit. I expect the modifications from Turns 11 to 13 will enable closer racing and the potential for additional passing opportunities," he said.

The race takes place from Sep 18 to 20 this year.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Events at Singapore Botanic Gardens celebrating SG50 revealed

Events at Singapore Botanic Gardens celebrating SG50 revealed

The Singapore Botanic Gardens, recently named a World UNESCO heritage site, will be celebrating the Republic’s 50th anniversary with a three-day lineup of activities from Aug 7 to 9.

The festivities were announced by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong last Friday (Jul 10). Organised by the National Parks Board (NParks), activities include a carnival, free concerts, and free outdoor movie screenings.

The National Day Parade will also be telecast live in the Gardens on Aug 9, following a series of prescreening performances by local artistes such as Lorraine Tan, Vocaluptuous and Wicked Aura from 4pm.

THREE-DAY CARNIVAL

The carnivals will include a range of activities and game booths from 10am to 5pm. Visitors can engage in traditional games and crafts, view cultural arts like botanical themed batik painting and calligraphy or eat childhood snacks such as old school biscuits and kacang puteh.

FREE CONCERTS AND MOVIE SCREENINGS

A concert recreating the “Aneka Ragam Ra’ayat” or “People’s Variety Show”, a regular occurrence at the Gardens up till the early 1960s, will be held. The concert was first held at the Botanic Gardens in 1959, and this edition will be hosted by Suhaimi Yusof and Vernetta Lopez.

The unveiling of the official Singapore Botanic Gardens’ World Heritage site inscription will also take place at the concert. The plaque will be installed at the Gardens’ Tanglin gate.

On Aug 7, local groups and artistes including 53A, Rui En, John Molina, Olivia Ong, Taufik Batisah, Shabir and Corinne May will perform at the concert from 4pm to 7pm. Their performances will be followed by the T'ang Quartest from 7.45pm to 8.15pm at the Bandstand, after which the movie It's A Great Great World will be screened from 8.30pm to 10pm at Lawn E overlooking Swan Lake.

On Aug 8, the Singapore Lyric Opera, accompanied by symphony orchestra and opera singers, will play classical melodies with The Sam Willows providing a modern-day twist. This performance will be followed by from 7.45pm to 8.15pm at The Bandstand, and the movie Singapore Dreaming will be shown from 8.30pm to 10pm at Lawn E overlooking Swan Lake.

FREE ADMISSION TO NATIONAL ORCHIRD GARDEN

From Jul 10 to Aug 31, as part of its anniversary celebrations, admission to the National Orchid Garden is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents. Over 16,000 orchid plants will be on display at the Botany Centre until Aug 10 as part of the “Orchids of Singapore Botanic Gardens and Their Heritage” exhibition, which showcases the Gardens’ orchid heritage.

The Gardens’ first exhibition of botanical art by international artists features plant portraits from the Shirley Sherwood Collection of Contemporary Botanical Art. Held in the CDL Green Gallery @ SBG Heritage Museum, the “Tropical Splendour: Plant Portraits from the Shirley Sherwood Collection of Contemporary Botanical Art” exhibition will run until Nov 1.

NATIONAL DAY FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROMOTIONS

Food and beverage outlets in the Singapore Botanic Gardens are offering National Day promotions in the month of August.

Halia, Casa Verde, Corner House and Di Wei at Food Canopy have lined up menus to celebrate the nation’s jubilee and the inscription of Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Garden Shops located at Tanglin Gate, Nassim Gate and the National Orchid Garden also have botanical inspired gifts.

NParks advises visitors to take public transport. Shuttle bus services will be available from Botanic Gardens MRT station on Aug 7 and 8 from 10am to 11pm. Aug 9, shuttle bus services will run from 10am to 10pm.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Boutique hotels sprouting up to meet growing demand

Boutique hotels sprouting up to meet growing demand

Boutique hotels in the Republic are gearing up for a growing group of travellers that are seeking unconventional experiences.

Such hotels tend to be more exclusive, intimate, and unique than major chain hotels, and they are seeing demand from millennials who seek differentiation and the thrill of discovering something distinctive.

One such boutique hotel is Naumi, which is designed to feel like a private home, while boasting of amenities such as an infinity pool and Apple TV's AirPlay. One suite in the hotel even allows you to indulge in the vintage world of Coco Chanel.

"If you look at the Singapore market 10 years ago, people may not have understood what a boutique hotel is all about," said Naumi Hospitality vice-president Peter Wong. "They may think that a boutique hotel is a budget hotel - I think that's a very wrong concept. If I can borrow an analogy from the fashion or retail industry, a boutique hotel is something like a Prada shop or Hermes, it's small, it has its own style, compared to a big retail shop."

Boutiques hotels have been sprouting up in recent years, to meet a growing demand.

Said Mr Victor Wong, Area & Development Director, Asia Pacific, Small Luxury Hotels of the World: "Now there is actually a growing trend among travellers especially in the luxury segment for them to look at something more local, authentic, experiential and boutique hotels are actually in a very position to tap on this market."

Industry observers say the popularity of boutique hotels lies on the back of a rising wave of millennial travellers that make up the bulk of their clientele.

"They're usually younger in terms of crowd, between 30 to about 45 years old, and they've got good spending power," said Mr Donald Han, Chesterton Singapore managing director. "They're non-cookie cutter type, they're looking for hotels which are typically smaller but don't compromise in terms of quality of services."

"They're not looking for a typical ball room, meeting, function rooms - they just want somewhere which is hip, trendy somewhere where you can be recognised in terms of your name," Mr Han added.

Chesterton adds that boutique hotels tend to generate higher profit margins than conventional luxury hotels.

And in Singapore, they are expected to hold their own, as nearly 80 per cent of new room supply coming onstream in the next couple of years are in the mid-tier segment.

French hotel operator AccorHotels says while families and business travelers still prefer the norm and predictability, the demand for differentiation is having an impact across the board, and even Accor's standard brands are increasingly providing ways for each hotel to develop its own identity and character.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Selamat hari raya

Heavy traffic expected at both land checkpoints

Heavy traffic expected at both land checkpoints during Hari Raya weekend

Heavy traffic is expected at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints from Thursday (Jul 16), ahead of Hari Raya Puasa on Friday.

Traffic volume is expected to build up from Thursday and continue till Sunday, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a statement, adding that travellers using the land checkpoints during this period can expect delays.

For departure from Singapore, traffic at both checkpoints is expected to be particularly heavy on Thursday and Friday, ICA said. For arrival, traffic at both checkpoints is expected to be particularly heavy on Sunday.

The authority has advised travellers to adjust their travel plans if possible. If not, motorists should check on the traffic situation at both land checkpoints before embarking on their journey, it said.

Travellers are encouraged to car-pool where possible, maintain lane discipline at all times, and ensure that they do not bring unlawful or prohibited goods into or out of Singapore, ICA said.

For more information, the public can call 6863 0117, tune in to the radio for the latest traffic news, or visit these websites to check latest traffic conditions: http://onemotoring.com.sg or http://www.mytransport.sg.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

One Direction reunited at Madame Tussauds

One Direction reunited at Madame Tussauds Singapore

In what could be the best news ever for those who think One Direction lights up their lives like nobody else - all five original members of the boyband are in Singapore, in the form of wax figures at the Madame Tussauds attraction at Sentosa.

Fans still yearning for a Zayn Malik return to 1D will be able to see him reunited with Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Harry Styles. A day before the official unveiling to visitors on Friday (Jul 10), hundreds of screaming fans got a preview of the fabulous five.

"Some people have asked, why five and not four members? Well, the five has Zayn, and he was one of the most-loved members," said Mr Craig Connor, general manager of Madame Tussauds.

"We knew this would give the fans a chance to see them all together, and we've seen tears and happiness, so it's just heartwarming to give the fans this memorable experience once more," he added.

Scores of fans queued up for a chance to see the boys hours before the doors opened at 7pm. Mey Ho, 15 and Kenme Lam, 13, were the first in line, and arrived at 4.30pm to secure their spot.

"We wanted to get the merchandise and we thought there would be a lot of people before us. I can't wait to see Harry, because he's my favourite member. We love One Direction more than anything in the world and it's great that Zayn is back! They're all together, and he should stay there forever," she gushed.

The One Direction wax figures are a touring set which will travel across 19 Madame Tussauds locations around the world. Singapore is their first stop in Asia. As the statues are an interactive exhibit, guests are encouraged to touch and take photographs with them.

Each of the band members sat for three hours with three studio artists who took 250 measurements of their face and body. The figures then took three months each to create, totalling 15 months for the entire project. As the cost for one figure is about S$300,000, the total cost for all five figures stands at S$1.5 million.

Nothing can come between you and I: A 1D fan cannot contain her excitement. (Photo: Elizabeth Goh)

The "boys" will be inspected and cleaned every morning before the attraction opens, so as to maintain their appearance for the next three months that they will be on display.

"We make sure they're perfect from top to toe, with paint and every part of their body intact, shoes shined and eyes sparkly," said studio manager of Madame Tussauds Kiran Kaur.

"A lot of girls would want to be kissing them, so we will be retouching and repainting them. I guess that shows the fans really love them!"

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

More airlines, facial recognition technology planned for Changi's Terminal 4

More airlines, facial recognition technology planned for Changi's Terminal 4

Five more airlines will operate from Singapore Changi Airport's Terminal 4 (T4) when it opens to passengers in the second half of 2017.

Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines and the AirAsia group, including AirAsia Berhad, Indonesia AirAsia and Thai AirAsia, will move their operations from other terminals to the new hub, which expects the movement of 8 to 10 million passengers in the initial period of operations.

This would free up capacity at the other three terminals, which are operating at more than 80 per cent capacity of 66 million passenger movements per annum.

Currently, these airlines operate almost 800 flights per week and carried collectively seven million passengers last year. They will be joining Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, which announced its move in 2014.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) said the terminal's design focuses on the experience of the passenger, making the check-in and boarding process fast, seamless and automated. More than 70 per cent of the structure has been completed.

More installation, testing and trials are underway before 'live' trial flights will begin, to ensure the terminal is ready for full operations.

The aim will be to ensure an improved travel experience for passengers by allowing options for wider in-terminal autonomy, such as self-service check-in, an automated baggage drop and self-boarding.

Facial recognition technology will also be introduced for the first time at Changi Airport, reducing the number of staff needed to perform manual visual checks of passengers.

Validation of passports and boarding passes will be scanned and verified automatically, without the use of any manpower, to ensure speedier clearances. It forms a complete suite of self-service and automation at the airport, which CAG terms its fast and seamless travel (FAST) initiatives.

"In T4, this is an opportunity for us to roll in a lot of productivity initiatives that would help the airline to save cost in operations," said Ms Poh Li San, Vice-President of Terminal 4 Programme Management Office. "For passengers, we have also designed the terminal in various aspects to improve the experience.

"They don't need to wait in long queues, and they don't need to wait for counters to be open before they can check in. The whole experience would be so much more smoother, faster, seamless and stress free."

Ms Poh added that this also results in greater capacity for the airport, as throughout would be much faster through the various touch points, and for airlines that means cost savings. AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said this could shave operating costs out of Singapore by as high as 40 per cent.

Some of the other features of the new terminal include a central Galleria, enhanced transit lounges, Pernanakan heritage shop fronts and green sanctuaries, including a boulevard of trees along a boarding corridor. Natural light will also figure prominently in the new design.

Terminal 4 was criticised last year by Scoot Airways CEO Campbell Wilson, who described the project as a “big folly”, arguing the airport lacked connectivity to other terminals and appropriate berths for larger jets. Scoot is in the process of rolling out a fleet of Dreamliners.

However, Mr Fernandes said he was satisfied with the set-up, and that the berthing issues were not relevant to AirAsia due to the airline operating narrow-bodied aircraft.

He said T4 offered an opportunity for the airline to offer new destinations, possibly in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and India, and increase frequency of existing services."What is driving volume is low fares. Low fares stimulate more demand and having a terminal like this will enable us to give lower fares and drive more traffic through," he said.

"We believe that eventually we'll be allowed to fly international to India, which will be a very big market for us into Singapore, and a couple of other countries we're looking at."

While Changi’s other terminals are connected via Skytrain access, passengers will need to transfer to Terminal 2 via a traditional shuttle bus.

"We do not have the Sky Train but what we do have is free bus shuttles with the same frequency level as the Sky Train," said Yam Kum Wung, Executive Vic President, Air Hub Development, Changi Airport Group.

"The distance from existing terminals to T4 is about five minutes. We have made enough provisions for bags, for passengers to be connected in a very similar and convenient manner," he said

CAG stressed that T4 will not be a budget terminal and the costs for airlines to be flying from there will be similar to the other existing terminals.

Terminal 4 is being constructed by Takenaka Corporation on the site of the demolished budget terminal, on a construction contract worth nearly S$1 billion. It is equipped to handle 16 million passengers a year, spanning an area of 195,000 square metres.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Botanic Gardens to get even better

Botanic Gardens to get even better



With the Botanic Gardens now a newly minted Unesco World Heritage Site, efforts to protect it are ramping up.

Plans are afoot to improve facilities at the 156-year-old gardens, improve scientific research in horticulture and botany, and cater to an expected increase in footfall from 4.4 million today to six million by 2020.

A site-management plan was presented to the World Heritage Committee as part of Singapore's bid, and the Government has said it will adopt further measures to address concerns raised by a Unesco-appointed expert panel that assessed the gardens.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong said the listing "will motivate us to do even more to strengthen our conservation efforts" in the gardens.

National Parks Board (NParks) chief executive Kenneth Er pledged to preserve the key attributes of Singapore's first World Heritage Site, including its contribution to botanical research and its role as a gathering space for Singaporeans.

He said: "We are also committed to ensuring that we continue to conserve the gardens' heritage buildings, landscape and ecological heritage for Singapore and the world."

To deal with the expected increase in visitors, NParks will conduct a site evaluation at the end of next year to assess visitor impact on soil erosion, biodiversity and potential damage to historic buildings there.

The gardens, which runs on an operating and staff annual budget of $15 million, will refurbish the National Orchid Garden by 2018.

This includes enhancing the Cool House, the Yuen Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection enclosure and the Tan Hoon Siang Mist House to showcase a greater diversity of orchids and other plants.

More space will also be provided for the propagation of orchids.

Other improvements in the pipeline include upgraded irrigation systems for the the Plant Resource Centre by next year, said the gardens' assistant director of arboriculture and the centre, Elango Velautham.

The gardens will also implement a site-wide biodiversity conservation plan, and conduct more studies to maintain an "up-to-date understanding" of the species and habitats within its grounds.

The frequency of inspections of the gardens' historic buildings by a professional engineer will go up, from once every five years to once every two years.

Visitors can also expect an improved experience, with plans to enhance wayfinding and visitor facilities, and provide more information on the gardens' heritage, nature, conservation and scientific work.

These measures are important to protect the gardens from issues such as commercialisation, commodification, neglect and man-made disasters, said heritage conservation expert Johannes Widodo.

Describing the site as an "heirloom", he said: "The gardens is something we should keep, nurture and pass on to future generations."

~News courtesy of My Paper~