1. Brace yourselves – the haze is back in Singapore! Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings reached a record of 113 earlier this morning.There hasn’t yet been a mad scramble for those precious N95 masks, but the National Environmental Agency has advised a “reduction in prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion”, especially if the PSI hits the “unhealthy” range of 101-200.
2. Animal activists have certainly had an uneasy relationship with Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), especially with the death of several wild-caught bottlenose dolphins since 2010. It seems tensions are on the rise again, as a marine life park spokesman has recently announced the death of two newly-acquired manta rays during quarantine. Ironically, the news came just a week after the proposition of a conservation project for the creatures, begging the question of whether these large animals should have been kept in captivity in the first place.
3. Our prime minister may be turning 91, but that doesn’t mean he’s too old for an oh-so-trendy digital birthday campaign. The People’s Action Party (PAP) headquarters has set up a website to collect digital good wishes for Lee Kuan Yew, publishing birthday greetings from various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There’s even a hashtag to go along with the entire thing, in the form of the (not so) innovative #happybirthdayLKY. Tag away friends.
4. Tampines Bike Park has been a favorite with cyclists for more than 10 years – with mountain bike trails and Singapore’s only BMX track. But from this week it will cease to exist. The park is closing to clear land for the Tampines North housing estate, the latest in a line of major HBD projects which will have more than 1500 units. While affordable accommodation is certainly in need in Singapore, we’re always sad to see green space go.
5. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, the iPhone 6 is out and local telcos Starhub, Singtel and M1 have just released their prices. For Starhub users, the 16GB iPhone 6 will cost $518 under the new 4G 3 plan, whilst the 128GB model is priced at $935. Price ranges for M1 and Singtel look to be pretty competitive as well, with charges of $525 and $518 respectively for the 16GB model. Pre-registration portals have also been opened up by Starhub and Singtel (though we suspect you’ll be spending a fair amount of time doing page refreshes every ten seconds).
