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SINGAPORE: Over the past six years of running his own food and beverage (F&B) business, Foo Choo Kiat has had to double up as chef, cleaner and service staff from time to time. “When there’s a shortage of manpower, you just got to work the shift,” said the 32-year-old, who opened Lola’s Café in 2013 and more recently, a dumpling eatery in Tanjong Pagar. “Hiring doesn’t happen so quickly, especially when it’s a new place, so my co-founder and I typically spend at least 6 months managing things on our own.” Being starved of workers is a constant bugbear for F&B business owners like Mr Foo. With tighter foreign manpower curbs looming, many fear even bigger hiring woes ahead. As announced by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in Budget 2019, the services sector’s dependency ratio ceiling (DRC) – the proportion of foreigners a firm is allowed to hire – will be lowered from 40 per cent to 38 per cent next year, and then to 35 per cent by 2021. The sector’s S Pass sub-DRC will also be cut from 15 per cent to 13 per cent and then to 10 per cent over the next two years. In his speech, Mr Heng cited uneven productivity growth across sectors and within services, segments like F&B and retail remain “very labour intensive”. The number of S Pass and Work Permit holders in services has also risen by about 3 per cent annually, or 34,000 in the last three years – a trend, if continued, will be an “unsustainable path”, he said. This call from the Government to improve productivity is not new and the latest adjustment, coming six years after foreign manpower quotas were first tightened, is a nudge for businesses to do more. CIMB Private Banking economist Song Seng Wun, a long-time observer of the Singapore economy, noted that while the F&B sector likely hired more, its sales value has seen less pronounced growth, hovering at about S$10 billion annually over the last five years. “Relatively stagnant sales turnover yet more people are hired. Obviously, this is not very sustainable or productive.” WHY IS IT SO HARD Industry players told CNA that they understand the Government’s push and also hope to be less reliant on foreign manpower. But the transition isn’t easy. First, the harsh reality of not being able to attract Singaporean workers remains. The F&B industry, seen as being less glamourous with long working hours and lower wages, continues to be shunned by locals. Hotelier and restaurateur Loh Lik Peng said: “The reality is that the industry doesn’t chime with the lifestyle choices of Singaporeans, who don’t want to work evenings, weekends or special occasions.” Foreigners, on the other hand, have lower salary expectations and are willing to take on tougher work conditions, added Mr Foo. With limited local manpower and tight profit margins, business owners said their hands are tied. Second, the boom in F&B establishments in recent years has exacerbated demand for manpower. The increased competition has also squeezed profits and impacted productivity, experts said. In particular, Mr Loh reckoned that mom-and-pop shops tend not to be optimal as they lack “the scale to be efficient”. "They probably soak up more resources than ideal. With a proliferation of very small players, you will use up a lot more manpower,” said the founder of hotel and restaurant group Unlisted Collection. Recalling when he first started Lola’s Café, Mr Foo admitted that enhancing productivity wasn’t exactly top priority. “It was the time when we were supposed to be strategising, troubleshooting and thinking about how to improve, but my co-founder and I were busy filling in for the manpower we didn’t have. “It was only when we had more outlets then it became a bigger problem – we cannot be filling in all the shifts, which motivated us to start thinking of solutions. And when you only have one shop, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to invest in equipment and enhance productivity.” Third, technology can only go so far in transforming the industry into manpower-lean, according to the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS). While it has been encouraging its members to explore digital and productivity solutions, the F&B industry comprises many different business models and dining concepts. “(It) is challenging to expect all restaurants to become minimalist in service through technology adoption and automation, while upholding a similar or better service standard,” the industry association told CNA in an emailed response. ON THE BOIL As such, the RAS expects the further tightening of quotas to deal a hard blow to already-struggling F&B operators. “The current DRC of 40 per cent is already a challenging one and businesses are barely managing, with many typically short of 10 to 20 per cent manpower at any one given period. “Many of our members are shocked with the sudden implementation,” said the association, which has more than 400 members operating over 3,600 outlets here. It also warned that there could be unintended effects such as local workers, usually hired for senior and managerial roles, “having to ‘down-fill’ operational roles” that are typically done by foreigners. This disrupts the upskilling plans that these companies may have for their local staff, the RAS said. “This impact will be even more pronounced in companies (that) are in the process of planning for overseas expansion, where locals are the preferred staff to be sent to oversee their business operations,” it added. Certain segments within the F&B industry may also be hit more than the rest. Mr Song thinks the likes of neighbourhood coffeeshops will feel the biggest impact, given their inability to pay more and attract local workers. Mr Foo said “mass-market” F&B operators like himself will also feel the heat. “I can’t afford to pay salaries such as those offered by higher-end restaurants, hotels or fine-dining places. If I do so, maybe I can hire more Singaporeans but I’ll need to raise my prices, which means losing my customers,” he said. Even with the quotas scheduled to be reduced over the next two years, F&B operators that CNA spoke to expect the fight for local workers to intensify soon. Apart from mulling over more competitive salary and non-monetary benefits, they are also looking at how to tap on more technology for repetitive tasks. For Mr Song, however, F&B businesses here will need to leverage tech for more than just kitchen processes if they want to cope with the upcoming quota cuts. “For a developed economy, our F&B industry still feels somewhat backward compared to countries around the region … like Japan, South Korea or China where QR codes are used for ordering or billing. Do we really still need someone to be going around with pen and paper?” Ultimately, the sector has to raise its wages to attract locals, which means that customers here will have to accept the reality of paying more. “Its two sides: Employers need to pay more and if they can, I think they will be able to hire more locals,” said Mr Song. “This means that you and I will need to accept that we just have to pay more for our food.” Source: CNA/sk

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Facebook has admitted millions of Instagram passwords were stored in readable format, meaning employees had unfiltered access to accounts. The mistake was discovered in January, and was estimated to have affected "tens of thousands of people". However, this was updated on Thursday to confirm millions have been affected. "We have found no evidence to date that anyone internally abused or improperly accessed [the accounts]," wrote Facebook's vice president of engineering, security and privacy Pedro Canahuati in a statement. He says Facebook will be notifying any user who was affected by the privacy breach. Also affected are tens of millions of Facebook users, and hundreds of millions of Facebook Lite users (a version of Facebook used by people in regions with lower connectivity). "There is nothing more important to us than protecting people's information," said Canahuati. "We will continue making improvements as part of our ongoing security efforts at Facebook." Newshub.

https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/344728639505044/

SINGAPORE - After seven years, Jpot at Tampines 1 mall, which serves Singapore-style hotpot, will be pulling down its shutters in two months. The 200-seat outlet, which occupies a 6,674-sq ft space on the third level of the mall, will operate for the last time on June 16. On Tuesday (April 16), the Jumbo Group of Restaurants, which owns the restaurant, sent a letter to members of its Jumbo Rewards programme, informing them of the impending closure. The Jumbo Group also owns Singapore seafood restaurant chain Jumbo Seafood, which has outlets in Singapore, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as other food and beverage brands including Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh and Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine. Signature favourites at Jpot include its Fish Head Soup, Bak Kut Teh Soup, Jpot Superior Broth Soup, and popular items to go with its hotpots include live and fresh seafood, handmade Jumbo Pork Ball and handmade yong tau foo. The letter signed off by the Jumbo Rewards Team stated that for the last 10 years, Jpot has proudly served quality Singapore-style hotpot to customers from all walks of life. The team thanked its customers: "It is with a heavy heart to make this announcement that Jpot will be closing its doors on Sunday, 16 June 2019. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to you and all our supporters for this past decade. We hope to see you again soon before we bid our final goodbye." The first Jpot outlet was opened at VivoCity on July 2, 2009 and closed in July 2018. Its second outlet at Parkway Parade operated from September 2014 to August 2017. The Tampines 1 outlet opened in August 2012. Related Story Five hotpot places to check out Responding to queries from The Straits Times, a spokesman for the Jumbo Group of Restaurants said it had sent out the letter to its Jumbo Rewards members as it wanted them to be the first to receive news of Jpot's closure before making a public announcement. She said: "Some of our Jumbo Rewards members have since expressed their sadness about the closure to us, and we are truly grateful and touched by their show of support." The current team of 30 employees at the Tampines 1 outlet will be redeployed to other dining concepts under the Jumbo Group. The spokesman added: "Our employees are part of the Jumbo family and we value every one of them." Mr Ang Kiam Meng, 56, group chief executive and executive director of Jumbo Group, said: "It has been a truly memorable journey for Jpot this past decade and we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for all the support we have received. Following the end of our tenancy agreement at Tampines 1, the last day of operations for Jpot will be June 16, 2019. "Jumbo Group of Restaurants will be focusing efforts on our other dining brands and concepts to continue bringing quality dining experiences to our customers in Singapore and overseas." As part of its expansion plans, the group this month opened a new Jumbo Seafood outlet at the newly opened Jewel Changi Airport, Zui Yu Xuan Teochew Cuisine and fast casual Teochew dining concept Chao Ting - both at Far East Square in Amoy Street. The group also announced the new opening of a Jumbo Seafood outlet in South Korea in the third quarter of 2019. To accommodate previous requests from Jpot customers for a mala soup option, the restaurant is having a farewell special of an individual hotpot set of a mala soup base paired with a vegetable and mushroom platter priced at $8.80++. The set is available from now until June 16. Jumbo Rewards members can enjoy a complimentary hand-made Jumbo Pork Ball for four diners. The offer applies only to dine-in customers. On its Facebook page, Jpot put up a post about its mala soup base but made no mention of its impending closure. The Jumbo Rewards programme allows members to enjoy privileges at selected dining concepts and outlets under the Jumbo Group of Restaurants. The letter to its members also mentioned updates for e-vouchers and birthday vouchers. For more information, members can e-mail [email protected] or call 6265-8626 from Mondays to Fridays, from 9am to 6pm (except public holidays). https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/jpot-at-tampines-1-to-close-on-june-16

SINGAPORE - A man who was seriously hurt in a scuffle with another man at a Jurong West coffee shop a week ago has died of his injuries. Mr Huang Wen Cai, a regular patron at the coffee shop, was 51 years old. The accused is the proprietor of the coffee shop, Chen Ming Jin, also 51, who had his charge upped to murder on Thursday (April 18). The scuffle occurred near his business, the NT1 food court, at Block 966, Jurong West Street 93 last Sunday. Witnesses said they heard raised voices before the men moved their confrontation to a refuse area about 12 metres away from the coffee shop. A witness who refused to give her name apart from Ms Tan, a Jurong West resident in her 40s, said one of the men fell to the floor during the scuffle, and seemed to be unconscious. "I saw one of them holding the other man's clothes, and they were yelling at each other," she said. "Then one of them hit the ground, and there was blood everywhere." A regular patron of the coffee shop, who wanted to be known only as Derek, told The Straits Times there was blood on the walls and on the pavement when he walked by. "I came when the ambulance had arrived. There was a man standing nearby who was yelling very loudly, while the medics put bandages around the other man's head," he said. ST understands Mr Huang was taken to the National University of Hospital in critical condition. A store owner in his 60s, who operates a store near the coffee shop, told ST that the accused also owned several stores - including a bakery and an Indian provision shop next to the refuse area where the fight occurred. "We have known him for over 20 years. He has a wife and grown children, and he owns all the stores near the coffee shop," said the Mr Chew, who also declined to give his full name. Mr Chew added that fights were common in the area near the coffee shop, especially at night. A visit to the accused's terraced home at Yunnan Gardens at around 7pm found it in darkness. A neighbour alleged he saw Chen's wife and a young man leaving the house on Friday, carrying small suitcases with them. An earlier report by Shin Min Daily News said that the accused was listed on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) as the owner of over 10 companies, the majority of them food and beverage businesses. The Acra records also showed that Chen set up his first company in 1999. He most recently established a new company last year, in the real estate business. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/jurong-west-coffee-shop-boss-charged-with-murder-after-scuffle-with-patron

The arrival of each weekend induces a rumbling on group chats across Singapore calling for ideas on where to convene IRL. Brunch suggestions are invariably tossed about, along with accompanying complaints of overpriced food and tight budgets. Still, we persist. We brunch. We do it because brunch serves a social need. It creates a comfortable communal space for us to linger with friends. We choose brunch (which should really be defined as “a meal characterised by its prioritisation of aesthetics and relief from the muggy Singapore heat above gastronomic experience”) and the hefty price tag attached to it because there are not a lot of other options available to us that serve this purpose. At least, that’s according to many millennials I spoke to for this story. Brunch sucks because it tells me that the license to dwell in a space comes at a premium—I must be willing to fork out $25 for chicken and waffles. And if my party orders a round of cocktails or a bottle of champagne, only then do I get permission for an extended stay. Insofar as this idea perpetuates physical divisions between social classes (i.e. high SES people congregate at brunch cafes, low SES people do not), it infuriates me as a writer with a meagre salary that my willingness to spend money on expensive poached eggs is taken to reflect how much I value time with my high-income friends. So now that we’ve established I am a cheapskate, I would like to present my thesis statement: we can take advantage of public spaces in Singapore that don’t cost us a thing to enjoy even better social interactions than in some swanky dining establishment. For many public spaces in Singapore, your right to stay is largely determined by how much you're willing to pay for it. (Image credit: Unsplash / Keane Chua) Are there places where we can chill for free? For proof to back up this claim, I turned to 50 millennials—specifically ones who are childless and working—to find out where they go to hang out with their friends for free. More than half of the people I polled said they just stayed home, or went to a friend’s house. This was the obvious answer. Homes are meant to be sanctuaries into which we retreat to escape work and external stressors. But because most of our cramped living rooms are shared with parents and siblings who appreciate privacy, bringing our social lives into our homes is not always welcome. I wanted a more permanent fix. Some people helpfully suggested public parks like the Botanic Gardens, or East Coast Park. These places are beautiful but unbearably hot on a sunny weekend afternoon. Not ideal for chilling (get it?) and certainly no competition to an air-conditioned restaurant. One person had a particularly innovative solution: “[We go to] Starbucks. We pretend the used cup was ordered by us—sorry, very low SES but [we get] air-con.” I see that you too look incredulous. If you want free space, don’t expect comfort, you say. You pay for what you get. “I don’t think I’ve really chilled anywhere for free. I feel obligated to pay for taking up space,” one respondent confirmed this sentiment. Void deck in Jurong East with modular seating. Photo by Oddinary Studio. Free air-con is for kids Millennials couldn’t tell me where they now go for free, so I urged them to return to a time when we didn’t feel bad for taking up space. Where did they use to hang out for free when they were a teenager? The answer was easy and almost unanimous: shopping malls. Millennials recalled how they used to wander aimlessly through Cineleisure or Parkway Parade, huddle in a corner of the Junction 8 roof, or in the basement of The Cathay with takeaway fast food and a pack of cards. Then they grew up. “As we come of age, we become more acute of the quality of spaces and setting we spend our time in,” says Seah Chee Huang, director at DP Architects. “The way we use and interact in a space changes based on shifts in our needs and way of life as well as offerings by the space.” Once upon a time, all we wanted was a physical place we could be with our friends, away from figures of authority and pesky parents. Now we want more, but what exactly we want more of isn’t so clear. Mr Seah says it’s easier and more effective to design an environment for a demographic with a clear set of needs. For instance, children may need spaces that stimulate curiosity and imagination such as play-based spaces while the elderly with increasingly limited mobility may prioritize accessibility and safety features. Millennials are more complicated. “It’s very difficult to define this group by functional need, or based on capabilities,” says Mr Seah, who was the principal architect for Our Tampines Hub (OTH). OTH has a range of facilities that cater to various interests—from the many sports facilities to the library and community gallery—but they cannot possibly cater to every segment within the millennial generation. And then, Mr Seah says, there are millennials who just want to, in his words, “lepak”. Even then, the considerations are extensive. Our Tampines Hub. “These are subtleties and details that can be injected into the design of public spaces to make them more conducive,” says Mr Seah. “In OTH, different kinds and placement of public furniture such as seatings cater to varying forms of interactions. A simple bench provides comfort to sit and relax. When one places a table with it, it extends the element of dwell in the space as the setting now offers the possibility to eat, study and work in the area.” “[Most seatings] also come with a suite of ancillary provisions like ceiling fans and power points. Whenever possible, these seats are often located near vending machines, water coolers and toilets.” These amenities make it easy for us to stay in one place. In fact, they invite us to dwell, something especially precious in land-scarce Singapore. That need to feel welcome is one that many of us wouldn’t be able to articulate right away, yet we feel it acutely when it is not met. The other need we all have, regardless of age, is the need to be among people. Research has shown that urbanites actively seek out places to people-watch and be around other members of the public. Children swarm to void decks and playgrounds armed with soccer balls and kick scooters in search of playmates, teenagers claim their territory within malls. The elderly flock to community centres and common areas because they are designated contact points to meet their friends. “The social aspect becomes the main criteria to differentiate how people use public space,” explains Prof Chong Keng Hua, principal investigator of the Social Urban Research Groupe (SURGe) and co-lead of Opportunity Lab at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. He and his team conduct demographic studies on how Singaporeans enjoy public space. “[Millennials] don’t see the need for having a public space to connect because now you have online platforms and communities for that.” Moreover, Prof Chong says, they have the spending power to afford “nicer” places that meet their high expectations of space. “So why would you need to meet at a [free public] place?” Our Tampines Hub. Free public space immerses you in your community Maybe millennials don’t need these public spaces. Maybe we can afford expensive brunches. But I argue that we still should hang out in free public space because of the socio-emotional payoff. Free public space fosters the (wait for it) kampung spirit. Cliched as it might be, you simply can’t find the feeling of familiarity, security, and mutual obligation in the stranger next to you at a cafe nursing a flat white. There’s a unique bond that forms among people who belong to the same place; a geographically-bound pride that pulls us together. Think of your Eastie friends who won’t shut up about the food in Katong, or how excited you get when you hear a Singaporean accent abroad. The sense of place grounds us in where we are. And it can only be achieved in communal space because we give each other permission to participate in each other’s lives simply by being there. (Whereas paying customers at a brunch restaurant are entitled to be there, no matter how many decibels their bratty child produces when he doesn’t get an extra scoop of ice cream.) The residents at Woodlands Street 13 can attest to this. Last year, carpenter Tan Koon Tat built a festive log cabin on a patch of grass outside a carpark in the neighbourhood, complete with candy cane fences, a sleigh, and a life-size Santa Claus. Over Chinese New Year, Prof Chong visited the site to gather data for his research. Santa had been swapped out for Cai Shen Ye, and the cabin was decked out in red and gold. Crowds thronged and neighbours mingled, making small talk and enjoying the festivities together. “Everybody was so happy. The neighbours told me that they all wanted to contribute but Mr Tan said he doesn’t need help, he just wants to do it for the community,” Prof Chong says. People were happy to hang out with one another on a street corner because it allowed them to participate in their community. The Woodlands log cabin hits the sweet spot of being a free public space that was initiated by private individuals and not some nameless people from a government stat board. The shared spaces we gravitate to are things that come from us because we believe they truly belong to us, and us to them. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is keenly aware of this phenomenon and has jumped on the bandwagon. According to a URA spokesperson, “We put in place Our Favourite Place programme in April 2016 to [provide] opportunities for the community to step forward and activate public spaces, and allow more people to experience and enjoy interesting public spaces. These projects can be in the form of pop-up installations or small scale interventions that are temporary, non-commercial and beneficial to the public.” At Bencoolen Street, for example, the URA partnered with students and alumni of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) to design benches and installations placed along a widened pavement. What used to be a congested road with little space for pedestrians is now an urban ‘living room’ inhabited by youth and hipsters who take selfies, admire the students’ creative works, listen to music, and even read by themselves. Our Tampines Hub. We are what makes free public space great For this story, I visited so many places in Singapore I would otherwise have not have given a second thought. I spent a drizzly afternoon having lunch under the veranda at Dhoby Ghaut Green, watching as office workers skittered past me in their unsuccessful attempts to dodge raindrops. Then I worked along the corridor of OTH for an entire day without being chased away. And one evening, I reclined on a deck chair in front of the Marina Bay Sands and enjoyed the night breeze. None of these places could live up to my own neighbourhood playground and exercise yard, where I sat on a bench early one Monday morning. I observed seniors chatting exuberantly as they kept a watchful eye on their toddling wards. Young parents greeted one another warmly and walked in step towards the kindergarten, their children running excitedly ahead of them. A few people my age made rounds around the running track, nodding to the speed-walking aunties as they passed by. I waved at one auntie I recognised from my regular morning jog. Sure, it wasn’t the most comfortable spot to be, but it felt good to be a part of all the activity. Prof Chong says millennials may not need free public space, but free public space needs us. “When there is an emergency or when anything happens, this is where we can look for resources. These are the people who will come out and come together, coordinate and respond. Rather than we just wait for someone else to come and help.” Plenty of retirees have the time to contribute, but not the resources and the energy that we millennials do. But engaging in these spaces requires the one thing we lack. “Time [is] the main constraint Singaporeans are facing, but as architects I don’t know if we can create time,” says Prof Chong wryly. For what it’s worth, urban planners and architects are working hard to draw millennials back into our public spaces. Our beautiful waterfronts are the most visible evidence for this. But the URA even encourages private developers to provide quality public spaces by providing gross floor area (GFA) exemptions if certain conditions are met, and commercial buildings like Asia Square and Tanjong Pagar Centre have transformed their first-floor public areas accordingly. “Quality and user centric spatial design may not be fully addressed through top-down approach with policy-making and planning strategies,” Mr Seah notes. “Ultimately, the purposeful ‘social production’ of space is a relationship; a two-way exchange between people and place. It can be enhanced through co-creation and shared ownership. Users who are keen to create meaningful spaces for their usage or enjoyment, should be active participants in the design or shaping of such spaces too. The result will also encourage collective ownership and identification of the space as truly unique and bespoke.” This way, the space that is dreamt up is not another person’s idea, but your own. If you’re like me and you want more free public space, then let’s respond to the URA’s open call and tell them our ideas. Whether it’s through permanent changes like the Bencoolen Street revamp or temporary interventions like weekend street parties and Parking Day, a yearly affair where car park lots are transformed into creative spaces for interactive activities and recreation, we can create that space for ourselves. If not, I’ll see you at brunch. https://www.ricemedia.co/current-affairs-features-public-spaces-singapore/

SINGAPORE - The coroner has expressed concern that advice given by a dentist for his patient to be given a soft meal diet was not heeded immediately. Instead, 67-year-old Simon Lee, who was warded at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and in a vulnerable state, was given meals based on a regular diet after he had three of his teeth extracted on Jan 16 last year. After a meal based on a regular diet a day later, a nurse heard him coughing vigorously before he became unconscious. Mr Lee, alias Lee Chwee Koon, died on Feb 18 that year due to a lack of oxygen and blood flowing to the brain, and pneumonia. At the inquiry on Thursday (April 18), Coroner Marvin Bay said that Mr Lee's death was an unfortunate misadventure. But he added: "It is nevertheless deeply concerning that dietary advice given by the dentist, Dr Bertrand Chew, was not immediately implemented. "It would be clear that a patient in a situation of having undergone extensive dental surgery would be in a compromised and vulnerable state, with the ever present risk of choking needing to be appropriately anticipated and monitored." Coroner Bay said the soft diet plan was not immediately implemented pending a review by the dietitian. However, based on currently known facts, the coroner said it would not be possible to conclusively attribute Mr Lee's choking to be from the failure to provide him with a soft diet. This was because he had a number of "known serious and chronic maladies" including "a previous stroke, past cardiac events and persistent coughing episodes". He also noted that before falling unconscious, Mr Lee was able to eat regular meals on Jan 16 and 17 last year. Mr Lee was treated for bacterial sepsis on Jan 11 last year at the hospital. It is a condition that arises when the body's response to an infection injures its tissues and organs. On Jan 16, Dr Chew saw Mr Lee as the sepsis could have been caused by poor oral health. Three decayed teeth from Mr Lee's left upper jaw were then extracted and Dr Chew submitted a recommendation to his colleagues for the patient to be placed on a soft diet. The advice was recorded in their electronic medical report. However, Mr Lee continued to receive meals based on a regular diet. Coroner Bay noted that "NTFGH has taken positive steps following Mr Lee's demise". "At the department level, there were efforts to improve the doctor to patient ratio to allow a speeding up of the processing of notes and orders," he added. In a statement, a spokesman for the hospital said: “We wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of Mr Simon Lee. “What happened was unexpected and the hospital has since taken positive steps to review and strengthen its processes to improve patient safety and prevent similar incidents from occurring.” Mr Lee's son, who was present in court on Thursday, declined to comment when approached. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/hospital-patient-dies-after-being-given-regular-meals-instead-of-soft-diet

SINGAPORE - Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports (Nodx) slumped 11.7 per cent in March, after a short-lived rise of 4.8 per cent in February, on the back of the biggest year-on-year drop for electronics exports since 2013. Enterprise Singapore noted the "high base" effect from a year ago as it released the export data on Wednesday (April 17). Still, the March figure was way worse than the 2.2 per cent drop expected by analysts polled by Bloomberg. It is also the biggest year-on-year monthly fall in Nodx since the 12 per cent fall in October 2016. Before February, exports had slid year on year for three straight months: 10.1 per cent in January, 8.5 per cent in December and 2.8 per cent in November. March’s dismal showing was led by the 26.7 per cent year-on-year plunge in electronic exports, following the 8.2 per cent drop in the previous month, which means that this sector has contracted for about a year. Integrated circuits (-22.2 per cent), personal computers (-46.3 per cent) and disk media products (-40.3 per cent) contributed the most to the electronics slump. However, experts suggest this could be indicative of the regional electronics market. Maybank economist Lee Ju Ye told The Straits Times: “We are seeing more signs of fading for the electronics sector, not just in Singapore but also in electronics powerhouses like South Korea and Taiwan.” She added that the electronics downcycle may be nearing its bottom and that weak recovery in the industry may be seen in the second half when the US-China trade deal is finalised in May. “There are tentative positive signals, with PMIs (Purchasing Managers’ Index) for most of Asia showing an improvement in March,” she said. Non-electronic exports declined 7 per cent year on year, reversing from the 9.4 per cent increase seen in February. This was mainly due to shipments of pharmaceuticals (-36.5 per cent), specialised machinery (-24.4 per cent) and petrochemicals (-15.1 per cent). However, DBS senior economist Irvin Seah said: “The drag from pharmaceuticals can be discounted given its volatile nature and weak linkages with the rest of the economy.” He added that the 11.7 per cent plunge can be attributed to the “lingering effect of the trade war” as well as a high base and ongoing slowndown in China. “A turnaround in the sequential month-on-month figure as well as electronics demand will be crucial for an improvement in the overall manufacturing sector performance,” he said. He also sounded a more optimistic note looking ahead. “While there could be more downside risk ahead, the ongoing trade negotiation between the US and China is seeing light at the end of the tunnel,” he said, pointing to labour market conditions in the US remaining firm. “Stimulus measures from China could also start to spill over to Singapore’s export performance in the coming months,” he added. Nonetheless, some other experts warned of slower growth ahead. Nomura research analysts Euben Paracuelles and Charnon Boonnuch noted that the fall in Nodx growth was reflected in “lower-than-expected” estimated GDP (gross domestic product) growth of 1.3 per cent year on year in the first quarter of this year, based on the Government’s advance estimate. “Overall, we remain cautious on the growth outlook,” they said in a statement, forecasting GDP growth this year to be at 2.5 per cent, slowing from last year’s 3.2 per cent. “We expect a deepening in the global tech downturn, which would leave the manufacturing sector vulnerable over the next few months.” Singapore’s non-oil exports to the majority of the top markets shrank in March, except for the United States (+23.1 per cent), said Enterprise Singapore on Wednesday. Exports to Japan declined the most, at 36.6 per cent, following February’s 42.6 per cent contraction. The other markets that saw large drops were Taiwan (-27.4 per cent) and Hong Kong (-22.4 per cent), while shipments to China shrank 8.7 per cent. Non-oil re-exports grew 5.9 per cent in March, following February's 7.2 per cent increase, due to growth in non-electronic re-exports which outweighed the decline in electronics. Total trade decreased over the year by 0.9 per cent in March, with exports declining by 3 per cent while imports grew 1.5 per cent. On a seasonally adjusted basis, total trade reached $84.2 billion in March, lower than February's $87.1 billion. https://www.straitstimes.com/business/economy/singapore-non-oil-exports-fall-117-in-march-the-biggest-drop-in-more-than-2-years

SINGAPORE - Former white knight SM Investments (SMI) will be suing debt-laden Hyflux for cancelling the $530 million rescue deal SMI had offered, it said on Friday (April 19). The move means both Hyflux and SMI will be making a grab for the $38.9 million deposit that was placed in escrow by SMI for the restructuring agreement. In its statement, SMI said it had not accepted the water treatment group's "purported termination" of the investment deal on April 4, adding that SMI only ended the deal on Friday (April 19) in accordance with the terms of the agreement. The decision to terminate was based on several "termination events", the investor group said. It said that Hyflux had wrongfully tried to walk away from the rescue deal through its actions on April 4. "This was a repudiatory breach of the agreement by Hyflux entitling SMI to terminate the restructuring agreement," said SMI. Hyflux had also failed to meet the April 16 deadline to satisfy various conditions, which included obtaining a sanctioned scheme of arrangement to settle the amount owed to creditors. SMI said this failure meant that the agreement would automatically cease to operate. The arrangements were supposed to be put to a vote by Hyflux's stakeholders in two days of scheme meetings, but Hyflux called off the vote before they could take place on April 5 and 8. SMI said that issues at Hyflux's three projects - Tuaspring, Singspring and its Algerian desalination plant Magtaa - have not been remedied. On Wednesday, national water agency PUB issued a notice to Tuaspring Pte Ltd saying that it wouldtake back the desalination plant at zero dollars after 30 days. "Each of the termination events entitles SMI to a refund of its deposit in accordance with the restructuring agreement," said SMI, adding that it rejects Hyflux's accusations on Monday that SMI had reneged on the deal. Hyflux said previously it had pulled out of the agreement because of SMI’s “repeated refusal to commit to making the investment necessary for the restructuring”, and fired the first salvo by suing SMI first. Even if Hyflux is awarded the $38.9 million deposit, it is a drop in the ocean considering its $2.95 billion debt as of March 31 last year.. Singapore Management University associate professor of law Eugene Tan said it is difficult to tell which side has a stronger case as both have lobbed many accusations at each other. Associate Professor Kevin Koh, who specialises in financial regulation and enforcement at Nanyang Business School, said these legal actions could also be “an additional distraction for any potential white knight as it is uncertain how long the lawsuits will play out.” On Friday, Hyflux also disclosed in an early morning filing to the Singapore bourse that a collaboration agreement with Maybank, Tuaspring Pte Ltd’s only secured creditor, had been terminated. The agreement had allowed Maybank to take part in the divestment process with any white knight investor of Tuaspring, in exchange for not starting any enforcement action against the Hyflux subsidiary. A Maybank spokesman told The Straits Times that two events – PUB’s notice of takeover as well as a missed March 31 deadline for Hyflux to carry out a rescue deal – had prompted it to end the collaboration agreement. In a letter from Maybank’s solicitors, the bank had also stated their intention to appoint receivers and managers over the Tuaspring assets, apart from the desalination plant. Many investors believe the power plant portion of Tuaspring holds value given that it is still operational, but the move could end retail investors’ hopes of recovering some of their investments through the power plant. Maybank has the first right to recovery if Tuaspring is liquidated before other unsecured creditors and retail investors. It is unlikely that there will be any excess proceeds from a distressed sale of Tuaspring to repay anyone other than Maybank, noted Dr Koh. Time is running out for the troubled group as the court- https://www.straitstimes.com/business/ex-white-knight-sm-investments-sues-hyflux-for-breaching-agreement-terms

Two men were arrested after they were embroiled in a fight at a Korean restaurant in Hillion Mall on Tuesday night (April 16). Stomp contributor Irene alerted Stomp to the incident that involved her friend and a waiter at Ha-Jun Korean restaurant. The fight allegedly started after the waiter rushed them to finish their meals. According to an Internet search, the restaurant closes at 10pm. "The four of us were eating at the restaurant when my friend joined us at 9.30pm," she said. "While my friend was eating, the waiter said, 'faster eat, faster eat'. "He then asked us sarcastically if we wanted to clean the floor for him. "My friend then scolded him for having a bad attitude and that's when the fight started." In photos shared by the Stomp contributor, her friend has a gash below his left eyebrow. Blood is seen on the floor. Irene said she does not know if either man used anything apart from their own hands to hit one another. In response to a Stomp media query the police said they were alerted to the case of affray at 15 Petir Road at about 9.49pm. "Two men, aged 33 and 34, were arrested in relation to the case," a police spokesman said. The 34-year-old diner was conscious when taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital. Police investigations are ongoing.' https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/fight-erupts-after-waiter-korean-restaurant-bukit-panjang-hurries-diner-finish-meal

The SG Vehicles group of companies (SG Vehicles) and its director have been ordered by the State Courts to stop engaging in unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA), said Singapore’s competition watchdog on Friday (April 19). In a press release, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said the court order is effective from Thursday (April 18). It follows an injunction application filed by CCCS against SG Vehicles with the court in December 2017, after the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) received a total of 92 complaints against the car importer group from January 2015 to November 2017. Consumers mainly complained of misrepresentations relating to the delivery dates of motor vehicles and the bidding for Certificates of Entitlement (COE), while some said they were required to make more payments due to a change in circumstances beyond their control, said CCCS. In July 2017, CASE requested for SG Vehicles to sign a voluntary compliance agreement to stop engaging in unfair trade practices, but it declined to do so, the watchdog noted. CCCS’ investigations into the complaints against SG Vehicles revealed evidence of unfair trade practices under the CPFTA, and SG Vehicles did not dispute them, the agency added. In the court order, said the watchdog, SG Vehicles and its director, Juliet Tan Whye Peck are specifically prohibited from the following: engaging in unfair practices under the CPFTA doing or saying anything, or omitting to do or say anything if as a result a consumer might reasonably be deceived or misled into believing that the purchase price and/or COE is/far fixed or guaranteed making any false claim to a consumer as to any guaranteed delivery date of a motor vehicle taking advantage of a consumer if the supplier knows or ought reasonably to know that the consumer is not reasonably able to understand the character, nature, language or effect of the transaction or any matter related to the transaction. The order also requires SG Vehicles to install a prominent sign outside their shopfronts stating the full text of the order for a period of six months from the order’s date and to notify CCCS of any changes related to their businesses. CCCS noted that the order does not require SG Vehicles to cease business operations. “SG Vehicles are not prohibited form carrying on their businesses, and all existing sales agreements they had made with their customers remain valid and legal binding and must be honoured,” CCCS said. Industries with most consumer complaints Meanwhile, the CCCS disclosed that while the motoring industry ranked as the top industry with the highest number of consumer complaints – 2,335 – received by CASE in 2017, it was overtaken by the beauty in 2018 when cases dropped by over 20% to 1,802 the following year. CASE received 1,829 agains the beauty industry in 2018, a 31% increase from the previous year, mainly related to the loss of consumers’ prepayments due to abrupt business closures and aggressive sales tactics. CCCS said it is “monitoring the beauty industry close”, and it is also investigating consumer complaints into other industries such as e-commerce, and food and beverage. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sg-vehicles-ordered-court-stop-unfair-trading-practices-cccs-102225520.html

A newly found asteroid the size of a double decker bus will give our planet a close shave tomorrow, astronomers have warned. Earth will be entirely safe: the asteroid will fly past at a distance of 0.57 lunar distances, or 136,000 miles. The asteroid was spotted by the Catalina Sky Survey, Arizona, on A[pril 9, and is thought to be between 42-92 feet. It will fly past at a speed of 3.5 miles per second, at 07.39 British time. Asteroids of this size are nowhere near the size of the rock which wiped out the dinosaurs, but can still cause damage. During the 2013 Chelyabinsk event, 1500 people were injured and 7300 buildings damaged by the intense overpressure generated by the shockwave at Earth’s surface. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/asteroid-fly-past-earth-closer-moon-tomorrow-scientists-warn-184533339.html

Robert Mueller’s 448-page report here: https://www.scribd.com/document/406726142/Mueller-Report

Robert Mueller’s 448-page report here: https://www.scribd.com/document/406726142/Mueller-Report

President Trump and his legal team declared victory Thursday as Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report was released -- with the president repeating his "no collusion" mantra and saying “this should never happen to another president again.” “I’m having a good day, too, it’s called ‘no collusion, no obstruction,’” he said in remarks for the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride, at the White House. “There never was by the way, and there never will be.” READ THE ROBERT MUELLER REPORT “This should never happen to another president again, this hoax, it should never happen to another president again,” he added. He also promised “to get to the bottom of these things,” hinting at calls for the origins of the two-year investigation to be reviewed. Mueller’s report dropped at 11 a.m., spanning over 400 pages. Attorney General William Barr, who had issued a four-page summary of its findings last month, held a press conference Thursday morning and repeated his conclusions that the investigation found no evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump campaign officials in the 2016 presidential election. The report itself said: “[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” As for allegations of obstruction of justice, the report recounts 10 episodes involving Trump and, Barr said, “discusses potential legal theories for connecting these actions to elements of an obstruction offense.” But Barr said the White House “fully cooperated” with the investigation, and that he concluded that the evidence is not sufficient to establish an obstruction-of-justice offense by Trump. Trump and his allies have repeatedly declared victory even as Democrats have indicated that they intend to continue their own investigations, and are seeking to question Mueller and to challenge the decision by the Department of Justice to redact parts of the report. EX-FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ON MUELLER REPORT: 'WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THIS STARTED' Trump himself tweeted that it was “game over” for his political opponents on Thursday, while his legal team issued a lengthy statement, describing the report as a “total victory for the President.” “The report underscores what we have argued from the very beginning -- there was no collusion -- there was no obstruction. After a 17-month investigation, testimony from some 500 witnesses, the issuance of 2,800 subpoenas, the execution of nearly 500 search warrants, early morning raids, the examination of more than 1.4 million pages of documents, and the unprecedented cooperation of the President, it is clear there was no criminal wrongdoing," the statement said. "This vindication of the President is an important step forward for the country and a strong reminder that this type of abuse must never be permitted to occur again," it said. Rudy Giuliani, one of the members of that team, appeared on "America's Newsroom" and brushed off questions about obstruction, saying that "the big victory is no collusion with the Russians." “You’re not going to find a darn thing [in the report] that President Trump or anyone on his campaign had anything to do with whatever the Russians were doing," he said. Fox News' Shannon Bream contributed to this report. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-trump-declares-victory-mueller-report

SHANGHAI, China – Amazon is planning to close down online retail operations catering to consumers in China, in an apparent admission of defeat to local e-commerce rivals such as Alibaba, a report said on Thursday, April 18. The US e-commerce pioneer will maintain other operations in China such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kindle e-books and cross-border teams that help ship goods from Chinese merchants to customers abroad, Bloomberg News said, citing unidentified people familiar with the plans. Although dominant in the United States and some other markets, Amazon has struggled to compete in China with the likes of Alibaba and JD.com, who are hugely popular in the country. This comes despite Amazon's investment in logistics in China and its acquisition in 2004 of Chinese online book seller Joyo. An Amazon spokesperson did not explicitly confirm the pull-out plans, but said the company was looking to focus more on cross-border sales. "Over the past few years, we have been evolving our China online retail business to increasingly emphasize cross-border sales, and in return we’ve seen very strong response from Chinese customers," the spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Agence France-Presse. The company was making "operational adjustments to focus our efforts on cross-border sales in China," the statement said. It added that "we will continue to invest and grow in China across Amazon Global Store, Global Selling, AWS, Kindle devices and content." Bloomberg called the move the latest sign that Amazon, due to the difficulty competing with Chinese rivals, would focus its overseas attention on India's growing market. – Rappler.com

A Californian family has been left devastated after their daughter died following an allergic reaction to toothpaste. The parents of Denise Saldate, from West Covina in California, told Yahoo Lifestyle the toothpaste was supposed to strengthen their daughter's enamel, as she had white spots on her teeth. The toothpaste, however, contained recaldent - a milk-derived protein, and the family did not see the warnings printed on both sides of the tube, Yahoo reports. Denise was diagnosed with a milk allergy when she was younger after having trouble consuming breast milk, dairy and soy. She ran from the bathroom crying on April 4 after brushing her teeth. Altamirano told Yahoo Lifestyle her daughter said she couldn't breathe, and her lips turned blue. She died that night. "I cried each time I left Denise in someone else's care because some people don't take allergies seriously," mother Monique Latamirano told Yahoo Lifestyle. "We can't bring Denise back but we can help others in her name." To cover Denise's funeral services, a GoFundMe page was created by her uncle, Moises Saldate, and has raised more than US$17,000. "She could light up a room and make you smile even when you're down," the page says. "As her uncle, I'm helping my brother and her family raise money to help cover the cost of funeral services." https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/world/11yo-girl-dies-from-allergic-reaction-to-toothpaste/ar-BBW3xHL?li

SINGAPORE: Starting 2020, the list of overseas medical schools whose graduates can practise in Singapore will shrink from 160 to 103. This comes after the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) reviewed the overseas medical schools with registrable basic medical qualifications, it said in a joint press release with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Apr 18). The changes come as the need to recruit overseas-trained doctors abates, with total annual intakes from local medical schools rising from 300 in 2010 to about 500 in 2018. "The impact of the increase in local medical school intake will be fully realised from 2023, when these students graduate," said MOH and SMC. Responding to CNA's queries, MOH and SMC said that in recent years, it registered about 120 doctors annually who had trained at the affected medical schools. Of those, about 30 were Singaporean or Permanent Residents. Comparatively, the local medical school intake rose by about 200 students over the same period. "As we now train more doctors locally, the number of overseas medical schools with registrable basic medical qualifications can thus be moderated down," they said. UNIVERSITIES TO BE EXCLUDED ARE FROM 20 COUNTRIES Factors such as the international and national rankings of overseas universities and performance of conditionally registered doctors from these universities were taken into consideration during the review. Universities that will be excluded come from 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, China and India. Some of the schools that have been cut include The Flinders University of South Australia's School of Medicine, the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Medicine. Singaporean and permanent resident students who have secured places in medical programmes from schools that are no longer on the list or who are studying in the dropped schools before Jan 1, 2020 will not be affected by the change. They will still be considered for medical registration with the SMC, provided they fulfil the prevailing requirements, which are subject to an offer of employment with a healthcare institution approved by the council upon graduation. The council said that the list will continue to be reviewed regularly, to meet the evolving needs of Singapore's healthcare system and ensure the quality of overseas-trained doctors in Singapore. There have been six rounds of reviews since 2003, with the most recent amendment to the list made in 2009. Here are the 57 overseas medical schools that will be excluded from Jan 1, 2020: AUSTRALIA School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, The Flinders University of South Australia School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle Faculty of Health Science, University of Tasmania AUSTRIA University of Innsbruck CANADA Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Queen’s University Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval Faculté de Médecine, Université de Sherbrooke Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University FRANCE Faculté de Médecine, Université Louis Pasteur (ULP) Strasbourg GERMANY Fachbereich Medizin, Johann Wolfgang Goethe‑Universität Frankfurt am Main INDIA Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi Grant Medical College, Mumbai St John’s Medical College, Bangalore Madras Medical College, Chennai IRELAND Faculty of Medicine, National University of Ireland, University College Cork Faculty of Medicine, National University of Ireland, University College Dublin Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway School of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (National University of Ireland) ISRAEL Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University ITALY Prima e Seconda Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Sapienza Università di Roma Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Firenze JAPAN School of Medicine, Hokkaido University School of Medicine (Tokyo), Keio University Faculty of Medicine, Nagoya University Faculty of Medicine (Fukuoka), Kyushu University Tokyo Women’s Medical University NORWAY Det Medisinske Fakultet, Universitetet I Oslo PAKISTAN The Aga Khan University Medical College PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Sun Yat-Sen College of Medical Science (Guangdong), Sun Yat-Sen University Zhejiang University School of Medicine School of Medicine, Wuhan University The West China College of Medicine, Sichuan University SOUTH KOREA College of Medicine (Seoul), Korea University SPAIN Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid SRI LANKA Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo SWITZERLAND Faculté de Médecine, Université de Lausanne (UNIL) TAIWAN College of Medicine (Taoyuan), Chang Gung University UNITED KINGDOM Faculty of Medicine and Medical Science, University of Aberdeen College of Medicine and Health Sciences, The Queens University of Belfast School of Medicine, University of Leeds Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne Medical School, University of St Andrews College of Medicine, University of Wales (merged with Cardiff University) USA University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Roy J & Lucille A Carver College of Medicine at University of Iowa School of Medicine, University of Alabama School of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine The revised list can be found in full on the council's website. Source: CNA/nh/mi(hm)