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Singapore-Pacific Alliance FTA offers firms, investors a stable environment to grow: Alvin Tan

Singapore-Pacific Alliance FTA offers firms, investors a stable environment to grow: Alvin Tan

CNA07-05-2025

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan says the free trade agreement (FTA) between Singapore and Pacific Alliance offers businesses and investors a stable environment to grow. The FTA entered into force on May 5 to reduce tariffs and lower operating costs for businesses, and builds on bilateral trade, which reached S$12.5 billion last year. Alex Capri, Senior Lecturer at the NUS School of Business and author of Techno-Nationalism: How it's Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics and Society joins us in the studio to discuss how important the Latin American market is to Singapore and how this FTA will shape our trade relations with them.

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Actor Zhang Yaodong spotted serving diners at his Tampines zi char stall after staff resigns
Actor Zhang Yaodong spotted serving diners at his Tampines zi char stall after staff resigns

CNA

time13 minutes ago

  • CNA

Actor Zhang Yaodong spotted serving diners at his Tampines zi char stall after staff resigns

Almost a year after his scandal, former Mediacorp actor Zhang Yaodong seems to be moving on pretty well. While the 47-year-old Malaysia-born actor never responded to allegations of him impregnating various women, he did reveal in November that he has two daughters, and deeply regrets not having been there for them throughout their childhood. In February, it was revealed that Zhang is no longer managed by Mediacorp's talent management arm The Celebrity Agency. So what has Zhang, who is nominated in the , been up to lately? The actor was recently spotted manning a seafood zi char (cooked dishes) stall in a Tampines Industrial Park coffee shop. A diner named Xia Tian De Yu Er on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, had noticed Zhang working the cash register and took to the platform to share about it. "The food stall I eat at every afternoon turned out to be run by him. I only saw him coming to help because his staff resigned," wrote the diner. They also remarked that Zhang, who helped to take orders and serve customers, "looked better in person" and praised him for being polite. It appears that the diner's post-scandal impression of Zhang had changed after meeting him in person. "Actually, it's very virtuous for one to admit their mistakes and correct them," the diner wrote. Netizens seem to agree too. Though there are still those who continue to condemn Zhang, many are now defending him and urging others to not rain on his parade. "There's nothing wrong with him making an honest living," wrote one netizen. This is in fact not Zhang's first F&B venture. He has a catering business and he and his friend Terence Cao once opened a roast meat stall in a food court but shuttered it after two years, causing Zhang to lose a six-figure sum. Zhang's parents, who were from a town named Selayang in Selangor, started out as hawkers before opening a coffee shop. The actor was said to have helped out there when he was young.

New mentoring programme for S'pore youth to develop solutions for social issues
New mentoring programme for S'pore youth to develop solutions for social issues

Straits Times

time28 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

New mentoring programme for S'pore youth to develop solutions for social issues

Mr Josiah Cheng (right) from NUS presenting the university's initiative to bring digital access and digital literacy to disadvantaged groups to Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan at Gen2025 on June 5. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN SINGAPORE – Under a new mentoring programme, Singapore's young people are encouraged to come up with solutions to social issues such climate change and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs. The Gen2050 youth action programme, launched on June 5, will provide mentoring through structured modules to the first batch of 100 students from i nstitutes of higher learning. In one of the modules, participants can receive up to $5,000 in funding for each project from the National Youth Council (NYC), which will run the programme with KPMG in Singapore and the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore. At the launch event, NYC chief executive David Chua said that even if the projects do not come to fruition, 'just the fact that (the youth) take action and go halfway is also a good outcome. That seeds something for the future that they can come to again, to take action in other ways and forms'. 'They will still gain invaluable lessons, connections and insights that will shore up their confidence,' he added. Gen2050 has four modules, where experts will cover identifying pressing social issues and analysing the scope of the problem; creating proposals and measuring the effectiveness of potential solutions; managing stakeholders; and creating compelling pitches. The module on crafting compelling pitches includes a practical section where teams can receive up to $5,000 from NYC to fund a project and pitch their ideas to industry partners. Dialogues will be held as part of a second track of the programme, giving young people an opportunity to hold conversations with policymakers and industry professionals on topics concerning youth. The dialogues and modules are collectively expected to reach more than 1,000 young people. After the participants have completed the four modules, they will develop ideas and solutions to social issues, and pitch their projects to different organisations. Seed funding will be given to selected teams, and their ideas will be piloted if they are feasible. Those who have completed the modules may be considered for other national youth leadership programmes. The programme aims to reach youth from all backgrounds, and will tap institutes of higher learning to find suitable participants. NYC will also use its links with social service agencies to find youth facing adversity who may be interested to join the programme. The team will conduct outreach events to recruit prospective applicants. (From left) President of the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore Ross Gan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan and managing partner from KPMG Singapore Lee Sze Yeng at Gen2050 on June 5. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Goh Hanyan, who attended the launch event, said that youth today have enjoyed stronger education and greater exposure. Addressing the young people in the audience, she said during a dialogue session: 'Being connected globally gives greater awareness and understanding of what is happening around the world, to know what problems you want to solve and what has been done out there. 'I think there is a lot of power in your hands that you can wield if you find something that you are truly passionate about.' Policymaking in the past could have seemed like a black box as the Government would roll out policies on its own, but this is no longer the case, she added. 'Now within the Government, they are giving space to bring in voices of the citizens and youth to better inform how our policies should look like,' she said. 'We have come a long way as a society – we are genuinely interested in co-creation and it is not just lip-service. .. There is funding out there, there is support. The question is, what are you interested in? And how are you intending to come up with a solution for it? ' Managing partner of KPMG in Singapore Lee Sze Yeng said that young people have the passion and energy to address pressing challenges like social sustainability and climate change. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan taking a wefie with participants at Gen2050. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduate Josiah Chieng, 22, is part of a team of communications and new media (CNM) students running a programme on digital literacy. He shared his project with event attendees on June 5. CNM Connects was launched in 2020 to improve digital literacy among disadvantaged groups in Singapore. It was among projects showcased at the event as examples of student-led initiatives looking into social issues. The programme has worked with social service agencies like Allkin Singapore and Morning Star to teach children coding and AI skills. Mr Chieng, a first-year student, said: 'We hope that since Singapore is continuing to invest in AI to be a Smart Nation, no one is getting left behind.' CNM Connects plans to reach 200 people in 2025. Mr Chieng said programmes like Gen2050 are important as the youth can easily get confused or overwhelmed by the resources that are available to make their projects a reality. 'It is also in part due to our need to be perfect, as we really want our projects to be successful and make real impact, so we worry about failing because we did not make the right choices,' he said. 'Having such support from experienced professionals gives us the assurance and confidence in making mistakes, and innovating and executing our projects, as we have a safety net to fall back on for support.' More on this Topic No fixed pathways to success as education system continues to evolve: Desmond Lee Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

Man fined S$5,000 for providing dog 'staycay' services at unlicensed boarding facility
Man fined S$5,000 for providing dog 'staycay' services at unlicensed boarding facility

CNA

time28 minutes ago

  • CNA

Man fined S$5,000 for providing dog 'staycay' services at unlicensed boarding facility

SINGAPORE: A facility that provided "staycay" services for dogs did not have the licence to do so. During an inspection, however, seven dogs were found being boarded at Urban K9 SG's Tessensohn Road premises on staycations. A director of Urban K9, Loke Wei Kang, was fined S$5,000 (S$3,900) on Wednesday (Jun 4) over the company's lack of a licence to operate a dog boarding facility. As the person in charge of overall operations at Urban K9, Loke was fully aware that the facility needed a dog boarding licence as he was informed of the requirement in 2023, a National Parks Board (NParks) prosecutor told the court. However, Loke failed to ensure that Urban K9 was licensed. He admitted to a breach under the Animals and Birds (Licensing of Farms) Rules. Loke was one of the directors at Urban K9, which operated a dog training and care business. It advertised these services in addition to dog staycations on its website. Owners could leave their dogs at Urban K9's premises overnight as part of its staycation service. Customers would typically leave their dogs at Urban K9 when they went overseas on holidays. According to court documents, NParks received feedback on the death of a golden retriever boarded at Urban K9 in January 2023. NParks then began investigations into Loke and Urban K9. In May 2023, the Animal and Veterinary Service, which is under NParks, informed Loke that Urban K9 required a dog boarding licence. However, Loke continued his business as usual. In July 2024, NParks received further feedback regarding the mistreatment of an animal boarded at Urban K9. Officers conducted an unannounced inspection on Jul 24, 2024, and found nine dogs there. Seven of these dogs were there for Urban K9's "staycay" services, even though the facility had no boarding licence. According to investigations, the number of dogs on staycations there could be between 15 and 20 during peak periods. Court documents did not state the outcome of investigations into the mistreatment allegations. Loke, who appeared in court without a lawyer, said in mitigation that he was the only person at Urban K9 who took steps to get the facility licensed, although he acknowledged that he did this when NParks' investigations were already in their latter stages. He added that he eventually obtained certifications for pet management and care in October last year. He said he was taking steps to move forward and had stopped offering boarding services as the lease for Urban K9's premises ends this month. Loke told the court he would be moving into new premises and would apply for the proper licence as he "starts afresh".

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