A winner of a beauty pageant has claimed that the organiser did not hand her the $3,000 prize money she was entitled to. 

In response, the organiser said that her nude photos have been leaked online, and stripped her of the title on grounds of 'unacceptable behaviour’. 

Melissa Wix, 22, the former winner of Miss Bikinis Asia Singapore 2016, a pageant organised by Lumiere International, told Shin Min Daily News that she was promised a $3,000 cash after winning the contest. 

However, she claimed that the organisers did not uphold their bargain, and she has only received $500 to date. 

Furthermore, she had to fork out money from her own pockets to participate in the pageant. 

She said: "The contract between the company and I ended in April 2017. I have done my part, but the company keeps finding trouble with me."

"They harassed me on Facebook and through my email, and even stripped me of my title."

Ms Wix said that she lodged a police report in November 2017 over the alleged harassment, and received a lawyer letter from the company in January 2018. 

She said that the company demanded a public apology or a six digital sum compensation. 

Said Ms Wix: "On Tuesday night (Feb 13), a spokesman for the company called me, and asked me to remove my Facebook posting, or the company will pursue legal actions.

“I did not agree to the company’s demands, and I intend to report the case to the police when I return back to Singapore after Chinese New Year."

When reporters contacted Lumiere International, a spokesman, Ms Chen Hui Lin, denied the accusations made by Ms Wix and instead accused her of defamation. 

The spokesman explained that of the $3,000 prize that Ms Wix was entitled to, only $1,000 was in cash money. 

The remaining $2,000 was a model contract with the company.

The $1,000 cash money would be given out in two intervals -- specifically, after the winner was crowned, and the conclusion of the subsequent pageant in 2017. 

The spokesman said: "After Melissa was crowned the winner, she received $500 cash immediately. The company also informed her of the clauses and conditions, which she agreed to."

Ms Chen added that the company later found nude photos of Ms Wix circulating online, and considers this to be a serious harm to its reputation. 

As such, it has decided to cancel all existing job opportunities given to Ms Wix, as well as her title. 

She said: "To the company, a pageant winner shouldn't just be beautiful on the outside but more importantly, have an upright character. Ms Wix is not a good role model, and the company was forced to make a decision. 

"With regard to her defaming the company, we have already reported the case to the police, and we will be pursuing legal action."

A 33-year-old man miraculously awoke from a coma one and a half months after half his skull caved in during an accident along the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) towards East Coast, on May 14, 2016. 

At one point, he lost his sight and 35 per cent of his memory,  now relying on an artificial skull to stay alive. 

Ah Bi, then 31, was on his way home riding a motorcycle when he was hit by a car. 

He lost consciousness following the impact. 

He told Shin Min Daily News that when he awoke from his coma, it had already been one and a half months. 

The tremendous impact form the collision had damaged nearly half his skull.

As such, he suffered brain trauma and slipped into a coma. 

Said Ah Bi:

“When I woke up, I could not remember why I was in a hospital. My mother later told me that I had been in a coma for one and a half months. Over a 100 relatives and friends visited me during that time, and I am very touched.”

Ah Bi said that he had been riding since 2003, and although he had been in two minor accidents since then, the 2016 accident was by far, the most serious of them all. 

He added:

“I do not have any memory of the accident at all.”

Recalling the moment she first came to know about her son’s accident, Ah Bi’s mother said that although her son survived the accident, he had to undergo five operations.

Even so, Ah Bi’s ability to speak has been compromised.

Many skills and knowledge pertaining to work have also been forgotten.

Despite having recuperated for more than a year, Ah Bi still has not fully recovered. 

He revealed that the artificial skull is attached using staples, and had to be removed once after the wound became infected. 

Reporters noted that there were more than 50 staples in the photo. 

Despite the lingering repercussions of the accident, Ah Bi said he was grateful.

“The doctors once told me that I could have died while I was in my coma. To have awakened is already a miracle, so I learnt to value my life.

“I won’t be riding a motorcycle again.”

He also encouraged motorists to be more careful when they are on the road, to prevent accidents from happening. 

A 31-year-old man was charged in court today (Feb 17) with a murder that took place on Thursday (Feb 15).

Saravanan Arimuram allegedly killed Sivakumar Perumal, 43, along Jurong Town Hall Road between 5.30pm and 5.48pm that day.

In a statement, the police said they were alerted to an accident involving a prime mover along Jurong Town Hall Road towards Ayer Rajah Expressway.

Three men, aged between 18 and 43, were taken to National University Hospital (NUH).

The 43-year-old man suffered injuries to his face and chest and was subsequently pronounced dead on the same day at 7.46pm.

The police said preliminary investigations revealed that the accident is believed to have resulted following a dispute between the deceased and the suspect.

The Straits Times understands that Sivakumar was driving the vehicle when he allegedly got into a scuffle with Saravanan.

Saravanan will be remanded at Central Police Division and will be back in court on Feb 23.

Offenders convicted of murder will be given the death penalty.

YouTube has received a lot of flak lately especially after the antics of popular YouTube star Logan Paul.

When he posted a video of a dead body hanging from a tree, it sparked a discussion online on content that is made available online viewed by young, impressionable teenagers.

Many fans defended Paul and accepted his apology on how he wanted to raise "awareness for suicide and suicide prevention".

Apart from the notorious suicide forest video, he has made a name for himself with pointless pranks and shock-value antics like faking his own murder in clear view of his young fans.

It is somewhat troubling how young people all over the world look up to such influencers and find what they do just harmless fun.

Some even try to emulate them.

Read also

YouTube star Logan Paul makes comeback, pledges US$1 million for suicide prevention

A Stomp contributor alerted Stomp to a YouTube video featuring two youths heading to a local Ikea store to carry out a "fort challenge".

They go around the store collecting items like cushions, throws and stools before heading to an area stacked with boxes of furniture to make their "fort".

Throughout the video, they are fully aware that they can potentially get kicked out if they get caught but they go ahead with their "dare" anyway.

Eventually, what they were fearing, and what they were probably expecting to happen, occurs when they film themselves being escorted out of the store by a staffer.

Despite this, they feel no remorse.

As they head out, one of them says, "I don't care, guys, we will come back to Ikea again and do the fort again, I don't care!"

Is this really the new standard of entertainment for our youths now?

A shocking video clip has been circulating online of a group of students from Westwood Secondary School bullying one of their classmates.

In response to Stomp's media queries, the school's principal Mr Abdul Harris Sumardi confirmed that the incident happened on Feb 9 and involved the school's students.

He said: "We have counselled the students involved and taken appropriate disciplinary measures. We are also working with their parents to help the students learn from the incident."

The video, which was shared on Facebook on Thursday (Feb 15), has garnered over 100,000 views.

In the video, the boy who is recording the incident goads his other classmates into "teaching" one of their classmates a lesson.

He tells them in Malay to hurry up before their teacher comes back.

Two of the students start throwing chairs at a boy who is sitting at his table playing with his mobile phone.

One of the boys then walks up to him and starts punching and kicking him.

He then flips the boy's chair, shoving him to the floor.

He continues to punch and stomp on the boy before the one filming tells him that it is "enough".

JOHOR BARU - Singaporean motorists have mixed feelings on the proposed move to impose a surcharge of S$10 (RM30) for Touch n Go cards with insufficient balance when entering Johor from Singapore.

The plan, currently in the pipeline and mooted by the Johor Government, is meant to ease traffic congestion at the Johor Causeway here and the Second Link Crossing in Tanjung Kupang, Gelang Patah.

There are also plans to remove reload booths checkpoint entrances as motorists who stopped to reload their cards would slow traffic down.

Read also

Second Link toll cut will ease Causeway

Sales assistant Felicia Ngoi, 29, who travels to Johor Baru on the weekends, welcomed the plan if it could help improve traffic flow at the checkpoints

“Every time I come to Johor Baru, I’ll see many drivers stopping by to top up their cards and it causes congestion,” she said.

Ngoi said it usually takes her about 90 minutes during peak hours to reach Taman Sentosa, even though it is about 5km from the Johor Causeway.

Another road user, Melissa, 33, said that while removing the booths could be a good idea, first-time Singaporean drivers could run into problems as they may not know where to buy the cards.

“The Johor authorities could distribute flyers on the plan to motorists coming from Singapore to avoid inconveniencing them,” she said.

Pharmacist Lee Foo Yun, 35, said it was the responsibility of motorists to check if they have enough credit in their Touch n Go cards before entering Johor Baru

It was reported in The Star that the Johor government considered several methods to further ease traffic congestion at the Causeway and Second Link.

Johor Public Works, Regional and Rural Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohamed said these included increasing the number of toll booths at the Second Link and building a covered walkway for pedestrians.

Better traffic management methods at both checkpoints could include separating bigger and larger trailers from smaller lorries for faster clearance and increasing the number of security personnel during peak hours.

Sometimes Singaporeans take things for granted and once in a while, it takes the viewpoints of a foreigner to realise how good we have it here.

An American from Boston, Jon Paul Dante, posted a heartwarming message on Facebook on how in awe he is of Singapore.

Currently, a trumpet artist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Jon said that he ended up living in Singapore "completely by accident" but is humbled by how lucky he is to be here.

On the first day of Chinese New Year (Feb 16), Jon took a photo of a group of Muslims having their Friday afternoon prayers near his apartment.

He marvelled at the "racial and religious masterclass" Singapore puts on and compared it to the situation that is happening in his own home country.

Here's what he wrote in full:

"Malay Muslims at Friday prayer time just below apartments where joyous Chinese New Year celebrations are taking place throughout Singapore.

"Once again, I have conflicting emotions of humility and immense gratitude for where I am so lucky to be living in the world right now, versus a deep feeling of disgust and heartbreak for the country from which I am from.

"After all, America is supposed to be a country of immigrants; multiracial and multicultural where everyone is living in harmony.

"America is supposed to support freedom of religion.

"America is supposed to be the place where, with hard work, you can make your dreams come true.

"America is supposed to be the place where mutual respect and compassion for one another is fundamental.

"America is supposed to be where the government is supposed to be elected for the people by the people.

"America is where anyone from anywhere is supposed to feel safe.

"America is where I grew up being taught to love my brothers and sisters regardless of race, color or Creed.

"America was where I was taught to say 'please'& 'thank you'

"America was a place where people held doors for one another, and young people were taught to respect their elders.

"Sadly, it doesn't appear to be any of these things anymore.

"But yet, here I am in Singapore, exactly half a world away from America, experiencing all of these things on a daily basis. Everyday, Singapore is putting on a racial & religious integration masterclass for the whole world to see.

"Singapore. A country only 446 square miles (1/4 the size of Rhode Island) with nearly 6 million people of all ethnicities and religions living and working peacefully side by side. And with zero gun and drug crime due to zero tolerance enforcement policies and mandatory death penalties for first offenders.

"In Singapore, a place that I ended up living in nearly completely by accident, I am honestly living my dreams, both on and offstage.

"I believe I may be the luckiest man on earth.

"Thank you Singapore. ❤️"

Singapore's Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat concluded his Budget speech on Monday, Feb 19, with several key announcements that will impact ordinary Singaporeans. Here are the main highlights.

1. One-off SG bonus for adult Singaporeans

Singaporeans above the age of 21 will receive a one-off "SG Bonus" this year, ranging from $100 to $300, depending on their income.

The payout comes as the Government expects an overall budget surplus of $9.6 billion, or 2.1 per cent of GDP, for the 2017 financial year, said Mr Heng.

Read more here.

2. GST to be raised to 9%

The Government plans to raise goods and services tax (GST) from 7% to 9%, to be implemented sometime from 2021 to 2025.

The exact timing will depend on the state of the economy, how much expenditures grow, and how buoyant existing taxes are, said Mr Heng.

Read more here.

3. New e-tax for imported services

From Jan 1, 2020, consumers and businesses who buy imported services from suppliers based overseas which have no establishments in Singapore will have to pay goods and services tax (GST).

The new e-tax will be levied on two types of services: business-to-consumers (B2C), including video and music streaming services, apps and online subscription fees, as well as business-to-business (B2B), such as marketing services, accounting services and IT services.

It will not affect e-commerce for goods such as online shopping.

Read more here.

4. Increase of Foreign Domestic Worker levy and raising of the qualifying age for concession

The monthly levy for the first maid employed without a levy concession will be raised to $300 from the current $265, while the monthly levy for the second maid employed without a levy concession will also increase to $450, up by $185.

At the same time, the qualifying age for levy concession under the aged person scheme will be raised to 67 years, instead of 65.

These moves will be effective from April 1, 2019.

Read more here.

5. Bigger grants to buy resale flat with parents, singles to get grants to live near parents

The Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) has been enhanced with immediate effect. Singles will now get a grant of $10,000 if they buy a Housing Development Board (HDB) resale flat near their parents, and singles who buy a flat to live with their parents will now get $15,000.

Families who buy a flat to live with their parents or married children will now get $30,000 instead of $20,000.

In addition, HDB is also simplifying the criterion of what constitutes a flat that is "near" -- from "within 2km" to "within 4km".

Read more here.

a1admin@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Singapore on Monday (Feb 19) announced it plans to raise its sale tax to 9 per cent from 7 per cent, but said the change will be only be made "sometime" between 2021 and 2015.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat told parliament of the plans to raise the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which has been at 7 per cent since 2007.

"The exact timing will depend on the state of the economy, how much our expenditures grow, and how buoyant our existing taxes are. But I expect that we will need to do so earlier rather than later in the period," Heng said.

"This GST increase is necessary because even after exploring various options to manage our future expenditures through prudent spending, saving and borrowing for infrastructure, there is still a gap."

A hike in GST was widely expected as Singapore has to increase social spending to meet the needs of its rapidly aging population.

Heng added that increasing the GST by two percentage points will provide the government revenue of almost 0.7 per cent of GDP per year.

Singapore introduced its GST in 1994, with a 3 per cent rate. This was raised to 4 per cent in 2003 and 5 per cent in 2004.

Singapore said Monday (Feb 20) it would impose a carbon tax from next year to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and make companies more competitive as global agreements on climate change take effect.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said the tax would be levied on all facilities producing 25,000 tonnes or more of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

The tax, to be applied to all sectors, will be $5.0 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 to 2023, after which the levy will be reviewed and possibly raised to between $10 and $15 per tonne by 2030.

"Singapore produces less carbon emissions per dollar of GDP than most countries," he said, as he unveiled the measure as part of the city-state's 2018 budget.

"We intend to further reduce our emissions intensity to make a bigger effort to combat climate change."

Major economies have been scrambling to cut greenhouse gas emissions amid warnings from scientists about the potentially devastating impacts of climate change.

The most notable step has been the 197-nation Paris Agreement, inked in 2015, which calls for limiting global warming to "well under" 2 degrees Celsius, and "pursuing efforts" to cap warming at 1.5 degrees C.

The levy will affect about 30-40 companies, mainly from the petroleum refining, chemicals and semiconductor sectors, the Straits Times reported.

Singapore ranks 26th out of 142 countries in terms of emissions per capita based on the latest International Energy Agency data largely due to its small size and dense population, according to the government.

Heng said the new carbon tax would encourage businesses to take measures to reduce emissions, making them more competitive as tighter limits are imposed by more countries when international deals come into force.

The government would provide support to companies to help them become energy-efficient, he added.

Singapore expects to collect carbon tax revenues of nearly $1 billion in the first five years, but the government is willing to spend more than that to help companies, he said.

A male customer assaulted an employee at a 7-Eleven store in Changi Village after he was unable to purchase alcohol there last Thursday (Feb 15) night.

Stomp contributor Firdaus alerted Stomp to the incident after witnessing the attack which lasted for about 30 seconds.

A photo that he took shows the employee with a bloodied face. There was also blood on his arm, staff T-shirt, and on the walls.

"He was the only staff around and he was beaten up by the customer," Firdaus told Stomp.

"The employee called the police and ambulance himself."

The 43-year-old staff was subsequently taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH) for treatment and is currently on medical leave.

In response to Stomp's queries, a 7-Eleven spokesman said the company is aware of the incident, which took place at 10.37pm, and that the male customer apparently "got angry and upset that he was unable to purchase beer at the store."

"All cabinets containing alcohol are locked as per the retail sales restrictions under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act," the spokesman added.

Under the law, drinking is banned in all public places from 10.30pm to 7am. Retail shops are also not allowed to sell takeaway alcohol from 10.30pm to 7am.

The spokesman told Stomp: "The police was notified and the team member was immediately sent to Changi Hospital where he received outpatient treatment. He is currently on medical leave and recovering at home.

"The 7-Eleven team has visited him and will continue to provide all necessary assistance to him and his family to help in his recovery following this incident."

The spokesman also said that 7-Eleven is cooperating fully with the police in their investigations.

Responding to a Stomp query, the police said they were alerted to a case of Voluntarily Causing Hurt at 1 Changi Village Road at 10.29pm.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also told Stomp that it was alerted to the incident at around 10.40pm and conveyed one person to CGH.