Spotify changed their song titles for Mandarin songs into translated-English titles and/or Hanyu pinyin about a week ago.
Spotify users were up in arms and shared their displeasure online, with many calling for Spotify to change back to the original titles.
Users (primarily me) reported having difficulties looking up songs on the app because of the titles being changed to their translated versions.
Other users also reportedly had their English songs translated into Mandarin.
Speaking to Mothership, Spotify said that it was an experiment involving multi-language data, they said:
“At Spotify, we’re always looking at new ways to enhance our listeners’ experience.
This often means conducting tests on our platform, including experimenting with multilingual language data received from our music partners.
This test was deployed to provide our music partners the option to display album and track title transliterations, with their own language translations. Changes on Spotify were then reflected based on the user’s preferred language settings.
We have reverted the translated titles back to their original language.”
For users who are still experiencing the issue of having their mandarin song titles being reflected in English, you can just clear your cache and it will revert back to its original settings.
Changi Airport’s Terminal 4 is set to reopen on 13 September after being closed for more than 2 years due to the pandemic.
Additionally, about 16 airlines will be relocated to Terminal 4 progressively, with Cathay Pacific and Korean Air to start their flight operations there on 13 September.
Air Asia will then follow suit on 15 September, before Cebu Pacific, Juneyao Air, Jeju Air, Bamboo Airways and HK Express relocates on 20 September.
Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Thai VietJet Air will then relocate on 22 September, followed by Jetstar Group on 25 September.
CAG’s executive vice president of airport management, Tan Lye Teck, said:
“As we gear up to serve more passengers during the peak year-end holiday season, the high degree of automation at Terminal 4 will help us overcome the challenge of a tight labour market. CAG will work closely with our airline and airport partners on trials and system tests over the next two months to ensure that all resources are in place for the smooth passage of passengers. We look forward to welcoming passengers again in Terminal 4.”
Jetstar objects to being relocated to Terminal 4
Jetstar Group responded with a statement objecting to being moved to Terminal 4, expressing their “extreme disappointment” at being relocated to Terminal 4 on a unilateral basis before any agreement was reached.
They said:
“A joint study was only agreed to be undertaken last week and this announcement completely disregards that agreement and the impact a move would have on our customers, our people, and our operations.
While we remain committed to working with CAG, today’s announcement by the airport ignores our concerns and goes against the spirit of the long-standing partnership we have built over the years.”
They added that they have no intention of moving and have informed CAG of their decision.
The Singapore Police Force said in a press release yesterday morning that a total of 236 men and 107 women are being investigated for their suspected involvement in scams, where victims lost close to $6.1 million.
Singapore Police Force’s statement
Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and the seven Police Land Divisions conducted a two-week operation between 8 and 21 July 2022. A total of 236 men and 107 women, aged between 14 and 78, are currently assisting in investigations for their suspected involvement in scams as scammers or money mules. The suspects are believed to be involved in more than 857 cases of scams, comprising mainly internet love scams, Government and China Officials impersonation scams, e-commerce scams, business email impersonation scams, inheritance scams, phishing scams, investment scams, job scams, and loan scams, where victims lost close to $6.1 million.
The suspects are being investigated for the alleged offences of cheating, money laundering or providing payment services without a licence. The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine. The offence of money laundering under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 carries an imprisonment term not exceeding 10 years, a fine not exceeding $500,000, or both. The offence of carrying on a business to provide any type of payment service in Singapore without a licence under Section 5 of the Payment Services Act 2019 carries a fine not exceeding $125,000, an imprisonment term not exceeding three years, or both.
The Police take a firm stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or mobile lines as you will be held accountable if these are linked to crimes.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE 22 July 2022 @ 10:40 AM
100 Suspected Drug Offenders Arrested in Island-wide Operation; More than 9kg of Cannabis Seized
23 Jul 2022
Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) arrested 100 suspected drug offenders in an island-wide drug operation from 18 to 22 July 2022. During the operation, controlled drugs of about 194g of heroin, 657g of ‘Ice’, 9,339g of cannabis, 104g of ketamine, 7g of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), 236g of ‘Ecstasy’ tablets, one Erimin-5 tablet, one LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) stamp and six bottles of liquid suspected to contain GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), with an estimated street value of $470,000, were seized. The seizure of 9,339g of cannabis can feed the addiction of about 1,330 abusers for a week.
2. Some of the areas covered during this island-wide operation included Boon Lay, Changi, Sengkang and Toa Payoh.
19 July 2022: Man arrested in the vicinity of Sumang Walk
3. In one of the cases in the island-wide operation, CNB officers raided a residential unit in the vicinity of Sumang Walk and arrested a 56-year-old Singaporean man for suspected drug trafficking offences in the early morning of 19 July. About 66g of heroin and 16g of ‘Ice’ were seized from the unit, along with various drug paraphernalia and cash amounting to about $4,327.
Photos 1 and 2 (CNB): Packets of heroin and ‘Ice’, and various drug paraphernalia seized from a residential unit in the vicinity of Sumang Walk in a CNB operation on 19 July 2022.
Photo 3 (CNB): Cash seized from a residential unit in the vicinity of Sumang Walk in a CNB operation on 19 July 2022.
21 July 2022: Man and woman arrested in the vicinity of Haig Road
4. In the afternoon of 21 July, CNB officers arrested a 46-year-old Singaporean woman and a 41-year-old male foreign national in a private residential enclave located in the vicinity of Haig Road. About 7g of ‘Ice’ and cash amounting to $15,940 were recovered from the 46-year-old woman, while cash amounting to about $8,300, including foreign currencies, was recovered from the 41-year-old man.
5. Both suspects were then escorted to their hideout in the same vicinity, where about 327g of ‘Ice’, 18g of cannabis, 103g of ketamine, 62g of ‘Ecstasy’ tablets, one LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) stamp, and various drug paraphernalia were recovered. Another package containing about 1g of ‘Ice’ was later recovered by CNB officers in the compound of the residential enclave.
Photo 4 (CNB): Some of the controlled drugs, including ‘Ice’, cannabis and ‘Ecstasy’ tablets, seized in the vicinity of Haig Road from a CNB operation conducted on 21 July 2022.
21 July 2022: Five men arrested in the vicinity of Geylang
6. In another operation conducted on 21 July, CNB officers arrested four male foreign nationals, aged between 22 and 30, in the vicinity of Lorong 7 Geylang. A 25-year-old male foreign national had attempted to evade arrest, and was arrested by CNB officers after a short chase. About 5g of ‘Ice’, 32g of cannabis, and 4g of ‘Ecstasy’ tablets were recovered from a 29-year-old male foreign national, and about 3g of cannabis was recovered from a 30-year-old male foreign national. Cash amounting to $19,900 was also seized from the 25-year-old male foreign national. Prior to their arrest, the men were believed to have discarded a package in the same vicinity. Officers later recovered the package, which contained cash amounting to $14,630.
7. The 29-year-old male foreign national was escorted to his hideout in the vicinity of Lorong 9 Geylang, where about 111g of heroin, 234g of ‘Ice’, 9,282g of cannabis and 170g of ‘Ecstasy’ tablets were further recovered. A 35-year-old male foreign national who later came to the residential unit was also arrested for suspected drug offences.
Photo 5 (CNB): Some of the cannabis bundles seized from a unit in the vicinity of Lorong 9 Geylang in a CNB operation on 21 July 2022.
Photo 6 (CNB): Some of the controlled drugs, including cannabis and ‘Ecstasy’ tablets, and cash seized in the vicinity of Geylang from a CNB operation conducted on 21 July 2022.
8. Under Section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, it is an offence for a person, on his or her own behalf, or on behalf of any other person, whether or not that other person is in Singapore, to traffic in a controlled drug, offer to traffic in a controlled drug; or to do or offer to do any act preparatory to or for the purpose of trafficking in a controlled drug. If a person is found guilty of trafficking more than 15g of pure heroin (diamorphine), 250g of methamphetamine or 500g of cannabis, he or she may face the mandatory death penalty.
Photo 7 (CNB): A suspected drug offender arrested in an island-wide drug operation conducted by CNB from 18 to 22 July 2022.
9. Investigations into the drug activities of all arrested suspects are ongoing.
A video emerged online showing a student from Yishun Innova JC wearing a middle eastern costume for his school’s racial harmony day.
However, he was filmed performing racist stunts by pretending to be a terrorist, acting out scenes like planting bombs and beheading another student inside a classroom.
He was seen in the video pushing another student, who had a black bag over his head, into a classroom, and setting him down on the floor.
He then proceeded to “behead” the student with his hand, before fleeing the classroom animatedly by jumping up and down.
The “beheaded” student then fell onto the floor as though he was really beheaded and pretended to be dead.
He was also seen in the videos throwing a black bag into the classrooms, pretending to be dropping off a bomb.
Police investigating
The Singapore Police Force is looking into the incident, with the male student involved in the racist video assisting them with investigations, according to TODAY.
The Ministry of Education also confirmed that they are aware of the video with the “misbehaving student.”
MOE said that “YIJC has spoken to the student to help him understand that his actions were inappropriate, and that care and sensitivity must be exercised in Singapore’s multiracial and multireligious context.”
“The student is currently cooperating with police investigations.”
Girlfriend of 7 months wants me to pay every time we go on a date and it’s getting incredibly expensive
My girlfriend and I have been dating for 7 months and while most things are quite good, she’s a good girl and all, she wants me to pay every time we go on a date and also wants to see each other many times per week.
She has a better paying job than I do, but still never offers to pay for meals or anything and it’s getting a little straining on the finances.
She told me she’s been called high maintenance before, but I don’t really see that being the case with most things other than wanting me to foot the bill for everything.
How do I approach this situation?
Netizens’ comments
“Hey, I can’t afford to pay every time we go out. Would you be willing to start splitting since we both earn a good amount of money?” You should get the finances conversation out of the way early on in the relationship to see where you both land on it.
Sir she doesn’t even offer to go half? Does she make it up doing other things? How often do you go out? It sounds like she’s getting a free ride off you at your expense. If she’s straining your finances now it’s only going to get worse
When she asks to do something say “if it’s your treat than sure! I’m little stretched from doing X last week” or offer something different “I’ve been Spending too much on going out lately let’s just stay in and watch movies.”
Of the 24 passengers on board, only one of them is Singaporean (a 6-year-old girl) and coincidentally, she is unhurt.
The bus purportedly crashed into a concrete road divider and overturned when the driver lost control of the vehicle along Jalan Damansara.
The Malaysian Civil Defence Force confirmed the accident on Thursday, saying that they were alerted to the accident at about 12.40am, with emergency personnel sent to the scene and the injured passengers were then taken to Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
The bus was seen lying down on its side with the front windshield destroyed.
Media reports coming out of Malaysia added that firemen had broken the windshield to reach the trapped people inside the vehicle.
The bus is operated and belongs to Sri Maju, a company that provides services between Malaysia and Singapore.
My ex girlfriend cheated on me so I hooked up with and started dating her mom. She’s obviously not happy and I think I might be her stepdad someday
Her mom is a widow and hasn’t been with anyone since her husband died 7 years ago. She was young when she got pregnant and is only about 19 years older than me.
She’s one of those older women who takes really good care of herself and she was always really nice to me almost flirty but not really. I dated her daughter for about a year and we always had a good relationship and because she was alone, my girlfriend’s mom and a widow I helped her around the house sometimes.
Just basic handyman stuff like I fixed a pipe once and replaced her water heater for her etc. She was always very nice and always made me lunch and offered me money.
I’d take the food but turn down the cash. She was a nice lady and I loved her daughter so I wanted to make sure she was okay.
Well after I found out my ex cheated on me and we broke up her mom messaged me on Facebook and said she heard we broke up and was sorry to hear that.
She said she was surprised that we broke up because things seemed like they were going well. I told her in a gentle and “not talking bad about her daughter” kind of way what happened and she said she was so sorry to hear that and disappointed in her daughter and that if I needed to talk she was here.
Well I did and we we talked and after awhile she asked if I wanted to come over for dinner and maybe a drink or two.
I got there and she fed me and poured us a couple drinks then things got heated eventually and we slept together.
We started dating and hooking up in secret for a couple months. Honestly I am ashamed to say I only did it to get back at my ex at first but we ended up falling in love and we wanted to be official. We decided to tell my ex over dinner because she deserves to know the truth.
She invited my ex to her house for dinner and she was shocked that I was there of course. Her mother confessed that after we broke up we talked and started seeing eachother and things clicked really well.
My ex was NOT happy to say the least. She called her mother every name in the book while we tried to calm her down then she started attacking me and asking me how I could do this when I reminded her that she’s the one who did this.
I was happy when we were together and she’s the one who decided to cheat not me. I told her I genuinely love her mom and want to be with her and I wanted us to be on good terms and let the past be in the past.
She ended up storming out of the house and driving away. Her mother cried while I comforted her and she hasn’t talked to her mom since that dinner 3 weeks ago.
I’m hoping she’ll come around eventually. Things with her mom are great though. She’s the most wonderful woman I’ve been with and I think this could be it.
The age difference plus dating her daughter previously makes it a bit weird but I want it to work and I think we can get there.
TikTok user @alisoninasia shared on her page about how she was offended when she was told to “wait a while” at a Singapore clinic.
She said then when she first moved to Singapore, there was a phrase that really confused her – she was checking in at a clinic when the receptionist told her to “wait a while”.
Unfamiliar with the colloquial lingo, she was offended and thought the receptionist was being rude by telling her to wait a while.
However, she later learned that “wait a while” in Singapore means “wait a minute” or “wait a few seconds,” before adding that Singaporeans are not being rude by telling you to wait a while.
Netizens comments
Wait how is “wait a while” rude?
Because in customer service you don’t order someone to wait, you ask them to politely and apologise for the delay. Also, in US/UK to be waiting a ‘while’ means a long time. So to be ordered to wait a while is pretty rude in UK and US. That being said, I’ve been living here for about a year and this woman with her ‘I’m such a special tourist’ attitude is embarrassing to watch
nothing wrong in what she said, as she explained, the word has different meaning in her country, “awhile” means a long duration in her country thats why she made this video to clarify
awhile /əˈwʌɪl/ adverb for a short time. “stand here awhile” Similar: for a moment for a while for a short time for a little while
