'Market psychology' contributing to higher prices in HDB resale market, says Desmond Lee; Putien Singapore absorbing GST and waiving service charge: Singapore live news
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Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee speaking at a multi-ministry taskforce virtual press conference. (PHOTO: MCI)
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Minister Desmond Lee partially attributed higher prices in the HDB resale market to psychological factors, saying that the flats which sell high make headlines and capture the public's attention. This is why the Government introduced new cooling measures to lower HDB loan limits.
The Putien Group in Singapore announced that they're absorbing the nine per cent GST and waiving the service charge. This move has been in the works since January.
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Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck after two years of marriage. There have been rumours of issues with their marriage, with Affleck reportedly moving out in May. For more on their split, read here.
A live mantis shrimp attacked a Chinese diner when she attempted to cook it in boiling soup. To watch the video, read here.
Olympic medallist Zhou Yaqin was spotted helping out at her family restaurant in China and waiting on tables. Netizens praised her for being humble, but some were sceptical. She shot to fame because of her reaction to her fellow winners biting their medals. To watch the video, read here.
Swiping through videos could make you more bored, according to a new study. To understand why, read here.
Donald Trump offered Elon Musk a spot in his administration, and described the former as "smart" and "brilliant". The Tesla founder didn't directly respond to Trump's offer, but posted an AI-generated meme instead. To find out more, read here.
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Baan Kanom Thai is opening a new concept in Tampines. It'll serve their beloved Thai pancakes, along with savoury items like the Thai Omelette Rice. To find out more about their menu and location, read here.
A Malaysia Airlines flight returned to KLIA after 70 minutes in the air. The flight was suspected of encountering 'cabin pressure issues'.
The Australian government on Wednesday (21 Aug) cleared the first phase of the $26 billion AAPowerLink project that aims to export solar power from Australia to Singapore. For more on this ambitious renewable power project, read here.
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Bryan Lim
'Market psychology' contributing to higher prices in HDB resale market, says Desmond Lee
Minister Desmond Lee partially attributed higher prices in the HDB resale market to psychological factors, saying that the flats which sell high make headlines and capture the public's attention. (PHOTO: MCI)
Minister Desmond Lee said "market psychology" is a contributing factor to the high prices in the HDB resale market. This is why the Government introduced new cooling measures to lower HDB loan limits.
At a media briefing on 20 Aug, Lee explained that HDB flats that sell high make up a small proportion of transactions but capture public attention and have been making headlines.
Over the last 1.5 years, flats that cross the million-dollar mark make up about two per cent of all resale transactions.
This has caused Singaporeans to be concerned about the affordability of resale flats. Flat sellers are raise expectations about how much their flat is worth, while flat buyers are anxious about securing one before prices get higher.
Lee said such market dynamics can cause the resale market to run out of line with economic fundamentals, causing a bubble. He also pointed out that due to the cyclical nature of the property market, those who buy at a higher price are often hit the hardest when the market cools.
S$26 billion plan to export power to Singapore approved by Australia
The Australian government on Wednesday (21 Aug) cleared the first phase of the $25 billion AAPowerLink project that aims to export solar power from Australia to Singapore. (PHOTO: Bloomberg)
The first phase of a plan to export solar power from Australia to Singapore has been approved on Wednesday (21 Aug).
The link involves a 4,300-kilometre subsea power cable connecting a solar farm in Australia’s Northern Territory with more than 20 gigawatts of capacity to Singapore. Both the cable and the solar farm would be more than four times bigger than any others currently in operation internationally.
“This massive project is a generation-defining piece of infrastructure,” said Australia's Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
Malaysia Airlines flight makes safe return to airport after suspected cabin pressure problem
A Malaysia Airlines flight returned to KLIA after 70 minutes in the air. The flight was suspected of encountering 'cabin pressure issues'. (PHOTO: Reuters/Lim Huey Teng)
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH386 was forced to return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after encountering a suspected 'cabin pressure issue'.
The flight was en route to Shanghai at departed at 9.14pm on 20 Aug. The aircraft declared a general emergency shortly after takeoff and landed safely at KLIA after 70 minutes in the air.
Popular Thai dessert stall from Golden Mile resurfacing in Tampines
Baan Kanom Thai is opening a new concept in Tampines. It'll serve their beloved Thai pancakes, along with savoury items like the Thai Omelette Rice. (PHOTO: Sethlui)
Golden Mile Complex may be gone but some of the popular Thai food outlets there are finding new homes.
Baan Kanom Thai, previously housed within the Thai supermarket in Golden Mile Complex, is opening a new concept at Tampines.
It'll serve their beloved desserts, like the Thai Pandan Pancakes and Coconut Milk Custard, as well as savoury items like Thai Omelette Rice.
Donald Trump offered Elon Musk a spot in his administration. (PHOTO: AP Photo)
If former US president Donald Trump wins in November, he wants billionaire Elon Musk to serve in his administration.
When asked about offering Musk a cabinet or advisory position, Trump said, "He's a very smart guy. I certainly would, if he would do it, I certainly would. He's a brilliant guy."
Musk has been vocal and open about his endorsement for Trump and it's been reported that he has been privately gathering support for him.
The Tesla founder didn't directly respond to Trump's offer, but posted an AI-generated meme instead. To find out more, read here.
Bryan Lim
Skipping through videos is likely making you more bored, study suggests
Swiping through videos could make you more bored, according to a new study. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
When you absent-mindedly swipe through videos or skip ahead because you're bored, you could be exacerbating the situation.
Research has shown a growing trend of boredom in young people, and a new study suggests that such behaviour "actually increases boredom".
The lead study author, Dr Katy Tam, said, "We feel bored when there’s a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be. When people keep switching through videos, they’re not fully engaging with any one video, and are instead searching for something more interesting."
To learn more about boredom and why it could be concerning, read here.
Bryan Lim
Chinese Olympic medallist returns from Paris to help in family's restaurant
Zhou Yaqin (left) was spotted helping out at her family restaurant in China and waiting on tables. Netizens praised her for being humble, but some were sceptical. (PHOTO: Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
She may be an Olympic medallist at the tender age of 18, but Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin isn't shying away from her humble roots.
Fresh off her victory at the Games, where she shot to fame because of her reaction to her fellow winners biting their medals, Zhou visited her family in Hengyang. There, she was photographed helping out at the family restaurant and waiting tables.
Her actions drew widespread praise from netizens though some said something felt off without any explanation.
To watch the video of Zhou at the restaurant, read here.
Bryan Lim
Mantis shrimp attacks Chinese diner at hotpot restaurant
A live mantis shrimp attacked a Chinese diner when she attempted to cook it in boiling soup. (PHOTO: Getty Images, Screengrab from TikTok)
It didn't want to go down without a fight.
A live mantis shrimp attacked a Chinese diner when she attempted to cook it in the boiling soup. In the TikTok video, the woman can be seen holding the shrimp by its antenna as she lowered it into the pot.
Upon touching the surface, the shrimp leapt out of the pot and writhed on the table surface. She then tried to pick it up with the chopsticks twice, and it finally latched onto her right wrist with its front appendages.
The woman was in great pain and screamed as someone off-camera tried to remove the shrimp. It was reported that her left finger was also pierced by the shrimp.
To watch the 'great war' between the shrimp and certain death, read here.
Bryan Lim
Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck
Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck after two years of marriage. (PHOTO: Robyn Beck / AFP)
They're calling it quits, again. So long, Bennifer.
Celebrity couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are splitting after two years of marriage. It was reported that Lopez filed the divorce papers and cited the date of separation as 26 April.
According to sources, the pair experienced multiple issues during their marriage, with Affleck rumoured to have moved out in May this year.
The pair rekindled their romance in July 2021, almost 20 years after they first broke up. They got married in Las Vegas a year later.
Putien Singapore absorbing GST and waiving service charge
The Putien Group in Singapore announced that they're absorbing the nine per cent GST and waiving the service charge. This move has been in the works since January. (PHOTO: Putien Restaurant/Facebook)
Singapore chain Putien is absorbing the nine per cent GST charge and waiving the service charge too.
The announcement was made on their social media on 20 Aug as they declared that prices in Singapore are now at "nett price".
According to The Straits Times (ST), this will be applicable to all restaurants under the Putien Group. This encompasses the 19 Putien outlets, Sam Leong St Chicken Rice at 12 Verdun Road, and Uncle Fong Hot Pot Restaurant at Great World and Suntec City.
Putien Group’s founder and chairman Fong Chi Chung told ST that this move have been in the works since January.
"Over all these years, we have also learnt to control and manage our costs better. Now, we are in a position to return the support that Singaporeans have given to us," he said.
President Donald Trump called for CBS News program 60 Minutes to be “immediately terminated” and its network shut down Thursday, as he escalated campaign threats to punish media outlets that don’t offer coverage to his liking. He also tried to shoehorn the network into an online rightwing conspiracy theory that falsely claimed media outlets took millions in government kickbacks. In a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated his claim that 60 Minutes committed “election interference” last year by a
Bianca Censori’s mother tried to shut down questions Wednesday surrounding the model’s headline-grabbing, see-through dress at the Grammy Awards. “We are just normal people, living our own lives as privately as we can,” Alexandra Censori told the Daily Mail after her daughter’s red-carpet spectacle. “I have nothing to say about Bianca, thank you.”
A pro-President Trump Arab American organization, which performed voter outreach on his behalf to the Arab American communities during his 2024 White House run, has changed its name after the commander in chief’s remarks about taking over Gaza. The group’s name was changed from “Arab Americans for Trump” to “Arab Americans for Peace” on Tuesday,…
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Kanye West lashed out at critics of his wife Bianca Censori’s naked appearance at the Grammy Awards in a post on X. “You don’t know my mama b---h,” he wrote in response to unnamed critics, who apparently asked him “how would your mother feel” after the stunt. West’s mother, Donda, died in 2007 after complications from a plastic surgery procedure.
After an intense year of divorce rumours, P Diddy drama and concerning public appearances, fans worry as Justin Bieber looks increasingly dishevelled — but they may be forgetting some crucial parts of Bieber’s lore
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he won’t attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg later this month, saying South Africa’s support for DEI and climate change policies are “very bad things.” “I will NOT attend the G20 summit,” Rubio wrote in a post on X, saying, “South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability.’ In other words: DEI and climate change.” It would be highly unusual for the secretary of state to skip
Iran has inaugurated its first drone-carrier warship, saying the vessel is capable of operating in oceans far from its mainland, the official IRNA news agency reported Thursday. The report said the vessel, manned by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s navy, can carry several squadrons of drones as well as helicopters and cruise missiles. Named Shahid Bagheri, it's capable of launching cruise missiles, IRNA said.
Leaders at the Department of Education told staff Wednesday that the Trump administration could cancel its controversial, government-wide deferred resignation offer after workers sign it, possibly leaving them without months of guaranteed pay. According to a report in NBC News, citing three department sources, two top department officials said during a virtual all-staff meeting on Wednesday that the education secretary could rescind the administration’s offer, which allows workers to voluntarily
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