The_King

ABOUT THIS GAME Narrated by one of the most popular British actors, Sean Bean, Kholat is an exploration adventure game with elements of horror, inspired by a true event known as the Dyatlov Pass incident – a mysterious death of nine Russian hikers, which led to countless, unconfirmed hypotheses. The player will plunge directly into the boundless scenery of the inhospitable Ural Mountains with the task to find out what really happened. In the course of events, you may come across more speculations than expected... Will you find the answer? Will you get any closer to the truth? Will you survive? Dyatlov Pass incident was a real story that happened in winter of 1959. Nine skilled alpinists went for a trip to the northern part of Ural Mountains, which ended fatally. Bodies of expedition's crew were found scattered on slope of Kholat Syakhl. Russian investigators closed the case stating that "a compelling unknown force" had caused the deaths. More information about Dyatlov Pass Incident can be found at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident Features: stunning art design immersive exploration experience sophisticated music and sounds chilling atmosphere and tension self made story inspired by true events main storyline and a lot of background plot to be discovered by players non-linear open world in-game navigation by map and compass powered by Unreal Engine 4 challenging exploration estimated game length: 4 - 6 hours https://store.steampowered.com/app/343710/Kholat/

Product description Assassin’s Creed® Chronicles: China takes place in China, 1526, as the Ming dynasty starts to crumble. You embody Shao Jun, the last remaining Assassin of the Chinese Brotherhood, returning to her homeland with a vendetta. Newly trained by the legendary Ezio Auditore, she is hell-bent on exacting vengeance and restoring her fallen Brotherhood. Key Features Witness an empire crumble Travel across China and its legendary landmarks. Stalk enemies from the roofs of the Forbidden City, hide in the shadows of the Great Wall, meet iconic historical figures and discover this Great Empire. Immerse yourself in a unique art direction Brought to life by fusing the essence of Chinese 16th century traditional brush strokes with more contemporary, impressionistic styles, Shao Jun’s adventure will keep you awed in an evocative and truly living painting. Stealth takes a new dimension Assassin’s Creed Chronicles brings the thrill of being a master Assassin into 2.5D. Scout, sneak and hide to avoid detection. Fool enemies using whistles and disguises. Find your target, kill and escape. Experience fast & fluid “Assault Course” As in all Assassin’s Creed experiences, freedom of movement is essential. Whether you’re running from danger, scaling obstacles or climbing stealthily, you will feel that you really can do anything. Shao Jun’s arsenal is in your hands Should you fail to go undetected, you can always takeout your enemies with style using Shao Jun’s empowering combat arsenal: close-combat martial arts, a powerful Kian Sword and her unique hidden shoe blade. Navigate multiple planes Switch between fore, mid and background environmental layers and choose between different path accordingly to your need: opening up new pathways, completing side-missions, grabbing hidden collectibles, or taking the quickest path to your target. https://store.ubi.com/us/assassins-creed-chronicles--china/575ffd8fa3be1633568b4cf0.html?fbclid=IwAR3U7AQHrs2aFUl9_oX6wGRgbcxlb3lqF7U6xY_u24V-I2Ic8utQbfGhyo8

Indonesian Flat Earth Research (IFER), a community that rejects the objective reality that the Earth is round, is planning to hold its first national conference in Jakarta in October. IFER’s CEO and founder Wahidin Amir said the community wants to hold seminars he expects 100 active IFER members to attend the conference, but he claims interest in the planned event may be much higher after receiving support from around 10,000 flat earthers from various other communities on Facebook. “We’re currently working on the rundown, listing potential professors to invite so they can present their scientific studies,” Wahidin told CNN Indonesia on Wednesday. Wahidin said that the conference will be open to the public, but that the the concept and location are still tentative because the community is still focused on fundraising for the event. They also plan to cooperate with other Indonesian Flat Earth communities such as Flat Earth Society and FE 101. Indonesia has seen a rise in vocal Flat Earthers in recent years, especially on social media. In 2017, believers of the theory swarmed the social media accounts of the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) for months, challenging the fact that the Earth is spherical. The trolling came after LAPAN invited representatives of Flat Earth communities the previous year with the intention of proving that Earth is not flat, but the institute’s lecture fell on deaf ears. IFER’s planned conference would be the first of its kind in Indonesia, but not the first held around the globe. In the US, there have already been two large Flat Earther conferences in 2017 and 2018.

Mr Ang Lu Heng is a rare sort of 79-year-old. Together with his wife, he lives where he’s worked for over 60 years: in Singapore’s last provision shop set in a home. The zinc-roofed space—framed by a green wire fence and stacks of flattened cardboard boxes piled in front shelves of bread and bottled drinks—is so unassuming that I miss it at first, mistaking Tee Seng Store for an abandoned junkyard in the mostly polished residential area skirting Rosyth Road and Sandilands Road. “I’m busy,” he announces in Mandarin as I enter, offering me a tentative smile before squeezing past to unpack tins of canned food from a cardboard box in the dimly lit space. I’ll wait, I tell him, before retreating to the shopfront, where I arrange myself on one of two stone tables blanketed with discarded beer cans. These very tables are where his customers used to unwind over drinks in the ’60s, chatting under the milky moon until the store shuttered for the day at midnight. The neighbourhood, all well-paved roads and rows of modern landed homes, was once a bustling village set with gravelly paths and one-level homes identical to his. Mr Ang shares this with me in a mixture of Mandarin and English when we sit on grey plastic stools beside the cash register, where much of his day has revolved since he was 15. In 1955, a year after his graduation, he found work as a shop assistant under the care of his former boss at Tee Seng Store. Because his parents were odd-job workers, their sporadic income was only sufficient to put him through primary school. At this, he directs me to the photos tacked to the fridge in front of the cash register, and extracts himself from his seat with a kind of renewed animation. “Can you guess which one’s me?” he nods towards a black-and-white school picture taken in 1954, the year he graduated from Guangyang Primary School, which has since relocated from Yio Chu Kang to Bishan. He singles out his 14-year-old self in the picture, a short-haired boy among a sea of classmates, his head jutting above the rest. “That’s probably me. These were the teachers, and there, my principal … they’ve all hui jia le (passed away). At least I have this picture to remember my youth by.” After five years under the former Tee Seng Store owner, Mr Ang acquired the business for a “small fee”, a number he can no longer recall. With it came the 6,000 sq ft plot of land that’s today carved into three parts: the bedroom, shop, and kitchen. The Angs’ bedroom sits to the left of the cash register, partitioned by a thin curtain, and on two sides of the store are entrances to the kitchen and storeroom. The store itself brims with furniture dating to the provision shop’s early days. Kitschy Coca-Cola trays adorn the walls; packets of chips have been placed in defective refrigerators; a dated, oversized radio sits on an aged shelf, the fuzzy strains of a Chinese New Year track streaming from its speakers. It occurs to me how remarkable it is that Tee Seng Store has remained physically unchanged in all the years gone by. I comment on the high value his plot of land holds, given its size and location, and Mr Ang chuckles. “That’s true. But I don’t plan on selling it. My wife and I are very comfortable, and don’t intend to ever move out.” The hefty chunk of their lives they’ve spent within this same space includes taking all three meals at home every day, most of which are cooked by Mrs Ang using provisions from the store itself. This eliminates the need to even visit a supermarket, even though prices may sometimes be lower there, given they are run by larger corporations that enjoy greater bulk discounts. It’s clear the couple’s days are shaped by a routine they aren’t about to break: Mr Ang rises at 6 AM daily to restock his shelves with fresh loaves of bread, has breakfast, then goes for qigong with regulars who live around the Rosyth Road area. By 8 AM, Tee Seng Store is open for business; a silent, well-oiled machine kept alive by occasional purchases from nearby residents and domestic helpers. It’s a stark difference from an earlier time when Indians and Malays formed the bulk of his customer base—an unsurprising fact, given mama shops were birthed in the Serangoon Road area in the 1900s by Indian immigrants when Singapore was under British rule. With the relocation of residents to Housing Development Board (HDB) flats from 1961, mama shops shifted to void decks to serve a wider mix of ethnicities. It was perhaps a saving grace; today, provision shops based in common areas of HDB flats enjoy several concessions that Mr Ang does not. These include the Revitalisation of Shops (ROS) scheme, which subsidises up to $35,000 of a store’s renovation fees, along with a month-long rent-free period to lighten the costs of upgrading works. Mr Ang seems unenthused when I mention the scheme. “I don’t need that,” he says. “I’ve never renovated this place in my life, only had repair work done for wear and tear.” It’s a Saturday morning, and customers stream in every ten or so minutes to buy milk, bread, bottled drinks, and canned food. Each time, Mr Ang fluidly switches to the customers’ native tongue, a mark of his time growing up in pre-independence Singapore. “I’ve picked up many languages over the years,” he says with pride. “English, Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Tamil, Tagalog. A little bit of Sinhala, too.” While he used to make regular trips to Beach Road to purchase produce such as green chillies, onions, and potatoes, a dwindling customer base means he now has a supplier deliver a far smaller order based on demand. The sale of cigarettes and rice, though seemingly minuscule in value, are the primary products that keep the provision shop afloat—enough to pay off Tee Seng Store’s suppliers and utilities, which come up to some $700 monthly. Though Mr Ang prefers not to go into specifics, he shares that they set aside the remaining amount of somewhere between $400 to $900, portioned for everyday use and savings. The couple have no CPF, nor does Mr Ang plan to retire any time soon. Instead, they rely on the modest amount to get by comfortably. I probe him further on any future retirement plans he may have. A holiday, perhaps? The idea sounds foreign and ridiculous, even to my ears. And I’m not off the mark: Mr Ang and his wife haven’t travelled for as long as he can recall, and they truly do intend to stay on in this home for the rest of their lives, even after the provision store has shuttered. “That will only happen when I no longer have the energy to run this place,” he asserts. In fact, the last holiday he took to Thailand was a paid company trip while he was working on the side as a gas tank delivery man, a time so far back that he struggles to recall when exactly he took the trip. It’s not an uncommon sentiment among older folks; to remain where one is most comfortable. Singapore’s rapid shifts in development haven’t put a dent on Tee Seng Store, and it resembles a home that’s been airlifted from the ’50s and plonked into its current space, an anomaly of wooden louvres, battered shelves, and dated appliances. The provision shop has no official website, nor does it accept any form of payment other than cash. After years of relying on a tin can pulley system, and tracking his accounts with an abacus and handwritten invoices, Mr Ang only made the switch to a cash register in 2007, while the rest of the nation sped ahead with its shiny buildings and land reclamation projects. Evidently, Mr Ang is disinterested in keeping up with the times, perhaps owing to the fact that he is well aware Tee Seng Store will go the way of back alley barbers and streetside cobblers. “My children wouldn’t take over my business, much less my grandchildren. It’s hard work. Far too tiring for them,” he says. No surprise there; traditional provision stores, once central to the livelihoods of residents residing in villages, now serve primarily as relics of our city’s past. A family of tourists in straw hats ambles in at this point, the youngest boy touting a camera around his neck. “Looking for chocolate,” one of them announces, excitedly pointing to the fridge within which trays of Kit Kat and Kinder Bueno sit. It turns out they’re Vietnamese, whose language he can’t speak. But he perseveres anyway, filling the gaps in conversation with gestures before pausing to take a picture with them. There’s something extraordinarily endearing about Mr. Ang; not simply the fact that he’s lived and worked in the same space for over 60 years, but that he seems genuinely interested in his customers’ lives. After lingering in Tee Seng Store for close to an hour, my ears become attuned to the sounds Mr. Ang must be so familiar with: the crackling of the radio over the gentle hum of a stationary fan; the shuffling of footwear as customers come and go; the staccato beeping of goods being scanned; the coo-ooh of mynahs outside announcing their presence—and, above this buzz of life from the inanimate and animate—the satisfying click of the cash register, marking another transaction. With the height of provision store businesses dipping from 3,000 in the 1980s to just under 200 today, these figures from the Singapore Provision Shop Friendly Association are proof that the business model of yore is no longer a sustainable one. “I’m happy doing this to pass my time,” Mr Ang maintains. “I want to do this for as long as I can.” It strikes a chord in my very millennial soul; this determination to keep at something that was birthed out of necessity rather than a dream. https://sg.style.yahoo.com/79-mr-ang-lu-heng-025037541.html

An alert has been issued against The Aisle Bridal after 26 complaints were lodged against it over sudden closure. The complaints, made between Nov 7 and yesterday, were made by brides- and grooms-to-be, who have lost at least $56,770 in prepayments to The Aisle Bridal Boutique and The Aisle Bridal Studio, said the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said yesterday. The previous owners and representatives had suddenly become uncontactable, consumers claimed. They were later told a new company had taken over the premises and had to pay an additional sum of between $900 and $2,250 to proceed with the original wedding packages they had signed up for. The registered office address of The Aisle Bridal is in Townerville at 59 McNair Road. Its services included wedding packages, pre-wedding photography and videography and "Korean concept" photo shoots. In its statement, Case said affected consumers may file a claim at the Small Claims Tribunals and that the business is still live on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority's register. Case also encouraged consumers to consider buying insurance that covers business insolvency when they take up bridal packages. This will ensure that their prepayments are protected if the bridal agency closes down abruptly, it said. Consumers should also research if the bridal agency has a good track record of delivering its services promptly and effectively. The public can visit Case's website (www.case.org.sg) for more tips on what to look out for when engaging a bridal agency. Those who need further help may call Case on 6100-0315. https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/case-issues-alert-against-aisle-bridal-after-it-suddenly-closed

A senior Lianhe Zaobao reporter has been transferred to a backend role in the newsroom following criticisms by netizens that he had hounded actress Jayley Woo for comments on the death of her actor-boyfriend Aloysius Pang. Two sources within Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) told Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore that Hong Ming Hua was transferred to SPH’s Chinese Media Group Digital platform. In his current role, Hong is less involved in writing, said one of the sources. In response to queries from Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore, an SPH spokesperson said the company does not discuss “internal staff matters”. Hong was a senior entertainment correspondent with local Chinese newspapers Lianhe Zaobao and Lianhe Wanbao. Woo posted screenshots on Instagram of text messages between her and Hong, which showed Hong pestering Woo for an interview despite Woo declining to comment. Questioning Woo’s suitability to be a celebrity, Hong said, “Aloy won’t do this to me.” Netizens slammed the reporter for what they called his unethical behaviour and lack of professionalism. Hong apologised on Instagram later for his messages to Woo. An online petition was started against Hong, calling for Lianhe Zaobao to take disciplinary action against him after the controversy surfaced. The petition on Change.org had garnered over 6,000 signatures as of Friday (1 February). Pang, 28, died in a New Zealand hospital on 23 January after he sustained grave injuriesduring a military exercise with the Singapore Army’s 268th Battalion Singapore Artillery. Woo went public about her relationship with Pang in an emotional tribute to him following her boyfriend’s death, which was the fourth Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)-training related fatality in 16 months. The SAF has implemented an army-wide safety timeout as well as reduction in training tempo across the army, navy and the air force. A Committee of Inquiry has been convened to investigate the circumstances leading to Pang’s death. https://sg.style.yahoo.com/zaobao-journalist-moved-backend-role-pestering-aloysius-pangs-girlfriend-jayley-woo-interview-111020164.html

https://www.facebook.com/CoollVP/videos/235305960753455/

SINGAPORE - Alibaba-backed Lazada will be integrating homegrown e-grocer RedMart onto its platform on March 15, as part of the group's plan to accelerate the growth of its supermarket business in South-east Asia. This means that shoppers will be able to buy groceries and fresh produce along with Lazada's other products on a single platform. RedMart, which was acquired by Lazada in 2016 for an undisclosed sum, will be moving to Lazada at 12am on March 15. Users can expect the same shopping experience as the new RedMart will feature similar design and functions as the current app and website, the company said. Existing RedMart customers can continue shopping on the app and website until 11.59pm on March 14, before the migration kicks in. Thereafter, they will have to download the Lazada app to continue using the service. Orders on the new RedMart on Lazada will continue to be fulfilled by RedMart in customers' chosen two-hour delivery slot from 7am and 10pm daily, while orders with other Lazada sellers will be fulfilled separately. Lazada's latest move is aimed at catering to the rising demand of supermarket shopping as consumers increasingly buy their groceries online, the company said. It added that the grocery market in South-east Asia is expected to be worth some US$309 billion by 2021, with shoppers filling their baskets online more than twice a month. Elsewhere in the region, Lazada is looking to launch its grocery and supermarket business in at least one other city from the second half this year. Spearheading the group's push into the supermarket business in South-east Asia is RedMart co-founder Roger Egan, who has been appointed as Lazada Group head of supermarket. He will oversee the expansion, launch and operations of Lazada's supermarket business and delivery network across the region, the company said. https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/lazada-to-move-redmart-onto-its-platform-in-ramp-up-of-supermarket-plans

The population of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in Nee Soon East and Tampines West has been cut by at least half after the release of sterile male mosquitoes, which leads to eggs that cannot hatch. And this success will see the scheme, labelled Project Wolbachia, expanded to wider areas in the two estates. From April last year to this month, the National Environment Agency (NEA) saw an 80 per cent fall in the Aedes mosquito population in a research area in Nee Soon East. The population was halved in the Tampines West study site, the agency said yesterday. Still, "it is not a magic bullet" that will solve the mosquito problem, said Associate Professor Ng Lee Ching, director of the NEA's Environmental Health Institute. "It will complement what we are doing: source reduction, mozzie wipeout (campaign), and removing as many mosquitoes as possible from the community." Dengue continues to be a perennial problem for Singapore. There were 455 cases reported in just the first two weeks of this month - triple the number reported over the same two-week period in January last year. The Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes' job is to control and reduce the Aedes aegypti mosquito population, the primary species responsible for transmitting dengue and Zika. Eggs produced from the union of a male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquito and the female Aedes mosquito will not hatch. This limits the number of mosquito larvae each female Aedes mosquito can produce. Research on the project started in 2009 and the first phase of the field studies started in 2016. The first small-scale field studies in Braddell Heights, Nee Soon East and Tampines West examined the behaviour of the Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti in the urban environment, such as how far and high they fly, and how well they could compete with their wild counterparts to mate with females. The second phase - from April last year to this month - involved a total of 76 HDB blocks comprising about 7,000 households. The agency also released the Wolbachia mosquitoes at higher floors, as only 6 per cent of the adult male Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes released at the ground floor were later found on the ninth floor and higher. The next phase, which will start next month, will see a doubling of the number of HDB blocks where the Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes are released. "The data that has been generated through the different phases of the field study is essential in developing an effective long-term mosquito suppression programme for Singapore," said Professor Ary Hoffmann, Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne. He is a member of Singapore's Dengue Expert Advisory Programme, which comprises experts on vector-borne diseases from Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Decreasing the population of Aedes mosquitoes drastically might be possible in the long run, said Prof Hoffmann, who cited the example of a study in Guangzhou, where the mosquito population was reduced by 99 per cent. But Singapore faces different challenges, he said. Compared with the urbanised, high-rise environment here, one-to two-storey buildings are prevalent in Guangzhou, which made it easier to control the population. In the third phase, researchers will look into how many male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes should be released to maintain a low Aedes mosquito population. The agency will also adjust the number of mosquitoes to be released along the way - to maintain the current mosquito population, or to suppress higher numbers in the expanded area. They will also develop the production and release of these mosquitoes on a large scale. Six of these male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes are currently released weekly, for every person in the study area. The NEA said yesterday that the improved results from phase two are due to the expanded area of study sites and the Wolbachia mosquitoes being released at higher floors, in addition to ground-floor releases. In the third phase of the project, mosquitoes will be released weekly at 84 blocks in Nee Soon East, and 60 blocks in Tampines West. With this expansion, the study will involve the largest number of households since it started - with 7,950 in Nee Soon East, and 5,560 households in Tampines West. Mosquitoes will continue to be released around the HDB blocks, and along common corridors, but not in homes. Residents at the field study sites might notice an increase in mosquitoes during the field study, but these male mosquitoes released will not bite or transmit diseases, NEA said. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nea-to-ramp-up-dengue-research-after-success-in-field-tests

Travelling from one end of Orchard Road to the other will eventually be a very different experience, as plans are afoot to transform the 2.4km stretch into a more lively street with different offerings in each of its four sub-precincts. Part of the road may also go car-free to connect green spaces at the Istana Park, Dhoby Ghaut Green and the open space at Plaza Singapura, and turn it into a garden oasis. These were among the proposed plans to rejuvenate Singapore's shopping belt unveiled yesterday, following a six-month study and consultations with stakeholders. In a joint statement, the Singapore Tourism Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority and National Parks Board (NParks) said new retail concepts, attractions, entertainment and events will be introduced to the Tanglin, Somerset, Orchard and Dhoby Ghaut sub-precincts to strengthen Orchard Road's position as a lifestyle destination. The heart of Orchard Road will remain the retail core, with more mixed-use developments to be built on vacant parcels of state land along Orchard Boulevard. Starting in April, the Orchard Road Business Association will begin a year-long trial to bring activities, such as retail and food and beverage pop-ups and arts and entertainment events, to the pedestrian walkways along the street. Side streets such as Killiney Road and Orchard Turn will also be enhanced for better connectivity, while elevated link bridges may be built to make it easier for visitors to cross the junctions of Orchard and Paterson roads, the agencies said. Dhoby Ghaut will be a green zone with family-friendly attractions such as outdoor playgrounds and sheltered event venues. Tanglin will be branded a mixed-use neighbourhood with arts and artisanal choices, with the conserved Tudor Court, for example, housing more arts and cultural offerings. Somerset will strengthen its positioning as a youth hub with new lifestyle options and the possible transformation of the Grange Road open-air carpark into a dedicated events space, the agencies said. To "bring back the Orchard", NParks is also looking to plant more trees and shrubs along Orchard Road, starting next year, with a different colour palette for each sub-precinct. Experts say that the ideas are a good move, but the real transformation needs to happen inside the street's malls. Plans to rejuvenate Orchard Road were first announced in 2017 by then Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran. These included using state land for pop-up concepts and events, creating a local retail showcase and making the street more pedestrian-friendly. Speaking yesterday at the launch of Design Orchard, the realisation of the local retail and incubation space, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said that Orchard Road has come a long way from its days as a nutmeg and clove plantation, and must continue to be a place of innovation and evolution. Addressing building owners in the audience, he said that they should not feel constrained by the current rules when coming up with new concepts. "Orchard Road is not a 2.4(km) IPPT run; we are not aiming for people to pass through Orchard Road in five or 10 minutes. We want people to come here, linger and make sure that they have a different experience at each and every turn," he said, referring to the Individual Physical Proficiency Test. A public exhibition on the future plans for Orchard Road is being held at Orchard Fountain Corner beside 313@Somerset for two weeks - starting yesterday and lasting until Feb 13 - to gather feedback. Details on the plans and a feedback channel will be available until May 31 at https://ura.sg/orchardrd https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/big-revamp-to-turn-orchard-into-a-more-lively-street

If a friend or family member is starting a venture and asks you to invest, sift out the personal feelings and approach it as a business decision. Make sure the paperwork is in order and don’t rely on verbal promises. Mei, 41, marketing consultant shares her story an investment that went sour because she went with her feelings ,and not her business acumen. My fellow Singaporean friend and I were approached by two ladies to invest in their seven-month old Japanese-French patisserie in Shanghai last year. The patisserie was owned, operated and managed by an Australian Singapore-Chinese lady named J, and her Taiwan-Chinese partner, who was also the pastry chef. As they are both from well-to-do families, andJ is the daughter of a friend, we felt ready to invest as they seemed to have a good business plan. The two ladies were passionate and eager to strike out on their own in a foreign country, and most importantly, their desserts literally melt in your mouth. So we agreed verbally to invest over S$120,000 for a stake in the business. A month went by and there was no update on the delivery of the promised legal shareholder’s contract. When we asked to see the latest profit and loss statement, the two ladies said they were swamped as it was the peak season and they asked for more time. We backed off as we had complete trust in our friend’s daughter, and didn’t want to stress her out. I went to visit the patisserie couple of time when I was in Shanghai, so did my many local and expat friends in Shanghai. The business seemed to be good, especially on the weekends, and appeared to be stable overall. Seven months after our initial investment, we got to know from J’s auntie during a casual phone conversation that she planned to open a second outlet in Shanghai. We were about to call J to get more details about the good news, when J updated us with a profit and loss statement showing losses for the past seven months. She said we need to inject more funds into the business if we want to keep it going. She warned that the patisserie would be forced to shut if there weren’t new funds of S$60,000. We smelled a rat as that seemed very different from what we heard, and the financial statements didn’t reflect what she said as they seemed to be continuing to employ more staff and buying more raw materials. J also denied any plans to open a second outlet. We suggested to cut the losses by closing the business and selling off the equipment. I tried to help by finding buyers for the equipment, but the two ladies refused to shut the business or sell the equipment. They revealed they had managed to keep the business going with fresh funds from a personal loan. Four months later, when I was in Shanghai for some business meetings, I went to the patisserie. To my bitter surprise, it was closed. The equipment were all gone. The landlord told me that they had vacated the premises with the equipment in the wee hours, without giving any notice or terminating the lease. My partner called J, without telling her we were standing outside the shop, and asked how the business was doing. She proudly replied: “We may move out of the current space to convert the retail model into a business-to-business operation”. This was when we revealed to her that we understood the retail space had been shut without informing us, the partners. She became defensive and said, “To be fair, you both didn’t want to inject any further investments, so it has nothing to do with you even if the business closes!” She continued, “In fact, you both should be thankful we didn’t ask you to pay the money we owed suppliers.” Months later, we learnt they are operating a B2B business under a different business registration and brand. My partner and I sought legal advice and were told we do have a case against the them. However, we decided not to pursue any legal action as we rather channel our energies into more constructive things. As an investor I am aware that every investment has its fair share of gains and losses. I am disappointed by what happened, but I won’t be discouraged by this incident. I will continue to look for investment opportunities. But this time, I will be smarter and have the legal side of things covered, and leave my emotions out of the equation. https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/money-choice-investing-emotions-patisserie-went-sour-034548109.html

SINGAPORE: From Thursday (Jan 31), consumers will no longer be able to buy FairPrice groceries via honestbee, a delivery and concierge service. Honestbee said in a statement that it has "temporarily paused" its partnership with FairPrice. "At honestbee, we are committed to provide the best product and service offerings for our customers. Reviewing our processes and service levels with our partners is part of this continuous process to achieve this," said an honestbee Singapore spokesperson in response to Channel NewsAsia's queries. FairPrice said the decision is due to a "review of the existing operations and collaboration process", adding that consumers can still buy FairPrice products online through the supermarket's web portal and mobile app. The partnership suspension comes after honestbee launched a new grocery store last October called habitat by honestbee - its first foray into brick-and-mortar retail. On its website and app, customers can order groceries from a selection of retailers. A personal concierge, known as a "shopper bee" will then pick the products from the store and they will be delivered to customers. According to a concierge shopper, who did not want to be named, honestbee "barely gave us any notice" of the suspension. "For us shoppers, we started hearing this news from NTUC (FairPrice) since last night, but only received an email (from honestbee at) around 1pm, telling us that all shopper positions will no longer be available," said the shopper, pointing out that the suspension comes just before Chinese New Year. "Honestbee offers no explanation to all shoppers, and drivers and even coordinators." In an email sent to concierge shoppers which was seen by Channel NewsAsia, honestbee invited them to take on roles at habitat. "We are currently in the midst of exploring more opportunities for you," it said. In response to queries, honestbee said its "shopper bees" are freelancers. "We are sensitive to the concerns our bees are facing - especially when this has happened close to the Chinese New Year holidays. Many of our bees - although are part-timers with us - have been a critical part of our family who have played a key role in our success," said the spokesperson. "We want to assure our bees that they are empowered to choose and can continue to shop from other merchants or take on a role at other areas of our businesses in the meantime." Source: CNA/ad(gs)

A university student fell off the fourth floor of a Bangkok hotel to his death last night while trying to get a phone signal from his balcony. Around 1am today, Huai Khwang District police received a report regarding a fatal accident at The Hip Bangkok Hotel in Din Daeng district. Officials showed up to the scene to find 21-year-old Pattanadech Homhuan — a third year student at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna in Chiang Mai — lying face-up in a puddle of blood in the hotel’s parking lot, reported Bangkok Biz News. Though rescuers rushed in to administer CPR, it was too late as the student was already dead. Pattanadech’s friends told police that the group had been selected by their university to travel to Bangkok to compete in the RoV Pro League Season 3 tournament that is taking place at Rajamangala University of Technology, in the same district as the hotel they were staying in, from Monday until today. For those unfamiliar with E-Sports, RoV stands for “Arena of Valor” (or formerly “Realm of Valor”) which is an immensely popular multiplayer online battle arena game. The group had just finished yesterday’s round of the tournament and had returned to the hotel to rest and continue practicing their game play around the time of the accident. His friends recalled Pattanadech complaining about not having any phone signal before going outside to the fourth floor balcony. However, when Pattanadech’s character in the game remained motionless for what they thought was an unusually long while, another friend went out to the balcony to check on Pattanadech, reported The Nation However, the only thing left on the balcony was his mobile phone. Panicked, Pattanadech’s friends, reportedly, rushed down to check his condition but found him mortally injured. The group witnessed their friend pass away in front of their eyes. Police suspect that the Pattanadech was sitting on the edge of the balcony and accidentally slipped. They believe he was engaged in playing the game at the time of the accident. His body has since been sent for a post-mortem forensic examination at Ramathibodi Hospital in order to conclude the true cause of his death. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/thai-student-falls-off-balcony-death-looking-phone-signal/

Oh boy, it’s almost the end of the first month of 2019. Can you believe it? It’s only a few weeks until Valentine’s day. And if you’re like us and running out of cute, romantic, gift ideas for your loved ones, stay tuned. We have an idea! Of course you might have ordered roses for your significant other before, but hear us out. Meet Roses Only, what makes this flower shop different than others is that their roses are all hand picked and carefully packaged. Attention to detail really makes they stand out. They are on a continuous search for the very finest roses and luxury packaging, which define their brand. Their roses are perfect for any special moment in your life. Only the best. Roses Only for every occasion. You heard it here! At Roses Only, the blossoms are groomed to portray floral mastery. Nurtured by the worlds best growers in the Ecuadorian mountains, each rose reaches an impressive 65cm in length within their 15-week growing period before being distinguished by color and character. Each stem is then carefully arrayed in an elegant signature gift box, which never fails to secure a splendid first impression. That’s right, quality is no mere coincidence at Roses Only. Ring Around the Roses: Order the perfect roses for your significant other this Valentines!

Rumours of Teck Kee Tanglin Pau (or Teck Kee Pau) closing down all of its outlets are true, staff at all three outlets – Bukit Timah Road, Killiney Road and Serangoon Road – told Business Insider on Wednesday (Jan 30). According to the staff, the iconic Chinese bun maker will serve its last pau on Thursday (Jan 31). Staff at the Killiney Road and the Bukit Timah Road outlets told Business Insider over the phone that the owner of Teck Kee Tanglin Pau – who is over 70 years old – wants to retire. The employee at the Bukit Timah Road outlet even said that there are no more pau left at the store as of 2pm on Jan 30. According to Teck Kee Tanglin Pau’s website, the brand was established in 1948 by founder Hui Tuck, who made dim sum along Koek Road in the Tanglin Area – which has now transformed into the modern Orchard Road. The website also says: “The business model was simple, fresh (ingredients) and lots of (hard work). Customers formed a queue (whenever) the fresh (pau) were ready. Quantity was limited since it was after all a one-man-show.” So it’s no surprise that people who grew up eating Teck Kee Tanglin Pau’s dim sum are heartbroken, and have taken to social media to express sadness and disbelief. Food bloggers reacted to the news with their own recollections and tributes to the brand. An administrator for Daniel’s Food Diary’s Facebook page wrote about relying on Teck Kee Tanglin Pau’s offerings when there “is no time for proper meals”. “Will always grab 2 or 3, and tabao more to share with the family. Thank you Teck Kee Tanglin Pau, you have been my mum’s favourite,” the post said. Dr Leslie Tay, who owns food blog ieatishootipost.sg, also shared in a Facebook post that he was saddened by the news. His post read: “This is the pau I grew up with and it is sad to think that the iconic fat man holding a pau will disappear for good! I am sure many here would feel the same!” https://www.businessinsider.sg/word-of-teck-kee-pau-shuttering-after-71-years-leaves-singapore-foodies-shocked-and-devastated/

If history’s not your best subject, perhaps this new local app will be of use. In an attempt to frame the past in a way that’s simple and easier to digest, BalikSG maps out an augmented reality (AR) trail across the Singapore River and Fort Canning, bringing users on a condensed journey through events, places, and personalities significant in the area’s history. The free-to-download app, created by the National Heritage Board and National Parks Board as part of the Singapore Bicentennial commemoration, puts an interactive spin on things we’ve already learned in school — like the landing of Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar in 1819. Testing out the app. Photo: Coconuts Media Clearly, it’s one of the government’s many attempts to reach out to the tech-obsessed generation, to tell the story of Singapore 200 years ago in a way that isn’t dry or dull. And it works, but only if you have the patience to traipse across the two trails in search of landmarks to engage with the app. Think of it as a Pokémon Go for history, if you will. (Gotta catch ’em all — the AR markers, we mean.) Photos: National Heritage Board The Singapore River trail, which just launched yesterday, takes you through eight stops across 2km along the waterfront to hear from the early settlers who came to Singapore, including the likes of Chinese coolies, Indian Chettiars, Baweanese immigrants, and Raffles and Farquhar engrossed in a “probable conversation” after they landed on our shores. Photos: National Heritage Board From the Raffles landing site (by the Raffles statue), you can head to Elgin Bridge, Anderson Bridge, and Cavenagh Bridge to learn how their surroundings have changed through the years, followed by a peek at the signing of the 1819 treaty between Raffles, Temenggong Abdul Rahman and Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, which allowed the British East India Company to set up a trading post in Singapore, in front of the National Gallery of Singapore. Photos: National Heritage Board When you get to Esplanade Park, you’ll find a blueprint of Singapore’s first town plan from 1822, drafted by Lieutenant Jackson, an engineer and land surveyor from the British East India Company who oversaw the country’s development. Then at Empress Lawn, hear life stories from Singapore’s first financiers from the Chettiar community, Chinese immigrants who worked as coolies in the construction, shipping, and agriculture industries, and a Baweanese pondok(communal shelter) chief. Photos: National Heritage Board Lastly, the Boat Quay pitstop shows you what the now-clean river once looked like in the 1880s, when it was full of bumboats and lined with shop houses and warehouses. As for the Fort Canning Trail, that’ll be launched in June this year, so check back for more deets then. https://coconuts.co/singapore/lifestyle/new-app-baliksg-brings-interactive-augmented-reality-trail-singapores-history/

SINGAPORE: Singaporean composer Julian Wong wasted no time in agreeing to take part in the bicentennial edition of the annual Light to Night Festival which was officially launched on Monday (Jan 28). Themed Traces and Echoes, this year’s edition is meant to rediscover Singapore’s collective memories. He hopes to jog everyone’s collective memory of the man who composed Singapore’s national anthem, Mr Zubir Said. Mr Wong is taking part in an artwork which depicts the life and work of Mr Zubir, projected in lights on the wall of National Gallery Singapore’s Padang Atrium. It is titled Sayang di Sayang: The Lesser Known Works of Zubir Said. He feels a strong connection towards Mr Zubir, because of his teacher, prominent musician Iskandar Ismail. Mr Zubir had taught Mr Iskandar to play the piano and was his first music teacher “I really hope that it demystifies this legend. Everyone just knows him as the composer of Majulah Singapura and even in his lifetime, he will tell children to stop calling him Mr Mari Kita. I hope the viewers will realise that he is incredibly human and was really a truly gifted composer,” Mr Wong said. Two projection artists, Brandon Tay and Safuan Johari designed the light projection according to Mr Wong’s arrangement of Mr Zubir’s music. Accompanying it is a three-song medley - Sayang di Sayang to reflect Mr Zubir's earlier works in the Bangsawan style and captures his early days, Majulah Singapura for his patriotic works and Suhanna, a song written for his granddaughter. Mr Wong will also perform a 35-minute concert on Feb 1 and 2 that will feature ten of Mr Zubir’s works from classics such as Selamat Berjumpa Lagi, Orang Singapura and Semoga Bahagia. TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT ZUBIR’S LIFE Mr Wong chanced upon Suhanna when he was reading a biography on the composer published by his daughter Dr Rohana Zubir in 2012. In the book, Dr Rohana had published the score for Suhanna, which had never been seen in public before. “So I magnified it and played it. It was such a beautiful song and I don’t know if it’s ever been performed in public before. The melody and the lyrics are really beautiful and touching,” Mr Wong said. “Dr Rohana wrote that he’s always felt especially close to his granddaughter and I think it’s because when she was born, he was also in the hospital. The song ends with, I translate, ‘If I live long enough, I hope we meet again’. Coming from a grandparent, it takes on a different meaning,” he added. The song also reminds him of his music teacher, Mr Iskandar, who died in 2014. Mr Zubir's daughter Dr Rohana Zubir, who is in her 80s, was also present at the first public showing of the light projection told Channel NewsAsia that she felt "emotional" and "tearful" listening to her father's music again and thinking of him. "I can't express it. I'm enthralled. It's just an amazing feeling that someone is taking so much effort for us to publicly enjoy (Suhanna) like that," Dr Rohana said. "I would like her to know of this memorable evening when I get the chance," she added. THE STORY BEHIND SEMOGA BAHAGIA Another favourite of Mr Wong's, which will also be performed at the concert, is Semoga Bahagia. He said Semoga Bahagia has a special meaning for him and Mr Iskandar, his music teacher. It was the song Mr Zubir pointed to when Mr Iskandar was deciding if he should pursue his music studies in Boston in 1979 or stay put in Singapore. He made the decision to go to Boston. “Zubir Said encouraged him in the spirit of Semoga Bahagia,” said Mr Wong. The first line of the song says “we move forward in search of knowledge”. “Because Zubir Said had left his home (in Indonesia) in 1928 to pursue that dream also. In 2009 when it was my turn, Iskandar encouraged me the same way and he told me this story,” Mr Wong said. To follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, Mr Wong will include four of his students in the performance. “I thought that was very important because that is always Zubir Said’s spirit. Knowledge is not meant to be taken to the grave so that those I teach today will teach others later on,” he said. “It’s really a joy to do this, and I think my teacher would have been very happy,” Mr Wong added. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/zubir-said-singapore-national-anthem-composer-11176952 Source: CNA/fs

There’s little that can prepare an outsider for the onslaught of food in Singapore. Every stroll through this city shrouded in tropical heat is interrupted by open-air food centers, coffee shops and restaurants vying for your stomach’s attention. Seek sanctuary inside an air-conditioned mall and you’ll be greeted by sprawling subterranean food halls that seem to span the distance between subway stops. Dining out is a way of life in Singapore. One in four residents say they eat out daily, a recent Nielsen survey found. Many choose food centers, which aren’t your hot dog on a stick-variety mall food courts, but keepers of a proud local cuisine and tradition cobbled by generations of the city’s Chinese, Indian and Malay inhabitants. The abundance and convenience of food in Singapore can be a shock to the system — particularly for someone like me who has lived in a community of tract homes in Santa Clarita, where dining out meant choosing between two equidistant McDonald’s. I admit I have a weakness for Big Macs, but it’s no contest when outside my hotel on a stretch of Killiney Road I can choose between world-class satay, chicken rice, curry laksa, prawn noodles, fish ball soup, dim sum, Indian prata, chicken biryani, beef rendang or Cantonese barbecue — all for about the same price as a six-piece Chicken McNugget meal. Straying from my neighborhood has been even more rewarding. There were the piquant chili crab and salted egg yolk prawns at the East Coast Seafood Center that looks out onto the Singapore Strait, where at night, the tankers and cargo ships are anchored so close together they look like a neighboring city. There was the crunchy fried Hainan chicken wing vendor at the Toa Payoh Lorong Food Center, who commands such a loyal following that customers line up long before opening to beat the crowds. At Golden Mile Food Center, I took my first bites of Peranakan food, a centuries-old cuisine born out of the intermarrying of Chinese and Malays. The cuisine, which requires meticulous preparation, is slowly fading from fashion along with the few remaining chefs who know the recipes by heart. “You’ve only scratched the surface,” I was told by K.F. Seetoh, an evangelist of Singaporean food culture, founder of the Makansutra food guide and the subject of profiles by R.W. Apple Jr. and Calvin Trillin. Over a plate of beet red mee goreng, a local Indian take on stir-fried Chinese noodles, Seetoh spoke about a looming crisis. The storied ranks of Singapore’s food vendors, known here as hawkers, are aging faster than they can be replaced. Their children, equipped with elite educations and living in one of the most affluent countries in the world, have little interest in working 12-hour shifts in 10-by-10-feet hawker stands in unrelenting heat. “Thousands of old heritage hawkers — proud, loud, humble, authentic — are marching toward a cliff,” said Seetoh, who has been keeping a running tab on his Facebook page of the latest dining destinations to close. “They’re going to go down and into the sunset. Behind them are perhaps 10 new hawkers to replace them.” Without them, Singapore wouldn’t have its frenetic dining scene where unpretentious food reigns and the instinct to eat elbow-to-elbow with strangers forms the basis of community. Hawkers typically specialize in one thing, like a Hainanese chicken rice or bak kut teh, a pork rib soup, and rarely charge more than $4 a portion. Their artisan’s way of cooking set standards high, making it hard to find a bad meal in this island nation. “We have professors coming from the U.S. and they go to our canteen here and they say, ‘This is restaurant-type food and you pay two U.S. dollars. You guys are spoiled,’” said Malone-Lee Lai Choo, an expert on urban development at the National University of Singapore. The takeout spread from Fook Kin on Killiney Road in Singapore. The Cantonese-style barbecue restaurant makes a char siu roast pork, center right, with an unusually generous ratio of char and fat to meat. (Tessa Pierson / For The Times) Hawkers are the descendants of itinerant street food vendors who predate Singapore’s founding in 1965. After nationhood, they were licensed and housed in pavilions located in or near public housing, where 80% of Singaporeans live today. That gave the masses access to cheap, clean and abundant food that helped power Singapore’s productivity. By taking away the chore of cooking, it enabled both spouses to work. Government statistics show about 65% of Singaporean households with children include two working parents. That’s a rate slightly higher than in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Buying groceries can also cost more than dining out, providing another reason to eschew the kitchen. The Singaporean government has long played a heavy hand in the way its citizens eat. It has to, it says, for the sake of food security in a country of merely 278 square miles and no room for farms. More than 90% of everything Singaporeans consume is imported from countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Brazil. After perhaps underselling its appeal, the Singaporean government has jumped on the hawker bandwagon in recent years. It established a hawker incubation program that allowed applicants to lease a stall at half-price for six months to encourage a new generation. And it launched a campaign to include hawker culture into UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage alongside things such as France’s gastronomic dining and Italy’s Neapolitan pizza. Singapore’s submission is due in March. “You see any restaurant food in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’?” said Seetoh, a proponent of the UNESCO bid. “Nada. It’s all chili crab and satay. Hawker food is a national icon.” It remains to be seen whether Singapore can retain its hawkers’ artisan roots. It’s easier today to buy staples like fish balls wholesale than it is to make them from scratch. More food service companies are operating air-conditioned facsimiles of the hawker centers and supplying the vendors there with semi-prepared meals from a central commissary. There are 114 hawker centers in Singapore, each housing 100 to 200 stalls outfitted with sinks and a few burners. One of the older locations, Golden Mile Food Center on Beach Road, was built in 1975 under public housing that sits on former waterfront property long obscured by reclaimed land. On a recent weekday, the center’s two-story dining area hummed with the sound of undulating electric fans. Hundreds of diners, mostly workers from nearby office buildings, tucked into orders of clay pot rice, braised duck and lor mee, a popular dish of egg noodles submerged in a thick dark gravy. To one side of the floor, in stall B1-30, stood Charlie Tan, chef and owner of Charlie’s Peranakan Food. Tan returned to cooking in 2017 after an eight-year hiatus triggered by poor health. “I was burnt out,” said Tan, 62, whose perpetually furrowed brow is befitting of a man who works from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. “This isn’t ordinary food. It’s very complex. It takes proper planning.” Consider one of Tan’s most popular dishes, ayam buah keluak. The recipe relies on buah keluak, a walnut-size seed found in mangrove swamps that has to be soaked for days to remove poisonous toxins. “Otherwise you get the runs,” Seetoh said. Tan painstakingly empties the flesh of each seed, blending it with minced pork and shrimp before returning it into its casing. It’s then simmered in a sauce with chicken and served with rice and a Popsicle stick to scoop out the contents of the buah keluak. Sour, inky and earthy, it is like eating a mixture of Mexican mole and Filipino adobo. Tan is one of only a few cooks with Peranakan bloodlines still preparing this kind of food in Singapore. He’s even more of an anomaly because he has a son who wants to take over the business. Joshua Chen, 20, recently finished his two-year compulsory national military service. Now he stands at his father’s side, hoping to absorb the elder’s exacting techniques, one dish at a time. “The passion is there,” Tan said of his son, “but I don’t see the flair yet.” https://www.courant.com/nation-world/la-fg-singapore-food-binge-20190129-story.html

SINGAPORE — Sports Hub chief executive officer Oon Jin Teik and two other senior management staff have resigned in what is the latest leadership upheaval at the S$1.33 billion project. Former national swimmer Oon, 55, who officially took on the role in January last year, had informed the board of his decision to quit and will leave his role after the 2019 HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens in mid-April. Sports Hub’s chief operating officer Wong Lup Wai and chief financial officer Sandy Tay had also resigned in the last few months, TODAY has learnt. Mr Oon is the third CEO to leave the consortium since the Sports Hub opened its doors in June 2014. In a press statement on Monday (Jan 28), Mr Oon said: “Coming from an international sports, global business, and public-private partnership background, I have been very fortunate to have worked with so many talented and dedicated colleagues during the past four and a half years. “They have given me full support throughout my tenure and together with Sports Hub’s internal and external partners, we have accomplished a lot. I am very proud of this national icon, the Singapore Sports Hub.” Responding to queries, the Sports Hub said: “We would like to thank Jin Teik for his invaluable contributions and dedication to Singapore Sports Hub over the last five years and he leaves with our very best wishes to pursue new endeavours.” Sports Hub chairman Bryn Jones will be the acting CEO after Mr Oon’s departure while the board “conducts a global search to find the best individual to lead the Singapore Sports Hub going forward”. Mr Oon joined the Sports Hub in May 2014 as its COO and took on the role of acting CEO three years later after his predecessor Manu Sawhney’s sudden resignation. Mr Oon was promoted to the top job in December 2017. Mr Jones said at the time that Mr Oon was the right fit as leader and that the board of directors did not conduct a global search for its CEO. Prior to the Sports Hub, Mr Oon was a senior executive for environmental solutions company Hyflux from 2011 to 2014 and was CEO of national sports governing body Singapore Sports Council, now known as Sport Singapore. During his tenure with the Sports Hub, he was involved in several major events including the 2015 South-east Asian Games, 2015 Asean Para Games, National Day Parade in 2016, International Champions Cup (ICC) and concerts by Coldplay, Madonna and more. He was also recently involved in the Sports Hub’s joint bid with Sport Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board to host the season-ending ATP Finals from 2021. Singapore is among five shortlisted cities alongside Manchester, Tokyo, Turin and current host London in the final phase of the bidding process and the result will be announced in March. Mr Oon could not be reached for further comment on Monday. According to sources, Mr Oon’s decision to quit was due to differences with the board over the business direction of the Sports Hub. In response to TODAY’s queries, the Sports Hub said that it would not be making any further comments on Mr Oon’s resignation “in line with our policy not to comment on such internal matters”. On the resignations of Mr Oon, its COO and CFO, the Sports Hub said: “As in the normal course of business for all organisations where a certain level of attrition is to be expected, there have been some departures within the Singapore Sports Hub. “Our focus is to ensure business continues as usual at the Singapore Sports Hub. We have a strong team in place and we remain fully focused on pursuing operational excellence, executing a vibrant repertoire of events, and delivering great experiences for our clients, colleagues, partners and patrons. SPORTS HUB’S ISSUES Mr Oon was the first Singaporean born here to helm the Sports Hub, which is the largest public-private partnership project in the world. Frenchman Philippe Collin-Delavaud was the CEO from March 2011 to December 2015 before Mr Sawhney was appointed in October 2015. However, Mr Sawhney’s departure came during an internal investigation over allegations pertaining to his management style, treatment of his employees and his commercial decisions. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing after the Sports Hub investigated the complaints and decided that no action was warranted. During Mr Sawhney’s 19-month stint, there were a number of resignations from the Sports Hub’s senior management and staff members. Aside from the upheaval in its management team, the S$1.33 billion facility was also initially plagued by a number of issues when it first opened its doors. These included initial pitch problems at the National Stadium and organisers’ complaints about high costs and criticism of its lacklustre events calendar. The pitch issues have since been resolved with the turf drawing praise from visiting sports teams in recent years. The Sports Hub had also beefed up its events calendar as the stadium hosted the sold-out Coldplay concerts, Singapore-Argentina international football friendly and the ICC, which saw over 95,000 spectators turning out to watch Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid during the tournament in July last year. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/sports-hub-ceo-oon-jin-teik-resigns-two-more-senior-staff-quit-leadership-shake

More than 18,500 lifts within Housing Board estates will be modernised with better safety features such as high-tech sensors and emergency communication equipment over the next 10 years. Of these, around 17,000 are lifts managed by the People's Action Party (PAP) town councils, and 1,500 lifts will be upgraded in the next 15 months, the 15 PAP town councils said in a joint statement. Works on the remainder will be carried out progressively over the next 10 years. Around 1,500 lifts within the Workers' Party-run Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) will also be upgraded over the next 10 years, a spokesman said in a separate statement, adding that around 180 are scheduled for upgrading in the next 15 months. These lifts will be upgraded with modern safety features under the $450 million Lift Enhancement Programme (LEP) funded by the HDB. The joint statement said the PAP Lift Task Force, which was formed in 2016, had completed its review of the lifts with contractors. Coordinating MP for PAP town councils, Dr Teo Ho Pin, who led the task force, said the town councils will upgrade only one lift a block at any one time, with each upgrade taking about two weeks. This will minimise inconvenience to residents. "...Residents will be notified in advance of the shutdown," he said. The PAP town councils managed some 24,000 lifts as of last month, and the WP's AHTC more than 1,700. The HDB programme will equip lifts with recommended components by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). The PAP town councils have also adopted new working protocols to manage tenders and contractors, and is testing a new system to help town councils manage their lifts. A lift surveillance system giving round-the-clock information on lift breakdowns is on schedule to be implemented, said Dr Teo. The HDB programme extends to lifts less than 18 years old at the start of the LEP. Older lifts may be considered for replacement under a different scheme, said Dr Teo. Veteran lift engineer Kok Peng Koon, 80, agreed lifts more than three decades old would have suffered so much corrosion and wear that it would be more feasible to replace them entirely than to upgrade them. With most lifts slated for upgrading, experts said this would serve as an incentive for private and commercial lift owners to follow suit and adopt BCA's list of recommended components. Mr Chee Yan Pong, 73, who owns consulting engineering firm YP Chee and Associates, said commercial parties will have to do so on their own dime. "Rather than through mandate, this is a softer, more progressive way to teach private lift owners to upgrade their lifts," said Mr Chee. The eight safety components were recommended by the BCA in 2016, following a number of HDB lift incidents that caused death or injury. They include sensors, a battery-powered automatic rescue device that can release trapped users safely during lift breakdowns and power failures. One of the features to be installed is overspeed protection, which can detect whether an ascending lift has accelerated beyond its design limit, braking the lift car before it hits the top of the lift shaft. https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/over-18500-lifts-be-upgraded-10-years