SINGAPORE: Commuters travelling on the North-South Line were hit with delays on Thursday evening (May 17) during rush hour due to a platform screen door fault. 

SMRT said on Twitter at 6pm that those travelling from Ang Mo Kio to Dhoby Ghaut towards Marina South Pier should add an extra 15 minutes to their journey.

Shortly after, the delay was increased to 25 minutes. At 6.45pm, this was increased again to 35 minutes.

Free bus services between Novena and Marina South Pier were available, SMRT added in a separate tweet.

A commuter named Mr Kannan told Channel NewsAsia that passengers were not able to enter the trains at Newton station as they were packed. 

Mr Kannan added that it was so crowded he had to miss five trains.

While SMRT’s announcement said that the delay was for travel towards Marina South-Pier, the journey in the opposite direction towards Woodlands was also affected, said Mr Kannan. 

Commuter Harvinder Singh, an education officer, told Channel NewsAsia that when he arrived at the platform at Dhoby Ghaut station at about 6.20pm, he noticed that the platform doors had “malfunctioned”.

“SMRT are handling it well though … trains slowing down to ensure passenger safety, and SMRT staff ensuring that passengers keep clear of the openings,” the 30-year-old said.

He said the platform was “not that crowded yet”, and that there was the “normal rush hour crowd”, but that this was “building up”.

SINGAPORE: The 4G leadership will grow Singapore’s economy by being pro-business, pro-Singapore and pro-talent, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat said on Thursday (May 17) in Parliament.

Responding to the President’s address, he said that Singapore’s economy must grow so that its people can have good jobs and the opportunities to change the world. 

“We must grow so that we have the resources to build our home, to take care of one another, and to protect ourselves. We must grow for our children, to give them a better future,” he said. 

Elaborating on being pro-business, Mr Chee said that the Government will pro-actively seek feedback from businesses, cut red tape, and provide a safe space for experimentation.

The 4G leadership will pro-actively seek feedback from businesses to “make it part of our DNA and our instincts to be pro-enterprise”, to continuously improve rules and licensing framework and to speed up processes and facilitate new business ideas. 

He gave an example of the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and the Singapore Civil Defence Force working with the Singapore Manufacturing Federation to enhance regulations for cold stores, eventually saving companies several thousands of dollars per year.

CUTTING RED TAPE IN THE FOOD SECTOR

“We will cut red tape and simplify our licensing regime to reduce compliance costs for businesses,” he added. He said a deep dive is being done into the regulatory requirements for the food sector.

“Currently, companies can have up to 14 touch-points with different government agencies before they can set up a food shop. We asked ourselves, is it really necessary to have 14 touch-points? This is Singapore, we can do better,” he said. 

The Pro-Enterprise Panel (PEP) is working with Smart Nation and Digital Government Office and GovTech on this review, he said, adding that an “ambitious target” has been set to streamline the 14 forms into one form, and to correspondingly reduce the time taken and licence fees which companies have to pay to start a food business. 

“I don’t know if our pilot will succeed, but we will try,” he said. 

He added that while the food industry is not the biggest sector in our economy, the Government started with it because the regulatory improvements can benefit many SMEs and workers.

The Government will also encourage experimentation via mechanisms such as regulatory sandboxes, which encourage stakeholders to experiment within a well-defined “safe” space. 

He noted that there there is some risk when embarking on regulatory reviews and implement regulatory sandboxes, such as some of the pilots failing and some of the new rules not working well. 

“But we have to try, as remaining status quo and playing it safe is simply not tenable when we have to compete with other cities in the world for ideas, investments and talent. In such an environment, the most dangerous strategy is to make no bold moves,” he said. 

PRO-BUSINESS RULES CAN HAVE LASTING IMPACT ON SOCIETAL CULTURE

Being pro-business not only impacts the economy, but also social norms and compact, Mr Chee said.

“It is about supporting risk-taking and overcoming our fear of failure. In the process of trying something new, we learn and become more resilient and more resourceful,” he said.

Such changes can have a “significant and lasting impact on our societal culture and the kind of society we want Singapore to be”, he said, bringing up the example of three Singaporean undergraduates who were told to stop brewing and selling beer on their university hostel premises.

The three men,  Mr Rahul Immandira, Mr Heetesh Alwani and Mr Abilash Subbaraman, had experimented with brewing their own brand of beer- Binjai Brew, and sold it to their friends, but were told to stop as they were breaking laws. 

Mr Chee, who said he had tried the beer and that it was “very good”, said he and the PEP secretariat have offered their help to the men. 

“We met the 3 young men over dinner and had a good discussion on how our current licensing regime could be reviewed to lower the barriers of entry for micro-brewers to test out new products during an initial trial period,” he said.

This would be before applying a more rigorous set of rules when they subsequently scale up their production and sales. The Ministry is looking into the suggestion and will discuss with the regulatory agencies, he said, acknowledging that while it is not guaranteed success, “we will give it a shot”.

BELIEVING IN SINGAPOREAN COMPANIES AND TALENT TO GROW ECONOMY

Mr Chee also spoke about the importance of believing in Singaporeans and local enterprises. 

“The Government will give fair consideration to Singapore companies when we procure products and services to seek out creative and innovative ideas from our companies, to partner them in our government projects and to enable them to build a track record to compete overseas,” he said. 

He pointed to the Health Promotion Board appointing Activate Interactive, a local SME, to develop the Healthy 365 mobile app and provide the steps trackers for the first season of National Steps Challenge. The company is now able to hold a place in the wearables market among well entrenched competitors and it is developing new innovative products and expanding into overseas markets, he said. 

Still, to be pro Singapore-worker is not just about having safeguards, and “certainly not about building walls and closing our doors to new immigrants and global talent”, Mr Chee cautioned.

“With Singapore’s ageing population, such an approach will only hurt the country and our people. To be pro Singapore-worker, I believe the more effective way is to grow our economy and help our companies to do well, so that they can provide better jobs, better pay and better life for our workers,” he said. 

To maximize the potential of our people, Singapore’s economy must have the capacity to generate good jobs and provide our people access to the best opportunities, the best networks and the best ideas. 

“We cannot rely on MNCs alone to achieve this, but neither should we look inward and only focus on local SMEs,” he said. 

With the international business landscape becoming more xenophobic and less welcoming to trade and foreign investments, Singapore must resist these forces of populism and protectionism, he said. 

He said: “Let us have the courage to once again take a contrarian position by keeping Singapore open and connected with the world, and to boldly experiment with innovative ideas and transform our economy.”

KRUBONG, Melaka: The body of the late Singapore Civil Defence Force full-time national serviceman who died on his last day of service was cremated on Thursday (May 17).

More than 50 people turned up to pay their respects to Corporal (CPL) Kok Yuen Chin, who was found unconscious at the bottom of his fire station pump well on Sunday.

At his home in Krubong, friends and children knelt on straw mats and held joss sticks as funerary workers prepared to load CPL Kok’s casket into a minivan.

Once the casket was inside, CPL Kok’s mother clasped her palms to offer a silent prayer before breaking down, with family members rushing in to support her.

The casket was transported to Melaka Memorial Park via a convoy of at least 15 cars sporting red ribbons tied around their windscreen wipers.

At the crematorium, mourners prayed again as a monk chanted and waved a funerary ornament. They then circled the coffin before it was wheeled into the chamber room.

For some in the room, it was too much to bear. 

Children and adults wept loudly as the casket disappeared into the chamber and CPL Kok was finally laid to rest.

“I MISS HIM ALREADY”

At least five of CPL Kok’s batch mates from his days as a trainee turned up at the funeral, having drove up from Singapore on Wednesday.

One of them, who did not want to be named, told Channel NewsAsia they just wanted to bid him farewell.

“If we were facing difficulties, he would help us,” the 21-year-old said. “He was a very good person.”

CPL Kok would also offer words of encouragement when training got really tough, he added.

The group of them are in a WeChat group with CPL Kok, and together they share the same operationally ready date (ORD).

“I miss him already,” the batch mate said. “As friends, we just wanted to come here and pay our respects.”

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s largest artificial reef habitat will be created at the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park by the end of this year, announced JTC and the National Parks Board (NParks) on Thursday (May 17).

The project will see between four to eight giant artificial reef structures being pre-fabricated off-site and sunk in the waters off Small Sister’s Island, within the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park. The number of structures will depend on the final design.

Each reef structure will be made from materials including concrete, steel and rocks recycled from other JTC projects.

Standing at 10m, the equivalent of a three-storey terrace house, the structures will occupy the entire water column from sub-surface to the seafloor, sitting on the seabed. To avoid disturbing the underwater environment, no piling or major works will be carried out, said NParks and JTC.

Mostly bare with a sandy substrate, the area where the structures will be placed was chosen in consultation with relevant government agencies, experts, as well as members of the Friends of the Marine Park Community.

Expected to contribute some 500 sq m of additional reef area to the Marine Park, the project will also help to support existing habitat enhancement and reef restoration efforts to conserve marine biodiversity.

Finding solutions to conserve marine reefs is important, given rising temperatures which will lead to more coral bleaching.

“If we can find strategies now, we can hedge against future climate change challenges,” said Dr Karenne Tun, director of the coastal and marine branch at NParks’ National Biodiversity Centre.

Professor Chou Loke Ming, a coral expert from the National University of Singapore (NUS), stressed that exploring ways to restore and sustain coral habitats is paramount.

“Size for size, Singapore has one of the largest variety of marine species in the world. However, development and the fast-changing climate remain constant threats to our marine ecosystem,” said Prof Chou.

Currently, more than 250 species of hard coral are found in Singapore’s waters, which accounts for about one-third of the world’s hard coral species.

Beyond enhancing reefs and expanding habitat restoration efforts, the project will also provide opportunities for various research initiatives to be implemented and serve as test beds for new technologies to study coral reef resilience.

Going forward, JTC says it hopes to work with NParks to double the artificial reef areas created at Sisters’ Islands, bring it to 1,000 sq m by 2030.

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SINGAPORE: Do a search for the Geylang Serai bazaar on social media and you’ll likely come across netizens complaining about the “hipsterisation” of the annual Ramadan mega-event.

As more young businesses choose to cut their teeth at the “mother of all pasar malams”, innovation is inevitable. But it’s not all bad – some offerings are just familiar favourites in fresh, new iterations. And they’re just as tasty.

Here are six trends that are really taking off at this year’s bazaar.

TREND NO 1: HALAL JAPANESE GRUB

Danial Ashriq is playing down his acting chops in favour of the chopping board – at least for this Ramadan. The Police And Thief star fronts Beef Bros, the halal mentaiko beef cube stall founded with his friend Norvan Tan.

This hot-selling dish (S$18) can also be served with barbecue sauce, garlic chilli and sambal belacan, with the latter also for sale separately at S$2.50 per tub.

Find Beef Bros at stall 70, opposite OneKM outside Tanjong Katong Complex. 

TREND NO 2: EATING OUT OF A BUCKET

It might sound like a gimmick, but if you think about it, it’s a pretty good idea. While the bazaar organisers have prepared more tables at each food tent this year, the chances of you copping a seat in the evening are still pretty low.

In come the cups and buckets, which you can tote around and eat out of when you find a quiet corner. The pails can also be taken home, washed and reused, which we beat single-use plastic bags. 

WORD. cafe, founded by enterprising sisters Shereen and Toni Anwar, is serving up what they call their Gangster Ribs (lamb or beef, starts from S$12) in a cup, along with briyani or fries. The Upper Thomson cafe, which was responsible for last year’s epic rainbow bagels, also has mocktails in buckets, with flavours like “Minah blackcurrant” making a debut at the Ramadan bazaar.

Find WORD. at Stall 39 outside Wisma Geylang Serai and Stall 202 outside the Muslim Converts Association.

Sofnade’s Mee Kuah in a Bucket (S$9) is – let’s be honest – going to be tough to eat in whatever situation, but it’s still a hot seller. You can also try their festive special, Chicken Meatball Satay in a Bucket (S$9), which has all the works including ketupat, cucumber and sliced onion.

Find Sofnade at Stall 4 outside Tanjong Katong Complex and Stalls 243 and 244 outside the Muslim Converts’ Association. 

TREND NO 3: ALL MANNER OF MILK TEA

Businesses are churning out more creative ways to enjoy the ever-popular iced milk tea. Hot on the heels of the “halal Butterbeer” trend is IceBurnz’s Butterfoam Milk Tea (S$4) in the flavours coconut matcha, dark salted chocolate, Kinder Bueno, Hokkaido matcha and Nutella. 

BREWUP has also added Iced Speculoos Milk Tea (S$5) to their already popular flavours, which include maple lemon, masala, pandan and rose milk (S$4 each). 

Find IceBurnz at Stall 518 outside the Muslim Converts’ Association and BREWUP at Stalls 55 and 56 outside Tanjong Katong Complex. 

TREND NO 4: FOR THE LOVE OF CHEESE

The Raclette Factory continues to draw the crowds this year, with a new item added to their bazaar menu: Swiss Raclette Rosti (S$12). 

Other stalls are jumping on the cheese bandwagon, too. Chickaaaboom has four options for their chicken chop in a cone (starting from S$7): Chilli crab, garlic butter, “sambal works” and aligot, a cheese and mash fondue originating in France.

Love macaroni and cheese? The MNC Co specialises in just that with flavours like chilli crab, laksa and tomyam (starting at S$5 each).

Find The Raclette Factory at Stall 221 and Chickaaaaboom at Stall 232 outside the Muslim Converts’ Association. The MNC Co is located at stalls 55 and 56 outside Tanjong Katong Complex.

TREND NO 5: THE ‘NEW’ APAM BALIK

Their love for martabak manis, the popular Indonesian sweet pancake, drove the couple behind Markozar to start their first stall together at the bazaar. The pancakes are similar to the local favourite apam balik, a bazaar mainstay, in that they’re both turnovers stuffed with chopped peanuts.

Markozar’s martabak manis (S$6.50 each), which is also known as terang bulan (bright as the moon), is available with Nutella or chocolate rice, as well as milk. 

Want something sweeter? There’s also Fountain Banana Cheese, which is pisang keju (cheesy grilled banana, S$6 each) drizzled with melted milk chocolate, white chocolate, berry chocolate or Nutella.

Find Markozar at Stall 10 outside Tanjong Katong Complex and Stall 202 outside Muslim Converts’ Association. 

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SINGAPORE: Do a search for the Geylang Serai bazaar on social media and you’ll likely come across netizens complaining about the “hipsterisation” of the annual Ramadan mega-event. As more young businesses choose to cut their teeth at the “mother of all pasar malams”, innovation is inevitable. But it’s not all bad – some are just familiar favourites in fresh, new iterations. Here are six trends that are really taking off at this year’s bazaar. 

HALAL JAPANESE GRUB

Danial Ashriq is playing down his acting chops in favour of the chopping board – at least for this Ramadan. The Police And Thief star fronts Beef Bros, the halal mentaiko beef cube stall founded with his friend Norvan Tan. This hot-selling dish (S$18) can also be served with barbecue sauce, garlic chilli and sambal belacan, with the latter also for sale separately at S$2.50 per tub.    

Find Beef Bros at stall 70, opposite OneKM outside Tanjong Katong Complex. 

EATING OUT OF A BUCKET

It might sound like a gimmick, but if you really think about it, it’s a great idea. While the bazaar organisers have prepared more tables at each food tent this year, the chances of you copping a seat in the evening are pretty low. In come the cups and buckets, which you can tote around and eat out of when you find a quiet corner. The pails can also be taken home, washed and reused, which we think beats plastic bags hollow. 

WORD. cafe, founded by enterprising sisters Shereen and Toni Anwar, is serving up what they call their Gangster Ribs (lamb or beef, starts from S$12) in a cup, along with briyani or fries. The Upper Thomson cafe, which brought you previous years’ epic rainbow bagels, also have mocktails in buckets, with flavours like “Minah blackcurrant” making a debut at the Ramadan bazaar. 

Find WORD. at Stall 39 outside Wisma Geylang Serai and Stall 202 outside the Muslim Converts Association.

Sofnade’s Mee Kuah in a Bucket (S$9) is – let’s be honest – going to be tough to eat in whatever situation, but it’s currently a hot seller. You can also try their festive special, Chicken Meatball Satay in a Bucket (S$9), which has all the works including ketupat, cucumber and sliced onion. 

Find Sofnade at Stall 4 outside Tanjong Katong Complex and Stalls 243 and 244 outside the Muslim Converts’ Association. 

ALL MANNER OF MILK TEA

Businesses are churning out more creative ways to enjoy the ever-popular iced milk tea this year. Hot on the heels of the “halal Butterbeer” trend is IceBurnz’s Butterfoam Milk Tea (S$4) in the flavours coconut matcha, dark salted chocolate, Kinder Bueno, Hokkaido matcha and Nutella. 

BREWUP has also added Iced Speculoos Milk Tea (S$5) to their already popular flavours, which include maple lemon, masala, pandan and rose milk (S$4 each). 

Find IceBurnz at Stall 518 outside the Muslim Converts’ Association and BREWUP at Stalls 55 and 56 outside Tanjong Katong Complex. 

FOR THE LOVE OF CHEESE

The Raclette Factory continues to draw the crowds this year, with a new item added to their bazaar menu – Swiss Raclette Rosti (S$12). 

Other stalls are jumping on the cheese bandwagon as well – Chickaaaboom has four options for their chicken chop in a cone (starting from S$7) – chilli crab, garlic butter, “sambal works” and aligot, a cheese and mash fondue originating in France.

Love macaroni and cheese? The MNC Co specialises in just that with flavours like chilli crab, laksa and tomyam (starting at S$5 each).

Find The Raclette Factory at Stall 221 and Chickaaaaboom at Stall 232 outside the Muslim Converts’ Association. The MNC Co is located at stalls 55 and 56 outside Tanjong Katong Complex.

THE ‘NEW’ APAM BALIK

Their love for martabak manis, the popular Indonesian sweet pancake, drove the couple behind Markozar to start their first stall together at the bazaar. The pancakes are similar to the local favourite apam balik, a bazaar mainstay, in that they’re both turnovers stuffed with chopped peanuts. Markozar’s martabak manis (S$6.50 each), which is also known as terang bulan (bright as the moon), is available with Nutella or chocolate rice, as well as milk. 

Want something sweeter? There’s also Fountain Banana Cheese, which is pisang keju (cheesy grilled banana, S$6 each) drizzled with melted milk chocolate, white chocolate, berry chocolate or Nutella. 

Find Markozar at Stall 10 outside Tanjong Katong Complex and Stall 202 outside Muslim Converts’ Association. 

NEW YORK: Retail and technology stocks led Wall Street higher on Wednesday as the small-cap Russell 2000 hit a record peak, even as U.S. bond yields touched near a seven-year high and investors fretted over geopolitics.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 62.52 points, or 0.25 percent, to 24,768.93, the S&P 500 gained 11.01 points, or 0.41 percent, to 2,722.46 and the Nasdaq Composite added 46.67 points, or 0.63 percent, to 7,398.30.

(Reporting by Stephen Culp; Editing by James Dalgleish)