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Producer says Chiling Lin did not push Edison Chen's girlfriend off reality show

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TAIPEI – Taking the high road, Taiwanese model Chiling Lin signalled on Weibo on Friday (July 29) that she would not be drawn into an online quarrel with actor Edison Chen.

Separately, the producer of a reality show that Chen’s girlfriend failed to be cast in said Lin was not responsible for the decision.

More than a day after Chen, 35, posted crude and cryptic messages about Lin, 41, on Weibo, she wrote that happiness “is not character but capability”, and that she chooses to be happy and positive.

She said: “Not fighting is compassion. Not arguing is wisdom. Not hearing is peace. Not seeing is ease. Forgiveness is relief. Contentment is letting go.”

Chen began the attack on Wednesday (July 27), making unprintable remarks on Lin’s looks, smell and ambition, then saying she “knows” why he was calling her names.

Taiwan Apple Daily, citing sources, said the incident was related to his girlfriend, Chinese model Shu Pei Qin. The report said Qin, 25, was not cast in the Chinese fashion reality television show Hey Muse, despite rumours that she was being considered.

Lin is returning in the upcoming third season of the show with Qin’s friend, Chinese Victoria’s Secret model Sui He.

Chen is said to be speaking up for Qin because he believes Lin is the reason his girlfriend was dropped from consideration.

On Thursday, Hey Muse producer Cao Qing denied the rumours, said Apple Daily. She said Qin had never been a candidate for the cast. She also shared on Weibo photos of her cast, including Lin and He, and wrote: “All groundless nonsense, please stay away from our family of goddesses!”

Making a public appearance in Shanghai on Friday, Chen did not back down, said Apple Daily. He said he decided to attack Lin online after making three attempts to communicate with her a month ago and receiving no response.

He said he would give her another chance to explain herself, or his words could turn nastier. “If you respect me, I will respect you.”

But he said it was strange that she did not know what had happened, and wondered: “Could it be that people around her didn’t tell her?”

On Friday, Cao gave a different story, said Apple Daily. She said the show had a role for a supermodel, which Chinese models Liu Wen, Fei Fei Sun, He and Qin were recommended for. “We finally selected Sui He. The selection was made by the production team, independent of other artists.”


This article was first published on July 29, 2016.
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Saturday, July 30, 2016 – 13:01
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Japan exhibition mourns fading sex culture

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TOKYO – A sex exhibition smack in the middle in one of Tokyo’s hippest areas is shining a nostalgic light on Japanese erotica – a culture the curator believes is dying out.

Kyoichi Tsuzuki’s “Erotopia Japan” deals with Japanese sexuality and fantasies, the gallery located in the heart of Shibuya’s trendy fashion district plastered from floor to ceiling with eye-boggling prints, one wall dedicated to love hotel beds.

“This kind of Showa period (1926-1989) culture is being wiped out, as Japan is held to a global standard,” Tsuzuki told AFP. “We might not be able to save it from being killed off completely but we can preserve it for posterity.” Against a backdrop of erotic photos, the centre of the exhibition is dominated by life-like female dolls tied up in bondage ropes and screaming in agony. Another sex doll is strapped to a table with a suction hose protruding from her crotch and plugged into a television.

“Sex culture in the West and Asia are completely different,” said Tsuzuki.

“You see sex museums in Europe, in places like Paris and Amsterdam, but they are often viewed from an intellectual viewpoint, or as erotic art,” he added.

“In Japan, erotic art has a humorous edge, it’s cheeky and is meant to make you laugh. It’s totally different from the Christian belief that sex is somehow a sin.” Japan has a liberal attitude towards sex and fertility festivals, where giant phalluses are joyfully paraded through the streets and toddlers and their grandparents suck on penis lollipops, take place annually.

However, the sex museums that once dotted the countryside have died out in recent years, largely due to apathy or political correctness.

“The aim of the exhibition is to remind Japanese people of that culture,” said Tsuzuki. “We are not so aware of it anymore.” But a life-size photograph of a topless woman being sexually ravaged by the mythical ‘kappa’ river demon of Japanese legend, left some visitors scratching their heads.

“That’s just too Japanese,” said florist Kanako Sano, 27. “That might have been funny once, but now it’s just weird and a bit gross.” Surprisingly, Tsuzuki says, far more women are visiting the exhibition than men.

“Men tend to be more shy and leave quickly,” he said. “More women have come and they linger longer over the exhibits.

“It’s like, women are more knowledgeable about where the best love hotels and which ones have cuter rooms,” he added. “Men don’t care where they do it.”

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Saturday, July 30, 2016 – 12:28
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Football: Argentina Olympic team robbed at Mexico hotel

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PUEBLA, Mexico – Argentina’s Olympic football team complained Friday that cash and electronics were stolen from its players’ hotel rooms while they were playing a friendly in Mexico.

Argentina Football Association (AFA) vice president Claudio Tapia said the theft took place when Mexico and the South American team played to a 0-0 draw in the central city of Puebla on Thursday night.

It was the last preparation game before both countries compete in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which start next Friday.

“When we returned at 11:40 pm and went up to the rooms, we realised that they had been robbed,” Tapia said, without specifying how much money was taken.

The Mexican Football Federation said in a statement late Friday that an agreement was finally reached between the AFA, the Camino Real hotel and an insurance firm to compensate the Argentine delegation.

Tapia said earlier that the team had given several statements to the authorities and complained of a “total lack of respect” in the way the issue was handled.

He had warned that the delegation would not leave the hotel until it received guarantees that it would be compensated.

“You know what’s the strangest thing? It’s that they have verified and know who is the thief from the (security) cameras, so they are protecting the thief,” he said before the Mexican football federation announced the agreement.

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Saturday, July 30, 2016 – 12:19
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Win NDP tickets by guessing these emojis!

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Are you fluent in EmojiA genius in deciphering pictograms?

If you are, you can put those skills to the…

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Eight jailed for up to 15 years over kidnap of Hong Kong heiress

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BEIJING – Eight men who kidnapped a Hong Kong fashion heiress and held her in a cave as they negotiated a multi-million-dollar ransom were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison Friday, a mainland court said.

Queenie Rosita Law, granddaughter of late textiles tycoon Law Ting-pong, who founded the Bossini clothing chain, was abducted from her house in Hong Kong in April last year.

The 29-year-old was held in a mountain cave for four days before family members paid a ransom of HK$28 million (S$4.8 million) for her release. Most of the gang fled to mainland China afterwards, where they were captured.

Six of plaintiffs were found guilty of abduction, while two others were charged with disguising or concealing illegally obtained gains, a Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court spokesman told AFP.

Ringleader You Dunkui was sentenced to 15 years for kidnapping, with the others being given terms ranging from 13 years to just under two, he said.

Another gang member, Zheng Xingwang, was sentenced to 12 years by a Hong Kong court last month, having admitted to forcibly taking or detaining a person with intent to procure a ransom.

Law and her boyfriend were asleep at her house in the quiet coastal area of Clearwater Bay when a gang of six mainland Chinese men raided the house, tied them up and taped over their mouths, Zheng’s Hong Kong trial heard.

They stole jewellery and cash worth about HK$3 million from two safes, after forcing Law to give them the combinations.

She was tied to one of the gang members, who carried her on foot to a hillside cave 90 minutes’ walk away while the boyfriend was told to notify her father of the ransom demand.

Hong Kong police embarked on a massive operation to hunt down the suspected kidnappers, deploying hundreds of heavily armed officers, helicopters and marine vessels, and setting up roadblocks.

Almost all of the money has been recovered, including some buried on hillsides near the cave where she was taken.

Hong Kong has low crime rates but has seen some high-profile kidnappings, including the abduction of one of city tycoon Li Ka-shing’s sons in 1996, who was released after his father reportedly paid a HK$1 billion ransom.

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Saturday, July 30, 2016 – 12:06
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Eight jailed for up to 15 years over kidnap of Bossini heiress
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Eight jailed for up to 15 years over kidnap of Hong Kong heiress Beijing

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BEIJING – Eight men who kidnapped a Hong Kong fashion heiress and held her in a cave as they negotiated a multi-million-dollar ransom were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison Friday, a mainland court said.

Queenie Rosita Law, granddaughter of late textiles tycoon Law Ting-pong, who founded the Bossini clothing chain, was abducted from her house in Hong Kong in April last year.

The 29-year-old was held in a mountain cave for four days before family members paid a ransom of HK$28 million (S$4.8 million) for her release. Most of the gang fled to mainland China afterwards, where they were captured.

Six of plaintiffs were found guilty of abduction, while two others were charged with disguising or concealing illegally obtained gains, a Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court spokesman told AFP.

Ringleader You Dunkui was sentenced to 15 years for kidnapping, with the others being given terms ranging from 13 years to just under two, he said.

Another gang member, Zheng Xingwang, was sentenced to 12 years by a Hong Kong court last month, having admitted to forcibly taking or detaining a person with intent to procure a ransom.

Law and her boyfriend were asleep at her house in the quiet coastal area of Clearwater Bay when a gang of six mainland Chinese men raided the house, tied them up and taped over their mouths, Zheng’s Hong Kong trial heard.

They stole jewellery and cash worth about HK$3 million from two safes, after forcing Law to give them the combinations.

She was tied to one of the gang members, who carried her on foot to a hillside cave 90 minutes’ walk away while the boyfriend was told to notify her father of the ransom demand.

Hong Kong police embarked on a massive operation to hunt down the suspected kidnappers, deploying hundreds of heavily armed officers, helicopters and marine vessels, and setting up roadblocks.

Almost all of the money has been recovered, including some buried on hillsides near the cave where she was taken.

Hong Kong has low crime rates but has seen some high-profile kidnappings, including the abduction of one of city tycoon Li Ka-shing’s sons in 1996, who was released after his father reportedly paid a HK$1 billion ransom.

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Saturday, July 30, 2016 – 12:06
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North Koreans travelling to Singapore will require visas from October

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The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority says this is part of its periodic review of the visa framework. 

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Singapore growth to pick up in 2017, but weak global outlook a risk

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Saturday, July 30, 2016 – 11:43
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Singapore growth expected to slow this year, will pick up in 2017: IMF
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Cedele outlet at Punggol Waterway Point suspended for selling unclean food and failing to register staff

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SINGAPORE – The National Environment Agency (NEA) has suspended the licence of a foodshop at Punggol Waterway Point mall for failing to register one of its staff members and selling unclean food.

NEA did not name the outlet in a notice on its website, but gave the full address instead: 83 Punggol Central, #01-66, Watertown Singapore 828761.

A business listings check showed that the shop in question belongs to local bakery chain Cedele.

NEA said the licensee has been suspended for two weeks, from Thursday (July 28) to Aug 10.

In turn, Cedele said on its website that the Waterway Point outlet is closed for “servicing” and will reopen for business on Aug 11.

NEA said the outlet had accumulated 12 demerit points over the past 12 months and was fined a total of $800 for the two offences. It added that the shop could have had its operations suspended for four weeks, or lose its licence altogether.

All food handlers working in the suspended premises would also be required to attend and pass the Basic Food Hygiene Course again, before they can resume work as food handlers.

NEA said it takes a serious view of these offences and reminded food operators to observe good food and personal hygiene practices at all times, and to engage only registered food handlers.

If the public comes across poor hygiene practices in food establishments, they can call the 24-hour NEA Contact Centre at 1800 – CALL NEA (1800 – 2255632) to provide information.


This article was first published on July 29, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

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Saturday, July 30, 2016 – 11:09
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What’s on the menu for White House Singapore state dinner?

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WASHINGTON – High-end American beef and yellow blossoms will feature prominently at the first White House state dinner for Singapore in more than three decades.
Floral arrangements for Tuesday’s (Aug 2) black-tie soiree honouring Prime Minister Lee Hsien…

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