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Betty Wong and Marcus Tay are both graphic designers and art directors with a penchant for collecting art and toys. And the couple have literally made room for their passions in their 732 sq ft wall-free, open-plan home in the historic Bras Basah/Bugis neighbourhood. To do that, they engaged interior designer Dess Chew of three-d conceptwerke to create a retail-inspired home with a layout that could be easily reconfigured at whim. “The original layout was very linear. The living area led all the way to the dining area, and the kitchen and the bedrooms were all on the other side. From the beginning we did feel like we needed to open up the space,” explained Wong. The solution? All the walls – except for the structural columns – were hacked. Aside from creating a large open expanse, one added bonus was the natural sunlight coming in to illuminate the entire flat and give it a light, airy feel. READ: Turning a 721 sq ft HDB flat into one big living space with no walls … [Read more...] about How a 732 sq ft open-plan HDB home uses mobile furniture for a new layout every time

A Dubai trip plus Apple iPhone 12 is cheaper than buying the phone in India. Various models of the iPhone 12 Pro and Max are cheaper in Dubai by up to Rs 35,000 owing to higher GST, Customs duty in India. If you are looking to buy the new Apple iPhone in a showroom near you, think again. For, the alternative is to jet set to Dubai (there is no quarantine there) on a weekend package, go on a shopping spree, and pick up an iPhone 12 Pro (256 GB) at one of the swanky malls in the city. And the good news is that your combined bill (for the short holiday and the mobile) could be the same as for the simple pleasure of buying an iPhone in India. The reason for this huge price differential is simple: The government in March this year increased Goods and Services Tax (GST) on mobile phones from 12 per cent to 18 per cent.And on top of that the importer has to pay a basic Customs duty (BCD) of 20 per cent (plus 2 per cent cess) on imported phones. So an iPhone 12 PRO, with a 256 GB memory, comes … [Read more...] about Planning to buy an Apple iPhone 12 in India? Think again

The United States still has the highest case count in the world: there 6,933,248 have tested positive for the virus; 201,880 of whom died and 2,670,256 of whom recovered. US President Donald Trump has promised that 100 million doses of a vaccine will be distributed throughout the United States by the end of the year. He said a vaccine could be available for distribution before the presidential election on 3 November. India ranks second in terms of the number of cases (5,732,518), and Brazil has the second highest number of fatalities (138,977). The World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March. The highest number of cases so far have been registered in the United States, India and Brazil. Follow Sputnik's live feed to find out more. … [Read more...] about COVID-19 Live Updates: UK Sees Largest Spike in Daily Cases With 6,634 New Confirmed Infections

Bottom line: Bitcoin on Wednesday surpassed the $20,000 threshold for the first time. It's a major milestone for the volatile cryptocurrency and one that could be a turning point in its journey to mainstream relevance. Will this be the high point or just a stepping stone? Update (12/7): Less than a day later, Bitcoin has kept surging and surpassed the $23,000 barrier. According to Coindesk, an investment in Bitcoin has yielded over 200% returns in 2020. You can track the price of Bitcoin here. The cryptocurrency hit the scene in 2009 and was created by an individual or a group of individuals going by the name Satoshi Nakamoto. The true identity of Bitcoin’s founder remains a mystery despite multiple investigations and false claims. Bitcoin was a relative unknown for many years but started to pop up on the radar of enthusiasts in the early to mid 2010s. When Bitcoin’s value crossed the $1,000 mark in early 2017, all bets were off. The cryptocurrency skyrocketed in value … [Read more...] about A single Bitcoin is now worth more than… $23,000

The stage is set for the first phase of the Gram Panchayat (GP) elections in 12 districts of the State on Tuesday (February 9). For the first time in the local body elections, NOTA option is given to the voters. Elections for 525 out of 3,249 village sarpanch posts and 12,185 out of 32,502 ward member posts were unanimous. A total of 43,601 candidates are in the fray for 2,723 and 20,157 sarpanch and ward member posts respectively, said Panchayat Raj Department (PRD) Principal Secretary Gopal Krishna Dwivedi. Addressing media persons along with Panchayat Raj Commissioner M. Girija Shankar here on Monday, Mr. Dwivedi said 29,732 polling stations were set up in the villages. Of them, 3,458 were identified as sensitive and 3,594 as hyper sensitive. A total of 3,047 micro observers were appointed to watch the polling process and 16,688 big ballot boxes, 8,503 medium size and 21,338 small boxes were arranged. Necessary COVID-19 prevention measures were taken and due priority has been … [Read more...] about Polling for 2,723 panchayats in State today