Rihanna, 28, and Drake, 29, have once again called it quits on their relationship.
The pair have been in an on-and-off relationship since 2009.
The US rapper most recently made their romance official in July and even…
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Kim Kardashian sues gossip website over reports of staged robbery
NEW YORK – Reality television star Kim Kardashian sued the celebrity gossip website MediaTakeout on Tuesday for claiming that she lied about an armed robbery earlier this month in Paris.
Kardashian, whose show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is on hold following the robbery, filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York accusing the site of reporting that she staged the attack “without any factual support whatsoever.”
The 35-year-old was robbed of some US$10 million (S$14 million) in jewelry after masked men put a gun to her head and tied her up in a Paris apartment early on Oct 3.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages for defamation, names both the site and its founder, Fred Mwangaguhunga, as defendants.
Mwangaguhunga refused to publish a retraction and an apology “for calling her a liar and a criminal,” the lawsuit said.
The site did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kardashian, who has kept an uncharacteristically low profile since the robbery, is married to the rapper Kanye West, with whom she has two children.
Her family was not with her at the time of the incident.
Samsung pulls the plug on Note7, will work out 'remedy' for Singapore customers
SINGAPORE – It is official. The Samsung Galaxy Note7 is dead.
A Samsung spokesman has confirmed that the world’s largest smartphone maker has “permanently discontinued” the production of its latest flagship device only two months after its launch.
“For the benefit of consumers’ safety, we stopped sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 and have consequently decided to stop production,” said the Singapore spokesman.
The production halt follows several reports of the phone smoking and catching fire, mainly in the United States, Korea and Australia.
“We are in talks with our telecommunication operator and retail partners to work out a resolution for our Galaxy Note7 customers,” she added. “Details of the remedy will be shared very soon.”
In the meantime, Note7 customers in Singapore, including those who own the replacement phone, may ask for a loan device from its service centre at Westgate, subject to stock availability.
Earlier on Tuesday (Oct 11), Samsung and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission had asked consumers to stop using the phone over fire concerns even among the supposedly safe replacement handsets issued after a global recall in September.
There was a handful of reports of overheating and smoking in the replacement devices, including one which caused a Southwest Airlines flight at Louisville International Airport to be evacuated on Oct 5.
Samsung had also asked all global carriers to stop sales of the Note7 while it worked with regulators to investigate the problem.
“Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device,” Samsung had said in a statement. It noted that consumers could ask for a refund at their place of purchase.
The Note7, launched in August, was meant to rival the new Apple iPhone 7 released last month. The product, which sports a new iris scanner, S Pen stylus and water and dust resistant features, received rave reviews.
AFP, The Straits Times
Some tens of thousands of customers in Singapore had exchanged their faulty Note7 for a replacement set last month as part of the global recall of 2.5 million handsets.
A small number of Singapore consumers even had to exchange the phones twice – after replacements were found to overheat and rapidly drain power while being charged.
So far, Samsung has not offered a refund to Singapore consumers.
This article was first published on October 11, 2016.
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Playing Bond is 'best job in world'
Agent 007 actor Daniel Craig could have taken a leaf from the title of the 1983 Bond film, Never Say Never Again.
Craig, 48, who had said, while promoting Spectre last year, that he would rather slash his wrists than continue…
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UK's Red Arrows aerobatic team flypast postponed to Oct 15
SINGAPORE – The flypast of the Red Arrows, the aerobatic team of Britain’s Royal Air Force, has been postponed to Saturday (Oct 15) after unexpected weather in the South Asian region. It was originally scheduled to take place on Thursday (Oct 13).
The flypast over Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay and Sentosa will now take place from around 12.30pm to about 1pm on Saturday.
The Singapore stop is part of the team’s visit to the Middle East and Asia in a campaign to showcase the best of Britain.
The Red Arrows were first here in 1986, then 1996 and in October 2003.
This article was first published on October 11, 2016.
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PM Lee arrives in Canberra for three-day official visit to Australia; receives 19-gun salute at Parliament House
CANBERRA – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived in Canberra on Tuesday (Oct 11) evening, the start of a three-day official visit at the invitation of Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull.
Shortly after touching down, Mr Lee posted on Facebook a video students from Avondale Grammar School, an Australian international school at Phoenix Park in Singapore, had sent him.
Responding to the children’s various suggestions on where to go, Mr Lee said: “I’d love to grab PM Malcolm Turnbull to go to the beach and have an ice cream together, and visit Uluru, Sydney, Melbourne and Rottnest Island. Sadly, we’ll be busy working.”
On Wednesday morning, PM Lee and Mrs Lee were welcomed to Parliament House by PM Turnbull and other officials, as well as with a 19-gun salute.
Under Australian military protocol, this is reserved for state officials, field marshals and their equivalent. A 21-gun salute is reserved for heads of state.
He then inspected the guard of honour and band, which went on to play both Majulah Singapura and Advance Australia Fair.
Both countries have sealed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that covers wide-ranging areas including defence, trade, innovation and people-to-people ties, among others. On this visit, both PMs will witness the signing of the first tranche of initiatives under this partnership – on military training, trade, innovation and science, and law enforcement co-operation.
Mr Turnbull said in a release: “The visit will highlight Australia’s strong partnership with Singapore, founded on complementary economies, multicultural societies and common interests in regional peace and prosperity.”
Said Mr Lee: “Australia is one of our oldest friends, and we share warm ties. Looking forward to the visit!”
This article was first published on October 11, 2016.
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The who, what, where, when and why of public parking coupons in Singapore
SINGAPORE – The Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) have announced that new parking coupons will go on sale on Wednesday (Oct 12) to reflect a rise in public parking charges.
The familiar paper parking coupons that motorists have been accustomed to leaving on their dashboards have a story of their own.
WHEN?
Parking coupons were rolled out in Singapore’s public carparks in 1980. They looked a little different, though.
“Briefly, the self-ticketing system involves motorists filling in a parking coupon with their parking particulars,” a November 1979 Straits Times article explained.
There were no tear-off circular tabs for motorists back in the day. Instead, they had to mark the date, time and location of their parking spot.
HOW?
The rise of the robots may have come earlier than you think.
In 1980, the HDB tried out a system with self-service parking machines.
Motorists would use a dial to indicate how long they were parking and would pay with coins.
The machines then dispensed a parking coupon with a peel-off sticker for drivers to affix to their windshield.
WHERE?
Coupon booklets used to be sold at URA kiosks, as well as its carparks division head office and the URA building.
It’s a far cry from the convenience of today.
In fact, during the first year of coupon parking, motorists had to hold on to separate sets of coupons depending on whether they were stopping in an HDB or URA carpark. After frustrated motorists complained, parking coupons became interchangeable in 1981.
Nowadays, in addition to HDB branch offices, motorists can purchase parking coupons at some petrol stations, as well as convenience stores such as Cheers and 7-Eleven.
WHAT?
Parking coupons are available in colour-coded booklets of various denominations – purple for 50-cent coupons, orange for $1 coupons, blue for $2 coupons, pink for $3 coupons and green for $4 coupons.
Whole-day parking coupons are available in goldenrod yellow or apricot orange.
But parking coupons might be even more colourful if the HDB and URA had had their way in 1981.
They put out a call for tenders for advertisements on the back of coupons. Advertisers would have been able to buy ad space in lots of 500,000 or one million booklets.
Unfortunately, the take-up rate was too low and this plan never saw the light of day.
WHY?
Workforce productivity has always been the watchword.
In 1982, the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) recommended expanding the coupon parking system.
Having motorists take care of their own parking fees would cut down on the number of parking attendants needed – and save on their salaries.
For good measure, the AGO also called for the HDB and URA to paint smaller numbers on carpark lots.
This article was first published on October 12, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
2 vaccines can prevent over 70% of cervical cancers
Doctors in Singapore would like to see more girls and young women getting a vaccine that can drastically cut their risk of getting cancer of the cervix.
The two vaccines on the local market can prevent more than 70 per cent of cervical cancers. Because of their efficacy, the Ministry of Health (MOH) allows people to use Medisave to pay for the injections.
In the past two years, close to 10,000 people a year have used Medisave to offset the cost of the jabs, a ministry spokesman said.
Both vaccines – Cervarix and Gardasil – offer protection against two major strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which cause about 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
Type 16 is responsible for 53.5 per cent and type 18 causes 17.2 per cent of cervical cancers, said Associate Professor Jeffrey Low, head and senior consultant at the Division of Gynaecologic Oncology at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore.
Both vaccines protect against types 16 and 18 although Gardasil also covers types 6 and 11, which are responsible for 90 per cent of the cases of genital warts.
“In terms of efficacy against types 16 and 18 HPV, Gardasil and Cervarix are both equally effective,” said Prof Low.
Timothy Lim, head and senior consultant at the Department of Gynaecological Oncology at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, said while the vaccines are recommended for females aged nine to 26, they should be given before age 16, when immunological response is robust.
“The chances of a woman being infected by both HPV types 16 and 18 increases with age, and the ability of an individual to produce an immunological response to a vaccine wanes with age,” added Dr Lim.
Nonetheless, women who are already vaccinated should still go for regular screening.
Sexually active women should have a pap smear from age 25, and should repeat it at least once every three years until 65, said Dr Lim.
Human-resource manager He Qing Pei, 26, who took the Gardasil vaccine about five years ago, said that being vaccinated makes her feel more assured.
“But I also understand that it is not foolproof and that we should still get checks once in every few years,” she added.
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Ben Kingsley transforms into Elton John
Who knew English actor Sir Ben Kingsley could do such a good impression of colourful musician Sir Elton John?
Kingsley, 72, donned a flamboyant red, blue and silver suit in a preview for TV show Lip Sync Battle, and mimed a…
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PM Lee hails new partnership with old friend Australia in address to parliament
Mr Lee was addressing the Australian Parliament, making him the seventh world leader to do so since 2010.
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