Banana Leaf Apolo says supplier payment issue resolved, winding up application will be withdrawn
The chain said in a statement that it made payment to Toh Thye San Farm on Jun 27, which a CNA source has confirmed. The payment to the company, which is represented by Lighthouse Law, was made three days after a notice was published in the Government Gazette.
Banana Leaf Apolo CEO, C Sankaranathan, said that the application will be withdrawn at a court hearing on Jul 4, with no order as to costs.
"The issue between both parties has been resolved in full," Mr Sankaranathan added. "There are no ongoing disputes between the parties."
Established in 1974, Banana Leaf Apolo runs two restaurants in Little India and checks by CNA indicated both outlets were open as of last Friday. It is known for its fish head curry.
Last November, the Singapore Food Agency imposed a two-week suspension on its Race Course Road branch after the eatery chalked up 14 demerit points in 12 months.
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CNA
6 minutes ago
- CNA
Why wine bar RVLT transformed into Revolution, a restaurant at Fritz Hansen Place in Singapore
Just after the pandemic in October 2023, I met Dario Reicherl for drinks at RVLT. The CEO Asia of Danish furniture brand Fritz Hansen had asked to meet at his favourite wine bar, situated at 38 Carpenter Street. RVLT was low-key, high-vibe. Against neon signs, a wall of wine and high tables, regulars casually mingled with the bar's owners Alvin Gho and Ian Lim. I met the trio again this year in July. This time, it was at Revolution at Fritz Hansen Place, a new cultural destination merging dining and design, and that includes the new Fritz Hansen showroom next door. Revolution is an 'evolution' of RVLT, said Gho. It is situated in a street-fronting corner within an industrial building along Henderson Road – not a location one would think of for fine food, but totally apt for Revolution's brand of irreverence, authenticity and bravura. RVLT is a place popular with natural wine drinkers in Singapore that shuttered earlier this year. During my visit to Revolution, I was seated at a high table, illuminated by Kaiser Idell pendant lamps from the Danish furniture brand. The ambient light intensified the colours of my cured ocean trout, chicken rendang homemade ravioli and crispy kale salad embellished with fresh heirloom tomatoes. A couple sauntered in gingerly, taking in the picturesque scene. 'They were just shopping for furniture next door,' whispered Reicherl. Below a burgundy ceiling inspired by wine, iconic Grand Prix chairs designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen gather around Piet Boon-designed Superellipse tables tiptoeing on cement floors with their spindly metal legs. TIMELY COLLABORATION In many ways, the symbiosis of the restaurant and furniture showroom is complementary. This ambiguity brings intrigue. 'You don't usually go and eat in a furniture store, and you don't buy furniture in a restaurant, so this creates an experience for the client,' said Reicherl. Furniture showrooms are also generally quiet spaces. 'But if you add life, it becomes more interesting,' Reicherl observed. This 'life' comes very much from Gho and Lim, whom Reicherl described as having the human touch in their hospitality. 'After two or three times at RVLT, you would become their friends,' said Reicherl. He had gone to the bar for its natural wines but stayed for the camaraderie. A wine bar in the new Fritz Hansen showroom is in line with Reicherl's approach to crafting unique brand experiences. The Fritz Hansen showroom in Seoul has a similar concept, housing restaurant and wine bar Big Lights in its building. This partnership among the trio was about the stars aligning. 'We've been trying to collaborate with Dario but nothing materialised until this space happened,' said Gho. Fritz Hansen's lease at Tan Boon Liat building was ending and W Atelier, which retails the brand, found this new spot. At the same time, RVLT was on its way to shuttering its doors. LOVE FOR WINE RVLT's magnetism was grounded on Gho and Lim's common love for natural wine and strong friendship that goes back 18 years. The business partners first met at the Singapore Sommelier Competition in 2007. 'He came in second; I was third,' said Gho on the friendly competition with Lim. Lim had studied biotechnology in polytechnic but he was disinterested in the subject and went on to take on a waitering stint at 8 On the Bay. There, his passion for wine was sparked, and knowledge deepened with regular trips to the library. Lim moved on to work at Michaelangelo's at Chip Bee Gardens before joining a commercial wine supplier in 2009. 'Then I got jaded because commercial wineries are very soulless; it's just about selling a product,' Lim shared. Discovering natural wines was the turning point. 'The guys selling you the wines are also the ones making them. When you shake their hands, they're rough and filled with wine stains,' Lim explained, charmed by the warmth an authenticity of the natural wine makers he met. Gho's wine interest was seeded in hospitality school but like Lim, his knowledge was mainly self-taught after he gained little real insight from lecturers and industry colleagues. 'I started reading about wine, buying magazines, et cetera. There were so many new things to learn daily,' he said. From Morten's Steakhouse, he became Raffles Hotel's head sommelier. Subsequently he took on roles at The American Club Singapore, Jean-Georges in Shanghai where he had relocated to for a time, and then Daniel Boulud's db Bistro Moderne at the Marina Bay Sands. RVLT'S BEGINNINGS Gho and Lim started hanging out after work. They could not find many places with good music, wine and ambience that were opened after 11pm. The idea of setting up a space together remained a casual discussion until a mutual friend invited them to use his restaurant in a shophouse at Killiney Road. 'He had a space but no concept; we had a concept but no space. So we agreed,' explained Goh. And so RVLT opened in 2006. The name is an abbreviation of the word 'revolution', chosen because of natural wine's resurgence in the modern wine scene just before the pandemic. Natural wine refers to wine made without chemicals and industrial processes – the way it was done before the 1950s and the onset of mass production. One of RVLT's ideas was to replace the wine list with a 'wine wall' to make wine selecting less intimidating. 'Out of 10 people, eight will stare at the wine list and not know what to do with it. But with this wine wall or retail shop format, people recognise a label although they don't know the wine producer's name. Many would say, 'Oh! I know this wine; I had it last time and liked it. Can I have it?'' said Gho. Many of Lim and Gho's regulars discovered natural wine at RVLT. 'At first, it was just for fun, for the two of us to hang out after work. Then it was starting to become a business so we thought we should look at investors and start a proper space with a kitchen,' said Gho on the Killiney Road shop. THE UPS OF THE BUSINESS RVLT's second iteration at 38 Carpenter Street opened just over half a year later, offering a food menu as well. Malaysia-born chef Sunny Leong came on board, first as sous chef before taking on the head chef position soon after. For three months, chef Kenneth Foong worked with Leong before heading to Copenhagen to work at Noma (and later became the Michelin-starred restaurant's head chef). 'He gave Sunny direction with the menu design. Sunny had never done bar food, being from traditional fine-dining Chinese restaurants like Sky on 57 and Corner House. There were times we told him his food was 'too pretty' and asked him to 'mess it up a bit',' chuckled Gho. Leong's nuggets become one of RVLT's signatures that continue to be served at Revolution. Business initially boomed. RVLT also expanded to Taipei when Gho relocated to the city for a time. 'It was amazing during the pandemic, as soon as the initial uncertainties were over,' he said. He recalled having to turn customers away as the wine bar in Singapore was too packed. Customers could not travel overseas and so came to RVLT for respite from the stresses of the pandemic and being confined at home. 'It was impossible to book [a table] during that time. People would just linger; I would also stay for six, seven hours,' Reicherl recalled. WHEN THE BUZZ FADES When the borders opened after the pandemic, the wine bar emptied out as customers started travelling with a vengeance. Those who visited RVLT in their 20s and early-30s got married, had kids, drank less and stayed home more. 'Our replacement rate was not one to one because the next generation of young people do not drink or go out as much,' lamented Gho. Those who came would rush to leave by 10.30pm to catch the bus or train as taxi fees surged. The rise of online meetings, shrinking expat budgets, cautious tourist spending, and higher transport costs all contributed to fewer customers and reduced spending. The continued fervour of online gaming from pandemic times did not help. 'During COVID, people were stuck at home and started buying nice gaming chairs, sound systems; they began socialising online instead of at bars or other social places,' observed Gho. 'One Thursday night in December last year, we looked around at 8.34pm and RVLT was empty. That was scary,' Lim remembered. The business became unsustainable, and the pair decided to call it quits – until Reicherl came in with the perfect collaboration. SAME BUT DIFFERENT Revolution, Gho stressed, is not RVLT version 2. 'We kept some signature dishes but generally, we wanted to be different from the RVLT brand. We are no longer a wine bar but a restaurant. We want to have the same energy, spirit and hospitality. But everything else is different – from the uniforms to the look of the space.' Chef Leong's cuisine is now modern comfort food with a playful twist, influenced by seasonal produce. Currently, it is opened daily for lunch. It will open in September for dinner as well with a five-course tasting experience. 'I wish for Revolution to get a Michelin star because Sunny is a very good chef. He should get the recognition because he was 'forced' to make bar food for the last seven years and now he has a platform; it's time for him to shine,' said Lim earnestly. For now, the duo is happy to continue having a space to hang out. Their regulars at RVLT are similarly glad. Gho recalled looking around during Revolution's opening party and saying to Lim, 'We changed the location and the space looks nicer now. But it's the same people.'
CNA
36 minutes ago
- CNA
Commentary: AI can boost Singapore's productivity, but let's not lose the point of work
SINGAPORE: If there's one message that keeps coming up in Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's recent speeches, it's that Singapore can't afford to sit on the sidelines as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the global economy. Singapore needs to 'think harder' about how it can help every company ' make full use of AI ', he said at a conference last month hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF). Then on Sunday (Aug 17), during his National Day Rally (NDR) speech, Mr Wong described AI as 'a defining technology of our time', likening its impact to the computer and the internet. 'We will equip and empower every enterprise, especially our SMEs – to harness AI effectively, and sharpen their competitive edge,' he added. In total, Mr Wong mentioned AI around 40 times in his speech, as he outlined Singapore's vision to boost productivity through widespread adoption of the technology. While the ambition is clear, the challenge lies in how it will be implemented in the workplace. A recent multi-country study found that only 19 per cent of firms in Singapore have adopted artificial intelligence or machine learning tools. That means there's significant room for future adoption. But if the implementation isn't handled thoughtfully, AI risks stripping work of its meaning and purpose, reducing our sense of mastery and leaving us feeling like cogs in a machine. The central question for Singapore's AI future, therefore, shouldn't be about using the latest AI tools. What truly matters is how we integrate AI thoughtfully into our personal and professional lives, so that AI enhances – rather than erodes – the meaning and purpose we derive from our work. A CAMERA DOES NOT MAKE SOMEONE A PHOTOGRAPHER When we hear 'AI adoption' in the name of productivity, the first thing that comes to mind is automation – technology doing things faster and cheaper. That sounds great (think of the cost savings this would bring!). But is there a risk of automation without reflection? Of mindless automation? We wouldn't want to create a situation where workers are reduced to passive overseers of machines, there just to monitor and push the stop button if anything goes wrong. Such work can be very disengaging, and we would lose the opportunities to practise and hone our skills. We are already seeing this in places with poor outsourcing practices, where staff grow over-reliant on external companies to do the work for them, such that it weakens decision-making and detaches staff from the work they are responsible for. Far from empowering, such over-dependency leaves workers less confident, less capable, and less in control. The point is this: What we lose from automation is not a technology problem – it is fundamentally a problem rooted in mindsets. A pencil does not make one a writer or an artist; and a camera does not make one a photographer. What matters is whether we see the tool merely as an instrument of utility or as an extension of our creativity and judgment. AI is no different. Too often, people want to use it as a crutch to 'do everything for them'. But AI makes mistakes, just like humans. And yet we are prone to defer our own judgments to computer systems – even in trivial matters. As an example, I once tried to order bubble tea without ice. The cashier refused. Not because it was hard to do, but because 'the system' wouldn't allow it. All she had to do was not put ice into the cup. Instead, she refused because 'the system' (i.e. the cash register) would not allow her to key in the order for an iceless drink. This might seem trivial (and bizarre), but it tells us how easily we humans are willing to surrender our agency to a machine. WHAT IS AGENCY? Agency, at its core, is the psychological conviction that we have the freedom and the ability to shape our environment. Those with a weakened sense of agency often feel they are not in a position to change anything, or that nothing can be changed, and thus resign themselves to the status quo. The philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel described work as a dialogue between the human mind and the world. A sculptor imprints ideas from her mind onto the clay by working with it, by shaping it with her hands. And by working with the clay – pressing, pulling, reshaping – the clay shapes her mind by revealing more about its properties and what she can and cannot do with it. It is through work that we gain a clear understanding of what we can and cannot do. It equips us with the necessary practical knowledge to effectively anticipate challenges, solve problems and craft strong strategies. Most importantly, it allows us to recognise and seize opportunities for innovation. In essence, work fosters mastery, builds confidence, and ultimately grants us freedom – the very foundation of human agency. The challenge, then, is not to let AI sever this dialogue. To use AI meaningfully to enhance our productivity, we must continue to stay 'in the loop' – to be engaged, questioning and reflective. This means being engaged in the things we are responsible for by resisting the temptation of simply accepting AI-generated answers uncritically. It requires having the curiosity to probe, the responsibility to stay engaged and understand what is really happening on the ground, and the courage to challenge the AI's answers when our instincts say otherwise. TECHNOLOGY SHOULD MAKE US BETTER, NOT JUST FASTER At the end of the day, AI is made in our image and likeness – it is fallible, limited and prone to error. It becomes 'superior' only when we surrender our agency to it. Without this fundamental mindset shift, we risk using AI to detach from our work, and to empty out meaning and purpose in what we do. As long as we remain engaged – actively steering, questioning and shaping what we do alongside AI – then we can be assured that these tools will amplify our human potential and creativity, rather than diminish it. This is very much how an artist is able to create beautiful works of art with a mere pencil.
CNA
36 minutes ago
- CNA
Can people tell a real voice from an AI-generated one? We put it to the test
SINGAPORE: 'Hi, how have you been? So I heard about this restaurant that just recently opened up. Want to go check it out the next time we meet?' These were the innocuous sentences used in a simple experiment to find out if people in my social circle could distinguish my real voice from an AI-cloned version. The result was some confusion - but more importantly, the ease with which the imitation was generated suggests that more attention should be paid to the phenomenon of deepfake voice phishing, or vishing. Millions of dollars have been lost to scammers using cheap yet increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence tools to impersonate the voices of real people. In Asia-Pacific, the trend of AI and deepfake-enabled fraud is accelerating even faster than the rest of the world, according to cybersecurity firm Group-IB. AI-related fraud attempts surged by 194 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, with deepfake vishing emerging as one of the most commonly used methods, said the company's senior fraud analyst for the region Yuan Huang. An increase has also been observed in Singapore. While exact vishing figures are not publicly available, Ms Huang pointed to a study which found that about 56 per cent of businesses here have experienced deepfake audio fraud. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore told CNA that audio deepfakes are a rising concern, due to how they exploit people's natural inclination to trust familiar voices, such as those seemingly from a family member or a colleague. COPYING MY VOICE My experiment, which was facilitated by Ms Huang from Group-IB at the start of August, showed that cloning a voice really did not take much: A publicly available online tool – of which there are several – and samples of my voice as short as 10 seconds. A more convincing replication would require longer samples and more tone variations. The subscription plan for the platform we chose was priced at less than US$10 for the first month. Elsewhere, fees can start at US$3 a month. Under our plan, we could generate high-definition audio output and cloned voices in other languages. Seconds after uploading my samples, my deepfaked voice was ready. On the user-friendly interface, cloned voices can be fine-tuned by adjusting speeds or tweaking settings to be more monotonous or more dramatic. None of this required any particular technical skills; practically anyone can generate a cloned voice. When I finally played back my AI-generated voice in full, I was taken by surprise. I already knew it was supposed to sound like me. But the level of similarity and accuracy – down to the pauses I habitually take in between words – was something else. The technology was not entirely flawless. The voice clone seemed to have a hint of an American accent; and the more we replayed it, the less it sounded like me. But it would suffice to fool most people, according to studies at least. A 2024 poll by the University of California in the United States found that participants mistook the identity of an AI voice for its real counterpart 80 per cent of the time. When researchers at the University College London played audio clips to 100 people, just 48 per cent were able to tell which was a human voice and which was created using AI. A recent public awareness survey by CSA found that a majority (78 per cent) had confidence in their ability to identify deepfakes. But only one in four could distinguish legitimate videos from AI-manipulated ones. No data or trends specific to audio content were available. In an April 2024 reply to a parliamentary question, it was also revealed that the Singapore police has not been tracking the number of deepfake-related scams using video, voice and other media. Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said then: "While we have received some reports where the complainants had alleged that deepfake techniques were used by the scammers, the number is not high." PUT TO THE TEST After the cloning came the fun part of the experiment. We typed out the statement on checking out a restaurant - something I would say to friends - on the online platform; then separately recorded myself saying the same thing. Then I called four contacts - two colleagues as well as two friends I've known for almost a decade - and played them the two audio clips. One of my colleagues initially mistook my real voice for AI. But in the end, all four could tell the difference: According to them, no amount of tweaking of settings could take away the more robotic and monotonous flavour of the cloned voice. One possible factor could be that the Singaporean accent is not as easy to clone, since most AI models are trained on American or British accents, said Associate Professor Terence Sim from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) school of computing. My friends were also young adults in their 20s, who may be more aware of the hallmarks of AI use - and on higher alert in the environment of phone calls. THE VISHING APPEAL Experts CNA spoke to nonetheless noted the growing accessibility of low-cost and sometimes even free generative AI tools to convincingly mimic and create human voices. A CSA spokesperson said that with audio deepfakes, "while there are traditional indicators like unnatural pauses in speech, robotic intonation, or unusual word choices, these tells are becoming harder to spot as AI technology advances". "What makes audio deepfakes particularly challenging to detect is that humans are naturally attuned to trust voice communications, especially in urgent or emotional situations," he added. "When someone appears to sound exactly like a family member or colleague in distress, the emotional response often overrides our usual caution." The AI tools also allow scammers to spoof trusted institutions with accuracy, making it easier to manipulate targets and gain financial and sensitive information, said Assistant Professor Saifuddin Ahmed from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). "Combined with the availability of stolen personal data from breaches or user mistakes, the technology empowers scammers to craft highly convincing, personalised attacks." Group-IB's Ms Huang also highlighted that social media is often the primary source for obtaining voice samples. Other avenues include radio or TV interviews, webinars and public recordings available online. "In some cases, scammers record a victim's voice during a phone call, particularly during impersonation or vishing attempts, to later use it for further attacks." Scammers, being financially motivated, prefer targets who can potentially bring such high returns, Ms Huang said. This includes chief executives, chief financial officers and finance personnel. But they can also target the elderly, particularly those unfamiliar with AI-generated voice technology, or those who can be emotionally manipulated. Prominent vishing cases In 2019, a CEO of an energy company based in the United Kingdom was convinced he was on the phone with his boss from their German parent company. The CEO said he recognised a subtle German accent and that it even carried the "melody" of his boss' voice. He ended up transferring US$243,000 to a fraudster who had used AI to spoof the German boss. The call had been made from an Austrian phone number, and the money was moved from a Hungarian bank account to one in Mexico before being spread out to other locations. Earlier in 2025, a Hong Kong merchant lost about US$18.5 million in cryptocurrency to scammers impersonating a financial manager of a Chinese company over WhatsApp. The merchant, who wanted to buy cryptocurrency mining equipment, communicated with who he thought was the financial manager over WhatsApp. He even received voice messages from the "manager" during purchase negotiations. While these cases happened outside of Singapore, similar tactics have been observed in this region, especially targeting finance departments and C-level executives in trusted industries, said Group-IB's Ms Huang. WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Attempting to regulate online voice cloning platforms would be a complex matter, with almost all of them hosted outside of Singapore's jurisdiction, experts told CNA. Asst Prof Saifuddin from NTU said cooperation between governments and tech companies would be needed to set boundaries to safeguard users. At an industry level, telecom providers can also implement advanced call authentication and improve their spam-blocking technologies, he said. Asst Prof Saifuddin's advice to individuals was to use a different communication channel where possible, such as text or email, to confirm the request. "Never rely solely on the incoming call for verification," he said. NUS' Assoc Prof Sim pointed to skills that could be picked up, such as how to listen out for hissing, mismatched background sounds in different segments of the speech, a lack of background sound, or abrupt transitions from one sentence to the next. But he also acknowledged that these were not foolproof, with voice cloning technology constantly improving. CSA said to be on alert when receiving urgent and unsolicited requests for monetary transfers or sensitive details such as passwords and banking credentials. "For voice calls from a supposed friend or family member, ask questions that only they would know ... If in doubt, do hang up and call the friend or family member directly on their known number," said the agency's spokesperson. In the case of callers claiming to be from institutions, dial their official hotline to verify. "A healthy dose of scepticism is important in today's digital world," said CSA. "Not everything we see or hear online is what it appears to be, and if it's too good to be true, then it probably is." That was also my takeaway from the experiment, topped off with a dose of wariness. The next time I get a call from an unknown number, I won't be the first to speak.
