this is wrong way to wear a mask during shtf.     if you putting on a mask, do not put on a surgical mask. it will not create a good seal. the sealing will be poor         1.40min  

JOHOR BAHRU – After spending nearly an hour browsing stalls at the popular Johor Jaya Chinese New Year bazaar around 10km from downtown Johor Bahru, Mr William Sim and his family bought only a few sticks of fried snacks. He, his wife and two children, who live in the Mount Austin suburb, left the bazaar on Feb 10 empty-handed, even though Chinese New Year (CNY) is just days away. “We don’t plan to spend much today and we’re just surveying what items are available here to make a last-minute spree on the eve of CNY,” Mr Sim, a 32-year-old business owner, told The Straits Times. “Not that the prices are expensive or anything, but I think on the last day when the shops start to lelong, the prices will be better,” he added, using the local term for last-minute fire-sale discounts. Mr Sim’s pullback in spending this season points to a much larger trend in JB – locals told ST that they feel they are being “priced out” of the city, especially in the downtown areas, as a result of what they dubbed “Singapore pricing”, or higher prices attributed to cross-border shoppers’ spending power. With the higher prices compounded by the city’s congestion and parking woes, more Johor residents appear to be retreating to budget-friendly hypermarkets in local suburban areas such as Masai, Permas Jaya, Pulai and Skudai.   Many are also turning to e-commerce platforms such as Shopee or Lazada to stretch their ringgit, while some are just buying less altogether. JB resident James Chia, 39, was at City Square Mall in downtown JB next to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex to shop for CNY. In the end, he bought only snacks for his family’s own consumption at home. “We’ve accumulated CNY goodies months ahead, so I’m not spending much this time round,” said Mr Chia, a real estate managing director.   He said he prefers to shop online instead, noting that the items on his shopping list on Shopee are in the “thousands”. Gelang Patah resident Albert Yap, 57, says he prefers to do his Chinese New Year shopping near his home town, as prices are higher in downtown JB. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA Gelang Patah resident Albert Yap, 57, said he prefers to shop near his home town in Iskandar Puteri as shopping in downtown JB can be costly. He was at wholesale market NSK Trade City in Iskandar Puteri, near Singapore’s Tuas Checkpoint, when ST saw him loading at least eight cartons of mandarin oranges and several cartons of soft drinks into the boot of his sport utility vehicle. Iskandar Puteri city councillor Nicol Tan said that many Johor households are now more reserved in their spending, as cost pressures creep upwards. “Nowadays, many of my friends are saving money. They prefer to cook at home instead of eating out, or find places that are more affordable,” she said. Inflation and the JS-SEZ effect Inflation in Johor rose by 2.3 per cent in December 2025 over the same period in 2024, the highest among Malaysian states and above the national average of 1.6 per cent, according to Malaysia’s Department of Statistics. Senior lecturer of economics Noranita Abdamia from MARA Technological University’s Pasir Gudang campus said one driver of the so-called “Singapore pricing” could be the mix of customers in some areas. “Being located just beside Singapore causes spillover economic effects in Johor. When the Singapore dollar is stronger than the ringgit, items sold in ringgit are seen as cheaper by Singaporean buyers, but expensive for locals. “In this case, businesses will likely price their goods based on the spending power of their customers, who are willing to pay more. In the long run, higher prices will become normalised, while the local wage is not increasing at the same rate,” Madam Noranita said. She said the pinch can be felt especially in areas with high Singaporean footfall, such as near the checkpoint in downtown JB and even in several areas in Iskandar Puteri such as Bukit Indah and Nusa Bestari. A salesperson stocking up the shelves of a festive snacks stall at Sutera Mall in Johor Bahru on Feb 10. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA Visiting CNY bazaars across JB, ST found that the prices of festive items can differ greatly between downtown and suburban stores, likely due to the former’s higher rents and different product ranges. Mandarin oranges in downtown JB start from around RM20 (S$6.50) for a 4.5kg carton, but they can be as cheap as RM10 at the Taman Johor Jaya night market, about 10km from the city centre. Festive cookies are sold for around RM20 per container in downtown JB, with pineapple tarts going up to RM30 per container. At hypermarkets in Skudai, about 13km away from JB central, such cookies as cheap as RM13 per container can be found. Sunway University economics professor Yeah Kim Leng said “Singapore pricing” is not the only reason for rising costs. There are also domestic factors involved. Prof Yeah said businesses are raising wages and prices in anticipation of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), as companies compete for workers ahead of expected investment. The JS-SEZ is a joint initiative between Malaysia and Singapore to boost business, investment and cross-border movement spanning 3,571 sq km across southern Malaysia, including Johor Bahru and the Iskandar Puteri region. On Feb 9, Malaysia’s Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the JS-SEZ investment blueprint and masterplan – initially slated for end-2025 – will be launched on March 30. Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry said in October 2025 that since the signing of the JS-SEZ memorandum of understanding in January 2024, Singapore-based firms have invested over $5.5 billion in Johor. Prof Yeah added: “Another important determinant of higher inflation experienced in Johor is the rise in inflation expectations. Businesses anticipating higher inflation have a greater tendency to pass through the rise in prices such as land, property and rental.” In fact, the city’s property and investment sectors are booming due to the JS-SEZ and the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System train line, which is expected to be running at the end of 2026. According to the Malaysia National Property Information Centre’s first-half report in 2025, JB district tops the list in the country in terms of residential sales, with 13,366 units worth more than RM7.1 billion in total sold, overshadowing Selangor’s Petaling district, which recorded sales of 7,244 units worth RM5.2 billion in total. Vendors feel the squeeze With locals either spending less or elsewhere, 10 businesses at three CNY bazaars in downtown JB and in the suburbs told ST that “business is slow” this 2026 festive season. Several vendors said Singaporeans now make up most of their customers, but fewer people are actually buying – suggesting both locals and cross-border shoppers are holding back on spending. At the Johor Jaya bazaar, shelves of festive goodies – ranging from mandarin oranges and cookies to hampers and home decorations – were still fully stocked. Mr Yeo Tung Siong, who is selling abalone and bird’s nest sets, a traditional luxury gift, said he has had a “difficult” first two weeks of sales since the bazaar opened on Jan 25. He is hoping business will pick up when customers do their last-minute shopping. “Without Singaporeans, my sales will definitely be much, much lower.” Mr Maxx Tee, 30, who is selling festive cookies at the Taman Johor Jaya night market, says local customers are tightening their belts. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA At an adjacent night market in the residential area, festive snack vendor Maxx Tee, 30, expressed his frustration to ST: “There are many people here in the market, and it’s lively and all, but look at their hands! Not many are buying.” At Sutera Mall in Skudai, snack stall supervisor Tan Di Ming said average daily sales have fallen by more than half, with up to 70 per cent of his customers comprising Singaporeans. “In previous years, when days were good, we could achieve a daily target of around RM20,000. But this year, it has dropped to around RM7,000 to RM8,000,” said Mr Tan. “Maybe it’s the higher ringgit value, or maybe people are just saving money more.” With both locals and Singaporeans tightening their wallets, Johor’s retailers face an uncertain festive season.   More on this topic As the ringgit strengthens, what will it take for Malaysians working in Singapore to return home?   Singapore travellers to Malaysia lose $24k to scam texts impersonating LTA   Johor Bahru Small Businesses Association president Tey Tian Hwang said the conditions across the state illustrate how locals are feeling the pinch. Singaporean shoppers are not spared either, he said, pointing to the strengthening ringgit versus the Singapore dollar. As at Feb 13, the ringgit has reached 3.089 per Singapore dollar. “Even for Singaporeans and locals who earn Singdollars working in Singapore, perhaps now they are also comparing,” Mr Tey said. “With the exchange rate dropping from 3.4 or 3.5, is it really worth driving to JB to shop rather than shopping in Singapore?”

A 14-year-old was taken to hospital on Friday (Feb 13) night after he was knocked down by a car in Hougang. The accident happened at about 10.50pm along Hougang Avenue 4, towards Upper Serangoon Road.  Passers-by reported seeing at least two Traffic Police expressway patrol cars and a crime scene investigation van at the scene at around 1am.    In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said that the accident involved the 14-year-old pedestrian and a car driven by a 33-year-old male driver. The boy was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and the driver is assisting with investigations. Police investigations are ongoing.   In the first half of 2025, the number of traffic accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities increased by 8.9 per cent to 3,818 cases, up from 3,507 in the same period in 2024. To curb speeding violations and speeding-related incidents, stiffer penalties came into effect from Jan 1 this year. After the revised demerit points and higher composition fines come into effect, the demerit points awarded for speeding offences will start from six points — up from four — while the composition fines will start from $200 — up from $150.