The maximum loan-to-value ratio for vehicles on the open market less than or equal to S$20,000 will be raised from 60 per cent to 70 per cent, and that for vehicles more than S$20,000 will be upped to 60 per cent from 50 per cent.
Source link
MAS eases rules on motor vehicle financing
Revamped Emergency Preparedness Day to focus on terror threats
SINGAPORE – What should you do when you see gunmen holding people hostage in a coffeeshop you are near? Of if a bomb goes off in your neighbourhood? When is it safe to run, and when should you hide?
Awareness of how to respond to such scenarios are what the…
Source link
China says its people will never stand for Taiwan independence
BEIJING – China’s 1.3 billion people are united in their determination never to allow self-ruled Taiwan to become independent, China’s top official in charge of ties with the island was quoted as saying on Thursday, in Beijing’s latest blast at Taipei.
China has repeatedly warned Taiwan’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, whose leader Tsai Ing-wen assumed the presidency last week, of negative consequences if they fail to recognise Taiwan is a part of China under Beijing’s “one China” principle.
Tsai has said democratic principles will rule Taiwan’s ties with Beijing and urged China in her inaugural speech Friday to”set aside the baggage of history” and engage in positive dialogue.
Meeting a group of Taiwan business representatives in Beijing, Zhang Zhijun, head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said anything that goes against the “one China” principle would only bring tension and upheaval to ties. “There is no future in Taiwan independence, and this cannot become an option for Taiwan’s future. This is the conclusion of history,” the official Xinhua news agency cited Zhang as saying.
“Some people say you must pay attention to broad public opinion in Taiwan, and that one can understand the attitude and feelings of Taiwan’s people formed by its special historical experiences and social environment,” Zhang added.
“But, Taiwan society ought to understand and attach importance to the feelings of the 1.37 billion residents of the mainland,” he said.
Taiwan president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
Reuters, AFP
China has regarded Taiwan as a wayward province, to be taken by force if necessary, ever since defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 after a civil war with China’s Communists.
Referring to late 19th and early 20th century period when foreign powers strove to carve off bits of the declining Chinese empire for themselves, Zhang said China’s people had a deep memory of that period of national weakness and humiliation. “They have a rock-solid will that has remained consistent towards protecting national unity and not allowing the country to be split,” he added.
The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan’s ministerial agency in charge of ties with China, said in response to Zhang’s comments that Tsai has said she is committed to ensuring the status quo in relations with China and to maintaining peace and stability.
China does not permit public discussion of views which challenge the notion of Taiwan being a part of China.
Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895-1945, having gained control of the island from imperial China.
Many Taiwanese have a broadly positive view of Japanese rule, saying it brought progress to an undeveloped, largely agricultural island.
Image:
Publication Date:
Thursday, May 26, 2016 – 17:47
Keywords:
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Hermes ID:
2 320 676
Hermes ID String:
SY_TAIWANINDEPENDENCE_0526
Story Type:
Others
Young tech professionals co-living in Singapore: What's the draw?
Some young people are taking co-working a step further by living together with colleagues in dormitory-style accommodation. They say the living arrangement gives them a creative environment where ideas can be developed and shared.
Source link
4-metre long python bites Thai man's genitals in toilet
A Thai man was just going about his morning business when a python, nearly four-metres long, bit his penis.
According to Khaosod English, the reptile slithered out of Atthaporn Boonmakchuay’s squat toilet and attacked him while he was using it yesterday (May 25).
Atthaporn said he had been squatting over his toilet for about 30 minutes when the python rose from the depths to fasten its jaws around the end of his penis.
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
YouTube screengrabs, Facebook screengrabs
His wife, Sawittree Shooyoung, heard his screams and yelled to get a rope.
Just before he passed out from a loss of blood, the 38-year-old Atthaporn grasped the serpent by its head and managed to use the rope to tie it to the bathroom door.
Atthaporn was reported to be in a stable condition.
A YouTube video shows rescue workers using a hammer to free the python, which was still stuck in the toilet.
Authorities suspect the python entered the home through a pipe that led it to the toilet. It will be released back into the wild.
Everyone is probably going to double, triple, quadruple check the toilet for unwelcome visitors after this.
Visit STOMP for more stories.
Image:
Publication Date:
Thursday, May 26, 2016 – 16:50
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Rotator Headline:
Thai man survives after 4-metre long python bites his penis in toilet
Rotator Image:
Video Media:
Other Video Media
Story Type:
Others
Woman turns 'archery target' to raise money for cancer-stricken sister
It was an unbelievable sight – a young woman standing against a board that said “human target, 10 yuan (S$2.10) a shot”, inviting passers-by to shoot arrows at her.
A bow and arrows sat on the floor while another woman started to “hawk” the “service”.
Luckily, police put a stop to the fund raising “effort” on Monday (May 23) morning before anyone released an arrow – not that anyone was likely to, seeing as how members of the public were trying to dissuade the women.
The incident happened in the city of Hangzhou, in Eastern China’s Zhejiang province.
It turns out that the “target” Miss Ji Jiali, 21, was trying to raise money for her sister’s cancer treatment, Hangzhou Daily reported.
Producing a stack of papers at the police station to prove that she wasn’t a fraud, she explained that she was trying to raise funds for her sister Ji Jiayan, who is receiving treatment for leukaemia in a hospital in Kunming, in Southwest China.
She said she resorted to desperate measures as there seemed to be no other ways for the family to raise the 300,000 yuan needed for her sister’s treatment.
It was reported that Miss Ji’s cancer-stricken sister once ran away from home last year to spare the family the burden of paying for her treatment.
Hangzhou Daily reported that Miss Ji and her mother are supporting their family after her father died in a traffic accident in 2014. Miss Ji left her home in Guizhou when she was 18 to work in Zhejiang province, and now works in a factory.
Police released Miss Ji and her friend on Monday after counselling them, the report said.
A report on Wednesday (May 25) in another newspaper said that Miss Ji Jiayan has received more than 30,000 yuan in donations after the “human archery target” reports were widely shared on the Internet.
sinsh@sph.com.sg
Image:
Publication Date:
Thursday, May 26, 2016 – 17:05
Keywords:
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Rotator Headline:
Woman offers herself as 'human archery target' to raise money for cancer-stricken sister
Rotator Image:
Story Type:
Rewritten Story
Singapore becomes first Asian country to get food delivery via UberEATS
POPULAR ride-hailing company Uber has launched its food delivery service UberEATS in Singapore, making the city state the first country in Asia to have the mobile app.
According to the company, the recent release of UberEATS in Singapore as the first in a series of launches is significant as Uber has always seen Singapore as an entry point to the Asian market.
“UberEATS connects people with the food they love. Powered by the same seamless technology, getting great food delivered to you is now as easy as requesting a ride with Uber,” the company said in an announcement on its website earlier this week.
Thank you @Ubereats! #food #singapore Perfect timing for my hungry tummy! Love this
— Grace Kok (@gracescene) May 19, 2016
Operations began on Wednesday, May 25. Singaporeans can now download the UberEATS mobile app – available on iOS and Android – and order dishes from over 100 restaurants. These include foodie favorites Burnt Ends, FOC, Fort by Maison Ikkoku, Pluck, and Vatos Urban Tacos, among others.
Uber’s instructions on how to order are:
- Sign up by creating a new Uber account, or sign in using an existing one
- Tell Uber where to deliver by adding a home, work, or any other address
- Browse and search for local restaurants
- Check out using the card saved to the account, exactly as one would with Uber
- Track the order as it gets picked up and then delivered
- The company said it is providing new economic opportunities at more times of the day for delivery partners. They are also offering a reliable delivery option that allows restaurant partners to expand their service and reach a new network of potential customers.
UberEATS will initially be available in Central Business District, Tanjong Pagar, Orchard, and River Valley, from 11am to 10pm, seven days a week, with plans to further expand the service area and choice of food in the future.
“Uber is all about applying technology to make things better and UberEATS is no exception. For riders (and now eaters), we’re giving diverse culinary experiences and more great dining choices in the convenience of their homes,” said the company.
Last month, Uber ceased an “instant option”, which was included in UberEATS’ service in New York city, barely a month after launching it in the U.S., to narrow its focus on “highest quality food and highest delivery time”.
The post Singapore becomes first Asian country to get food delivery via UberEATS appeared first on Asian Correspondent.
Cornell Warehouse Sale Up To 90% Off from 4 – 5 Jun 2016 | SINGPromos.com
Cornell Warehouse Sale at Thye Hong Centre (4 – 5 Jun)
Cornell Warehouse Sale Up To 90% Off from 4 – 5 Jun 2016 | SINGPromos.com
Cornell will be having a Warehouse Sale from 4 June to 5 June 2016, 11am – 6pm daily featuring a wide array of home and kitchen appliances at up to 90% off
Football: Bayern hint Gotze not first choice under Ancelotti
BERLIN – Bayern Munich on Thursday suggested attacking midfielder Mario Gotze’s playing future at the German champions may remain on the bench, even though he showed his desire to earn a starting spot after turning down a possible move away.
The Germany international, who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, has failed to carve out a starting spot since joining Bayern from rivals Borussia Dortmund in 2013 and had been linked with a possible move to Liverpool.
The 23-year-old, who had said at the start of last season he wanted to play more regularly, on Monday poured cold water on a move, saying he wanted to see out his contract until it expired in 2017 and looked forward to the next season under new coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is replacing Pep Guardiola.
“I had talks with him (Mario) and Ancelotti. Mario knows the thoughts of Bayern,” Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Kicker magazine.
“Everything was clearly and seriously explained to Mario.
“He knows what the club thinks and what the new coach thinks. Mario has to evaluate for himself whether he wants to play constantly.”
Gotze, hailed as the most talented German player of his generation, only returned to fitness in February following a five month injury break and made just 11 starts for Bayern in the Bundesliga, scoring three goals.
On Monday he split with his long-time agent before committing to Bayern, who won the domestic double this season. “I look forward to the new season in Munich and will do everything possible to be in top shape for my first training session under Carlo Ancelotti,” said Gotze.
German media had reported Ancelotti had informed the player he would not have any guarantees of more playing time.
Gotze has been included in Germany’s preliminary 27-man squad for Euro 2016 which starts on June 10.
Image:
Publication Date:
Thursday, May 26, 2016 – 15:56
Keywords:
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Hermes ID:
2 320 406
Hermes ID String:
SY_GOTZE_0526
Story Type:
Others
Domestic strength key for Singapore to stay relevant: Veteran envoy
Singapore, as a small city-state, needs to have a sound domestic foundation in order to remain relevant in the international arena, said ambassador-at-large Bilahari Kausikan.
And that internal strength hinges on three aspects: politics, policy and the role of the civil service, and social cohesion, Mr Bilahari said yesterday in his fifth and final lecture as the Institute of Policy Studies’ S R Nathan Fellow.
With politics, partisan interests should be kept out of foreign policy. But in reality, this is hard to achieve, he added.
In countries with long histories, partisan debates over foreign policy are conducted in a framework of shared assumptions on what ought to be in the fundamental interests of the nation, regardless of which party is in power, he said.
Singapore’s opposition parties, so far, have not shown they “have any concept of the fundamental national interest”, he added.
Mr Bilahari criticised the Workers’ Party’s Mr Pritam Singh for asking in Parliament in 2013 about Singapore’s Middle East policies that “could have stirred up the feelings of our Malay-Muslim ground against the Government”.
Noting that Singapore has been consistently even-handed in its relations with Israel and Palestine, he said: “The Arab countries understand our position and have no issue with our relations with Israel.”
Also excoriated was the Singapore Democratic Party’s Dr Paul Tambyah, who called for a reduction in the defence budget in favour of health spending, pointing out that Singapore had a history of being non-aligned in its foreign policy.
Mr Bilahari retorted: “If the good doctor really thought that being non-aligned is an adequate substitute for deterrence through a strong SAF, he ought to consult a doctor of another sort without delay: a psychiatrist.”
As for policy and the role of civil service, the veteran diplomat said it was important to have alertness, agility and an appreciation of nuances to navigate an uncertain external environment.
But the way the civil service is structured – with agencies led by Administrative Service officers who are generalists – “may have begun to degrade these qualities”.
He cited the case of a Singapore agency that had signed a memorandum of understanding with China that specified disputes would be settled in Chinese.
“It broke a long-established principle of insisting that English should be the controlling language,” he said.
“This was not a question of linguistic competency but of Singapore’s identity,” he added.
Things are changing, however.
He noted a new programme introduced in 2013 that lets members of specialist services be appointed to senior positions previously reserved for Administrative Service officers.
But whether the change is fast and far enough remains to be seen, he said.
On social cohesion, Mr Bilahari warned of Western diplomats trying to weigh in on Singapore’s issues like the death penalty or gay rights, without paying attention to social and cultural fault lines.
China, however, poses “a more delicate and fundamental challenge”, especially with how it approaches its ties with Chinese communities in South-east Asia.
Chinese officials often refer to Singapore as a “Chinese country”, which Singapore leaders “politely but clearly and firmly” refute. Accepting this characterisation of Singapore would not only provoke a counter-reaction from other major powers, but also strain, if not break, the multiracial compact on which Singapore’s success is built, he said.
At the same time, it would be foolish to alienate China which would have a huge impact on Singapore’s economic future, he added. “Maintaining a good relationship with China, while preserving the autonomy to pursue our interests as we define them is the fine line we must walk.”
Mr Bilahari also said many Singaporeans, especially younger ones, do not understand fully the complexity of the contradictory forces at play. The situation is aggravated by the move to de-emphasise history in the national curriculum, he noted.
However, he is not pessimistic about Singapore’s ability to cope with the challenges ahead.
“We will cope if we continue to be clinical in our understanding of our own situation and hard-headed about what may need to be done,” he said.
“We will fail only if we lose our sense of vulnerability because that is what keeps us united, agile and alert.”
rachelay@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on May 26, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Image:
Publication Date:
Friday, May 27, 2016 – 12:21
Keywords:
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Story Type:
Others
