Latest news with #Singapore
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Odette holds the line as Singapore's sole entry on World's 50 Best Restaurants list
SINGAPORE, June 20 — Odette, the acclaimed French fine-dining restaurant at Singapore's National Gallery, has retained its position as the country's standard-bearer on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, ranking No. 25 in the 2025 edition. Though it slipped one notch from its 2024 position, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant remains the only Singapore establishment in the coveted top 50. This marks Odette's seventh consecutive year on the list since its debut in 2018. 'This year marks 10 years of Odette, and it is an honour to once again be recognised among some of the finest restaurants around the world,' said chef-owner Julien Royer, 42, in a statement to The Straits Times from Turin, Italy, where the awards ceremony was held yesterday. 'I'm incredibly proud of my team — many of whom have been on this journey with us since the very beginning. Their dedication and consistency have been key in shaping Odette into what it is today.' The statement also noted that Odette's team remains 'immensely proud' to represent Singapore on the global culinary stage, regardless of ranking. While Odette stayed in the upper echelon, two other local names — both previously in the top 100 — slid down the rankings. Modern barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends, helmed by chef Dave Pynt and known for its open-fire cooking, came in at No. 93, down from No. 68 last year. Restaurant Labyrinth, chef LG Han's imaginative tribute to modern Singaporean cuisine, dropped five places to No. 97. Meanwhile, Meta — a contemporary Korean restaurant that placed No. 95 in 2024 — fell out of the top 100. The latest list also reflected a strong showing by restaurants in Bangkok and Tokyo. Notably, Bangkok's Potong soared to No. 13 from No. 57 last year and earned the title of The World's Best Female Chef for its head chef Pichaya 'Pam' Soontornyanakij. Gaggan retained its Best Restaurant in Asia crown at No. 6, while Nusara jumped from No. 74 to No. 35. In Tokyo, Sezanne climbed to No. 7, while long-time favourite Den dropped to No. 53. Topping the global list this year is Lima's Maido, a restaurant blending Japanese precision with Peruvian soul, led by chef Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura. The list is compiled annually by British media company William Reed, based on votes from over 1,100 culinary professionals around the world.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Former teacher who molested 7-year-old student in classroom jailed for 9 months
SINGAPORE: A former Chinese language teacher who touched the inner thigh of his female student, then around seven years old, was given nine months' jail on Friday (Jun 20). The molestation was in 2019 but left a mark on the young girl's mind until she reported it three years later. The 38-year-old Malaysian national and Singapore permanent resident pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated molest of a victim under 14. Both the accused and victim, now 13, cannot be named to protect the latter's identity. According to a past media report, the accused is no longer a teacher. The victim was then a Primary 2 student between seven and eight years old, and the accused was her Chinese language and form teacher. The offence occurred in 2019 when the girl approached the teacher's table to find out the name of a song in the music video he was playing from a laptop. She was in her classroom. Nearing the end of class, the girl stood to the left of the accused to look at the screen while the man sat on the teacher's chair. The man then placed his hand under the girl's skirt and touched her inner thigh for a few seconds, causing the girl to feel uncomfortable. There were no other students at the teacher's table then. She told him that the touch felt "itchy" before joining her classmates for recess. When she was in primary 5, the girl informed her school's vice-principal about the molestation on Apr 28, 2022. Court documents did not describe what led to this moment. A psychiatrist who assessed the victim in April 2023 said that the girl felt "scared and angry" after the incident with suicidal thoughts. "She had recurrent thoughts and flashbacks about the offence. The victim also expressed a fear of males and reported difficulty trusting others, which (the psychiatrist) opined could lead to problems with interpersonal relationships later in life," the prosecution said. The prosecution argued for eight to 10 months' jail, noting how the accused had only pleaded guilty "on the doorstep of trial". The man's lawyer Anil Sandhu described his client as apologetic and informed the court that he is father of three young children. His wife was present for his hearing. District Judge Lim Tse Haw noted how teachers were held in high regard by society and trusted by parents to "impart knowledge and good moral values" in students. "Hence when our teachers breach that sacred trust and instead violate the modesty of our students, they must expect to receive a deterrent sentence, so that a clear message is sent out that society views such serious (offences) with opprobrium," Judge Lim said. He took into account the victim's young age but noted that the touch was fleeting and did not intrude on her private parts.
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
Man finds ‘insects' in dinner ordered by company, but horrified netizens tell him they look like maggots
SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to complain about the 'insects' that he found in the food his company driver had bought for dinner. Commenters, however, told him that they looked more like maggots, which begin to appear when food is spoiled. They also urged him to contact the relevant authorities. On the popular COMPLAINT SINGAPORE page on Thursday (Jun 19), the man wrote that the food had been ordered from a certain stall at 7 Kaki Bukit Avenue 3, which is located near the Kaki Bukit Recreation Centre. 'This shop our company driver (buys) food for dinner. Many insects were found inside the stomach of the fish being eaten. No one can eat after seeing this fishy insect,' he added. He also posted a photo of the meal, which showed a piece of fish on a bed of rice. However, on the fish were many small cylindrical-shaped items that looked different from the rice. The post author circled these in red to indicate that these were the insects he had found. Screengrab/ COMPLAINT SINGAPORE On his post, he added a receipt from the meal as well. It was not itemized, but simply said 'makan,' for which the person who ordered paid S$49. Screengrab/ COMPLAINT SINGAPORE The post author also included a picture of the stall. A quick online search confirms that the stall has been registered since at least 2023 to sell cooked food and prepared drinks at Kaki Bukit Recreation Centre. It has no social media accounts or website, however. Facebook users who commented on the post appeared to be as horrified as the post's author. 'This is a very serious issue,' wrote one. 'Wow! Those are not insects. Looks more like maggots,' exclaimed another. 'Oh no, so many maggots !' a netizen wrote. One could hardly believe the food had been purchased in Singapore. Some urged the post author to report the matter to the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). At the same time, one commenter suggested that the stall owner should be informed about the spoiled food. The SFA oversees food safety in Singapore, while the NEA manages many hawker centres, including ensuring public health issues, cleanliness, and maintenance. While maggots themselves are generally not harmful, they are killed by stomach acid. However, in some cases, people who have ingested maggots have gotten bacterial infections. It's the spoiled food where maggots are found that commonly poses a greater danger when eaten, as it could lead to food poisoning, which can cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. The Independent Singapore has reached out to the post author for further comments or updates. /TISG Read also: Woman horrified to find 'worms/maggots' in Nestlé coffee capsule box ordered online
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Malaysia's PM Anwar vows to 'make necessary adjustments' from SEZ foreign investors' feedback 'if absolutely necessary'
ISKANDAR PUTERI, MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim vowed that Malaysia will make necessary adjustments, 'if absolutely necessary,' based on feedback from foreign investors on the development of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) to make Malaysia 'a very attractive destination for foreign investments.' Speaking at the two-day Nikkei Forum Medini, Johor 2025, PM Anwar pitched the JS-SEZ project, 'based on total trust' between Malaysia and Singapore, touting foreign investors to invest in the opportunity, as reported by Nikkei Asia. 'This is not an ordinary SEZ,' he said. 'Name me any other economic zone that involves two countries based on total trust and working together as a team.' The JS-SEZ deal, signed on Jan 6 during the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat in Putrajaya , spans 3,571 sq km, nearly five times the size of Singapore. Johor's Chief Minister, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who was also at the forum, shared that investment in his state has been 'surging.' He said Johor attracted RM30.1 billion (S$9.12 billion) in investment during the first three months of 2025, nearly seven times the RM4.1 billion recorded in the same period last year. 'This amount took nine months to achieve last year, and it has been achieved just in three months in 2025,' the chief minister said, adding that this reflects the trust of both local and foreign investors in Johor. He also mentioned that from January to May, Johor's Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre had secured committed investments worth RM16.71 billion, with another RM26.18 billion in potential investments being considered by 47 foreign and 10 local investors. The centre is responsible for guiding businesses into the SEZ. In January, OCBC had already expected the JS-SEZ deal to attract increased interest from regional firms , given the interest they had observed even before the deal was finalised. Despite strong investor interest, infrastructure concerns already felt by Johoreans were raised during the forum. Japan's ambassador to Malaysia, Noriyuki Shikata, said it is 'essential' to address the pressing issue of traffic congestion in Johor, as it will not only hamper economic activity but will also waste energy, harm the environment, and increase accident risks. In response, PM Anwar said, 'We should be very dynamic and make adjustments wherever necessary.' /TISG Read also: Johor's April investment pipeline at RM23B as it targets high-tech and green investments to create better-paying job opportunities
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
After Standard Chartered offshores jobs to India, Reddit user asks what S'poreans are doing to protect themselves
SINGAPORE: Reports that Standard Chartered laid off 80 staff members in Singapore to offshore these roles to India appear to have sent a chill among some employees. One Reddit user immediately took to the platform to ask how others are protecting themselves. The company offshored roles in Singapore, mainly from its technology and operations teams, according to eFinancialCareers. However, this may just be the beginning of a broader restructuring, sources at the bank have said. In a post on r/askSingapore, u/piggyb0nk wrote, 'What are you doing to protect yourself from offshoring?' They explained that they work with several tech teams, and the majority of the roles are contracted out to companies based in India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. They described the workers they've met from these countries as 'REALLY GOOD' – experienced, able to speak 'decent' English, and known to perform well. The post author added that they've discovered that these workers are paid only 'a fraction' of what their Singapore counterparts make. 'The company actually has no logical business keeping me on – most of the local team here could be eliminated and contractors hired offshore,' the post author wrote, adding, 'I've found that upskilling isn't really helpful because there will be many people equally or better skilled who can demand less – so I have trying to work toward a career path that takes me up into management as quickly as possible to achieve some level of stability.' See also We look back to the 10 most-inspiring features from the ecosystem They also asked what others are doing to protect themselves from offshoring. 'I work in IT with physical sites, part of my hiring was to have an engineer near the sites in case something happens. This helps to justify my hiring,' wrote one, adding, 'I also volunteer to travel to any nearby countries if required. (My career has sent me to Japan, Indo, msia, India, etc). This offers our passport visa-free advantages to our employers. 'In my case, I try not to compete with 3rd world salaries but with 1st world salaries. We can earn the same or slightly less than Americans or Europeans and still have a higher purchasing power due to our lower taxes.' 'Be a revenue driver or a critical component of revenue-driving teams. Nobody's doing sales out of India. The corporate mindset now is front-end based in Singapore (for that income tax) and backend based in a satellite office. 'Find ways to value-add. If you're an expensive/senior role at a cost centre unit, sorry but your time is ticking. Be visible, find ways to value add. Your roles are the juiciest when a bunch of old white men sit in a boardroom and go through lists of who to retrench because soft benefits like efficiency don't show up in KPI data all the way up,' contributed another. See also Young Singaporeans snap expensive items before GST kicks in Some advised that taking jobs in healthcare, education, security, or the civil service are likely to be safer from offshoring, and others said that the post author could move to a country where the cost of living is cheaper. Another chimed in that they're accumulating assets in case they are let go. 'It's easier and much more productive to make ourselves less dependent on the job for a living. That way, if offshoring really happens to the job, it will suck but not matter as much. Also, at some point in time, like it or not, we have to retire.' Interestingly, one commenter did not answer the question but pointed to high rental rates and how these affect salaries as a key part of the problem. 'The issue is the sky-high rent and rent-seeking behavior. High wages in SG, but most of the wage goes towards landlords (whether directly in the form of mortgage or rental payments or indirectly in the form of higher prices, etc). This perpetuates a wage-price spiral (high prices so workers demand higher salaries, which then lead to high prices), which prices us out from competitors without any real benefit to Singaporeans who are spending locally. It's great for people working SGD and spending elsewhere, eg, Malaysians /foreigners who send money back home,' they wrote. /TISG See also Why brands fail on e-commerce and what they can do about it Read also: 80 job cuts at Standard Chartered Singapore 'likely just the start' amid push to return US$1.5B to shareholders
