The_King

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Four tobacco retailers have had their tobacco retail licenses suspended for selling cigarettes to persons under the Minimum Legal Age (MLA) of 19 years, said the Health Science Authority (HSA) in a media release today. The stores were caught via HSA’s ground surveillance and enforcement activities to deter the illegal sale of tobacco products to the underaged. The operators were caught selling to underaged individuals for the first time between January and March this year, and their licenses have been suspended for six months. These outlets included Ajmir Store on Woodlands Ave 7, 1588 Le Pte Ltd in Rivervale Crescent, a 7-Eleven branch in Geylang Bahru, and NH Mart Pte Ltd along Hougang Ave 8. HSA said it “takes a stern approach towards errant retailers” and “will not hesitate to take prosecution actions against them.” It reminded tobacco retail licensees that they were to be responsible for all transactions of tobacco products at their outlets, as well as their employees’ actions. Sellers run the risk of illegal sale if they assess the age of the buyer by mere physical appearance. The MLA to use, possess, or buy tobacco products has been raised to 19 years since Jan 1 this year, and will be raised again to 20 years from 1 Jan 2020 and 21 years from 1 Jan 2021. If convicted under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, anyone caught selling tobacco products to underaged persons can be fined up to S$5,000 for the first offence and up to S$10,000 for subsequent offences. The tobacco retail license will also be suspended for six months for the first offence and revoked for the second offence. But, outlets caught selling tobacco goods to those in school uniform or below 12 years of age will get their license revoked, even if it’s the first offence. Since 2015, 87 tobacco retail licenses have been suspended and 13 were revoked by HSA. The updated list of outlets with suspended or revoked licenses can be viewed here. https://coconuts.co/singapore/news/4-retailers-including-one-7-eleven-outlet-get-their-licenses-suspended-for-selling-tobacco-to-underaged-persons/

SINGAPORE — The National Environment Agency (NEA) is calling a tender for the building of an ash scattering garden at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery. The site, located within an existing garden at the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex, will be named “Garden of Peace”, said the NEA in a press release on Tuesday (16 April). The “open concept” garden will be designed as a secular facility open to all religious faiths and will feature designated lanes for walkways and ash scattering. Other features will include the planting of shrubs and vegetation to demarcate the garden’s boundaries; separate ash scattering lanes for privacy; a bed of pebbles on the lanes to allow ashes to naturally percolate into the soil underneath, and user-friendly facilities, such as wheelchair access and seating areas. No religious rites permitted The NEA added that religious ceremonies or rites – such as the burning of joss sticks, food offerings and playing of instruments or music – will not be permitted within the garden “to maintain a clean and serene environment” as well as its “secular nature”. “The awarded contractor for the tender will be required to integrate the ash scattering lanes and supporting facilities to the existing garden at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex, as well as enhance the existing garden landscape,” said the NEA. More details about the various aspects of the inland ash scattering services, such as operational procedures and booking arrangements, will be shared at a later juncture, the agency added. The move comes after the NEA had announced in June last year that inland ash scattering services will be available at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex in 2020, and at Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium Complex in 2021. This was in response to interest from members of the public for such services similar to those available in South Korea, Taiwan, China, the United States, and Australia. Consultations on the matter were held from August to December 2017 with the various religious groups, after-death care service providers and the general public. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/nea-calls-tender-building-ash-scattering-garden-choa-chu-kang-cemetery-095532424.html

Most people go to the airport because they need to get on a plane. For that reason, we tend to view airports as infrastructural utilities, rather than attractions in their own right. But that’s changing (in countries other than the US, where airports still tend to offer little more than Cinnabon and Auntie Annie’s pretzels). Leading the charge is Singapore’s Changi Airport, which on Wednesday will open the Jewel, a “lifestyle hub” with a “multidimensional shopping and dining experience” that was built as an extension of Terminal 1. Courtesy/Changi Airport First day of Jewel Public Preview Changi was already known as one of the world’s top airports, but it’s notable that this latest expansion happens on the land-side of the airport, meaning that even visitors without boarding passes can enjoy the amenities (as can travelers who don’t take off until the next day). Following the trend of airports integrating plants and green spaces into their design, the Jewel features a “lush forest valley” with the largest collection of indoor plants in Singapore, and a massive waterfall known as a “rain vortex” which press materials are already predicting will be “one of the most Instagrammed spots in the world.” (Both bear the names of corporate sponsors including HSBC and Shiseido, of course). Courtesy/Changi Airport The HSBC Rain Vortex Courtesy/Changi Airport Shiseido Forest Valley Jewel will also boast 280 dining and retail establishments—in addition to the more than 400 that Changi already has—as well as more airport hotels and “facilities for early check-in counters and left baggage to support seamless airport operations.” In June, a connected attraction called Canopy Park will open, offering ticketed passengers a 164-foot-long bridge suspended 75 feet in the air with “breathtaking views, bouncing and walking nets, an integrated playscape.” Courtesy/Changi Airport Early check-in facilities at Changi Jewel Courtesy/Changi Airport Bouncing nets at Canopy Park So why would Changi so lavishly expand the amenities for travelers pre-security or check-in? As aviation historian Janet Bednarek told me last year, airports aren’t just trying to improve traveler experience, but also competing for international travelers who have options for how to route their itineraries and plan a layover. In effect, the airport is further transforming itself into an attraction in its own right, not a utility. While the claims that Changi Jewel will “rejuvenate [the traveler’s] soul” may be slightly overwrought, it’s not hard to see why someone might want to pay a visit to the Jewel (and by extension, Singapore itself). https://qz.com/quartzy/1595579/singapores-changi-airport-jewel-expansion-is-redefining-the-airport/

SINGAPORE - The up-and-coming Jurong Lake District will welcome a new 7ha integrated tourism development from 2026. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will be calling for an expression of interest exercise for the development, which will feature a hotel, attractions, eateries and shops, it was announced on Tuesday (April 16). The now-vacant plot of land sits adjacent to Chinese Garden MRT station and the site where a new Science Centre will be built in Jurong Lake Gardens East. Making the announcement at STB's annual tourism industry conference, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat said that with its "unique waterfront environment and location... we envision this area to be transformed into a key attraction from 2026". The new development is in line with STB's strategy to spread out its tourism offerings across different parts of Singapore, he said, adding that the exercise will close in early November. The 360ha Jurong Lake District is positioned as Singapore's second Central Business District, and previously announced plans for the area include a commercial precinct, housing and expanded gardens. It will also host the Singapore terminus of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail, and has been earmarked as a car-lite district. To complement upcoming parks in the Mandai nature precinct, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) will be refreshing the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari, said Mr Chee. This will entail the use of technology to present animal encounters in new ways, he told tourism industry members at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. WRS said in a statement it has developed a five-year masterplan that “seeks to enhance the distinctiveness of its operating parks... by addressing opportunities for creating immersive exhibits and scaling the delivery of memorable encounters”. The masterplan was formulated last year after a series of workshops and discussions that involved WRS’ management, board, staff and consultants, as well as interviews with members of the public on what they would like to see and experience, it said, adding that more details will be announced in due time. Mr Chee noted that tourism contributes to about 4 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product and provides opportunities for local companies, with more than 60,000 jobs across its core industries. A new enterprise scheme by Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) will encourage businesses to develop and test innovative concepts and lifestyle experiences using Sentosa as a sandbox, he added. SDC said in a statement that the scheme, which was launched on Tuesday, will provide businesses with "co-sharing or waiver of venue rental, as well as support in terms of infrastructure and other facilitation resources". Focus areas for application evaluation include novel offerings, enhancing navigation around the island and sustainability initiatives, it said. Proposals can be submitted on its website until June 30, and successful applicants will be notified by the end of August. STB chief executive Keith Tan said in a speech at the conference that the agency will focus on five areas over the next few years: growing the community of advocates and ambassadors for Singapore; building resilience in its source markets; developing competitive tourism enterprises; harnessing data and technology; and enhancing destination attractiveness. A new mid-sized attraction at the Singapore Flyer called the Time Capsule will open in the last quarter of this year and feature “experiential media”, while a Nerf Family Entertainment Centre will open at Marina Square in October. The expression of interest exercise, launched on Tuesday, has already garnered keen interest, he noted. Apart from the physical tourism landscape, transformation must also take place within the industry, given challenges such as changing traveller behaviour and preferences, more intense competition from other destinations and “more challenges and constraints” domestically, said Mr Tan. In the tourism industry’s bid to become more productive, innovative and digitally savvy, building a steady pipeline of local talent and manpower must be a first priority, he said, adding that Singapore can do better when it comes to employing persons with disabilities. STB will be rolling out several new initiatives to aid industry members in their evolution, including the launch of a Tech College to better prepare tourism businesses for the future, a series of Smart Hotel Transformation workshops to help hotels plan their own technology road maps, and a tourism incubator that will foster new ideas and test solutions. Singapore, which has seen three consecutive years of record highs in tourism arrivals and spending, must not take its success for granted, said Mr Tan. There were 18.5 million international visitor arrivals to Singapore last year. “If what we do does not engage or appeal to Singaporeans, we cannot possibly be a great destination for visitors,” he added. As part of its strategy to draw travellers from China and targeted South-east Asian countries to visit and spend more here, the STB on Tuesday partnered with Alibaba Group and travel booking site Traveloka. Over the next three years, STB and Alibaba will work together on marketing and data sharing efforts, with businesses in the Alibaba ecosystem such as Alipay, Fliggy and Youku helping to provide insights into the travel behaviour of Chinese visitors. Alibaba’s entertainment-related offerings will be leveraged to target young families and professionals, while digital solutions may also be implemented with shops, hotels and attractions here, the two parties said in a statement. Mr Tan said the partnership is a “game changer for Singapore”. “We will for the first time be able to engage with visitors at every step of the consumer journey, from pre-arrival to post-visit, through Alibaba’s platforms and technologies,” he said. STB’s partnership with Traveloka will promote Singapore as a preferred destination to visitors from five major South-east Asian markets: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, which made up a third of visitor arrivals to the Republic last year. More local activities and experiences will be made available for online booking on Traveloka’s regional platforms, while discussions are ongoing to promote Jewel Changi Airport and events such as the Great Singapore Sale in Indonesia, where the travel firm is based. Speaking to reporters about the Jurong Lake tourism development on the sidelines of the conference, Mr Tan said that while it will be integrated with the larger precinct, including the neighbouring Science Centre and gardens, its concept will ultimately depend on the ideas that arise from the express of interest exercise. “So that makes it quite distinctive from some of the other standalone attractions in Singapore,” he said, adding that families with young children would be a natural group to target. Facilities for business events may also be part of plans, as more travellers that mix work with leisure can be expected in line with the surrounding Western Business District. Addressing questions about the location of Singapore's new tourism development, Mr Tan said that the tourism appeal of the Jurong Lake area lies in the space it offers and the promise of the larger precinct. Tourists already make the trek out to further flung attractions such as the Singapore Zoo in Mandai, he noted, adding: “If it is compelling and attractive enough, people will go”. Many Singaporeans may have preconceived notions about the Jurong area, with words like “far away, industrial estate (and) inaccessible” coming to mind, he said. But the Jurong Lake District project aims to change this, with efforts by the Government to bring in more businesses and enhance connectivity with the rest of the island, said Mr Tan. He likened the area to the shopping and entertainment district of Odaiba in Tokyo, which houses several museums and other attractions. “It used to be fort islands, built off Tokyo Bay to protect Tokyo from invasion. So they were just islands built with nothing on them. But today if you go, you can't imagine its origins,” he said, adding that while Jurong already houses attractions, the aim is to reinvent and enhance them. Addressing the two-year deferment of the High=Speed Rail (HSR) project which would bring more visitors to the area, he said: “If it doesn't happen, we think there's still viability in the area. Our tourism projects are not dependent on whether the HSR comes about or not.” Spreading out Singapore's attractions can also help to increase visitors' average length of stay from 3.4 days currently, said Mr Tan. “I think with the Jurong Lake District in particular, they will see not just a tourist precinct, not just where tourists go, but where locals go.” https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-large-scale-tourism-development-to-be-built-in-jurong-lake-district

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - China's insatiable demand for spicy hotpot is placing the founders of a restaurant chain atop one of the world's fastest-growing fortunes, allowing them to outpace many of the wealthiest families globally. As of last week, Haidilao International Holding chairman Zhang Yong and his wife Shu Ping had grown US$5.6 billion (S$7.58 billion) richer in 2019, a 74 per cent jump in just over three months. That pace is topped only by Australian mining baron Andrew Forrest, who has doubled his fortune this year, Chinese education tycoon Lu Zhongfang's 83 per cent rise, and United States used-car billionaire Ernie Garcia's 78 per cent gain, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index, a ranking of the world's 500 richest people. Haidilao went public last September, and it has been a lucrative time for China's largest hotpot chain, popular for the spicy broths in which diners cook their meats and vegetables. The company is pushing to make its restaurants more efficient by creating automated kitchens. Perks like the free manicures it offers waiting customers have kept families coming in. And the brand is expanding overseas with new locations planned in New York and London. Last year, revenue surged 60 per cent to 17 billion yuan (S$14.1 billion), and that is helping to push the stock up more than 77 per cent this year. At US$21 billion, the company's market value is now higher than Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. "A good set of results has resulted in the stock rallying to new highs," said Mr Tristan D'Aboville, an analyst at William O'Neil & Co, pointing to increases in sales growth and new restaurants added in the second half of last year. Another power couple behind Haidilao, co-founder and executive director Shi Yonghong and his wife Li Haiyan, have also grown 74 per cent wealthier this year, based on Friday's data. Their fortune is now worth US$6.3 billion. Still, the enthusiasm for Haidilao's stock is making it increasingly expensive. Valued at 47 times projected earnings for the next 12 months, it is now about four times more expensive than Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. China's increasingly competitive hotpot market is projected to grow at a compounded annual rate of more than 10 per cent, with revenue topping 700 billion yuan by 2022, according to consultancy Frost & Sullivan. Besides small, privately owned restaurants, there are other competing brands like the publicly listed Xiabuxiabu Catering Management China Holdings. Haidilao has a less than 3 per cent share of the Chinese hotpot market, according to its September prospectus. In an October interview, Haidilao chief strategy officer Zhou Zhaocheng said the company sees room to grow by offering customers diverse choices, better service and by creating new experiences for them. So far it has kept Chinese consumers loyal by making their visits more fun. Its outlets provide free board games, shoe-polishing and manicure services for those waiting. Diners can watch a Sichuan Opera show or even a noodle dance where staffers twirl lengthy ribbons of noodle. In October last year, one of Haidilao's restaurants began introducing robots to take orders, and deliver raw meat and vegetables to customers to cook in the simmering pots of soups placed at their tables. GLOBAL PUSH Mr Zhang, a former welder at a tractor factory, founded Haidilao with friends in 1994. It went public last year. He and his wife, both Singaporean citizens, have a net worth of US$13.2 billion as of last Friday. This includes their holdings in Haidilao's seasonings and sauce arm, Yihai International Holding, which has seen its shares rise more than 87 per cent this year. The couple hold about 58 per cent of Haidilao. Now, Haidilao and other Chinese hotpot brands are attempting to expand overseas. Little Sheep, a hotpot chain owned by Yum China Holdings, opened its first overseas branch in Los Angeles in 2003. "With the rise in Chinese outbound tourism and growing appreciation for China's hotpot culture, we are excited about accelerating the expansion of Little Sheep globally," Yum China chief executive officer Joey Wat said in November. Little Sheep now has more than 60 restaurants worldwide - that gives it a greater overseas presence than Haidilao, which had 36 stores outside China at the end of last year. "Haidilao was able to cut through the clutter of various Chinese hotpot operators through its exceptional service," said Mr Jack Chuang, a partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants. "Whether Western customers will embrace hotpot - it is a big open question." https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/spicy-hotpot-makes-singapores-newest-billionaires-over-76b-richer-in-2019

SINGAPORE: Drawn like bees to honey, hungry customers wait in line patiently. It is about 10am on Monday (Apr 15) and the promise of crispy curly fries, coney dogs topped with chunky relish and frosted mugs filled with frothy root beer seems more tantalising than anything else on offer at Jewel Changi Airport. At least 50 people are in the queue, and American fast-food chain A&W's only outlet in Singapore hasn't even opened for the day. "Today’s the fifth day (since the outlet opened) and perhaps one of the longest queues I’ve ever seen," said Mr Kelvin Tan, A&W International's director of marketing and communication. "It’s unique to us at this moment where we are really the longest queue in Jewel now," he told CNA. "We’re glad to have customers who truly are very patient with us and have been adopting the view that good food deserves the wait." It is a wait that has spanned 16 years for many of A&W's die-hard fans. A&W – which stands for Allen and Wright – made its debut in Singapore in 1966 at Dunearn Road, and the first A&W drive-through opened in 1970 at Bukit Timah Road. But after decades in Singapore, the fast-food chain decided to pull out of the country in 2003, with five outlets then. This time, A&W is here to stay, insisted Mr Tan. And very soon, it plans to open a second outlet in Singapore. "The outlet will be open in the next one-and-a-half to two months – in June," Mr Tan told CNA. He declined to reveal more details, saying only that it will be located at a "very high traffic location". "After opening here, we wanted to be able to scale in such a speed where it would ease off the crowd at the first outlet," said Mr Tan. "It’s not that we come unprepared, we know that there's going to be a huge crowd." There are also plans to add a third outlet by 2020, he said. Beyond opening new outlets, A&W also wants to cater to various segments of the local market, said Mr Tan. It has "every intention" of submitting its application to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) for halal-certification. "The Muslim community formed a very big chunk of our business (in the past) and I think right now we will continue to respect and recognise that this particular market is very important to us," said Mr Tan. "From the start, when developing the menu, we always wanted to make it halal, but obviously we need to get the restaurant to open first - we are in the process - meaning to say we have every intention to submit our application to MUIS. "We're hoping that the crowd will ease out a bit and then we will get them to come in (and do an audit)," said Mr Tan. "Right now, we would like consumers to know that it’s a Muslim friendly menu, no pork no lard, and as soon as we can find the time to submit our application to MUIS, we will do so immediately." On the timing of its return to Singapore, A&W said the opening of Jewel gave it an opportunity to make its comeback. "We’ve been receiving a lot of requests from our fans all over the world to bring it back to Singapore," said Ms Sally See, A&W International's manager of business development. "With the opening of Jewel, we found it very timely to do it together." In fact, fans wanted the fast-food chain back so badly that they set up a Facebook page dedicated to A&W Singapore when news broke of a possible return, added Mr Tan. MORE THAN JUST FAST FOOD A "hybrid" between fast food and casual dining, the A&W Jewel Changi outlet aims to serve as an "incubator" for menu innovations and service design. For one, this means that in addition to the traditional all-american classics, regional favourites such as the "golden aroma chicken" from A&W's Malaysian and Indonesian outlets and the "waffle sundae" from A&W's Thai outlets are available. "We have tweaked the menu so that it appeals to a wider group of customers," said Mr Tan. "We have brought in menu items that have done well in overseas markets to Singapore. We still have our classics but have added new things to appeal to a wider crowd." The Singapore outlet is not run as a franchise, but is managed directly by A&W Restaurants. "We could have easily gone for a franchising concept … but as a company-owned store, it offers us greater control over what we want to do for the menu," Mr Tan explained. There is also an increased emphasis on the quality of food rather than the speed at which it comes out of the kitchen, he added. A&W's burgers and coney dogs are put together only after the orders are sent to the kitchen, rather than being pre-assembled. The same applies for its root beer, which is served to order. "Unlike the typical fast food concept where you place an order and you immediately expect your food to be served to you right and then, it’s a slightly different concept that we are hoping to explore for this market – especially in Jewel Changi Airport, where we expect the crowd to be a little bit more international, where expectations are higher," Mr Tan said. After Jewel Changi Airport's preview period, A&W will open 24 hours a day. As queues continue to form, Mr Tan and Ms See remain confident that the chain will not lose its appeal among Singaporeans in the coming years. "What we have is a very good brand, a very good team already in place and we’ll be rolling out promotions and customer engagement programmes to help us bring in the millennials," said Mr Tan. "We have a very good strategy in place to make sure that this brand will continue to thrive for a long time to come." Source: CNA/mt(gs)

SINGAPORE - At the end of a day, many unsold food items such as those from cooked food stalls would be dumped into the trash. Although perfectly suitable for consumption, the food would still be thrown away due to protocol or hygiene purposes. The Food Bank Singapore's new partnership with Compass One mall, however, aims to change this. The Food Bank strives to bridge the gap in the market by collecting surplus food in the market and providing it to organisations and people in need of food. In line with this year's Year Towards Zero Waste, Compass One will be the first mall in Singapore to officially pledge its support for The Food Bank's Food Wastage Reduction & Fight Hunger Movement. Tenants of the mall at Sengkang will be encouraged to donate excess unsold cooked food to the organisation's food rescue programme. At the end of each day, the donated cooked food will either be distributed to beneficiaries, or stored in temperature-controlled warehouses to ensure that the food remains hygienic for consumption and distributed the next day. More than 300 charity organisations and beneficiaries in Singapore, including the Singapore Red Cross, Family Service Centres, senior activity centres and soup kitchens, will receive the food. This is the mall's second collaboration with The Food Bank. The first collaboration, which started in December 2018 and is still ongoing, focuses mainly on the collection of non-perishable food items. This is the first time that Compass One has pledged to donate perishables. Compass One centre general manager Sharon Tan, 59, said that although there were difficulties in donating perishables in terms of hygiene, it was a cause she is passionate about. In her opening address at the launch of the initiative on Monday (April 15), Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, said that, in 2018, 760,000 tonnes of food waste was generated. This was equivalent to two bowls of rice per person here each day, she added. The food rescue programme first started with a pilot two weeks ago, and starts officially on Monday. Among the mall tenants, popular brands such as Kopitiam, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Soup Restaurant, Ichiban Sushi and Hong Kong Sheng Kee Pau will be supporting the initiative. Speaking to The Straits Times, Mr Vincent Cheong, 46, a representative for Kopitiam, said that when approached, the food stall owners were happy to participate in the effort, knowing that it was for a good cause. Shoppers will also be encouraged to donate excess fresh food produce such as cakes, pastries, vegetables, meat and dairy products to The Food Bank. Collection bins for these food items, as well as for e-waste and second-hand clothes, will be placed in the mall. Added Dr Khor: "This is a commendable effort, and I hope that other shopping malls and buildings will be inspired to do the same." https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/compass-one-is-first-mall-to-donate-excess-cooked-food-to-the-food-bank

SINGAPORE — It was his first time using an e-bike and the youth wanted to see how fast it could go. But when Joven Heng Gin How, 20, tried to overtake a jogger outside Marina Bay Sands, he knocked him down, causing him to suffer brain injuries. Heng, 20, was given a week’s detention on Tuesday (16 April), and ordered to serve 140 hours of community service. He pleaded guilty to one count of committing a rash act which caused hurt to Chua Kok Soon, 37. One count of riding a power-assisted bicycle on a footpath – a breach of the Active Mobility Act – was taken into consideration for sentencing. The facts of the case On 9 June last year, Chua began a run with four other friends. Starting from about 4am, the group proceeded from East Coast Park to Marina Bay Sands (MBS). On the same day, Heng was also at MBS when he met his friend Royce Lee Chin Kwee by coincidence. Lee had a power-assisted bicycle which he had brought to sell to a buyer. Upon seeing the e-bike, Heng asked to ride it around the area and Lee agreed. While Heng was riding on the footpath outside The Shoppes, he encountered two joggers in front of him, one of whom was Chua. Heng managed to overtake the first jogger safely, and was attempting to overtake Chua when Chua veered to the right. Heng tried to brake but was unable to stop in time. The e-bike skidded and collided into Chua from behind, hitting his legs. This caused both men to fall to the ground. Heng then helped Chua, gave him his contact number and left the scene before police and paramedics arrived. Chua’s friend called the police at about 5.57am. Both Chua and Heng suffered injuries from the incident. Heng had abrasions to his right knee and feet, while Chua was sent to the hospital. The latter was diagnosed with bleeding in the brain, scalp bruises, and abrasions to his limbs. His medical bills cost $493.56, which was covered by insurance. Heng admitted to riding the e-bike at a high speed as he wanted to see how fast it could go. Heng, who represented himself, asked for leniency as he did not mean for the accident to happen. Deputy Public Prosecutor Kelvin Chong sought a short detention order and community service for Heng. “There is no doubt that the accused’s callousness affects public safety,” said DPP Chong. “This incident occurred along a footpath in the wee hours of the morning. What one would not expect is a PAB – or any vehicle for that matter – to be driven through such an area. Users of this public space cannot be expected to be on guard and look out for such vehicles.” https://sg.news.yahoo.com/e-bike-rider-caused-jogger-suffer-brain-injuries-jailed-041309444.html

spider man is back

Tor hair is very long, what happen? and cap america can hold thor original hammer wai hulk (dr banner can think as hulk) wear the iron hand gloves with the stone last part Cap america say: avenger assemble with lot and lot and lot of different character

why got 2 hulk? the hulk in shirt can think and talk

fast hand fast leg

found it, the full 4min https://www.bitchute.com/video/FYoLKe8w5JOy/

4 minutes clip of Avengers Endgame has been leaked which feature a super cut of various scene including the climax

A new breed of online service providers is offering China’s wannabe conspicuous consumers the appearance of living the high life – all for about US$1. Internet users can pay around 10 yuan (US$1.50) to tap into dozens of services with vast libraries of showy stock videos to post on social media as their own. The videos include footage of expensive cars, holiday resorts, Chinese celebrities and pricey food. The services are aimed at zhuangbi, a slang term for pretentious people, and designed to allow subscribers to post the videos – complete with personalised voice-overs – on their “moments” feed on WeChat, the ubiquitous social networking space in China. Dozens of e-tailers advertise the services on online platforms such as Taobao, which is owned by Alibaba. Alibaba also owns the South China Morning Post. The question mark hanging over China’s 400 million-strong middle class In one online review, an anonymous customer said he finally knew where everyone on their WeChat moments got the money they were showing off, adding “with 700 videos to choose from, I can fake it for many months and years”. But critics on Chinese social media mocked people who bought the stock videos. “For some people, the more they lack, the more they need to show off,” one user wrote on Sina Weibo, China’s popular microblogging platform. “Are they showing off their wealth so more people will come to them to borrow money?” another joked. Chinese internet users find new way to lose weight fast Even as China’s economic growth slows, its expanding middle class of nearly 400 million consumers is expected to help drive consumption at home and abroad. Around 35 per cent of the country’s population is projected to have more than US$10,000 in annual disposable income by 2030, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. Other showy internet services in China have seen netizens paying for others to drink bubble tea or eat fried chicken on their behalf so they appear to have the experience, captured in a social media-ready video, without having to pay the health costs. This article The Chinese video firms selling the online look of the rich and famous first appeared on South China Morning Post

SINGAPORE - The Singapore branch of CIMB Bank has unveiled insurance coverage to protect domestic dogs and cats against accidents and illnesses, underwritten by Sompo Insurance Singapore. The CIMB My Paw Pal pet insurance comprises a basic plan and two optional covers, with annual premiums ranging from $74.90 to $428. Coverage will be almost immediate upon submission of the pet's microchip ID, and no medical check-up is required. The basic plan protects against accidental death, medical expenses and cremation or burial expenses due to an accident, and third-party liability. Meanwhile, the optional covers include loss of dog due to theft, as well as medical expenses and cremation or burial expenses due to illness. To be eligible for the insurance coverage, the pet has to be microchipped and between 12 weeks and seven years old. Dog owners who wish to purchase the plans must ensure that their canines are registered with the Animal & Veterinary Service, formerly known as the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore. Certain dog breeds are excluded under the insurance plans, such as the bull terrier, doberman pinscher, rottweiler and mastiff. Sompo Insurance Singapore is a member of Japanese property and casualty insurance company Sompo Holdings. https://www.straitstimes.com/business/banking/cimb-bank-singapore-unveils-insurance-for-pet-dogs-and-cats

STIFF labour conditions and pricey property rents may be the bane of retailers in Singapore, but Don Don Donki is not letting such troubles get in the way of its rapid expansion. Since the end of 2017, the Japanese discount chain has opened three sizeable stores at Orchard Central, 100AM at Tanjong Pagar and City Square Mall - considerably premium locations - with more on the way. Donki certainly has deep pockets - its founder and chairman is one of the richest men in Japan. But hearing from Takao Yasuda himself, the key to the retail chain's success in overcoming the twin challenge of labour shortage and high rental to expansion is not money; it's Donki's appeal to both workers and landlords. Being able to draw crowds to quieter parts of malls, landlords are happy to offer lower rents for Donki to set up shop. "We can't say how cheap our rents are, but we receive quite reasonable price offers," Mr Yasuda told The Business Times in an interview at his office at Marina Bay Financial Centre. The first Donki store in Singapore was opened at Orchard Central's basement after Far East Organisation approached them with a good rental price. Other property owners soon came knocking on Donki's doors. "Orchard Central's basement used to be very quiet but after we opened, a lot of people came and shopped at other stores in the area too," said the 70-year-old who resides at Sentosa Cove with his wife and two sons. "It's the same for the other locations we opened at - they used to be unpopular places." And as the retailer's presence grows in Singapore, so has its staff strength. Donki now employs 700 people (including part-timers) across all three outlets, up from 300 when it started. It said it has not faced difficulty hiring, and will not be hit even when Singapore tightens the foreign worker quota for the services sector next year because most of its employees are local. Mr Yasuda, an avid diver, said the company appeals to employees - even attracting those from other retail businesses - because they are treated as managers instead of mere workers, and are given autonomy. Like what Donki does in Japan, stocking decisions are left to store staff. They can even decide the extent of discounts to place on products. All these stand Donki in good stead to entrench itself in Singapore's challenging retail scene. Last June, it revealed plans to hit a total of five stores by 2019, and 10 stores by 2020 - those stores are being rolled steadily out of the oven like Donki's famed baked sweet potatoes. It's reported that a fourth outlet will open at Novena's Square 2 and, Mr Yasuda disclosed, a fifth at Clarke Quay Central this year. Two more outlets will follow in Jurong East, one by December and another next January. This comes as the retailer looks to bring its fascinating range of wares to the suburbs, where it sees huge opportunity. It means Donki may also set up shop at MRT stations in residential areas, he said. Currently, all three outlets appear bustling although Mr Yasuda said it is still too early to share actual footfall. But new store formats - like giant Mega Donki stores - are unlikely to be introduced to local consumers. "Mega Donki stores sell more than just Japanese goods whereas we're specialising in Japanese food and products in Singapore," Mr Yasuda explained. "If we open that in Singapore, we will be competing with local retailers and won't be welcome." From Singapore, Donki's Tokyo-listed parent Pan Pacific International Holdings continues to push its overseas frontier too. The first Don Don Donki store opened in Bangkok in February and another is due to open in Hong Kong within the next few months. Plans call for opening stores in Taiwan, the Philippines and Malaysia as well, said Pan Pacific's chief executive Koji Ohara at the Bangkok opening. He wants to see 200 stores overseas in the next five years, up from 42 stores now. In comparison, Pan Pacific operates 656 stores in Japan as of end-January. Challenges have certainly risen, from different countries' import restrictions to language and cultural differences, Mr Yasuda shared, but he believes the issues can be solved over time. Pan Pacific is also not ruling out joint ventures with local partners, especially for countries which restrict the entrance of foreign companies. Backed largely by foreign institutional investors, Pan Pacific is worth some 1.16 trillion yen (S$14 billion). Mr Yasuda himself, the son of a teacher and housewife, is worth about US$2.8 billion, according to Forbes. The company saw H1 2019 profit attributable to shareholders rise 26.4 per cent year on year to roughly 23.6 billion yen, though same-store sales have weakened from the start of this year. The declines were expected and due to insufficient inventory, according to Mr Yasuda. Sales recovered in the following months and Pan Pacific is confident of posting another year of growth. https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/don-don-donki-not-fazed-by-tight-labour-pricey-rentals-here

Buckle up, it’s Monday and you’re about to go on a ride of emotions that include the destruction of one’s private property, which you probably hadn’t quite bargained for. Over the weekend, an unnamed gentleman uploaded an eight-minute long video to Facebook group Singapore Incidents expressing his displeasure with what he says is a luxury condo unit that he bought in the Kuala Lumpur city center, at The Residences, along Jalan Ampang. And by displeasure we mean going through the apartment unit by unit, pointing out all of the inadequacies – from the terribly designed “smart” doors that can’t close unless your nimble fingers pry them open, to the poor-quality tiles that have cracked, to the subpar curtains, to the “cheap” furnishings. Along the way, he uses both red spray paint, and a sledgehammer to deface and destroy all of the sub-par elements of the condo, while taking the viewer through his anger at being duped into buying a unit that was billed as luxurious. Our favorite part? Half-way through where he tells the building’s developers, Tropicana group, that he understands that they’re out here to make money – but no need to be so damn cheap about it. As Malaysians, we don’t necessarily agree with airing our dirty laundry on a page that uses a titular Singapore, but we can understand the kind of ire that could bubble over when you’ve dropped RM2 million (US$500,000) for a high-end crash pad, and gotten an uppity Days Inn standard. Yesterday, Tropicana Corporation Berhad put out a statement saying they were “mortified” but the video, and also claiming that the man captured trashing the place, wearing safety gear, is a representative of the owner. They added that they are currently trying to contact the owner and “will do [their] best to assist in any possible way.” “Despite this, we remain committed towards continuously delivering quality homes that not only fulfil the lifestyle aspirations but also enhance the quality of life of our customers.” Looks like they’re going to have to set the quality bar a little higher. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/uncle-unhinged-man-destroys-luxury-041421616.html

On Saturday evening, the last few steps of a moving escalator in Tampines 1 abruptly caved in and collapsed. According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place at around 9pm at an escalator going from the third to the second level of the mall, and four people had just gotten on when disaster struck. Thankfully, no one sustained any injuries and the area was subsequently barricaded, reported The Straits Times. Apparently, the four who had just stepped on reacted in time to hit the emergency stop button and prevent further damage from happening. The Chinese-language newspaper showed the damage done to the lower steps of the escalator in a photo taken by a reader. One of the tenants also told the publication that they heard loud noises from the moving stairway before the steps gave way. In response to the incident, netizens were shocked and anxious about maintenance issues, especially with Tampines being a busy neighborhood and its malls having a tendency to get crowded often. Meanwhile, one bloke advocated for the removal of escalators altogether.. to encourage more walking. This article, Bottom steps of escalator collapse at Tampines 1; shoppers worry about maintenance issues, originally appeared on Coconuts

One of the most common items in every Hong Kong kitchen can be a breeding ground for bacteria with a risk of transmission to cooked food, according to results of tests revealed by the Consumer Council on Monday. The tests on 15 brands of commercially available kitchen towel showed that five exceeded by up to four times the maximum bacterial count for the product. The watchdog reminded users to only choose brands that come with food safety certificates when using such towels on food or kitchenware. The chairwoman of the council’s research and testing committee Professor Nora Tam Fung-yee noted that, based on mainland Chinese standards, five brands exceeded the total bacterial count standard of 200 colony-forming units per gram (cfu/g), with the figures ranging from 240 to 1,000 cfu/g. View photos The models that exceeded the standard were First Choice Premium Multi-Purpose Kitchen Towel, with a sample going up to 1,000 cfu/g, Select Kitchen Towels, Naxos Kitchen Towel, Bestbuy Kitchen Towel, and Freesia Kitchen Paper. “Paper napkins including kitchen towels are not aseptically treated daily products; their hygiene level might well be a concern for consumers,” she said. SCMP Editorial: Centre for Food Safety must up its game “If kitchen towels with a high bacterial content come in contact with cooked food, it is possible that the food may pose a health risk of bacterial contamination. “People with weaker immunity should act with caution.” Though all models were free of pathogenic bacteria, the council stressed that the total bacterial count standard is one of the hygiene indicators in the manufacturing process. It urged consumers to choose products that come with food safety certificates if they intend using kitchen towels in direct contact with food or kitchenware. It also said such towels should not be reused and should be disposed of properly to prevent the spread of bacteria and contamination. Unopened kitchen towels should be stored in a clean, dry, well-ventilated place and after opening, they should be kept away from water taps or food preparation counters to prevent contamination by raw meat or other fresh food, the council added. Food safety watchdog tightens checks on imported products after criticism It urged manufacturers to do their utmost in quality control to ensure kitchen towels comply with product safety requirements. The council has referred the test findings to the Customs and Excise Department for follow-up action. First Choice’s agent said in the council’s Choice magazine that it had instructed outlets with affected batches to take them off the shelves and to return them to the company for further testing. It added that consumers can get a refund in shops upon presentation of a receipt. An agent for Freesia also said it had taken its affected batches off the shelves. Naxos’s agent provided test results from a third party which showed an acceptable bacteria count. The agent said the discrepancy in results could be due to the product being contaminated during storage or transportation, adding that the company had asked staff and suppliers to tighten monitoring. This article Think twice before using kitchen paper towels? Alarming bacteria count found in some brands, Hong Kong Consumer Council says first appeared on South China Morning Post