AFF Suzuki Cup: Myanmar vs Singapore live updates

SINGAPORE: It is an emotional return for Myanmar coach Raddy Avramovic as he faces Singapore in their second Group B match of the AFF Suzuki Cup. Raddy has said that Singapore are the ones under pressure, not Myanmar, but Lions coach Bernd Stange seems unaffected by it.

9.53PM: Its full-time and the Lions pull off a solid victory despite a nervy second half.

9.51PM: Final minute of stoppage time. If scores stay as they are, Singapore will be in prime position to take 2nd place in Group B.

9.48PM: Slack defending by Singapore nearly allows Myanmar to pull a goal back.

9.47PM: Solid performances so far by Faris Ramli and Hariss Harun.

9.38PM: Hariss Harun's through ball finds Shahril Ishak but the Myanmar keeper is equal to the task.

9.35PM: Myanmar concedes an own-goal after Shaiful Esah's freekick hits a Myanmar player on the way in. Myanmar 2 Singapore 4

9.30PM: Singapore are struggling to get the ball out of their own half as Myanmar piles on the pressure.

9.25PM: It is full-time at the Jalan Besar Stadium and Thailand is through to the semi-finals after a late goal by Adisak. Malaysia 2 Thailand 3

9.21PM: Safuwan Baharudin concedes a penalty and Kyaw Ko Ko tucks it away! It is game-on for Myanmar! Myanmar 2 Singapore 3

9.14PM: Myanmar scores through Kyaw Zayar Win! It's Myanmar 1 Singapore 3

9.11PM: Kyaw Ko Ko comes close for Myanmar but his shot goes wide.

9.07PM: Back at the Jalan Besar Stadium, it is a see-saw match between Malaysia and Thailand as Charyl Chappuis scores to make it 2-2.

9.05PM: Second half between Singapore and Myanmar begins.

8.53PM: At the Jalan Besar Stadium, Safiq Ramli gives Malaysia the lead against favourites Thailand. Malaysia 2 Thailand 1

8.49PM: It's half-time at the National Stadium and Singapore goes into the break with a comfortable three goal lead. It is going to be an uphill battle for Raddy and his charges in the second half.

8.43PM: Hariss Harun gets his brace, giving Singapore a three goal lead. Myanmar 0 Singapore 3

8.39PM: More injury woes for Singapore as Al Qaasimy comes on for Ismadi Mukhtar.

8.35PM: Hariss Harun doubles Singapore's lead after a good play by Faris Ramli. Myanmar 0 Singapore 2

8.33PM: Faris Ramli comes close but his shot is blocked by a Myanmar defender.

8.23PM: The first substitution of the match: Singapore's Shahdan Sulaiman is stretchered off, with Zulfahmi Arifin coming on to replace him.

8.19PM: Over at the Jalan Besar Stadium, its half-time between Malaysia and Thailand, with the Thais equalising in the 43rd minute through Adisak Kraisorn. Malaysia 1 Thailand 1

8.16PM: Goal! Shaiful Esah gives Singapore the lead in the 16th minute! Myanmar 0 Singapore 1

8.10PM: Singapore's Baihakki Khaizan gets the first yellow card of the game. The card means he will miss the final Group B match against Malaysia.

8.06PM: And the Myanmar vs Singapore match kicks-off!

8.00PM: In Group B's other game, Malaysia takes the lead against Thailand through Mohd Amri Yahyah! Malaysia 1 Thailand 0!

7.55PM: Fans of both teams are out in full force at the National Stadium.

7.45PM: Just 15 minutes to go before kick-off! Singapore will start the match with the same starting XI which played against Thailand on Sunday.

'Pick

Posted November 26, 2014 19:01:50

Singapore has become the latest country to ban self-proclaimed 'pick-up artist' Julien Blanc, after more than 8,000 people signed a petition accusing him of legitimising 'sexual assault and predation'.

His tactics for picking up women - which include choking women and pulling them into his crotch - were criticised online as misogynistic and abusive.

The move by the South-East Asian city-state follows a similar ban by Britain last week and Australia earlier this month.

Officials in other Asian countries where the 26-year-old Swiss-American had planned to travel on a world tour have also indicated that he may not be granted a visa.

Singapore authorities will bar Mr Blanc from entering the country 'especially if he is here to hold seminars or events that propagate violence against women,' a government statement said on Wednesday.

'Blanc has been involved in seminars in various countries that advised men to use highly abusive techniques when dating women,' said the statement.

'Violence against women or any persons is against Singapore law.'

A petition against Mr Blanc started by Singaporean Charis Mah on the change.org website called on interior minister Teo Chee Hean to exclude Mr Blanc from Singapore or deport him if he has already entered.

'To allow this man or the group that he works for into Singapore legitimises sexual assault and predation, and sends a message that women are playthings or objects without agency,' said the petition, which has been signed by more than 8,400 people.

Mr Blanc is a dating coach for the company Real Social Dynamics. He claims to teach men how to attract women, but his methods have been widely viewed as abusive.

YouTube videos of his workshops show him encouraging men to use physical aggression, including choking women, as well as emotional abuse to convince them to have sex.

Real Social Dynamics said on its website Mr Blanc attended 'a prestigious university in Switzerland' before moving to Los Angeles.

Mr Blanc was forced to cut short a visit to Australia earlier this year when his visa was cancelled following widespread protests and there are similar calls for him to be banned from Canada.

Britain's interior ministry on November 20 moved to bar him entry into the country after a petition there accusing him of encouraging abuse garnered more than 160,000 signatures.

Elsewhere, officials in Japan and South Korea have said Mr Blanc was unlikely to be granted a visa if he wanted to enter the two countries for planned visits.

According to a world tour schedule circulating online, Mr Blanc was supposed to visit Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul from late November to early December.

AFP

Topics:community-and-society, women, government-and-politics, singapore, australia, asia

AFF Suzuki Cup: Myanmar vs Singapore live updates

SINGAPORE: It is an emotional return for Myanmar coach Raddy Avramovic as he faces Singapore in their second Group B match of the AFF Suzuki Cup. Raddy has said that Singapore are the ones under pressure, not Myanmar, but Lions coach Bernd Stange seems unaffected by it.

8.19PM: Over at the Jalan Besar Stadium, its half-time between Malaysia and Thailand, with the Thais equalising in the 43rd minute through Adisak Kraisorn. Malaysia 1 Thailand 1

8.16PM: Goal! Shaiful Esah gives Singapore the lead in the 16th minute! Myanmar 0 Singapore 1

8.10PM: Singapore's Baihakki Khaizan gets the first yellow card of the game. The card means he will miss the final Group B match against Malaysia.

8.06PM: And the Myanmar vs Singapore match kicks-off!

8.00PM: In Group B's other game, Malaysia takes the lead against Thailand through Mohd Amri Yahyah! Malaysia 1 Thailand 0!

7.55PM: Fans of both teams are out in full force at the National Stadium.

7.45PM: Just 15 minutes to go before kick-off! Singapore will start the match with the same starting XI which played against Thailand on Sunday.

Striking Tandara Spirit crew sail for Singapore to avoid court action

Environment Political News

EXCLUSIVE

The Tandara Spirit crew refused to sail to Singapore but will now do so after the threat of legal action. Photo: Jason South

The petrol tanker stand-off in Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay is over.

Crew of the Tandara Spirit have ended their sit-in after nearly three weeks and will sail for Singapore by midday Wednesday to avoid what they say is 'destructive legal action' targeting them personally.

Crew members aboard the Tandara Spirit. Photo: Jason South

For nearly three weeks crew have defied orders from Viva Energy, the company that took over Shell's Geelong petrol refinery, to sail the Tandara Spirit back to Asia where the ship will be returned to its owners and they will be made redundant.

The Tandara Spirit is one of just five Australian-operated tankers left and the crew claimed that Viva Energy is replacing them with foreign-flagged vessels crewed by sailors paid $20 a day.

The Maritime Union of Australia, representing the crew, was due in the Federal Court on Friday. Strikers can be targeted personally, with Construction Foresty Mining and Energy Union fined more than $1 million last year for taking part in an 'illegal' eight day strike at Woodside's LNG project in Burrup, Western Australia, in 2008.

In an open-letter obtained by Fairfax Media, the crew of 18 said they were not willing to expose their families to the possibility of financial hardship.

'Our 20-day action was forced upon us. It has put us under extreme stress. The threat of destructive legal action against us has been of deep concern. We don't want our wives and families to be worried about losing the family home,' they said.

'We are ordinary working people. We're not trying to be political activists. We just want to do our jobs in Australian waters. So although we are ending our sit in for now, our conviction that we are doing the right thing - both for ourselves and for the nation - is unbent.

'We do not want to sail to Singapore to be sacked by Viva Energy and replaced with foreign-based crew being paid as little as $2 an hour. We believe that there can and should be a role for hardworking Australians in shipping fuel to this country.'

'We do not believe our industrial system should be undermined by companies who would prefer to pay foreign crew slave wages.'

The crew raised national fuel security and environmental threats as wider issues associated with the stand they have taken.

'We believe that a serious environmental disaster in Australian waters is inevitable - whether it is by storing large volumes of petrol in large tankers in Port Phillip Bay or by moving tankers around the Great Barrier Reef when run by those unfamiliar with Australian waters and conditions,' they said.

Viva Energy has been contacted for comment. Last week, it said that rising sales in Victoria had increased truck-based deliveries and the company no longer requires a dedicated coastal vessel.

Teekay Australia, the operator of the leased vessel and employer of the crew, said it was pleased that the crew of the Tandara Spirit is 'working as directed'.

'The Tandara Spirit will lift anchor at 12 noon today and sail to Singapore, where it will be returned to its owner. Teekay advises that crew members disembarked at Singapore will be flown back to Australia,' the company said in a statement.

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'Portraits of the People' to tour Singapore

SINGAPORE: To celebrate the nation's 50th birthday next year, the National Gallery Singapore is rallying more Singaporeans to contribute a sketch of themselves, as part of an ongoing community engagement programme called Portraits of the People.

Participants start off by taking a 'selfie' on a tablet computer, before going on to sketch self-portraits.

Among the first to try this out was MediaCorp artiste Joanne Peh. Her self-portrait, along with many others, will be featured at a new Art Connector between City Hall MRT and the Gallery from Nov 27, 2015.

The art connector also pays tribute to those who have helped build Singapore.

Eugene Tan, director of the National Gallery Singapore, said: 'We wanted this to also be a commemorative piece to commemorate the people of Singapore. We hope that this will bring people closer to art.'

'We believe art is a very important part of our everyday lives and being a national arts institution, we also want this connector to connect art to the people of Singapore,' he added.

Portraits of the People is currently being held at Velocity, Novena until Nov 28, 2014. It will then take place at United Square from Dec 11 to 28, 2014 before moving on to 50 different locations - including shopping malls, community organisations, libraries and schools - islandwide over the next six months.

Singapore shoppers spend $1.1B via mobile

Summary: Online shoppers are spending US$1,861 a year on their purchases with the bulk of their expenditure going toward travel bookings, according to figures released by PayPal.

Singapore shoppers are spending more online and via their mobile devices, with the average consumer forking out US$1,861 a year on purchases.

The country's e-commerce market will hit US$2.99 billion while m-commerce will reach US$1.18 billion by end-2014, clocking an annual growth of 38 percent and 65 percent, respectively, between 2011 and 2014, according to the latest stats released by PayPal.

Increased spending over the past three years was fueled by a larger online shopper population in Singapore, which currently stands at 2.7 million, as well as a 79 percent increase in the amount the average shopper spent - clocking US$1,861 each year. More than a quarter of this would go toward travel expenditure, with 75 percent going online to make their holiday bookings in the past year. Almost half of them did so via their mobile device, spending an average US$339.

By 2018, Singapore's e-commerce sector will further increase by 13 percent annually while m-commerce will grow 15 percent.

Travel service providers, though, are slow to tap this market with 49 percent of such businesses in the country lacking any mobile presence. The same was true for 46 percent and 29 percent of their counterparts in Malaysia and Thailand, respectively, which did not have online sites or apps optimized for mobile devices, according to PayPal.

Some 95 percent of Malaysian consumers made travel bookings online in the past 12 months, the e-payment vendor said, noting that the Asia-Pacific region was home to 3.6 billion mobile subscribers.

'Travelers in the region are increasingly spontaneous, mobile and on-the-go, demanding 24 by 7 access to travel-related goods and services and the ability to make bookings anytime, anywhere, and anyway. Businesses who ride on this emerging trend stand to gain from a billion-dollar global opportunity,' it said in the report.

Asked why they had yet to establish their mobile presence, travel businesses in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand cited a lack of resources and time, as well as the lack of suitable mobile tools.

Late penalty breaks Singapore spirit, Thailand snatch win

It was a harsh result for Singapore who had matched their Thai opponents in most of areas of the pitch but Charyl Chappuis cooly-taken 88th minute penalty proved the difference.

BY Nick Measures Follow on Twitter

With two minutes of normal time left on the clock it had looked like Singapore were heading for a well-deserved point when Thailand worked the ball down the left wing to Swiss-Thai midfielder Chappuis. His driven cross struck the arm of defender Safuwan Baharudin and the referee had no hesitation to pointing the spot.The 22 year old, who is having quite the year, then showed an old head on his young shoulders shrugging off the boos from within the half-full National Stadium to slot the penalty kick into the bottom left hand corner, giving Sunny no chance and breaking Singaporean hearts.Up to then there had been little to separate both teams and in fact, on balance Singapore probably had the better chances. They also had a couple of their own penalty shouts in both halves, but both were waved away by Iranian referee Faghani Alireza, much to the displeasure of the local fans.Despite coming back once before after a 19th minute Khairul Amri header had cancelled out the 9th minute opener by Mongkol Thosakrai but this time there was just no time to find a way back despite a late flurry of chances. After all the pre-match hype, there was a real sense of anticipation about the match yet it initially looked as if the nerves had got to Thailand. Singapore made the brighter start but it was Thailand's small but vociferous and colourful travelling support who had something to cheer about after the home team temporarily lost their focus.A throw to Thailand 30 yards out from the Lions goal seemed to offer little threat but no one tracked the run of Prakit Deeprom into the Singaporean penalty area. He collected the long throw and had both time and space to look up before smashing a fierce cross across the box that was bundled home by right winger Mongkol Thosakrai. Credit to Singapore they reacted well to going a goal down and began to dominate the midfield areas. Faris Ramli was a particular thorn in the Thai side, looking very dangerous switching between flanks and causing Thai full backs problems with his pace and willingness to run at them. The Lions had muted claims for a penalty waved away when Amri went down under a clumsy tackle in the penalty area but they weren't to be denied the equalizer their endeavour deserved and it was Amri who found the net.Left back Shaiful Esah whipped a delicious cross into the box that eluded both of the Thai center halves and Amri found the space to plant a firm header passed the keeper. Thailand did threaten in patches but never really seemed to get going. They looked particularly nervous at the back where they were guilty of giving the ball away cheaply and Amri constantly unsettled Adison Promrak with his pace, as Singapore looked to release him with balls over the top.He and Ramli looked a constant threat and both had further chances to give Singapore the lead. Ramli sprung the offside trap on 33 minutes and Kawin needed a couple of efforts to collect his fierce shot. A couple of minutes later a delightful ball over the top by Hariss Harun put in Amri. An excellent first touch allowed him to bring the ball down but Promrak did well to recover and clear for corner. There was still time for the two to combine again in the dying minutes of first half extra time when Amri rolled the ball into the path of Ramli but he panicked and put his chance way over the cross bar. The second half saw Singapore shut up shop a little as they seemed happy to sit deep to conserve energy and try and reduce the threat from the pace of this Thai team. Thailand did throw on wonderkid, Chanathip Songkrasin and that did seem to give his side more of a cutting edge, especially as Singapore began to tire. Thailand's 'Messi Jay', looked threatening straight away with some darting runs and close control. After one mazy run had resulted in a corner he then latched onto a through ball to burst into the box but his first time effort from a tight angle sailed harmlessly over. As Thailand went for a killer goal it did allow Singapore to threaten sporadically on the break. Ramli having another penalty appeal denied on 70 minutes, when he burst into the box and seemed to be blocked off by Boonyong, but again the referee was unmoved by the theatrical way the player went down. As Singapore found a second wind Sahil Suhaimi found space on the edge of the Thai box but again the Thai keeper was able to gather his drive. Ramli then had Singapore's best effort of the second half a minute later, when he was played in by a gorgeous through ball by Shahril Ishak but from a tight angle he could only hit the side netting. That chance seemed to wake the crowd up, but it also seemed to perversely wake Thailand up again and they redoubled their search for a goal, Yooyen going closest with a long range drive that Sunny did well to turn behind for a corner. Just as it looked like Singapore had survived that late rally came the penalty call as Chappuis deflected cross hit the unfortunate arm of Baharudin with just four minutes left on the clock. The defender nearly atoned with a back post header deep into injury time but there was no redemption as it crept agonizingly wide of the near post.That and Singapore's previously wastefulness in front of goal meant a misfiring Thailand take all three points. After the goalless draw between Malaysia and Myanmar earlier in day it certainly puts the War Elephants firmly in control of Group A after the first round of fixtures and with Singapore knowing that they'll need to get a lot more ruthless in front of goal if they are going to retain the trophy