SINGAPORE: A two-storey house along Sunset Place caught fire on Thursday evening (Nov 10) after it was struck by lightning. No injuries were reported.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) extinguished the fire using three water jets within 20 minutes, it said.
(Photo: Clara Wong)
SCDF was alerted to the incident at about 5.30pm and sent two fire engines, a Red Rhino and two support vehicles to the scene.
When they arrived, the fire had already engulfed the second storey of the house, with flames going through the roof. The cause of fire is still under investigation, SCDF said.
SINGAPORE – A fire engulfed the roof of a two-storey bungalow in Clementi on Thursday (Nov 10) evening, after what was described by neighbours as a lightning strike in the area.
The SCDF was alerted to the fire at 9 Sunset Place at around 5.30pm and two fire engines, a Red Rhino and two supporting appliances were dispatched to the scene, said a spokesman.
Upon SCDF’s arrival, the fire had already engulfed the second storey of the house, with flames coming through the roof.
Three water jets were used to contain the fire, which was brought under control in 20 minutes, said the spokesman.
A neighbour who declined to be named said she was in her house when she heard a “really loud clap” and saw a bolt of lightning hitting the ground. “The whole roof was gutted, completely charred,” she said.
Domestic helper Evelyn Altuna, 36, who lives in a neighbouring house, also said she heard a loud bang before the fire. “My employer’s son saw the smoke and asked me to take a look,” she said. “After the fire started, the electricity in our house was cut.”
When The Straits Times visited the house at around 9.15pm, authorities had cordoned off the area. The roof of the house was charred and there was a strong smell of smoke.
The home owner, retired surgeon Peter Tan, 80, said he was shocked by the fire, but declined to comment further.
He was carrying a painting and a luggage, which he said was full of important documents and passports. He lives in the house with his wife and their nine cats.
Resident of nine years Mr Jeya Putra P said the woman and her domestic helper who live in the bungalow were not aware of the fire at first.
Neighbours had tried calling out to the them from outside the bungalow, but failed to get their attention. Foreign workers who were working at another house nearby then climbed over the gate to alert the occupants, said Mr Jeya, 53, who is a lawyer.
A resident of more than 20 years, who declined to be named, said lightning is very common in the neighbourhood. He said two incidents in 2015 and in 1992 caused a surge in electricity and appliances including his cordless phone to be burnt.
There were no reported injuries. SCDF said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
This article was first published on Nov 10, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE – Chinese actor Dai Xiangyu says he is planning a wedding with actress Chen Zihan in Barcelona on Dec 9.
He announced this on his Weibo microblog yesterday (Nov 9) and added: “Want to let the whole world know I’m marrying you (heart emoticon).”
The actor, formerly known as Dai Yangtian, found fame in Singapore with the period epic drama The Little Nyonya (2008).
But he returned to China in 2011 to develop his career there.
Dai, 31, registered his marriage in China in May (2016). Asked about his choice of venue, he tells The Straits Times over the phone from China: “The form of the wedding is a kind of declaration of a man to a woman. I want to keep the reason a secret, but the concept is to find a place close to heaven, close to contentment.”
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
Lollipop, Sina Weibo
The event will be cosy – with about 60 guests, comprising close friends and family. The couple will hold a larger reception in Beijing on Dec 19.
Dai says he is happy that Chen, 38, agreed to a Spanish wedding because “she has a fear of flights and the farthest she has flown is to Singapore”.
The couple have been together for more than a year and worked together on Chinese dramas such as Pearl Earrings, which was filmed last year (2015).
He says: “We’ve basically not been apart all this time. When I’m filming, she would accompany me, and vice versa. We’ve built this great understanding between us.”
He adds protectively: “I hope she won’t take on too many jobs as Chinese projects can really be quite tiring.”
The couple are also in the process of starting a production company.
Dai says: “We would only be taking on the role of producers. But if I’m free and the right role comes along, I don’t mind acting since that would mean lower production costs.”
This article was first published on Nov 10, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE – A washing machine in a Bukit Panjang flat caught fire on Wednesday (Nov 9).
The incident happened around noon at a unit in Block 469, Segar Road, Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported.
The flat owner, a 51-year-old technician, told the paper that his 42-year-old wife was doing her laundry with her Samsung washing machine in the kitchen toilet.
She left the washer for less than 10 minutes, but rushed back after she caught a whiff of an unusual smell, only to find the machine engulfed in flames and thick smoke.
She fled the flat with her 16-year-old daughter who was also at home at the time.
No one was injured.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to the incident at 11.50am and sent one fire engine, two Red Rhinos, two fire bikes and one support vehicle to the scene.
Photo: Shin Min Daily News
The blaze was extinguished with a compressed air foam backpack.
According to Shin Min, the family bought the appliance four years ago for about $400. The exact washer model is not known.
All that was left of the machine was charred metal. The toilet walls, ceiling and air-conditioning pipes were also burnt.
Read also: Samsung washing machines are also exploding now, and has turned Singaporeans into conspiracy theorists
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, Samsung Electronics Singapore said it is working with Shin Min to reach out to the affected user “so that we may look into the matter and provide the necessary support”.
“We are unable to comment on this specific incident until we obtain and thoroughly examine the product,” the firm said.
“Customer safety remains our highest priority and we want to work with any customer who has experienced an issue with a Samsung product in order to investigate the matter and support them.”
Separately, Samsung Electronics began a recall of about 2.8 million top-load washing machines in the United States last week, following complaints that the top of the machine can unexpectedly detach during use, posing an injury risk from impact.
There have been at least nine reported injuries, including a broken jaw, injured shoulder and fall-related injuries, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
The recall affects 34 models sold between March 2011 and this month.
Read also: Now, there are reports of Samsung S7 Edge phones exploding
But Samsung Electronics Singapore assured that the recall does not affect washers in Singapore.
The firm said: “We can confirm that this does not impact top-load washer models sold outside of North America.”
This article was first published on Nov 10, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Park’s ex-presidential aides, who are now under questioning in the prosecution’s probe, told interrogators that they had just followed orders from President Park, after initially denying her role in the scandal, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.
According to reports, An Chong-bum, ex-presidential secretary for policy coordination, testified that Park specifically ordered him to help the Mir and K-Sports foundations to raise funds from conglomerates.
An was arrested for abusing authority and attempted coercion. Choi, who is at the centre of the influence-peddling scandal, was also arrested for being an accomplice to An. Choi, who on paper holds no title in the entities, is said to have orchestrated their foundation, fundraising and project management.
An also allegedly said that Park ordered him to help Cha Eun-taek, a TV commercial director and Choi’s close associate who was arrested for extorting shares from a midsize ad company. After failing to take over Poreka, a former in-house ad company for Posco, Cha allegedly threatened the firm to hand over 80 per cent of its shares or face a tax evasion probe.
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2016-11-06 10:08:13
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Tens of thousands of South Koreans stage protest in Seoul calling for President Park Geun Hye to resign
The prosecution is said to have discovered recorded conversations between Park and Jeong Ho-seong, a former secretary of the president, in connection with the scandal, on his phones that were confiscated during the raid of his residence.
In the recorded file, Park was heard ordering Jeong to show policy-related documents to Choi and to seek her opinion. In another recorded file, Jeong called Choi to tell her the documents were sent.
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The ‘female Rasputin’ at centre of S Korean President Park Geun-Hye political scandal
Jeong had initially denied knowing Choi and delivering confidential documents to her, but later admitted to doing so under Park’s orders. He was arrested for leaking official documents such as presidential speeches and policy guidelines.
President Park appears to deny her involvement in forcing local firms to donate money to the foundations.
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Choi accused of interfering in state affairs using relationship with President
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – Philippines has given Malaysia the licence to enter its waters in pursuit of kidnappers and militants terrorising Sabah’s east coast.
Najib said the green light by Duterte was vital in stamping out kidnap-for-ransom activities that have plagued both countries.
This year, 10 Malaysians were being kidnapped by militant groups based in southern Philippines, of whom five are still held captive.
Apart from Malaysia, Indonesia has also been allowed to cross the maritime borders in pursuit of criminals.
“I appreciate President Duterte’s practical way in stamping out this menace.
“Defence Ministers of the three countries will meet to sort out the standard operating procedure for this to be implemented soon,” said Najib to reporters after the conclusion of his meeting with Duterte.
Duterte is here for a two-day official visit, his first after assuming the presidency in June.
Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra will stand outside a shopping mall in Samut Prakan Friday to sell rice directly to consumers.
This is the second time for her to sell rice bought from farmers in the Northeast. Last Saturday, Yingluck managed to sell 10 tonnes of jasmine rice bought from farmers within an hour outside the Fashion Island shopping mall.
The former PM joined farmers and volunteers Thursday to pack a tonne of jasmine rice to sell Friday as part of her campaign to help farmers as the price of rice continues to drop dramatically.
Yingluck will be selling the rice at Bt20 (S$0.80) per kilogram from 4pm outside the Imperial World Samrong shopping mall in Samut Prakan.
The former PM announced the event on her Facebook page, and is calling on her supporters to help purchase the rice at a fair price for farmers.
“To encourage and help farmers sell the jasmine rice at Bt20 per kilogram, I would like to ask people in Samut Prakan and my fanpage followers to help purchase the rice from farmers,” she wrote on her page Thursday.
Photo: The Nation/Asia News Network
Also helping Yingluck pack up the rice Thursday were her son, Supasek Amornchat, as well as Pheu Thai politicians including the party’s acting secretary-general Phumtham Wechayachai and farmers from the Northeast provinces of Roi Et, Surin, Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani and Maha Sarakham.
The price of rice recently tumbled to its lowest since 2008, triggering not only state agencies but also private and people sectors to initiate various campaigns to help sell rice in a bid to give farmers a fair price for their harvest.
JAKARTA – Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo are set to inaugurate the Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java, a joint Indonesian-Singaporean project, next Monday.
“President Jokowi and Singapore’s prime minister will come here to inaugurate the park. The schedule has been set, and the ceremonial preparation is almost complete,” Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said in a press statement released Thursday.
The park is a joint venture between Indonesian property giant PT Jababeka and Singaporean Sembawang Corporation (Sembcorp). While Jababeka is a specialist in industrial parks, Sembcorp has businesses in marine industries, energy and property.
Airlangga said the 2,700-hectare industrial park already had 20 tenants with total investments of Rp 4.3 trillion (US$326.38 million). They will employ around 4,000 workers.
Jababeka director Hyanto Wihadi said the tenants were from Singapore, Japan and Malaysia and engaged in different industries, such as furniture, food and steel. The park is integrated with Kendal port and connected by railway to the bigger Tanjung Mas port in Semarang, the capital of Central Java.
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SINGAPORE – Singapore’s white-collar crime unit for the first time on Thursday identified Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho as a key figure in the money laundering investigation linked to scandal-tainted 1MDB fund.
The revelation came from an investigator during the trial of a former wealth manager of Swiss private bank BSI in Singapore’s most high-profile money laundering case.
Low is also among the people named in civil lawsuits filed by the US Department of Justice, which alleged that more than US$3.5 billion (S$4.9 billion) was allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB.
Singapore authorities have also frozen Low’s assets, however the 34-year-old has not been charged with any offence in the investigations into 1MDB.
Founded by Najib, who previously chaired its advisory board, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is currently the subject of money laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing and said Malaysia will co-operate with the international investigations.
Oh Yong Yang, an officer with the police Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), told a Singapore court Low had been under investigation since 2015.
“Low Taek Jho is a key person of interest in our investigation, and he is also a person of interest in related investigations in other jurisdictions… It started in 2015,” he said.
He made the statement during the trial of Yeo Jiawei, a former wealth manager at Swiss private bank BSI who faces four charges related to his alleged attempt to pervert the course of justice by urging witnesses to lie to police and destroy evidence.
The CAD officer also said Eric Tan Kim Loong and Mohamed Ahmed Badawy Al Husseiny, former chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments, are also being investigated in the money laundering probe.
Husseiny was replaced as chief executive of Aabar last year after holding that post since 2010.
Yeo told the court Jho Low was a key client of BSI and also introduced 1MDB to the private bank.
Reuters could not reach Jho Low, Eric Tan or Husseiny for a comment.
Ex-BSI banker Yeo is also facing seven separate charges, including money laundering, cheating and forgery, which the prosecution said will be tried next year.
Singapore’s central bank ordered the closure of the operations of BSI in May and asked the Attorney General’s Chambers to investigate six members of BSI bank’s senior management and staff.
