COMMENT: Conversations on Chinese privilege in Singapore are long overdue

By Kirsten Han | SingaporeScene – 

Kirsten Han is a Singaporean blogger, journalist and filmmaker. She is also involved in the We Believe in Second Chances campaign for the abolishment of the death penalty. A social media junkie, she tweets at @kixes. The views expressed are her own.

Surekha A. Yadav, Sangeetha Thanapal and Adeline Koh have done everyone a great service by highlighting the issue of race and Chinese privilege in Singapore. 

The subject is a controversial one. There's been no shortage of denial from Chinese Singaporeans; we're quick to point out how we ourselves are not racist, how we can't help it if certain institutions are discriminatory (it's the government, you see) and how angry rants from ethnic minorities are "not persuasive" or not the "right way" to go about things. 

The reaction wasn't surprising, but was disappointing nevertheless. The intersectional problems of racism, elitism, classism, etc. are in dire need of examination and discussion in Singapore, where getting ahead often comes down to a skewed game of privilege bingo (what race you are, what schools you went to, where you live, what assumptions people make based on your nationality and/or accent…)

Fault lines did not just appear in Singaporean society when foreigners became a noticeable minority in our country. Singapore is not just now paying the price of a fragmented nation because of an influx of "outsiders". As a Chinese Singaporean this is a truth that I am only now slowly beginning to understand. I suspect it is something people from ethnic minorities have known for a much longer time.

Some have taken issue with the assertion that the Chinese majority should "STFU" when someone from a minority group speaks, saying that a person shouldn't be told to shut up and not participate in discussion just because they happen to be from a majority group.

But that isn't it at all. Saying that the privileged Chinese majority should stop talking when someone from an ethnic minority is sharing his/her views and experiences isn't about depriving a Chinese person of his/her rights. It's about encouraging those from the majority to stop and listen. 

It's just like many other social issues. Heterosexual people should stop and listen to the experience of LGBTQ people when discussing sexual orientation and gender identity issues, because we aren't the ones dealing with the discrimination and the stigma. Men should stop and listen to the experiences of women when talking about misogyny, because women are more often than not the ones dealing with objectification, sexual harassment and other sexist attitudes in and out of the workplace.

It's not about one party "playing the victim" and silencing another. It's about people in a majority group making a conscious decision to take a step back and allow others the chance to talk. We already dominate the mainstream media and public discourse most of the time; surely it isn't that much of an ask to just listen and consider rather than speak and defend when it comes to the discussion of an issue that affect others in ways we don't even have to worry about?

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/conversations-on-chinese-privilege-in-singapore-are-174214538.html

Conversations on Chinese privilege in Singapore are long overdue

By Kirsten Han | SingaporeScene – 

Surekha A. Yadav, Sangeetha Thanapal and Adeline Koh have done everyone a great service by highlighting the issue of race and Chinese privilege in Singapore. 

The subject is a controversial one. There's been no shortage of denial from Chinese Singaporeans; we're quick to point out how we ourselves are not racist, how we can't help it if certain institutions are discriminatory (it's the government, you see) and how angry rants from ethnic minorities are "not persuasive" or not the "right way" to go about things. 

The reaction wasn't surprising, but was disappointing nevertheless. The intersectional problems of racism, elitism, classism, etc. are in dire need of examination and discussion in Singapore, where getting ahead often comes down to a skewed game of privilege bingo (what race you are, what schools you went to, where you live, what assumptions people make based on your nationality and/or accent…)

Fault lines did not just appear in Singaporean society when foreigners became a noticeable minority in our country. Singapore is not just now paying the price of a fragmented nation because of an influx of "outsiders". As a Chinese Singaporean this is a truth that I am only now slowly beginning to understand. I suspect it is something people from ethnic minorities have known for a much longer time.

Some have taken issue with the assertion that the Chinese majority should "STFU" when someone from a minority group speaks, saying that a person shouldn't be told to shut up and not participate in discussion just because they happen to be from a majority group.

But that isn't it at all. Saying that the privileged Chinese majority should stop talking when someone from an ethnic minority is sharing his/her views and experiences isn't about depriving a Chinese person of his/her rights. It's about encouraging those from the majority to stop and listen. 

It's just like many other social issues. Heterosexual people should stop and listen to the experience of LGBTQ people when discussing sexual orientation and gender identity issues, because we aren't the ones dealing with the discrimination and the stigma. Men should stop and listen to the experiences of women when talking about misogyny, because women are more often than not the ones dealing with objectification, sexual harassment and other sexist attitudes in and out of the workplace.

It's not about one party "playing the victim" and silencing another. It's about people in a majority group making a conscious decision to take a step back and allow others the chance to talk. We already dominate the mainstream media and public discourse most of the time; surely it isn't that much of an ask to just listen and consider rather than speak and defend when it comes to the discussion of an issue that affect others in ways we don't even have to worry about?

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/conversations-on-chinese-privilege-in-singapore-are-174214538.html

Monday #sgroundup: Man behind ‘washing machine’ dog photos on the run

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | What's buzzing? – 

Here are today's top trending stories in case you missed them.

Man behind 'washing machine' dog photos on the run
 A screengrab of a Facebook post from a Hong Kong page with a photo of user Jacky Lo, who allegedly put a dog in …
Jacky Lo, the young man in Hong Kong who sparked outrage on Facebook after posting Facebook pictures of a dog in a washing machine, is on the run, according to the South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong police are searching for him after the 23-year-old allegedly uploaded photos of a white Westland Terrier swirling around the inside of a washing machine and struggling to keep its head above water.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/man-behind--washing-machine--dog-photos-on-the-run-015340717.html

Nude model photo leaks (Part I): S'pore models tricked into stripping for camera
 A screengrab from local sex blog Singapore Hall of Shame. Many Singaporean models say their nude photos have been …
Models in Singapore speak up over unchecked malicious practice of nude photographs being leaked online en masse. One victim tells her story.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/nude-model-photo-leaks-in-singapore--part-i---models-speak-up-155249668.html

Risk of Ebola spreading to Singapore is low: MOH
 UNDATED: In this handout from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), a colorized transmission electron micrograph …
The risk of the Ebola virus spreading to Singapore is low because of limited travel connectivity between here and West Africa, says the Ministry of Health.
 
Speaking in Parliament on Monday's sitting, Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min said that in one month, an average of about 30 arrive from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and between 200 and 300 come from Nigeria.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/risk-of-ebola-spreading-to-singapore-is-low--moh-072124073.html

Obama to set out plan to go on offensive against Islamic State
 US President Barack Obama speaks at a press conference on the second day of the NATO Summit, at the Celtic Manor …
President Barack Obama will deliver a speech to Americans and consult with lawmakers this week to sell his plan to go on the offensive against Islamic State militants, but is trying to head off public concern about another big military escapade.

Obama said that in his remarks on Wednesday he would "describe what our game plan's going to be." He will meet congressional leaders on Tuesday to seek their support for his strategy to halt the militant Islamist group.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/obama-set-plan-offensive-against-islamic-state-130649589.html

Duchess of Cambridge expecting second baby
 Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George during a visit the Natural History Museum …
Royal officials say the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince William, is expecting her second child.
The couple's office, Clarence House, said the couple and their families were "delighted" with the news.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/duchess-cambridge-expecting-second-baby-094016042.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/monday--sgroundup--man-behind--washing-machine--dog-photos-on-the-run-100152314.html

Risk of Ebola spreading to Singapore is low: MOH

By Jeanette Tan | Yahoo Newsroom – 

The risk of the Ebola virus spreading to Singapore is low because of limited travel connectivity between here and West Africa, says the Ministry of Health.
 
Speaking in Parliament on Monday's sitting, Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min said that in one month, an average of about 30 arrive from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and between 200 and 300 come from Nigeria.
 
Any passengers arriving here from the Ebola-hit countries, as well as Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who show symptoms of Ebola will be isolated and transported to Tan Tock Seng Hospital in a portable medical isolation unit for further management and treatment.
 
Dr Lam said hospitals here would focus on intensive support treatment as no vaccines or treatments have proven effective yet.
 
Separately, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said there are 12 Singaporeans in Nigeria and one in Liberia, all of whom are registered with his ministry.
 
He said the MFA is in regular contact with the 13 individuals, and has urged them to consider returning to Singapore so that they can minimise their risk of exposure to Ebola.
 
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the most severe in history thus far, has to date claimed more than 2,000 lives, with Sierra Leone most recently imposing a nationwide shutdown in a bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus that has no proven cure.
 
It is not airborne, however, and is only spread through the direct contact with the blood and fluids of an infected person.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/risk-of-ebola-spreading-to-singapore-is-low--moh-072124073.html

Man behind ‘washing machine’ dog photos on the run

By Jeanette Tan | What's buzzing? – A screengrab of a Facebook post from a Hong Kong page with a photo of user Jacky Lo, who allegedly put a dog in …

Jacky Lo, the young man in Hong Kong who sparked outrage on Facebook after posting Facebook pictures of a dog in a washing machine, is on the run, according to the South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong police are searching for him after the 23-year-old allegedly uploaded photos of a white Westland Terrier swirling around the inside of a washing machine and struggling to keep its head above water.  Although the photos first went up last month, the photos of the dog in the machine and sopping wet on the floor outside began to be widely shared on Facebook over the past week. His comments, calling it a "clean and quick" way of washing a dog, triggered nationwide outrage.

Animal activist groups like Hong Kong's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) have spoken out in condemnation of the user's alleged actions, and a petition seeking action from the authorities has garnered more than 21,300 signatures over less than four days.

But who exactly is Jacky Lo?
A screengrab of a post on Facebook with a picture of user Jacky Lo, who allegedly put up pictures of a white Westland …
Local news reports and Facebook pages say his Mandarin name is Luo Jiamin, and was born in 1989 in Guangdong, China. According to the SCMP,  Lo appears to have skipped town, appearing to have boarded a flight from Hong Kong International Airport to mainland China but not before posting a link to the online petition, saying, "Wanted?? This afternoon I'm going back to China. See ya later."

Lo was believed to be staying in the Tuen Mun area of Hong Kong's new territories, and according to independent local Facebook page 香港高登綜合台, has a white 2008 Lamborghini car registered to his name.

A Weibo account belonging to a user calling himself "我是JackyLo" claims the information published about him is false, however, and that his Facebook identity was stolen. The Weibo user also insists in one post that he did not travel to Hong Kong.

Other reports say the wealth Lo flaunted on his now-deactivated Facebook page is largely a pretense — Hong Kong tabloid Apple Daily reported that Lo pretended to be from a wealthy family by posting photos of himself posing with luxury cars, but the owners of the cars said they did not know who he was.

A school in Tuen Mun also released a statement saying Lo was not in any way related to it, much less having schooled there before, after he claimed to be a student there. Apple Daily also reported the existence of a photograph Lo uploaded flaunting rolls of HK$100 bills, which it said were likely to be fake because they lacked serial numbers.

AFP reported on Sunday that Hong Kong police have yet to make any arrests relating to their ongoing investigation into the alleged animal cruelty.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/man-behind--washing-machine--dog-photos-on-the-run-015340717.html

Nude model photo leaks in Singapore (Part I): Models speak up

By Jeanette Tan | Yahoo Newsroom – 

Elaine (not her real name) was 18 when she posed for her last lingerie-clad photo shoot.
 
It was a routine affair, and it was already her fifth time working with this particular photographer. She had become accustomed to his style and had grown to trust him — after all, he called her often, dangling the offer of "spare cash" to pose for his camera.
 
Having started modelling roughly a year earlier, the then-Institute of Technical Education electronics student found it an easy way to earn pocket money and save for her studies.
 
That shoot in 2009 was different, though, as the result was she joined the ranks of models in Singapore with nude photographs leaked online.
 
"At the end of the shoot, he said, 'Why don't you just do 10 minutes of nude shoots, and I'll pay you $200 more'," she said, opening up about her story for the first time to Yahoo Singapore. "Honestly, $200 for 10 minutes — to a student (like me), that's really a lot."
 
She was desperate for the money at that time, too as two ex-boyfriends had cheated her of her savings, and a former employer had not paid her more than $1,500 from a previous part-time job she did.
 
It was awkward, she said, but she told herself to endure it, reminding herself that it was just 10 minutes. "It's like lighting up a cigarette and waiting till it finishes burning — it's that kind of time frame, 10 minutes. So I just endured it, got it over and done with, and then rushed to the toilet to get my clothes back on," she added.
 
He also assured her it was "just for a collection, meaning he won't share it around, he won't publish it and all that," she said. It was a verbal agreement, but she had no reason to worry that he would go back on his word, since nothing untoward had happened with photos she had taken with him before.
 
What she didn't expect, though, was for those fateful 10 minutes to come back and bite her. Some four years later, her boyfriend texted her in anger after discovering her nude pictures on Sammyboy Forum, a local site hosting forum threads about sex and prostitution in Asia.
 
"He felt cheated, and he said, 'You told me you only took lingerie (pictures), but what is all this?'" she said, adding that she felt simultaneously shocked because she had forgotten about the existence of those photos by then.
 
Feeling overwhelmed and victimised by the rising number of messages from friends coming across her photos, Elaine went to the police, only to be told that they could not help her because money had changed hands.
 
"I was thinking, 'Oh god, how am I going to face the world?' and went into a short phase of depression — every day for almost a week I did nothing but smoke and drink (alcohol)," she said, recalling that she did not eat or even drink water.
 
Thankfully, model agent Fiona Lee managed to talk her out of her funk, and Elaine said she essentially told herself every day "it'll be all right", until she numbed herself to the reality of the leak.

A screengrab from local sex blog Singapore Hall of Shame. Many Singaporean models say their nude photos have been …
 
Elaine doesn't do photo shoots anymore, having stopped even before her pictures first surfaced last year as well as in May this year on the Singapore Hall of Shame, a local blog laced with sleazy content as well. Both sets of her pictures were eventually taken down, even though she still is not sure where they came from, who uploaded them or how they ended up being taken offline either.
 
Even at the events she appears at, she declines requests from people who want to photograph her, instead offering her modelling partner to pose for them.
 
"These days I still hide myself when people look at me with that kind of eyes, and I can't help but ask myself, 'Did this guy see the photos? Is he one of them? Is this secondary school kid one of those who actually saw that post?'" she said.
 
"I sometimes still feel inferior, like everyone's judging me, like I'm one of the prostitutes standing at Geylang. I'm being called cheap for a mistake I made when I was young," she said. "No advice was given, no help was there… I just hope that no other girls will fall for this because they're tempted by money."

Elaine is far from alone in her experience — industry players Yahoo Singapore spoke to say more than 150 amateur freelance models have over the past four years been victims of broken verbal agreements with photographers who talked them into stripping for the camera.
 
Their modus operandi varies, but generally photographers contact new members on international portal Model Mayhem, dangling amounts as low as $20 per hour for a two-hour fashion shoot. Alternatively, they advertise their opportunities as Time-For-CD (TFCD), meaning the model goes unpaid but will receive a compact disc of the photographs that are taken at the shoot in exchange for her time.
 
As they gain the trust of the young girls, these men can persuade the girls in a fully-clothed fashion shoot to do nudity, getting them to agree to fellatio or even intercourse, in extreme cases — simply by offering more and more money.
 
To cover their misdeeds, they work professionally with more experienced and well-known models, who will in return leave positive reviews from working with them on their Model Mayhem profiles, giving amateurs the wrong impression that they are safe to accept job offers from.
 
A second model and former photo leak victim, Angel Lin, told Yahoo Singapore that some photographers take risqué photographs in order to sell or trade them with other users on sex forums — what she believes happened the one time she agreed to posing nude for a photographer she, too, had worked with before.
 
"We don't know who posted them online," she said. "The photographer sells and trades our pictures, so he may not be the one who actually posted them — it could have been someone else, so we can't stop him. It's a vicious cycle, the sharing and trading just goes on and on."
 
When models threaten to report their activities to the police, they respond by threatening to post more of their nude pictures online, often sending them one to see as proof.
 
Guilty parties also use multiple monikers, and even if models flag their profiles on Facebook, Model Mayhem or elsewhere, they simply close them and start new accounts under different names. Some were also on multiple occasions revealed to have stolen other photographers' work and removed their watermarks to pass off as their own.
 
Helpless situation
A model poses in lingerie at a group photo shoot. (Screengrab from video)
Activity intensified earlier this year, when entire batches of pictures of girls, both risqué and nude, were posted together in zipped files on both sex blogs and forums.
 
On forums, users would dig up other publicly-available pictures of the victims and share links to their Facebook profiles, where the girls became susceptible to further harassment by perverts who may have seen their pictures.
 
Like Elaine, Lin said she and numerous other victims of nude picture leaks had taken their cases to the police, only to be told that nothing could be done about them because it was a contractual dispute, and they had received monetary compensation for posing for the pictures.
 
Because most girls don't understand their criminal or legal options sufficiently, they give up on trying to take action, assuming that it would cost them too much to engage counsel to assist them. They then just lie low and hope that talk about their pictures will die down.
 
"We're in this helpless situation where we can't really do much," said Lin. "We can ask the moderator to take it down, but he may or may not do so because we do not have copyright (to the pictures), you see… so the best thing to do is just to wait for the thing to blow over."
 
Models who also blog, like Peggy Heng, dedicate lengthy posts naming and shaming known culprits and their tactics, with the lists being shared on various forums and Facebook groups for local freelance models as well, in an attempt to help educate young models and warn them ahead of time to beware of preying camera-wielding men.
 
Talent agent Lee, also speaking to Yahoo Singapore, used to actively speak up against errant photographers until her vocal actions led her to receive threats from angry culprits.
 
In her view, the best way to avoid any of this happening is to simply avoid taking any picture they may not be comfortable with being publicly disseminated in the first place.
 
Some models, she adds, have started creating talent release forms with non-disclosure clauses that they print and ask photographers to sign before proceeding with a shoot, although the large majority continue to operate on verbal agreements and blind trust.
 
"There have been some other people who have been standing up and talking about this issue all the time," she said. "We've done everything we can, and we're tired; we're all so tired… But if the girls refuse to listen, and they insist on going back to these photographers, there's nothing we can do."
 
In Part II of Yahoo Singapore's feature series on nude model photo leaks, we ask industry players why these leaks occur, how they can concretely be prevented and if victims can still act to seek justice.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/nude-model-photo-leaks-in-singapore--part-i---models-speak-up-155249668.html

Friday*s #sgroundup: The Butter Factory to shut down

By Elizabeth Soh | What's buzzing? – 

Here are today's top trending stories in case you missed them.

Popular nightclub The Butter Factory to shut down next March over rent disagreement

View of the Merlion and One Fullerton. (Getty)

Looks like it's getting more and more expensive to have a party venue Singapore.

The Butter Factory nightclub will be shutting its doors in March next year following a rent disagreement with the landlord.

Co-founder Tan Eu-Yen was quoted by The Straits Times as saying that the group "could not reach an agreement" and is currently exploring new venues to open another club with a "radically different" concept.

https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/popular-nightclub-the-butter-factory-to-shut-down-next-march-over-rent-disagreement-090000084.html

No-holds-barred comedian Joan Rivers dies at age 81

Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers, the pioneering comedian known for her acerbic wit, classic put-downs and for asking "Can we talk?," died on Thursday at the age of 81 in a New York hospital a week after her heart stopped during an outpatient medical procedure.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/comedian-joan-rivers-dies-age-81-daughter-says-190231449.html

Lufthansa flights grounded in new pilots' strike

Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, said it will cancel 200 flights Friday, affecting 25,000 passengers, …

Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, said it will cancel 200 flights Friday, affecting 25,000 passengers, as a consequence of a pilots' strike to be held later in the day.

The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit has called for a six-hour walk-out between 5:00 pm and 11:00 pm (1500-2100 GMT) over plans to change the airline's early retirement policy.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/lufthansa-flights-grounded-pilots-strike-065836397.html

With free visas, Thailand tells Chinese tourists 'please come back soon'

Thai military police secure an area at Victory monument on June 5, 2014 in Bangkok

To make vacationing in a country still under martial law a little more attractive, Thailand's military junta is offering tourists from China free visas.

Chinese are the biggest visitors to Thailand, accounting for 18 percent of total arrivals in July, but they also proved among the most nervous, with numbers slumping more than other nationalities after May's military coup. Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of the Thai economy, and the imposition of martial law in May after the coup hit the industry hard. Winning back the Chinese visitors is imperative - spending by mainland tourists jumped 80 percent to $6 billion in 2013 from 2012.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/free-visas-thailand-tells-chinese-tourists-please-come-075614587--business.html

Singaporean girl serves the country as national netballer and army officer

Photo by Netball Singapore

She protects the nation by day – and trains to represent it when night comes.

Meet Singaporean national netballer Anna Soo, who works as an armour tank officer in the Singapore Armed Forces.

The 25-year-old is part of a 12-strong team defending their Mission Foods Asian Netball Championships (ANC) crown here on home soil from 7 to 14 September.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/lufthansa-flights-grounded-pilots-strike-065836397.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/friday-s--sgroundup--the-butter-factory-to-shut-down-092543421.html

Friday*s #sgroundup: The Butter Factory to shut down

By Elizabeth Soh | What's buzzing? – 

Here are today's top trending stories in case you missed them.

Popular nightclub The Butter Factory to shut down next March over rent disagreement

View of the Merlion and One Fullerton. (Getty)

Looks like it's getting more and more expensive to have a party venue Singapore.

The Butter Factory nightclub will be shutting its doors in March next year following a rent disagreement with the landlord.

Co-founder Tan Eu-Yen was quoted by The Straits Times as saying that the group "could not reach an agreement" and is currently exploring new venues to open another club with a "radically different" concept.

https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/popular-nightclub-the-butter-factory-to-shut-down-next-march-over-rent-disagreement-090000084.html

No-holds-barred comedian Joan Rivers dies at age 81

Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers, the pioneering comedian known for her acerbic wit, classic put-downs and for asking "Can we talk?," died on Thursday at the age of 81 in a New York hospital a week after her heart stopped during an outpatient medical procedure.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/comedian-joan-rivers-dies-age-81-daughter-says-190231449.html

Lufthansa flights grounded in new pilots' strike

Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, said it will cancel 200 flights Friday, affecting 25,000 passengers, …

Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, said it will cancel 200 flights Friday, affecting 25,000 passengers, as a consequence of a pilots' strike to be held later in the day.

The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit has called for a six-hour walk-out between 5:00 pm and 11:00 pm (1500-2100 GMT) over plans to change the airline's early retirement policy.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/lufthansa-flights-grounded-pilots-strike-065836397.html

With free visas, Thailand tells Chinese tourists 'please come back soon'

Thai military police secure an area at Victory monument on June 5, 2014 in Bangkok

To make vacationing in a country still under martial law a little more attractive, Thailand's military junta is offering tourists from China free visas.

Chinese are the biggest visitors to Thailand, accounting for 18 percent of total arrivals in July, but they also proved among the most nervous, with numbers slumping more than other nationalities after May's military coup. Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of the Thai economy, and the imposition of martial law in May after the coup hit the industry hard. Winning back the Chinese visitors is imperative - spending by mainland tourists jumped 80 percent to $6 billion in 2013 from 2012.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/free-visas-thailand-tells-chinese-tourists-please-come-075614587--business.html

Singaporean girl serves the country as national netballer and army officer

Photo by Netball Singapore

She protects the nation by day – and trains to represent it when night comes.

Meet Singaporean national netballer Anna Soo, who works as an armour tank officer in the Singapore Armed Forces.

The 25-year-old is part of a 12-strong team defending their Mission Foods Asian Netball Championships (ANC) crown here on home soil from 7 to 14 September.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/lufthansa-flights-grounded-pilots-strike-065836397.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/friday-s--sgroundup--the-butter-factory-to-shut-down-092543421.html

Bigger and better zoo by 2020: PM Lee

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | Yahoo Newsroom – 

The Singapore Zoo will be bigger and better by 2020, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The prime minister revealed this during a forum on Channel NewsAsia where he took live questions from viewers and callers on Thursday 4 September.

PM Lee said the new plans would make the zoo "better and bigger" and enhance the surrounding nature reserves.

He also added that it was possible to move Jurong Bird Park to Mandai.

During the one-hour session, the prime minister answered questions on various topics including education, cost of living and the future of Singapore. 

PM Lee also made it clear that he should not be leading the country when he is 70. He described his younger ministers as "good and promising" and said a leader would emerge eventually.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/bigger-and-better-zoo-by-2020--pm-lee-151559856.html

Bigger and better zoo by 2020: PM Lee

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | Yahoo Newsroom – 

The Singapore Zoo will be bigger and better by 2020, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The prime minister revealed this during a forum on Channel News Asia where he took live questions from viewers and callers on Thursday 4 September.

PM Lee said the new plans would make the zoo "better and bigger" and enhance the surrounding nature reserves.

He also added that it was possible to move Jurong Bird Park to Mandai.

During the one-hour session, the prime minister answered questions on various topics including education, cost of living and the future of Singapore. 

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/bigger-and-better-zoo-by-2020--pm-lee-151559856.html

Thursday #sgroundup: MH17 crash report due early next week

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | Yahoo Newsroom – 

Here are today's top trending stories:

MH17 Ukraine crash report due Tuesday: investigators

Debris at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 near the Ukrainian village of Hrabove (Grabovo), …
Dutch air crash investigators on Thursday announced that the preliminary report into what brought down flight MH17 over east Ukraine, killing 298 passengers, will be released on Tuesday.

"The preliminary report will present factual information based on sources available to the Dutch Safety Board," investigators said in a statement.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/initial-report-ukraine-plane-disaster-tuesday-082035471.html

Fisheries to cut catch of endangered bluefin tuna

FILE - In this Friday, March 28, 2014 file photo, customers look at the head of a bluefin tuna in front of a sushi …
The multi-nation fisheries body that monitors most of the Pacific Ocean has recommended a substantial cut to the catch of juvenile bluefin tuna, a move conservationists say is only an initial step toward saving the dwindling species.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/fisheries-cut-catch-endangered-bluefin-064821458.html

Singapore Airshow 2014 injects $319 million into local economy: report

The KT-1B Woong Bee planes of the Indonesian Air Force's aerobatics team The Jupiters, perform a maneuver in …

This year's Singapore Airshow contributed $319 million to the Singapore economy in 2014, according to a recent study by Kadence International.

This represents a 25 per cent increase from the event's 2012 edition.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore-airshow-2014-injects-319-091700902.html

1 in 2 Singapore professionals prefer learning new skills over getting higher salaries

Invest more in staff training, bosses told.

Acquiring new skills is a priority for professionals in Singapore, with many placing more value on obtaining them than securing a pay rise or promotion, according to the latest results from the Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI).

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/1-2-singapore-professionals-prefer-064600586.html

Al Qaeda announces India wing, renews loyalty to Taliban chief

In this image taken from video, Ayman al-Zawahri, head of al-Qaida, delivers a statement in a video which was seen …
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri on Wednesday announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group he said would spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the subcontinent.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-announces-india-wing-renews-loyalty-taliban-205132678.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/thursday--sgroundup--mh17-crash-report-due-early-next-week-095326817.html

Thursday #sgroundup: MH17 crash report due early next week

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | Yahoo Newsroom – 

Here are today's top trending stories:

MH17 Ukraine crash report due Tuesday: investigators

Debris at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 near the Ukrainian village of Hrabove (Grabovo), …
Dutch air crash investigators on Thursday announced that the preliminary report into what brought down flight MH17 over east Ukraine, killing 298 passengers, will be released on Tuesday.

"The preliminary report will present factual information based on sources available to the Dutch Safety Board," investigators said in a statement.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/initial-report-ukraine-plane-disaster-tuesday-082035471.html

Fisheries to cut catch of endangered bluefin tuna

FILE - In this Friday, March 28, 2014 file photo, customers look at the head of a bluefin tuna in front of a sushi …
The multi-nation fisheries body that monitors most of the Pacific Ocean has recommended a substantial cut to the catch of juvenile bluefin tuna, a move conservationists say is only an initial step toward saving the dwindling species.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/fisheries-cut-catch-endangered-bluefin-064821458.html

Singapore Airshow 2014 injects $319 million into local economy: report

The KT-1B Woong Bee planes of the Indonesian Air Force's aerobatics team The Jupiters, perform a maneuver in …

This year's Singapore Airshow contributed $319 million to the Singapore economy in 2014, according to a recent study by Kadence International.

This represents a 25 per cent increase from the event's 2012 edition.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore-airshow-2014-injects-319-091700902.html

1 in 2 Singapore professionals prefer learning new skills over getting higher salaries

Invest more in staff training, bosses told.

Acquiring new skills is a priority for professionals in Singapore, with many placing more value on obtaining them than securing a pay rise or promotion, according to the latest results from the Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI).

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/1-2-singapore-professionals-prefer-064600586.html

Al Qaeda announces India wing, renews loyalty to Taliban chief

In this image taken from video, Ayman al-Zawahri, head of al-Qaida, delivers a statement in a video which was seen …
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri on Wednesday announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group he said would spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the subcontinent.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-announces-india-wing-renews-loyalty-taliban-205132678.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/thursday--sgroundup--mh17-crash-report-due-early-next-week-095326817.html

Thanks to this breakdancer, the Singapore Air Force just got cooler

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | What's buzzing? – 

If you think the people in the Singapore Air Force are boring and leading a dull and routine life, think again.

The RSAF posted a video on their Facebook page on Wednesday that surprised viewers with the level of creativity among the RSAF crew.

The 14-second video showed a ground crew member, ME1 Tan Wen Kai, busting some serious breakdancing moves on the aircraft runway as part of his creative marshalling.

The term refers to the "visual communication between ground and crew members" commonly executed during aircraft launches or when guiding them to the correct parking position, according to the video caption.  

Tan performed those moves in front of an F-15SG aircraft during a planned exercise in Darwin, Australia.

It seems like the members are highly encouraged to add creativity into their marshalling, such as adding dance moves or wearing of props. It "brings colour to the routine task," said NSF Phua Zheng Jie, in the video.

However, in the video, the RSAF B-Boy – a term commonly used to refer to male breakdancers – threw in some swag too, and so it may be no surprise that those smooth moves have attracted a lot of attention.

In a day, the clip garnered over 2,000 Likes, close to 900 shares and over 100 comments filled with mainly praises.

"I salute you…a good way to stay alert and fit. Two thumbs up!" said a Taxi Low.

"Great moves and it's entertaining. It just shows that RSAF also has creativity," said a Jonathan Tan.

On YouTube, posted by Channel NewsAsia, the video has spiked to over 11,000 views.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/thanks-to-this-breakdancer--the-singapore-air-force-just-got-cooler-082359550.html

COE prices end mixed

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | Yahoo Newsroom – 

The latest Certificate of Entitlement (COE) results ended mixed on Wednesday, with premiums for vehicles in the open category seeing the largest increase.
 
According to the Land Transport Authority, the premium for vehicles under this category increased by 2.2 per cent to $74,403 from $72,810 in the previous bidding.
 
COE prices for cars up to 1,600cc decreased by 1.3 per cent to $64,481 from $65,710.

Those for cars above 1,600 cc went up to $73,010 from $72,990.

Premiums for goods vehicles and buses dropped to $49,901 from $52,390.

Meanwhile, motorcycle premiums closed higher at $4,453 from $4,354 in the previous bidding.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/coe-prices-end-mixed-234951773.html

COE prices end mixed

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | Yahoo Newsroom – 

The latest Certificate of Entitlement (COE) results ended mixed on Wednesday, with premiums for vehicles in the open category seeing the largest increase.
 
According to the Land Transport Authority, the premium for vehicles under this category increased by 2.2 per cent to $74,403 from $72,810 in the previous bidding.
 
COE prices for cars up to 1,600cc decreased by 1.3 per cent to $64,481 from $65,710.

Those for cars above 1,600 cc went up to $73,010 from $72,990.

Premiums for goods vehicles and buses dropped to $49,901 from $52,390.

Meanwhile, motorcycle premiums closed higher at $4,453 from $4,354 in the previous bidding.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/coe-prices-end-mixed-234951773.html

COE prices end mixed

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | Yahoo Newsroom – 

The latest Certificate of Entitlement (COE) results ended mixed on Wednesday, with premiums for vehicles in the open category seeing the largest increase.
 
According to the Land Transport Authority, the premium for vehicles under this category increased by 2.2 per cent to $74,403 from $72,810 in the previous bidding.
 
COE prices for cars up to 1,600cc decreased by 1.3 per cent to $64,481 from $65,710.

Those for cars above 1,600 cc went up to $73,010 from $72,990.

Premiums for goods vehicles and buses dropped to $49,901 from $52,390.

Meanwhile, motorcycle premiums closed higher at $4,453 from $4,354 in the previous bidding.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/coe-prices-end-mixed-234951773.html

Wednesday #sgroundup: Singapore developer profit margins fall significantly: study

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | What's buzzing? – 

Here are today's top trending stories:

Developer profit margins fall significantly: study

 
Profit margins of new leasehold condominium launches in 2014 have fallen by more than 50 per cent from 2013 and 2012, according to a Knight Frank study reported in the media. In 2012, developers posted an average minimum margin of 14.4 per cent, while the average maximum margin stood at 22.2 per cent.

By 2013, the margins were between 15.6 per cent and 22.5 per cent, but this year the margins have fallen to 5.0 per cent and 10.3 per cent.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/developer-profit-margins-fall-significantly-study-041946293--sector.html

Switzerland, Singapore, US top economic rankings

Helicopters fly past with a Singapore flag during Singapore's 49th National Day Parade at the floating platform …
The United States' competitiveness among global economies has risen to the No. 3 spot behind Switzerland and Singapore in rankings published annually by the World Economic Forum.

In its survey released Wednesday, the Forum said the US — the world's largest economy — moved up two spots from fifth position last year, thanks to improvements in its financial markets and public institutions.

Six European countries dominated the top 10: Switzerland, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Aside from the US, the remaining three slots were Asian: Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/switzerland-singapore-us-top-economic-rankings-100837085.html

Obama says beheading videos won't intimidate US

An image grab taken from a video released by the Islamic State and identified by private terrorism monitor SITE …
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the United States will not be intimidated by Islamic State militants after the beheading of a second American journalist and will build a coalition to "degrade and destroy" the group.

Obama still did not give a timeline for deciding on a strategy to go after the extremist group's operations in Syria. "It'll take time to roll them back," the president said at a news conference during a visit to Europe.

Obama's comments came after he said the United States had verified the authenticity of a video released Tuesday showing the beheading of freelance reporter Steven Sotloff, two weeks after journalist James Foley was similarly killed.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-says-sotloff-beheading-video-authentic-083130265--politics.html

Dethroned Myanmar beauty queen and pageant officials tussle over tiara

Former Miss Myanmar stripped of her beauty pageant title.
South Korean organisers of the Miss Asia Pacific World pageant threatened to call in the police on Wednesday in their row with dethroned Myanmar beauty queen May Myat Noe, demanding she return a gem-studded tiara from her home country.

Pageant founder Choi Youn accused May Myat Noe of absconding with the tiara, which media have said is worth $100,000 and which she won in South Korea in May, becoming Myanmar's first international beauty queen.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/dethroned-myanmar-beauty-queen-pageant-officials-tussle-over-083308050.html

LADIES′ CODE′s EunB passes away in tragic car accident with Kwon Rise and Sojung in critical condition

LADIES′ CODE′s EunB Passes Away in Tragic Car Accident with Kwon Rise and Sojung in Critical Condition.
LADIES′ CODE EunB has passed away in a car accident this morning (3 September). Two of her bandmates are in critical condition.

https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/ladies-code-s-eunb-passes-away-in-tragic-003118553.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/wednesday--sgroundup--singapore-developer-profit-margins-fall-significantly--study-103249056.html

Wednesday #sgroundup: Singapore developer profit margins fall significantly: study

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | What's buzzing? – 

Here are today's top trending stories:

Developer profit margins fall significantly: study

 
Profit margins of new leasehold condominium launches in 2014 have fallen by more than 50 per cent from 2013 and 2012, according to a Knight Frank study reported in the media. In 2012, developers posted an average minimum margin of 14.4 per cent, while the average maximum margin stood at 22.2 per cent.

By 2013, the margins were between 15.6 per cent and 22.5 per cent, but this year the margins have fallen to 5.0 per cent and 10.3 per cent.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/developer-profit-margins-fall-significantly-study-041946293--sector.html

Switzerland, Singapore, US top economic rankings

Helicopters fly past with a Singapore flag during Singapore's 49th National Day Parade at the floating platform …
The United States' competitiveness among global economies has risen to the No. 3 spot behind Switzerland and Singapore in rankings published annually by the World Economic Forum.

In its survey released Wednesday, the Forum said the US — the world's largest economy — moved up two spots from fifth position last year, thanks to improvements in its financial markets and public institutions.

Six European countries dominated the top 10: Switzerland, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Aside from the US, the remaining three slots were Asian: Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/switzerland-singapore-us-top-economic-rankings-100837085.html

Obama says beheading videos won't intimidate US

An image grab taken from a video released by the Islamic State and identified by private terrorism monitor SITE …
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the United States will not be intimidated by Islamic State militants after the beheading of a second American journalist and will build a coalition to "degrade and destroy" the group.

Obama still did not give a timeline for deciding on a strategy to go after the extremist group's operations in Syria. "It'll take time to roll them back," the president said at a news conference during a visit to Europe.

Obama's comments came after he said the United States had verified the authenticity of a video released Tuesday showing the beheading of freelance reporter Steven Sotloff, two weeks after journalist James Foley was similarly killed.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-says-sotloff-beheading-video-authentic-083130265--politics.html

Dethroned Myanmar beauty queen and pageant officials tussle over tiara

Former Miss Myanmar stripped of her beauty pageant title.
South Korean organisers of the Miss Asia Pacific World pageant threatened to call in the police on Wednesday in their row with dethroned Myanmar beauty queen May Myat Noe, demanding she return a gem-studded tiara from her home country.

Pageant founder Choi Youn accused May Myat Noe of absconding with the tiara, which media have said is worth $100,000 and which she won in South Korea in May, becoming Myanmar's first international beauty queen.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/dethroned-myanmar-beauty-queen-pageant-officials-tussle-over-083308050.html

LADIES′ CODE′s EunB passes away in tragic car accident with Kwon Rise and Sojung in critical condition

LADIES′ CODE′s EunB Passes Away in Tragic Car Accident with Kwon Rise and Sojung in Critical Condition.
LADIES′ CODE EunB has passed away in a car accident this morning (3 September). Two of her bandmates are in critical condition.

https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/ladies-code-s-eunb-passes-away-in-tragic-003118553.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/wednesday--sgroundup--singapore-developer-profit-margins-fall-significantly--study-103249056.html

Tuesday #sgroundup: McAfee study reveals 1 in 9 Singaporean teens have been cyberbullied

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | What's buzzing? – 

Here are Tuesday's top trending stories:

McAfee study reveals 1 in 9 Singaporean teens have been cyberbullied

Bullying is fast becoming rampant, especially in the virtual world of technology where keyboard warriors thrive. …

McAfee (Part of Intel Security) has announced that 1 in 3 Singaporean teens have had experience with cyberbullying. This group includes witnessing cyberbullying (61%), having been cyberbullied (28%) or were the cyber-bully themselves (29%). This means that 1 in 9 Singaporean teens have either been the bully or have been bullied themselves.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/mcafee-study-reveals-1-9-080021979.html

Japanese researchers develop 30-minute Ebola test

A woman walks past a slogan painted on a wall reading Ebola; in Monrovia, Liberia, on August 31, 2014

Japanese researchers said Tuesday they had developed a new method to detect the presence of the Ebola virus in 30 minutes, with technology that could allow doctors to quickly diagnose infection.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/japanese-researchers-develop-30-minute-ebola-test-061658143.html

Anti-China group nabbed for planned Manila attacks

A Philippines police bomb disposal unit expert inspects an abondoned suitcase at the departure area of the terminal …

Philippine authorities said Tuesday that they arrested three men linked to a group that was planning to set off firebombs at Manila's international airport and a major mall in the city to protest the government's alleged "soft" stance in its territorial dispute with China. The military, however, downplayed the planned attacks, saying the men were just seeking attention.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/anti-china-group-nabbed-attempted-firebombing-041404902.html

9 steps a Japanese man took to 16 surrogate babies

File photo shows a newborn baby taking the finger of his mother after delivery in a French hospital in September …
Police say Japanese businessman Mitsutoki Shigeta followed nine key steps on his path to fathering 16 surrogate babies in Thailand, born starting in June 2013. It's unclear whether he went through all of the steps for every baby; four are in Cambodia and the rest remain in Thailand.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/9-steps-japanese-man-took-16-surrogate-babies-074532452.html

Dethroned Myanmar beauty queen blasts pageant boss

Former Miss Myanmar stripped of her beauty pageant title.

A dethroned beauty queen from Myanmar said Tuesday she won't return her bejeweled US$100,000 crown until pageant organizers apologise for calling her a liar and a thief.

May Myat Noe — the 2014 Miss Asia Pacific World winner — told a news conference that she had done nothing wrong to cause her to be dethroned.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/dethroned-myanmar-beauty-queen-blasts-pageant-boss-060841667.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/tuesday--sgroundup--mcafee-study-reveals-1-in-9-singaporean-teens-have-been-cyberbullied-094649510.html

Tuesday #sgroundup: McAfee study reveals 1 in 9 Singaporean teens have been cyberbullied

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | What's buzzing? – 

Here are Tuesday's top trending stories:

McAfee study reveals 1 in 9 Singaporean teens have been cyberbullied

Bullying is fast becoming rampant, especially in the virtual world of technology where keyboard warriors thrive. …

McAfee (Part of Intel Security) has announced that 1 in 3 Singaporean teens have had experience with cyberbullying. This group includes witnessing cyberbullying (61%), having been cyberbullied (28%) or were the cyber-bully themselves (29%). This means that 1 in 9 Singaporean teens have either been the bully or have been bullied themselves.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/mcafee-study-reveals-1-9-080021979.html

Japanese researchers develop 30-minute Ebola test

A woman walks past a slogan painted on a wall reading Ebola; in Monrovia, Liberia, on August 31, 2014

Japanese researchers said Tuesday they had developed a new method to detect the presence of the Ebola virus in 30 minutes, with technology that could allow doctors to quickly diagnose infection.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/japanese-researchers-develop-30-minute-ebola-test-061658143.html

Anti-China group nabbed for planned Manila attacks

A Philippines police bomb disposal unit expert inspects an abondoned suitcase at the departure area of the terminal …

Philippine authorities said Tuesday that they arrested three men linked to a group that was planning to set off firebombs at Manila's international airport and a major mall in the city to protest the government's alleged "soft" stance in its territorial dispute with China. The military, however, downplayed the planned attacks, saying the men were just seeking attention.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/anti-china-group-nabbed-attempted-firebombing-041404902.html

9 steps a Japanese man took to 16 surrogate babies

File photo shows a newborn baby taking the finger of his mother after delivery in a French hospital in September …
Police say Japanese businessman Mitsutoki Shigeta followed nine key steps on his path to fathering 16 surrogate babies in Thailand, born starting in June 2013. It's unclear whether he went through all of the steps for every baby; four are in Cambodia and the rest remain in Thailand.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/9-steps-japanese-man-took-16-surrogate-babies-074532452.html

Dethroned Myanmar beauty queen blasts pageant boss

Former Miss Myanmar stripped of her beauty pageant title.

A dethroned beauty queen from Myanmar said Tuesday she won't return her bejeweled US$100,000 crown until pageant organizers apologise for calling her a liar and a thief.

May Myat Noe — the 2014 Miss Asia Pacific World winner — told a news conference that she had done nothing wrong to cause her to be dethroned.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/dethroned-myanmar-beauty-queen-blasts-pageant-boss-060841667.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/tuesday--sgroundup--mcafee-study-reveals-1-in-9-singaporean-teens-have-been-cyberbullied-094649510.html