LOS ANGELES – Director Quentin Tarantino said a car crash that seriously injured Uma Thurman on the set of “Kill Bill” was one of “the biggest regrets of his life,” but denied that he forced the actress to carry it out.
Thurman, who appeared in three Tarantino movies, told the New York Times in a Saturday article that she felt Tarantino had tried to kill her in the 2003 crash, which crushed her knees and left her with a concussion.
Thurman also released video of the crash from the set of the martial arts movie, leading to harsh criticism of Tarantino on social and mainstream media.
Tarantino, responding in an interview with Hollywood website Deadline.com on Monday, said Thurman’s car crashed because there was an unseen curve in the road.
“Watching her fight for the wheel. … remembering me hammering about how it was safe and she could do it. Emphasising that it was a straight road, a straight road. … the fact that she believed me, and I literally watched this little S curve pop up. And it spins her like a top,” Tarantino said.
“It was heartbreaking. Beyond one of the biggest regrets of my career, it is one of the biggest regrets of my life,” he added.
Tarantino denied ignoring Thurman’s anxiety about driving but acknowledged he had been mistaken about the safety of the road.
“I didn’t force her into the car. She got into it because she trusted me,” he said.
Tarantino said he and Thurman reconciled years ago and had talked since the New York Times story was published.
“Uma was in turmoil about the uprising against me this weekend. … She never meant this to roll over onto me,” he told Deadline.
The Oscar-winning director also said that incidents when he spat on Thurman and choked her with a chain were part of the filming process for “Kill Bill” and were carried out with her consent to make the scenes realistic.
Thurman said on her Instagram account on Monday that she was proud of Tarantino for making the crash video available to her after 15 years, saying he did so “with full knowledge it could cause him personal harm.”
Thurman’s account of the car crash overshadowed her accusations of sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein, who produced “Kill Bill” and “Pulp Fiction.”
Weinstein’s lawyer on Saturday acknowledged the producer”making an awkward pass” in 1994 but said Thurman’s accusations of an attempted physical assault were false.
LOS ANGELES – Kylie Jenner, the youngest of the celebrity Kardashian clan, revealed on Tuesday that she had named her new baby daughter Stormi, and posted the first picture of her.
Jenner, 20, posted a close-up photo on her Instagram account showing a baby dressed in pink clasping her pink manicured thumb.
The post was titled simply “Stormi.” Jenner announced on Sunday that her child with rapper Travis Scott was born on Feb. 1 and apologised for keeping her pregnancy secret from her 101 million Instagram followers and other fans.
Half-sister Kim Kardashian and her rapper husband Kanye West announced the arrival in January of their third child, a girl they called Chicago, who was born to a surrogate.
Jenner’s other half-sister, Khloe Kardashian, is seven months pregnant with her basketball player boyfriend Tristan Thompson.
The 200-hectare business park has been designated as the first drone estate in Singapore.
(Updated: )
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SINGAPORE: The first drone estate in Singapore was announced on Wednesday (Feb 7), with one-north designated as the place to facilitate the trials of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technologies and commercial uses in a controlled urban environment.
Approved operators and research users can carry out their trials and operations at one-north “without compromising safety and security”, according to the joint press release by the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and JTC.
For a start, CAAS will work with companies on five projects. These include a trial with Airbus for its “Skyways” initiative to develop an aerial unmanned parcel delivery system for use in dense urban environment.
The trial phase at the National University of Singapore will take place this year. It is also keen to extend this air delivery service to other areas of Singapore, they added.
ST Aerospace is another interested party, and it plans to test and evaluate technologies for its DroNet system that is designed for remote and autonomous deployment of drones within an urban environment.
It can be used to assist a security team to perform perimeter patrols or be the first to respond to an emergency call and provide details of what is going on, the press release said.
Other organisations to conduct trials include Nanyang Technological University’s Air Traffic Management Research Institute, Singtel with NCS and HopeTechnik and JTC and H3 Dynamics.
Mr Loh Ngai Seng, permanent secretary for transport and chairman of the national inter-agency UAS Committee, said: “There is much potential for UAS operations to transform mobility and logistics in urban cities, so we want to encourage the development of beneficial uses of UAS in Singapore, while maintaining safety and security.
The concentration of numerous UAS trials and activities in one-north will also provide MOT and CAAS with the opportunity to study the technical capabilities and expertise needed to manage high-volume, complex UAS operations in a dense, urban environment.”
A Singaporean woman and a male companion have been missing for more than 40 hours after trekking on a mountain in Malaysia’s Kulai district in Johor.
The incident happened at Gunung Pulai, on Monday (Feb 5) at 5.55pm.
The pair had entered the mountain via a trail despite it being closed off to the public, reports Lianhe Wanbao.
Facebook user Wanyin See, a friend of the missing woman, Lum Jie, uploaded a post on Tuesday (Feb 6), asking for help in locating the two.
Wrote Ms See: “She’s missing at Gunung Pulai. If you know of any experienced trekkers, who can join in the search for her, please let us know. It would really help to have more people on the ground! Kindly help to spread the word. Thanks!”
In her post, Ms See also reiterated that her friend remains missing and uncontactable.
Another friend of Lum Jie, Facebook user Chloe Quek Yixuan also posted about the incident.
on Facebook
Update: Thank you everyone for the help this far. We understand that Lum Jie is in Gunung Pulai. The rescue team and…
Posted by Chloe Quek Yixuan on Monday, 5 February 2018
In her post, Chloe stated that Lum Jie was last spotted leaving her house at around 8am on Monday.
She wore a green top, tights, running shoes, and carried a backpack.
Later in an update on the same post, Chloe clarified that rescue teams and volunteers are currently scouring the mountain for the couple.
She added: “The rescue team and volunteers are covering the mountain but as the area is big, more teams may work faster. A few other teams are going in tomorrow.
“(The) only help now might be to pull in more teams (with experience) to help.”
Witnesses told reporters that the couple were spotted driving a Singapore-registered Sport utility vehicle (SUV) to the foot of the mountain.
They then parked the vehicle in front of a resident’s home and went onto the mountain.
The two have not been seen since then.
A Malaysian police spokesman confirmed that the police received a call for help on Monday with the caller saying that a man was missing on the mountain.
He said: “The patrol officers who went to the scene also reported that they suspected that there was another woman involved, and she could be injured.”
Search and rescue operation involved 28 personnel from the state Fire and Rescue Department, the police and the state Forestry department, Bernama reported.
According to Lianhe Wanbao, the two got lost in the mountain, and Lum Jie had somehow sustained injuries, prompting her companion to call for help.
Emergency services were activated and personnel dispatched to find them on the mountain.
However, they were unable to determine their exact location.
It is understood the SUV belonged to Lum Jie’s companion, Mr Chen, aged 27.
When reporters got in contact with Mr Chen’s father, he told them that he had last seen his son on Monday morning, but did not know about him travelling to Malaysia.
The man said that he and his wife were very worried about the safety of their son.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) told The Straits Times that the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Baru is in contact with local authorities which are coordinating the search operations.
MFA said: “Officials from the Consulate-General are in the Gunung Pulai area to assist the affected Singaporean families.”
NEW YORK – Singer Lana Del Rey broke down in tears at a concert and acknowledged feeling jitters after police arrested a stalker who allegedly wanted to kidnap her.
The 32-year-old artist, known for her melancholic baroque pop and tales of ill-fated love, said she was feeling “a little more emotional than I thought” as she opened a concert in Atlanta on Monday night (Feb 5) .
“I was feeling totally fine and then I just got a little bit nervous right when I got on stage,” Del Rey said as she wiped her cheeks with her hands and paced the stage, the crowd hollering its support.
“I just want to say that I’m super happy to be with you guys and if I’m a little bit feathery, just bear with me.”
She was referring to an incident shortly before her previous concert last Friday in Orlando where police said they arrested 43-year-old Michael Hunt after being tipped off to threatening social media posts.
Hunt was arrested a block away from the concert venue with a knife and a ticket to the concert, police said.
He was being held without bond on charges of attempted kidnapping with a weapon and aggravated stalking with a credible threat, court documents showed. He did not immediately enter a plea.
Hunt’s Facebook page, which remained up on Tuesday, showed a round-the-clock obsession with Del Rey interspersed with apocalyptic warnings about the world as well as more obscure bugbears, such as outrage over a group of naked bicyclists.
Hunt, who lives some 135km away in the western Florida city of Riverview, posted Del Rey’s I Still Love Him and appeared to portray himself as the song’s subject.
“I love you so much Lana(.) I can’t wait to be back in your arms in a few days,” he posted, declaring that everyone at the concert “will know who I am when I get there.”
LOS ANGELES – Disney on Tuesday (Feb 6) announced another new series of Star Wars movies, this time from the creators of the hit HBO television series Game Of Thrones.
The Walt Disney Co said in a statement that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would write and produce the new series, which will be separate from both the episodic Skywalker saga and the recently announced trilogy being developed by director Rian Johnson.
The announcement sent Disney shares up 1 per cent.
No release dates or plot details were given.
Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said in a statement that Benioff and Weiss’ “command of complex characters, depth of story and richness of mythology will break new ground and boldly push Star Wars in ways I find incredibly exciting.”
Disney announced in November that Johnson, director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, would write and direct the first of a new trilogy of films in the sci-fi franchise that would bring new characters and worlds not yet explored on screen.
The Last Jedi, released in December 2017, has earned more than US$1.3 billion (S$1.7 billion) at the global box office.
Disney had previously committed to making three standalone Star Wars films outside of the Skywalker saga. They include 2016’s Rogue One, and the May 2018 release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which will follow the origins of the roguish smuggler Han Solo, made famous by Harrison Ford in the original 1977 movie.
Medieval fantasy Game Of Thrones has been a huge hit internationally for HBO as well as winning multiple awards. The seventh season last year was watched by some 30 million viewers in the United States alone.
The final season is due to be broadcast in 2019, bringing to a close the saga of the warring families in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and their multi-generational struggle for control of the Iron Throne.
Benioff and Weiss said on Tuesday they had long been Star Wars fans.
“In the summer of 1977, we travelled to a galaxy far, far away, and we’ve been dreaming of it ever since,” they said in a joint statement.
“We are honoured by the opportunity, a little terrified by the responsibility, and so excited to get started as soon as the final season of Game Of Thrones is complete.”
SINGAPORE: Growing the economy and enhancing the liveability of Singapore will require continued spending on infrastructure developments, but these will have to be done with prudence.
This is according to Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat who spoke to Channel NewsAsia’s current affairs series Looking Ahead.
While challenging, infrastructure planning must take on a long-term view with continued investments to keep the country’s infrastructure developments running efficiently.
“We have to look into the future. What our needs will be, how our needs will grow, how do we plan for that and how do we marshal the resources to enable us to do that,” said Mr Heng.
“Many of these infrastructure projects do not end when the construction ends. In fact, it is just the start,” he added. “Therefore, we must also continue to invest in operating and maintaining these systems.”
“MAKING SINGAPORE AN ENDEARING HOME”
Amid an ageing population, creating a better quality of life for Singaporeans through the renewal of public infrastructure has been one of the Government’s key focus, according to Mr Heng.
With one in four Singaporeans likely to be aged 65 and above by 2030, planning ahead will allow seniors to age gracefully, he said.
Forward-planning efforts thus far include adapting to the population’s changing residential needs. For one, HDB homes have been made more liveable and safer for seniors with the installation of features, such as grab bars and slip-resistant floor treatment.
“We are also looking at the renewal,” added Mr Heng, referring to makeover plans for neighbourhoods and HDB heartlands, as well as a broader “national renewal”. “Those are important moves that we are making. It will take us some time, but we will make steady progress.”
Technology, through the push of the Smart Nation initiative, will play a key role.
Mr Heng raised the example of the Municipal Services Office (MSO)’s OneService mobile application, which aimed to make it easier for residents to report or provide feedback on issues in their HDB estates.
“You just make a report and the information will be routed to the correct agency… At the same time, it gives (you) a dashboard to look at the progress and that’s been very helpful,” he said, while adding that such pilot initiatives are a “very good way” of experimenting new solutions for issues such as healthcare needs.
On a national level, the Government has also been investing in new technology that would pave the way for “big improvements”.
These include the vision of smart urban mobility that involves experiments with autonomous vehicles, projects to promote electronic payments in the country and the construction of a superhighway for used water management dubbed the deep tunnel sewerage system (DTSS).
With sustainability being a “key pillar” of the Government’s policy from day one, the finance minister noted that projects like these constitute “very important investments for the future”.
Coupled with the upcoming carbon tax system, Mr Heng said: “What we want (is) to go beyond just growing the economy and enabling the economy to create good jobs. Those are very important but it is about creating a better quality of life for our people and therefore, enhancing liveability in Singapore.”
“Making Singapore an endearing home is very much a part of the broader strategy.”
MAINTAINING PRUDENCE
In his interview with Channel NewsAsia, Mr Heng also touched on how billion-dollar major infrastructure projects, including Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 and the Tuas mega port, will be essential in maintaining Singapore’s competitiveness.
Given that the global economy remains poised for growth over the long term, particularly in Asia where the economic outlook remains rosy, Singapore needs to capitalise on its global linkages which have given the country a “head start”.
“Our connectivity to the world has been a big advantage,” he said. “That connection has allowed us to capture the global flow of trade in goods and services. (Being) a major aviation centre, we are connected to so many countries in the world and that allows Singaporeans to travel and our business people to do businesses all over the world. Most importantly, it allows our factories to export through our ports and airports to all over the world.”
File photo of Changi Airport Terminal 2. (Photo: AFP)
Moving forward, Mr Heng noted that there must be a “concerted effort” to make Singapore “a node of trade, investment, innovation, technology”.
“If we are a node that connects to all the vibrant centres around the world, it will give us certainly give us a big lift so we must continue to think ahead, look at what are the trends and how we must continue to invest.”
Given the need to build for durability and maintainability, infrastructure projects tend to be hefty investments. Making them future ready to accommodate technological advancements adds to the cost, said Mr Heng.
“Technology will continue to change the way infrastructure is being used,” he explained. “To be future ready, you need to think about what are some of these new features that we need to incorporate and even if the new features are not available today, we need to provide the flexibility to modify and adapt as new needs and new technology emerge.
As such, adopting a long-term and holistic view will be key.
“Infrastructure investment is by nature a long-term investment. In fact, the more we seek to provide for future needs, the more it will raise the cost. But at the same time, what it means is that if we plan it well, it will last us a much longer time and therefore, it will reap even more benefits in the long run,” said Mr Heng.
This despite the challenging nature of infrastructure planning given the cyclical nature of economic growth and how it is “not possible to be hundred per cent accurate” when it comes to responding to demand.
Mr Heng cited his experience in running the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from 2005 to 2011 prior to entering politics. “We had many major global banks that wanted to set up in Singapore but at that time, we didn’t have enough space. After they came in, we had the global financial crisis but the recovery took place very quickly and today, we see financial activity going very strongly again in Singapore.”
He added: “If we do not expect to be hundred per cent accurate all the time, make sure that in the longer run we get it right then I think we should continue to invest.”
Mr Heng also emphasised the need to maintain prudence and financial sustainability during the planning and execution of mega infrastructure projects.
This comes as Singapore’s spending needs continue to grow, which has given rise to speculation of higher taxes being announced in the upcoming Budget.
The areas in need of higher Government expenditure include homeland security, which was described as “a very major item” in Budget 2018 by Mr Heng last week, and healthcare.
Infrastructure is another sector that will likely see increased spending in the coming years and Senior Minister of State for Finance Indranee Rajah said in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 6) that comprehensive measures are in place to ensure cost-efficiency for publicly-funded infrastructure projects.
When asked how the Government will prevent overspending, Mr Heng said: “We must strive to be prudent and ensure that our spending is financially sustainable. It also means that we will have to think long term.”
“That is how we can continue to grow Singapore,” he told Channel NewsAsia.
“There are many more things that we can do in Singapore and many more things that we need to build. We are not done building Singapore.”
Looking Ahead, a series that looks at mega infrastructure projects underway in Singapore and how that will position the country for the future, airs on Feb 7 and Feb 14 at 8pm on Channel NewsAsia.
