Latest news with #Low
The Star
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Actress Daphne Low suffers first-degree burn from curling iron in stylist mishap
Taiwan-based Malaysian actress Daphne Low has accused a hair salon in Taipei of unprofessionalism and negligence. Photos: Daphne Low/Instagram Taiwan-based Malaysian actress Daphne Low recently took to social media to call out a hair salon in Taipei for its unprofessionalism and negligence. In a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday (May 28), Low, 31, revealed that she had suffered a first-degree burn on her left cheekbone from a curling iron in a stylist mishap last month. 'During the session, due to the stylist's error, a curling iron heated to nearly 200°C slipped from a height and landed directly on my left cheekbone before falling onto my thigh. 'As an artiste who regularly undergoes styling, I've never encountered such an outrageous accident. I was in so much pain but remained calm and didn't lash out at the staff,' she wrote, adding that the employees gave her an ice pack to relieve the pain. While the salon waived the session fee and gave her a discount voucher for the next visit, Low didn't dare return. 'The next day, there was visible swelling and redness below my left brow and around my eye. It was worse than I imagined. I went to a clinic right away, and the doctor diagnosed it as a first-degree burn,' she said. While not the most serious type of burn, Low expressed concern over the risk of scarring – a potential career setback for an actress. The Ola Bola (2016) star alleged that when she informed the salon she would follow up after her medical consultation, a staff member assured her they would stay in touch. Although the actress initially intended to resolve the matter in private, she chose to publicise it after claiming that none of the staff had responded to her concerns for over a month. 'I have always advocated for harmony and am well aware of the challenges in the service industry. 'If the salon hadn't given me the cold shoulder for over a month, I never would've made it public,' she wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 劉倩妏 Daphne (@daphnelaven)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Low's Alan Sparhawk, Trampled by Turtles bringing new music to the Fitzgerald Theater
Low's Alan Sparhawk, Trampled by Turtles bringing new music to the Fitzgerald Theater originally appeared on Bring Me The News. It's been a busy run over the last year for Alan Sparhawk. The former Low songwriter released his first (more or less) solo album last year, the electronics and autotune-heavy White Roses, My God. He has been touring almost constantly in 2025 and even spent time playing guitar with Circuit des Yeux. This week, he's released another record, a collaboration with fellow Duluthians, Trampled by Turtles. Sparhawk and his bluegrass counterparts will celebrate the record with a home-state show at The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul on Dec. 11. They'll perform their new nine-track record at the show, accompanied by an opening set from Nona Invie (Dark Dark Dark), who also happens to have a weekly June residency at Berlin in Downtown Minneapolis that starts on Sunday. (Similar to Sparhawk, Invie released their first solo record earlier this year.) Tickets for Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
New life, fresh revenue streams out of Singapore's state properties
[SINGAPORE] When Colin Low and his team at the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) first stepped into 11 Keppel Hill, the colonial-era bungalow was little more than a liability – overgrown, derelict and long vacant. 'When we first went in, it was very dark, even in the daytime, and bats flew out. We got a shock!' says Low, who was chief executive officer at the agency until the end of April. Not long after, the once-forgotten building became the unlikely stage for Chanel's first haute couture presentation in Singapore. The French maison's week-long event in April 2023 was more than a fashion spectacle. It was a reflection of how state properties in the Republic have been redefined during Low's four-year tenure at the agency – as not just land to be managed, but vibrant, usable spaces with strong commercial value. As custodian of state assets in land-scarce Singapore, SLA manages some 11 hectares of land and about 2,600 state-owned properties. Ranging from old army barracks and shophouses to heritage bungalows, walk-up apartments and disused schools across the island, these are leased out to a variety of tenants for commercial, residential and institutional use. Large clusters such as Dempsey now house lifestyle stores and restaurants; Chip Bee Gardens became home to a 'makers' village', and Gillman Barracks was turned into an art hub. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up One of Low's jobs, when he joined the agency as CEO in April 2021, was to find creative and innovative ways to optimise every square inch of available space to support the city-state's evolving economic and social needs. ' SLA has scored remarkable success, both in finding new occupiers for old spaces and raising awareness of the commercial potential of state assets. ' To this end, SLA has scored remarkable success, both in finding new occupiers for old spaces and raising awareness of the commercial potential of state assets. Over the last four years, Low, who joined SLA from the private sector, estimates that the agency has tendered out more than 100 properties that were either vacant or previously put to a different use. 'I can't share exact figures, but (revenue contribution) definitely increased by a lot,' he says. The new approach called for a different mindset – starting with becoming a more proactive landlord, he tells The Business Times on his penultimate day in office, ahead of Calvin Phua's induction as CEO on May 1. 'To date, we have met more than 100 groups of people for 'no agenda' conversations,' he says. These engagements have been typically informal, with social and non-governmental organisations, chefs, coffee chains, co-working and co-living operators, hoteliers ... the list goes on. Listening to the ground gave the agency a better grasp of the diverse needs and opportunities in the market, Low says. SLA gained insights into how properties could be scoped, marketed and tendered out, increasing their relevance and uptake. From standard three-year-tenures with an option to renew twice for three years each time, SLA has moved on to longer tenancies of five years, renewable for another four (the '5+4' year tenure), for certain concepts; it also offers master tenancies for larger-scale developments. The agency has increasingly favoured price and quality (PQ) tenders, evaluating not just bid prices, but also the purpose and concepts submitted. In its latest tender launched this week, SLA offered a cluster of some 40 buildings spanning a gross floor area of about 139,700 sq ft in one compound at 2 Moulmein Road. The site, which housed the National Centre for Infectious Diseases up to 2018, supported Covid operations until it was returned to the state in 2023. It is now up for tender to a master tenant for uses such as co-living spaces, wellness, fitness, pet-friendly services, an art gallery and educational programmes; about a third of space is to be set aside for food-and-beverage and retail outlets. 'As a state landlord, we don't want just high economic value; the social and community value of purpose is very important to us as well,' he says. 'Many times, we deliberately brought the weight of the bid price down, sometimes to 30 to 40 per cent (of the consideration).' A case in point is The Lo & Behold Group's New Bahru, a hospitality and F&B business founded by UOB's Wee family scion Wee Teng Wen. The building cluster, which used to be the site of Nan Chiau High School, had housed co-working spaces, offices and a trampoline park. When the lease ended, Low and the team decided to do something different at the prime River Valley location. The bid by Lo & Behold eventually beat more than 10 others in the PQ tender that closed in June 2022 – and this was despite the group's bid of S$400,000 in rent per month being the second lowest. The highest bid came from ACL Construction, at S$806,722. Low says: 'We chose (Lo & Behold) because the group represents a lot of Singaporean or Singapore-based brands.' 'There were a couple of naysayers when the news came out,' he adds. 'They asked if we were doing (the property) justice, if we were doing a disservice to the state with all this lost revenue.' After New Bahru opened, bagging accolades and drawing crowds to its showcase of buzzy eateries, bars and shops, the criticism died down. 'People realised that if you award the highest rent, a lot of times you may get the same old, same old. But if you choose a PQ tender that rewards based on concept, it gives you something in return.' Low notes that the commercial tender winner may not be the highest bidder, but that the SLA has a reserve rent. 'All those that pass the mark – it's not just at market rent – but that they also have good concepts.' Gross turnover rent, based on a percentage of the tenant's gross sales, is another route the SLA sometimes takes to align its interests with those of its tenants, he adds. 'Otherwise, if you put a very high rent from the start, things are going to be very difficult for the incoming tenant.' The co-living wave The Singapore Land Authority's two-storey heritage shophouse along Hindoo Road received 16 bids when the tender closed in April 2023. PHOTO: SLA The ground-up approach was how SLA identified the co-living market as another viable concept for its properties. The first state-owned building converted to this particular use – a two-storey heritage shophouse along Hindoo Road – got 16 bids when the tender closed in April 2023. The winner was construction company Eco Energy, which submitted a top bid of S$68,000 a month. That same day, SLA launched a new tender for another co-living concept at 26 Evans Road. The tender for the Bukit Timah area property pulled in a staggering 25 bids – an SLA record – in October 2023. It was eventually awarded to turnkey solutions provider Cover Projects, which submitted the second-highest bid of S$265,000 in a field that ranged from S$63,000 to S$319,000 a month. ' The tender for 26 Evans Road pulled in a staggering 25 bids – an SLA record – in October 2023. It was eventually awarded to Cover Projects, which submitted the second-highest bid of S$265,000 in a field that ranged from S$63,000 to S$319,000 a month. ' This year, SLA offered 20 black-and-white houses in the Admiralty Road area for serviced apartment use, including multi-generational and senior co-living concepts, and some F&B and retail use. The site show-around was held in March and April, and the tender closes on Jun 11. 'I think over 100 people came for this, and when I looked at the list of names that came, I was quite encouraged by it,' says Low, adding that the lively response reflects a strong demand for senior co-living assets in Singapore's rapidly ageing society. The shift towards a more proactive approach has not gone unnoticed. Alan Cheong, Savills Singapore's executive director of research and consultancy, says: 'During Colin's tenure, we noticed that SLA became more aligned with the market, reaching out to the public with fresh initiatives that were definitely an uplift from the old days, when the agency behaved conservatively as a trustee for the state's land resources.' The private sector also became more 'acutely aware and interested' in major tenders that the agency put out, he notes. CBRE research head for South-east Asia Tricia Song adds that SLA's 'willingness to adapt and its receptiveness to ideas have allowed the private sector to participate in the rejuvenation and place-making of these old properties'. Cost challenges One of the biggest challenges in handling state properties is managing capital expenditure, says Low. 'The properties that we have are 100 years old, so there's a lot of care and maintenance that goes into it. 'The moment you leave it vacant, it falls into disrepair very quickly, and the state has to fund the maintenance.' He adds that while the cost of maintaining state properties is consistent across locations, rental returns can vary significantly. Some properties – those in the city centre, which command higher demand and strong rental potential, for instance – are therefore prioritised over others, he says. 'You repair those first to minimise downtime, get them occupied quickly, and then move on to the others.' Louis Vuitton held its Spring/Summer runway show at Pasir Panjang Power Station in 2023. PHOTO: LOUIS VUITTON In the meantime, vacant properties are activated for 'creative interim use'. These included converting them into spaces for pop-up events for the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessey and more. Chanel's haute couture presentation at 11 Keppel Hill followed French fashion house Louis Vuitton's two-week Savoir Faire event at the historic Former Command House off Dunearn Road in April 2022. Three years later, it was Cartier's turn to use the nearly-90-year-old property dating back to the British occupation: the house was the venue for Cartier's by-invitation Nature Sauvage high-end jewellery exhibition. 'Our ultimate goal is to always find a long-term tenant,' says Low. 'But a lot of times, when the condition of the property is in such (disrepair), no one can visualise its potential. Such ad-hoc events allow people to visualise it differently, and sometimes bring about new connections.' He adds that for SLA, some clients are ideal for the way they elevate and restore an underused space. When Chanel took over 11 Keppel Hill, the high-end fashion maison did not just dress the venue – it refurbished it, right down to replacing the toilets. 'Realistically speaking, who else has the budget to do this? Not every company can,' says Low. 'It is also about understanding what these fashion houses want and pitching it right (for a win-win situation).' Most recently in April, the Former Command House was used by Cartier for its Nature Sauvage high jewellery exhibition. PHOTO: CARTIER SLA's latest annual report stated the agency's operating income for FY2023 at S$140.6 million, up 2 per cent. Agency fees contributed to 67 per cent of the figure. Regulatory fees and charges accounted for 23 per cent, and other fees and charges, 10 per cent. Operating expenditure rose 4 per cent to S$149.9 million. Operating income was about 10 per cent lower than FY2020's S$156 million. The social returns on projects lie beyond revenue, Low stresses. For example, a recent tender for a Kampong Java site nearly 30,000 sq ft in size stated the premise as a 'vibrant arts sandbox' that would be affordable and accessible to the artist community. It was eventually awarded to the second-highest bidder, creative agency 19SixtyFive at a bid rent of S$18,000. 'So the benefits are threefold: You get the property being used, maintenance costs are avoided, and the community gains,' says Low. The Singapore Land Authority's recent tender for a Kampong Java site (pictured) included an assessment of how the premise can be positioned as a 'vibrant arts sandbox'. PHOTO: MCCY Call for more flexibility on terms and rents But while the opportunities offered with state properties are unique, the specifics tied to SLA's terms can deter occupiers and limit the potential of the property, say industry observers. ' There is a need for SLA to balance risk with the rewards… This may involve being open to longer land lease tenures, and being flexible on use mix and rent, for example.' ' — Tricia Song, CBRE research head for South-east Asia CBRE's Song points out that there are high costs and risks for developers and investors. 'Having the right party will ensure these properties are properly utilised,' she says. 'There is thus a need for SLA to balance risk with the rewards… This may involve being open to longer land lease tenures, and being flexible on use mix and rent, for example.' In particular, the SLA's tenure terms are 'not very tenable', says Lim Keong Wee, co-founder and chief executive officer of Cover Projects, which clinched the Evans Road building and intends to develop it into a 74-room co-living property. This is especially true for those running commercial accommodation. The '5+4' year tenure translates to just three to four business cycles, given that long-stays typically range between three months and two years, says Lim. This does not provide a long enough runway for developers or investors to recoup their costs, particularly since adaptive-reuse projects require 'massive amounts of capital outlay' to repurpose and retrofit the building. 'But also from an operating standpoint – imagine, you can only go through a rental lease three or four times,' Lim says. 'I think that doesn't help the community get settled with the building.' In July 2023, then-Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong told Parliament the SLA was studying the feasibility of longer leasehold periods – such as 30 or 60 years – for an entire black-and-white bungalow estate, for private developers to take over the sites. As the master-leaseholder, a private developer can 'rejuvenate the entire estate and reap the benefits over the longer lease period', Tong said then. A group of 19 colonial bungalows in Adam Park had been floated for the initiative, but plans have yet to materialise. Low declines comment on the Adam Park estate. The bungalows have been earmarked for conservation in the lead-up to the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Draft Master Plan 2025. Tenants of state properties may also be subject to unexpected changes in government planning. The occupiers at Turf City in Bukit Timah, for instance, had to move out when the sprawling site was rezoned for housing; Gillman Barracks is currently being studied as a potential housing site. Nonetheless, tenants like Cover Projects' Lim sees SLA's push for adaptive re-use as generally positive. 'It allows operators to get to market quickly and meet this unmet demand while optimising space in Singapore,' he says. Tan Ken Loon, owner of modern seafood restaurant Naked Finn in Gillman Barracks, said that while his business has been hit hard by changing dining habits and consumers cutting back on spending, SLA has been 'reasonable, responsive, responsible'. Chua Yang Liang, JLL head of research and consultancy for South-east Asia, says: 'With land scarcity being visibly real in Singapore, culture and values would be lost if we don't balance redevelopment with preserving our collective memory through adaptive reuse. 'We should nurture the social networks and services on sites with short leases, just as we care for the trees in our parks,' he says.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
2 NYPD detectives, including member of Mayor Adams' detail, placed on desk duty for working private security for crypto torture case suspect, sources say
NEW YORK — Two veteran NYPD detectives — including a member of Mayor Eric Adams' security detail — were placed on desk duty Thursday for allegedly working private security without approval for one of the suspects arrested in the crypto torture case, police sources said. One of the cops was identified by sources as Roberto Cordero, a detective first grade with the NYPD since 2005, who was assigned to the Executive Protection Unit, which handles Adams' security. The second was identified by sources and an NYPD personnel order obtained by the Daily News as Raymond Low, a detective second grade with Manhattan North Narcotics who also joined the NYPD in 2005. He was placed on desk duty about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Cordero and Low officially were sworn in as cops on the same day, Jan. 10, 2005, records show. Investigators looking into the circumstances of the crypto torture case which has led to the arrests of two investors, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, learned that Cordero and Low were employed by one of the two men, the sources said. On Friday, an Italian national, 28, escaped from a multimillion-dollar Soho townhouse and went to police. Investigators established he had been held for 17 days and tortured repeatedly, authorities said. Woeltz was arrested last Friday. Duplessie was arrested Wednesday. It was unclear Thursday which of the two suspects the detectives were working for or how much they were being paid. The sources said a retired cop helped get the two detectives the job. Investigators have not determined whether either Cordero or Low had any knowledge or involvement in the kidnapping and torture of the victim, the sources said. Cordero's assignment to the mayor's detail in 2021 predated Adams' tenure as mayor, department records show. In a brief statement, an NYPD spokesperson said, 'Members of the service were modified yesterday. The matter is under internal review.' 'Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty. We are disturbed by these allegations, and as soon as it came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty. The investigation is ongoing,' said Kayla Mamelak, a spokeswoman for Mayor Adams. _____
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
2 NYPD detectives, including member of Mayor Adams' detail, placed on desk duty for working private security for crypto torture case suspect, sources say
NEW YORK — Two veteran NYPD detectives — including a member of Mayor Eric Adams' security detail — were placed on desk duty Thursday for allegedly working private security without approval for one of the suspects arrested in the crypto torture case, police sources said. One of the cops was identified by sources as Roberto Cordero, a detective first grade with the NYPD since 2005, who was assigned to the Executive Protection Unit, which handles Adams' security. The second was identified by sources and an NYPD personnel order obtained by the Daily News as Raymond Low, a detective second grade with Manhattan North Narcotics who also joined the NYPD in 2005. He was placed on desk duty about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Cordero and Low officially were sworn in as cops on the same day, Jan. 10, 2005, records show. Investigators looking into the circumstances of the crypto torture case which has led to the arrests of two investors, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, learned that Cordero and Low were employed by one of the two men, the sources said. On Friday, an Italian national, 28, escaped from a multimillion-dollar Soho townhouse and went to police. Investigators established he had been held for 17 days and tortured repeatedly, authorities said. Woeltz was arrested last Friday. Duplessie was arrested Wednesday. It was unclear Thursday which of the two suspects the detectives were working for or how much they were being paid. The sources said a retired cop helped get the two detectives the job. Investigators have not determined whether either Cordero or Low had any knowledge or involvement in the kidnapping and torture of the victim, the sources said. Cordero's assignment to the mayor's detail in 2021 predated Adams' tenure as mayor, department records show. In a brief statement, an NYPD spokesperson said, 'Members of the service were modified yesterday. The matter is under internal review.' 'Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty. We are disturbed by these allegations, and as soon as it came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty. The investigation is ongoing,' said Kayla Mamelak, a spokeswoman for Mayor Adams. _____
