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Didn't realize that the causeway has been around for a century. It was officially opened on 28 June 1924. Source: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/malaysia-singapore-causeway-bridging-borders-100-years EVERY morning, two to three 40-foot trailers from Malaysian dairy producer Farm Fresh depart from farms in Kota Tinggi and Desaru, each delivering 18,000 litres of fresh milk to Singapore. Founder and group managing director Loi Tuan Ee credits the Johor-Singapore Causeway – which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month – for this seamless operation. “The proximity, easy accessibility and lower logistics costs enable us to send fresh milk to our Singaporean customers daily,” he told The Business Times. The Malaysia-listed dairy producer, based in Johor, began exporting to Singapore six years ago. Today, the city state is its largest export market, contributing around 5 per cent of total sales. Farm Fresh's trailers are among 3,000 to 4,000 trucks transporting goods from Malaysia that queue daily at the Johor Bahru Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex, waiting for clearance to enter Singapore. The 1 Km-long motorway crossing, also referred to as the Malaysia-Singapore Causeway, is one of the world's busiest border crossing, averaging 350,000 travellers and 100,000 vehicles daily. During peak periods such as school holidays, it handles more than 400,000 crossings daily. Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) projects that this will rise to 400,000 daily travellers by 2050. Some days, the numbers can be staggering. The recent Hari Raya Haji long weekend broke records with more than 530,000 people crossing on the Causeway and Tuas Second Link on Jun 14, said ICA. The Causeway is more that a bridge for Jeffrey Lai, president of the Johor Bahru Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "It's not just for workers travelling from JB (Johor Bahru)to Singapore everyday... it also promotes the flow investment, education and culture between both countries," said Lai, as he recalled pleasant bus journeys during his school days from Singapore to JB on Friday evenings. Lai grew up in Singapore, where his parents moved to when he was just three. After the returned to JB to start a business, Lai remained in Singapore for his secondary school education, making the cross-border commute a nearly weekend to visit them. "I still remember... every Sunday night, my father would drop me at the old customs complex, and I would take the number 170 bus from JB to Singapore," he reminisced. Now residing in JB, he still uses the Causeway to visit relatives, friends and business partners here, and to enjoy his favorite Singapore chicken rice. "The Causeway is an important link connecting both countries," he added, noting that more than 10,000 students cross the Causeway daily for their studies. They are not just Malaysian students from JB studying in Singapore, but also, increasingly, students from Singapore going to international schools in JB. Kelvin Kee, executive director of international business division at Singapore Business Federation (SBF), said bilateral trade between Singapore and Malaysia has grown, not just for merchandise, but also in services and digital trade. "Following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, we have seen the cross-border flow of people using the Causeway return to pre-pandemic levels, and even exceed such levels during peak periods," he told BT. He highlighted that Malaysia's proximity to Singapore offers business owners an attractive option for overseas expansion, with significantly lower costs for labour, overheads, rent and land. Since the GlobalConnect@SBF programme launched in November 2019 to aid Singapore businesses in overseas expansion, the business chamber has facilitated 32 successful projects into Malaysia as at December 2023, across various sectors including manufacturing, retail, education and services. In 2023, Johor garnered a total investment of RM43 billion (S$12.4 billion) from 751 approved projects, with more than 70 percent, or RM31 billion, coming from foreign direct investment (FDI). Over half of the FDI went to service sector, while the manufacturing sector received 30 percent. Lee Ting Han, Johor state investment, trade, consumer affairs, and human resources committee chairman, said 70 percent of the FDI in the state's manufacturing sector comes from Singapore. With ongoing projects and robust tourism, the state government is confident total investment in 2024 will surpass last year's. In the first quarter of 2024, 221 projects were approved, focusing on machinery and equipment, food processing, electrical and electronics, and chemical and petrolchemical sectors. Singapore is the second-largest investor in Malaysia and one of the biggest investment sources for Johor, especially the Iskandar region - Malaysia's southern growth corridor. From 2006 to September 2023, cumulative investment from Singapore to the Iskandar region reached RM45.8 billion - about 25 percent of total investment. Wile the Causeway remains the primary connection between the two cities, a significant catalyst for enhanced connectivity will be the JB-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS), set to begin operations by end-2026. In an earlier interview with BT, Malaysia's Mass Rapid Transit Corp CEO Mohd Zarif said the 4 km journey on the light rail shuttle service will take about five minutes. If all goes well, travelling from Bukit Chagar station in JB to Singapore will take only 15 minutes. Chua Hak Bin, regional co-head for macro at Maybank Investment Banking Group, expects the RTS, which is over two-thirds complete, to improve connectivity, reduce congestion and strengthen JB-Singapore ties. The RTS will increase its capacity to 10,000 passengers per hour per direction, compared to the current KTM rail service's 640 passengers.

No offence but I feel sad for Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, as he continues to be "milked" by the current government. What's next, a new $10 note in 2025 to mark his 10th death anniversary, or a special $80 note to mark his wedding jubilee with Mdm. Kwa? Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/lky100-lee-kuan-yew-commemorative-coins-unveiled-mas-3488726 SINGAPORE: A commemorative S$10 coin marking the 100th birth anniversary of Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was unveiled by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Monday (May 15). Minted in aluminium bronze, the gold-coloured LKY100 coins will be available at face value by application. The coins will have a diameter of 30mm, making them about 22 per cent larger than the Third Series S$1 coins currently in circulation. "The coin pays tribute to his strategic vision, boldness and indomitable spirit that transformed Singapore from a regional trading port to a global manufacturing, business and financial hub, creating opportunities for all Singaporeans," MAS said in a news release. "The design features a portrait of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, accompanied in the foreground by the Marina Barrage, representing Mr Lee's vision to build a freshwater reservoir in the city, strengthening Singapore's water resilience," the central bank added, describing the design on the coin's reverse. "The backdrop is the skyline of the Raffles Place financial district, and two heritage buildings which have witnessed significant milestones in Singapore's history – Fullerton Hotel (formerly the Fullerton Building/General Post Office) and National Gallery Singapore (formerly the Supreme Court and City Hall)." In addition to the Singapore Coat of Arms, the front of the coin features Mr Lee's name, his years of birth and death, the words "100th Birth Anniversary" and a dual latent image that shows the year 1923 when viewed from one angle and the year 2023 when viewed from another. The coin was designed by local artist Weng Ziyan, whose previous works include banknotes commemorating Singapore's 50th year of independence, Singapore's bicentennial and the 50th anniversary of the Brunei-Singapore Currency Interchangeability Agreement. Applications for the coins can be made from Monday until Jun 9 via a dedicated application website. Only Singapore citizens and permanent residents can apply, and each applicant can apply for up to five coins. "If demand is high, applicants may not be allocated the quantity of coins requested, but can be assured of being allocated at least one coin," MAS said. Each applicant will be required to indicate their identity number, mobile phone number and preferred bank branch for the collection of the coins. No upfront payment will be requested. Successful applicants will pay for their coins when collecting them at their selected bank branches. Banks participating in the distribution of the coins include DBS and POSB, OCBC and UOB as well as the Bank of China, HSBC, Maybank and Standard Chartered. Those who require in-person assistance to submit their applications can approach any community club or community centre, or the ServiceSG centres at Our Tampines Hub and One Punggol. Successful applicants will receive SMS notifications from mid-August, and the coins will be available for collection from September. Coins that are not exchanged during the collection window will be made available for exchange at banks by the general public, including non-Singaporeans. The number of coins to be minted will be determined after applications close, MAS said. The commemorative coin was announced earlier this year as part of a series of initiatives to mark the centenary of Mr Lee's birth. The late Mr Lee, who also co-founded the ruling People's Action Party, was born on Sep 16, 1923. He died on Mar 23, 2015, at the age of 91.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a33002110/mazda-special-edition-100th-anniversary-miata/ Mazda Miata 100th Anniversary Released in Limited Edition for U.S. Mazda unveils a special edition 100th-Anniversary Miata to mark the company’s 100 years of being in business. The special edition 2020 MX-5 Miata comes in white with a red interior and unique branding throughout. The vehicle is based on the 2020 MX-5 Miata Grand Touring edition. Based on the 2020 MX-5 Grand Touring, the limited-edition 100th Anniversary Miata celebrates Mazda's 100 years of being in business. Offered in a Snowflake White Pearl Mica paint job with a red interior, soft top, and accents throughout, the vehicle takes some color cues from Mazda's first passenger vehicle, the R360 coupe. The 100th-anniversary roadster will be available as either a burgundy red softtop or as an RF (retractable fastback). The top's color is exclusive to this vehicle, so if you’re going to go all special edition, you might as well go all the way. Exclusive “100 Years 1920–2020” badges are situated on the front fenders and the center caps. Inside, the special edition red interior is accented with the vehicle’s unique 100th-anniversary logo embossed on the leather headrests and a tiny plaque placed into the carpet. Even the key fob gets the 100th-anniversary treatment. The Miata has the same 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque as the MX-5 Grand Tourer it’s based on along with the same features. It’ll also be available with either a six-speed manual transmission or Mazda's Skyactiv-Drive six-speed automatic transmission. Those interested in owning one can sign up now with delivery expected to occur this fall starting at $33,615; starting price is $36,370 for the retractable fastback model.

Good news for all petrol heads! Petron Malaysia has officially launched its new Petrol Blaze 100 Euro 4M fuel in Malaysia. We previously reported on the imminent arrival of the RON 100 fuel – which now takes its position above the RON 95 and RON 97 grades that are currently being offered. The unregulated Petron Blaze 100 fuel is sold at RM2.80 per litre, making it slightly pricier than the other unregulated fuel sold in Malaysia from Shell, V-Power Racing (RM2.65). The latter carries a 40 sen premium over regular RON 97, which is currently priced at RM2.25. However, where Petron Blaze 100 carries a RON 100 octane rating, V-Power Racing is a minimum RON 97. The new Blaze 100 petrol is 95 sen more per litre than RON 95, which is priced at RM1.85 this month. Petron says its Blaze 100 Euro 4M is formulated with Tri-Activ, a triple action formula that is claimed to provide better power, engine protection and mileage. The high grade fuel is produced locally at the Petron Port Dickson refinery. For its initial introduction, Petron Blaze 100 will be available at eight stations in Klang Valley and Johor. More stations are expected to carry the high grade fuel in the future. If you’re interested to get a tankful of Petron Blaze 100, then head on over to these stations and look out for the specially-painted floor: Klang Valley Petron Jalan Maarof Petron Sg. Besi Toll Southbound Petron Taman Tun Dr. Ismail Petron Kesas Westbound Petron Mile 3 Federal Highway Petron Damansara Kayu Ara Johor Petron Skudai Toll Northbound Petron Linkedua Southbound According to Faridah Binti Ali, Head of Retail Business, Petron Malaysia, due to the limited allocation of fuel storage tanks that offer Petron Blaze 100, the new fuel grade will displace the currently available Petron Blaze 97 at selected stations. She also stated that the company plans to increase the number of stations that offer the RON 100 fuel to between 30-40 depending on consumer demand. With the arrival of Petron Blaze 100, motorists whose vehicles are designed, or have a preference for RON 98 and above fuels (such as high-end sports cars and superbikes, as well as specific models like the Honda Civic Type R, previous-gen Suzuki Swift Sport and Toyota 86), will now able to run their vehicles without any fuel-related performance or reliability issues. Customers who opt for the RON 100 fuel will also receive some value-added services from a “pit crew” stationed at the pumps. Also present at the launch of the new RON 100 fuel were members of the local Lotus and Porsche clubs, who were more than eager to top up the tanks of their high-performance cars, including a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. http://paultan.org/2016/01/15/petron-blaze-100-euro-4m-launched-in-malaysia-ron-100-for-rm2-80-per-litre-available-at-eight-stations/