“Lust, Caution” sweeps Golden Horse Film Awards

Taiwanese director Ang Lee’s erotic spy thriller “Lust, Caution” swept the top honours at the Golden Horse Film Awards, seen as the Chinese-language Oscars.

“Lust, Caution,” took home seven awards, including the coveted best film, best director, and best actor accolades.

Lee was also recognised as the outstanding Taiwanese filmmaker of the year at the 44th edition of the awards in a glittering ceremony in the Taipei Arena.

“I am really moved by the audience’s overwhelming support (of the film) in Taiwan and in Asia. I feel like I am sharing a joint effort with them,” Lee said.

The film, called “Se, Jie” in Chinese, also bagged best make-up and costume design, best original film score, best screenplay adaptation for Lee’s long-time filmmaking partner James Schamus and best new performer for Chinese actress Tang Wei. (story)

Rich party with drugs

It is Friday night. Ling, a bank analyst in Armani heels, pops a small, blue pill into her mouth and dances to the thumping beat. Later she heads to a house party with her friends where they snort cocaine off tabletops.

Singapore’s party drug scene used to be the domain of high-flying foreign bankers and other expatriates who would
take ecstasy and snort cocaine in defiance of the city state’s drug laws which, with a mandatory death sentence for drug trafficking, are among the toughest in the world.

But these days, the drug scene for foreigners is not as pronounced as among well-to-do locals in a country which has the world’s fastest-growing number of high net worth individuals, totalling some 67,000 in 2006. (story)

Hindu temple to get $2.4 million upgrade

When one of Singapore’s oldest Hindu temples throws open its doors on Sunday, devotees can expect a whole new religious experience. The 82-year-old Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple, located in the heart of Chinatown, has benefited from a $2.4 million facelift.

While the temple’s hallmark main sanctum and coloured glass are still there, the walls have been knocked down to create more space and better ventilation.

The three-tiered gopuram, or temple tower, has been replaced with a grander five-tiered one. And the walls are laced with deities, the result of six months of carving by 15 craftsmen from India.

Temple officials opted for the makeover, which began in June, because the congregation had outgrown the sanctuary.

‘Over the last 15 years, there has been a steady increase in the number of devotees,’ said Dr K. Vellayappan, president of the Chettiars Temple Society, which manages the temple. (story)

SEA Games: Singapore sweeps table tennis

Helping Singapore to a place in the record books was turning into a distant dream for Wang Yuegu in Monday’s women’s singles semi-finals. After dropping the first two games of the best-of-seven match to Thailand’s Nanthana Komwong and with the third balanced finely at 8-8, Wang knew it was now or never.

Singapore were chasing a historic clean sweep of all seven South-east Asia Games table tennis titles, and Wang did not want to disappoint.

Clasping her bat with her sweaty right hand, the world No 8 pointed her left index finger skyward, telling herself to take it one point at a time.

After the world-ranked 84 Nanthana served, the Singaporean’s reply was quick and to her opponent’s weaker left side.

The Thai over-hit her return. (story)

Singapore to invest 10 billion into UBS

Singapore government’s investment arm announced on Monday that it will inject almost US$10 billion (S$14.4 billion) into Swiss bank UBS, making it the firm’s single largest shareholder.

The Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) said it would inject 11 billion Swiss francs (US$9.74 billion) into UBS, which on Monday announced further writedowns of around US$10 billion (6.8 billion euros) due to the US subprime mortgage crisis.

GIC said an undisclosed strategic investor in the Middle East is injecting an additional two billion francs into the bank.

‘We made this significant investment in UBS because we have confidence in the long-term growth potential of the bank’s businesses, particularly its global wealth management business,’ its deputy chairman and executive director, Tony Tan Keng Yam, told a news conference.

GIC has committed to subscribe to 11 billion Swiss francs worth of mandatory convertible notes that will pay a coupon of nine percent until conversion into ordinary shares about two years after issuance, UBS said. (story)