The_King

FatPapas has joined the meatless burger hype with the launch of their Impossible Menu, now available at its four outlets all across Singapore. It is the latest restaurant partner to introduce Impossible Foods into their dishes since the company’s launch in Singapore in early March. It is also the first halal restaurant in Asia to serve the company’s flagship product – plant-based meat product containing no gluten and no animal hormones. The Impossible Menu at FatPapas features the Impossible Cheese Burger, Impossible Cottage Pie and Impossible Meatball Spaghetti (all S$18), along with the Impossible Chili Queso and Chips (S$15.50). The Impossible Burger patty is certified Halal in the US and with the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), said FatPapas in a press release. Co-founded in 2017 by rapper-turned-restauranteur Sheikh Haikel, the halal eatery is marketed as the Halal-certified sister brand to the Fatboy’s chain of burger restaurants. Fatpapas’ four outlets here are located at Bali Lane, Waterway Point, Northpoint and Century Square. The Impossible Burger was rolled out in Singapore from Mar 7 at eight partner restaurants here, including Potato Head, Park Bench Deli, Bread Street Kitchen By Gordon Ramsey and Cut By Wolfgang Puck. Created in the lab by a Silicon Valley start-up, the plant-based patty is touted as a sustainable “future food” and hopes to ease the demand for beef worldwide. “Singapore has such a diverse, multi-cultural community, and we’re excited to collaborate with FatPapas to bring delicious Impossible menu items to their hungry patrons that are both sustainable and halal," said Jordan Sadowsky, Director of Global Expansion for Impossible Foods in the press release. https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/dining/fatpapas-first-halal-restaurant-in-asia-with-impossible-burger-11411472

(Reuters) - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has severed ties with Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp as U.S. authorities investigate the Chinese firms for alleged sanctions violations, it said on Wednesday. MIT is the latest top U.S. education institution to unplug telecom equipment made by Huawei and other Chinese companies to avoid losing federal funding. "MIT is not accepting new engagements or renewing existing ones with Huawei and ZTE or their respective subsidiaries due to federal investigations regarding violations of sanction restrictions," Maria Zuber, its vice president for research, said in a letter on its website http://bit.ly/2K528XI. Collaborations with China, Russia and Saudi Arabia would face additional administrative review procedures, Zuber added. "The institute will revisit collaborations with these entities as circumstances dictate," she said. Britain's Oxford University stopped accepting funding from Huawei this year. Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei and the daughter of its founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Canada in December at the request of the United States on charges of bank and wire fraud in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran. She denies wrongdoing. U.S. sanctions forced ZTE to stop most business between April and July last year after Commerce Department officials had said it broke a pact and was caught illegally shipping U.S.-origin goods to Iran and North Korea. The sanctions were lifted after ZTE paid $1.4 billion in penalties. In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry referred questions to the two companies, but said Chinese firms were required to abide by local laws. "At the same time, we ask that governments in countries where they are based provide a just, fair, and nondiscriminatory environment," its spokesman, Geng Shuang, told a news briefing on Thursday. Chinese telecoms equipment makers have also been facing mounting scrutiny, led by the United States, amid worries Beijing could use their equipment for spying. The companies, however, have said the concerns are unfounded. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier and Clarence Fernandez) https://sg.news.yahoo.com/mit-cuts-collaborations-chinese-tech-firms-huawei-zte-054732977--sector.html

SINGAPORE: Residents may soon detect slight tremors and sounds of digging in the western part of Singapore as PUB enters the second phase of building what it calls the “used water superhighway for the future”. When it is ready, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) will collect and transport water from the whole of Singapore to three water reclamation plants in Changi, Kranji and soon Tuas for treatment. It is part of PUB’s efforts to move Singapore towards becoming more self-reliant in its water needs. Speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing on Wednesday (Apr 3), DTSS Phase 2 director Yong Wei Hin said the DTSS, which is scheduled to complete in 2025, will support 55 per cent of Singapore’s water needs in the long-term via NEWater. The Changi and Kranji plants have been connected since 2008 as part of Phase 1. When the Tuas plant is fully operational in 2027, it will also be connected as part of Phase 2. The second phase, which will cost S$2.9 billion more than the first phase at S$6.5 billion, will connect Marina Bay to Tuas. This involves creating a network of 50km of deep tunnels and 60km of link sewers in the western part of Singapore. Advertisement Nineteen tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be introduced to the effort – more than twice the number of units used in the first phase. There will also be two types of boring machines in this phase due to the different ground conditions in the area. "Singapore is different from a lot of other countries because it is characterised by highly variable ground conditions," said DTSS Phase 2’s chief engineer Woo Lai Lynn. "We had to do a lot of ground investigations (and) you never know what you are going to encounter between your investigation points. You can go through soil in one ring and the very next ring, you can go through hard rock." Using more TBMs ensures that Phase 2 is completed on time, said Ms Woo. The newly launched TBM, named TBM Bahar, will create a 3.5m-diameter tunnel 42m below ground. “(For) certain sections, you will have two TBMs tunnelling towards each other. If one gets stuck, the other can go into overdrive and still meet the other machine," she said. "We made sure we would not face a situation similar to what happened in DTSS Phase 1. There were months and months that went during which the TBM was hopelessly stuck and no progress (was made)." Existing water reclamation plants at Ulu Pandan and Jurong, as well as pumping stations, will be shut down. This will enable land the size of 214 football fields to be freed up for development, PUB said. NEW FEATURES TO COPE WITH TUNNELLING CHALLENGES Another issue addressed in Phase 2 was the challenge of tunnelling under industrial areas. “If you are out in the open and there is nothing above you, even if you have a big sinkhole nobody is going to care, nobody is going to notice. But a sinkhole on the Ayer-Rajah Expressway will be quite obvious,” said Ms Woo. She also said that compared to the first phase, this one requires PUB to deal with a lot more infrastructure that may potentially get in the way of tunnelling. “Our underground is a bit congested now. There are (more) Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) tunnels (and) cable tunnels that we have to de-conflict with," said Ms Woo. "There are depressed roads and piles going down, so it is quite difficult to find a corridor to do our tunnelling." Hence, PUB will leverage smart technologies in this phase, she added. This includes using a monitoring system that provides real-time updates of the TBM locations and identifies excavation and tunnelling risks. In addition, PUB will be the first agency in Asia to deploy what it calls a Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine (VSM), which can excavate the ground and construct the walls of underground work access sites at the same time. Another new feature for Phase 2 is the isolation gates, which will allow for water to be diverted in order to isolate a particular section of the tunnel for inspection and repairs. “With DTSS, we are changing the way we are collecting used water in our plants," said Mr Yong. "We are getting rid of intermediate pumping stations, which take up land. By doing so, we are centralising our water reclamation plants. We are also saving land for higher value developments." Source: CNA/zl(rw)

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SINGAPORE: Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents (PRs) will have to pay 50 per cent more to enter the casinos at the two local integrated resorts (IRs) from Thursday (Apr 4), as the Government continues efforts to keep problem gambling under control. This was announced by the ministries of trade and industry, finance, home affairs and social and family development on Wednesday. From Thursday, the daily levy for Singaporeans and PRs will increase to S$150 from S$100 previously, while the annual levy will rise to S$3,000 from S$2,000. The move comes amid plans by the gaming industry to expand their operations, with the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa committing around S$9 billion in non-gaming investments. The entry levy is a social safeguard to deter casual and impulse gambling by locals, said the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Social and Family Development. In reviewing the entry fees, several factors were taken into consideration, including the problem gambling situation, household income levels and prices of alternative gambling locations in the region. Meanwhile, the authorities are also tightening the pre-payment and activation periods for the entry levy. From August, patrons will only be able to purchase a second daily or annual casino entry levy if the first one is expiring within six hours. The levy will be automatically activated after six hours of purchase. PROBLEM GAMBLING "UNDER CONTROL" Local visitorship to the casinos has “declined significantly” over the last decade and problem gambling remains “under control”, the ministries said. The probable problem and pathological gambling rate has decreased to 0.9 per cent in 2017 from 2.6 per cent when the IRs first opened, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). The number of active casino exclusions as of Dec 31, 2018 was about 67,500. Of this, about 57.9 per cent were under automatic exclusion, including undischarged bankrupts and those receiving financial or legal aid from the Government. About 38.2 per cent were under family exclusion, while the remaining excluded themselves from gambling at the casinos. On top of this, about 7,000 Singaporeans and Singapore PRs had their monthly casino visits capped as of end last year, with 71.9 per cent of the limits imposed by the NCPG on financially vulnerable Singaporeans. Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said the Government has been closely monitoring the potential social impact of gambling. “Although problem gambling has not worsened since the introduction of the IRs, we are nevertheless wary of the dangers posed by gambling, in particular online gambling, which has become an increasingly serious threat,” said Mr Chan. “In order to further limit the social impact of problem gambling on our local population, MBS and RWS have agreed to work with MSF to study how to help casino patrons make more informed decisions on their level of play," he added. An example of how technology is being used to help gamblers make informed decisions in overseas casinos is the ability to set a gambling budget and be reminded when a certain proportion of their budget is surpassed. Other features include setting loss limits, time limits and tracking one’s own gambling habits. “MSF will also work with VWOs to train their gaming area employees on responsible gambling, so that casinos can better identify at-risk patrons and refer them to appropriate help before problem gambling sets in.” HIGHER TAXES Taxes on gaming revenues will also be increased after the current moratorium expires in February 2022. Gross gaming revenue is currently subjected to casino tax rates of 5 per cent for premium gaming and 15 per cent for mass gaming. A new 10-year moratorium will subject the IRs to tiered tax rates of between 18 per cent and 22 per cent for mass gaming, and from 8 per cent to 12 per cent for premium gaming. If the IR fails to meet its investment commitments, however, flat tax rates of 22 per cent will apply on its mass gaming revenue, and 12 per cent on its premium gaming revenue. Source: CNA/jt(aj)

https://www.facebook.com/Vocativ/videos/712563299146238/

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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has cancelled ofo’s operating license. This is incorrect. LTA has issued a Notice of Intention to cancel the license. ofo has been given up to 14 days to appeal the decision. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is set to cancel Chinese bike-sharing firm ofo’s licence to operate in Singapore, after ofo failed to remove all its bicycles from public places despite getting a deadline extension, said the agency on Wednesday (3 April) The firm had originally had its operating licence suspended on 14 February for failing to meet LTA’s regulatory requirements. It was told that the licence would be cancelled if it failed to remove all its bicycles by 13 March. It was then granted a stay of execution by LTA, which extended the deadline to remove the bikes till 28 Match. However, ofo has still not complied with its requirements. Not complied despite deadline extension In response to media queries, LTA released a statement on Wednesday that said, “LTA suspended ofo’s licence on 14 February as ofo had failed to comply with regulatory requirements, such as the implementation of a QR code parking system. ofo was required to remove all its bicycles from public places by 13 March. “After ofo informed LTA that it was in advanced stages of negotiations to partner another party to resume operations and fulfil the conditions of its licence, LTA extended the deadline for bicycle removal to 28 March. “Despite the deadline extension, ofo has not complied. “Since ofo is not able to comply with regulatory requirements, on 3 April, LTA issued ofo a Notice of Intention to cancel ofo’s licence. It has up to 14 days to make written representations to LTA.” Unlicensed operators can face a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a jail term of up to six months, with a further fine of $500 for each day the offence continues after conviction. ‘Immense’ cashflow problems Citing a former employee, The Straits Times reported that Ofo has been operating in Singapore since early 2017, with more than 90,000 bikes deployed here. It was the largest bike-sharing company in the world, and had a reported 10 million bikes in over 250 cities in 2018. However, reports emerged late last year that it was battling “immense” cashflow problems and that it had considered disbanding as an option. In December 2018, ofo chief executive Dai Wei told employees that the firm was considering filing for bankruptcy. In Singapore, ofo has vacated its Shenton Way premises. Two companies granted dock-less bike-sharing licences Meanwhile, LTA has given in-principle approval to two companies – Anywheel and Moov Technology – for licences to operate dock-less bicycle-sharing services in public places. Anywheel was upgraded from its original sandbox license, which allowed it to operate up to 1,000 bicycles, to a full bicycle-sharing operator (BSO) licence for up to 10,000 bicycles. Moov Technology, a newcomer, will be granted a sandbox licence to operate up to 1,000 bicycles. A third applicant, Ywise Circle, was unsuccessful in its application as LTA has assessed that it did not meet the evaluation criteria, which includes the applicant’s proposal to manage indiscriminate parking, its financial strength and track record, if applicable. Operators who have been granted sandbox and full licences for device-sharing services will be allowed to operate in public places for one year and two years respectively. Separately, LTA also said that the decision on personal mobility device-sharing (PMD-sharing) licence applications will be announced by mid-2019. More time is needed to evaluate this first licence application cycle for PMD-sharing activities, which involve new activities such as the charging of shared devices that are not present in bicycle-sharing services. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/lta-cancels-ofos-operating-licence-misses-deadline-extension-clear-bikes-083122605.html

A social media campaign from the French government has been blocked by Twitter - because of the government's own anti-fake-news law.Since December, France requires online political campaigns to declare who paid for them, and how much was spent.But now Twitter has rejected a government voter registration campaign.The company could not find a solution to obey the letter of the new law, officials said – and opted to avoid the potential problem altogether.The #OuiJeVote (Yes, I Vote) campaign encouraged voters to register for the European elections ahead of the deadline.It was operated by the French government information service, which had planned to pay for sponsored tweets, according to news agency AFP.Twitter's refusal to take money from the state to promote the message baffled many in France. One MP, Naïma Moutchou, tweeted: "I thought it was an April Fools!"Interior Minister Christophe Castanter also took to the platform to express frustration with the decision."Twitter's priority should be to fight content that glorifies terrorism. Not campaigns to register on the electoral lists of a democratic republic." The new French law, which took effect in December, is designed to combat anonymous political messages and make clear who is paying for advertisements.It requires online platforms to provide "fair, clear and transparent" information about the person or company, and the amount paid, in an open and accessible database format.Macron announces 'fake news' lawDon't say 'fake news,' France urgedThe government information service told AFP news agency: "Twitter does not know how to do that today, and so decided to have a completely hard-line policy, which is to cut any so-called political campaign."But it argued that the public information message, simply asking people to register to vote, should not count as a "political campaign"."It's not that the law has backfired against us, it's a platform which does not comply," it said."In our opinion, this is a last stand on their part to put the discussion back on the table, with the aim of adjusting the measures." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47800418

SINGAPORE - The operators of the two integrated resorts (IR) will pump in $9 billion to build world-class attractions, which will include a fourth tower to the iconic Marina Bay Sands (MBS) development, three new hotels, a 15,000-seat entertainment arena and extensions to Universal Studios Singapore (USS). Meanwhile, MBS and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will be allowed to expand their casino operations, with their exclusive rights to run a casino here extended until the end of 2030. But their gambling revenue will be further taxed by the Government. In order to rein in problem gambling, casino levies on Singapore residents will be increased. The daily levy will go up from $100 to $150 from Thursday (April 4), while the annual levy is being increased from $2,000 to $3,000. In a joint statement on Wednesday evening (April 3), the authorities, which include the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said that the $9 billion investment is almost two-thirds of the IRs' initial investment of about $15 billion in 2006. "In view of the substantial investment and to provide business certainty, the Government has agreed to extend the exclusivity period for the two casinos to end-2030," they said. They added that IR operators have been allowed to expand their casinos in order for the new attractions to remain commercially viable, but that any additions will be targeted at "higher-tier non-mass market players, who are mainly tourists". If the IRs do expand their casinos to the maximum allowed, it will increase the current gaming space from 30,000 sq m to 32,500 sq m. But with the even bigger expansion of the non-gaming areas, the space taken up by gambling operations at the IRs will fall from the existing 3.1 per cent to 2.3 per cent. On Sentosa, two new areas – Minion Park and Super Nintendo World – will be added to USS. Minion Park will replace the current Madagascar area. The S.E.A. Aquarium will take over the space currently occupied by the Maritime Experiential Museum, creating a new Singapore Oceanarium three times larger than the existing aquarium. At MBS, a new 1,000-room luxury hotel tower will have only suites, and it hopes to draw A-list artistes to its new entertainment space. It expects to spend about $4.5 billion on the entire expansion. The IR expansions will create up to 5,000 new jobs, said the statement. New spaces created for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) will be created at both RWS and MBS. A new two-tiered tax system will also kick in from March 2022. Under the new system, the first $2.4 billion of gross gaming revenue from premium gaming is taxed at 8 per cent, while the rest is taxed at 12 per cent. Similarly, the first $3.1 billion from mass gaming is taxed at 18 per cent, while anything over that is taxed at 22 per cent. If the IRs fail to meet their investment commitments, they will have to pay the higher tax rate on all gross gaming revenue. On the concerns that the increase casino space may lead to more problem gambling, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said that although the problem has not worsened, the Government is nevertheless wary of the dangers. "While the IRs have been successful on the economic front, we have also been closely monitoring the potential social impact of the gaming segment," he said. According to a survey from the National Council on Problem Gambling, the probable problem and pathological gambling rate has decreased from 2.6 per cent when the IRs first opened in 2010 to 0.9 per cent in 2017. Beyond the higher levies, the two IR operators have also agreed to work with the Ministry of Social and Family Development to study how to help gamblers make more informed decisions on how much to gamble. IR employees will also be trained to spot gamblers at risk of developing a problem, and refer them to help. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/irs-to-build-new-world-class-attractions-and-expand-casinos-levies-to-go-up-from-thursday

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) - In the last decade, Ku Young Bae - a serial entrepreneur and South Korean transplant - has built Singapore's biggest e-commerce company and fended off giant rivals like Alibaba, Amazon and Tencent. Now he is keen to expand beyond his home base into South-east Asia. To do that, and to compete with his cash-rich rivals, he has hatched an audacious plan to unleash the efficiencies of blockchain technology on e-commerce. In January, his Qoo10 (pronounced "Q-ten") online mall started a separate marketplace called QuuBe, using the distributed ledger technology best known for making bitcoin possible. Mr Ku says blockchain makes it cheaper to run an online marketplace, as it lets him remove the fees he currently charges merchants to sell products on the site. That, he says, should attract even more sellers. He is also creating a payment system based on the technology that will help attract new shoppers in a region where cash still predominates. So far, the response has been positive: Three months in, he says, more than 5,000 merchants have registered 2.3 million or so products on QuuBe. Mr Ku isn't the first to try applying blockchain to e-commerce. But no company has gone all-in like Qoo10, which can't match the billions of dollars Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings are pouring into the region. "This is my attempt to shift the paradigm and level the playing field," he says. "There hasn't been any radical innovation in the e-commerce industry-with services largely resembling one another." Mr Ku is virtually unknown outside Asia. He keeps a low profile and has no social media presence. People who know him well describe him as an workaholic who rarely socialises. He has built Qoo10 in his image: a low-key yet hard-charging upstart that retains a bootstrapping ethos despite being a nine-year-old company with 600 employees. The boss's Korean nickname is Ku daeri ("junior manager Ku") because few details are too small for his attention. "People don't know him because he keeps a low profile, but he's probably the most underrated entrepreneur," says Mr Julian Tan, chief of digital business at Singapore Press Holdings, which backed Qoo10 in 2015. Mr Tan says the fact that Qoo10 has managed to remain No. 1 in Singapore despite Amazon.com's entry with Prime Now in 2017 and heavy investments from Alibaba's Lazada and Tencent-backed Sea Ltd's Shopee "is a testament to his product and understanding of the market". Mr Ku has long been an e-commerce pioneer. Back in 2000, when he was 34, he started a South Korean Web store called Gmarket. Three years later, consumers and merchants were invited to transact directly on the site - a concept that eventually came to be known as a business-to-consumer marketplace. At the time, nine-year-old Amazon had a third-party marketplace called ZShop that let sellers hawk used merchandise; Alibaba was a business-to-business outfit just starting Taobao, an eBay-like site where consumers barter. Today, Amazon, Alibaba and Walmart Inc all have third-party marketplaces. Early on, Mr Ku bet people would be willing to buy clothing online without trying them on first, and began selling stylish fast-fashion garments. The non-branded clothes sold so well that Gmarket was soon South Korea's No. 1 online shopping site, beating bigger rivals like Ebay's Internet Auction Co. In 2006, Mr Ku's start-up became the first Korean e-commerce company to list on Nasdaq. Mr Ku was busily building Gmarket into a pan-Asian e-commerce operator when his biggest shareholder, Interpark Corp, decided to accept an offer from eBay, which acquired Gmarket for US$1.2 billion in 2009. Mr Ku struck a deal with the US e-commerce company to form a joint venture and started Qoo10 in Singapore in 2010. Qoo10 caught on quickly, enticing consumers with products previously difficult to get online - Korean cosmetics, Australian bath towels and Indonesian batik dresses. The company offered fresh salmon cuts and chili crab long before delivery apps came along. They could also be picked up at the seller's shop. Wrapping the enterprise together was an efficient cross-border logistics network and a local delivery service that could get a package to a customer's door in as little as three hours. Qoo10's share of Singapore's online shopping market more than quadrupled to 38.2 per cent from 2013 to 2018, according to Euromonitor. The company has held onto its leading position without throwing money around. Since its inception, Qoo10 has raised a mere US$230 million (S$310 million) from investors. Tencent-backed Sea bled roughly the same amount every three months last year to expand Shopee. Alibaba, meanwhile, has pumped in a total of US$4 billion since acquiring control of Lazada in 2016. Last year, Mr Ku sold Qoo10's Japanese business to eBay for an undisclosed sum - giving him ammunition to expand in South-east Asia. He's now in the process of combining local Qoo10 sites from Malaysia to Hong Kong into a single marketplace and plans to invest heavily in the cross-border logistics unit, Qxpress, which has operations in eight countries and 11 delivery processing centres. To add more centres, Qxpress is raising US$50 million to US$100 million in a new financing round that is expected to close this month. For the time being, Mr Ku is staying out of Indonesia, South-east Asia's largest consumer market. He says it's too fragmented and that too many companies are chasing consumers with insufficient disposable income. Instead, he plans to expand to Australia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam this year. He knows it will be increasingly difficult to compete head-to-head with Lazada and Shopee, and expects blockchain will give him an edge. The technology automates certain e-commerce transactions and processes that typically require humans. That's why Mr Ku can eliminate merchant fees and make it easier for anyone to set up an online shop. Blockchain also enhances trust among participants because they can more easily trace transactions from start to finish. Meanwhile, the ledger offers an alternative, more secure payment method in a region where many shoppers lack access to financial services. Buyers and sellers use tokens called Q*coins, which are stored in a digital wallet in the QuuBe app. Q*coins are pegged to the US dollar and fully convertible with no extra fees. As more of the tokens circulate, Mr Ku says their value will appreciate - giving merchants another way to profit. Success is hardly guaranteed. While Walmart is moving ahead with a project to track leafy greens, many previously enthusiastic companies have pulled back, partly because it is difficult to deploy the technology in real-life situations. Larger, expanding companies may not see the urgent need to apply a different strategy. But Mr Ku is convinced blockchain will give him the necessary edge to compete and avoid getting into a cash-burning war of attrition. "I want to show that we can prevail by using technologies," he says, "not by throwing money around." https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/singapores-biggest-online-mall-qoo10-fights-alibaba-with-blockchain

all the trailers is only the first 20min of the movies sauce: https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/avengers-endgame-marketing-might-show-footage-films-first-20-minutes/ https://www.cnet.com/news/avengers-endgame-trailers-wont-reveal-details-past-films-first-15-minutes/

In order that you may know exactly how your finger lickin’ good fried chicken is prepared at KFC, the fast food chain plans to bring guests on insider tours of its previously highly guarded kitchens. To underscore its commitment to transparency and food safety, KFC Singapore has also opened its first open-kitchen concept restaurant at Tampines Mall, where patrons can see the chefs at work inside the kitchen through glass panels. KFC’s new Tampines Mall outlet, which opened on Tuesday (2 April), is the first Southeast Asian outlet to feature such an open kitchen. KFC’s Open Kitchen programme has already been rolled out in the UK, Ireland, Australia and Japan. KFC calls its glass-panelled kitchen “The Tank”. KFC Singapore’s general manager, Lynette Lee, said at the outlet’s launch, “With the rollout of the ‘The Tank’ at KFC Tampines Mall and the KFC Open Kitchen programme, I hope to proudly share KFC’s heritage and Colonel Sanders’ obsessive passion in cooking the best-tasting chicken. We’re very proud of this heritage and we’re so happy to share that with all Singaporeans.” Customers will be able to see KFC’s chefs perform all the steps involved in preparing and cooking its famous fried chicken, from breading all the way to frying. (Of course, they are still not revealing the top-secret ingredients which contain 11 different herbs and spices – although a reporter claimed to have found the secret recipe in an old family scrapbook belonging to Colonel Sanders’ nephew.) KFC fried chicken is apparently still prepared using the techniques created by founder Colonel Harlan Sanders. The chicken pieces are breaded with a “7-10-7” technique: they’re rolled seven times after being cleaned to remove excess moisture, tossed in the breading flour 10 times, then pressed into the breading flour seven times to ensure the ideal flour-to-chicken coating ratio. The chicken is then arranged in KFC’s special stainless steel “clamshell” baskets according to Colonel Sanders’ exact layout – designed to prevent overlapping of the chicken pieces – before being pressure-cooked. Beginning 8 April, tour sessions of KFC kitchens at selected outlets will be open for booking at KFC Singapore’s website. These include outlets in Kallang, Waterway Point, Toa Payoh Lorong 6, Jurong Point and Northpoint City. The tours are not free though – each admission costs $15, but it comes with a two-piece KFC chicken meal and a goodie bag. On these tours, you will get to see the kitchen’s storage area, the breading and preparation stations and the service counter area where food is served. https://sg.style.yahoo.com/kfc-singapore-launches-first-open-kitchen-restaurant-welcome-public-tour-kitchens-053808758.html

Hawaiian chicken with herbal soup

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Two children were killed on Sunday afternoon after a small whirlwind tore through a temporary fairground in Henan province. Video from the scene shows inflatable bouncy castles floating high in the air as the dust devil wreaks havoc at the scenic spot and visitors run for safety. The whirlwind is reported to have lasted for around three to four minutes. Afterward, local officials in Yucheng county said that the incident had left 20 people injured including 18 children. A later update revealed that two of the children had died from their injuries. http://shanghaiist.com/2019/04/02/two-children-dead-after-dust-devil-rips-through-henan-fairground/

We’ve all flocked indoors over the last few rainy days, but get ready for more showers in the first half of April, thanks to the end of the northeast monsoon’s dry phase. So don’t forget your umbrellas, and bring out your rain boots if you’d like, ’cause the Meteorological Service Singapore said yesterday to expect short-duration thundery showers in the afternoon (and some evenings) over six to eight days. Mornings can bring with ’em thundery showers and strong winds over two to three days as well. But don’t be too quick to whip out your sweaters — warm conditions will still persist, with the daily maximum temperature reaching above 35°C on certain, unfortunate days. Otherwise, most of the time it’ll fluctuate between 25°C and 34°C. Let’s hope it’s closer to the lower end. As the second warmest month of the year, April brings with it high lightning activity, which is all the more reason to huddle beneath your sheets like a homebody.https://coconuts.co/singapore/news/expect-april-showers-next-2-weeks-warm-temperatures/

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has removed two SIA 787-10 Dreamliner planes from service after routine inspections found issues with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 TEN engines, the carrier said in a statement on Tuesday (Apr 2). “During recent routine inspections of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 TEN engines on Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 787-10 fleet, premature blade deterioration was found on some engines," SIA said. "As safety is our top priority, the SIA Group, in consultation with Rolls-Royce, proactively identified other Trent 1000 TEN engines in the Group’s 787 fleet to undergo precautionary inspections." The airline added that all engine inspections on its 787-10 fleet have since been completed, and a remaining check will be completed on a Scoot 787-9 by Apr 3. "Pending engine replacements, two SIA 787-10 aircraft have been removed from service," said SIA. As a result, some flights to destinations served by the 787-10 fleet have been affected. "SIA is operating other aircraft for these flights to minimise schedule disruption to customers," said the airline. "However, as capacity may be lower on replacement aircraft, some customers may be affected and they will be contacted accordingly." SIA declined to comment on the number of travellers affected, saying it is "actively getting in touch with customers" to re-accommodate them on various other flights. The airline's 787-10 aircraft are currently deployed to 11 destinations - Bangkok, Denpasar, Fukuoka, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Nagoya, New Delhi, Osaka, Perth, Taipei and Tokyo. "We regret the inconvenience caused and sincerely apologise to customers whose travel plans are affected, and seek their understanding," said SIA. It added that it is working closely with Rolls-Royce, as well as relevant authorities for additional follow-up actions and precautionary measures that may be required going forward. SIA first took delivery of the first of its 49 Boeing 787-10 aircraft in March 2018. The aircraft entered commercial service in April 2018, with SIA saying that it was investing S$458 million to introduce new cabin products for the first 20 aircraft. In a statement on Tuesday, Rolls-Royce said that since the Trent 1000 TEN entered into service, it has communicated to operators that the high-pressure turbine blades in those engines would have a limited life cycle. "Working with operators, we have been sampling a small population of the Trent 1000 TEN fleet that has flown in more arduous conditions. "This work has shown that a small number of these engines need to have their blades replaced earlier than scheduled. In anticipation of limited turbine blade life, our engineers have already developed and are testing an enhanced version of this blade," it said. Rolls-Royce added that it will now work closely with any affected customers to deliver an "accelerated programme" to implement the enhanced blade, and to ensure that it can deliver on their Trent 1000 TEN future commitments. "We regret any disruption this causes to airline operations," it said. Source: CNA/ic/zl(rw/gs)

[JOHOR BARU] Johor's food and beverage (F&B) industry has been affected by a decline in tourist arrivals from Singapore due to ongoing tensions between the city state and Malaysia as well as delays at the immigration, news portal The Malaysian Insight reported on Tuesday. It said 10.62 million Singaporeans visited Malaysia last year, a drop of 14.7 per cent compared with 2017. The plunge caused the country to miss its target of 26.4 million tourist arrivals for 2018. It recorded only 25.83 million visitors. Malaysia-Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors' General Association president Ho Su Mong said its Johor-based members lamented that their operations have been affected due to the decline in Singaporean tourists. To make matters worse, many Singaporeans are put off by the long queues at Malaysia's immigration checkpoints. SEE ALSO: Tyersall Park site worth S$4.7b - if it can be sold As a result, Johor businesses have decreased by as much as 30 per cent, Mr Ho told the news site. "Johor's tourism industry thrives on visitors from Singapore. This has also impacted the services industry in a big way. "Besides the overcrowded checkpoints and long waiting hours, the ongoing tensions between the two countries also have an effect. Many choose not to come here because of problems between the countries," he said. Mr Ho was referring to the ongoing airspace and maritime border dispute between the two countries, as well as Putrajaya's call for Singapore to pay more for the raw water it buys from Johor. Echoing Mr Ho's views, Federation of Hawkers and Petty Traders' Association Malaysia president Yow Boon Chuan said hawkers in the southern Malaysian state also complained that their businesses have suffered since early this year. "Business has been bleak since Chinese New Year because of decreasing tourist numbers and the economic downturn," he was quoted as saying. Hawkers who ply their trade at the state's numerous night markets depend on tourists to keep their operations afloat as tourists constitute about 30 per cent of their income. Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association president Albert Tan Sam Soon said the decline in Singaporean tourist arrivals in Johor can also be attributed to low airfares, which allows them to opt for other destinations such as Penang, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Tourism Malaysia director-general Musa Yusof previously said the declining number of tourist arrivals from Singapore could be due to the gridlock on the Causeway as well as Singaporeans' increasing preference for "new and different experiences". https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/johor-businesses-suffering-from-drop-in-singapore-visitors-report

Commuters in Singapore can plan, book and pay for their journeys here across a variety of transport modes with a new app by a local start-up. The app Zipster was launched yesterday by mobilityX, a start-up backed by transport operator SMRT, as well as Toyota Tsusho, the general trading arm of carmaker Toyota. In March last year, mobilityX had tested a similar app, called Jalan, on the Nanyang Technological University campus. The start-up has partnered a number of companies - including SMRT, ride-hailing firms Grab and Gojek, car-sharing service Smove and bike-sharing firm Anywheel - to offer their services on Zipster. The app features an integrated mobile wallet that can be used for rides across these services. The start-up is also introducing a card that can be paired with the wallet. The firm has teamed up with insurance provider AXA to insure users across these different transport modes, and has signed an agreement with OCBC Bank to integrate its payment modes within Zipster. The app is still in beta mode, said mobilityX chief executive Colin Lim, adding that the firm welcomes feedback on Zipster's functions. Mr Lim said the app is in line with the idea of "mobility-as-a-service" (MAAS) - a term referring to the concept of multiple shared transport modes being offered through a single platform. The idea of MAAS is gaining currency here, he said, noting its inclusion in the 2040 Land Transport Master Plan. There is a need for such a platform as studies show people's transport habits have changed, with some making as many as six different trips a day, said Mr Lim, who was previously a managing director with SMRT. In the long term, mobilityX is looking at offering subscription packages that would allow travel across a variety of transport modes at a flat fee. It is also looking to expand into other countries in the region, he said. Zipster's launch follows Grab's announcement last week that it will include a public transport journey planner in its app here. Uber has added public transport and e-bike options within its app in certain markets. More firms are offering such options as there is a market for services which address a variety of transport needs, especially in emerging markets, said Singapore University of Social Sciences transport economist Walter Theseira. "There is real value-add in integrating services through a single point of payment," he said. Zhaki Abdullah https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/start-up-launches-all-in-one-transport-app-that-insures-users-too