Tag: Singaporeans

CEO Of A&W Says Outlets In Singapore Will Be Halal-Certified To Cater To Muslims

After confirming the return of the A&W fast food chain to Singapore in 2018, Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore followed up with President and CEO Kevin Bazner to share more details about the comeback, including the source of supplies, possible Halal certifications and why it took 15 years to return.

“Our beef patties will be 100% sourced from Australia. Our fresh chicken supply will predominantly be sourced in the region and prepared locally. Other ingredients, where possible, will be sourced locally,” said Bazner in an email on Friday (7 July).

When asked if outlets in Singapore will be Halal-certified to cater to Muslims in the country, he said, “Yes, absolutely.”

Bazner was in charge of A&W’s international division back in 1988, during which he lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with his family for seven years. The American company was acquired by Yum! Brands in 2003, the same year all Singapore outlets were shut.

More than 10 years later, A&W is set to return to the foodie nation. But what took it so long?

“We have been discussing A&W Restaurants’ return to Singapore since 2011, when A&W Restaurants Inc took over ownership from Yum! Brands. Given the popularity of A&W Restaurants brand and its signature products, coupled with rising demand from local consumers, we knew we had to give the Singapore market another shot,” said Bazner, who went on to talk about how Singaporeans themselves had played a big part in the brand’s return.

President and CEO of A&W Restaurants, Inc. (Photo: A&W)

“A&W Restaurants receives daily requests via social media and other channels to bring the brand back to Singapore. To put this into perspective, hundreds of requests from potential franchisees are recorded each year,” he said.

As Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore reported on Tuesday (4 July), A&W has already set up its international corporate office in Singapore in 2016, and is currently looking for a space for its flagship outlet, which will serve as an international training ground for staff in the region.

“While we cannot confirm a specific area right now, we will make another announcement as soon as we can,” said Bazner, who also hinted that “key neighbourhood towns and regions as well as commercial malls and the Central Business District” are among some of the locations they are looking into. A&W’s first outlet in Singapore will be its flagship outlet owned by the company itself and not a franchise.

Craving for root beer floats and coney dogs? A&W confirms a return to Singapore in 2018 (Photo: A&W)

What else can Singaporeans expect from A&W’s return?

Bazner assured that Singaporeans can definitely look forward to the usual fan favourites, such as fried chicken, burgers, Coney Dogs, waffle ice cream, curly fries, and “freshly-made” root beer served in frosty mugs.

“But this is not just it… there will also be new innovation on the menu, which we will be ready to share closer to the first store opening,” he said.

While A&W has already made plans to launch in Singapore during the second half of 2018, “this will largely depend on the suitability of store sites and resources”, according to Bazner.

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore

July 7, 2017
Commentary: 38 Oxley Is Not The Address Of Singapore

38 Oxley is Not the Address of Singapore

After a noisy 2 days in Parliament the matter of Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister’s Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s home at 38 Oxley Road will now be settled through private channels among his three children. This is arguably how it should have been done all along. As the dust settles it is pertinent to make some observations on what this all means.

First, Singapore works. Our economy continued to hum, people got up and went to work and spent time with their families, the water still ran and the lights still came on. Our institutions and systems have held firm.

This is the most reassuring and reaffirming observation to make. In fact, it is the only one that really matters. If this had not held true nothing else would be material.

Second, ending the fiction of a ‘natural aristocracy’. Many of our leaders overinvest in the concept of meritocracy to conclude that we have a ‘natural aristocracy’ that deserves its rights and privileges because they are very intelligent.

Singapore has special people – they are Singaporeans, and not just Singaporean ‘leaders’. It is Singaporeans who define, embody and refresh the spirit that is Singapore.

Let us cease the practice of making demi-gods of political leaders. They are only human and in recognising them to be so we are paying them the respect they deserve for coping with life just as we all have to and yet rising (or trying to) above its travails to focus on the bigger picture and the longer term.

For their part political leaders should not forget that they serve at the pleasure of the people. Leaving aside the matter of the quality of the debate, there was no better affirmation of this than the debate in Parliament. It was a political display to retain the confidence of the people and a necessary one to underscore that we have a democratic system that must not just work but be seen to work.

Third, 38 Oxley Road is an address in Singapore. It is not the address of Singapore. It is time for Singaporeans and for politicians, current and aspiring, to grasp that Singapore is neither about land or Lee.

That is a very good thing. It shows that Singaporeans have matured, can keep perspective and know how to separate past from present and also know the difference between myth, however attractive, and practical matters.

While the personalities involved in this family fracas come out of this politically scarred, Singapore emerges from this stronger and better.

The Merlion may have been spitting in disgust recently but it is not drowning in despair. Its eyes look out at the horizon not at its navel or its tail. Our future lies out there and with it, dangers to deal with and opportunities to seize. Nothing has changed that and nothing will.

Source: Devadas Krishnadas

July 7, 2017
Suspicious Man Loitering Around Void Deck In Sengkang, Parents With Kids To Be Wary

Salam everyone.. Just wanted to share something that happened to me this morning (5 July) at Fernvale, Sengkang West Way.

After sending my 2nd daughter off through her school van, me and my youngest daughter proceeded to take the lift back home.

Out of nowhere, a guy who looks like a chinese national, hop on the same lift as me looking rather suspicious.

This was the same guy who was lurking around the void deck when I was waiting to fetch my daughter from her school van yesterday. Moreover, he was wearing the exact same shirt as the day before.

He pressed the 13th floor but throughout the journey up, he kept glancing towards my youngest daughter.

I felt uneasy and alighted from the lift. Surprisingly, the lift stopped just a storey above me. I quickly went back home to inform my husband who was fortunately on off today about the incident in the lift.

While discussing, I just had the intuition to peep through the peephole and to my horror, that same guy was lurking just outside my house!

I hid away but Hubby decided to confront the guy to ask for his intention for standing in front of our house. He claimed to be ‘working’ and is here everyday but Hubby called his bluff asking where is his town council shirt then and if he’s not with the town council, do provide his supervisor’s contact details. When he could not answer all those queries, Hubby threatened to call the police. The guy immediately said sorry and ran down the stairs.

That whole incident send goosebumps all over my body.

Hubby did call the police to inform them about the matter. The guy was about 170cm-ish aged probably in the late 30s/ early 40s wearing a grey nike shirt and cream coloured shorts. The only mistake was hubby forgot to snap a photo of the guy as he was charging his phone.

The police mentioned that they will step up the patrolling and would only go through footages from cctv cameras at the staircase landing should the guy appear again.

Sharing this here so that we can all be extra vigilant when we’re bringing our kids outside.

Source: Nur Haryani Husni

July 7, 2017
Woman’s Jail Term Almost Doubled Due To Brutality Of Assault On Her Own 4-Year-Old Son

A woman who assaulted her four-year-old son so brutally that he died had her original jail term of eight years increased to 14½ years on Thursday (July 6) after the prosecution appealed.

Noraidah Mohd Yussof, 35, pushed her son repeatedly, causing him to hit his head on the floor. She also trampled on him, and grabbed him by the neck and lifted him while pushing him against a wall.

The boy died from a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain.

Noraidah was punishing her son for not reciting the numbers 11 to 18 in Malay correctly.

Last year, Noraidah was sentenced by the High Court to eight years’ jail after she pleaded guilty to two counts each of causing grievous hurt and ill-treating a child. Two other counts of ill-treatment were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The prosecution appealed to the Court of Appeal for a heavier sentence of at least 12 years’ jail.

On Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kow Keng Siong said the lower court was wrong in accepting Noraidah’s “personality aberrations” as mitigating factors. These included a low tolerance for frustration, a tendency to act impulsively and blame others.

Mr Kow added that personality aberrations did not amount to a recognisable mental disorder. If people are entitled to lenient sentences because of their impulsive or aggressive nature, it is tantamount to giving them an excuse to give in to their emotions and act out their frustrations without self-restraint, he said.

Mr Kow said deterrence was a relevant sentencing factor. He cited statistics showing a rise in child abuse cases. Last year, the Ministry of Social and Family Development investigated 873 child abuse cases – a 60 per cent increase from 2015, when there were about 550 cases.

The apex court, comprising Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Judges of Appeal Tay Yong Kwang and Steven Chong, agreed with the prosecutor’s arguments that Noraidah should get a longer jail term.

The Chief Justice said the gravity of the case was aggravated by the boy’s young age. As his mother, she had a duty to protect him, but instead, her pattern of conduct as a whole pointed to cruelty towards the child, he added.

Noraidah started abusing the boy in 2012, when he was two. She pushed him and stepped on his ribs when he fell and also twisted his hand when he scribbled on a sofa. She later took him to hospital, where he was found to have fractures in his elbow, calf and four ribs, as well as multiple bruises.

In July 2012, the Child Protective Service (CPS) placed the boy in the care of her brother and sister-in-law. Four months later, Noraidah and her older daughter moved in with them. CPS closed the case in February 2014 after finding no further reports of abuse. Soon after, Noraidah moved out of the home with both children.

Source: ST

July 6, 2017
Shirin Has Been Missing Since Wed, Last Seen At Teck Whye

Assalamualaikum. Anyone to see my daughter around pls stop her and call me at 90577633. She has been missing since yesterday morning (5 July) and was last seen at Teck Whye CC around 330pm. I really need yr help and sympathy to inform me asap pls if she is to be seen outside. Thank you so much.

Source: Azie Riz

[Update: According to her mother who posted at 2pm on Thursday, Shirin is still not back at home.]

July 6, 2017