Max Maeder leads Singapore’s first Olympic parade in 8 years; Ex-Transport Minister S Iswaran’s corruption trial set for 10 Sept: Singapore live news
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Bronze medalist Maximilian Maeder of Team Singapore celebrates at the medal ceremony for the Men's Kite on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Marseille Marina on 9 August 2024 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/AFP News)
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Get ready, Singapore! On Wednesday (14 Aug), the city will come alive with an open-top bus parade celebrating its Olympians, led by bronze medallist Max Maeder. This grand event marks Singapore’s first Olympic medal in eight years, bringing together a proud nation to cheer on their gritty and determined athletes. More on the celebratory parade for Team Singapore here.
Singapore's economy posted a 2.9% growth in Q2 2024, outpacing expectations and marking a bright spot in an otherwise uncertain global economy. The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) now expects the year's GDP to land between 2.0% and 3.0%, citing strong external demand. However, with global risks lingering, Singapore remains cautiously optimistic about its economic prospects. More on what’s next for Singapore as global risks loom.
The Philippines might break its historic no-divorce record if the Senate approves the "Absolute Divorce Bill". Passed by the House, this bill would modernise the country’s outdated divorce laws. Despite significant opposition from the Catholic Church and conservative politicians, growing public support suggests a shift may be imminent. Read more if the "Absolute Divorce Bill" becomes law, or stalls in the Senate.
Finger-lickin' fraud! Vera Liddell, a US school food director, is heading to prison for nine years after stealing $2 million (US$1.5 million) worth of chicken wings. The audacious crime unfolded during the pandemic when she made unauthorised orders and kept the food for herself. The scam was discovered when the district's food budget blew up by US$300,000, sparking an investigation. More on how these chicken wings went rogue here.
Take charge of your health with these simple tips: eat more veggies, listen to classical music, limit screen time, add honey to yogurt, and embrace strength training for a healthier you. Read on for more health tips.
A dating coach advises women to dump boyfriends who don't say "I love you" within three months, sparking debate about relationship timelines and expectations. Here's why the relationship advice is shaking up the internet.
In the tech world, dating can feel like a series of project milestones. Maggie Zheng reveals how she and her fiancé apply corporate jargon like OKRs to their relationship. This tech-inspired strategy has strengthened their bond, leading to their wedding plans. Read about how tech bros approach love like work projects here.
Singaporean drivers have earned an unwelcome top spot as the biggest foreign traffic fine defaulters in Malaysia, racking up $1 million (RM3.5 million) in unpaid summonses. This forms part of a staggering RM4 billion in overdue fines that Malaysian authorities are keen to recover. Read on how Malaysia is tackling the $1.2 billion in overdue summonses and encouraging payments.
Over 2.4 million Singaporeans will get $200-$400 in September 2024 under a new cost-of-living relief initiative. This initiative, part of the 2024 Budget, promises cash payments to ease household expenses. Eligible adults will receive payments via PayNow-NRIC, GIRO, or GovCash. More on more about the Budget 2024 COL Special Payment here.
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Singaporeans to get $200-$400 special cost-of-living payment in Sept
Singapore will disburse $200-$400 to over 2.4 million citizens under the Budget 2024 cost-of-living (COL) relief plan. (Photo: Getty Images)
Bronze-winning Max Maeder to lead Singapore’s Olympic parade
Bronze medalist Maximilian Maeder of Team Singapore celebrates at the medal ceremony for the Men's Kite on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Marseille Marina on 9 August 2024 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/AFP News)
Singapore is set to celebrate its Olympians in grand style with an open-top bus parade on Wednesday (14 Aug), after an eight-year Olympic medal drought was broken by Max Maeder, who won a bronze in kitefoiling.
The parade will feature eight athletes, including Maeder, swimmer Gan Ching Hwee, and the badminton duo Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, as they travel through key areas of the city.
The Singapore Sports Institute’s chief, Su Chun Wei, highlighted the athletes' "gritty performances" and the high standards required to compete at the Olympics.
Su particularly praised Maeder, Singapore’s youngest Olympic medallist at 17, emphasising the significance of his achievement on such a grand stage.
Source: ActiveSG Circle
The route of the parade will include five “cheer points” along Bayfront Avenue, Chinatown, Orchard Road, Serangoon Road, and Victoria Street.
Singaporeans are encouraged to come out in full force to support their sports heroes, symbolising the nation’s unity and pride.
The event is designed to not only honour the athletes but also to bring the community together in celebration.
The parade marks a significant moment for Singaporean sports, as it’s the first time in eight years that the country has medaled at the Olympics.
Ex-Transport Minister S Iswaran’s corruption trial set for 10 Sept
Singapore's former Transport Minister S Iswaran (right) faces a corruption trial starting September 10, involving 35 charges related to gifts and obstruction of justice. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Iswaran faces 35 charges, including corruption, obtaining valuable items as a public servant, and obstructing justice.
The charges stem from his dealings with hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng and Lum Chang Holdings' managing director David Lum Kok Seng, involving gifts like Formula 1 tickets, football match passes, and luxury items.
The delay in the trial was due to Iswaran's appeal for witness statements, which was denied by the High Court.
If convicted, Iswaran faces significant penalties, including imprisonment and hefty fines.
The case, which will be heard in the High Court due to its public interest, has sparked intense media attention as it unfolds amid the backdrop of an upcoming general election in Singapore.
Singapore economy grows 2.9% in Q2, surpassing expectations
Singapore’s Q2 GDP grew by 2.9%, exceeding expectations, leading to an optimistic 2024 growth forecast of 2.0%-3.0%, despite global economic uncertainties. (Photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su)
Singapore’s economy grew by 2.9% in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year, aligning with earlier estimates and surpassing market expectations.
This growth has prompted the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) to narrow its GDP forecast for 2024 to a range of 2.0% to 3.0%, suggesting that the economy might hit the upper end of this range.
The quarter-on-quarter growth of 0.4% was driven by strong performances in the finance, insurance, and information and communications sectors, while manufacturing saw a decline due to reduced pharmaceutical output.
Despite the overall positive outlook, there are lingering concerns about the global economy, particularly due to geopolitical tensions and the possibility of a US recession, which could impact Singapore’s trade-reliant economy.
The MTI highlighted that the manufacturing sector, especially electronics, is expected to recover in the second half of the year, which could further support growth in trade-related services.
Singapore’s growth in 2024 is expected to be bolstered by the continued recovery in air travel and tourism, along with a robust finance and insurance sector.
However, the slowdown in manufacturing, particularly in pharmaceuticals, has tempered some of the optimism.
The services sector also saw a slowdown in growth compared to the previous quarter.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) maintained its monetary policy settings unchanged last month, as inflation pressures moderated and growth prospects showed signs of improvement.
In a humorous take on dating in the tech sector, a tech worker describes how tech enthusiasts often treat relationships like work projects, focusing on goals and metrics.
Despite encountering partners who struggled with emotional cues, she finds that their drive can be harnessed positively.
The woman and her fiancé, both tech professionals, apply this mindset to their relationship, using objectives and key results (OKRs) and quarterly meetings to stay connected and purposeful.
Their tech-inspired approach has led them to a successful relationship and an imminent wedding.
Eat veggies, listen to classical music: 9 tips to boost your health
Simple tips to boost your health: eat more veggies, listen to classical music, limit phone time, add honey to yogurt, and embrace strength training. (Photo: Getty Images)
Looking to boost your health?
Start with the basics: eat more fruits and veggies. They're not only good for your kidneys but can also lower cancer risks.
Classical music might also give you a lift – studies show it can have antidepressant effects.
Can't put your phone down? Try picking up a non-digital hobby like reading or crochet. It might help you unwind.
And for a quick snack, add honey to your yogurt. It enhances probiotics, which are great for digestion.
Lastly, avoid the snooze button. It disrupts your sleep and leaves you feeling tired. Focus on good nighttime habits for better rest.
Finger-lickin' fraud: US school employee stole $2 million in chicken wings
A US school food director was sentenced to nine years for stealing $2 million worth of chicken wings during the pandemic. (Photo: Getty Images)
Chicken wing heist! A former food service director in the United States has been sentenced to nine years in prison for stealing $2 million (US$1.5 million) worth of chicken wings.
The crime spanned nearly two years and was discovered when the school's food budget went US$300,000 over mid-year.
Vera Liddell used a district van to transport the stolen wings, which never reached the students.
The community is left wondering how such a large-scale theft went unnoticed for so long.
The Philippines, the last holdout on divorce apart from the Vatican, is on the brink of change. The proposed "Absolute Divorce Bill" could shift the country’s stance on divorce, a move that reflects evolving societal attitudes and legal needs. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
South Korea unleashes sniffer dog to stop post-Olympic bedbugs
FILE PHOTO: Ceco, South Korea's first bedbug sniffing dog, demonstrates bed bug detection on luggage at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, August 8, 2024. Yonhap via REUTERS /File Photo
Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim, has instructed police to conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged criminal, and child abuse cases, linked to Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holdings (GISBH).
This is the moment a piglet was rescued in Liaoning, China on August 9 after its mother accidentally fell asleep on top of it. Her owner gave the sow a comical slap with a shovel, startling it, flinging another piglet into the air and setting the poor, suffocating piglet free.
David Lin, a pastor from California, was freed from a Chinese prison after nearly 20 years, the State Department announced on Sunday. About Lin and his case: Lin, now 68, was involved in China’s underground house church movement, which was often targeted by Chinese authorities. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom noted that those in China who “participate in and lead house churches often face intimidation, harassment, arrest and harsh sentences.”
A neighbor of Ryan Routh, the reported person of interest detained by authorities in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, told a local news station in North Carolina that the man was “a little cuckoo” and owned a lot of guns—but still expressed disbelief that he would do anything violent.“I mean I didn’t think he would go that far. I knew he was a little cuckoo, but assassinating the president? I mean he’s going to be going away for a long time,” an anonymous former neig
The Titan submersible sent its final message just six seconds before it lost contact with the surface during its ill-fated dive to the Titanic, according to a US Coast Guard body probing the vessel’s implosion in June 2023, which killed all five people on board.
The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has hit a record high of more than 95,000 -- almost 90 percent of them women -- government data showed Tuesday.On Sunday separate government data showed that the number of over-65s has hit a record high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3 percent of Japan's population.
"I am a rapist," said a Frenchman accused of drugging his wife for years so that he and dozens of strangers could sexually assault her, his first testimony in a trial that has horrified France.With her auburn bob and sunglasses, 71-year-old Gisele has become a feminist icon since she demanded that the trial be made open to the public to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse.
Boeing bosses are staring down the barrel. The twists and turns of the past week paint a picture of managers badly wrong-footed by the depth of fury among workers who tossed out a 25% pay increase deal and launched strike action. "They probably didn't think that we had enough people for the strike," Kushal Varma, a Boeing mechanic, told Reuters.
Indonesian authorities said Tuesday that they have arrested six people on drug charges on the tourist island of Bali since July. Two Thai nationals, Rachanon Jongseeha, 33, and his girlfriend Woranawan Wongsuwan, 31, were arrested upon arrival at Bali's Ngurah Rai airport on Sept. 8, with 1.9 kilograms (4.1 pounds) of methamphetamines mixed with ecstasy powder packed in 108 sachets of a fruit-flavored collagen drink, and 20 pills of the party drug ecstasy, according to provincial anti-narcotics chief Rudy Ahmad Sudrajat.
Laurie Leigh Shaver, 41, of Fla., was found guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm for killing her husband, Michael Douglas Shaver, 36, in 2015, authorities said
A 27-year-old man faces up to several years in jail for sedition, after pleading guilty Monday to wearing a protest T-shirt that prosecutors say flouts Hong Kong's new national security law.On Monday, he pleaded guilty to one count of "doing acts with seditious intent", leading to the city's first conviction under the new tougher law.
