News...........

[Theo9902]

Singapore to house world's largest tethered helium balloon

SINGAPORE : Singapore will soon be home to a new $2 million attraction.

Considered the world's largest tethered balloon, it will be inflated on Wednesday night.

It may seem like a strange sight - 40 grown men and women fussing over layers of what looks like plastic.

But more than 12 hours of hard work later, it will morph into what's called "The DHL Balloon."

Cleared by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to fly 40 storeys high, the balloon will start taking passengers on April 27.

At $23 for a 10-minute ride for adults, and $13 for children, passengers will be sent floating up into the air on a balcony.

They will have a 360-degree panoramic view of the Singapore skyline.

Some 250,000 people are expected to take to the skies in its first year, generating some $3 million in tourist receipts.

Manufactured in France, this balloon system is the only one of its kind approved and certified as an aircraft.

- CNA /ls

[Aquarian]

any photo to show of that balloon???

[Theo9902]

bo leh :( but I think the ballon is round lor :D

any photo to show of that balloon???

[Theo9902]

Last night news......

We we travel to Europe, if we bring with us fake branded goods and if get caught, will be fined or jailed?

True or not?

[Aquatic Planet]

Singapore to house world's largest tethered helium balloon

SINGAPORE : Singapore will soon be home to a new $2 million attraction.

Considered the world's largest tethered balloon, it will be inflated on Wednesday night.

It may seem like a strange sight - 40 grown men and women fussing over layers of what looks like plastic.

But more than 12 hours of hard work later, it will morph into what's called "The DHL Balloon."

Cleared by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to fly 40 storeys high, the balloon will start taking passengers on April 27.

At $23 for a 10-minute ride for adults, and $13 for children, passengers will be sent floating up into the air on a balcony.

They will have a 360-degree panoramic view of the Singapore skyline.

Some 250,000 people are expected to take to the skies in its first year, generating some $3 million in tourist receipts.

Manufactured in France, this balloon system is the only one of its kind approved and certified as an aircraft.

- CNA /ls
saw it in papers, but how will the ride be?...just float us up look c, and then lower down let us off?..would'nt it be better to fly 1 round in orchard?:D

[Theo9902]

like dat might as well as taking lift :D

saw it in papers, but how will the ride be?...just float us up look c, and then lower down let us off?..would'nt it be better to fly 1 round in orchard?:D

[Theo9902]

I saw that hot ballon this morning from my windows at Suntec Office.

Yellor color one, with DHL logo on it. And it was carrying ppl leh :D

[Theo9902]

Just gotten some info with regards to his hot ballon tour:

It is handled by the same company who handle Hippo and Duck Tour at Suntec City.

Now, they are doing the testing and will be ready by this Thursday.

During promotional period, will be $16.10 for local. After the promotional period, the 7 minutes ride will cost $23.00.

The hot ballon is at the open filed oppoisite the Gateway, near the "7 storey hotel".

[Theo9902]

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SINGAPORE : Four former board of directors of the old National Kidney Foundation, already embroiled in a high-profile criminal law suit, are now facing a civil suit.

The new NKF board is suing its former CEO TT Durai, former chairman Richard Yong, former treasurer Loo Say San and former board member Matilda Chua over a breach of fiduciary duties.

Pharis Aboobacker, who is a friend of Durai and a business associate of Chua, is also being sued.

After checking with its lawyers as well as a Queen's Counsel, the new board said they were advised that they had good grounds to proceed with a civil suit.

In a statement, NKF's Chairman Gerard Ee said the aim of the suit was to recover the damages, including the salaries and bonuses paid to the former directors.

"The board's aim is to recover, for NKF, monies that were improperly paid out or used by the former NKF board and CEO. These are monies and contributions that donors entrusted the NKF with, and we hope to reclaim as much of it as possible," the statement said.

It is also trying to recover amounts paid to third parties for contracts which the former management had caused NKF to enter into.

This includes claims linked to Aboobacker, who owns Forte Systems and Protonweb Solutions.

He is a director and shareholder in various companies which had business dealings with NKF.

Under the Protonweb deal, worth S$4.5 million, the old NKF made payments even though the call centre's services were delayed and there was a shortfall in the number of hours delivered.

Meanwhile, Forte was said to have failed to meet contract specifications; nonetheless it received payments from the old NKF.

The new NKF is also seeking compensation for the loss of goodwill and damage to its reputation arising from the conduct of the former board and CEO.

Unlike criminal cases, no charges were read to the defendants.

Instead, a court document was read to the former directors outlining what they were liable for.

The civil suit comes a week after the four former NKF directors were charged with offences including intending to deceive the NKF and falsifying accounts.

NKF's lawyers filed the suit at the High Court, where the minimum sum sought is S$250,000.

Cases for smaller sums are heard in principle at the Subordinate Courts. - CNA /ct

[Theo9902]

SINGAPORE : Changi Airport continues to be a favourite among its users.

It has bagged the Asian Freight & Supply Chain's 'Best Airport Asia' award for the 20th consecutive year.

The award is based on an annual survey conducted by Hong Kong-based publication CargoNews Asia which polled international shippers, airlines and cargo industry players.

The airport says it also received two other awards in recent months.

DestinAsian magazine, a luxury travel publication, named Changi the 'Best Airport in Asia Pacific' while readers of Business Traveller Middle East voted Changi as the 'Best Airport in the World' for the third consecutive year.

In March this year, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, which manages and operates the airport, was also voted the "Airport Authority with the Most Supportive Approach to Travel Retail' at the Global Travel Retails Awards.

- CNA /ls

[poseidon]

great news!:)

[Theo9902]

I feel Changi deserves this award. :)

great news!:)

[poseidon]

I feel Changi deserves this award. :)

tis i hv to agreed,better system:)

[Theo9902]

u are a better person to speak on this as you travel more often than us, and going around comparing different airports in the world. :D

tis i hv to agreed,better system:)

[Theo9902]

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SINGAPORE : Singapore's Underwater World is now home to 43 sand tiger sharks from South Africa, in what is believed to be the largest display of such sharks in the world.

A group of students was among the first to see the new school of sharks at Underwater World Singapore on Sentosa island.

The sharks are separated from their visitors by a six-centimetre-thick glass panel, but one can clearly see their characteristic dagger-like teeth and spots on the body.

When the young sharks reach full size, they can measure up to three metres and weigh some 300 kilogrammes.

And it wasn't just children who were excited about the new additions.

Shark expert Ian Gordon, who hosts Discovery Channel's "Shark Gordon" series, says he has rarely seen such a big colony, even though he has been diving for more than 25 years.

Said Mr Gordon, "All sharks are interesting, of course to me anyway, but sand tiger sharks are quite a unique type of shark because they are colonial sharks; they live in colonies. And Underwater World Singapore here have been able to create this colony, which we can then study from a scientific perspective.

"These sharks in some parts of the world are endangered, and we know very little about them. By studying them in the wild and in captivity, it allows us to manage docks better and hopefully increase docks in the wild in the future."

These sharks are not usually found in tropical waters like Singapore's, so they are kept in tanks at 25 degree Celsius to match the temperate waters where they come from.

They were flown in from South Africa in April on an animal exchange programme.

Said Wah Yap Hon, assistant curator, Underwater World Singapore, "We're able to exchange animals that we have in surplus. We would reduce the stress on the wild population, and at the same time, it's a win-win situation -- we rotate animals about and we get to put up new displays."

Underwater World says the sharks will be on display for a year -- or even longer if response from the public is good. - CNA /ct

[Theo9902]

In the jungle of numbers that accompanied the annual wage guidelines revealed yesterday, two stood out. First, members of the National Wages Council (NWC) expect the average bonus payout to be higher than the 2.06 months employees received last year.

But if a sudden crisis such as bird flu were to strike, the second statistic — that only one in six workers in the non-unionised sector has a monthly variable component (MVC) in their wages — could come into play. Shorn of flexibility, these firms could come under pressure and the jobs of their workers could be at risk.

As things stand, there are blue skies ahead for employees. The Ministry of Trade and Industry yesterday revised its economic growth forecast for 2006 to between 5 to 7 per cent — up from its earlier estimate of 4 to 6 per cent.

"Variable bonuses will probably improve from last year," said NWC member and Singapore National Employers' Federation president Stephen Lee.

And although not all companies and industries are doing equally well, there is also a good chance that, in general, total wages could rise too. Last year, they rose 4.3 per cent and now the picture looks even rosier for your average worker.

NWC chairman Professor Lim Pin, from the National University of Singapore, had one proviso, though: To stay sustainable, wage increases should not be higher than productivity growth.

For now, the economic growth momentum is healthy. Total employment grew 113,300 last year while the jobless rate fell to its lowest level in four years. So, what could go wrong?

"There are some downside risks such as supply disruptions in the oil industry, the threat of terrorism and an outbreak of the pandemic flu," said Prof Lim Pin.

Were any of this to come into play, companies that don't offer flexible wages or have an MVC in place could struggle. They would not be able to buffer the shock by holding back the variable wage component and may have to resort to more drastic measures.

With the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) pushing for MVCs, 73 per cent of firms in the unionised sector now have the system in place. In contrast, only 17 per cent of non-unionised firms have adopted MVCs, making their workers more vulnerable.

NTUC deputy secretary-general Lim Swee Say said that over the past five years, 44 companies activated the MVC cut when they were going through difficult times. "Many of them were able to ride through and subsequently recover from the downturn. We are fully convinced that MVC is the way to go."

What about fears that workers stood to lose from a flexible wage system? Debunking this concern, Mr Lim said that companies which had implemented it had been able to grant 30 per cent more by way of wage increases to their workers.

In contrast, many of the small and medium enterprises that had shied away from going in for a flexible wage system did not even have a dedicated human resource department, said NWC member Lee.

"Many of them do see the benefit, they're not against implementing MVC in principle. But it's a matter of how. It takes some training and hand-holding, and we have to bring them along and make it user-friendly," he said.

Mr Kwek Theng Swee, managing director of Foodtraco Supplies, suggested that the individual trade associations step in to help each industry with a tailored set of wage guidelines for businesses to follow.

The NWC's guidelines, which have been accepted by the Government, cover the period from July this year to next June. - TODAY/sh

[Theo9902]

Civil servants will get an Annual Variable Component (AVC) bonus payment of 0.5 months and an additional payout of $220 in July.

A statement by the Prime Minister's Office said that the government had decided on the mid-year bonus in view of the good economy.

Singapore's economy grew by 10.6% in the first quarter of 2006, compared to 8.7% in the last quarter of 2005.

In view of the positive developments in both the external and domestic economic environment, and barring unforeseen circumstances, the Ministry of Trade and Industry had also revised the 2006 GDP growth forecast to between 5% and 7%, from the previous forecast of between 4% and 6%.

The $220 payout is in line with the call by the National Wages Council for employers to help low wage workers, the PMO statement said.

"The Government will decide on the year-end AVC payment for civil servants when Singapore's economic performance in the second half of 2006 is clearer," said the statement. - CNA/ir

[Theo9902]

PRAGUE : Pluto on Thursday lost its seven-decade status as the ninth and outermost planet of the solar system, the world's top astronomical body decided.

The decision was made at an assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

"The eight planets are Mercury, Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune," said the IAU resolution, passed in a raised-hands vote after what, by the discreet standards of the astronomical community, was a stormy debate.

Pluto's status had been contested for many years by astronomers who said that its tiny size and highly eccentric orbit precluded it from joining the other acknowledged planets.

The anti-Pluto movement gained ground after the discovery of a distant object beyond Pluto's orbit called 2003 UB313, also known unofficially as Xena.

Its discoverer said UB313 was as big as Pluto and thus could lay claim to being a planet.

Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930, by an American astronomer, Clyde Tombaugh, then aged 24.

Named after the god of the underworld in classical mythology, it orbits the Sun at an average distance of 5,906,380,000 kilometres, taking 247.9 Earth years to complete a single circuit.

An unmanned US spacecraft, New Horizons, is due to fly by Pluto and the Kuiper Belt in 2015. - AFP/de

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