SINGAPORE:  Singapore’s well-known food scene has been battered by closures in the past year, affecting low-cost hawker stalls, mid-sized operators and Michelin-star restaurants, who say costs are rising and consumers are spending less. Closures in the food and beverage sector have averaged 307 per month so far this year, up from 254 per month in 2024 and around 230 a month in 2023 and 2022, government data shows.   Alvin Goh, a co-founder of Wine RVLT, is set to add to the statistics later this year. He said he will not renew his lease when it runs out in August after almost a decade serving natural wines and bar bites in the wealthy Asian financial hub of 6 million people.   “We’ve been in the red since 2023 June. We’ve been topping up money to ensure that rent, salaries and suppliers are being paid,” he said. Like other operators, Goh has been hit by rising costs for goods, utilities, rent and salaries. He has fewer patrons and those who do dine and wine are spending less than during what Goh called the 2022 “euphoria of opening up” following the COVID pandemic. The ratio of closures to openings in 2025 and 2024 was higher than before and during the pandemic, pointing to a shrinking sector. Closures since last year have affected a range of establishments, from low-cost hawker stalls to rooftop bar Smoke & Mirrors and a string of Michelin-starred restaurants such as Art di Daniele Sperindio and Sommer and Braci.     Maybank economist Brian Lee expects closures to remain elevated in 2025. Operating costs remain high and many Singaporeans are prioritising travel over dining out, he said. One of those is Glenn Chew, 26, who works in public relations. He said he travels to other Southeast Asian cities where dining out can cost 30-40% less than in Singapore. The concern is that closures will lead to a loss of the island’s culinary heritage and its status as an Asian food capital, said food blogger Seth Lui, 40. “We will start to see more fast food-style concepts with automation and franchise brands everywhere rather than having unique, quaint concepts,” he said. Still, there are hopefuls like Jay Gray, 34, co-owner of Club Street Laundry restaurant which opened this year, his sixth venture in 11 years. “I guess I believe in the Singapore market enough and I do believe if you focus on hospitality, which is the most important thing, you’ll be able to sustain it,” he said.

SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to share that he feels totally out of place in Singapore these days because there seem to be more foreigners than locals just about everywhere he looks. Posting anonymously on r/SingaporeRaw, a Reddit forum, he explained that nearly every time he steps out, he encounters people from various countries, including China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Laos. “They are everywhere and in both labour positions and high paying positions,” he said. “No more Singaporeans in Singapore. No more hope for youngsters.” In his view, “true blue” Singaporeans have become rare, with most locals either relaxing at kopitiams with a Tiger Beer or working in the same banking roles they’ve held for decades. “Singapore birth rate is really bad and the future generations need to compete with these imported foreigners,” he went on. “Really, if you don’t force them to pay tuition and participate in the CCA leadership role from young and eventually get a scholarship, really no hope for future youngsters.” “You will find that you are a tourist in your own country.” In the comments section, many shared that they, too, feel somewhat alienated in their own country. One individual remarked, “Even schools are filled with foreigners these days.” Another added, “Try going to the Changi business hub. Go shopping centre on Sunday. You will find that you are a tourist in your own country.” However, amid the concerns, a few voices reminded others of the benefits of bringing in foreign workers. One individual argued, “Most FnB outlets are already running skeleton crews; cleaning ah gong and ah ma aren’t going to be here forever; BTOs aren’t being constructed fast enough as is to meet demand from sinkies; 20% of companies are foreign owned and employ 60% of sinkies in them. These are just a few examples of course. In most cases, sinkies aren’t willing to fill menial jobs or those that involve hard labor. Put simply, if even half the foreigners/PRs/new citizens were to suddenly disappear tomorrow, do you think that sinkies will pick up the slack?” Singapore’s population reached 6.04 million this year, according to The Business Times, largely due to a rise in foreign and migrant domestic workers. According to the paper, the number of non-residents increased by 5% to 1.86 million, with increases observed in the majority of pass types. Meanwhile, the number of local residents went up by 0.7% to 3.64 million, and the number of permanent residents (PR) went up by 1.2% to 544,900.

An executive of Siemens, a European technology company, his wife and young children were aboard the tourist helicopter that plunged into New York City's Hudson River on Thursday, leaving no survivors. Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children -- aged 4, 5 and 11 years old -- have been identified as victims in the crash along with the pilot, aged 36, law enforcement sources told ABC News.   In this screen grab from a video, first responders are shown at the scene of a helicopter crash in the Hudson River on April 10, 2025, in New York. WABC   Escobar was named as an executive of Siemens' division in Spain and Southwest Europe in 2022, according to a press release from the technology conglomerate. The former head of Siemens' Spanish arm, Miguel Ángel López, spoke highly of Escobar in the release, saying his work was "key" to the company's success. "With Agustín Escobar We have the best possible successor to lead, from now on, the company in Spain. In recent years his work has been key to Siemens' success in the field of mobility and transport," López said. The identity of the pilot, who was flying the New York Helicopters chartered chopper, has not yet been released. The family was visiting New York City from Barcelona, Spain, two Spanish officials told ABC News. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what led to the deadly incident. First responders walk along Pier 40, on April 10, 2025, in New York, across from where a helicopter went down in the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. Jennifer Peltz/AP   Rescue workers and emergency personnel work at the scene of a helicopter crash on the Hudson River near lower Manhattan in New York, April 10, 2025. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters The crash occurred at 3:17 p.m. off the coast of River Drive in Hoboken, New Jersey, just over 15 minutes after it departed from the Wall St. Heliport, officials said during a press briefing on Thursday. The helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge before turning south and crashing, officials said. "Our hearts go out to the family and those on board," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during the briefing.   The chopper -- identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Bell 206 helicopter -- was on its sixth flight of the day. It was found upside-down in the 50-degree water when rescuers arrived at the scene, officials said.