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Daily roundup: Poultry supply in Singapore not affected by bird flu outbreak in Brazil, supermarkets say — and other top stories today, Singapore News

Daily roundup: Poultry supply in Singapore not affected by bird flu outbreak in Brazil, supermarkets say — and other top stories today, Singapore News

AsiaOne20-05-2025
Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.
1. Poultry supply in Singapore not affected by bird flu outbreak in Brazil, supermarkets say
Poultry supply remains stable despite Brazil reporting its first bird flu outbreak at a commercial farm last week, supermarkets in Singapore said on Tuesday (May 20)... » READ MORE
2. 'I will serve with conviction and integrity': WP's Eileen Chong and Andre Low on being elected NCMPs
After being elected as Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs), the Workers' Party's (WP) Eileen Chong and Andre Low have promised to take Singapore further... » READ MORE
3. Singapore's beef kway teow ranks 18th in best stir-fried dishes list, Indonesia's sambal goreng takes crown
Our local cuisine has once again made us proud by having not one, not two, but four dishes ranked on a list by experiential travel online guide TasteAtlas... » READ MORE
4. 'I told him not to be too ruthless': Mark Lee responds to Addy Lee's fallout with Quan Yi Fong
Veteran local actor Mark Lee has spoken up on former celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee's fallout with local host Quan Yi Fong, after Addy brought him up multiple times in his livestreams and a Facebook post recently..... » READ MORE
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Sorry, not sorry: How China's nationalistic netizens played into Malaysian rapper Namewee's hands
Sorry, not sorry: How China's nationalistic netizens played into Malaysian rapper Namewee's hands

Straits Times

time2 days ago

  • Straits Times

Sorry, not sorry: How China's nationalistic netizens played into Malaysian rapper Namewee's hands

Find out what's new on ST website and app. Namewee is boycotted on the mainland for his 'anti-China stance', after his songs mocked the country's leader and nationalistic netizens. HONG KONG – If a picture speaks a thousand words, a removed picture shouts out even more. Controversial Malaysian rapper Namewee on July 21 took down photos he had earlier posted on Facebook of himself with actor Eric Tsang and singer Kenny Bee. This came after the two veteran Hong Kong celebrities issued formal apologies for their appearance alongside the rapper, for which they caught flak from Chinese netizens. Namewee is boycotted on the mainland for his 'anti-China stance', after his songs mocked the country's leader and nationalistic netizens. In a fresh Facebook post on the same day the pictures were taken down, Namewee shared his latest song, Letter of Apology . He cited the lyrics: 'I'm now ready to admit my mistakes/ Although it's just a small issue/ I'm willing to bow down and admit that I'm weak/ And reflect on all my foolish mistakes.' It was a master stroke: In an instant, he generated free, large-scale publicity for his most recent work, simultaneously putting on display the absurdity of the nationalistic outcry over the photos and the motivation for the artistes' apologies as implied in his new song. Namewee's initial post on July 19 had seemed innocuous enough. It was just pictures of the celebrities smiling for the camera, with his message in Chinese stating merely 'wishing you a successful performance tonight', ahead of a concert taking place that night in Genting, Malaysia. It looked and read like an innocent post from any other delighted supporter of Tsang and Bee who had been lucky enough to meet their idols in person. But it was the Chinese netizens' outrage over the post, and the pandering apologies it immediately elicited from the Hong Kong artistes who quickly sought to distance themselves from the rapper, that made it news. And Namewee cleverly capitalised on that to draw attention to his latest song, which – coincidentally or not – touches on a similar topic and had until now gone largely unnoticed elsewhere, especially on the mainland where his works are banned. With one innocuous post, and then its removal, the singer channelled outcry against him into publicity for his latest satire. The official music video for Letter of Apology shows the rapper at a press conference –speaking in mainland-accented Chinese – stating his desire to 'clarify matters' before breaking down in mock tears, bowing in apparent repentance, and crooning his 'apology' to his audience. A description – in Chinese – of the song on his official YouTube channel reads: 'After (issuing) the letter of apology, you will be propelled to fame and riches, arriving at the zenith of your lifetime… Only after writing my letter of apology, will I achieve prosperity! ' The song satirises the self-criticism and self-censorship demanded by China's hypersensitive, ultranationalistic keyboard warriors from those public figures who inadvertently offend the lucrative mainland market they cater to. Its lyrics also hint at the sense of self that some celebrities sacrifice to stay on the right side of their Chinese audiences, with one stanza stating: 'Can you accept/ That I can now only voicelessly await my fate/ No more need to wonder/ If I can still call this life my own.' Taiwan-based Hong Kong political commentator Sang Pu said he found Namewee's self-censorship of the photos and his subsequent post sharing his music video a 'brilliant' move. 'Namewee's deletion of the pictures caused them to be more widely circulated,' Mr Sang told The Straits Times. 'The photos resulted in the apologies from Eric Tsang and Kenny Bee, which then allowed Namewee to publicly juxtapose the two artistes' letters of repentance against the scenario depicted in his song.' 'From this, we can see how sharp-witted and humorous Namewee is,' he added. Muar-born Namewee, 42, also known as Wee Meng Chee or Huang Mingzhi, made his name producing songs that poke fun at sensitive political issues . He has been blacklisted in China since 2021, after the release of his ballad single Fragile, which contains barbed references to President Xi Jinping and issues including the country's tight censorship . In 2023, Namewee revealed that he was banned from performing in Hong Kong as well. Tsang's July 21 apology on Weibo, while not directly naming Namewee, expressed regret over the 'unintentional mistake' of having taken a photo with 'a certain person' whose background he had been 'unaware of'. 'As a Chinese citizen, I've always been committed to safeguarding our country's dignity and national sentiment,' Tsang wrote in Chinese. 'If I had known (his background), I would never have had any contact with him.' Bee issued an almost-identical apology on his own Weibo account. Tsang, 72, who has been in the show business since the 1980s, is general manager of Hong Kong's biggest television broadcaster TVB, which is expanding significantly in mainland China. Bee, also 72, was lead vocalist of Hong Kong 1970s pop group The Wynners and has in recent years taken on several minor acting gigs produced in mainland China. The two artistes' grovelling apologies are just the latest illustration of the pressures that celebrities can face even when they are not major players in the mainland market. But their eagerness to clarify the matter could also be linked in part to the additional spectre of a national security law over Hong Kong society. Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after mass anti-government protests in 2019 and early 2020. Hong Kong subsequently introduced its own such legislation in 2024. The emphasis on national security in the city since then has resulted in its people increasingly policing their opinions made in public. Under Hong Kong law, sedition can also cover anything that incites 'hatred, contempt, dissatisfaction or disaffection' with the authorities. While it is clear that Tsang and Bee have not contravened any law, appearing to be aligned with Namewee whose work mocks China – however tenuous the link – could still potentially cause a rift not just with their mainland business partners and supporters, but also among those in Hong Kong. Ultimately, though, the artistes' main motivation for their apology is essentially 'greed', according to Mr Sang. 'The reason (Tsang and Bee) allowed themselves to be controlled by their entertainment companies and to publish the formal apologies scripted for them, is because of the money they still hope to make off their mainland audiences,' he said. 'This is a choice they must make: Would they prefer to eat standing (by their own principles), or do they want to eat on their knees (at the mercy of others).'

WP's Sylvia Lim to publish memoir in 2027
WP's Sylvia Lim to publish memoir in 2027

New Paper

time6 days ago

  • New Paper

WP's Sylvia Lim to publish memoir in 2027

Workers' Party chairwoman and MP for Aljunied GRC Sylvia Lim will publish her memoir with Epigram Books. It is expected to hit major bookstores in the second half of 2027. The agreement between Ms Lim and the home-grown publisher - an imprint of the newly formed non-profit Epigram Literary Foundation - was signed in recent weeks. There is no book title yet, with writing still in its preliminary stages. But the surprise memoir is expected to offer a rare glimpse into the mind of one of Singapore's pioneer women in opposition politics - a police inspector and lawyer turned self-professed proud "Mama Bear" heading a slate of WP female candidates at the recent general election. On her decision to ink the deal, Ms Lim said: "There has been interest from several quarters about the paths I have walked and the places I have been, as well as the people who made me whole. "As I turn 60 this year, it feels right to start to reflect on my experiences of life, vocation and love which, hopefully, will be meaningful not just now, but also for posterity." The 14-year MP has struck a more mellow note of late, brandishing her PAssion Silver Concession Card at a WP rally in April to cheers - "The last time I stood on this stage, I still had black hair." To a question on WP's party leadership succession during a press conference in the same month, she had expressed a readiness to pass the baton on. "I would say that when the time comes for me, personally, to step down as chairperson, I won't be sorry." Mr Edmund Wee, founder of Epigram Books, said he also specifically requested that Ms Lim include her relationship with former national footballer Quah Kim Song, whom she had dated for 12 years before their church wedding in January. The publisher got in touch with Ms Lim through a mutual friend and had tried cajoling her for the project as early as 2021 during the coronavirus lockdown period, with satisfaction delayed till now. Mr Wee said: "Sylvia Lim's achievements and life should be an inspiration to Singaporeans, especially to all the young women out there." Few senior leaders from WP, Singapore's most successful opposition party post-independence, have put their thoughts to the page. Former secretary-general of WP J.B Jeyaretnam hawked his own books on the streets after being declared bankrupt and losing his seat, including The Hatchet Man Of Singapore, published in 2003. The most recent and probably most well-known is WP member and former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong's Journey In Blue: A Peek Into The Workers' Party Of Singapore (2020). Among other revelations, it disclosed that former WP chief Low Thia Khiang had begun planning to step down as early as 2016 following an intra-party leadership challenge, rather than in 2020 after a fall at home as commonly assumed. Ms Lim was a law lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic specialising in civil and criminal procedures when she was elected WP's first woman chairperson in 2003 and led a team to become the "best losers" in the contest for Aljunied GRC in 2006. After a stint as NCMP from 2006 to 2011, she was part of the team that won Aljunied GRC for WP in 2011. She will begin her fourth term when Parliament reconvenes on Sept 5.

Stupid Cupid and Pretty Little Baby singer Connie Francis dies at 87
Stupid Cupid and Pretty Little Baby singer Connie Francis dies at 87

Straits Times

time17-07-2025

  • Straits Times

Stupid Cupid and Pretty Little Baby singer Connie Francis dies at 87

Find out what's new on ST website and app. American singer-actress Connie Francis found renewed popularity in recent months as her 1962 song Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok and other video-sharing platforms. WASHINGTON - American singer Connie Francis, whose hits such as Everybody's Somebody's Fool and Stupid Cupid topped the charts in the late 1950s and 1960s, has died aged 87, her publicist announced July 17. Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, Francis had found renewed popularity in recent months as her 1962 song Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok and other video-sharing platforms. She was hospitalised earlier in the month after experiencing severe pain and had undergone a hip treatment, according to a post on her official Facebook page. 'It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,' her publicist, Ron Roberts, posted early on July 17 on Facebook, without specifying a cause. Though Francis' heyday faded after the 1960s, she continued to record and perform for decades. When announcing her hospitalisation on July 2, she expressed regret about having to miss a planned Independence Day show. 'Petite and pretty, Ms. Francis had an easy, fluid vocal style, a powerful set of lungs and a natural way with a wide variety of material,' wrote The New York Times after her death. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Asia Air India probe of Boeing 787 fuel control switches finds no issues Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Singapore Two women jailed for submitting fake university certificates to MOM for employment passes Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail The singer had publicly discussed significant struggles with her mental health, particularly following a 1974 rape in a New York motel and the murder of her brother in 1981. She was married and divorced four times, and in 2022 announced the death of her partner of almost two decades, Tony Ferretti. Born in Newark, New Jersey to an Italian-American family, Francis shot to fame in 1958 with the release of Who's Sorry Now? She went on in the next decade to sell millions of records worldwide, with albums in multiple languages. AFP

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