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Eateries expand revenue streams, online presence

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - When the circuit breaker was imposed in April last year, banning dining-in at eateries, Co Chung Restaurant had been open for just two months. It could have been a very short-lived tenure. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

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Mice sector restarts with hybrid events, exploring options to overcome safe distancing challenges

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - When Singapore raised its alert level in response to the potential spread of Covid-19 on Feb 7 last year, event company Hydse started receiving cancellations or postponements of contracts. And while a few events went ahead before the circuit breaker was imposed last April, "June was bad", said project director Nazran Ahmad. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

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Big Biden stimulus no balm for US stocks, Dow loses 0.6%

elean
3 minutes

NEW YORK (AFP) - President-elect Joe Biden's massive plan to help the US economy did not shake Wall Street's downbeat sentiment on Friday (Jan 15), with major indices losing ground in the last full trading week of Donald Trump's presidency. Markets opened to news that retail sales in December had slid farther than expected as consumers and businesses struggled under the weight of rising Covid-19 cases, while major banks unveiled mixed earnings reports while hoping Covid-19 vaccines will bring better days. The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial average closed down 0.6 per cent at 30,814.26, while the broad-based S&P 500 lost 0.7 per cent to finish at 3,768.25. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index closed at 12,998.50 after losing 0.9 per cent, underscoring Wall Street's retreat from records set last week. Overall, the Dow lost 0.9 per cent for the week, and the Nasdaq and S&P 500 lost 1.5 per cent. Trump will on Wednesday hand over power to Biden, who has proposed spending US$1.9 trillion (S$2.5 trillion) to help the US economy come back from the mass layoffs and sharp downturn in growth caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The package, unveiled after markets closed Thursday, includes everyt...

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Guoco Group proposes share offer to take GL Limited private

elean
2 minutes

News of the proposed privatisation of British hotel operator GL Limited sent shares of the Guoco Group unit soaring to a 10-month high yesterday after it lifted its trading halt. GL shares hit an intraday high of 71 cents, up nearly 27 per cent or 15 cents on the local exchange, after the trading halt was lifted shortly after noon yesterday. The stock closed at 70 cents - its highest since around last March - on trade of 7.18 million. Guoco Group, which has a 70.84 per cent interest in GL, said yesterday that its wholly owned unit GuocoLeisure Holdings will make a voluntary conditional offer of 70 cents a share for all GL stock. It will then privatise and delist the firm from the Singapore Exchange. GL said the move will provide greater flexibility to help it navigate "a challenging and unprecedented operating environment" resulting from Covid-19, Brexit and low oil and gas prices. Guoco's proposed offer represents a 25 per cent premium over the last transacted price of 56 cents per share on Thursday. It also represents a premium of 28.2 per cent over the one-month, volume-weighted average price up to the last trading day and 33.3 per cent over the three-month average price. GL sai...

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Singapore shares up for third straight session; STI gains 0.16%

elean
2 minutes

The huge US$1.9 trillion (S$2.52 trillion) Biden stimulus package spurred investors to push the local market higher for the third straight session yesterday. The optimism sent the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) up 0.16 per cent, or 4.87 points, to 3,004.87 with gainers trumping losers 289 to 202 on trade of 4.2 billion securities worth $1.54 billion. US President-elect Joe Biden's bumper economic rescue plan did little to lift sentiment elsewhere in Asia. With the exception of Hong Kong, benchmarks in Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta ended in negative territory. Wall Street also ended modestly lower on Thursday. IG senior market strategist Pan Jingyi said: "To some extent, most of this optimism had been priced in, but the huge figures had also invited some contemplation as to whether the necessary bipartisan support will materialise." Oanda senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley said the excitement is being tempered by challenges of passing the package through Congress. The best performer on the STI was Jardine Strategic Holding, gaining 3 per cent to US$27.04. Transport-related Covid-19 recovery plays fared relatively well, emerging among the top 10 stocks on the blue-chi...

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Orchard Towers murder: Man who threw away bloodstained shirt jailed for five months

aseanpr
4 minutes

SINGAPORE - A 27-year-old man linked to the 2019 Orchard Towers murder was sentenced to five months' jail on Friday (Jan 15) for disposing of a bloodstained T-shirt worn by the alleged killer. Loo Boon Chong was also fined $1,000 for a separate gambling-related offence. He was among a group of seven originally charged with the murder of Mr Satheesh Noel Gobidass, 31. Loo's murder charge was later reclassified to that of consorting with 29-year-old Tan Seng Yang, who was carrying a foldable karambit knife in the incident on July 2, 2019. The weapon is a curved blade resembling a claw. Loo had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of obstructing justice by disposing of a bloodstained T-shirt worn by Tan, who is the only member of the group still facing a murder charge. He had also admitted to an offence related to a separate incident in February last year, where he gambled over a game of dice in a public place. Loo and his six friends had patronised Naughty Girl Club on the second floor of the shopping mall in the wee hours of July 2, 2019. While in the club, they got into a dispute with another group. The ensuing fight, which Loo tried to stop, saw Tan injure a security officer and a...

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Redesigning education to empower next generation of Singaporeans for a post-pandemic world

aseanpr
10 minutes

When Ms Kim Saxe, director of Innovation Labs at The Nueva School in California, set up a pilot programme called Introduction to Enterpreneurship for her students, she was stunned at the response she received. “We actually had to turn away students,” she recalls. “Clearly, we had hit a chord with today's youth.” As part of the course, students have to identify needs, create solutions, collaborate, write a business plan, build a business model, create financials and pitch their venture. The results have included soccer shoes that simulate barefoot running and anti-procrastination homework solutions for students, just to name a few. “We thought we would prepare the students for their futures as knowledge workers,” says Ms Saxe, who is also a keynote speaker at this year’s summit. “Students are supported as they wade into the real world, but not given the answers. In the end, they learn that they have the tools to deal with uncertainty and to translate ideas into real outcomes.” Indeed, as we emerge from a year of unprecedented changes into an increasingly complex and uncertain world, it is becoming clear that this approach might just be the best way to equip our youth to deal with th...

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Man arrested for possessing and importing 47 airsoft guns

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - A 38-year old man was arrested on Wednesday (Jan 13) for the possession and importation of airsoft guns without a valid licence. The guns are replicas that shoot non-metallic projectiles. Any gun that shoots pellets using compressed gas - including airsoft guns - are considered arms under the Arms & Explosives Act. Police said they were alerted to toy weapons being imported into Singapore on Dec 30 last year and later established the man's identity after an investigation by officers from Clementi Police Division. In total, 47 airsoft guns and accessories were seized. Police said no one is allowed to possess or control any such arms without a licence. Those convicted of possessing or having under their control any gun without a licence face a fine of up to $5,000 per gun and up to three years in jail. It is also an offence for anyone to import or export any arms or explosives, or any parts of arms or explosives, without a licence. Offenders face a fine of up to $10,000 and jail of up to three years. More on this topic Related Story Some enthusiasts here fired up over illegal replica guns, despite the risks

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British man under SHN who left hotel room without mask to meet fiancee among 3 people to be charged

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - One man chose to spend time with his fiancee, another wandered around Geylang and went to work. Both were supposed to be isolated and completing stay-home notices, and are set to charged on Friday (Jan 15) with allegedly breaching the requirements. In one case, a Singaporean man - Abdul Rahman Mohamed Hanafiah, 71 - returning from Batam took public transport, spent time at various public places and went back to work during his stay-home notice, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Friday. In another, a British man - Nigel Skea, 52 - serving his stay-home notice at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore in Marina Bay left his room on the 14th storey without wearing a mask on three occasions on Sept 21 last year. On the last occasion, his fiancee - Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai, 39 - was with him. To meet her, he left his room at about 2am and took the stairs to the 27th storey where her room was located. She was not subject to a stay-home notice and had booked a different room in the same hotel. Agatha will be charged with abetting Nigel's breach of his stay-home notice requirements. Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman, who returned to the Republic on March 17, did not go ...

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Toyota to pay record $238m fine for decade of US emissions violations

elean
4 minutes

NEW YORK (NYTIMES) - Toyota Motor is set to pay a US$180 million (S$238 million) fine for long-standing violations of the Clean Air Act, the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan announced on Thursday (Jan 14), the largest civil penalty ever levied for a breach of federal emissions-reporting requirements. From about 2005 to 2015, the global automaker systematically failed to report defects that interfered with how its cars controlled tailpipe emissions, violating standards designed to protect public health and the environment from harmful air pollutants, according to a complaint filed in Manhattan. Toyota managers and staff in Japan knew about the practice but failed to stop it, and the automaker quite likely sold millions of vehicles with the defects, the attorney's office said. "Toyota shut its eyes to the noncompliance," Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney, said in a statement. Toyota has agreed not to contest the fine. Eric Booth, a spokesman for the automaker, said that the company had alerted the authorities as soon as the lapses came to light, and that the delay in reporting "resulted in a negligible emissions impact, if any." "Nonetheless, we recognize that some of our repor...

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When will US interest rates rise? Fed chief says ‘no time soon’

elean
3 minutes

WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) - With the incoming administration of US President-Elect Joe Biden pushing for more economic stimulus and with multiple coronavirus vaccines already approved, some investors have been wondering whether the Federal Reserve might soon start to ease off its support for the economy. Jerome Powell, the central bank's chairman, made it clear on Thursday (Jan 14) that the US central bank would be cautious in doing so - and that action was anything but imminent. During a webcast question-and-answer session, Mr Powell said it would take time for the US economy to recover from the pain of the pandemic era. "When the time comes to raise interest rates, we will certainly do that," he said. "And that time, by the way, is no time soon." Currently, dire short-term conditions - surging virus deaths, high unemployment, and partial state and local economic lockdowns - contrast sharply with the longer-term outlook. Economists think that the economy might come roaring back later in 2021 as vaccines allow normal life to resume and consumers spend money they saved during the pandemic. That split has led some investors to worry that the Fed might speed up its plans to reduce the pace...

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US stocks dip as market awaits Biden stimulus plan

elean
2 minutes

NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks finished a choppy session modestly lower on Thursday (Jan 14) as the market awaited details of President-elect Joe Biden's stimulus package after digesting disappointing labour data. Biden is set to unveil later on Thursday a proposal for a third major fiscal package in the wake of coronavirus restrictions imposed over the last 10 months. The announcement comes as data showed applications for unemployment benefits rose sharply in the first week of 2021, with a surge of 181,000 - the biggest increase since the coronavirus pandemic began in March - bringing the total close to the one million level not seen since August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 30,991.52, down 0.2 per cent. The broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.4 per cent to 3,795.54, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index slid 0.1 per cent to 13,112.64. Despite the employment data, the latest in a string of mixed or poor economic indicators, equity markets remain near all-time highs as investors look ahead to a better 2021 economy thanks to coronavirus vaccines. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell predicted the US could see a boost of "exuberant spending" after the pandemic, addin...

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Sumitomo to close S’pore crude, fuel oil trading desks in March

elean
2 minutes

SINGAPORE • Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp plans to close its crude and fuel oil trading desks in Singapore at the end of March and will relocate the trading functions to its Tokyo headquarters, a company spokesman said yesterday. The company will also exit its bunker fuel blending business in the city state, the largest global bunkering port, he said, without giving further details. The moves, reported by Reuters on Wednesday, come after stricter emissions standards imposed by the International Maritime Organisation starting last year reduced opportunities to compete through blending to produce bunker fuels. Market competitiveness and company strategy, among other factors, led to the decision to downsize its Singapore operation, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Sumitomo's Singapore unit Summit Energy & Resources, previously known as Petro Summit, will continue its oil trading business until the end of March, and the transition will be completed in April, said the source. Employees were told of the decision on Monday. Sumitomo has two crude and fuel oil traders and six bunkering traders, both Japanese and local. The Japanese employees will likely relocate b...

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China exports beat forecasts with 18.1% growth in December

elean
3 minutes

BEIJING • Chinese exports grew by more than expected last month, Customs data showed yesterday, as coronavirus disruptions around the world fuelled demand for Chinese goods even as a stronger renminbi made exports more expensive for overseas buyers. A robust domestic recovery also spurred Chinese appetite for foreign products last month, with import growth quickening from the month prior and beating expectations in a Reuters poll. Exports rose 18.1 per cent last month from a year earlier, slowing from a 21.1 per cent jump in November but beating expectations for a 15 per cent rise. Imports increased 6.5 per cent year on year last month, topping a 5 per cent forecast and picking up pace from November's 4.5 per cent growth. Buoyant exports helped drive an impressive rebound in China's manufacturing sector last year, as the pandemic wreaked havoc abroad. China is expected to be the only major economy to have seen positive growth last year. Exports grew 3.6 per cent over the full year and imports fell 1.1 per cent. While the pandemic will bring challenges, a reviving global economy and a steady recovery in China's domestic economy provide a foundation for China to maintain trade growth...

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Self-driving road sweepers deployed in public road trials at 3 places in Singapore during off-peak hours

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Driverless road sweepers have been deployed to clean limited areas at one-north, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and CleanTech Park at Jurong Innovation District as part of trials launched on Wednesday (Jan 13) . If the trials, expected to run till July, are successful, these "autonomous environmental service vehicles" (AESVs) will pave the way for pilot deployment on roads during off-peak hours - as soon as the early 2020s. The trials commenced on Wednesday after the National Environment Agency (NEA) said two AESV prototypes have successfully demonstrated their features. The proof-of-concept trials of the AESVs will be conducted progressively, starting with off-peak timings such as weekends and evenings, in designated small-scale environments at one-north, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and CleanTech Park at Jurong Innovation District. In adherence to the Land Transport Authority's safety framework for autonomous vehicle trials, both AESVs will at all times have a safety driver on board who is trained to take immediate control of the vehicle if required. Operation of the AESV prototypes are also monitored in real-time from a command centre by an off-site...

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Man jailed for beating up his mother after she refused to reveal her ATM card’s PIN

aseanpr
5 minutes

SINGAPORE - A man attacked his elderly mother with her walking stick after she refused to disclose the personal identification number (PIN) of her automated teller machine (ATM) card. He even threatened to cut all of the 77-year-old's fingers with a knife. She was so badly injured that she only crawled out of bed the next day. Adrian Yap Yin Leung, 56, was sentenced to jail for five years and three months on Thursday (Jan 14). He pleaded guilty to one count each of voluntarily causing hurt to his mother while robbing her and subsequently failing to report to the police for investigations. One other charge of possessing a false Singapore passport was taken into consideration during sentencing by District Judge Ronald Gwee. On Oct 16, 2018 at about 11pm, Yap and his mother, Madam Eunice Tsang Siew Geok, were in the unit she was residing in. Court documents do not state if they were living together. Wanting to withdraw money from his mother's POSB account for his own use, Yap asked her for the PIN of her ATM card. When she refused to tell him, Yap hit her multiple times with her walking stick. He also kicked and stamped on her body, pulled her hair and threatened to cut all of her fin...

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Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve’s Sustainable Peatland Farmer Field School

pandora
3 minutes

Central Kalimantan, INDONESIA, Jan 14, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - In November 2020, Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve conducted training sessions aimed at strengthening the capacity of Farmer Groups (KT). The goal of these sessions was to help farmers improve their skills in cultivation and agriculture through our Peatland Farmer Field School (Peatland-FFS). The sessions were attended by 2 Farmer Groups: Harapan Jaya from Jahitan Village, and Hijau Bakung Permai from Baung Village. HARAPAN JAYA Farmer Group and the preparation of an area of 0.5 ha, Jahitan Village HIJAU BAKUNG PERMAI Farmer Group with land preparation covering an area of 17 x 50 meters, Baung VillageThis activity is a continuation of the Peatland-FFS training program held in September 2020, conducted by Rimba Raya in collaboration with the National Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). The farmer group from Rimba Raya working area participated at that time. Aside from focusing on improving farming skills, participants were trained in preparing their land for agricultural development without the use of traditional 'slash and burn' methods.During our most recent training sessions, Rimba Raya encouraged farmers to build on th...

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Hume MRT shell station to be fitted out by JSM Construction Group at $34m

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Hume MRT station on the Downtown Line will be fitted out and made operational by JSM Construction Group at a contract value of $34.3 million, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Thursday (Jan 14). Works on the station are targeted to be completed in 2025, as announced in 2019, 12 years after the Downtown Line first started running in 2013. A shell station structure for Hume was already completed in 2015 and JSM Construction Group has been tasked to build the station entrance and the ventilation shaft, and carry out other fitting-out works. Hume station is located in Upper Bukit Timah Road between Hillview and Beauty World stations. It will serve many big condominiums in the area such as Hume Park 1, Hume Park 2, Parc Palais, The Hillside and Hillview 128. The more than 20,000 residents in the area have been lobbying for works on the station to begin for about two years, with the Government previously saying that developments in the area and ridership growth did not yet warrant the opening of the station. Last year, it was revealed that works would begin in the fourth quarter of 2020. The delay in awarding the civil contract was possibly due to the time framew...

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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Jan 14

aseanpr
2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Thursday, Jan 14. Trump becomes first US president to be impeached twice All 222 House Democrats and 10 Republicans voted to charge Trump with incitement of insurrection. READ MORE HERE Trump denounces political violence after being impeached His message comes as violent demonstrations were anticipated across the United States this week. READ MORE HERE 26 ill, including 5 in hospital, after eating food from Eng’s Heritage at Northpoint City The restaurant had its licence suspended after customers suffered gastroenteritis symptoms. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Pinkish-purple waters at Sentosa South Cove waterway after dead fish found near banks Marine experts identified rabbitfish, moonyfish, batfish and leatherjacket fish among the dead fish. READ MORE HERE Worker from India found to have Covid-19 during routine testing, first dorm case in S'pore since Dec 15 The man stays at Seatown Dormitory in Tuas and started work in the construction sector on Jan 6. READ MORE HERE askST: Can WhatsApp and Facebook read my messages or listen in to my calls? WhatsApp has clar...