Singapore is happy that Indonesian authorities are stepping up efforts to rein in the haze and reduce hotspots, but what is needed is the total prevention of hotspots, says Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli.
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Fewer hotspots in Indonesia but haze still an issue for Singapore: Masagos
Nathan Hartono chosen by Jay Chou again despite losing voice a week before
Nathan Hartono is the first Singaporean to make it past the “battle” round of the popular reality TV singing competition Sing! China, which is a rebranded version of The Voice Of China.
The 25-year-old local singer and songwriter first made his mark on the show by sailing past the blind auditions on July 15, after which he chose Mandopop star Jay Chou as his coach.
He appeared on yesterday’s episode of the show, which airs over Zhejiang TV and featured Chou’s team of 10 battling it out in pairs.
Chou ended up choosing Hartono – who performed Cantopop singer Eason Chan’s ballad We Are All Lonely – over China opponent Huang Junjie, thus cracking the top five of Chou’s team.
UNABLE TO SING
In the next round, Hartono will be pitted against contestants from other teams helmed by Sing! China’s three other coaches, Harlem Yu, Na Ying and Wang Feng.
Speaking to The New Paper on Thursday over the phone from Jiaxing, China, where Sing! China is being filmed, Hartono, who is Indonesian-Chinese, said: “I was a little terrified because I had lost my voice and was completely unable to sing the week prior (to the actual performance)…
Nathan Hartono with his coach, Mandopop star Jay Chou. Photo: Weibo/ Nathan Hartono
“Thankfully, on the day itself, everything kind of fell into place.
“I had my voice, I didn’t forget the lyrics, which is a huge deal for me as it’s in Mandarin, and I did what I set out to do on stage.
“(Huang) had a very different (musical) style, so it was hard to make a direct comparison (between us)…
“It’s a very cool experience to know that the whole of Singapore is behind me and I’m very happy to have come this far,” said Hartono.
For the “battle” round, Chou did not give him many pointers during the rehearsals – which took place the night before the live recording – and only advised him on hitting the right notes.
Hartono was initially worried about having Chou as his mentor, as Chou is the busiest of all the four judges.
And during the beginning stages of the competition, he did not get to see Chou very often.
Local singer Nathan Hartono wows Sing! China judges
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“The first interaction I had with him was on FaceTime and Skype because he was on tour,” he said.
“I was a bit apprehensive at first because I wondered if (our sessions) would be like this the whole time. But once things really got rolling, I got to see him more often.”
Hartono described Chou as “obsessive”, as the latter had done thorough research on social media about each student on his team before meeting them face-to-face.
“He was trying to get a better handle of how he could help each of us and to find out our strengths and weaknesses,” he said.
“It was great to see him care so much. He’s the kind of coach who doesn’t try to impose a style, song choice or idea on the student.
“He’s very collaborative. He would always ask for my opinion first and he would make song suggestions. But if I disagreed, he would be cool and try to cater to me based on my choice.”
They didn’t make the cut
STRONG SUPPORT: Singers Olinda Cho (left) and Ng Chee Yang. Photo: Zaobao
Back in June, five finalists – Olinda Cho, Ng Chee Yang, Elizabeth Low, Zhang Zhi Ling, and Curley Gao – from the China Super Vocal Singapore audition were sent to Shanghai to represent Singapore at a closed-door audition for Sing! China.
Ng got to sing at the blind auditions but did not have any judges’ chairs slide down for him.
He told TNP: “Of course there’s a tiny bit of disappointment, but I think most importantly it’s a good experience. After all, a reality TV show isn’t life or death.
“It’s what I do with my music after the fact that matters.”
Ng, 26, said even though there will be revival rounds later on in the show, he did not stay on in China as he wanted to return to Singapore and focus on his a cappella group The Apex Project.
SELF-DOUBT
Cho, who was crowned the champion of China Super Vocal Singapore in May, did not even get the opportunity to sing in front of the judges at all.
She only made it as far as the “prepping stage”, which consisted of back-and-forth discussions with the directors and producers of the show about her song selections.
Cho, 36, said: “At one point, I was feeling the pressure and I had self-doubt… and thought that maybe (music and singing) isn’t my calling.”
Both of them are rooting for fellow Singaporean Nathan Hartono and are hoping that he can take down the rest of the competition. Cho said: “He has a good chance of winning because of his charming personality.”
This article was first published on Aug 27, 2016.
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Plans underway for freshwater forest wetlands in the city
Located in the coming Learning Forest extension of the Botanic Gardens, the restored freshwater forest wetland will span 1.8 hectares.
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Fewer hotspots, but haze an 'ongoing issue' for Singaporeans: Masagos
SINGAPORE – There are fewer hotspots in Indonesia this month compared to the same time last year, but the haze situation should be an ongoing issue embedded in people’s minds, and consumers should not support companies whose practices contribute to the haze…
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Wedding nightmare: 3 women claim wedding planner cheated them of thousands of dollars
A wedding planner from a respected and renowned wedding services company has been sacked after he was accused of cheating his clients.
The New Paper spoke to three women who alleged that they were scammed by Mr Sunato Zaidi, who worked for Lagun Sari Wedding and Catering Services, a popular Joo Chiat-based business that offers all-in-one venue, catering and decoration services.
Ms Nur Fazilah, 28, whose wedding is set for Dec 31, said she had paid more than $11,000 over the past 20 months, but only $2,000 was reflected in her account with the company.
Ms Fazilah claimed that Mr Sunato had pocketed more than $9,000 of her savings.
The nurse told TNP: “He was nice and approachable. We trusted and believed him.”
Testimonials on the Lagun Sari website portray Mr Sunato as a responsible and efficient wedding planner.
Ms Fazilah and her fiance, Mr Muhammad Danial, 28, initially had no problems with Mr Sunato being assigned as their wedding planner.
However, they realised something was amiss when Lagun Sari kept asking them for payment, even though they had already made payments to Mr Sunato.
In Saturday’s Berita Harian (BH), Lagun Sari published a notice that said Mr Sunato had been terminated and was not allowed to make any financial transactions on behalf of it.
When Ms Fazilah saw the notice on Saturday morning, she immediately called Lagun Sari for an explanation, but was told that it could not do anything as the receipts she had been given were fake.
Ms Fazilah made a police report against Mr Sunato that day and filed a report against him and Lagun Sari to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).
She said Lagun Sari agreed on Thursday to fully compensate the $11,000 that was paid to Mr Sunato by Ms Fazilah and her fiance, so the couple will go ahead with Lagun Sari’s services.
If the company had not agreed to fully compensate the amount she lost, she said she would have been forced to look for another venue and caterer.
The same goes for customer relations officer Nadzirah Mahmood, 27, who said she was cheated out of $5,000 over three transactions with Mr Sunato for her wedding next year.
While the company initially said they were not going to reimburse her, Ms Nadzirah said Lagun Sari yesterday agreed to compensate her the $5,000.
Ms Nadzirah and her fiance have decided to stick with Lagun Sari for their March 12 wedding next year.
After meeting with their newly-assigned wedding planner yesterday, she said: “They are doing their best to make up for what is lost and agreed to honour the promises Mr Sunato had made to us.”
NOTICE
Interior designer Siti Fadilah, 26, also realised something was wrong when she saw the notice in BH on Saturday .
Ms Fadilah also believes she was issued fake receipts by Mr Sunato, and lost around $5,000.
She told TNP: “I had no idea the receipts were fake. The receipts all had Mr Sunato’s signature and the company stamp.”
Ms Fadilah said: “Initially, Lagun Sari said it wouldn’t refund us, but after I met them on Wednesday, it said it would absorb the losses if we continued our wedding with it.”
She said: “Everyone knows Lagun Sari and Mr Sunato, they’re quite reputable. I just never expected something like this would have happened.”
Lagun Sari declined to comment.
Case: Consider buying wedding insurance
Three people have tried to complain to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) about Lagun Sari Wedding and Catering Services from Tuesday to yesterday.
Case offered advice on the options the consumers could take and it said in its e-mail reply to The New Paper that they did not file their complaint with the consumer body.
Case executive director Seah Seng Choon: “Consumers should consider purchasing wedding insurance and ensure that the policy covers all important aspects of their wedding, such as damage to the wedding attire, delay in the banquet and even cancellation or postponement of the wedding event.
“A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it is always better to be safe than sorry.”
CRIMINAL
Lawyer Gino Hardial Singh classifies such cases as criminal breach of trust.
He said: “To recover the monies, the victim will need to initiate civil proceedings. This, however, isn’t a guarantee that monies can be recovered and may result in a paper judgment being obtained.”
Mr Singh, who is the head of Criminal Practice at Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, also mentioned that the company itself should be added as a co-defendant, as the contract would have been signed with the company and not the individual.
This article was first published on Aug 27, 2016.
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Read also: Bridal salon closure: Wedding dreams turn nightmare
Till debt do they part: Couples borrowing heavily for lavish weddings
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Heartbreak over as marathon runner & dog reunite
He found her in the middle of the desert in a foreign land, but she got lost in the city while waiting to travel to his home far away. Heartbroken, he later returned to China to find her, and the moment they were reunited marked a fairy tale ending.
This is the story of Dion Leonard, an Australian extreme marathon runner, and Gobi, a stray dog that followed him during a race in the Gobi Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The pair were reunited on Wednesday in the regional capital of Urumqi after volunteers’ tireless efforts in searching for Gobi finally paid off.
Missing dog leaves desert athlete heartbroken
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After the race in June, 41-year-old Leonard decided to take Gobi back to his home in Edinburgh, Scotland. He left her with caregivers in Urumqi until he could raise enough money to take Gobi to Britain.
On Aug 15, Leonard was told in a phone call that Gobi had been missing for a while. Saddened by the news, he flew to Urumqi on Sunday, believing he could find her.
Since his arrival, an increasing number of volunteers had joined him in the search. They walked the streets handing out reward posters and responding to every possible sighting.
On Wednesday, Urumqi resident Ma Liangzhi spotted a dog looking like Gobi in a small restaurant close to where the animal had been cared for.
“I remembered seeing her on the reward posters, so I took her home and called the contact number,” Ma said on Thursday.
Ma Ping, a volunteer, received Ma Liangzhi’s phone call on Wednesday evening. Although she didn’t want to raise Leonard’s hopes after all previous sightings ended in disappointment, she still asked him to take a look at the dog.
Gobi was overjoyed to see Leonard, wagging her tail hard and following him everywhere. “It’s her,” he said.
Ma Ping said: “Gobi jumped around him and wouldn’t let him go. Everyone was in tears.”
On Thursday morning, Leonard and Gobi went for their first walk together, with Gobi on a leash for the first time.
Mary Peng, CEO and founder of the International Center for Veterinary Services in Beijing who helped Leonard to find Gobi, said: “It’s an absolute miracle and a story of love. I think Gobi may have gone off to search for Leonard. With all the people of Urumqi looking for Gobi, they were reunited.”
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Hazy conditions in Singapore to persist on Saturday
The PSI reading for the next 12 hours is forecast to be in the high end of the Moderate range or low end of the Unhealthy range, says the National Environment Agency.
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Lotte vice-chairman commits suicide amid corruption probe
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SMRT to lift early closure of stations along East-West line from Sep 1
SINGAPORE – Early closure arrangements for MRT stations between Tanah Merah and Pasir Ris, and between Joo Koon and Jurong East, will be lifted on Thursday night (Sep 1).
According to a statement released on Saturday (Aug 27) by SMRT, this marks the end of the second phase of early closure for the East-West Line (EWL).
SMRT added that a third and final phase of early closure planned between Jurong East and Outram Park stations is no longer necessary.
In the first phase, the EWL closed early in Nov 2015 for rail renewal works including sleeper replacement, third rail replacement and resignalling.
The statement said: “With sleeper replacement due for completion by end-2016, third rail replacement due for completion by 2017, and the resignalling project on track for completion by 2018, the final phase of the early closure planned for stations between Jurong East and Outram Park will no longer be necessary.”
SMRT Trains managing director, Mr Lee Ling Wee said: “The renewal will improve the reliability and performance of the NSEWL so that commuters can look forward to a better journey experience.”
The last train timings for travel on the EWL from Sep 1 can be found below:
stephluo@sph.com.sg
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Second victim in Thailand bombings succumbs to injuries
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A second victim has died of injuries suffered in Tuesday night’s car bombing in front of a hotel in Pattani’s Muang district, an informed source reported yesterday.
Minimart owner Khonsan Kudedakeng, 64, died on Thursday night and his body was collected by relatives for an Islamic burial ceremony in Nong Chik district, the source said.
Meanwhile, a remedial centre for those affected by Tuesday’s attack is collecting claims and has organised a ceremony to confer BT6.4 million (S$251,667) assistance money to 37 people, centre head Arun Thongkhao said.
Previously, the centre provided some BT700,000 to aid the families of the dead and injured. He said there were a total of 68 people affected and damages were estimated at BT30 million.
The car bomb attack at the Southern View Pattani Hotel took place only 10 days after a spate of bomb and arson attacks in Prachuap Khiri Khan and six upper southern provinces, which killed four and injured more than 30 others, including foreigners.
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The government and police have been denying links between Tuesday’s hotel bombings in Pattani and the earlier Mother’s Day bombings.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan revealed that a forward command committee will be set up to solve the issues in the deep South. It will probably comprise 10 members. Prawit said that on his planned August 29 visit to Malaysia he would discuss border fence construction and issues concerning people with double nationality. He would not discuss in this trip the Malaysia-brokered peace dialogue with separatists because he said the matter was the responsibility of the leader of the Thai team, General Aksara Kerdphol.
Dr Udomkiat Pulsawat is director of Pattani’s Khok Pho Hospital where a bomb went off on May 28, 2014, resulting in 10 injuries. He said: “The first no-injury bombing [at the Pattani hotel’s parking lot was to lure people out and they gathered near the ambulance assuming it came to pick up anyone wounded, hence the many casualties. This is cruel.” An ambulance was used as a car bomb in Tuesday’s explosion.
He said that agencies and those responsible for tacking problems in the deep South must think outside the box to prevent violence and solve problems as international rules of war, such as not using public health agencies, seemed not to apply here.
Dr Boonrat Prapanwong, director of Joh I Rong Hospital in Narathiwat, which was seized by insurgents who aimed to attack a nearby military outpost, said the hospital beefed up security since the incident and they made sure that hospital vehicles were only used when necessary.
The hospital also required visitors’ cars to drop off patients and park outside the compound, while more security cameras were being installed to back up security officers.
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