1. Chinatown hawkers go online in pilot online store to boost sales of festive goods
With the pandemic dampening the usually bustling festive season and the Chinese New Year Bazaar cancelled for the year, 20 hawkers in Chinatown selling food, decoration, and apparels for Chinese New Year are going digital for the first time on a pilot online store.
It is hopeful that this online platform will help drive sales in the lead-up to Chinese New Year as well as increase footfall in the area. More stalls may come onboard the e-store depending on the success of the project.
Customers who place orders via the e-store can collect them from Chinatown complex or have them delivered from 1 to 10 February.
The platform is run by Chinatown Complex Hawkers’ Association (CCHA) and students from the Institute of Technical Education College Central’s School of Design and Media.
It is part of the Double Happiness programme, an initiative by the CCHA and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, which aims to promote hawker culture and Chinese New Year traditions. Double Happiness will run until next Sunday, 31 January.
Other initiatives in the Double Happiness programme include daily Facebook Live streams about festive traditions and hawker culture, guided tours of Chinatown Complex, and workshops such as hongbao (red packet) holder making.
Artworks can also be found at Chinatown Complex to create a more vibrant environment including a trick-eye mural by local artist, Biddy Low.
For more details on the Double Happiness programme, do check out their website here.
2. 2020 General Election ballot papers and other election documents have been destroyed
The ballot papers and other election documents used in the 2020 General Election were destroyed on Saturday, 16 January at the Tuas South Incineration Plant. This is part of the process to ensure the secrecy of the vote, as stipulated by the law.
Representative from the different political parties in Singapore were present to check the seals on the ballot boxes and ensure that they were not broken.
Prior to the incineration of the documents, a box was opened to retrieve a copy of the register of voters for polling district PN23 of Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC that had accidentally been sealed in a box containing ballot papers.
The Elections Department had previously announced that the box will be opened at the Supreme Court to retrieve the register for the purpose of preparing the list of electors in PN23 who did not vote at the election.
Under the Parliamentary Election Act, sealed ballot boxes must be kept in safe custody for six months after the poll and can only be opened during this period “for the purpose of instituting or maintaining a prosecution or an application to invalidate an election”.
For the six-month period, the documents had been kept in safe custody at the Supreme Court vault.
3. Singapore Heart Foundation launches female CPR manikin vest for CPR+AED training
The Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF) has launched a female cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) manikin vest, allowing those who take CPR courses to be able to practise the emergency procedure on female physiques.
The vest was launched in conjunction with National Life Saving Day 2021 and has been described as the “first of its kind”. It was designed to be able to fit on most CPR manikins in the existing market.
The vest will be used in the Foundation’s CPR+AED (automated external defibrillator) training programmes. It will also be distributed to around 60 accredited CPR+AED training centres.
Previously, CPR+AED training was typically taught with CPR manikins of a male physique. As a result, trained lifesavers are primed to be familiar with performing CPR on males as compared to females.
A 2020 survey done on CPR+AED commissioned by the SHF and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) revealed that 6 per cent of respondents were fearful of being accused of molest as a deterrent to performing CPR on a stranger.
Having a female CPR manikin vest will thus allow participants to practice doing chest compressions around the female breasts and learn how to paste the AED pads without exposing the women’s chest.
4. M2 World Championship begins today, 18 January, at Cathay Cineplex Cineleisure
Esports fans can look forward to an action-packed week as professional gamers battle it out in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) at the M2 World Championships!
The event is held over seven days, from 18 to 24 January, at Shangri-La Singapore. The US$300,000 (S$398,250) prize pool has drawn 12 teams from Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
The matches can be watched online at the comfort of your home. However, there is also the option for esports enthusiasts to gather and catch the championships on the big screen at Cathay Cineplex Cineleisure.
Tickets start from $15. Beyond just gathering with like-minded gamers, attending the event at Cathay Cineplex Cineleisure will entitle you to in-game items such as 200 hero fragments and 200 magic dust.
Additionally, there will be mini-tournaments and live draws during the event, and you stand a chance to walk away with limited editing RSG M2 jerseys.
Tickets can be purchased at www.rsg.gg/mvp. Unfortunately, VIP passes have been sold out at the time of writing.
5. Lionel Messi sent off as Barcelona lose Spanish Super Cup to Athletic Bilbao
Lionel Messi was given the first red card of his Barcelona career as they lost to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup final.
In the final seconds of extra time, Messi lashed out at goalscorer Asler Villalibre, an incident that was spotted by the video assistant referee (VAR). The referee had initially missed the clash but dismissed Messi after viewing it on the VAR.
Barca had initially scored twice through Antoine Griezmann, but Oscar de Marcons and Villalibre both scored in the final minute. Inaki Williams eventually scored the winning goal.
With this red card, Messi could now be banned for at least four domestic games, with Super Cup suspensions carrying over to league and cup matches.
The 33-year-old had only been sent off twice before, both for Argentina — on his international debut against Hungary in 2005 and in the 2019 Copa America third-place play-off against Chile.
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