Domestic and regional politics dominate national consciousness in 2018 while sports remain the leading search queries for the nation

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 13December 2018 - Filipinocelebrity Kim Chiu, the world'sbiggest sporting spectacle the FIFAWorld Cup, the historical summit between Trump and Kim and box office smash hit Crazy Rich Asians are the top topics for Singapore this year,according to Yahoo's 2018 Year in Review(YIR). The YIR isYahoo's annual recap of the top search trends, events and happenings thatdominate the thoughts of Singapore's internet users and is developed based onusers' daily search habits and what they read, recommended andshared most on Yahoo in 2018.

Sports was themost searched query for Yahoo users this year, with six out of the top tenabout professional sports. By far the most searched item in 2018, it comes asno surprise that the FIFA World Cup remains the biggest sporting spectacle inthe world. The month-long football extravaganza was a memorable tournament thatbrought surprises and disappointments. Germany's poor title defence was adisappointment to many, with riveting matches like France's swashbuckling 4-3win over Argentina, Belgium's fantastic comeback from 0-2 down to beat Japan3-2, and the final, when France swept past Croatia 4-2 to claim their secondWorld Cup title. This year's event in Russia also saw few violent incidents --with images of rival fans from every part of the world coming together forselfies and group singalongs dominating social media.

The EnglishPremier League (EPL) was the second most searched query -- showing no signs ofdecline even though the title race was made predictable by Manchester City asearly as January. Though some may argue that the Spanish La Liga is a betterleague with top star players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the EPLis filled with many well-supported clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, andArsenal -- all drawing in massive global support and each move coveredextensively by the English and global media. Judging by the weekend crowds atSingapore pubs showing live EPL telecasts, EPL's popularity is set to continueunabated.

Rounding upthe top three is ex-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. The central figure inboth the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition's unprecedented fall from power andthe far-reaching 1MDB financial scandal that dominated global headlines, theformer Malaysian prime minister is facing 32 charges over missing funds linkedto 1MDB, the state fund which he founded and chaired. With the 1MDBinvestigations still ongoing, the fate of Malaysia's sixth prime minister isset to loom over the country's political landscape in the coming year.

Top News That Riveted the Nation

2018 wasfilled with major domestic and international milestones from the SingHealthcyberattack to Malaysia's new Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who pulled astunning upset and shook the political landscape of our neighbour up north.

The top newsfor 2018 was the historic summit betweenUnited States president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inSingapore. Around 2,500 journalists from around the world attended the eventwhich also saw at least nine South Koreans involved in separate protests here,extensive press coverage that gave many their first glimpse at Singapore, andinspired a widely-criticised dress for Singapore's representative at the MissUniverse contest.

National Service-related matters came to the fore in 2018, from training safety issues to NS liabilitiesfor aspiring sportsmen and those with dual citizenship. Two full-time NationalServicemen, Dave Lee and Liu Kai, died following training incidents whileaspiring footballer Ben Davis and Thai national Ekawit Tangtrakarn sparkeddebate about NS obligations and calls for the Ministry of Defence to make itspolicy on such matters clearer.

One of themost highly anticipated court hearings in years began in October when threesenior Workers' Party (WP) MPs and other defendants faced off against the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) andthe Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PRPTC). Former WP leader Low ThiaKhiang, current chairman Sylvia Lim and chief Pritam Singh have been accused inthe lawsuits initiated by AHTC and PRPTC of breaching their fiduciary dutiesand making improper payments to their then managing agent between 15 July 2011and 14 July 2015. The verdict of the hearing is expected to be known next year.

Due to themounting legal costs from the lawsuits, the three MPs made a public appeal forfinancial help in late October. Within just three days of their appeal, the MPsmanaged to raise more than $1 million and thanked "the incredible outpouring ofsupport from the public".

Celebrities, Entertainment and News

Reigning supreme in entertainment, Crazy Rich Asianswas the top box office hit for Singapore. The first Hollywood box office hit tofeature a predominantly Asian cast was extremely well received, leading thepack of blockbusters which also includes Avengers:Infinity War and Black Pantheramong the top ten.

Filipinofilm star Kim Chiu is the mostsearched female celebrity in Singapore and perhaps the most successful winnerfrom the Philippines reality show, Pinoy Big Brother. Clinching the title atthe age of 16 -- the youngest winner thus far -- Kim has also started in severalpopular dramas and movies. She trended in February this year following a fallwhile doing a dance number on ASAP. Thoughthe fall looked serious -- Kim continued the number as planned.

She isjoined in the top by homegrown Mando pop star JJ Lin who is Yahoo's most searched male celebrity in 2018. Sellingout all four nights of his concert in August -- scalpers were reselling ticketsup to 10 times the original price -- showing how lasting the singer-songwriter'scharm is in his native Singapore.

Top Celebrities(Singapore)

For the full list of top ten searches and topics,please visit Yahoo Year in Review 2018.

About the Yahoo Singapore 2018 Year in Review Methodology

To developthe Yahoo Year in Review, our team analyze user's interest patterns based onwhat they searched for, read, recommended and shared. It takes into account anumber of factors including absolute volume and growth from previous periods tosee which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and theirpreferences remain anonymous.

Disclaimer:* Pleasenote the results are not necessarily a representation of a popularity contestor voting.

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