SINGAPORE – A local woman has been sentenced to two weeks’ jail on Monday (Nov 7), for her failure to care for her 39 pet cats.

Together with other drug-related offences, Roslina Roslani, 34, was sentenced to a total of five years six months and four weeks’ jail.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) had inspected her home at Block 207 Yishun Street 21 on Feb 25 this year, following public feedback about animal faecal odour coming from her unit.

The 39 felines found inside, all in poor physical condition and health, were surrendered to AVA. Four died later due to underlying medical conditions, while another had to be euthanised due to bad health.

The remaining 34 cats were handed to the Cat Welfare Society for re-homing.

In a media release on Tuesday (Nov 8), AVA said it condemns acts of animal cruelty, including neglect, which compromises the animals’ welfare.

“Animals from hoarding cases are often in bad physical and health conditions. We investigate all feedback on cruelty and we will take enforcement action, where necessary.

“Hoarding of pets may also cause public safety, nuisance and hygiene issues to the community, such as pest. AVA urges pet owners not to hoard animals, and be responsible and considerate pet owners so as not to cause inconvenience to the community.”

First-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $15,000, with a potential 18 months of jail.

On top of the AVA’s enforcement action and efforts to raise awareness on animal welfare, the public is advised to be vigilant and promptly report animal hoarding cases through AVA’s 24-hour hotline, 1800-476-1600, or its website (https://www.ifaq.gov.sg/AVA/apps/feedback.aspx). All information shared will be confidential.

This article was first published on November 8, 2016.
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Singapore – Your neighbourhood 7-Eleven store will be getting a makeover. For starters, it could be up to 1.3 times larger than existing stores – about 800 sq ft, or nearly the size of a badminton court.

It is where you could pick up a freshly-prepared meal, take a seat or even meet friends.

These are among the ways the country’s largest convenience store chain is keeping up with disruption – by being a disruptor itself – even as the incumbent in a traditional, now-ubiquitous business.

Steven Lye, chief operating officer for 7-Eleven Singapore, made no bones about this in a recent interview with The Business Times.

The chain intends to do this by emulating aspects of the Japanese convenience stores, which are known to be “top notch”, by stocking premium products, introducing seating areas, and creating an entirely new range of fresh-chilled, ready-to-eat meals delivered to the store daily. This is quite a step-up from 7-Eleven as a pitstop everyone knows for only basic, everyday items.

It got its name in 1946, from its stores staying open daily between 7am and 11pm. Its move to stay open 24 hours started in 1963.

In Singapore, the chain is run by the Dairy Farm Group, and now has a network of more than 430 outlets.

Mr Lye said: “We want to convey the message that we are no longer just a place for small needs. We want to be at the top of our customers’ minds.”

Besides fresh-chilled, ready-to-eat meals, 7-Eleven Singapore’s expanded, elevated range of products include lifestyle products and even IT gadgets. It has also added 7-Connect lockers, self-collection stations where parcels from online shopping can be picked up, and cash-withdrawal machines hosted by the major banks.

In July, 7-Eleven invested S$350,000 in a branding campaign with the tagline “There’s Always 7-Eleven”, seeking to shift customer perception of its outlets from that of a stop for basic needs to a one-stop shop for groceries, toiletries, bill payment, cash withdrawals and more.

Mr Lye said: “In order to accommodate the extensive additions, future 7-Eleven stores will have an area of about 800 sq ft where possible.”

He added that the items sold at each store will depend on its location. Those in tourist haunts such as Orchard Road and Marina Bay will stock backpacks, suitcases and souvenirs; its Marine Parade outlet near the East Coast Park will sell kites.

Tech developments are also in the pipeline, said Mr Lye. One is a loyalty app named 7-Rewards, due to roll out next year; through this, regular customers can redeem free gifts or buy products at discounts after they have run up a certain level of spending.

Another new tech service is the 7-Connect Kiosk, a self-help machine for quicker bill payments; 7-Eleven counters will also accept wave-payment methods such as Apple Pay, Android Pay and Visa Paywave.

Mr Lye said the company has opted for an “invigorating direction” by refreshing the aesthetics of its existing stores; the larger outlets will also have enough space for seating areas for customers to enjoy their purchases on the spot.

“As a brand, we understand the importance of keeping up with the times and constantly evaluating the needs of customers. Hence, we have made a conscious effort to innovate.”

He is particularly excited about the new range of fresh-chilled, ready-to-eat meals. These are prepped and delivered upon order to ensure freshness, and will replace the current range of frozen-thaw meals by the first quarter of 2017.

He said: “The tech behind the new fresh-chilled meals is a strong value proposition that we are introducing to the market. Over the past 18 months, we have embarked on a strategy to take these ready-to-eat meals to a whole new level.”

The meals are said to utilise superior ingredients and authentic flavours, and have a shelf life of two days, compared to five days for the current frozen-thaw range in stores.

The fresh-chilled meals come in clear packaging so that their quality and freshness can be seen.

Current flavours include Hainanese chicken rice, braised duck rice, butter chicken biryani as well as three flavours of premium Japanese pastas. Mr Lye said that come 2017, 7-Eleven Singapore customers can expect over 40 different flavours.

This article was first published on November 9, 2016.
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A lowly messenger or a key player? That question took centrestage at the trial of former BSI banker Yeo Jiawei, 33, yesterday with conflicting portraits of his alleged role in a complex money-laundering scheme.

Yeo’s lawyer, Mr Philip Fong, suggested his client was a minor player in business dealings with Malaysian tycoon Low Taek Jho and Mohamed Ahmed Badawy Al-Husseiny – two key figures in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Mr Fong made the suggestion while cross-examining prosecution witness Jose Renato Carvalho Pinto, a relationship manager with financial services firm Amicorp.

On Monday, Mr Carvalho described how Yeo began to enjoy the high life once he linked up with Mr Low and Al-Husseiny, a former high-level official of Abu Dhabi state fund International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC). Al-Husseiny, an American, has been detained by Abu Dhabi authorities and is awaiting extradition on 1MDB-related charges, media reports say.

But Mr Fong yesterday portrayed Yeo, who is facing four counts of obstructing justice, as someone merely “relaying instructions” to Amicorp on behalf of Al-Husseiny. Mr Carvalho agreed when Mr Fong put it to him that Al-Husseiny was the one who gave instructions to Yeo.

“So Yeo was just an intermediary and messenger,” Mr Fong said.

Mr Carvalho replied: “A messenger doesn’t fly private jet … He was staying at (Emirates) Palace Hotel and flying private jet. He was not a DHL messenger.” Emirates Palace is a five-star luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, which Mr Carvalho said Yeo had name-dropped when “talking big about spending nights in expensive hotels”.

Mr Fong maintained that Yeo was not given any power of attorney, and had no authority to make decisions on behalf of clients.

But Mr Carvalho said Yeo was “not only involved in wire transfers, or scheduling voice mails”. He testified that Yeo had told Amicorp how to structure funds for fake entities supposedly linked to the legitimate Aabar Investments PJS.

Prosecutors say four of these fake entities were set up, all with identical or almost identical names to Aabar Investments PJS, a unit of IPIC, with the intent to confuse. Al-Husseiny was director of these bogus entities. Amicorp had also set up bank accounts for one of them. These include Aabar International Investments PJS Ltd (BVI) and Aabar Investments PJS Ltd (Samoa).

Mr Carvalho said yesterday: “Yeo was working on the restructuring of funds for these Aabar entities. He had a plan on how to restructure the funds.”

He testified that Amicorp, relying on information from Yeo, had concluded two of the Aabar entities were owned by the IPIC unit, and so were legitimate.

Among the fake entities was Aabar Investments PJS Ltd based in the British Virgin Islands. It has not been named in the trial but is reported to have received US$3.5 billion (S$4.9 billion) from 1MDB.

Mr Carvalho said he suspected these entities were bogus after IPIC told the London Stock Exchange in April it did not own the entity based in the British Virgin Islands.

gleong@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on November 9, 2016.
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The authorities will continue to engage heritage groups regarding the conserved Ellison Building which will be affected by the development of the North-South Corridor.

Mr Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development, said in Parliament yesterday that the agencies involved will “work closely” with the heritage community on the construction methods to protect Ellison Building and “measures that should be taken to preserve the heritage and history of the site”.

He said the Government will finalise its implementation plans for the building, which lies at the junction of Selegie Road and Rochor Canal Road, after these discussions.

In August, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) had said that one of Ellison Building’s nine units would be torn down and later rebuilt, to make way for the construction of the corridor.

This led to widespread concern and appeals from the heritage community.

The 1924 landmark was constructed by Romanian Jew Isaac Ellison and is known for its cupolas, as well as the Star of David on its facade.

The Straits Times previously reported that during engagement sessions with the agencies last month, experts had suggested other possible ways to avoid the demolition and reconstruction option.

These included propping up the structure and strengthening its foundation while the corridor, a 21.5km expressway connecting estates in the north to the city centre, is built, and providing underpinning support for the building while works are being done.

Mr Lee said the original alignment of the corridor would have affected more buildings such as the iconic Rex Cinema, and more units of the Ellison Building.

But because the authorities recognised their heritage value, detailed engineering studies were done “over many years” to minimise the impact on them.

On that basis, URA gazetted Rex Cinema and Ellison Building for conservation in 2008, knowing impact would be minimal, with a commitment to ensure any potential impact would be mitigated.

Mr Lee also said it had been the intention of the agencies to hire a conservation specialist after it issued the design and build pre-qualification tender to invite applications from contractors for the corridor.

He said the authorities have also met representatives from the heritage community twice.

Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun asked if the agencies had considered realigning the corridor to avoid the Ellison Building when the alignment plan for the corridor was first announced in 2011.

In response, Mr Lee said it was not possible to avoid the Ellison Building since public infrastructure criss-crosses underneath the area. He said Rochor Canal runs under one side of Bukit Timah Road. He also noted that the North-East MRT Line cuts across Bukit Timah Road, while the Downtown MRT Line runs beneath Bukit Timah Road. He said the tunnel cannot be lowered further into the ground to avoid the underground infrastructure as doing so will affect the MRT stations and even more buildings. Mr Kok also asked if engagement with non-governmental organisations could happen more upstream, and if the ministry would consider making cultural impact assessments to include heritage, the environment, economy and social elements as mandatory for development projects.

Mr Lee highlighted the National Heritage Board’s ongoing survey of sites and landmarks as a first step towards a more long-term strategic plan for heritage planning.

On cultural impact assessments, he said “this is something we need to study carefully”.

melodyz@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on November 9, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.