logo
Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone set to transform all 10 Johor districts, says Menteri Besar

Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone set to transform all 10 Johor districts, says Menteri Besar

Straits Times21 hours ago
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the benefits of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone would not only be concentrated in Johor Bahru.
KLUANG - The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) will not only benefit Johor Bahru but also other districts like Kluang, said Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
He stated that the rapid and ongoing developments indicate that
the JS-SEZ will benefit all 10 districts of the state.
'Do not think that the benefits of the JS-SEZ will only be concentrated in the Johor Bahru area.
'All 10 districts in Johor stand to benefit from it because of all the ongoing developments taking place throughout the state, such as transportation infrastructure, housing projects and tourism,' Datuk Onn Hafiz said at a community event in Renggam, Kluang, on July 6.
He said the double-track rail system, which is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025 , and the
Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link , which was expected to begin operating on Jan 1, 2027, are projects that would shorten people's travel time.
He also pointed out that the completion of the projects could help elevate towns like Layang-Layang, Renggam, and Kluang into satellite towns to Johor Bahru. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

North Korea bars Western influencers from trade fair tour
North Korea bars Western influencers from trade fair tour

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

North Korea bars Western influencers from trade fair tour

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Diplomatically isolated North Korea has welcomed sporadic groups of international visitors in recent months. BEIJING - North Korea has barred Western influencers from joining a delegation of tourists to an international trade fair in October, a China-based tour operator told AFP on July 7 . Diplomatically isolated North Korea has welcomed sporadic groups of international visitors in recent months, including hundreds of foreign athletes in April for the first Pyongyang International Marathon in six years. Travel agency Young Pioneer Tours (YPT) announced on July 5 that it would take a group of foreign tourists on a trip to the authoritarian state from Oct 24 to Nov 1. But the tour would not be open to journalists, travel content creators or influencers, the company said on its website. YPT co-founder Rowan Beard told AFP the curbs on creators were 'a specific request from the North Korean side'. 'We anticipate that once the country officially reopens, there may be stricter scrutiny or limitations on influencers and YouTubers joining tours,' Mr Beard said. The company had 'no visibility' on when Pyongyang would restart official media delegations, he added. Several online influencers have shared slickly produced videos from inside North Korea in recent months. Priced at €3,995 (S$6,000), the YPT tour will depart from the Chinese capital Beijing and take in the Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Fair, North Korea's biggest international business exhibition. Participants will have a 'unique chance' to stroll through over 450 trade booths exhibiting machinery, IT, energy, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and household items, YPT said. The company added that the Pyongyang Chamber of Commerce would 'hold a VIP presentation for us for an in-depth overview and insights into the (North Korean) economy'. The itinerary also includes major sights in Pyongyang as well as the first Western visit in over five years to Mount Myohyang – a mystical peak boasting a museum of lavish gifts presented to former North Korean leaders. China has historically been the biggest diplomatic, economic and political backer of North Korea, which remains under crippling international sanctions. Chinese people used to make up the bulk of foreign tourists and business visitors to the isolated nuclear nation before it sealed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic. But numbers have not rebounded despite Pyongyang's post-pandemic reopening, a trend that some analysts have attributed to Beijing's anger at North Korea's explicit support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AFP

Trump: First tariff letters to be sent on July 7
Trump: First tariff letters to be sent on July 7

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Trump: First tariff letters to be sent on July 7

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump says he will notify other countries of higher tariff rates by July 9. WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he would start sending other countries the first letters on tariffs and trade deals ahead of the Aug 1 deadline for the paused levies to take effect. 'I am pleased to announce that the UNITED STATES TARIFF Letters, and/or Deals, with various Countries from around the World, will be delivered starting 12:00 P.M. (Eastern), Monday, July 7th,' Mr Trump said on his Truth Social network Sunday. Mr Trump earlier said Washington is close to finalising several trade agreements in the coming days and will notify other countries of higher tariff rates by July 9.

BRICS demand wealthy nations fund global climate transition
BRICS demand wealthy nations fund global climate transition

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

BRICS demand wealthy nations fund global climate transition

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's Premier Li Qiang, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other leaders, attend the opening meeting of BRICS Summit, at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes RIO DE JANEIRO - Leaders of the BRICS group of developing nations prepared to address the shared challenges of climate change on Monday, the final day of their summit in Rio de Janeiro, demanding that wealthy nations fund global mitigation of greenhouse emissions. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has touted the importance of the Global South in tackling global warming as he prepares to host the United Nations climate summit in November. Still, a joint statement from BRICS leaders released on Sunday argued that fossil fuels will continue to play an important role in the global energy mix, particularly in developing economies. "We live in a moment of many contradictions in the whole world. The important thing is that we are willing to overcome these contradictions," Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva said on the sidelines of the summit, when asked about the plans to extract oil off the coast of the Amazon rainforest. In their joint statement, BRICS leaders underscored that providing climate finance "is a responsibility of developed countries towards developing countries," which is the standard position for emerging economies in global negotiations. Their declaration also mentioned the group's support for a fund that Brazil proposed to protect endangered forests - the Tropical Forests Forever Facility - as a way for emerging economies to fund climate change mitigation beyond the mandatory requirements imposed on wealthy nations by the 2015 Paris Agreement. China and the UAE signaled in meetings with Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Rio that they plan to invest in the fund, two sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters last week. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements by April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Tech Hackathons produce scam simulation tool for education, platform identifying birds based on calls Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 The joint statement from BRICS leaders also blasted policies such as carbon border taxes and anti-deforestation laws, which Europe has recently adopted, for imposing what they called "discriminatory protectionist measures" under the pretext of environmental concerns. DEFENDING MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY The opening of the BRICS summit on Sunday presented the bloc as a bastion of multilateral diplomacy in a fractured world and underscored the influence of 11 member nations that represent 40% of global output. Leaders also indirectly criticized U.S. military and trade policy, while pushing for the reform of multilateral institutions now largely run by Americans and Europeans. In his opening remarks at the meeting on Sunday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew a parallel with the Cold War's Non-Aligned Movement, a group of developing nations that resisted joining either side of a polarized global order. "BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement," Lula told leaders. "With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is in check once again." The Rio summit, the first to include Indonesia as a member, has showcased the rapid expansion of BRICS but raised questions about shared goals within its diverse group. In a joint statement published on Sunday, the BRICS condemned military attacks on Iran and Gaza, but stopped short of a unified position on which countries should have seats on a reformed United Nations Security Council. Only China and Russia supported adding Brazil and India to the council. Leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa gathered in Rio to discuss economic and geopolitical tensions. But the meeting's political weight was diminished by Chinese President Xi Jinping's decision to send Premier Li Qiang in his place. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store