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Design News: Harvey Norman opens at Lot One, design a Smeg fridge, Gardens by the Bay's rose display

Design News: Harvey Norman opens at Lot One, design a Smeg fridge, Gardens by the Bay's rose display

Straits Timesa day ago
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The grand opening of Harvey Norman at Lot One. The store is spread across 1,300 sq m on Level 3 of the neighbourhood mall.
Harvey Norman opens new store at heartland hub Lot One
Australian retail group Harvey Norman has just opened its newest store at Lot One, making it the chain's 12th store islandwide.
The store is spread across 1,300 sq m on Level 3 of the neighbourhood mall in the heart of Chua Chu Kang, offering a wide range of popular electronic goods and home appliances. These include next-generation laptops powered with artificial intelligence (AI), washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and the latest roll-outs of gaming products.
Shoppers can also look forward to Harvey Norman's 'Shop with Confidence' policy, which includes price guarantees, same-day delivery, a 14-day exchange policy and options for product care and maintenance.
The chain chose the mall for its location, which offers easy access to transport nodes such as MRT, LRT and a bus interchange. Connection to the new Jurong Regional Line is expected in 2027.
Info: The new Harvey Norman Lot One store is at 21 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4. Go to Harvey Norman's Singapore Facebook page (@HarveyNormanSGP) for updates on promotions and in-store sales events. – Chantal Sajan
Smeg's fridge design contest
Members of the public are invited to submit SG60-inspired designs for Smeg fridges as part of the brand's ongoing contest.
PHOTO: SMEG
With Singapore's 60th National Day coming up, Italian home appliance brand Smeg is getting into the festive spirit with a fridge design competition.
The Swee, Swee, FABulous lah! Contest invites submissions in the junior category, open to those 17 years old and below, and open category, for those 18 years old and above.
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Designs for the open category will be for the FAB28 refrigerator, while designs in the junior category are for the smaller FAB10 refrigerator.
There are cash prizes available for the winners, and the winning designs will be showcased on actual Smeg fridges in the brand's showroom at Marina One.
After the contest closes on July 20, members of the public will be able to vote for their favourite designs from July 21 to 25. The winners will be announced on July 26. – Yamini Chinnuswamy
Info: Go to
str.sg/xHd9
Gardens by the Bay's mid-summer rose display
The Rose Romance display can be seen at the park's Flower Dome.
PHOTO: GARDENS BY THE BAY
The latest seasonal display at the Gardens by the Bay's Flower Dome places the elegant rose front and centre.
Until July 20, visitors can enjoy the colourful sight and pleasant fragrance of more than 15,000 roses from 65 varieties. Highlights include the Rosa Marchenzauber, which boasts creamy white petals and an apricot-pink centre. This rose, which some rose enthusiasts have dubbed 'Fairytale Magic', is said to have a sweet and fruity scent.
The Rose Deep Love, meanwhile, carries a dark raspberry pink hue and double the petal volume of the classic roses.
The flowers will be accompanied by displays of items with meaning and significance in British history and culture, such as a replica of the Caernarfon Castle in Wales, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. – Yamini Chinnuswamy
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CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee
CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee

Straits Times

time38 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivering a speech at the launch of the CPF 70th Anniversary Commemorative Book on July 5. SINGAPORE - The Central Provident Fund's (CPF) central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever, with an emphasis on each generation funding its own retirement needs based on individual savings. With this approach, Singapore avoids burdening younger generations with older generations' retirement needs, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on July 5 at the launch of the CPF 70th anniversary commemorative book. 'The ethos of fairness and personal responsibility fosters the right attitudes towards work, retirement and active ageing. 'This is in sharp contrast to the countries which have adopted tax-based 'Pay-As-You-Go' (PAYG) pension systems,' said SM Lee at the event held Our Tampines Hub, which Minister for Manpower, Dr Tan See Leng attended. 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All countries are confronted with this trilemma, and neither can Singapore escape these choices.' While it is possible to make balanced, practical and politically workable arrangements to ensure Singapore's retirement adequacy, SM Lee said each decision and change to the CPF system must be carefully thought through as it affects the lives and plans of millions of people. He said the schemes must be patiently and clearly explained to win support. 'In the end, for the whole CPF system to function and to endure, Singaporeans must have faith that the system is sound, and that the rules ultimately serve their best interests,' added SM Lee. Noting that public trust in the CPF is very high, SM Lee said many members voluntarily top up their own and their family members' CPF accounts with cash. 'Last year, (CPF) members made 875,000 such tops-ups, totalling nearly $5 billion. Even when members reach 65, a significant minority do not make any withdrawals. 'They just leave the money in the CPF's good hands,' he said. 'They are confident that their money is safe, and they know that they are getting more than a fair deal,' he said, adding that this trust took a long time to build and must never be taken for granted. He said while the CPF is in a generally good state now, the savings scheme will have to be adapted and updated to keep it fit-for-purpose for new generations of Singaporeans. This calls for some very tough choices, said Mr Lee. SM Lee, who was first elected as MP in 1984, said the CPF contribution rate had risen from 10 per cent, when the scheme was introduced in 1955 - five per cent each from the employee and employer - to 50 per cent by 1985. When Singapore was hit by the global recession in 1985, the first since independence, the Government decided to cut employer's contribution rates by 15 percentage points, which meant a pay cut for workers. Despite it being a painful decision, SM Lee said it was the only quick way to revive the economy. This process was repeated twice: in the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 to 1998, and again in the early 2000s after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Currently, the CPF contribution rate stands at 37 per cent, which SM Lee said is about the right level for the long term. Changes were also made to the withdrawal age, he noted. At first, CPF members could withdraw all their savings once they reached 55. SM Lee said this was not unreasonable for an era when life expectancy was only around 60. But as life expectancies lengthened into 70s and 80s, those who did not carefully steward their retirement sum could easily exhaust their savings early. The Government proposed a Minimum Sum to be kept in members' CPF, which would spread out monthly payments over a period of years. Members could withdraw only the balance beyond this sum. The Minimum Sum is now known as the Retirement Sum. It has been raised regularly to keep pace with rising incomes and cost of living, noted SM Lee. Another major improvement to the CPF scheme is the Lifelong Income for the Elderly (CPF LIFE), which converted members' CPF savings into annuities. Turning to the retirement age, SM Lee said the Government encountered pushback over delayed CPF payouts when they moved for people to work longer. Currently, the bulk of CPF payouts start from 65, to align with the re-employment age. As retirement and re-employment ages continued to rise, the Government decided not to correspondingly delay the payouts further. The Basic, Full and Enhanced Retirement Sums, as well as the CPF LIFE scheme ensured a baseline of retirement adequacy for everyone, said SM Lee. 'It is a great triumph of our CPF system, and the way we have designed the schemes and the incentives – that as Singaporeans live longer, they want to work longer, and to accumulate more CPF savings for themselves, for as long as they can,' he added. SM Lee said the CPF story is, at its heart, a Singapore story - one of self-reliance, ingenuity, and constant adaptation. He added: 'Singapore is internationally recognised as having one of the best national retirement systems in the world. So we can be justly proud of the CPF scheme.'

Trump says tariff letters to 12 countries signed, going out Monday
Trump says tariff letters to 12 countries signed, going out Monday

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Trump says tariff letters to 12 countries signed, going out Monday

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, U.S., July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard U.S. President Donald Trump said he had signed letters to 12 countries outlining the various tariff levels they would face on goods they export to the United States, with the "take it or leave it" offers to be sent out on Monday. Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to New Jersey, declined to name the countries involved, saying that would be made public on Monday. Trump had earlier on Thursday told reporters that he expected a first batch of letters to go out on Friday, a national holiday in the United States, though the date has now shifted. In a global trade war that has upended financial markets and set off a scramble among policymakers to guard their economies, Trump in April announced a 10% base tariff rate and additional amounts for most countries, some ranging as high as 50%. However, all but the 10% base rate were subsequently suspended for 90 days to allow more time for negotiations to secure deals. That period ends on July 9, although Trump early on Friday said the tariffs could be even higher - ranging up to 70% - with most set to go into effect August 1. "I signed some letters and they'll go out on Monday, probably twelve," Trump said, when asked about his plans on the tariff front. "Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs." Trump and his top aides initially said they would launch negotiations with scores of countries on tariff rates, but the U.S. president has soured on that process after repeated setbacks with major trading partners, including Japan and the European Union. He touched on that briefly late on Friday, telling reporters: "The letters are better ... much easier to send a letter." He did not address his prediction that some broader trade agreements could be reached before the July 9 deadline. The shift in the White House's strategy reflects the challenges of completing trade agreements on everything from tariffs to non-tariff barriers such as bans on agricultural imports, and especially on an accelerated timeline. Most past trade agreements have taken years of negotiations to complete. The only trade agreements reached to date are with Britain, which reached a deal in May to keep a 10% rate and won preferential treatment for some sectors including autos and aircraft engines, and with Vietnam, cutting tariffs on many Vietnamese goods to 20% from his previously threatened 46%. Many U.S. products would be allowed to enter Vietnam duty free. A deal expected with India has failed to materialize, and EU diplomats on Friday said they have failed to achieve a breakthrough in trade negotiations with the Trump administration, and may now seek to extend the status quo to avoid tariff hikes. REUTERS

Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week
Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week

Straits Times

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  • Straits Times

Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week

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