The figure is “impressive”, considering the most common items found in the garbage were light ones like plastic bottles, straws, cigarette lighters and styrofoam.
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Tanah Merah beach cleaning drive turns up 500kg of waste
Formula One: Rosberg storms to pole in Singapore
SINGAPORE – Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg took pole position for his 200th Formula One race after a stunning qualifying lap around Singapore’s Marina Bay street circuit on Saturday.
The German’s best lap of one minute 42.584 seconds left him perfectly placed to retake the championship lead from British team mate Lewis Hamilton under the floodlights on Sunday.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo split the Mercedes pair to claim second spot in 1:43.115, the Australian edging out triple world champion Hamilton, a two times winner in Singapore who will start in third place.
Dutch teenager Max Verstappen will start alongside Hamilton after setting the fourth fastest time for Red Bull, with the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen rounding out the top five.
Last year’s winner Sebastian Vettel will start from the back of the grid, the German complaining over the radio of an anti-rollbar issue in the first qualifying session with his Ferrari team unable to repair the car in time to set a fast lap.
Hamilton leads Rosberg by two points in the championship.
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Photo GalleryF1 drivers arrive for Singapore Grand Prix 2016
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Saturday, September 17, 2016 – 22:47
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Singapore to be known as SGP instead of SIN at sporting events
SINGAPORE – Singapore will be known in short as SGP instead of SIN at sporting events from now on, the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) said in a Facebook post today (Sept 17).
It added that this is in line with the United Nations’ International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) official three-letter country code.
Singapore’s UN country code is SGP.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) database has been modified and this new SGP code will be reflected on the IOC website and in future Games,” the SNOC said.
The first major sporting event that will see this change is the Sapporo 2017 Asian Winter Games, which will take place between February 19 and 26.
Singapore’s International Air Transport Association airport code is still SIN.
huizhen@sph.com.sg
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Formula One: Fuming Vettel to start from back row Singapore
SINGAPORE – Sebastian Vettel was left fuming on Saturday when mechanical problems knocked him out of the first round of qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix – meaning last year’s winner will start from the back of the grid.
The Ferrari driver won last year’s race from pole position for his fourth victory in Singapore, where he has topped the podium more times than anyone else.
But after limping round well off the pace in Q1, Vettel retreated to the Ferrari garage where engineers were unable to get him back on the road.
“It felt like an anti-roll bar broke but we need to have a look, what’s most important is that the second car doesn’t have damage like that,” the German told reporters.
“We couldn’t save the car for the second qualifying and have a look, unfortunately we ran out of time.
“Obviously I was a bit annoyed because first we decided to go for another lap but it wasn’t really any quicker.
“Then we decided to pit to try and fix it but there was no time to do it.”
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Photo GalleryF1 drivers arrive for Singapore Grand Prix 2016
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Football: Messi, Suarez and Neymar fire Barcelona to easy win at Leganes
BARCELONA – Barcelona’s attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on target as the champions roared back into life in La Liga with a dominant 5-1 victory at promoted Leganes on Saturday.
Messi sidefooted in a simple cross from Suarez to strike the opening goal after 15 minutes and returned the favour for the Uruguayan to nudge in the second in the 31st.
Neymar stretched Barca’s lead to three goals on the stroke of half-time, tapping in another lay off from Suarez, before Messi got his second from the penalty spot 10 minutes into the second half.
Rafinha rounded off the most comfortable of Barca victories with a curled finish in the 64th, although Gabriel Appelt salvaged a goal for the Madrid minnows in the 80th with a free-kick whipped into the top corner.
Barcelona, beaten 2-1 by newcomers Alaves last weekend in their first loss at the Nou Camp since April 17, now have nine points from their first four La Liga games.
They join Real, who can go clear again when they play at Espanyol on Sunday, at the league’s summit.
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Monitor lizard invades F1 race track, startles Red Bull's Verstappen
SINGAPORE – A large lizard lumbering across the track startled Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and livened up final practice for the Singapore Formula One grand prix on Saturday.
“You came face to face with Godzilla,” Verstappen’s engineer told him on the radio as the reptile sauntered to safety.
Germany’s Nico Rosberg edged out the young Dutch driver at the top of the timesheets, with Mercedes team mate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton still struggling ahead of qualifying.
Rosberg, two points behind Hamilton, lapped the 23-turn Marina Bay Street Circuit in one minute 44.352 seconds, just 0.059 ahead of 18-year-old Verstappen, suggesting the race for pole will be a close-run affair.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest, half a second down on Rosberg, with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and the other Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel close behind.
Hamilton has seen his 19-point lead at the top of the standings dwindle away in the last two races and his inability to get the best out of the fastest ultrasoft tyres left him down in eighth place, his 1:45.806 time set on supersofts.
The hour-long session got off to an eventful start with Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein losing most of his rear wing after spinning into a wall, bringing out a red flag as marshals scampered to clear the debris.
The monitor lizard’s appearance, as cars were heading back to the pits, shocked Verstappen.
Practice resumed with Sauber’s Felipe Nasr spinning at the Turn 13 hairpin after almost hitting Esteban Gutierrez’s Haas.
The Mercedes pair were first to emerge for qualifying simulations and Rosberg quickly set a new fastest lap while Hamilton locked up and ran through turn seven into the exit road for the second time in 15 minutes.
The Briton aborted one final attempt to set a fast time and his lack of a long-run race simulation due to a hydraulics problem on Friday will also be a major concern for both the driver and his team.
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Photo GalleryF1 drivers arrive for Singapore Grand Prix 2016
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Saturday, September 17, 2016 – 20:36
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One dead after Sri Lanka temple elephants spark stampede
COLOMBO – Brawling elephants triggered a stampede at a temple in southern Sri Lanka which left one woman dead and a dozen wounded, police said Saturday.
A mahout tried to separate the two animals by poking one with a sharp-edged hook, causing the elephant to run away in pain late Friday, a police official said.
“The elephant did not harm anyone, it was trying to get away from the mahout, but people panicked and started running,” a local police official told AFP by phone.
The Hindu temple in Ratnapura, 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Colombo, was packed with devotees ahead of an annual pageant.
A 60-year-old woman died of a heart attack following the incident, while about a dozen others were hospitalised for minor injuries suffered in the stampede, the police official said.
“The situation was quickly brought under control,” he added.
Elephants are considered sacred in Sri Lanka and domesticated animals are frequently paraded at temples during Buddhist and Hindu festivals.
The country’s wild elephant population had dropped to 6,000, from some 7,379 five years ago, largely due to farmers encroaching on their natural habitat.
The number of domesticated elephants has also dropped considerably as the authorities no longer grant permits for the capture of animals from the wild.
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Nathan Hartono in top 12 of China singing contest
Local singer Nathan Hartono has done it again.
He got into the top 12 of reality TV singing competition Sing! China in last night’s episode as part of mentor Jay Chou’s final group of three contestants.
The 25-year-old first sailed through the blind auditions on July 15 and chose Mandopop star Chou as his mentor.
Yesterday’s episode, which airs on Zhejiang TV, featured Chou’s team of five battling it out in pairs against Chinese singer Wang Feng’s team of five.
Hartono, who faced US-raised singer Karen Lam from Wang’s team, told The New Paper: “I found out I was going up against Karen literally seconds before going on stage. I had prepared myself beforehand to stay cool no matter who I would face in the battle round.
“It was beyond my control and all I wanted to do was perform my best.”
He added that he was “a little distracted” as out of all the other members of Wang’s team, he was most familiar with Lam.
Hartono sang Chou’s song Moonlight On Rooftop, as Chou thought it was “appropriate” for his musical style. He also mashed it up with jazz tune Moondance by Van Morrison to make his performance “a little more unexpected”.
Lam sang Sam Smith’s Writing’s On The Wall.
For that round, the judges were a panel of 51 industry professionals such as producers, songwriters and music directors, while the mentors had no say in the voting. Hartono got 41 votes, whereas Lam had 10 votes.
Local singer Nathan Hartono wows Sing! China judges
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
The Straits Times, The New Paper, YouTube screengrabs, HBO Asia, Music & Movement
He said the next round will see only five of the 12 contestants move on to the finals.
Hartono said: “I am currently in the song selection phase and figuring out arrangements, so it’s a little crazy. I’ve never learnt this many Mandarin songs this quickly in my life!”
This article was first published on September 17, 2016.
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Don’t worry, Jakarta tells tax amnesty applicants flagged by Singapore banks
JAKARTA officials are urging taxpayers not to be overly concerned by reports that Singaporean banks have reported to local police the names of those participating in Indonesia’s tax amnesty program.
Jakarta Post wrote Saturday that the state palace believes that Singapore would not hinder the implementation of the program.
Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told those with money parked in Singapore they need not fear signing up for the program as participation would not be considered tax evasion.
Furthermore, the official pointed out that Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati had already spoken to her counterpart in Singapore about the matter.
“Thus, anyone who puts their assets in Singapore and wants to join the tax amnesty, whether in the form of assets repatriation or declaration, please do not be afraid because the applicable law is the Indonesian tax regulation,” he was quoted saying in Jakarta Friday.
The same assurance was offered earlier by Sri Mulyani during an unplanned press conference in the capital, the newspaper reported Thursday night.
Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. Pic: AP.
The minister, responding to reports about the move by Singapore’s banks, revealed that she had even contacted the island state’s authorities for a response on the matter.
“I directly checked with Singaporean authorities, specifically Deputy Prime Minister Tarman to get official explanation from the Singaporean government,” she was quoted saying in Kompas, according to Jakarta Post.
Sri Mulyani said the Singaporean government responded by telling her that they had encouraged all banks in the country to support clients wanting to join Indonesia’s amnesty program.
In an exclusive report earlier, Reuters quoted several Singapore banking sources as revealing that private banks were sharing with local police the names of the clients who have embraced Indonesia’s tax pardon.
SEE ALSO: Singapore remains least corrupt country in Asia; NKorea most corrupt
The Jokowi administration rolled out the controversial tax amnesty program on June 28 in a bid to offset an impending budget shortfall on the back of sluggish economic growth and poor annual tax collection rates.
The government hopes that the program would help it bring home some IDR165 trillion (US$12.5 billion) of the country’s wealth currently parked by its citizens overseas.
Under the program, Indonesians are offered low penalty rates for assets abroad or at home that were not previously declared. A Bloomberg report said the rate changes in stages, beginning from 4 percent for declared assets that taxpayers choose to leave overseas, and up to 10 percent as the program draws to a close in March 2017.
Those who agree to repatriate their assets for a minimum three-year period are offered a rate of just 2 percent, as well as investment opportunities.
Concerns were raised previously that the program would lead to a massive outflow of assets from Singapore, where Indonesians are believed to have stashed some US$200 billion in private banking assets, which accounts for 40 percent of the island’s total, according to reports.
Reuters in its exclusive noted that Singapore made tax evasion a money-laundering offence in 2013 and tightened rules further after the investigation on Malaysia-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) revealed that some of its banks had failed to highlight dubious money movements.
SEE ALSO: Singapore: BSI Bank to be shut down due to ‘gross misconduct’ amid 1MDB scandal
Under rules stipulated by Singapore’s Financial Action Task Force (FATF), banks are required to file a suspicious transaction report (STR) whenever a client participates in a tax amnesty scheme.
But the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) told Reuters that participation in any such tax amnesty scheme would not trigger a criminal probe in Singapore.
“The expectation for an STR to be filed on account of a client participating in a tax amnesty program should therefore not discourage clients from participation,” it was quoted saying.
Noting this, Sri Mulyani said Indonesians need not worry about taking part.
Bloomberg said today that so far, Indonesians have declared IDR117.3 trillion (US$8.9 billion) of assets held in Singapore under the government’s tax amnesty.
Of the total Singapore assets declared, however, only IDR14.1 trillion, or 12 percent, has been repatriated, the report said, quoting Indonesia’s Finance Ministry.
The post Don’t worry, Jakarta tells tax amnesty applicants flagged by Singapore banks appeared first on Asian Correspondent.
Blogger Xiaxue gets own reality TV show
Over the years, fans have been keeping up with Xiaxue on her blog, Instagram account, YouTube channel and Web variety shows.
Now the social media star, whose real name is Wendy Cheng, has landed her most mainstream gig yet – a reality TV show on E! channel.
Titled Wendy Vs The World, the 30-minute episode airs on Tuesday.
It will be broadcast around the region, including territories such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
For that episode, the camera filmed her sporadically over a six-week period from April.
There are cameos by her American engineer husband Mike Sayre, 34, whom she describes as “elusive” and “introverted”, as well as their son Dashiel, three, affectionately known as Dash.
Xiaxue’s son’s 1st birthday party a superhero affair
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
The New Paper, Instagram
There is also a Botox bonding session with her property agent mother Doris Yip, 57.
Cheng, 32, is no stranger to plastic surgery. She was filmed undergoing a nose job procedure as part of the local reality TV series Girls Out Loud in 2007. Other sponsored works on her face include double eyelid surgery and the occasional Botox jab and injectable fillers.
On the never-ending quest for physical perfection, she jokes: “The only way that I will be satisfied is if I wake up tomorrow as Angelababy. And if she wakes up in my body, she will be crying.”
Angelababy is a Chinese actress known for her doll-like looks.
If the first episode is successful, the show may be turned into a series.
As for no-go areas during filming, Cheng drew a line at two things. There will be no sexy footage with her husband or scenes of her disciplining her child.
On the latter, she says everyone has a different opinion on parenting and she would get a lot of unsolicited comments on her style. Blogging since she was 18, Cheng has carved out a successful career as a social media celebrity.
She has more than one million followers on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
Xiaxue’s newborn rakes in more than $25,000 in sponsorships
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The Straits Times, The New Paper, Xiaxue’s Instagram
Though she declined to reveal how much she is paid for the show, she reveals that she can earn a five-figure sum in a good month.
“Love her or hate her, Wendy’s unique brand of wit and brutal honesty will surely entertain viewers across the region,” says Mr Scott Mackenzie, vice-president of Channels, Asia, at NBCUniversal International Networks.
NBC runs E! channel, which also airs Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the long-running reality TV show featuring the eponymous clan and now one of the world’s most well-known families.
Like the Kardashians, Cheng has received her fair share of haters over the years.
“I feel the hate really motivates me, I really like it,” she says. “It gives me a really nice feeling when I prove my haters wrong.”
The worst of the online vitriol happened when she was writing about politics during the 2011 General Election, she says.
A photo of Cheng and her friends attending a People’s Action Party rally was the subject of mockery by netizens when it resurfaced a year later.
“Nowadays, people have calmed down. Not so many haters, I feel. I need to start writing something controversial again,” she quips. She says she wants to enjoy her time in the sun.
She says: “Maybe in 10 years’ time, I will have three more children and be a stay-at-home mum. I will definitely try to stretch out this social media career for as long as I can because I really, really enjoy it and I never want this ride to end.”
nggwen@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on September 17, 2016.
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