Extra manpower, months of preparation: How millions of notes are distributed for Chinese New Year in Singapore

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MAS has been constantly encouraging the use of fit-for-gifting papers over new versions, citing conservation problems.

Most new notes are used only when before being returned to the central bank, then&nbsp, processed and reissued as fit-for-gifting information. However, the hoard of these papers continues to grow, MAS said.

S$ 2 ( US$ 1.50 ) notes remain the most popular denomination for Chinese New Year gifting, with the stock of fit-for-gifting S$ 2 notes increasing by 15 to 20 million pieces annually over the past two years.

” Over occasion, when storage capacity is exceeded, the additional will need to be incinerated, resulting in unwanted wastage”, the central bank said.

MAS estimated that each year there are 20 million extra new S$ 2 information issued. The carbon footprint of these documents is equivalent to 400 four-room HDB flats, and to offset this may require planting 10,000 new trees every year.

Despite this, demand for new information remains great. Customers continue to ask why there aren’t as many fresh notes because they still hold on to old-fashioned customs, according to Ms. Tan, the unit service manager at DBS.

Regardless of whether the records are brand-new, she assures them that the consumers of red boxes would be very happy to receive the funds. &nbsp,

That solution seems to touch clients. ” You can see the elderly all laughing”, Ms Tan said.

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‘A bit of dread’ watching Manchester United now, but fans in Singapore sticking with team

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Mr. Chin pointed out that all of the current crop of people were acquired by various managers.

” In terms of building a team, you need to bolster that trust in each other… it’s the trust that is missing ( and ) a lack of familiarity with each other”, he said.

Amorim also now doesn’t have the types of players appropriate for his favored 3-4-3 formation.

But unfortunately, for enthusiasts like Mr Chin, nothing did sever their relationship to Manchester United.

” I grew up supporting them and there’s that connection to the team today”, he said. ” It doesn’t change my help”.

Jersey profits in Singapore support this increase.

At big sports merchandise retailer Weston Corp, that ‘s&nbsp, been a” little decline” in the number of Manchester United kits sold this season&nbsp, – but it remains the most popular team in terms of sales.

We sell more United kits than any other team, according to Weston producer Ami Chopra, who spoke to CNA.

” Supporters are quite loyal. When they support the pub, they support the club”.

WHAT ABOUT FUTURE FANS?

Mr James Walton, Deloitte’s activities business team leader for Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia, noted that Manchester United’s possible problems with&nbsp, revenue and sustainability rules could also have an effect on its fans.

These Premier League rules prohibit irresponsible spending and prevent wealthy donors from giving large sums of money to clubs. They also place restrictions on how much money a club can drop over the course of three seasons.

Last year, United wrote to buff parties warning that the team was at risk of breaching&nbsp, the laws.

Fans who want the group to be built around the two skills may be offended by its willingness to sell two of its brightest fresh stars, 20-year-old wing Alejandro Garnacho and 19-year-old playmaker Kobbie Mainoo, said Mr. Walton, Mr.

And attracting younger generations to the United fans may be a problem if performances keep falling.

” The challenge for sports team is that your older supporters usually stay loyal through the thick and thin, but perhaps the younger followers will be the ones you won’t get,” he said.

They may rather seem to just more powerful teams like Liverpool and Manchester City because they are just starting out and finding a group to support them, according to Mr. Walton.

” But ultimately, Man United is one of the two or three largest brands of football clubs in the world, and will always have a large support”.

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More than 1,000 general practitioner clinics open during Chinese New Year

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SINGAPORE: A total of 1, 115 general practitioner ( GP ) clinics will be open at various times during the Chinese New Year period, the Ministry of Health ( MOH) said on Monday ( Jan 27 ).

Of these facilities, 17 may be available 24 hours a day throughout the festive period from Jan 28 to Jan 30.

On MOH’s GPGoWhere site, you can find out more about the facilities and their working time.

” Members of the public, including babies, who feel restless during the festive period are encouraged to attend their GP or a 24-hour center for small conditions”, MOH said in a media transfer.

Additionally, it advised people to call centres or schedule appointments before visiting them.

The Alexandria Hospital’s UCC, UCC@Admiralty, and National University Hospital’s UCC@Bukit Panjang are available for those with serious conditions that are not lethal.

In the event of” significant or lethal situations, such as stomach pain, dizziness, and excessive bleeding,” according to MOH, health care should only be sought at a doctor’s accident and emergency section.

The government added that “people who are not experiencing lethal situations should refrain from calling 911” to ensure that the 995 Emergency Medical Services can provide quick transportation for those with emergency problems.

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Tanglin Club’s ‘toxic’ workplace culture under scrutiny after member allegedly abused employee

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SINGAPORE: Tanglin Club’s” dangerous” work society is facing scrutiny by people after an incident of workers abuse that contributed to the withdrawal of the team’s general manager.

Founded in 1865, the exclusive members ‘ team has more than 4, 000 users and about 200 employees.

A part of the Tanglin Club’s general committee reportedly verballyabused another member on June 28, 2023, according to a report from the Tanglin Club’s general manager David Brightling.

Mr Brightling resigned on Sep 27, 2023. He said that” a dangerous job culture” was the primary “push” issue, according to internal documents seen by CNA.

The general manager was also hired and fired from Hong Kong’s private members ‘ club.

After a ballot called by the team’s leader Chong Zhi Cheng on October 16, 2023, the participant involved was removed from the standard commission.

The vote was called on the grounds that his alleged verbal altercation was in violation of membership rules that no club member should “reprimand or overuse” any associate of the staff.

On January 30, 2024, a commissioned separate assessment committee was established to examine the removal of the member in question.

After investigating, the review committee found that the alleged misuse did take place, according to its document dated May 23, 2024.

According to Mr Brightling, he sent an internet on Jun 28, 2023 about the league’s treadmill. The assessment agency’s report&nbsp, indicated&nbsp, that this was because a part had been seen “moving the practice bike around”.

The member in question finally called Mr. Brightling to schedule a meeting later that day after receiving a call. The representative allegedly had an issue with being named and accused in the internet. &nbsp,

The review committee found that Mr Brightling was apparent in his proof that the part used the words “evil”, “incompetent” and” stupid” towards him at this meeting.

The basic director was even yelled at over the telephone, and the member in question “banged down” the phone on him.

The review committee made up of three regular team members and determined that this constituted “plainly aggressive conduct” together with the rhetorical abuse.

In a legal charter, the public administrator stated that in about three decades working at the league, he had come across “many occurrences” of harassment and bullying.

He said the Jun 28, 2023 affair was “certainly the most severe case” in his whole career.

Mr Brightling’s study of a” dangerous” work society at Tanglin Club was also supported by people the committee interviewed, who said that staff, including management, were “afraid” of people.

If a club member misbehaved, staff had apparently tend not to make a proper complaint, but tell their head of department and allow their manager handle the matter, or just resign.

According to the assessment committee, this negatively impacted staff morale and caused the club to lose staff members.

They suggested that the team’s general committee establish a harassment policy for both employees and members, as well as a procedure for employees to report misuse without filing a strong complaint against a member.

They also suggested creating a common method to handle administrative complaints against team members to confirm “fairness and transparency” and establish expected timelines.

The review committee also pointed out that it was a problem to “get the correct folks” into the common council, as just about 300 out of 4, 000 people voted in elections.
 
Members of the general committee “tend anecdotally to be male and older”, in their 50s and 60s, so there was a need for more emphasis on diversity.

According to the report, “work needs to be done” to encourage female and male members to run for president and, in doing so, contribute to the club.”

The review committee noted that “factions, cliques and political in-fighting” were affecting working relationships within the general committee, and between the committee and the club’s president.

Members of the general committee may take into account mediation “or other efforts to heal divisions, rather than exacerbate them,” according to the report.

Finally, the review committee suggested looking into the suitability of a code of conduct” to set the right tone and improve the dynamics underlying the relationships at the club.”

CNA has reached out to Tanglin Club to ask about the implementation of the review committee’s recommendations.

Before, there have been controversy-filled disputes involving Tanglin Club members.

Yeoh En Lai, the club’s former president, resigned in 2022 amid concerns about his academic credentials, according to the Straits Times report.

Mr Brightling, then the general manager, reportedly made a police report over this.

A member sued Tanglin Club and its general committee after going through disciplinary proceedings after being subject to disciplinary proceedings in 2018, TODAY reported.

According to reports, this occurred after he was accused of sending “offensive and disrespectful emails and WhatsApp messages.”

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DeepSeek: Chinese AI model overtakes ChatGPT to top app charts

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DeepSeek, the top-rated free app on Apple’s App Store in the US, UK, and China, has overtaken ChatGPT and another AI competitors.

Since its January release, the app has soared in popularity, challenging the widely held notion that America is the invincible head of the Artificial industry.

It is powered by the open-source DeepSeek-V3 design, which its scientists say was developed for less than$ 6m- significantly less than the trillions spent by competitors.

However, others in the AI storage have disputed this assertion.

After DeepSeek-R1 was launched earlier this month the company boasted of “performance on par with” one of ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s latest models – when used for tasks such as maths, coding and natural language reasoning.

Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Donald Trump advisor Marc Andreessen described DeepSeek-R1 as “AI’s Sputnik moment”, in a reference to the first artificial Earth satellite that was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.

Advanced bits enable AI types like DeepSeek and ChatGPT to be trained.

However, the US government has tightened its ban on selling sophisticated cards to China since 2021.

Chinese AI engineers have shared their labor with each other and experimented with new techniques to the systems in order to continue their work without constant supplies of imported developed chips.

As a result, AI types now require significantly less processing power than they did before. Additionally, it means that they cost significantly less than what was formerly believed possible, which has the ability to destroy the sector.

Shares in AI-related firms based in the US, such as Nvidia, Microsoft and Meta were lower on Monday morning.

According to some estimates, DeepSeek training will cost less than the typical US AI companies.

Vey-Sern Ling, a Singapore-based technology capital advisor, told the BBC:” It could possibly undermine the investment case for the entire Artificial supply chain, which is driven by substantial spending from a small number of hyperscalers.

Citi, a major bank on Wall Street, warned that while DeepSeek may challenge the strong positions of American companies, such as OpenAI, Chinese firms ‘ issues might hinder their growth.

” We estimate that in an undoubtedly more stringent environment, US ‘ access to more sophisticated chips is an benefit”, its analysts said in a statement.

Last week, a consortium of US tech firms and foreign investors announced The Stargate Project, a company which is putting $500bn into AI infrastructure in Texas.

The company was founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng in Hangzhou, a city in southeastern China.

The 40-year-old, an information and electronic engineering graduate, also founded the hedge fund that backed DeepSeek.

He reportedly built up a store of Nvida A100 chips, now banned from export to China. Experts believe this collection – which some estimates put at 50,000 – led him to launch DeepSeek, by pairing these chips with cheaper, lower-end ones that are still available to import.

Mr. Liang recently attended a meeting between industry experts and the Chinese premier Li Qiang.

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Be upfront about Chinese New Year surcharges, consumer watchdog tells retailers

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LOW SALES AT Fair

Some stalls at the monthly Chinese New Year fair in Chinatown are slashing prices in a last-ditch try to brush in some profit, yet as consumers are shopping for must-have products regardless of what they cost.

This comes amid bad business, which sellers attributed to the persistent rain. &nbsp,

Sales have decreased by 30 % this year, according to those who also hawked their goods last year.

” I used to only sell one for Singapore$ 1. I’m currently selling eight for$ 1. If I don’t do this nobody will buy. Now … It is selling a lot”, said one stallholder selling decorations. &nbsp,

The Chinatown Festivals Committee hopes that sales will increase following its annual countdown on Tuesday night.

” Right after the countdown party, there’s also going to be a lot of amazing promotions, and we really hope to encourage more Singaporeans to come here and do last-minute Chinese New Year shopping”, said the committee’s head of public relations Luo Chen Jun. &nbsp,

While stalls close at 10.30pm daily, some will stay open until 1am on the fair’s final day on Tuesday.

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BII, FMO and SUSI partners team up to support SEA’s energy transition | FinanceAsia

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British International Investment ( BII ), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, has announced the launch of Sustainable Asia Renewable Assets ( SARA ), a new utility-scale renewable energy platform. SUSI Partners and Dutch growth bank FMO have been co-founded by SARA.

¬ Plaza Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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Japan’s Fuji TV: Top executives resign after Masahiro Nakai sex scandal

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In response to a sexual misconduct claim made against a well-known TV host, the chairman and president of one of Japan’s biggest network, Fuji TV, resigned.

The system, which was criticized for trying to cover up the controversy, has since removed thousands of company advertisements.

Masahiro Nakai was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a 2023 dinner party allegedly organised by Fuji TV staff. He announced his retirement from show business last week.

Fuji TV needs to regain the trust of viewers and sponsors, according to the Chinese government.

Shuji Kano, leader of Fuji TV, and Koichi Minato, both gave a press conference on Monday to make their resignations known. It arrived soon after a board meeting of disaster.

They thanked viewers and stakeholders for the problem and worry caused by a controversy that has shaken Japan’s entertainment sector.

” I feel deeply the fat of my duty for undermining confidence in the media,” said Mr. Minato. ” Looking back, I realise there were deficiencies in our answer”.

Mr. Minato had earlier acknowledged that the business was aware of the allegations against Nakai immediately after the alleged incident occurred. However, Fuji Television made the decision to not reveal it at the moment because he had argued that it prioritized the woman’s physical and mental healing as well as the safety of her privacy.

Nakai reportedly paid the unnamed woman more than$ 500,000 last month. Therefore more allegations surfaced that a Fuji TV staff had assisted in the dinner party’s planning.

Nakai, a well-known face and former participant of the child group SMAP, has denied using violence against the person. He has also said that he had “resolved” the problem with her through a lawsuit.

However, this failed to suppress open resentment.

Nissan and Toyota, two automakers, were among those that canceled Fuji TV’s marketing.

The incident “exposes major flaws in your business governance,” according to investment firm Rising Sun Management, the majority shareholder in the parent company of Fuji TV.

Since then, Fuji Television has established an impartial panel to look into the incident.

Executive vice president Kenji Shimizu, who did succeed Mr. Minato as president, stated that he would “never bear deeds that violate human rights” and would work with Mr. Minato to start from scratch in order to stop similar situations.

The community suspended a regular show hosted by Nakai earlier this month, and other major systems have even dropped the reporter.

Following rumors that similar dinner events involving stars are a popular practice in the industry, other TV networks have made their own investigations public.

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Man fined for injuring colleague’s neck while trying to massage him

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SINGAPORE: A man who permanently injured his colleague while massaging him was fined S$ 3, 000 ( US$ 2, 230 ) on Monday ( Jan 27 ). &nbsp,

Ng Jian Ye Eugene, 32, admitted to causing severe harm as a result of an omission that endangered some ‘ personal protection. The victim’s throat was twisted, causing him to sputter or pressure during a phone call at their place of employment. &nbsp,

Mr. Suang Wijaya and  Mr. Hamza Malik from Eugene Thuraisingam LLP noted that he had represented Singapore in Wushu in his prevention appeal. He received instruction from his coach in sports massage, and he also practices Muay Thai and massage for his friends and coworkers often. &nbsp,

The defense claimed that” these treatments are intended to and had helped his colleagues and friends with their discomfort, pain, and muscle symptoms.” &nbsp,

On November 11, 2022, Ng approached the prey from behind while the victim was using a microphone to speak to a client on the phone in the office. &nbsp,

He placed one finger on the top of the victim’s mind and the other on the victim’s neck, and then twisted the victim’s chest once in a circular path and once in an anti-clockwise way.

Ng had massaged the victim several days at the latter’s request, and had massaged him in” the regular way” on the day of the event, the army claimed. &nbsp,

Since the victim, 31, was on a call, he did not react and Ng walked away. &nbsp,

The victim later complained of discomfort in his neck after the call ended, so he went to a clinic later that evening. There, he was diagnosed with a sprained neck and given five days of medical leave. &nbsp,

The victim was directed to have an MRI scan on November 16, 2022, which revealed several levels of disc desiccation. He continued to feel pain in his neck. &nbsp,

Disc desiccation is the gradual loss of hydration, or water, from an intervertebral disc in the spine. &nbsp,

On November 24, 2022, the victim consulted an orthopaedic surgeon who determined that he had suffered a cervical sprain or strain. Additionally, the doctor determined that the victim did not have pre-existing conditions and gave him a hospitalization leave until Jan. 25, 2024. &nbsp,

The victim informed the human resources department of their employer about the incident, and the department said they would treat their report as an accident at work, which might allow him to receive compensation from the Ministry of Manpower ( MOM) for the cost of his medical treatment. &nbsp,

The company, TDCX, objected to an assessment that&nbsp, the victim had sustained a permanent incapacity. The Work Injury Compensation Board finalized the assessment of” 15 per cent permanent incapacity” in September 2023 after MOM referred him to a specialist panel. &nbsp,

On December 8 of that year, the victim reported to the police. &nbsp,

The defense referred to a letter from a mutual friend who met the victim a month after the incident as a reassuring factor. In her testimony, she claimed that the victim “acted completely normally” and “did not show any signs of distress”. &nbsp,

The defence noted that this was a more superficial observation, but stressed that” contemporaneous” observation should be taken into account. &nbsp,

Due to the unsigned and undated nature of the document, Deputy Public Prosecutor Melissa Heng urged the court to not give weight to the letter from this testimony. &nbsp,

She continued, stating that this does not constitute proof that the victim was actually not in any distress or pain at the time. The medical report provided the most reliable information regarding the victim’s injuries. &nbsp,

Even though Ng had massaged coworkers or people close to him, he was still a novice masseuse, according to Ms Heng, who added that the workplace is not a place for a proper massage. &nbsp,

Up to two years in prison, a fine of up to S$ 5, 000, or both are the penalties for causing grievous harm to anyone for a negligent act.

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When weight matters: How EnterpriseSG officers ensure shoppers get what they pay for

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Bee Cheng Hiang, who makes bak kwa, or grilled meat jerky, claimed the network also makes sure measurements are made pretty. The weighing system is kept up, but team members also take extra care to set it up on a level surface.

” Every day before we weigh the goods, we will examine the level built into our level so that the readings are correct”, said Mr Liew Jiew Chiang, officer at the agency’s Bugis Village store.

MAKING SURE WEIGHTS ARE Appropriate

Earlier this month, CNA followed officers from the Weights and Measures Office of Enterprise Singapore ( EnterpriseSG) to the two stores, which are popular during the Chinese New Year season, for their spot checks on weighing instruments.

The soldiers checked the accuracy brands on the current scales, which are appropriate for a time. &nbsp, Checks are even carried out at shops, goldsmiths and yet Chinese ka cuisine stalls.

Authorities discovered 280 expired labels and unsubstantiated scales at consumer-facing businesses next month, which is about a 66 % increase from the previous year, despite the two stores passing the test.

Around 1, 200 place checks are done islandwide every month, for real stores and online businesses.

Beatrice Wong, the chairman of the Weights and Measures Office, attributed the increase to more precise assessments conducted on-site.

More specific checks would mean, for instance, that we would use data analysis to find locations where the tools or the accuracy label have already expired and that we would go down and especially check those locations, she told CNA.

Flouting the laws or having expired names could mean a great up to S$ 5, 000, &nbsp, three times ‘ prison, or both.

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