The_King

SINGAPORE: A man was charged with the theft of several potted plants, including six bonsai plants, and other items on Thursday (Jun 12). Lee De Yuan, 42, is said to have stolen 18 potted plants, two plant racks and three flowerpots, worth a total of S$1,514 (US$1,180), in the wee hours of the morning between Jun 5 and Jun 8, 2025. The items he allegedly stole were: Two large lohansong bonsai plants worth S$388 each Two small lohansong bonsai plants worth S$68 each Two potted cactuses worth S$58 each Three fu gui plants worth S$58 each Two camelia plants worth S$38 each One long song plant worth S$38 Four lucky bamboo plants worth S$18 each Two han bonsai plants worth S$18 each Three gold flowerpots worth S$18 each Two white racks worth S$18 each Several of the plants that were stolen. (Photo: Singapore Police Force) The police said in a news release that they were alerted to multiple cases of theft of potted plants at a block on Yishun Avenue 11. With the aid of images from police cameras and closed-circuit television footage, police officers established Lee's identity and arrested him on Tuesday. The stolen items were recovered. Lee's case will return to court on Jun 19. If convicted of theft, Lee can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. Source: CNA/wt(kg)

the last i check, he still in charge and the last i check the 3 george dam still standing

hahahaha i half botak already no chance

go taobao buy la 1 person without car, how much thing can i carry.

one look, it expensive liao go crystal jade or dtf, pocket a big hole, go shang, pocket MIA

the stupid one?

it the gamen that is dumb

The Singapore freshwater crab is, it’s fair to say, picky. A diminutive, nocturnal creature, Johora singaporensis lives only along a handful of hill streams in small pockets of relatively unvisited rainforest in and around the nature reserves of Singapore. The city-state covers just 730 square kilometres — 16% of which is rainforest — yet is home to almost 6 million people. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for crabs. Plus, “there are very few hills in Singapore”, says Darren Yeo, a freshwater ecologist at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Because of its stringent habitat requirements, says Yeo, “this crab was bound to be endangered at some point”. Even so, Yeo was surprised when, in 2008, an undergraduate student in his department returned empty handed from a survey of one of three known locations of the crab. “That started the ball rolling, when people started pressing panic buttons,” says Yeo. Since Singapore was made a trading outpost by the British in 1819, scientists estimate1 that human activities, such as deforestation, have led to an extinction rate of 37%. Now, however, the country’s central government is working to protect and develop the natural world as part of its city-planning strategy, which it says will improve mental health, keep urban temperatures down and safeguard the country’s environmental legacy. It was through this strategy that the Singapore freshwater crab found a reprieve. Shortly after the discovery that its numbers were dwindling, a sophisticated conservation strategy kicked into gear. The National Parks Board (NParks), Singapore’s nature authority, formed a working group with representatives from academia, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and international conservation specialists. Together, they developed a captive-breeding programme for the crabs and released some of them at suitable sites to boost wild populations. Today, J. singaporensis is still endangered, but not facing imminent extinction. Fieldwork revealed that the number of freshwater crabs was dwindling in Singapore.Credit: E.X.P. Toh Paving the way Singapore’s population grew by 2% last year, and by 5% the year before that. Like many high-income nations, its birth rate is decreasing, but it is courting international workers to make up the deficit and keep economic targets at 5% growth in gross domestic product (GDP). Of its 6 million people, 1.9 million are classed as non-residents, including foreign workers and students. The country’s economy is shepherded by its central government, which employs more than 150,000 people and maintains a tight grip on the country’s institutions. The government, which has been in power since independence in 1959, is listed as a ‘flawed democracy’ in the Economist Intelligence Unit 2024 Democracy Index, ranking between Sri Lanka and Guyana. Its GDP per capita, meanwhile, ranks as the highest in Asia, and compares with that of Norway. In May, the country went to the polls to re-elect the People’s Action Party, which found itself unopposed in 5 of the 97 seats being contested. Only 2.8 million people were eligible to vote in the election, and the People’s Action Party’s biggest rival, the Workers’ Party, contested only 26 seats. Voting is compulsory in Singapore, and, according to a 2024 report2 from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, the country’s media industry is straightjacketed by an “elaborate network of laws governing traditional and online media”. “The laws give the government the right to order the publication of ‘corrections’ to online content that it considers to be erroneous, or to prevent a ‘diminution of public confidence’ in the government,” the report says. Singapore’s shoreline changed substantially between 1989 (left) and 2018 (right).Credit: Landsat/EROS/USGS Since 1960, Singapore has reclaimed around 150 square kilometres of land from the sea. In part, this is to meet demand for homes: around 80% of Singaporeans live in government-provided housing, nicknamed HDBs, after the Housing and Development Board, and many of those are in high-density skyscrapers. Singapore is the third most densely populated territory in the world, after Macau and the city-state of Monaco. Alongside this, the country’s economic success is buttressed by being the world’s busiest port outside China, hosting more than 3.11 billion tonnes in traffic last year. This urban development and economic success has come at a cost for the natural environment: where once there was jungle, there is now city. Singapore has lost almost all of its primary rainforest, except for a small tract of land in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, which sits in the middle of the island and is part of one of the two main water catchment areas. Although some of the country’s remaining non-primary rainforests, including in the Central Catchment, are protected from development, their long-term fate is a concern for environmentalists. In 2023, Desmond Lee, the country’s national development minister, said that nearly 100,000 homes were likely to be built by 2025. Woodland areas, including Pang Sua and Clementi Forest, are scheduled for development, although the government says that there is no immediate need for construction. “The land area we’re working with is so small, which means we have to be very smart about how we do it,” says Harvey Neo, who studies the urban environment from the leafy campus of the Singapore University of Technology and Design. In a bid to achieve its sustainability goals, the government has pledged to plant one million trees by 2030 and transplant 100,000 corals into its marine waters, which NParks said in 2024 would take at least 10 years to complete. Neither project is without controversy. “Nobody is tracking how many trees we are cutting down while we are planting a million trees,” says Andie Ang, a primatologist at Mandai Nature, a wildlife organization affiliated with Mandai Wildlife Reserve, and president of the environmental charity the Jane Goodall Institute Singapore. “How about those century-old trees that are being cut down for development?” One person told Nature, anonymously, that government representatives had initially suggested transplanting one million corals into local waters: a figure that the source said was unrealistic. Another concern is the availability of information. Academics and civil-society groups say that they cannot access the same data that are available to government agencies. “There’s not always a one-to-one connectivity in terms of the data that civil society is privy to and the data that government and civil service is privy to, and very often that leads to miscommunication between these two parties,” says ecologist Sankar Ananthanarayanan at the NUS. Together with Ang, Ananthanarayanan co-authored the 2024 Singapore Terrestrial Conservation Plan, which outlines the views and concerns of the country’s environmental groups. Civil servants dispute this characterization. “At least 80% of our work is collaborative, because we can’t do it on our own,” says Lim Liang Jim, who runs the conservation division of NParks. Some species data might be withheld from the public to protect against poaching, he adds. One recommendation put forward by the Terrestrial Conservation Plan is to improve communication and consultation around plans to clear forests for development. However, some people remain sceptical. “In a place like Singapore, usually by the time you know that a patch of forest is going to be developed, they’re going to do it, no matter what,” says Kalai Vanan Balakrishnan, who is chief executive of the non-profit organization the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES). A city in nature Singapore has a robust and detailed urban-planning system, however, and that means all proposed buildings are assessed for their environmental impact and contribution to the country’s green image. Government planning policies are stringent, and include a range of requirements, from mandatory environmental sustainability standards for all new buildings to improve energy performance and increase green construction practices to smaller obligations, such as incorporating planter boxes with vegetation on overhead pedestrian bridges. The country is among the greenest cities in the world in terms of plant coverage. Treepedia, a remote-sensing urban tree-canopy monitoring project led by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab in Cambridge, and the World Economic Forum in Cologny, Switzerland, found that Singapore had the second-best canopy cover of street trees, after Tampa, Florida. The government has a long-stated ambition of keeping urban spaces full of plant life — a series of policies bundled into the plan to create a ‘city in nature’. There are a variety of reasons behind this, says Tan Puay Yok, who studies urban greening and ecology at the NUS. “By placing greenery closer to where people live and closer to buildings, the buildings are shaded from solar radiation,” he says. “Cooling of the environment is one big thing.” Otter populations returned to Singapore, thanks to sustainability measures.Credit: CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock The approach is effective: the 62-hectare Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in the centre of the island can be up to 3 °C cooler than high-density residential blocks nearby. This is valuable in a country where summer temperatures can reach 36 °C. “It’s very easy to feel it as you walk round the city”, says Chua Siew Chin, who studies forest ecology at NUS. “Singapore has warmed up a lot over the years; greening can help with that.” There are psychological benefits, too. “We know that even just looking at greenery makes people feel better,” says Yok. Vegetation also provides noise mitigation and soaks up water from rainfall, he adds. “This all ties back to having that scientific understanding of how greenery benefits urban dwellers living in a dense city like Singapore.”

SINGAPORE – More parents have been caught providing false residential addresses in the past five years to secure spots for their children in popular primary schools. While the Ministry of Education (MOE) used to investigate an average of around one case a year between 2008 and 2018, this figure jumped to about nine cases annually from 2020 to 2024. There were no cases reported in 2019. A 41-year-old woman was charged on June 5 with lying about her home address to enrol her daughter in a primary school. According to court documents, the woman gave false information to the principal and vice-principal of the school between June and September 2024, during a Primary 1 registration exercise. “The MOE takes a serious view of parents providing false information for the purpose of enrolling their child in a particular school under the Primary 1 registration exercise,” said the ministry on June 13, in response to queries from The Straits Times. It added that the increase in cases of non-compliance in the past five years could be due to a “combination of factors” including public awareness, checks by schools and whistle-blower feedback. MOE said it investigates all reported cases of non-compliance, including cases where parents rent properties and use the rental address for P1 registration but did not reside there for at least 30 months. 0a Under the P1 registration exercise, MOE uses a home-school distance priority system to allocate places when demand exceeds vacancies. Priority is given first to Singapore citizens living within 1km of the school, then those between 1km and 2km, and lastly those outside 2km. The 30-month stay requirement applies to children securing a place using a new address that offers more priority. The new address must be reflected on both parents’ NRICs during the P1 registration, and families must live at that address for at least 30 months from move-in. MOE said: “When wrongdoings are found, or where parents are unable to provide evidence that information provided during the P1 registration exercise was true and accurate, the child will be transferred to a school with vacancies near where the family and child are residing, and parents will have no say in the choice of the school.” Parents caught providing false information are also referred to police for investigation, the ministry added. Motivation that moves the property market Ms Grace Cheong, a property agent, has witnessed how the annual P1 registration exercises have long influenced Singapore’s real estate market. “This is the kind of motivation that moves the market,” said Ms Cheong, who has been in the industry since 2009. The demand for homes within 1km of sought-after schools, she added, “transcends uncertainty”, whether it is economic downturns or pandemics. Every year, home buyers flock to neighbourhoods like Newton and Bukit Timah, drawn by their proximity to schools such as Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School. The District 15 area of East Coast and Marine Parade is also highly sought-after due to its proximity to schools like Tao Nan Primary School and CHIJ Katong Primary School. “It’s a constant, stable source of demand,” said Ms Cheong. “Parents with children heading to primary school are the movers and shakers of the property market.” Other property agents whom ST spoke to said that while the demand is stable, younger couples are starting to plan for their child’s schooling needs much earlier ahead of when their child turns six and needs to register for P1. Ms Tammy Sim said demand has remained consistent for housing around popular primary schools like Raffles Girls’ Primary School and Methodist Girls’ School, be it for lease or purchase. “What we have seen that’s being done differently would be younger couples starting to plan for schooling needs much earlier,” she said. “From as young as when the child is one or two years old, parents start to look into the location for a unit to purchase.” Ms Wendeline Goh, a property agent since 2012, said that she has had clients who started looking from as early as when their child turned three, and who began financial planning for the sale of their current property and purchase of their next home. “As their next residence can entail a high jump in pricing due to good schools being located in more prime areas, planning ahead is crucial.” One of her clients moved from Choa Chu Kang to one-north to secure a spot in a school in Dover, while another moved from Compassvale to Mount Sinai. The motivation for children to excel and get into the “best school” is still high, said Ms Sim, adding that parents want to give their children a good head start. “This translates into the natural demand for properties around specific schools.” Some parents are even prepared to live with the trade-offs. Ms Cheong said some compromise on layout or room size just to secure a unit within the radius of their preferred school. “This momentum – uprooting from where you are and moving near a school – is created by the system,” she said. “As long as that policy’s in place, it’ll continue to fuel demand.” Finding the best fit for their child A 40-year-old civil servant, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Cheng, said she downsized from a five-room HDB flat in Serangoon North to a 2.5 room condo in Newton to be within 1km of Anglo-Chinese School (Junior). “We chose ACSJ because we heard it’s more accommodating to neurodivergent kids,” said the mother of a Primary 2 boy, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “We also hoped that he can be brought up in a Christian environment, especially during his formative years.” Mrs Cheng and her husband began house-hunting two years before the P1 registration window. “Previously, the school in our old neighbourhood was too academically focused, and we felt that it will be unsuitable for our son,” she said. The move was motivated by the school’s values and fit for her son, and not social pressure or academic prestige, Mrs Cheng added. While the move was worth it, as her son got into the choice school, she said she missed her old neighbourhood and the friendly neighbours, as well as living in a bigger home. A 49-year-old homemaker, who wanted to be known only as Madam Chong, had planned her move early for the sake of her sons’ primary school education. The family had its sights set on ACSJ for its Methodist roots and emphasis on character building. “ACSJ naturally was our top pick,” she said. While cost was a major concern, early preparation paid off. “There were many competitors... but we had time to wait it out for something suitable,” she said. The unit they eventually bought was “ideal” in terms of cost, size and walkability to school. “I have two boys, so the move would guarantee at least 10 years of education in the school per kid, and future grandsons,” she said. “There’s also potential upside when we sell the unit too, so I’ll say (the move) was worth it.” Another parent, who declined to be named, said he moved from Sengkang to Ulu Pandan in 2024 to prepare for the 2025 P1 registration exercise. The 39-year-old, who works in the finance industry, wanted to live within 1km of a school with a “good reputation and long history”, and one that was not too competitive in the ballot. After researching historical ballot results for Phase 2C, the family landed on Henry Park Primary School. With the move and his qualification as a parent volunteer, he hopes to secure a spot in the school for his child in 2026. “We had low expectations of the move, as Ulu Pandan had no nearby MRT, but we were pleasantly surprised and appreciate the serenity of the area,” he said, given that their previous home was near an expressway.

SINGAPORE: Concerns about unsafe upgrading works at Teban Gardens came to public light after Progress Singapore Party (PSP) member Sani Ismail was approached by a resident from Block 40. Sani Ismail, who contested in the 2025 General Election in the West Coast–Jurong West constituency, visited the area during election campaigning in late April. During his visit, affected residents briefed and showed him various issues affecting the block. The residents described the “repair and redecoration” (R&R) works carried out by the West Coast Town Council as unsafe, haphazard, and misaligned with residents’ needs. Sani raised these concerns in his final rally speech on 1 May, emphasising that safety should be a top priority particularly in residential estates with a higher proportion of elderly residents. The Online Citizen (TOC) conducted a site visit on 19 May 2025 to investigate the claims. Several residents offered detailed accounts of unsafe construction, inadequate communication, and what they saw as the misuse of taxpayer funds. Despite a formal letter sent by TOC to the town council on 27 May highlighting safety issues, no reply was received. Retiling works created new risks rather than improving safety A key issue flagged by residents was the retiling of lift landings and common areas in Block 40, which began in early April. According to a resident, Goh, tiles were hastily removed and the exposed cement surfaces were left uneven and unfinished for weeks due to a tile stock shortage. Residents questioned why the tiles—many of which were in good condition—were removed in the first place. When TOC visited on 19 May, workers had just laid fresh cement on the 8th floor earlier that day. Lim, a resident who lives on this level, recounted opening his door earlier in the day to find workers at the common area, with no prior notice that flooring works would be carried out at his level that day. Ducking under plastic cordons to meet TOC, Lim had to carefully step on the dried sections of the cement to exit his home. A work notice posted near the lift doors at each level stated that R&R works would run from 8 January to 21 May, but there was no breakdown of when work would be carried out at specific levels, leaving residents surprised and inconvenienced when the works were being carried out. Water ingress and trip hazards in elderly homes Goh brought TOC to his grandmother’s flat on the 7th floor. After retiling was completed, the ground at the corridor was elevated above the flat’s threshold. When the estate’s scheduled block washing took place, water flowed into the unit—an outcome the family had predicted and warned the town council about. Additionally, a sunken gap had formed between the threshold and the elevated ground, compelling Goh to lay a mat over it to prevent tripping, particularly as his grandmother is elderly. A video shows Goh pointing out this misalignment, demonstrating how the external works created new and unnecessary hazards to a flat that was meant to be accessible and safe. Wheelchair users disadvantaged by uneven terrain Shariff, a long-time resident who has lived in Teban Gardens since 1977, is now dependent on a walking frame and wheelchair after a serious fall at home that left him hospitalised for over a month. On the day of TOC’s visit, Shariff shared how he was unable to wheel directly from his flat to the lift due to the exposed and uneven flooring after the tiles were removed in early April. To leave his home, he had to first use his walking frame to reach the lift before transitioning to his wheelchair. After several complaints, the town council laid a piece of carpet as a temporary solution—an act residents criticised as superficial and inadequate. Shariff further flagged a walkway behind Block 40 that had been repeatedly reported for its hazardous condition but was excluded from the upgrading plan. He recalled assisting an elderly neighbour who fell while pushing his wheelchair over this brick-paved path. The man later passed away, although no direct link was made between the accident and his death. Sani Ismail met Teban Gardens resident Shariff at his home, where Shariff explained that since the removal of tiles in early April, the exposed and uneven flooring has prevented him from wheeling directly from his flat to the lift. Ignored walkway still poses major danger to residents Goh later led TOC to the walkway mentioned by Shariff. The brick path is extensively worn, chipped, and uneven—used daily by residents heading to the market. Goh recalled that his grandmother’s marketing trolley had once toppled over after its wheels became trapped in the uneven gaps. Despite repeated feedback, the town council informed residents that the walkway was “outside the scope” of the current R&R works. Goh expressed frustration at the logic of replacing structurally sound tiles and cement flooring under HDB blocks while ignoring a hazardous and widely used path that runs through and connects several HDB blocks to the market. A video with Goh shows the extent of the damage, demonstrating how difficult it is to wheel trolleys or mobility aids across the terrain. Half-measures and spending inconsistencies raise residents’ ire Lim and Goh both questioned why the R&R funds were spent on removing and replacing items in good condition, while other essential works were either ignored or only partially completed. One example cited was the upgrading of the stairway railings. Only the first two floors received new stainless steel balustrades. Railings above that were merely repainted, despite visible corrosion where the balusters met the base. Lim observed that the paint had only concealed deeper structural decay. Ground-level improvements were also criticised as inconsistent. Although a slippery linkway was resurfaced, its ceiling remained visibly rusty, with patchy repainting suggesting deferred works. Drainage upgrades were similarly fragmented—some segments of open drains were rebuilt while others with visible wall displacement were left untouched until residents complained. Neglected hazards outside Block 39 shops TOC’s investigation also covered Block 39, where the ground-level corridor in front of several businesses presented further safety issues. Individual tiles could be lifted with ease, and one had fractured entirely. Shop staff told TOC that the problem began over six months ago. An email had allegedly been sent to the town council more than a month earlier, but no action had followed. Additionally, the roof above the shopfront walkway was reported to leak during rainfall, thereby worsening the risks for passersby and customers. A video taken by TOC shows one of the tiles being lifted effortlessly, underlining how unstable the walkway surface has become. Residents hope the TC will listen Residents who spoke to TOC emphasised that their concerns were grounded in day-to-day safety and accessibility, rather than political motivations. Both Goh and Shariff expressed hope that by speaking publicly, greater attention would be brought to issues affecting elderly and mobility-impaired residents in the community. Despite the seriousness of the issues raised, the West Coast Town Council did not respond to TOC’s letter sent on 27 May. When contacted on 6 June, Goh confirmed that the town council had neither made contact nor attempted any rectification. “They don’t even respond to the residents’ feedback,” Goh said. “Doing things which were unnecessary and neglecting what were necessary. Wasting taxpayer money, causing hazards and disruptions to the residents.” With no official comment to date, residents are now relying on media coverage and political engagement—such as that from Sani—to pressure for accountability and meaningful change in their estate’s management.

I mean if Intel price b770 at msrp of USD 349 to 369 with 16gb ram Then can hoot even if the performance is less 10% of 5070ti

ME waiting for B770 and if performace around or less then 10% of 5070ti. i will hoot if it price usd 349 to 369

some nvidia 5000 series is slower then nvidia 300series. need to see carefully

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at Holland Village is closing for good after Jun. 30, 2025. A "farewell feast" promotion at the outlet is now on. ADVERTISEMENT It started on May 5 and will run till Jun. 30, the last day of operations. The outlet has been in operation for two decades. It is known for its xiao long bao buffet. Recent Google reviews rated the eatery favourably, with many calling the place "timeless" and "classic". Farewell promotion The farewell promotion is available daily except on the eve of public holidays and public holidays. Customers can get up to 30 per cent off the la carte bill, which is open to Jadeite members and OCBC cardmembers. The staggered discount starts with two adult diners, who will get a 10 per cent discount, up to six or more adult diners, who will get 30 per cent off. Dine-in and takeaway customers are also entitled to join a lucky draw. Three winners chosen at random will get a 100 per cent cashback of JPoints capped at S$200. Winners will be contacted in the first week of July 2025. In 2014, the home-grown Chinese restaurant group Crystal Jade was acquired by L Capital Asia, the private-equity arm of French luxury goods giant LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. The deal was estimated to be worth around US$100 million at the time (S$125 million then).

heng i cut myself

JOHOR BAHRU: Tucked in the corner of a suburban mall 15km from the Johor-Singapore Causeway, Japanese hair salon company QB House’s first outlet in Johor Bahru easily attracts quizzical looks from most passers-by. The small salon on the first floor of Aeon Tebrau Mall, with its fluted wooden panelling at the entrance and neat booths with bright overhead lighting, exudes a clean and minimalist design. One of QB House’s first customers when the store opened on May 13 was Singaporean Jerry Ng, who decided to have an unplanned haircut after walking past the store. “I usually go to the Malay barber near where I stay (in Singapore), but I decided to try something new,” said Ng. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners. When met at the store recently, Osamu Matsumuto, chief operating officer and director of the chain’s parent company QB Net Holdings, told CNA that the outlet is the company’s first foray into Johor Bahru, and it is eyeing around 10 branches in the city in the short term. He added that QB House faces market saturation in Singapore, where it already has 30 outlets, and is looking to expand across the Causeway to tap Johor’s lower costs. “Singapore is a bit small and there’s too much competition,” said Matsumoto. “I have strong confidence (in our expansion plans into Johor) because we have been planning for this for many years, and we believe that now (is the right time) because the living standards are higher and the expectations of quality service is there,” he added. QB House's first outlet at the Aeon Tebrau Mall in Johor Bahru. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas) QB House is one of an increasing number of Singapore retailers who are eyeing expanding or moving their outlets into Johor Bahru, where the cost of operations is lower and the appetite for higher quality retail standards is increasing. However, many of these companies are facing roadblocks in their plans. Challenges include finding skilled labour, facing bureaucratic red tape as well as the fear that their outlets are located in malls that ultimately fail due to low footfall. President of the Singapore Retail Association Ernie Koh told CNA: “There is an (outflow) of retail away from Singapore because of the higher costs of operating and the stronger Singapore dollar vis-a-vis many regional currencies, so many are opening front-end stores in Malaysia, Thailand and Japan. “More are setting up operations in Johor Bahru and yes, this can be challenging for different reasons. But overall, it (makes sense) because the reliability of brands from Singapore commands a premium in Malaysia,” he added. Many retailers CNA spoke to are also buoyed by how the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) could potentially increase the demand for high-end products and services. Yet, they noted that many of the corporate incentives for the SEZ are targeted at the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries, and that more can be done to also boost retail. WHY MOVE TO JB? Koh said that while there are currently no statistics on the number of Singapore-based retailers moving into Johor Bahru, SRA is working with a third-party firm to study the trends closely. However, he stressed that the significant interest can be seen anecdotally from the 27 retail company representatives and three trade industry leaders who joined the association for a business exploration trip in May to learn first-hand procedures and challenges in moving their business across the Causeway. Moreover, Koh noted that there have been numerous queries from its members to move both its front-end retail stores as well as back-end logistics facilities to Johor Bahru. Singapore retailers on a one-day trip to Johor Bahru in May 2025 to learn about the local retail landscape and network with Malaysian partners. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas) Koh said that this is inevitable given the push factors in Singapore, such as high costs of rental and labour, and the pull factors in Johor Bahru - including the upcoming Johor-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which is set to increase the city’s accessibility to shoppers from Singapore. He added that this is especially so for the service-oriented retailers like hair salons, nail salons, dentists and optometrists. “With the RTS Link coming in 2026, I always like to say ‘Empty hands go, empty hands come back’ meaning Singaporeans will increasingly travel across to JB for services relating to their hair, eyes, face, teeth, so they can travel over and take the train back without carrying too many things,” said Koh. Joshua Koh, president of the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), told CNA that Singapore retailers are losing business to competitors from China and Johor due to costs. For instance, because of high rental costs, Singapore retailers have to actively manage their offerings to maximise the rental yield. This is different in Johor where lower rentals mean retailers have much larger showrooms and a wider variety of products “at significantly lower prices”. “We are concerned that the opening of the RTS will further add on to this trend of consumers going overseas for their furniture purchases as travel in and out of Johor will be much more convenient,” he added. “Unless there are more cost-effective measures to bring costs down, the only way to level the playing field is for Singapore retailers to set up shop in Johor.” Bedding company Epitex told CNA that it plans to expand its market into Johor Bahru because it is targeting Singaporean visitors or Malaysians who work in Singapore but live in Johor Bahru. Epitex’s retail and operations manager Tan Shea Hao told CNA that the chain has 24 outlets in Singapore and that the competition is “quite packed already” so it plans to open outlets in Johor Bahru. Tan noted that its outlet in Woodlands, near Johor, is its best-performing one. So the company is looking to open stores across the Causeway and price the goods at slightly lower levels than in Singapore. “We have two outlets in Malaysia (in the Klang Valley) but we are spending more to open more shops in the different states, especially in Johor,” said Tan. Meanwhile, QB House’s Matsumoto said that the main target customer base for its upcoming Johor stores is locals. But he acknowledged that Singaporeans may also patronise these outlets, given that the prices are slightly lower than in Singapore. Osamu Matsumoto, chief operating officer and director of QB House's parent company QB Net Holdings, poses in front of chain's first outlet in Johor Bahru. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas) A haircut for men at QB House’s Aeon Tebrau Outlet costs RM32 (S$9.72) while in Singapore, the same service is priced at S$14. “Our focus is on servicing local Johoreans but of course, we welcome Singaporeans as well, especially since many of them are familiar with our products,” said Matsumoto. “From our estimates, 30 per cent of the shoppers in Johor Bahru malls are Singaporeans,” he added. SALARIES MUST BE COMPETITIVE While there is impetus and interest from Singapore retailers to set up shop in Johor Bahru, they face a variety of obstacles. QB House cited how it has faced challenges hiring qualified hairstylists, given that many of the skilled workers from Johor Bahru prefer to ply their trade in Singapore for higher salary. “It has been quite challenging because the talented stylists prefer to go to Singapore, we’ve been trying to recruit for two months already,” said Matsumoto. “We have a few candidates but hopefully with this first store, more people here will recognise us and apply,” he added. QB House's hiring advertisement displays a salary range of RM3,000 to RM5,000. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas) A hiring ad outside the store stated that it is ready to offer stylists a salary of between RM3,000 and RM5,000, but Matsumoto acknowledged that the firm may have to increase this to be competitive in the Johor market. “Maybe we’ll have to pay more than that, the figure is still negotiable,” he said. Epitex’s Tan told CNA that finding skilled manpower to front its retail stores in Singapore and Malaysia has been the company’s “main problem” given that the industry has a high “turnover rate”. He anticipates that it will be the same for their Johor Bahru stores as well, but is optimistic that the company will be able to offer competitive salary packages given that these outlets are expected to be more profitable than elsewhere in Malaysia. “I don't think it is a problem for us to actually pay more because Epitex is looking for workers with good quality and also salesmanship. If they are able to explain the products well to our customer with a lot of professionalism, I don't think salary will be an issue,” said Tan. Beyond frontline and service staff, SRA’s Ernie Koh acknowledged that Johor Bahru has a talent brain drain, especially for personnel in middle management. He added that in terms of hiring foreign workers, Malaysia also has a quota system and firms need to apply with the Human Resources Ministry before they can do so. Malaysia has a foreign worker quota set at 2.5 million people in total, and the services sector, of which retail is part, has a fixed ceiling at 15 per cent of this total. Hence, Koh said that companies looking to set up shop in Johor may have to deploy one or two of their middle management staff from Singapore, while juggling the difficulty of hiring lower-level workers in Malaysia, he said. “But it can be managed.” He added that some of his member companies are also concerned with bureaucracies and red tape - additional administrative lag which may delay the opening of stores, and that expectations need to be managed. “Hopefully, our more mature member retailers with experience can help the other members,” said Koh, who cited companies like Mothercare and FJ Benjamin as those who have experience expanding operations from Singapore into Johor Bahru. Another issue that has surfaced among retailers is the concern that their business may not survive in the long term, given that there are some malls in Johor Bahru which have failed to garner footfall and sustain visitors. Shopping centres like Capital City Mall, Danga City Mall and JB Waterfront Mall have all failed to thrive and the latter two are now derelict, abandoned buildings. The abandoned Waterfront City Mall in this photo taken on Feb 18, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas) Singapore retailers CNA spoke to cited Mid Valley Southkey and JB City Square as locations they are eyeing as these malls attract consistently high footfall, especially customers from Singapore on weekends. Epitex’s Tan said: “Besides these two malls, we are also looking at suburban malls like IOI Mall in Kulai, they have shared an opportunity which we are considering as well.” “We do our market survey and we have to consider whether the area aligns with the market we want to target. Factors we consider are also the mall’s condition and status,” he added. SRA’s Ernie Koh, who is also Joshua Koh’s uncle, cautioned that retailers must be discerning over the location of their outlets in Johor Bahru and not merely be tempted when mall operators dangle cheap leases. “There are well-managed malls and not-so-well-managed malls. We just have to be mindful that you just don't go for the price,” he said. A man walks past Johor Bahru City Square on May 28, 2025. The mall near the Causeway is one of the more popular ones in Johor Bahru. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas) SHOULD SEZ INCENTIVES ALSO INCLUDE RETAILERS? For now, Singapore retailers are encouraged by how the JS-SEZ could lead to more higher net worth expatriates being based in Johor Bahru, and this could boost the retail scene. However, some are also expressing hope that the financial incentives for the SEZ could be extended to Singapore retailers too, given that many of the requirements outlined by Malaysia’s investment arm Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA) seem to be tailored for industries like manufacturing, artificial intelligence and pharmaceutical. These incentives include lower corporate tax rates, income tax exemptions for its employees, as well as stamp duty exemptions when purchasing commercial property. The retailers explained that some of the criteria for these incentives are also prohibitive for them. For instance, Singapore retail companies which wish to open a logistics facility in Johor Bahru under the SEZ scheme for their back-end operations must have investment in capital expenditure (excluding land) of at least RM500 million. SRA’s Ernie Koh told CNA that the retail industry in Johor would benefit if Singapore companies are incentivised to move operations as well. “If the entire ecosystem is up, naturally retail will thrive as well because it is a downline industry. Singapore retailers want to also be part of it - rather than only manufacturers and tech start-ups go over and (Johor) will be missing retailers in the service industries,” he said. Paradigm Mall is a popular shopping mall in Johor Bahru. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas) QB House’s Matsumoto told CNA that the JS-SEZ was one reason why it decided to expand into Johor as it expects “an increase in population”. While he noted that the firm is unlikely to qualify for any tax incentives stipulated by MIDA, Matsumoto was hopeful that this is something both the Malaysia and Johor governments can consider. “With more tax incentives and support, I believe Johor will be able to attract more high-end retail brands to come over and open their flagship stores,” he said. SFIC’s Joshua Koh shared similar sentiments, highlighting how corporate tax subsidies for retailers would have a multiplier effect for Johor because it would provide jobs for locals and trigger a more vibrant retail scene. “Some funding for consultancy fees may help companies make the shift quicker,” he said. However, Teh Kee Sin, advisor of the Small and Medium Enterprise Association of South Johor, told CNA that local authorities should be mindful of the importance of supporting local retailers too. “There is a concern that if too many of these international brands come in, the rent for shop lots will go up and many local retailers will be priced out. Small local businesses are important to the ecosystem as well,” said Teh. In spite of potential competition with local Johor retailers, SRA’s Ernie Koh is sanguine that businesses will be able to thrive and achieve win-win outcomes. “If Singapore retailers are not seizing the moment, it will be a missed opportunity given away to Malaysia retailers. So we’ve got to be more proactive - if an economy grows, the retail industry will follow,” he added.

me wanted to quit and live life a jobless guy until health take my life away but it so hard

no news mean mia

give me $21. ican give you XL Tiger Prawn Whole (1kg) (21 - 25 pcs) https://shopee.sg/Live-Frozen-XL-Tiger-Prawn-Whole-(1kg)-(21-25-pcs)-(Savour-Gourmet)-i.296368663.6948090567

this guy sad life, got both HIV and cancer

He also tried to harm villagers who came to help before police officers intervened and stopped him. Man stabs girlfriend over 30 times after he discovered that she already had husband A man in Thailand flew into a violent rage and fatally stabbed his girlfriend over 30 times in a convenience store after he allegedly discovered she had been married the whole time. The brutal incident happened on Tuesday (10 June) in Phitsanulok Province, where police found the woman, 43-year-old Ratchada (name transliterated from Thai), lying motionless with 31 stab wounds across her body. Source: North Now on Facebook The perpetrator was identified as Wuttipong, a 50-year-old singer at a famous restaurant in the city. After the stabbing, Wuttipong reportedly lashed out at villagers who tried to help the victim, before police officers arrived and subdued him. He was taken into custody immediately after. Murder allegedly driven by stress, betrayal and anger Investigations revealed that Wuttipong and Ratchada were romantically involved until he allegedly discovered she was already married. To make matters worse, Wuttipong had also recently found out he had been diagnosed with both HIV and cancer, which reportedly drove him into a state of emotional and mental breakdown. Source: เมฆ บินข่าว on Facebook Fueled by betrayal and rage, Wuttipong rode his motorbike to the convenience store where Ratchada worked and attacked her with a knife, stabbing her repeatedly until she collapsed and died on the spot. A neighbour, 55-year-old Mr Chuti, who lives next to the victim’s house, said he heard a commotion and rushed over, only to witness the gruesome murder unfold before his eyes. Source: เมฆ บินข่าว on Facebook Police have since filed a charge of intentional homicide and are continuing investigations. Evidence is being gathered to prepare for further legal action.

SINGAPORE – Japanese ramen chain Kanada-Ya has stopped all its operations in Singapore after its parent company Aspen Group said it is winding up the business due to continued losses. Mainboard-listed Aspen Group said in a bourse filing on June 11 that it will place Kanada-Ya SG and its wholly owned direct subsidiary Kanada-Ya Restaurants under creditors’ voluntary liquidation, as the subsidiaries are no longer able to pay their debts. It said: “The challenging conditions of Singapore’s food and beverage sector, including elevated operating costs and soft consumer spending patterns, have negatively impacted the subsidiaries’ business in this segment, resulting in continued operational losses.” Aspen also noted that after the death of the founder and executive director of the Kanada-Ya brand’s franchiser, its Singapore units saw a sharp drop in marketing and operational support from the franchiser. “In light of these cumulative challenges, the subsidiaries’ operations are no longer sustainable and as at the date of this announcement, the subsidiaries have ceased operations at all their outlets,” it added. Kanada-Ya, which originated in the city of Yukuhashi in Fukuoka, Japan, operated three outlets in Singapore – at Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ), Marina Square and Jem. Its first outlet here opened at Paya Lebar Quarter in 2019. Some of its signature items included its black garlic ramen and truffle-infused ramen. Jem mall staff told The Straits Times on June 12 that the outlet there had closed its doors on June 6. At PLQ, the shop lot where Kanada-Ya used to operate was also boarded up. At its Marina Square outlet, an employee from a neighbouring shop, soup eatery Lao Huo Tang, told ST the Kanada-Ya outlet had not been in operation since June 8. Aspen said the closures are expected to have a positive impact on its net assets and earnings for the financial year ending June 30, 2025. “The creditors’ voluntary liquidation will also enable Aspen to streamline its operations and focus its resources on its core business segment of property development,” it said. Kanada-Ya’s closure comes amid similar struggles in Singapore’s food and beverage sector. Fellow Japanese restaurant operator Japan Foods reported a net loss of $6.2 million for the six months ended March 31, deepening from a $576,000 loss a year earlier. This comes as Japan Foods’s revenue for the half slid 7.5 per cent year on year to $40.2 million, from $43.4 million. It attributed this to “tough market conditions”, as existing brands, including Yakiniku Shokudo, Menya Musashi and Konjiki Hototogisu, generated lower revenue. Konjiki Hototogisu also closed three outlets – at Chijmes, Paragon and Jewel.

A Chinese national, Long Zhihua, 39, who was allegedly involved in stealing over S$570,000 worth of jewellery in Singapore with an accomplice, Luo Changchang, has gone missing after being granted bail. According to 8world, an arrest warrant has been issued. What happened The two men broke into a landed property along Windsor Park Road on Jun. 21 night and allegedly stole S$570,100 worth of jewellery belonging to a 53-year-old woman. The police managed to track them down on Jun. 26 and arrested the duo. Parts of the allegedly ill-gotten gains were recovered from a Geylang hotel room. However, S$390,200 in jewellery remains missing, and they have refused to reveal what happened to them. What happened after the arrests The duo had originally pleaded guilty in December 2024 and were awaiting sentencing, 8world reported. However, they later retracted their plea. The case was re-opened and a pre-trial conference was set. After being granted bail on Apr. 1, 2025, Long was required to appear in court for the pre-trial conference on Apr. 25. He failed to attend, and the pre-trial conference was postponed to May 23. Subsequent attempts to contact him were unsuccessful. As a result, the court issued an arrest warrant. Long had apparently become uncontactable as early as four days after he was granted bail, 8world added. Luo is scheduled to plead guilty on Jul. 25. He had been detained since his arrest on Jun. 28 last year.

NICE, France – Norway-based impact investment firm Katapult Ocean will launch a US$50 million (S$64.2 million) fund in Singapore in early 2026 to invest in start-ups that support ocean health in Asia, The Straits Times learnt. The firm, which has made 75 investments in companies globally since 2018, is considered one of the world’s most active ocean impact venture fund managers. It has investments in sustainable seaweed production and offshore wind power infrastructure, among other areas. Katapult Ocean Asia associate director Maureen Bresil told ST on June 11 that there are many opportunities in the region, including in decarbonisation, tackling ocean pollution, sustainable aquaculture and eco-tourism. Speaking on the sidelines of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, Ms Bresil said: “We wanted to be in Asia – closer to funders, closer to issues we need to tackle.” Existing estimates suggest that five Asian countries – China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam – accounted for up to 60 per cent of the plastic waste leaking into the ocean. UN data also shows that Asia accounted for 75 per cent of the world’s total fisheries and aquaculture production. She added: “We also want to be in Singapore, because we know that there is a lot of capital there that can be diverted into ocean impact in Asia.”