Tag: Singapore

Yuna Engaged To Malaysian Director Adam Sinclair

Yuna has got engaged to boyfriend Adam Sinclair, the Malaysian singer-songwriter formally announced on Sunday (Aug 6).

It was a “traditional Malay engagement” ceremony, said the 31-year-old, held at her family home in Shah Alam, Selangor on Saturday.

“We decorated my whole house with fresh flowers, opened our home to Adam’s family and our uncles (representing our families) had a little chit chat about our plan getting hitched.

“They exchanged beautiful poems and our families exchanged gifts… making this whole thing legit (sic)!” said Yuna, who is signed with David Foster’s Verve Music Group, on Instagram.

The traditional Malay gift exchange – a move Yuna described as “staying true to our roots” – involved both sides presenting items like dress material, cakes and other sweets on trays.

In an interview with Channel NewsAsia in November last year, the award-winning star said she thought it “important to hold on to (her) Malaysian roots” while pursuing her career in the US.

The event was pastel-themed, with Yuna wearing a periwinkle blue lace dress by Malaysian designer Hatta Dolmat.

Earlier on Saturday, 33-year-old Adam, who directed Yuna’s Pulang music video, shared a photo of him as a child with the caption: “Are you sure, @yunaleese?”. The caption was addressed to Yuna on her private Instagram meant “for family and friends”.

The Lullabies and Rescue star shared a childhood photo of her own on her @yunamusic account as well, with the caption: “We came a long way, didn’t we?”

Yuna’s other half is brother to Malaysian actor Ashraf Sinclair, who has been married to Indonesian star Bunga Citra Lestari since 2008.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

August 7, 2017
Changi Airport’s New Terminal 4 Open House Starts Today Until August 20

Changi Airport’s new Terminal 4 opened its doors on Monday (Aug 7) to the public for a limited time before operations begin.

Until Aug 20, registered guests can visit the terminal from 9am to 6pm daily. Visitors will be let in to the terminal at 10-minute intervals, with 1,500 people entering the terminal every hour, said Changi Airport Group (CAG).

They will tour the terminal using a route on a mobile app specially created for the open house, with the software also providing visitors with information and trivia on the terminal’s features, functions and artworks, it added.

The Changi Airport operator said its decision to let visitors in for a glimpse of the terminal ahead of its opening was a chance to let future travellers familiarise themselves with the facilities that the new terminal has to offer. The airport added that it expects 15,000 registered visitors on the first day of the open house.

Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan was at the open house on Monday. He said he received positive feedback from visitors, many of whom were excited to use the new terminal when it opens this year.

He also said that while the aviation industry remained a “bright spark”, “Singapore must keep picking up the pace” in order to compete with other regional aviation hubs.

Terminal 4 will be the airport’s smallest, at 225,000 sqm. The double-storey terminal will only be about half the size of Terminal 3, but once fully operational, it will be expected to handle 16 million passengers a year – about 70 per cent of Terminal 3’s handling capacity.

The airport will also feature start-to-end self-service systems, allowing travellers to check in, deposit their baggage and even go through immigration via automated systems.

Leveraging on technology and innovation will make possible more convenient passenger processes and improved staff productivity, CAG said.

The vice president of the terminal’s Programme Management Office, Ms Poh Li San, projected that once the terminal is fully operational and stable, it will be able to operate with 10 per cent fewer staff than T3.

CAG said airport system and flight trials will continue until the terminal opens later this year.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

August 7, 2017
Sunset Grill & Pub Slammed For Remark About Being Non-Halal And Hanging Confederate Flag In Premises

An eatery famously known for its fiery hot buffalo wings has engulfed itself in metaphorical flames following a careless remark about being proudly non-Halal.

According to one former fan of Sunset Grill & Pub, her innocent query about the restaurant’s food was rudely replied with a condescending remark. Enquiring on behalf of her Muslim friends, the patron had asked if the food was of the Halal persuasion.

She did not expect to be savagely roasted:

To be fair, it should have been pretty obvious that a restaurant with the word “pub” in its name is a non-Halal establishment — the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore wouldn’t grant its certification to any joints that serve alcohol.

On the other hand, the admin behind Sunset’s Facebook page didn’t have to be that churlish or crass to claim to be a “pork loving restaurant” and end the message with the standard Arabic/Muslim greeting (“peace be with you” or “peace be upon you”).

Since the remark went viral, Sunset’s Facebook page has been bombed with 1-star reviews, as per standard Singaporean protocol when commercial entities allegedly do something controversial. The pub has since disabled the ratings feature on its Facebook page, but not before we screen-grabbed some of the reviews.

Aside from the blunt remark about being non-Halal, netizens spotted another feature of the pub to condemn: the fact that it hung up the American Confederate flag in its establishment. Granted, some may see it as a symbol of “heritage” of the American South, but for many others, it’s a symbol of racism, slavery and white supremacy in the United States.

As Mothership found out, the eatery — popular for its spicy buffalo wings — was previously located at Jalan Kayu and only recently moved to its current location in Sembawang, with different management and staff.

In any case, Sunset Grill & Pub has since apologised for the remark, which they admitted to be “excessively sarcastic”. Still, they tried to justify their answer by saying that the patron “would have known that (they) serve a full menu and (is) a fully licensed Pub”.

Source: https://coconuts.co/singapore

August 7, 2017
Woman Dies After Getting Run Over By Runaway Van She Tried Stopping With Her Hands

A 54-year-old woman, Madam Chong Lee Wan, was killed when she tried stopping a runaway delivery van with her hands, only to be run over.

The State Coroner found her death to be a tragic misadventure and said that Madam Chong had not fully engaged the vehicle’s handbrake when she parked on a downhill slope at Pearl Bank Apartments on Feb 11, 2017.

During the inquiry into her death on Friday (Aug 4), State Coroner Marvin Bay said that the van’s gear was in neutral mode during the time of the incident, and it moved forward and ran over Chong.

He added:

“Given this, the brakes were not in a position to effectively stop the van from rolling downwards… I would therefore attribute the inclination of the pick-up and drop-off area, as well as the inadequate engagement of the handbrake to be the prime contributing factors for the mishap.

“The actual movement of the van… was likely triggered by the closing of the driver’s door, which caused the said vehicle to move forward and subsequently run over Madam Chong.”

The tragedy had happened during a routine furniture delivery run for Cristar Furniture, a family business which Madam Chong was involved in, reports The Straits Times.

Madam Chong and her son, Mr Lim, arrived at the driveway of Pearl Bank Apartments in Pearl Bank, close to Chinatown, around 10.10am on the day of the incident.

Mr Lim said that he recalled hearing a click sound when his mother engaged the handbrake of the Opel Vivaro van.

According to Shin Min Daily News via Lianhe Zaobao, while Mr Lim went up to deliver a chair, Madam Chong waited near the vehicle.

When Mr Lim returned 10 minutes later, after making the delivery, the van was nowhere to be found.

Security personnel nearby told him that the Van had rolled downhill.

Mr Lim later found his mother lying on the sloped road, the van about 50m from where she had initially parked it.

Madam Chong was conveyed unconscious to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) where she died about an hour later from multiple injuries.

Coroner Bay cited senior automotive engineer Tan Jiat Shee, who examined the van and found the handbrake at the first click position.

In the position, the handbrake would be ineffective, and the van’s rear wheels would still be able to turn.

The coroner said that even at the second click position, the rear wheels of the vehicle can still be turned with enough force.

Only at the third click position is the rear wheels completely secured.

Coroner Bay added:

“(Mr Tan) opined that the full application of the handbrake – at six clicks – should be applied when parking the vehicle.”

He also reminded drivers to park their vehicles at designated parking areas which are level, firm, well-lit and clearly marked.

If drivers need to stop or park their vehicles on a slope, they should engage the gears if it is safe to do so, and use wheel chokes.

He concluded:

“Drivers should ensure their vehicles are properly parked with the brakes engaged, engine turned off, starter keys removed and load or equipment lowered and secured.”

Source: http://stomp.straitstimes.com/

August 7, 2017
Halimah Yacob Submits Letters Of Resignation As Speaker Of Parliament, MP M-YT GRC And PAP Member

Halimah Yacob, who confirmed on Sunday (Aug 6) that she intends to contest the upcoming Presidential Election that has been reserved for Malay candidates, submitted her letters of resignation on Monday from her roles as Speaker of Parliament and People’s Action Party Member of Parliament (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC).

“I also tender my resignation from the People’s Action Party with immediate effect,” she said in her resignation letter to Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the PAP, Mr Lee Hsien Loong.

She will also cease to be a member of the PAP Central Executive Committee and Chairperson of the PAP Seniors’ Group.

She told Mr Lee that she had decided to contest the Presidential Election “after careful consideration and consultation with friends, colleagues and family members”.

Speaking at a National Day dinner at the Marsiling Mega Sports Park, Mdm Halima had said: “I recognise that the position of the elected President has the tremendous capacity to do good for all Singaporeans and for Singapore.

“Hence, I wish to inform you that I will be contesting in the coming Presidential Election.”

She said on Sunday that she will ask Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to consider sending an adviser to support the work of the other Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MPs Lawrence Wong, Alex Yam and Ong Teng Koon. She also said she had asked Mr Lee to look into making “quick replacements” for the appointments she is holding.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

August 7, 2017