SINGAPORE: Four products touted to have slimming effects and sold online have been found to contain “potent ingredients” – including a banned substance and a laxative – which could cause “serious adverse effects” in consumers, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said in a news release on Thursday (Sep 10).
It cautioned members of the public not to buy or consume Nutriline Thinsline, Nutriline Cleansline, KiMiSo Dark Chocolate and Wholly Fitz Passion Lemon Tea.
Nutriline Thinsline was found to have sibutramine, a substance banned in Singapore, while Nutriline Cleansline contained sennoside, a laxative.
KiMiSo Dark Chocolate contained both sibutramine and diphenhydramine, an antihistamine. Wholly Fitz Passion Lemon Tea had sibutramine in it.
Sibutramine has been banned in Singapore since 2010 due to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes for those who take it.
Diphenhydramine causes drowsiness, which can pose a risk if consumers drive or operate machinery.
The KiMiSo Dark Chocolate product. (Photo: HSA)
WOMAN REPORTS IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT, AMONG OTHER EFFECTS
After consuming one sachet of Nutriline Thinsline, a woman reported to HSA that she experienced “extreme thirst, irregular heartbeat and loss of appetite”, the authority said.
During investigations, HSA found that this product was usually sold together with Nutriline Cleansline. It tested both products and found sibutramine in Nutriline Thinsline and sennoside in Nutriline Cleansline.
Both these products were marketed as natural supplements for weight loss and detoxification, with claims to control appetite and increase metabolism.
In June 2017, HSA had also cautioned about another Nutriline product, Nutriline Bluvelle, which was also tested to contain sibutramine. It had caused increased heartbeat, dizziness and anxiety in a consumer, HSA said.
PRODUCTS RAISED SUSPICION AMONG CONSUMERS
According to HSA, several other customers gave feedback on two other suspicious products – KiMiSo Dark Chocolate and Wholly Fitz Passion Lemon Tea.
A woman suspected that KiMiSo Dark Chocolate might contain potent ingredients after reading the reviews on the product.
The product was marketed to have the ability to “intensely burn fat” and “promote weight loss”, with “no laxatives” and “no side effects”. When HSA tested the product, it found sibutramine and diphenhydramine.
The Wholly Fitz Passion Lemon Tea product. (Photo: HSA)
Similarly, another person contacted HSA saying they suspected Wholly Fitz Passion Lemon Tea, marketed to “keep the fat away”, was similar to Freaky Fitz Passion Lemon Tea, which was found to contain sibutramine by HSA earlier this year.
Both products had the same list of ingredients printed on their packaging, including juice powders and extracts.
HSA found the tea also contained sibutramine.
HSA ISSUES WARNINGS TO SELLERS
The authority advised consumers to stop taking the four products immediately and to see a doctor if they feel unwell or are concerned about their health.
It added people should be wary of products that make exaggerated weight loss claims or deliver unexpectedly quick effects, as well as to avoid purchasing products from unfamiliar sources and to exercise caution when buying products online.
“HSA has issued warnings to the sellers of these four products and directed the respective website administrators to take down the affected listings,” HSA said, noting the products were sold on local e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Qoo10, and social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
“All sellers and suppliers must stop selling these products immediately. It is illegal to sell and supply adulterated products containing banned substances or potent medicinal ingredients,” HSA said.
Sellers and suppliers, if convicted, could face up to two years in jail and/or fined up to S$10,000.
SINGAPORE – An 81-year-old woman came to her neighbours’ rescue and helped them put out a fire in their Housing Board flat on Aug 9, even though she was scared of the raging flames.
For her bravery, Madam Lim Ee Chin received the Community First Responder Award on Aug 27, the SCDF said in a Facebook post on Thursday (Sept 10).
The award is presented to members of the public who have stepped forward to render assistance to others in distress or to save property or both.
“Despite her age, she did not hesitate to help put out the fire. Her selfless act has assisted to mitigate the damages and injuries caused by the fire,” said SCDF.
The fire Madam Lim helped extinguished had broken out at a corner residential unit of Block 917 Jurong West Street 91 at 11.20pm on Aug 9.
SINGAPORE – TraceTogether tokens will be distributed nationwide from next Monday (Sept 14), starting in the Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar districts, as Singapore ramps up its contact tracing efforts.
Announcing this, Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan said these areas have a higher proportion of seniors who are more vulnerable to Covid-19 and may have difficulty using the existing TraceTogether app.
The Government will also be starting a pilot programme requiring people to use either the free TraceTogether tokens or the app to check in at certain venues.
Such venues could include places where larger numbers of people may come together, or where masks may not be worn at all times due to the nature of the activities taking place there.
The pilot comes as Singapore prepares to allow bigger meetings and conferences with up to 250 participants.
This approach would mean that SafeEntry check-in data is supplemented with proximity data from TraceTogether, enhancing safety for participants, said the Ministry of Health in a statement on Wednesday (Sept 9).
SINGAPORE – All travellers from India who are not Singaporeans and permanent residents will have to take a Covid-19 test before departing for Singapore.
From next Thursday (Sept 17), they will have to present a valid negative test result from a polymerase chain reaction test that has to be taken within 72 hours before their flight here.
This new and more stringent border restriction, which covers travellers who were in India within 14 days of their arrival to Singapore, will apply on top of existing requirements – a two-week stay-home notice at dedicated SHN facilities and a further negative Covid-19 test before the end of the SHN.
Announcing this on Wednesday (Sept 9), the Ministry of Health (MOH) noted reports of a resurgence of infections in India. A “significant number” of imported cases in Singapore also have recent travel history to India, it said.
A one-year-old Singaporean baby who had arrived from India on Aug 24 was the only imported case on Tuesday.
On Monday, two of the three imported cases had arrived from India. The third case was from the Philippines.
SINGAPORE: Ms Hamimah Tuyan remembers the first time she saw in the flesh the man who fatally shot her husband in the mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques in March last year.
Ms Hamimah’s husband, Mr Zekeriya Tuyan, was the 51st fatality. Mr Tuyan, a Turkish citizen and Singapore permanent resident, died 48 days after the attack and 18 surgeries in hospital.
Over three days in late August, Tarrant stood in a small Christchurch courtroom as more than 90 of those bereaved or wounded in the attacks read victim impact statements.
Tarrant had earlier admitted to 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act.
A member of the Muslim community stands in front of the Al Noor mosque, two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings on Mar 13, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Sanka Vidanagama)
Ms Hamimah said she did not know when she would be called to read her statement until the second half of Aug 26, the third and final day. When her turn finally came, she recalled having an “out of body experience”.
“As soon as I walked past the glass door (in the main courtroom), I felt like I wasn’t me,” she told CNA in a video call on Tuesday (Sep 8).
“Everything that I had planned to do – which was to not look at him, to just look at the judge, not to honour him with my eye contact, or whatever – all those plans just went away.
“As soon as I put the paper on the podium, I just found myself looking at him and I even actually smiled at him. I can’t believe that, but it was more like a smile of, ‘Oh, look what you have done to yourself’.
“After three days of watching the brothers and sisters read their impact statements before me, and how they bravely faced the terrorist, inspired me and gave me strength to also face the terrorist and speak directly to him.”
Ms Hamimah, who is in her 40s, said in her statement that it would be a “grave injustice” if the terrorist was given a second chance to walk free.
“I see the longing in my sons’ eyes as they watch other boys holding hands, tumbling on the grass, reading books, building Legos with their fathers,” Ms Hamimah, who has two sons, said then.
“How do I, their mum, console their aching hearts?”
DRAWING STRENGTH FROM HER HUSBAND
Ms Hamimah said on Tuesday that she found strength from her husband as she read her statement, stating that “he would have done the same for me if the situation was reversed”.
When the attacks occurred, Ms Hamimah and her children were based in Singapore, while her husband was working in New Zealand.
“Him being the brave guy that he was, he would have wanted me to do this. And this is my way of honouring him, of being his voice. Because, as I mentioned (in my speech), he’s not here to speak for himself,” she added.
“But also the voice for my two boys, they are too young to speak for themselves.”
Ms Hamimah finished her statement without needing reading glasses as she usually does, something that still surprises her now. She also described feeling a mixture of emotions for Tarrant.
“My focus was just different, I didn’t want to think too much about that guy,” she said.
“I have been protected for so long, I haven’t had the need to think about him too much because I was just busy with the kids, and you know, coming back to Singapore and getting on with life and work – autopilot basically.
“But right towards the end of isolation (in New Zealand before going to court), I actually said that I pitied him. In fact, I pity his mother because I’m a mother. I wouldn’t be proud of having a son in this kind of situation.
“But throughout that sentencing week, I think it was just apathy. I think it was more like, ‘Okay, it is what it is. Let’s just go through this’.”
LIFE IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT PAROLE
The next day, Tarrant was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, the first time such a sentence was handed down in New Zealand.
Ms Hamimah said she admired how the judge, Cameron Mander, was “so thoughtful and kind and gracious to mention every one of the deceased” in two hours of remarks.
“When he finally pronounced the sentence on the terrorist, we were all actually just quiet. I think we were just so relieved and grateful that our prayers were answered through the sentencing,” she said.
There were some concerns that Tarrant could be given a more lenient sentence as he made a guilty plea after initially claiming trial, she added.
Ms Hamimah left the courtroom and gathered with the other survivors as one of them recited the Muslim prayer call, which she said helped calm them.
“And then as soon as we got out of the courthouse, everything just broke loose. Everyone was celebrating,” she added.
“We had a whole crowd waiting to greet us and celebrate with us, so that was really sweet. That’s New Zealand for you.”
Survivors and family members of the 2019 twin mosque shootings greet each other outside the High Court building on the last day of the sentencing hearing on Aug 27, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Sanka Vidanagama)
Ms Hamimah hesitated to say the sentencing has brought closure, pointing out that in “something as impactful as this, I’m not sure you could ever have closure”.
“I’ve always used the analogy of a long-distance hurdle race. So it’s just another hurdle that you jump over and you reach closer and closer to the finishing line,” she said.
“But after this we still have the royal commission (investigating the incident), the government’s response to the royal commission, and then I’m not sure if there is going to be another remembrance for the second year anniversary.
“But if you ask me personally, I really do not want people to forget this. So, I don’t really hope for closure in that sense, because I really want people to keep remembering this incident and and all the good and the bad that has come out of it. The lessons that we should learn from it.”
Mourners left flowers at the Botanic Gardens in Christchurch in the days following the attacks. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
Ms Hamimah said Singapore can learn from the attacks by asking some “hard questions” and addressing any hatred, bigotry or racism in its society.
“Nobody expected the attack to happen in Christchurch. And therefore, we cannot be complacent and think that it cannot happen in our country too,” she said.
“When people have stereotypes, and they feed on it, and then they spread it. It can be an influencer … all that’s required is one loon.”
A GOOD ENDING
Ms Hamimah is now back in Singapore, keeping busy in her job as a speech and language therapist at a public hospital and caring for her two children.
In her impact statement, written some time before the sentencing, Ms Hamimah said her children asked questions like why the man killed their father, and whether the man was from ISIS.
But the nature of their queries has now changed, she said.
A student leaving a tribute at the memorial wall in Canterbury University. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
“COVID-19 is a blessing in disguise, in a way. It helps my children not ask for us to go back to Christchurch as often as pre-COVID. It distracted them quite a bit and helped them to adjust,” she said.
“I think how I have addressed their baba’s death seems to be working so far, like helping them to understand that death is a transition, that we will meet him again in the afterlife.
“And so they haven’t asked me questions related to the attack anymore. In fact, when their baba is being mentioned now, it is more of as a matter of fact, like, ‘Oh yeah, baba used to like this’. Not anymore with a longing tone.”
People writing notes for those affected by the attacks. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
As for dealing with her own loss, Ms Hamimah said she has done a lot of therapeutic writing, and used the two weeks of isolation in New Zealand to reflect on what she has been through the past year, without the distraction of work and everyday chores.
“The circumstances where my husband’s life was taken, it is for Muslims a good ending,” she said.
“So that settles a big part of my healing because what have I got to complain about? I have to actually worry about my ending. My husband’s ending, we know from religion, they will be rewarded with martyrdom and get their place in paradise.
“If I believe in that, then I should be more focused on how do I move forward with my children bravely, strongly and continue the legacy of my husband.
“And not let whatever happened to him or our community happen to other communities. Literally, what can I do to make sure that I make use of this experience to benefit the society or benefit others.”
FORGIVENESS WAS NEVER A QUESTION
With that, Ms Hamimah was asked if she forgives the terrorist for what he had done to her husband.
“To me, that has never been a question, whether to forgive him or not,” she replied.
“Because I don’t feel for myself that I have a lot of anger in me that I need to forgive him. Or that I don’t forgive him, then I’m holding on to anger and all those other psychological stuff. I don’t.”
The flowers outside the Botanic Gardens. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
Since Ms Hamimah found herself feeling some pity for him at one point, she said: “If pitying is part of forgiving, then yes, I’m getting close to it, but I didn’t really need to forgive him at all.”
But Ms Hamimah said there might be some who misunderstand forgiveness as foregoing punishment.
“People need to understand forgiving does not mean that we agree to just look over punishment or the administration of justice,” she added.
“The Temasek Foundation folks have been planning this for some time, and were working to make a formal announcement before this weekend,” wrote Mdm Ho.
Collection of the masks starts on Sep 21 at 10am and will end on Oct 4, while pre-orders – for those who want additional masks or masks in colours other than white – will be available from Sep 13 till Oct 2.
Residents will need to scan the barcodes of their NRIC, FIN, driving licence or any government-issued identification (with barcode) to collect their masks. Each card may be used to collect one free kit containing two white cloth masks.
During the last distribution drive by Temasek Foundation in June and July, masks were available at vending machines located islandwide.
Residents who want to buy more masks can pre-order them online.
White and navy-coloured masks are available at S$8 per kit and each person can pre-order up to 10 kits of these colours. Each kit contains two masks.
Other limited edition colours are also available – black, peach and denim blue. These colours go for S$10 per kit and each person may only pre-order up to five kits.
SINGAPORE: Nine companies have been awarded grants totalling S$39.4 million under a scheme to strengthen Singapore’s food security, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Wednesday (Sep 9).
Announced in April, the 30×30 Express grant supports efforts to boost the production of commonly consumed food items like eggs, vegetables and fish.
It is part of a goal to meet 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs with food produced locally by 2030, in order to adapt to the country’s long-term challenges, including climate change, disruptions to supply chains and resources, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
SFA said it received more than 40 proposals by the end of the open grant call at the end of May.
The proposals by the nine selected companies “incorporated highly productive farming systems that can be constructed and implemented quickly to achieve high production levels”, the agency said.
“The proposals also demonstrated good potential to successfully implement the projects based on the company’s track record, farming experience and project team,” SFA added.
The original S$30 million budget was increased to support these proposals.
SFA said that seven of the nine awardees have accepted the grant, including six vegetable farms and Chew’s Agriculture, an egg farm.
One of the vegetable farms, ComCrop, will expand its current Woodlands site to include greenhouses equipped with robotic growing systems to optimise space efficiency and reduce manpower.
I.F.F.I, another recipient, will set up an indoor vegetable farm with a vertical integration growth system of up to 8m in height, employing both soil-based and hydroponics cultivation methods in a fully controlled, pesticide-free environment.
Chew’s Agriculture will construct additional houses to ramp up its production of hen shell eggs. The houses will be equipped with an integrated climate control system along with egg and manure collection systems, minimising egg breakage and maximising egg production.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu during a visit to high-tech vegetable farm I.F.F.I on Sep 9, 2020. (Photo: Facebook/Singapore Food Agency)
“While we continue to plan to tackle our long-term challenges, we also need to respond swiftly to the immediate global food supply challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.
“Supporting our agri-food industry and augmenting their production capabilities remains a key strategy in strengthening Singapore’s food supply resilience.”
Ms Fu on Tuesday visited ComCrop and I.F.F.I. The grant will give the companies “an added boost to adopt highly productive farming systems to ramp up production over the next 6 to 24 months”, she said in a Facebook post.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu visited the ComCrop and I.F.F.I vegetable farms on Sep 9, 2020. (Photos: Facebook/Grace Fu)
“We will continue to work with the agri-food industry and support them to grow more and grow faster to enhance our food security,” said Lim Kok Thai, CEO of SFA.
“We urge consumers to support our local farms and buy local produce, which can be identified easily by our new SG Fresh Produce logo,” Mr Lim added.
Another day, another argument between a pair of mask-less men. Fortunately, a public altercation at Tekka Centre was broken up by several CISCO officers on Sunday (Sept 6).
A video of the intervention was shared on Facebook, but it wasn’t the lack of masks that drew the attention of netizens.
Very good! Now come out fight at Tekka!Posted by SG Dirty Fella on Monday, September 7, 2020
Rather, it was a CISCO officer who had reached out to adjust one of the men’s mask for him.
For the past five months, an 81-year-old man found himself sleeping on a piece of cardboard outside his door, surrounded by ants and cockroaches, due to the number of scraps that had piled up in his flat.
That was, until volunteers from Keeping Hope Alive, a private initiative aimed at helping the less privileged, came to help clear out his apartment on Sunday morning (Sept 6).
SINGAPORE – Temasek said its senior international business adviser Liew Mun Leong has contributed to Singapore and its people, and his track record at various firms attests to that.
The investment firm’s comments come days after the High Court acquitted Mr Liew’s former Indonesian maid of theft, in a judgment that also raised questions about the motivation of Mr Liew and his family in lodging a police report against the maid.
Mr Liew is also the chairman of Changi Airport Group and Surbana Jurong.
Temasek International chief executive Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara said on Tuesday (Sept 8): “There are many individuals who have contributed to both public service and to the private sector in Singapore for the benefit of Singapore and our population as a whole. (Mr Liew) is one of those persons, and his track record at CapitaLand, at Changi Airport Group, and at Surbana Jurong attest to that.”
He was responding to questions from The Straits Times at a virtual media conference on Temasek’s performance, and was asked whether Mr Liew’s actions go against the company’s values and whether it would be looking into the issue.
