Yesterday, Lianhe Wanbao launched a free iOS app on Apple iTunes store in conjunction with the newspaper’s 30th anniversary this year.
The Chinese language app, “晚报真情30”, (Wanbao – 30 Years of Dedication) features repackaged and optimised content from a special 30th anniversary print supplement of the same title. The supplement was distributed with copies of Lianhe Wanbao a month ago, with enthusiastic responses from both old and new readers alike.
By releasing a digital version, the app can now reach out to a wider audience who might have missed the print supplement, as well as overseas readers. The shelf life of the supplement is also extended, providing a digital record for future reading.
Content highlights for the Wanbao – 30 Years of Dedication app include the recap of breaking news events in Singapore over the past 30 years and in-depth interviews with past and present editors, as well as journalists. Users will also be able to view videos and picture gallery from the news.
Chua Chim Kang, Editor, Lianhe Wanbao and omy.sg cum Senior Vice President, Business Development, Chinese Newspapers Division, Singapore Press Holdings, said: “As Lianhe Wanbao crosses the 30-year mark of news reporting, we have always been mindful of changing and evolving reading habits. Launching this app is another step in Lianhe Wanbao’s overall direction to innovate and grow with our readers, both young and old, as well as new and loyal ones.”
This is the second digital project jointly developed and launched by Lianhe Wanbao and bilingual news and entertainment portal, omy.sg. The first project, an e-book on Apple iBooks, was launched to commemorate singing legend Fong Fei Fei in 2012, following news of her sudden death. The e-book was well received by both local and overseas audiences, garnering over 20,000 downloads within a month of its launch.
In line with the newspaper’s strong history of close collaboration with local commerce, the app is produced with the kind support of four eminent local companies – Novena Foundation Pte Ltd, Moneymax Group Pte Ltd, Merdeka Audio Private Limited and Teo Heng Trading Pte Ltd.
The app can be downloaded for free from now till 31 May 2013. Starting 1 June 2013, it will cost USD2.99 per download.
Visit http://project.omy.sg/ipad/wanbao-30 for more information on the app and download instructions.
Here’s something funny and light-hearted to share with everyone on a Friday night – introducing, the “Four Beauties of Lianhe Wanbao”《晚报4美》:
I did not make this up hor.
Chinese evening tabloid newspaper, Lianhe Wanbao《联合晚报》recently started a lifestyle series called 《4美菜篮子》(Four Beauties’ Baskets). The daily series feature four of Wanbao’s female journalists (小雨、小晶、小欣 and 小馨), taking turn to introduce good food and shopping tips to readers.
You can read some of the articles written by the four beauties via the official Lianhe Wanbao blog.
晚报推出全新《4美菜篮子》系列！
晚报4美小雨、小晶、小欣和小馨，每天为读者介绍哪里有好吃、好康的好料!
晚报4美都是《联合晚报》的年轻前线记者，在追踪新闻之余，也不忘为读者通报好康。
Their Chinese profile descriptions are quite cute. Let me attempt to translate:
大美小雨，超典型的温柔大方小姐，最善解人意。
Big Beauty Xiao Yu is a typical gentle and generous lady who is also very understanding.
二美小馨，超级韩流小姐，会说会写标准韩语，外形摩登又时髦。
Second Beauty Xiao Xin loves K-pop and all things Korean. She can speak and write fluently in Korean and is modern and stylish.
三美小晶，绰号OK小姐，性格随和，万事都OK，找她准没问题。
Third Beauty Xiao Jing is nicknamed “OK Sister”. She is easy-going and is okay with everything. She will solve all your problems for you.
四美小欣，最年轻的活泼小姐，青春无敌，笑容笑声最灿烂。
Fourth Beauty Xiao Xin is young and bubbly. Her youthful smile and laughter are the most radiant.
Plugging this for omy.sg and Lianhe Wanbao. The press releases in both English and Chinese are available below:
Singapore, 8 March 2012 – The recent passing of renowned Taiwanese singer and TV host Fong Fei Fei early this year surprised and saddened the Chinese communities worldwide.
In remembrance of the well-loved diva, Singapore Press Holdings’ (SPH) Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao followed up with special reports on Fong Fei Fei over the next few days; while bilingual-friendly news and entertainment portal, omy.sg, showcased various videos of her concerts in Singapore, erstwhile photos of Fong Fei Fei and other online reports.
In addition, Lianhe Wanbao has launched a special commemorative e-Book on Apple iBooks. The commemorative e-book is produced by omy.sg and sponsored by TS Video Group.
The e-book encompasses all Fong Fei Fei news reports, photos, videos and other resources from Lianhe Wanbao and omy.sg, including various moving tributes and eulogies from her fans worldwide.
Chua Chim Kang, Editor of Lianhe Wanbao and omy.sg, said: “By launching this e-Book, we seek to ‘immortalise’ Fong Fei Fei, converting her legacy into a digital format to share with her fans and the future generations to come.”
The Fong Fei Fei e-book is the first Chinese e-book from Singapore launched on Apple iBooks. It is also the first e-book from Singapore to be launched on Apple iBooks and the first e-book launched launched under the Singapore Press Holdings group.
To cater to the reading needs of the worldwide Chinese community, the e-Book is available in two language formats – traditional and simplified Chinese.
For more information on the download, readers can use the QR code or access the website directly at http://project.omy.sg/ibooks/fong-fei-fei/
联合晚报》和omy.sg推出本地第一本iBooks
《告别凤飞飞》电子书免费下载
台湾歌手兼主持人凤飞飞，因肺癌于2012年1月3日病逝，享年60岁。她逝世的消息，一直到2月13日才通过她的律师公布，震惊全世界华人。
《联合晚报》连日跟进凤飞飞逝世的新闻，作出特别的纪念报道和系列。双语资讯娱乐网站omy.sg特地带歌迷回顾凤飞飞过去在新加坡办演唱会的精彩录像，也整理出凤飞飞的照片集和新闻。
《告别凤飞飞》这本苹果iBooks电子书，汇集了所有凤飞飞在《联合晚报》及omy.sg的相关新闻报道、照片和录像，以及世界各地歌迷的感人悼词及对凤飞飞的思念。
《联合晚报》兼omy.sg总编辑蔡深江说：“凤飞飞在歌迷心中的地位是不可取代的，我们献上这本电子书向她致敬，收录她的歌声影像和离世的报道，让歌迷可以永远缅怀。”
此电子书可上网http://project.omy.sg/ibooks/fong-fei-fei免费下载。这是新加坡第一本iBooks电子书，并获得TS集团赞助。
为迎合全世界华人社群的阅读需要，这本《告别凤飞飞》电子书以繁体中文和简体中文两种版本推出。
Who are these two dudes?
They are currently in the news for the wrong reason this Chinese New Year.
Via a report in Chinese evening papers, Lianhe Wanbao today, the Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Peter Lim Sin Pang, 51, has been suspended from work since last month.
Other than him, Central Narcotic Bureau (CNB) Chief Ng Boon Gay and six other SCDF officials are under investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). Two SCDF officials who hold senior ranks are amongst the six under investigation.
Quoting reliable sources, Lianhe Wanbao stated that the case is linked to money and women. There are no further details on the case.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that both Mr Lim and Mr Ng are on leave for now. MHA is due to issue a statement tomorrow.
Meanwhile, let’s get to know these two important guys better through their official resume.
Peter Lim Sin Pang
Mr. Peter Lim first joined the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in 1987 as a Fire Safety Engineer. In the course of his career, Mr. Peter Lim assumed various leadership and key management appointments, including Division Commander, Head of the Operations Department in Headquarters, SCDF, Director of the Civil Defence Academy, Assistant Commissioner of the General Staff and Deputy Commissioner of SCDF.
On 20 May 2009, Mr Peter Lim was officially appointed as the Commissioner of SCDF by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Mr Peter Lim graduated in 1986 from the University of Applied Science, Hamburg, Germany with a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has also participated in the Columbia Senior Executive Program in 2003 and the Stanford Executive Program in 2008.
Ng Boon Gay
Mr Ng Boon Gay, 44, joined the Singapore Police Force in 1991 when he was awarded the Local Merit Scholarship. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science 1st Class Honours in Mathematics. He also holds a Master of Business of Administration. In his 19-year career with the SPF during which he rose to the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner, he has held amongst others, key appointments as Commander Tanglin Police Division and Director Manpower Department.
Mr Ng was appointed Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) (刑事侦查局局长) in April 2008. Under his leadership, major crime cases solved include the murder and the recovery of a decomposed body at Lor Sesuai; the highly publicized abduction case at Chiltern Drive; the Kallang knife attacks case and, most recently the Woodlands murder case.
To fight the menace created by the unlicensed moneylending activities, Mr Ng had directed stepped up enforcement actions which resulted in the busting of numerous syndicates and arrests of close to two thousand offenders in the last two years.
Mr Ng had also played a key role in cleaning up the streets from sleaze in Singapore.
In the area of development, Mr Ng has reviewed and enhanced the capabilities of the CID crime and technology forensic capabilities to better support investigations.
As a staff authority in investigation, Mr Ng had reviewed and proposed changes to the set up of the Investigation Branches in the Land Divisions so as to better equip frontline investigators to deal with new challenges.
Mr Ng was involved in the recent amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and has put in place preparation plans for its implementation.
Last but not least, Mr Ng also oversaw the setting up of the Casino Investigation Branch to deal with cases related to the casinos in the Integrated Resorts.
LATEST UPDATE – MHA MEDIA RELEASE ON PETER LIM SIN PANG AND NG BOON GAY:
24 January 2012
SCDF and CNB Officers assisting in CPIB investigation
Former Commissioner Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Mr Peter Lim Sin Pang and former Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) Mr Ng Boon Gay are currently assisting the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in its investigations into allegations of serious personal misconduct.
2 Investigations began in end December 2011 in the case of Mr Ng Boon Gay and in early January 2012 in the case of Mr Peter Lim Sin Pang. Both officers were placed on leave from their duties when the investigations commenced. Their duties have been covered by their respective deputies. Taking into account the current status of the investigations, both will be interdicted from their duties with effect from 25 January 2012, pending disciplinary proceedings.
3 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also decided to appoint Mr Eric Yap Wee Teck and Mr Ng Ser Song to assume command of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) respectively with effect from 1 February 2012. This is to ensure leadership continuity of both organisations.
4 MHA expects Home Team officers to uphold the highest standards of duty and integrity. MHA views allegations of misconduct seriously. The Ministry and the two Home Team departments and relevant officers will continue to give their fullest assistance and cooperation to the CPIB in its investigations.
5 As investigations are ongoing, MHA is unable to comment on the details of the case. The investigations will establish the facts, and the officers will be accorded due process and a fair hearing in accordance with the civil service disciplinary process and the law.
Ministry of Home Affairs
24 January 2012
A L V I N O L O G Y 