Binance co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has stopped using a closely watched public cryptocurrency wallet after ordinary token-cleaning transactions triggered heavy speculation, sharp meme-coin price swings and opportunistic trading. Zhao said the wallet had become overwhelmed by unsolicited meme coins sent by token creators and traders, making it difficult even to locate his BNB holdings while he was testing Trust Wallet. Attempts to remove unwanted tokens by sending […]
VinFast is joining forces with Gowa Motor Group to create a venture aimed at accelerating the electric vehicle maker’s retail expansion across Indonesia, with plans for at least 30 new showrooms and service centres. The agreement strengthens VinFast’s push to build a nationwide sales and aftersales ecosystem alongside its growing manufacturing presence. The memorandum of understanding envisages the two companies establishing a joint venture that will develop […]
By K Raveendran Spontaneous student protests across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh are exposing a vulnerability conventional politics has been slow to recognise. Their importance lies not merely in the numbers gathering on streets or outside examination centres and government offices, but in the absence of the organisational structure that usually accompanies political mobilisation. […]
Recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council, Global Forum on Human Settlements, GEO Foundation, and Asia’s Top 100 Golf Courses — and what that recognition proves about the full picture of Forest City Special Financial Zone (SFZ).
JOHOR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 August 2026 — Forest City, the master-planned development in Iskandar Puteri, has achieved nearly 40 international awards and certifications as of August 2026, covering sustainability, green-building design, golf-course environmental management, and hospitality, as well as community contribution.
Aerial view of Forest City in Iskandar Puteri, Johor — more than 60% of the master plan is dedicated to green space, spanning 2.86 million m² of parks, mangrove corridors and landscaped zones.
These include eight awards under the Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Awards (SCAHSA) series issued by the Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS), as well as a 2024 Certificate of Honor from GFHS; LEED for Core and Shell (LEED-CS) Gold pre-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council; GreenRE Gold ratings for Forest City Island and its international school; GEO Certified status for both golf courses from Scotland’s GEO Foundation; and a seven-year consecutive ranking for Forest City Golf Resort’s Classic Course among the Top 100 Golf Courses in Asia. In 2026, the Classic Course was ranked No. 1 in Malaysia and No. 36 in Asia.
The awards and certifications documented here address a specific set of criteria: design quality, sustainability standards, and operational assessments by independent institutions. This release provides a transparent account of the institutions that have assessed Forest City, the areas reviewed, and the limits of what such recognition can reasonably prove.
Sustainability and Green-Building Recognition
LEED-CS Gold pre-certification has been secured from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for multiple buildings, demonstrating that environmental performance was embedded in project planning from the outset. LEED pre-certification represents verified design intent and a formal commitment to sustainable performance criteria, including energy modelling, water efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
This design-stage commitment is reflected across the master plan, which dedicates over 60% of the total land area to non-built space, equivalent to 2.86 million m² of green infrastructure. This includes two golf courses, public parks, landscaped residential zones, and mangrove corridors extending along the Johor coastline — green space that, as of 2026, supports more than 400 officially documented species.
At the national level, Forest City Island and its international school have received GreenRE Gold ratings under Malaysia’s green real-estate framework, reinforcing the project’s alignment with recognised sustainability benchmarks at both international and domestic levels. Beyond building-level certifications, Forest City has received eight awards under the SCAHSA, issued by the GFHS, an international non-profit organisation in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The documented recognition spans planning and design, green-building industrial development, city-industry integration, green smart city development, coastal ecological protection, low-carbon city planning, and green and intelligent construction, with awards recorded from 2016 to 2023. In 2024, Forest City also received a Certificate of Honor at the 19th Global Forum on Human Settlements from GFHS for its contribution to promoting sustainable cities and human settlements for all.
Award / Certification
Issuing Body
What It Certifies
Status as Reported by Forest City
SCAHSA series, including green and intelligent construction recognition
Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS, UN ECOSOC consultative status)
Sustainable city planning and green construction
Eight awards and a 2024 Certificate of Honor, with documented recognition from 2016 to 2023
LEED-CS Gold pre-certification
U.S. Green-Building Council
Core and shell sustainable building design
Multiple buildings
GreenRE Gold
GreenRE, Malaysia
Green real-estate design and operation
Forest City Island and international school
GEO Certified
GEO Foundation, Scotland
Sustainable golf-course operations
Both golf courses
Golf and Hospitality Recognition
Forest City’s leisure and hospitality assets have also received external recognition, led by the continued performance of Forest City Golf Resort’s Classic Course in regional rankings. The Classic Course has maintained its position among the Top 100 Golf Courses in Asia for seven consecutive years, ranking No. 1 in Malaysia and No. 36 in Asia in 2026, a rise of 14 places from the previous year. The ranking is assessed by an independent panel co-hosted since 2016 by the Chinese and Korean editions of Golf Travel magazine and was reported by The Star on 26 April 2026 following the awards ceremony at Hillview Golf Club on 14 April 2026.
The hospitality component of the resort has also received platform-based recognition. Forest City Golf Hotel earned the Agoda Gold Circle Award 2025 based on service ratings and operational performance on the booking platform. Forest City regards the award as an encouraging indicator of its commitment to guest experience and service consistency, while noting that it reflects day-to-day hospitality performance rather than a measure of the wider development.
Additionally, both golf courses have earned GEO Certified status from Scotland’s GEO Foundation, which evaluates sustainable golf-course operations. GEO Certified is described by the GEO Foundation as “golf’s most comprehensive and widely recognised eco-label”, and is awarded following successful completion of the OnCourse programme and an independent audit. Collectively, these accolades attest to quality across golfing excellence, hospitality service, and environmental stewardship — recognition reflected in visitor engagement, with the resort welcoming more than 100,000 golfers in 2025.
Economic and Community Contribution
Forest City’s recognition record is supported by reported economic and social contribution figures. Internal records indicate that, as of November 2025, the development had contributed over RM790 million in taxes to the Malaysian government, alongside more than RM50 million in employee-related taxes.
More than RM53 million has been invested in charity and community programmes, including support for local schools and villages, and more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs have been created.
According to Forest City’s internal records as of November 2025, the development has engaged more than 190 local enterprises, attracted property owners from over 20 countries and territories, and contributed to attracting an estimated 300,000 international visitors to Malaysia.
Green-building certifications relate primarily to design and operational standards; the SCAHSA recognitions focus on planning and sustainability; and golf-course rankings evaluate course quality and related criteria.
For prospective residents and investors, the awards should therefore be treated as evidence of build quality, institutional engagement and assessed sustainability credentials, to be considered alongside current data on occupancy, demand, connectivity and market liquidity. Questions relating to the Special Financial Zone framework and connectivity — including the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System Link scheduled to open for passenger service on 1 January 2027 — should be assessed through dedicated materials, current market data and, where relevant, Forest City’s investment overview.
The Broader Impact of Awards and Recognitions
The relevance of Forest City’s awards and certifications varies by audience. For ESG-minded investors and institutions, the most relevant credentials are Forest City’s LEED-CS Gold pre-certification, GreenRE Gold ratings, and GFHS recognition. These are issuer-named credentials aligned with green-investment screening and can be reviewed alongside Forest City’s broader investment framework. For enterprises operating within the SFZ, this integrated environment — where land and marine ecosystems are carefully preserved — enhances environmental performance and strengthens sustainability credentials.
For prospective residents and families, the GreenRE rating for the international school and the golf and hospitality recognition for the resort may be more directly relevant to daily living than city-planning awards. These credentials point to quality — but prospective residents should also assess schools, amenities, transport, community facilities, and the broader facts about Forest City on the ground.
For Malaysia-market watchers, Forest City’s SCAHSA record and reported RM790 million tax contribution mark the development as a recognised case study in green development and city-industry integration. This recognition is a data point on the development’s institutional standing, not a forecast of its commercial outcome.
Conclusion
What the awards record does establish is something more specific. Forest City reports nearly 40 awards and certifications across named institutions, including the U.S. Green Building Council, the Global Forum on Human Settlements, the GEO Foundation, and the Top 100 Golf Courses in Asia panel. This is accompanied by reported contributions of more than RM790 million in taxes and the creation of more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. Prospective residents and investors should also consider Forest City’s position as the financial-services flagship within the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone, along with its duty-free island and Malaysia Digital Status.
The strongest claim the awards support is also the most modest one: that Forest City has been built and planned to a standard that named international institutions have repeatedly chosen to certify — which is a starting point for due diligence, not a substitute for it. Hashtag: #ForestCity #SFZ #ForestCityAchievements #Malaysia
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Forest City Special Financial Zone
Located in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Forest City Special Financial Zone (FCSFZ) is Malaysia’s first designated special financial zone and a key financial-services component of the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone. It is positioned to attract financial institutions, multinational corporations, high-net-worth individuals and businesses operating in wealth management, financial technology and global business services.
Its incentive framework includes a 0% income tax rate for qualifying Single Family Office Vehicles for up to 20 years, a preferential 5% corporate tax rate for approved qualifying activities, and a special 15% personal income tax rate for eligible knowledge workers, subject to the applicable conditions, regulatory approvals and prevailing legislation. Forest City also holds duty-free island status, further strengthening its appeal as a regional investment, business and wealth-management destination near Singapore.
XRP trading on Binance has entered a markedly calmer phase, with its 30-day realised volatility falling to about 0.34, the lowest level in roughly three months, as traders assess whether reduced price swings could set the stage for a larger market move. The decline represents a sharp reversal from June, when the same volatility measure climbed to about 0.53 amid heavier trading activity and wider price fluctuations. […]
Food & Drink is now the fastest-growing category among Airbnb Experiences in Indonesia by search demand, with Bali emerging as the top spot for culinary bookings.
BALI, INDONESIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 August 2026 – For many travelers, exploring local culinary traditions is the trip itself. New Airbnb data highlights the popularity of culinary Experiences across Indonesia, with both domestic and international travelers seeking out food-led activities for a more authentic taste of the culture.
Left: Chef Arnold Poernomo | Right: Chef Reynold Poernomo (Airbnb)
Since its launch, Food & Drink has become Airbnb Experiences’ third-most-popular category in Indonesia, behind only Nature & Outdoors and History & Culture[1]. Bali sits at the heart of this culinary interest, with over 90% of all culinary Experience bookings in Indonesia taking place on the island1.
Guest feedback backs this up. Indonesia’s culinary Experiences carry a 4.94 average rating, with reviewers most often reaching for words like “authentic,” “traditional,” “hands-on,” “local,” and “family”[2].
The appetite extends beyond Experiences, too: searches for Airbnb homes with kitchen amenities in Indonesia are up over 20% year-on-year[3], suggesting that more guests are choosing stays where they can cook together and recreate the local flavours they discover during their trip.
Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s Country Head for Southeast Asia & India, said, “Today’s travelers are increasingly looking for experiences that help them connect more deeply with the places they visit, and food has become one of the most meaningful ways to do that. Whether it’s shopping at a neighbourhood market, learning a family recipe, or cooking together in an Airbnb, these moments create lasting memories while supporting local communities. Through Airbnb Experiences, we’re proud to help travelers discover Indonesia in a way that feels more personal, immersive, and connected to local culture.“
To spotlight this growing appetite for culinary travel, Airbnb recently hosted a one-off Culture & Culinary Trail luncheon in Bali with renowned chefs Arnold and Reynold Poernomo — a chef-curated dining moment celebrating Bali’s culinary heritage through local ingredients and stories. The luncheon offered a preview of what travelers can already find on Airbnb Experiences: intimate sessions on local food culture, interactive dining sessions, and meals hosted by local chefs in Bali and beyond.
Arnold Poernomo said, “As chefs, we’ve always believed that some of the most memorable travel memories happen around the dining table. Food has a unique way of bringing people together and telling the story of a place through its ingredients, traditions, and the people behind them. By hosting this luncheon with Airbnb, we wanted to celebrate Bali’s rich culinary heritage and inspire travelers to look beyond the plate, to discover the culture, communities, and local stories.“
For Reynold Poernomo, the most memorable travel experiences often begin with discovering the people behind the food.
“For the more adventurous, go to the markets, and you’ll discover some unique produce that you’ll most likely not find in any other part of the world. That’s part of why we love what Airbnb Experiences does – it connects you directly with local hosts who can take you to those markets and show you ingredients you’d never find wandering on your own.”
The Poernomo brothers recommend three Airbnb Experiences worth booking on a Bali trip:
A guided 15-course tasting menu at Room4Dessert – Join Chef Will Goldfarb, winner of the 2021 World’s Best Pastry Chef award, on a five-stop journey from his kitchen and garden to a fireside dessert finale.
Track fireflies in Bali with a conservationist – Harvest herbs, cook a Balinese feast, and watch Indonesia’s only firefly breeding lab light up the night with conservationist Wayan Wardika.
As travelers continue seeking slower, more meaningful ways to explore destinations, Airbnb Experiences inspire visitors to discover a different side of Bali — through the people, ingredients, and stories shared around the table.
Disclaimer: All Experiences referenced are intended purely to inspire and illustrate. Airbnb does not recommend or endorse specific listings on the Airbnb platform.
[1]Based on Airbnb internal data of Experience categories across Indonesia
[2] Based on Airbnb internal data reflecting Q1 2026 average star ratings and 5-star rates for culinary Experiences in Indonesia, as well as the highest-ranking review keywords mentioned for culinary Experiences in Bali
[3]Based on Airbnb internal data of the most searched amenities for listings in Indonesia, comparing February–March 2025 to February–March 2026
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Airbnb
About Airbnb
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5.5 million hosts who have welcomed 2.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way. https://news.airbnb.com
By K Raveendran Another session of Parliament has closed with an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. Repeated adjournments, slogan-shouting, demonstrations inside and outside the chambers and legislation moving through amid uproar have again raised the question of whether Parliament is performing the function for which representative democracy created it. The problem is no longer simply […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Moody’s Ratings has placed Binghatti Holding Ltd’s Ba3 rating on review for downgrade, signalling rising concern over the Dubai developer’s liquidity and its ability to generate sufficient cash as major debt obligations approach. The action covers Binghatti’s Ba3 corporate family rating and Ba3-PD probability of default rating. The company previously carried a stable outlook. The review reflects a sharp deterioration in unrestricted liquidity […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US President Donald Trump has said Washington will demand compensation from Iran as part of any future peace settlement, responding to Tehran’s call for reparations over damage caused during five months of war. Trump said the demand would cover Americans killed or seriously wounded in attacks and conflicts that Washington has blamed on Iran or Iran-backed groups over several decades. He also called […]
BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 10 August 2026 – On August 8, China’s 18th National Fitness Day, the opening ceremony of the 17th Beijing Sports Games was held at the National Indoor Stadium, with many champion athletes on hand to lend support.
A performance at the opening ceremony of the 17th Beijing Sports Games
The city is the arena, and its citizens are the athletes. This edition of the Games balances competitive and mass participation events, featuring both traditional disciplines like athletics and swimming, and emerging sports such as pickleball and breakdancing. Some events have already concluded or are currently underway, with all competitions running through October this year. This city‑wide sports extravaganza is expected to attract around 35,000 participants, including teenagers, college students, and the general public, setting new records in both the number of participants and events.
In recent years, Beijing has continuously integrated sports development into the fabric of the city. According to data from the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau, the city has 3.27 square metres of sports venue space per capita, and 53.1% of its population regularly participates in physical exercise. Sports and fitness have become a new way of life in Beijing, the “Dual Olympic City.” Yin Shen, a 20‑year‑old football enthusiast, told reporters after watching the ceremony that he found the mass participation content more relatable than purely competitive events. “It’s great to see so many sports that ordinary people usually play. Sports are actually all around us,” Yin said.
At the opening ceremony, 14 champion athletes trained in Beijing—Ma Long, Zhang Yining, Ding Ning, Wang Chuqin, Xiao Ruoteng, Teng Haibin, Li Na, Cao Yuan, Zhang Jiaqi, Chang Hao, Yang Ling, Liu Xiaotong, Zhang Zesen, and Zhang Ruiyang—were present to inspire more people to take up sports. Zhang Yining said, “I am especially grateful to Beijing, where I realised my dreams. I also hope that more children who love sports will hold on to their dreams. Beijing is a place where dreams come true.”
A charity games bundle organised by Necrosoft Games is approaching its $200,000 fundraising goal, offering financial assistance to developers and other industry workers struggling after widespread job losses across the video game sector. The Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle, sold through itch. io for a minimum contribution of $10, has gathered momentum since launching at the end of July. The collection brings together more than 100 games […]
A Bitcoin wallet untouched since 2011 has moved 50 BTC worth about $3.2 million to a new address with transaction links to FalconX, reviving scrutiny of cryptocurrency holdings dating from the network’s earliest years. The 50 BTC remained in the receiving address on Friday, providing no direct evidence that the coins had been deposited with FalconX or sold. However, the destination wallet has previously transferred Bitcoin to […]
Sandisk and Western Digital shares have slumped despite stronger-than-expected quarterly results, showing that investors are demanding ever more from companies whose valuations have soared on the artificial intelligence boom. The sell-off has also revived speculation that some speculative capital could be shifting towards cryptocurrency, although evidence of a sustained rotation into bitcoin remains limited. Sandisk fell more than 13% during Thursday trading, while Western Digital dropped about […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iran is advancing plans to bar American, Israeli and other designated hostile vessels from the Strait of Hormuz while demanding compensation from countries blamed for attacks on its territory. A draft law under review by the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee would prohibit vessels linked to the United States and Israel from using the strategic waterway. Ships from other states […]
A tentative deal between Iran and Oman on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is being treated in some quarters as the moment the year’s biggest energy risk finally eases. I believe that investors would be wise to treat it with considerably more caution than that. The scale of what is at stake in this waterway is hard to overstate. In a normal year, roughly 20 million […]
A volunteer security group has flagged 85 potentially critical vulnerabilities across hundreds of Bitcoin-related software projects, exposing the scale of weaknesses that artificial intelligence can identify faster than developers can verify or repair them. The Bitcoin Red Team recorded 4,962 security findings after running advanced AI models against 390 open-source repositories during an intensive audit spanning about 27.5 hours on August 4 and 5. The findings included […]
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has rejected a report that the military has exhausted nearly 80 per cent of its principal high-altitude missile interceptors during the war with Iran, insisting that American forces retain the weapons required to sustain operations. Hegseth described the account as untrue after CNN reported that the Pentagon had used almost four-fifths of the interceptor inventory for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense […]
Chainlink’s LINK token is being withdrawn from centralised cryptocurrency exchanges at its fastest pace in more than a month, signalling that a growing number of holders may be moving assets into private wallets rather than preparing to sell them. About 1.26 million LINK left known exchange addresses during the 24 hours to August 4, the largest daily net outflow since June 29. The transfer was worth roughly […]
Apple has opened an internal lottery for United States retail employees to help manage its September product unveiling, signalling that preparations are advancing for the company’s most important hardware event of the year. The programme will bring selected store workers to Apple Park in Cupertino, California, where they will assist with the in-person gathering expected during the first half of September. Their duties will include organising queues, […]
UAE stargazers are preparing for one of the year’s strongest meteor displays as the Perseid shower peaks overnight on August 12 and 13, with moonless skies expected to improve visibility across desert and mountain locations. The annual shower could produce dozens of visible meteors an hour under clear, dark conditions. Observers are likely to get the best views after midnight and before dawn on August 13, when […]
Denmark will increase its military presence around the Faroe Islands, extending a wider defence buildup designed to strengthen surveillance and operational readiness across the Arctic and North Atlantic. The deployment will bring more Danish armed forces personnel, vessels and aircraft into Faroese waters and airspace, where military activity has traditionally been limited compared with Greenland. Training exercises with NATO partners are also expected to become more frequent […]
Oil prices fell sharply on Monday as traders responded to renewed diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and easing threats to energy supplies from the Gulf. Brent crude, the benchmark for about two-thirds of internationally traded oil, dropped more than 7 per cent during early trading before trimming its losses. It was down 5.09 per cent at $83.51 a barrel […]
XRP entered August trading near $1.06, with investors weighing strong institutional demand against fading expectations that US lawmakers will pass landmark cryptocurrency legislation before the congressional recess. The token remains about 71% below the record of roughly $3.66 reached in July 2025, when regulatory optimism and expectations of exchange-traded fund approvals drove a sharp market advance. Its subdued price has prompted debate over whether institutional accumulation is […]
As the global watch industry slows and fraud risks in the secondary channel draw public attention, Times Avenue is among Singapore’s secondhand luxury watch specialists seeing sustained growth on the back of shifting buyer preferences and tightening consumer scrutiny
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 3 August 2026 – Times Avenue by Horology Maison marks its five-year anniversary in 2026, as Singapore’s pre-owned luxury watch market expands amid a broader slowdown in the global watch industry.
A Growing Secondary Market and the Case for Regulated Dealers The Bloomberg Subdial Watch Index, which tracks the 50 most-traded references by transaction value, recorded its best half-year performance since early 2022 in the first half of 2025, reflecting a broader shift in buyer preference towards the secondary channel.
The growth of the pre-owned segment has been driven by a combination of factors, including tighter supply of popular references at authorised dealers, record gold prices lifting new watch retail costs, and a shift among buyers towards immediate availability and market-reflective pricing.
Founded in 2020, Times Avenue has grown alongside this trend, transacting more than 3,000 authenticated timepieces from its Beach Road boutique over its first five years of operation. The boutique’s inventory is weighted towards luxury Swiss timepieces including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Tudor and Cartier, with a focus on sought-after references that are typically subject to long waiting lists in the primary market.
Licensed secondhand goods dealers like Times Avenue operate under frameworks that impose customer due diligence, transaction reporting, record-keeping, and stock movement obligations. Exempted by the Singapore Police Force and a fully regulated dealer under the Ministry of Law, Times Avenue ensures that every watch sold undergoes rigorous in-house authentication before it reaches the client, and each piece is covered by an in-house warranty, giving buyers assurance of authenticity for every transaction.
Times Avenue also offers in-person buying from the public, trade-ins, consignment, and authentication, alongside retail, covering both the acquisition and resale ends of the secondary market.
Clients and prospective buyers can view current inventory, arrange private viewings, or request a sourcing consultation at https://horologymaison.com/contact-us/. Hashtag: #TimesAvenue #PreOwnedWatches #LuxuryWatchesSingapore #WatchCollector #HorologyMaison
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Times Avenue by Horology Maison
Times Avenue by Horology Maison is a Singapore-based luxury watch grey dealer established in 2021, offering authenticated new and pre-owned timepieces from Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Tudor, Cartier and other leading maisons. The company provides retail, buying, trade-in, consignment, sourcing and authentication services from its boutique at 371 Beach Road #02-55 City Gate, Singapore 199597. Times Avenue by Horology Maison is registered with the Ministry of Law as a Regulated Dealer (Registration No. PS20220002864) and holds SPF Exempted Second-Hand Goods Dealer status.
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