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Singapore Tonight - Sun 27 Jul 2025
From business to politics, health to technology, we bring you up-to-date with the latest news on Singapore and analyze how these events may affect you tomorrow.
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Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
Drink stall chain allegedly makes staff pay for incorrect orders, says part-time worker
Photo: Freepik/zinkevych (for illustration purposes only) SINGAPORE: A part-time worker has publicly criticised a 'drink stall chain' in Singapore for making her and other employees pay for any incorrectly made beverages. In a post on the r/SGexams subreddit, the worker wrote that she found the policy both 'unnecessary' and 'unreasonable,' especially since they are only paid S$9 per hour. 'It is already barely enough to make ends meet,' she said. 'It's hard to justify this kind of policy. I mean, yeah, a drink is just four dollars and everybody just needs to fork out a dollar to pay for it, which isn't that much, but I don't understand why employees should be held financially responsible when the drink can simply be remade or the order voided, with the reason written on the receipt.' She went on to ask fellow Redditors whether it was truly fair for management to impose such penalties on workers already earning minimum wage, just because of what she called 'a puny mistake.' While she didn't reveal the company's name, she hinted that 'it's not a small business' and that it has 'multiple branches' across the city-state. 'This practice is likely illegal & unethical.' Under her post, several Redditors urged the worker to report the company's policy to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). One wrote, 'Illegal deductions are only permissible after the employer conducts a proper investigation to determine who is at fault. Keep track and ask the owner to pay back when quitting, or report to MOM.' Another said, 'Document it in writing and file report to MOM. Plus the cost of the drink definitely isn't worth 4 dollars.' A third wrote, 'This practice is likely illegal & unethical. Report to MOM.' A fourth shared, 'Nope. Usually, they will give it to the staff as a free drink/toss it away/if the next order is coincidentally the same drink. I have never heard of this. Not common when I work in F&B or juice bars.' Employers must hold an inquiry before deducting wages According to the Ministry of Manpower, employers are permitted to deduct an employee's salary 'for damage or loss of money or goods,' but only under specific conditions. They must first carry out a proper inquiry to determine whether the employee is directly responsible. The employee must also be given an opportunity to explain the circumstances before any deductions are made. If the employer decides to proceed, the deduction must not exceed 25% of the employee's monthly salary and must be made as a one-time lump sum. Read also: Woman says her brother keeps falling into debt chasing 'fast money,' and their mum always bails him out () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
Nvidia and Tesla led Singapore's most searched stocks in June
Photo: Depositphotos/tang90246 SINGAPORE: Nvidia and Tesla were the most searched stocks by Singaporeans in June 2025. Nvidia topped the list with about 276,600 Google searches in Singapore, while Tesla recorded 192,600 monthly searches, Singapore Business Review reported, citing data from forex broker BrokerChooser. Globally, Nvidia saw 14.6 million monthly searches. Earlier this month, the US chipmaker became the first publicly traded company to reach a US$4 trillion (S$5.14 million) market value amid the AI boom. Meanwhile, the report noted that searches for 'Tesla stock' in the city-state went up by 103.6% compared to the same time last year. Software provider Palantir came in third, with 57,340 monthly searches. This year, the software firm, which provides services to US military and intelligence agencies, recently became one of the top 20 most valuable public companies in the US by market capitalisation. Meta, which finalised its US$14.3 billion investment in AI startup Scale AI last month, ranked fourth with 56,170 searches. The deal came with Scale AI co-founder and CEO Alexandr Wang leaving the company to join an artificial general intelligence (AGI) team being formed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. See also Is Singapore Still Ideal for Expats? (Spoiler: Opposite of Yes) Other names on the list included Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (45,750), Apple (43,740), and Google's parent company, Alphabet (32,400). BrokerChooser said it used the keyword analytics tool Ahrefs to analyse the most searched stocks on Google, starting with a seed list of the 50 largest companies by market capitalisation. The study also included data from Visual Capitalist on stock market participation rates by country, with data collected on Jul 8, 2025. /TISG Read also: Nvidia CEO to sell more advanced chips to China after H20 ban, warns of 'tremendous loss' for firms in potential US$50B AI market Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only) () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
Standing room only: The bizarre absence of benches in Singapore's glitzy malls
Women shopping inside a mall SINGAPORE: If you've ever strolled through an expansive shopping mall and pondered why your feet are sore and throbbing with no seats in sight, you're not alone. One Redditor recently voiced a sentiment that many have felt but never articulated — why are there so few free seating options in shopping centres, particularly in a city-state with a large elderly population? Places like Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Orchard Central in Singapore, the Redditor pointed out, appear predominantly bereft of places to relax without shelling out some dollars. However, netizens were fast to highlight that the shortage of public seating isn't a mistake — it's a tactic. 'Every sitting visitor is a wasted space and time in business terms,' one Redditor wrote candidly. The reasoning is simple — a buyer on her feet is more likely to spend than one sitting on a bench. In the eyes of mall operatives, every bench is a possible sale sliding away. This viewpoint might sound greedy, but it's ingrained in unemotional business maths. Another commenter noted that the seats are frequently taken by ageing patrons. From a profit perspective, this demographic, while socially significant, isn't always the target customer, so malls give priority to foot traffic and income, not ease and comfort. 'Developers realised that free seats mean people sitting around not spending money,' another Redditor clarified. 'So instead, they took away the seats and put in F&B. Now, when you sit, you're obliged to spend money.' It's an intentional design choice, claimed those who know renter policies and understand customer experience (CX) development. Take MBS, for instance, which is identified as a luxury shopping and upscale dining destination. The setting is prudently arranged to inhibit casual strolling. Rather than benches, exhausted customers are pushed towards boutique coffee shops or restaurants, where relaxation comes with a price tag. However, a few malls have kicked the trend. Funan, for example, has become a chosen location for those in search of a more accepting atmosphere. 'There's a load of seating areas, free-to-use power sockets, and fantastic amenities for cyclists,' a Redditor noted. Funan's model implies that seating, when meticulously integrated, can boost the mall's appeal without reducing profits. However, they are the exception, not the rule. 'In hyper-capitalist environments, doing things just for public good is rare,' another commenter bewailed. 'That's why legal minimums are required. Unless it benefits the bottom line, it doesn't happen.' See also Michael Jackson's orbit, 10 years later Essentially, malls aren't public spaces; they're for business. While they may imitate the shared feeling of piazzas or town squares, their chief objective remains the generation of ROI. Seating, unless it serves that purpose, is usually viewed as a liability. But as customer outlooks change and rivalry among malls surges, maybe more developers will begin to see that a contented and relaxed shopper just might become a loyal one. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
