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Discussion in 'Chit-Chat' started by Loh, May 4, 2009.

  1. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    NUS is fourth ‘most international university in the world’

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    TODAY file photo
    By Toh Ee Ming
    toheeming@mediacorp.com.sg -
    Published: 8:00 AM, February 1, 2017
    Updated: 8:03 AM, February 1, 2017

    SINGAPORE — The National University of Singapore (NUS) has clinched the fourth spot as the most international university in the world, according to the latest Times Higher Education’s (THE) ranking released on Wednesday (Feb 1).

    Times Higher Education Most International University Ranking — which takes into account international reputation for the first time and spans 150 universities across 22 countries – has Swiss universities in the top two positions, with ETH Zurich in first place, followed by École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

    The top 10 ranked universities include the University of Hong Kong (third) and Imperial College London (fifth), followed by University of Oxford, Australian National University, University of Cambridge, University College London, and in the tenth place, London School of Economics and Political Science.

    Calling NUS a “true global knowledge hub”, Times Higher Education World University Rankings’ editor Phil Baty said: “NUS… has become a powerful magnet for international talent – drawing in leading thinkers and scholars from right across the world, and forming the base for exciting and dynamic global partnerships.”

    NUS had also previously emerged No 1 in Asia in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2016.

    NUS president Professor Tan Chorh Chuan said that the latest THE ranking is a “strong recognition” of the university’s “global approach to education and research with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise” and its “active role” it plays in the international academic and research network.

    He added that about eight in 10 of NUS undergraduates have a study abroad experience, including participating in semester-long student exchange programmes in more than 300 partner universities in over 40 countries, on top of offering a programme where students do internships in places such as Silicon Valley, Beijing and Stockholm.

    “As a result, NUS students enjoy both Asian and global educational experiences that broaden their outlook and increase their networks, while enabling them to access some of the best academic programmes around the world.”

    Its “diverse” community on campus, comprising staff and students from about 100 countries, also add to the campus’ “vibrancy” and “energising environment” which promotes innovation, Prof Tan said.

    Mr Baty, noting that a university’s global outlook is “key to its success on the world stage”, said top universities have the ability to attract undergraduates, postgraduates and faculty internationally, enjoy collaborations with leading scholars and departments from wherever they are based, and have a brand that is respected both locally and globally.

    He added: “The best universities in the world live or die by their ability to attract the brightest talent from all across the world – students, academics, researchers, and managers. I believe that a university simply cannot be world class without a global outlook, a global network and a global pool of talent – and this new data released by Times Higher Education today recognises that.”

    However, he added, the shifting attitudes and policies towards immigration across the world would have the potential to “profoundly change the flow of global talent and shift the world balance of power”.

    For instance, the United States and United Kingdom are currently the world’s most attractive destinations for international students, but restrictions on the mobility of academic talent in these countries would “inevitably harm their position”, he said.

    On the other hand, other countries which welcome talented immigrants “with open arms” would see their universities strengthen.

    In fact, US universities, which dominate the top of most world university rankings, are absent from the top 20 in THE’s 2017 list.

    The US only has one institution in the top 30, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 22nd place.
    Mr Baty attributed this to the fact that US universities, as the world’s leading centre for excellence in higher education and research, have been relatively less dependent on international partnerships and collaborations compared to other nations. Also, while the US thrives on global talent, many top academics in its institutions have become the country’s naturalised citizens.

    The data in the Times Higher Education Most International University Ranking is drawn largely from the international outlook segment of THE World University Rankings 2016‐17, such as indicators like a university’s proportion of international students, international staff and journal publications with at least one international co-author.

    * The full list can be accessed here.
     
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  2. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Singapore healthiest country in Asia: Bloomberg index

    Each country was given a health grade equal to its score across variables minus health risk penalties.
    • Posted 20 Mar 2017 22:29
    • Updated 20 Mar 2017 23:22
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    Joggers at Singapore Botanic Gardens. (File Photo: Calvin Oh)

    SINGAPORE: Singapore is the healthiest country in Asia and the fourth healthiest country in the world, according to a new Bloomberg index.

    The country beat the likes of Australia (ranked fifth), Japan (seventh), New Zealand (19th) and the United States (34th), losing out only to Italy, Iceland and Switzerland in the Bloomberg 2017 Healthiest Country Index, released in a report on Monday (Mar 20).

    Based on information from the World Health Organization, United Nations and the World Bank, the index ranked 163 countries based on variables such as life expectancy, causes of death and health risks such as high blood pressure, tobacco use, malnutrition and the availability of clean water.

    Each country was given a health grade equal to its score across these variables minus health risk penalties.

    The top 50 ranking:

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  3. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    2017 World Happiness Report

    Norway Is No. 1 in Happiness. The U.S., Sadly, Is No. 14.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/world/worlds-happiest-countries.html?_r=0

    By NIRAJ CHOKSHI MARCH 20, 2017


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    Norway is now the world’s happiest country, according to the 2017 World Happiness Report. Credit Damon Winter/The New York Times

    Norwegians have one more reason to smile, not that they need it.

    After placing fourth last year, Norway is now the world’s happiest country, according to the 2017 World Happiness Report, released on Monday. The Central African Republic was the least happy of 155 countries.

    The authors of the report found that a half-dozen socioeconomic factors explain much of the difference in happiness among countries, but that social factors play an underappreciated role. As evidence, they cite periods of substantial economic growth that were nonetheless matched by declining happiness in China and the United States, which ranked 14th.

    Even in Norway and several other Nordic countries that dominated the top of the list, economics alone did not explain the high rates of happiness.

    “It takes good social foundations and trust,” said John Helliwell, one of the report’s editors and a professor emeritus in the Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia.

    The report was prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, an international panel of social scientists convened by the United Nations. It was edited by Dr. Helliwell; Jeffrey D. Sachs, a Columbia University economist; and Richard Layard, of the London School of Economics.

    The ranking is based on answers to a simple life evaluation question developed decades ago by a social scientist and posed to people around the world between 2014 and 2016 by Gallup, the polling organization:

    “Please imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?”

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    Humanity is about halfway up the ladder, with an average global score of 5.3, based on hundreds of thousands of surveys conducted by Gallup over those years. The top five countries — Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Finland — all have scores just above or below 7.5. The Central African Republic’s score is nearly 2.7.

    The authors found that three-quarters of the variation among countries can be explained by six economic and social factors: gross domestic product per capita (a basic measure of national wealth); healthy years of life expectancy; social support (having someone to rely on during times of trouble); trust (a perceived absence of corruption in government and business); the perceived freedom to make life choices; and generosity (measured by donations).


    Still, there are outliers.

    In Latin America, life evaluations are about 0.6 points higher on average than would otherwise be predicted by those indicators. East Asian countries have the opposite problem, reporting less happiness than would be expected based on those factors. In both cases, the authors credit, at least in part, cultural differences.

    Still, they argue that those six factors explain much of the variation in happiness around the world — and that nations ignore the social factors at their own peril.

    Take the United States, which ranked 14th this year. Despite gains in per capita income and healthy years of life expectancy, happiness in the United States declined 0.51 points between the two-year periods ending in 2007 and 2016, they found.

    “We’re getting richer, but our social capital is deteriorating,” Dr. Sachs said.

    Social support, trust, perceived freedom and generosity all suppress happiness in America. And to offset that drag economically, gross domestic product per capita would have to rise from about $53,000 to $133,000, he argues.

    “The country is mired in a roiling social crisis that is getting worse,” he wrote in a chapter dedicated to America’s flagging happiness. “Yet the dominant political discourse is all about raising the rate of economic growth.”

    To fix that social fraying, Dr. Sachs argues policy makers should work toward campaign finance reform, reducing income and wealth inequality, improving social relations between native-born and immigrant populations, overcoming the national culture of fear induced by the Sept. 11 attacks, and improving the educational system.

    Asia Rankings
    https://s3.amazonaws.com/sdsn-whr2017/HR17_3-20-17.pdf

    26 Singapore (6.572)

    32 Thailand (6.424)
    33 Taiwan (6.424)
    42 Malaysia (6.084)
    51 Japan (5.920)
    56 South Korea (5.838)
    71 Hong Kong (5.472)
    72 Philippines (5.430)
    79 China (5.273)
    80 Pakistan (5.269)
    81 Indonesia (5.262)
    85 Azerbaijan (5.234)
    94 Vietnam (5.074)
    96 Tajikistan (5.040)
    97 Bhutan (5.011)
    98 Kyrgyzstan (5.004)
    99 Nepal (4.962)
    100 Mongolia (4.955)
    114 Myanmar (4.545)
    120 Sri Lanka (4.440)
    122 India (4.315)
     
    #9463 Loh, Mar 20, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2017
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  4. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Singapore falls 4 spots in World Happiness Report to 26th

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    TODAY file photo

    However, the Republic still has the ‘happiest’ people in Asia

    Published: 8:35 AM, March 21, 2017
    Updated: 9:25 AM, March 21, 2017

    SINGAPORE — Singaporeans remains the “happiest” people in Asia, although the degree of happiness has dropped over the last year, according to the latest World Happiness Report released on Monday (March 20).

    The Republic was ranked 26th out of 155 countries in the 2017 World Happiness Report, falling four spots from its 2016 ranking. Singapore’s overall happiness score has also dropped by 0.068 points to 6.572. Norway, which placed first, had a happiness score of 7.537; while the least happiest country, the Central African Republic, scored 2.693.

    The World Happiness Report, published by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network, measures each nation’s “subjective well-being” by asking citizens to rate their life satisfaction on a 1 to 10 scale. The report also uses statistics like the country’s economic strength, life expectancy and perceived corruption to try and explain why one country may be happier than another.

    Scandinavian countries dominated the top, with Norway, Denmark and Iceland heading up the rankings, while Finland was placed fifth and Sweden came in 10th. Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and Australia rounded up the top 10.

    Meanwhile, countries in sub-Saharan Africa and those hit by conflict all fared poorly. The bottom 10 comprised Yemen, South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Syria, Tanzania, Burundi and the Central African Republic.

    In Asia, Singapore came in ahead of Thailand (32nd), Taiwan (33rd), Malaysia (42nd) and Japan (51st). Countries are ranked using three-year averages of data collected with the latest report, in its fifth edition, covering 2014-2016.

    The United States fell one spot to 14th, and Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, predicted that President Donald Trump’s policies are likely to make things worse.

    “(Trump’s policies) are all aimed at increasing inequality — tax cuts at the top, throwing people off the healthcare rolls, cutting Meals on Wheels in order to raise military spending. I think everything that has been proposed goes in the wrong direction,” he told Reuters.

    Prof Sachs added that the report’s aim is to is to provide another tool for governments, business and civil society to help their countries find a better way to well-being.

    Happy countries are the ones that have a healthy balance of prosperity, as conventionally measured, and social capital, meaning a high degree of trust in a society, low inequality and confidence in government,” he said.

    According to the report, the top four happiest countries ranked highly on caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance.
     
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  5. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Commentary

    Lessons from Singapore for the US healthcare system

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    A nurse feeds medication to a resident at Jamiyah Nursing Home. Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY


    Published: 6:35 AM, March 20, 2017
    Updated: 1:19 PM, March 20, 2017

    I have been devoting this space to deliberately implausible ideas lately, and the time has come to turn to an issue that America’s politicians are actually debating: Healthcare reform. Though “debating” might be a strong word, since the politicians I am talking about are all Republicans, and it is hard to have a serious argument when almost everyone involved (including our unhappy President) really, really wishes that they could just stop and talk about tax cuts instead.

    In theory, there is a coherent vision underlying Republican healthcare policy debates. Health insurance should be, like other forms of insurance, something that protects you against serious illnesses and pays unexpected bills but does not cover more everyday expenses.

    People need catastrophic coverage, but otherwise they should spend their own money whenever possible, because that is the best way to bring normal market pressures to bear on healthcare services, driving down costs without strangling medical innovation.

    This theory — along with, yes, a green-eyeshade attitude toward government expenditures on the working poor — explains why conservatives think a modest subsidy to help people buy health insurance makes more sense than Obamacare’s larger subsidies. Republican politicians may offer pandering promises of lower deductibles and co-pays, but the coherent conservative position is that cheaper plans with higher deductibles are a very good thing, because they are much closer to what insurance ought to be — and the more they proliferate, the cheaper healthcare will ultimately be for everyone.

    Is there an existing health insurance system that vindicates this boast? Yes, in a sense: There is Singapore, whose healthcare system is the marvel of the wealthy world.

    Singaporeans pay for much of their own care out of their own pockets, and their major insurance programme is designed to cover long-term illnesses and prolonged hospitalisations, not routine care. The combination has produced genuinely extraordinary results: The island state has excellent health outcomes while spending, as of 2014, just 5 per cent of GDP on healthcare. (By comparison, a typical Western European country that year spent around 10 per cent; the United States spent 17 per cent.)

    However, there has never been a major Republican policy proposal that just imitates what Singapore actually does. That is because the Singaporean vision is built around personal responsibility and private spending, but also a degree of statism and paternalism that present-day American conservatism instinctively rejects.

    First, Singaporeans do not spend money voluntarily saved in health-savings accounts. Under their Medisave programme, they spend money saved in mandatory health-savings accounts, to which employers contribute as well. Second, their catastrophic insurance does not come from a bevy of competing health insurance companies, but from a Government-run single-payer system, MediShield.

    And then the Government maintains a further safety net, Medifund, for patients who cannot cover their bills, while topping off Medisave accounts for poorer, older Singaporeans, and maintaining other supplemental programmes as well.

    So the Singaporean structure does not necessarily minimise state involvement or redistribution. It minimises direct public spending and third-party payments, while maximising people’s exposure to what treatments actually cost. And the results are, again, extremely impressive: By forcing its citizens to save and manage their own spending, the Singaporean system seems to free up an awful lot of money to spend on goods besides healthcare over the longer haul of life.

    This is the point in a normal column where I would note the insuperable political obstacles to getting a Singaporean plan through Congress even if Republicans embraced it. (And for the record, I am quite certain that making America Singapore would not generate quite the same cost savings for cultural reasons alone: A sprawling empire of free spenders is never going to be as disciplined as a city-state ruled for 30 years by Mr Lee Kuan Yew.)

    But I am dealing in political implausibilities these days, and if you simply wish away the hurdles, there is a stronger case by far for trying to get to Singapore than for the jerry-built, incoherent thing that Paul Ryan is struggling to manoeuvre through the House.

    What’s more, the federalist health care compromise floated recently by senators Bill Cassidy and Susan Collins is a little closer to Singapore than many Republican plans to date. The senators propose that states be allowed to experiment with an Obamacare alternative that would 1) auto-enrol the uninsured in catastrophic coverage and 2) directly fund health savings accounts for the working class and poor. The first is not MediShield (there is no public option) and the second is not Medisave (no mandatory saving). But together, they are more Singaporean than what RyanCare does and does not do, and better for it.

    Of course, they are also a bigger compromise with paternalism than the Republican Party’s True Conservatives are currently willing to accept. They have their principles, and making America Singapore is simply a non-starter.

    I just hope those principles are a comfort to them when the next wave of liberalism delivers us to a much more plausible health insurance destination than Singapore: Straightforward single-payer, in the form of Medicaid for almost all. THE NEW YORK TIMES

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

    Ross Douthat is a New York Times columnist.
     
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  6. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Trio bids to be first Singapore team to scale Everest since 2009


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    The NTU-NIE Everest Singapore team, comprising of (from left) Jeremy Tong, Nur Yusrina Ya’akob and Dr Arjunan Saravana Pillai, will draw upon their years of mountaineering experience in their bid to scale Mount Everest. Photo: NTU
    Published: 12:30 PM, March 22, 2017
    Updated: 12:39 PM, March 22, 2017

    SINGAPORE — Three Singaporeans are set to embark on one of the world’s most perilous expeditions in a bid to become the first Singapore team to scale Mount Everest since 2009.

    Dr Arjunan Saravana Pillai, Ms Nur Yusrina Ya’akob and Mr Jeremy Tong will depart Singapore for the Himalayas on Sunday (March 26) and will have up to early June to reach Everest’s summit.

    The trio, whose expedition is being supported by Nanyang Technologyical University (NTU) and the National Institute of Education (NIE), have so far raised more than S$150,000 for their journey.

    For Ms Yusrina, 30, the coming trip will assuage the disappointment of a failed attempt to climb Everest back in 2015, which was meant to commemorate Singapore’s Golden Jubilee.

    The trainee teacher, who is pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Physical Education at NIE, was the co-leader of the Aluminaid Team Singapura Everest 2015 team who had to abandon their climb halfway after a powerful earthquake struck Nepal that year.

    “Having made it more than halfway up the mountain two years ago, I was disappointed that the team had to abort the climb. But had we departed just one day earlier, we would have been in a much more dangerous situation higher up the mountains,” she said.

    Her team members of the team are also experienced mountain climbers.

    Dr Saravana, 47, a teaching fellow from NIE has more than a decade of climbing experience, have climbed several peaks, including the 6,400m Mount Kang Yatze II in India.

    Mr Tong, 26, a graduate of NTU’s Sports Science and Management programme, became the first Singaporean to summit two Central Asian peaks above 7,000m last year — Lenin Peak in Kyrgyzstan (7,134m) and Peak Korzhenevskaya in Tajikistan (7,105m).

    However, the team, who hopes their mission will help promote a resilient and can-do spirit among Singaporeans, acknowledged the huge challenge Everest will present.

    “Beautiful as she is, Everest is also extremely unpredictable and volatile, which leaves climbers with a sense of humility and respect for the mountain,” said Dr Saravana.

    The trio consulted other Singaporeans who climbed Everest in the past, including Mr David Lim, who led the first Singaporean expedition that summited Everest in May 1998, and the Singapore Women’s Everest team — who were the last Singapore team to successfully scale Everest back in 2009.

    “We also trained for the past year, including two to three hour runs up Bukit Timah Hill and high-rise public housing blocks. We also do our own strength and fitness regimens, and rock climbing to improve our technical skills,” said Mr Tong.

    Ms Yusrina, added that her past experience on Everest will help the team plan better. “It’s not so much the mountain that you conquer, but yourself,” she said.
     
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  7. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    S’pore most competitive economy in Asia yet again: Boao Forum report

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    TODAY file photo

    PUBLISHED: 8:55 PM, MARCH 23, 2017
    UPDATED: 9:24 PM, MARCH 23, 2017

    BOAO – Singapore has been named Asia’s most competitive economy for the fourth year running, according to an annual survey released on Thursday (March 23).

    “Singapore had the highest score in commercial and administrative efficiency. Also, for five consecutive years, it has kept the most efficient administrative service of the region and provided the most favourable business environment,” said the 2016 Asian Competitiveness report released at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in China’s Hainan province.

    Among the other measures taken into account by the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges which did the survey, Singapore was placed 3rd in infrastructure as well as human capital and innovation capability among the 37 economies ranked in the survey; it took 4th place in overall economic strength and 6th position in social development.

    Hong Kong was lauded in the report for its stable, efficient and trustworthy business system and financial market, and was ranked behind only Singapore in terms of commercial and administrative efficiency. It was placed 2nd for infrastructure and overall economic strength, 4th in social development but scored relatively poorly in as human capital and innovation capability where it was placed 10th.

    Launched in 2009, the Asian Competitiveness report ranks 37 economies in Asia including Australia and New Zealand but excludes 16 smaller economies in the region. The top six positions – Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand - have remained unchanged over the past three years. China, Asia’s largest economy, was ranked 9th in each of those three years, as well as the year before.

    Boao Forum for Asia, a non-governmental and non-profit international organization, was formally inaugurated in 2001, with Boao serving as its permanent headquarters. It seeks to promote and deepen economic exchange, coordination and cooperation within Asia and between Asia and other parts of the world.
     
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  8. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Esplanade announces new S$30 million mid-sized theatre

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    The proposed site of the new mid-sized theatre at the Esplanade. Photo: Esplanade Theatres by the Bay

    The new space will allow the arts centre to collaborate and create new content with local artists
    By
    Reena Devi
    Reena@mediacorp.com.sg -
    Published: 4:05 PM, April 10, 2017
    Updated: 8:21 PM, April 10, 2017

    “With this 550-seat theatre, our arts groups will be able to scale up works previously presented in small studios,” she said.

    “Today, a majority of the works produced for major festivals require medium-sized venues. We hope that the new theatre would give our arts groups an appropriate space to create new content, not only for our local audience, but also for regional and international audiences. In time to come, audiences can look forward to a greater variety of offerings, as well as a rich canon of made-in-Singapore works,” she said.

    The Esplanade’s chief executive, Mr Benson Puah, said in a media preview last week that the venue — announced in conjunction with the Esplanade’s 15th anniversary this year — will allow the arts centre to collaborate with, and then show, works with local as well as regional artists. Such works “will, hopefully, become the stories, music, movements or even traditional art forms, that the next generation of Singaporeans will hold dear,” he said.

    The Esplanade’s two main venues are its Theatre, which can seat 2,000 people, and the Concert Hall, which seats 1,600. Its smaller Theatre and Recital studios house around 200 each.

    Ms Yvonne Tham, assistant chief executive officer of the Esplanade, said that over the past three to four years, the Esplanade has been ramping up on commissions and co-productions with various artists and art groups. Last year, the arts centre commissioned 60 original works.

    Programming at the new theatre will comprise of 60 per cent of such works from the Esplanade, while 40 per cent will be works from others hiring the space.

    With a mid-sized venue, the Esplanade will also be able to program more works for traditional arts groups, as well as schools, children and young adults. These sit best in a mid-sized space, said Ms Tham.

    Construction will begin in 2019, and the new space will be up and running by 2021. The Government will provide S$10 million of the budget, while the Esplanade will engage in fund-raising activities for the remaining S$20 million.

    A COMPLEMENT TO CURRENT SPACES

    There are those, such as Ms Sarah Martin, chief executive officer at the Arts House Ltd, who lauded the entrance of the new theatre. Ms Martin, who took over the helm of the arts company in December (2016), said that the Esplanade’s new venue will provide artists with another option to present quality works.

    “There is room (here) for another venue of this scale,” said Ms Martin, adding that such a space will be “important for the arts eco-system”.

    Existing mid-sized venues are the Drama Centre and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, which fell under the Arts House Ltd’s purview in November last year. Prior to that, those venues were under the Esplanade. The Victoria Theatre, which seats around 600, is booked solid until 2019.

    Award-winning poet and playwright Alfian Sa’at noted that when the Esplanade first opened, “one of the controversies that emerged (in the arts scene) ... was the absence of a mid-sized theatre”.

    “Being able to perform in mid-sized theatres is an important step towards professionalisation in the theatre industry,” he said, adding that those who rely on box-office takings cannot make a profit if they only have access to small “black box spaces”. At the same time, playing in a large venue with a capacity of 1,500 may be too big of a step up, and up may be out of an artist’s reach because “of the expenses involved”.

    Esplanade will now call for proposals for the project’s different consultants, including a theatre consultant and architect, the Esplanade said in a statement.

    Regarding fundraising efforts, Tham said that the Esplanade will be “exploring ways (for) members of the public to be involved in whatever fun and accessible way”.

    “We really want people to say that ‘we helped build it’ in whatever small way.”

    Its new space, at 3,000sq m, will take up the existing areas of The Edge and Waterfront Carpark, near Makansutra Gluttons by the Bay.

    The arts centre has played host to 34,000 performances in its 15-year-history, and has drawn an audience of 88 million visitors. Each year, it offers some 3,000 free activities.
     
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  9. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Boo Junfeng's Apprentice continues winning streak

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    Apprentice, the second film from Singapore's Boo Junfeng, has won the Critics' Choice and Regard d'Or Grand Prix awards at the Fribourg International Film Festival. Photo: Yew Jiajun

    The prison film bagged another two awards, including the biggest prize, at Swiss festival

    By
    Reena Devi
    Reena@mediacorp.com.sg -
    Published: 1:00 AM, April 9, 2017
    Updated: 7:37 AM, April 9, 2017

    "I suppose a story from an executioner's point of view is something people were naturally curious about. It's great to see it resonating with audiences around the world," Boo told TODAY.

    Boo had attended the festival to present the film, also hosting Q&A sessions at three of the film's screenings there. He did not stay for the awards ceremony for the festival - which began on March 31 and ended on Sunday - as he was flying back to Singapore on Saturday morning.

    In a recorded acceptance speech played at the ceremony, Boo said that it was a surprise to receive the festival's top prize, which comes with a cash prize of over 30,000 Swiss francs (S$41,000).

    "This was really quite unexpected. The past year has been a very eventful year, traveling with the film and taking it to audiences around the world," Boo said in his speech. "The audience at Fribourg was one of the best we've had. The feedback from the audience and responses I've gotten just at the festival has been quite amazing. It's good to know that the film stays with people who have seen it. So, thank you very much to the jury for honouring the film in such a way."

    The annual film festival in Fribourg, Switzerland, focuses on films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Previous films that took the Grand Prix include Yi Yi, by late Taiwanese master filmmaker Edward Yang; South Korean drama Poetry, by Lee Chang-dong; and My Magic by Singapore filmmaker, Eric Khoo.

    The FIFF is Apprentice's 60th film festival since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section in May 2016. It has been shown in festivals from London, to Chicago and Hong Kong.

    Boo received the Rising Director Award for the film at Busan International Film Festival in October (2016). Apprentice was also selected by the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) to be Singapore’s official selection for the 2017 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

    Apprentice has won the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) award at Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival; Best Film, Asian New Wave at the QCinema International Film Festival; Best Narrative Film, Interfaith Competition at the St Louis International Film Festival, as well as Special Mention, Acting Ensemble at Hawaii International Film Festival.
     
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  10. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Singaporeans now hold the world's most powerful passport

    AsiaOne | Wednesday, Apr 19, 2017

    [​IMG]
    Photo: The Straits Times

    AsiaOne
    Wednesday, Apr 19, 2017

    Germany may be more than 500 times bigger than Singapore in size, but citizens in the 'little red dot' now stand toe-to-toe with their German counterparts as holders of the world's most powerful passport.

    Singapore moved up one spot from second to joint-first with Germany in financial advisory firm's Arton Capital's Global Passport Power Rank 2017, which compares the passports of 193 United Nations member states and six territories.

    In an update on its website, Arton Capital said that the change had come after Ukraine extended visa-on-arrival travel to Singapore passport holders for periods of 15 days.

    As such, Singapore's visa-free score went up to 159, effectively making the Singapore passport as powerful as Germany's. The visa-free score represents the number of countries a passport holder can visit visa-free or with visa-on-arrival.

    "Singaporeans can rejoice that their passport offers them first-class global mobility," Arton Capital said.

    Read also: Singapore passport top in Asia for visa-free access

    [​IMG]
    Photo: Internet screengrab

    Germany holds a slight edge, however, as its passport gives holders visa-free travel to 125 countries, as compared to 122 countries for Singapore passport holders.

    Nevertheless, the Singapore passport has a visa-on-arrival score of 37, compared to Germany's 34.

    Singapore's move up to joint-first in the ranking leaves Sweden on its own in second with a visa-free score of 158.

    Singapore also has the most powerful passport in Asia, of course, followed by South Korea (visa-free score of 157), Japan (156) and Malaysia (156).

    At the other end of the scale, Afghanistan is deemed to have the world's least powerful passport, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to just 24 countries or territories.

    Earlier this year, the Singapore passport also reached a new high of fourth worldwide in another ranking of travel freedom, the Visa Restrictions Index.

    The Index, published by Henley & Partners, has a different way of measuring how powerful a passport is.

    - See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singap...s-most-powerful-passport#sthash.ogVj0Uhb.dpuf
     
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    Loh Regular Member

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    The World’s Most Talent Competitive Countries, 2017

    Paul Evans, Academic Director of the INSEAD Global Talent Competitiveness Index, and Bruno Lanvin, INSEAD Executive Director for Global Indices | January 16, 2017

    While technology is eliminating jobs, it is also creating them. But filling these new roles is the next talent challenge.

    Much has been made of the potential of recent leaps in technology to automate many jobs out of existence. From taxi drivers to accountants, some studies suggest that as many as half of existing jobs could be automated. Routine work is clearly disappearing, but the fears of mass unemployment at the hands of machines could be overblown. For example, research by the McKinsey Global Institute suggests that around 20 percent of occupations could see around 70 percent of their activities automated, meaning a slightly less worrying future, where automation is more likely to take the form of augmentation.

    But this doesn’t mean technology and talent development should be approached with any less urgency. While technology is creating jobs as well as destroying them, there is often a disconnect between the skills needed and the skills that employees and graduates currently have. It’s a massive challenge for our educational systems currently based on the factory model, turning out young adults who are equipped for routine jobs that are fast disappearing. And the workplace is taking on different forms, evidenced in new models of employment, such as contingent and project-based work. In Europe and the United States, as much as 30 percent of the population earns all or part of their income as free agents in the gig economy, offering their skills to multiple employers through collaborative computer-based platforms.

    As we observe in this year’s Global Talent Competitiveness Index report, countries that lead the way in talent competitiveness have taken a multipronged approach to dealing with recent advances in technology and fostering the talent necessary to leverage it.

    The winners

    The index, which measures the extent to which countries attract, grow and retain talent and how they translate their efforts into output, puts Switzerland on top, followed by Singapore and the United Kingdom. While Switzerland excels at offering an ideal economic environment and retaining domestically-developed talent, Singapore leads the way in attracting and enabling its global talent pool.

    image: http://knowledge.insead.edu/sites/www.insead.edu/files/images/2017/01/gtci_2017_top_10.jpg

    [​IMG]Singapore is a particularly relevant case study in this year’s report because it takes an ecosystem approach to talent development in the face of technological change. Its regular “learning journeys”, organised by the Ministry of Manpower, along with relevant agencies such as the Workforce Development Agency and the Infocomm Development Agency, aim to enlighten small businesses to new possibilities in automation to enhance productivity and reduce dependence on foreign labour. One of its most recent journeys introduced smart technologies in the cleaning and services sector such as robotic floor cleaners and droids that can fold napkins to speed up the work of hotel staff. The learning journeys are only the beginning. They are accompanied by various government grants and incentive schemes, such as the Lean Enterprise Development Scheme, a cross-agency taskforce that makes resources and funding available to local small companies looking to augment their workers with technology.

    Another box Singapore ticks in the GTCI is in education. Its recent PISA scores – which put Singaporean children three years ahead of their American peers in mathematics – reflect Singapore’s forward-looking education system. Singaporean children don’t start primary school until age 6, spending their early years in play-based kindergartens. At school, the curriculum encourages students to ask questions about things they see around them and to maintain that curiosity, which aids lifelong learning. The school system also offers coding classes at a very early age, adopts many digital delivery channels and gives teachers 100 hours a year for training.

    The importance of ecosystems, which runs consistently throughout our report, cannot be underestimated. The standouts of the GTCI use public-private partnerships to surmount and exploit the challenges of building the new economy.

    Urban advantage

    For the first time, this year’s report also includes an index on cities (Global City Talent Competitiveness Index), because talented individuals tend to focus less on which country to go to and more on which city to live in. Cities are therefore, increasingly engaging in their own means to attract, retain and develop talent, making them a crucial part of talent competitiveness. Following a similar methodology to the GTCI ranking, the GCTCI ranking tells us that the leaders, Copenhagen, Zurich and Helsinki, in addition to being consistently high performers in quality-of-life indicators, have strong physical and information infrastructure and strong international links.

    image: http://knowledge.insead.edu/sites/www.insead.edu/files/images/2017/01/gtci_2017_cities_alone_list_0.jpg

    [​IMG]Another interesting finding is that despite the presence of the big metropolises, such as Paris and Los Angeles in the leading group, the average population of the top 10 cities is around 400,000, demonstrating that the trend of highly educated individuals gravitating to large cities is changing.

    As talented individuals can increasingly operate from anywhere, physical and technical connectivity and quality of life are competitive advantages for smaller cities. The importance of clusters cannot be underestimated. Ireland’s ICT clusters are a distinct advantage; so is Eindhoven, which is home to Philips.

    Moving up the value curve

    One consistent finding we see across every annual edition of the report is that the top positions of the GTCI continue to be filled by high-income countries. Those able to deploy capital in innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration lead the index. Countries that continue to rely on labour-intensive industries at the expense of high-value industries and talent will struggle to move up the index. The BRICS countries are not getting stronger with scores declining all round this year, shown first in Brazil (81st). China (54th) puts in a good showing in formal education, but lets itself down in attraction. India (92nd out of 118) too is not able to retain, let alone attract, talent.

    The rise of technology brings new challenges to emerging markets as rich countries become more self-sufficient with robots and automation. Adidas is about to do something unheard of in the clothing and shoes business for some time: bring shoe production back to Germany. With advances in robotics, it can make a pair of trainers in five hours, much less than the seven weeks it currently takes in its Asian supply chain.

    As advanced economies struggle to cope with immigration, the ability to “reshore” jobs is a blessing for policymakers, as shown by some announcements made by President-Elect Donald Trump in the U.S. With resources and financing channelled to innovation in developed economies, emerging countries may lose their main source of competitive advantage, namely cheap labour for outsourcing. Even China is waking up to robotics and is set to lose more jobs to automation than to competition from cheaper countries. But not all manufacturing jobs will head back home to developed economies. Policymakers here, as in the developed world, also need to think beyond automation as labour advantage gives way to digital advantage. Digital tools enable people anywhere to participate in global trade, which is carried less by ship and more by the internet. Both for cities and nations, connectivity will be crucial, along with a workforce educated to suit the new economy, facilitated by government, business and educational institutions.

    Paul Evans is the Academic Director of the INSEAD Global Talent Competitiveness Index, Emeritus Professor of Organisational Behaviour and the Shell Chair of Human Resources and Organisational Development Emeritus at INSEAD.

    Bruno Lanvin is the Executive Director for Global Indices at INSEAD.


    Read more at http://knowledge.insead.edu/career/...itive-countries-2017-5144#50WZKCvZI1JaSGHF.99
     
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    Loh Regular Member

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    Stephanie Luo
    [​IMG]
    Wednesday, Apr 19, 2017

    Singapore still No 1 draw for talent among Asia-Pac countries



    [​IMG]

    Singapore retains its top spot in the Asia-Pacific and second globally for the fourth consecutive year in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2017, making it the only Asian country to emerge in the top 10 this year.
    Photo: The Straits Times

    Stephanie Luo
    The Business Times
    Wednesday, Apr 19, 2017


    SINGAPORE retains its top spot in the Asia-Pacific and second globally for the fourth consecutive year in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2017, making it the only Asian country to emerge in the top 10 this year.

    Switzerland is ranked first while the United Kingdom clinches the third spot. Other Asia-Pacific countries in the top 30 globally include Australia (6th), New Zealand (14th), Japan (22nd), Malaysia (28th) and South Korea (29th). The rankings were announced during GTCI's regional launch at the Insead Asia campus in Singapore on Tuesday.

    The GTCI is an annual benchmarking report measuring the ability of countries to compete for talent. Focusing on "Talent and Technology", the 2017 report, produced in partnership with The Adecco Group and the Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore, explores the effects of technological change on talent competitiveness and the future of work.

    It argued that while jobs at all levels continue to be replaced by machines, technology is also creating new opportunities. Insead's website said that the report explored the challenges and opportunities as well as important shifts away from traditional salaried approaches to work.

    Read also: Singapore has 7th largest mid to large-sized private jet fleet in Asia-Pacific region

    Ilian Mihov, dean of Insead, said: "This year's GTCI report shows that countries in the Asia-Pacific region demonstrate strong talent readiness for technology. It also highlights the important role of education. Educational systems have to revamp to help learners foster learning agility and adjust on the fly of changing conditions."

    According to a joint press release by the three firms, high-ranking countries share key traits, including educational systems that meet the needs of the economy, employment policies that favour flexibility, mobility and entrepreneurship, and high connectedness of stakeholders in business, education and government as well as high level of technological competence.

    Countries can learn from Singapore's well-developed regulatory and market landscapes for global talent to thrive and its ability to anticipate the movements of the economy, the press release said, although the country could face some challenges ahead.

    Read also: Singapore aims to house the most globally competitive plants

    Christophe Duchatellier, regional head of Asia Pacific, The Adecco Group, said: "Although Singapore, Australia and New Zealand all feature in the Top 20 of this edition of the Global Talent Competitiveness Index, these latest findings highlight the increasing challenges that many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have in attracting and retaining talent. We would expect to see more organisations offering internship and apprenticeship programmes to foster skills development."

    In the report, China and India are away from the top, ranking 54th and 92nd respectively.

    Bruno Lanvin, executive director of global indices at Insead and co-editor of the report, said: "Overall, a big challenge for China and India lies in their ability to attract talent, and they both face the issue of local higher-skilled workers leaving to live and work abroad. To improve their attractiveness, the countries can further boost their regulatory and market landscapes."

    - See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/busine...among-asia-pac-countries#sthash.qPgT84f9.dpuf
     
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  13. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    International tourists spend most in Singapore among APAC destinations in 2016: Survey


    [​IMG]
    File picture of iconic Singapore tourist attraction Merlion Park. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)

    26 Apr 2017 06:22PM (Updated: 26 Apr 2017 06:30PM)

    International tourists spent the most in Singapore among Asia Pacific destinations last year, coming in ahead of other hotspots such as Bangkok and Tokyo, according to the latest findings from Mastercard released on Wednesday (Apr 26).

    According to the Mastercard Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2017, international tourists spent US$15.4 billion (S$21.5 billion) last year, while Bangkok took in US$12.7 billion and Tokyo, US$11.1 billion.

    And this has been an ongoing trend. The payments provider said Singapore has tracked an 18 per cent jump in visitor spend over the past two years, or 2015 to 2016.

    However, it was Bangkok that took top spot in terms of the region's most-visited destination. The Thai capital drew 19.3 million visitors, while Singapore was the second most-visited destination with 13.1 million visitors and Tokyo third with 12.6 million last year, the findings showed.

    Of the five destinations in the region to garner a minimum spend of US$200 a day from these visitors, Singapore attracted the highest-spending visitors at US$254 per day, compared with Beijing's US$242 and Shanghai's US$234, it added.

    REGIONAL TRAVEL HUB

    Singapore also maintained its position as a regional travel hub, both as an origin and feeder city, Mastercard said. Chinese travellers accounted for the largest share of arrivals into Singapore at 17.5 per cent, or about 2.3 million visitors, followed by travellers from Indonesia (2 million visitors) and India (920,000 visitors).

    As a feeder city, Singapore leads all intra-regional arrivals in Southeast Asian destinations with 6.3 per cent, or 7.9 million visitors, the findings showed.

    Local authorities have been keen to promote the country as a choice stopover, with Changi Airport, Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board inking a three-year renewal of partnership to do just that.

    "Over the last two years, Singapore has experienced an 18 per cent growth in visitor expenditure, demonstrating that our city-state has reaped the benefits of its many leisure offerings – from tourist attractions to new and different lifestyle and retail experiences," said Mastercard Singapore country manager Deborah Heng.

    "Singapore has solidified its position as a leading travel destination in the Asia Pacific region, boasting the highest overall tourist expenditure. This will encourage both the public and private sector to work together to develop new initiatives that will build on the work done to date.”

    Source: CNA/kk
     
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  14. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Singapore named top maritime capital of the world for 3rd consecutive time

    [​IMG]
    The PSA Tanjong Pagar Terminal.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

    Published
    Apr 26, 2017, 9:21 am SGT
    Updated
    Apr 26, 2017, 10:43 am

    Ann Williams
    ann@sph.com.sg

    SINGAPORE - Singapore has once again clinched top place in a ranking of the world's maritime capitals called the Menon Report.

    The study, by Norwegian consultancy firm Menon Economics, looked at 24 objective indicators and garnered survey responses from more than 250 industry experts across all continents. Singapore was also ranked first in the report's 2015 and 2012 surveys.

    This year, Singapore was ranked number one in three categories: shipping, ports and logistics, and attractiveness and competitiveness.

    Menon Economics said Singapore also scored impressive results in the remaining two categories: second place in maritime technology and fourth place in finance and law.

    [​IMG]

    Significantly, Singapore jumped three places from fifth to second position in the maritime technology category, underlining its efforts in technology and research.

    [​IMG]
    In making predictions about the world's leading maritime capitals five years ahead, the majority of industry experts surveyed shared a consensus that Singapore will remain the most important city, with many believing that the country has strong capabilities to handle digital transformation in the maritime industry.

    In the ranking's shipping, and ports and logistics categories, Singapore emerged first due to its strategic geographic location, as well as its position as an important centre for commercial management and the world's second largest port, said the report.

    Singapore ranked top in overall attractiveness and competitiveness due to the ease of doing business and customs procedures. According to the report, seven in 10 experts regarded Singapore as one of the three most attractive cities in the world for relocating their headquarters and also identified it as one of the maritime capitals most prepared and ready to adopt digitalisation.

    Mr Andrew Tan, chief executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), said the accolade "will spur us to work harder to make Maritime Singapore the global maritime hub of choice."

    To ensure that Singapore remains a leading maritime hub, MPA is leading the Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map with industry stakeholders, to drive innovation and productivity, and equip the local maritime workforce with necessary skills to take on higher value-added jobs of the future.
     
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    Loh Regular Member

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    PepsiCo opens S$130m concentrate plant in Singapore



    [​IMG]
    The PepsiCo concentrate plant in Singapore. (Photo: PepsiCo)

    [​IMG]

    By Tang See Kit
    @SeeKitCNA
    27 apr 2017 03:13PM (Updated: 27 apr 2017 03:20PM)

    SINGAPORE: PepsiCo on Thursday (Apr 27) opened a US$93 million (S$130 million) concentrate plant in Singapore, which will manufacture and supply beverage concentrates for more than 1 billion consumers in 20 Asia-Pacific markets.

    The new 20,000-sqm facility, which is PepsiCo’s 12th concentrate plant worldwide, will be its first plant to serve a pan-Asia market. The company’s three other concentrate plants in Asia, located in Pakistan, India and China, manufacture solely for domestic markets.

    It is also the beverage giant’s first concentrate plant in Singapore. Located at Sunview Way in Jurong, the new facility will produce hundreds of beverage concentrates for brands such as Pepsi, 7UP, Mountain Dew, as well as the company’s non-carbonated brands including Gatorade and Tropicana.

    Prior to the setup of the Singapore plant, beverage concentrates used by PepsiCo’s bottling companies in Asia were imported from Ireland, according to the firm’s Asia-Pacific president Adel Garas. The new facility in Singapore, which took 18 months to construct, will be a boon for cost savings and logistics efficiencies.


    [​IMG]
    An employee preparing beverage concentrates at the PepsiCo plant in Singapore. (Photo: PepsiCo)

    “For our bottling partners, (the time between) the day they place their orders to the day they receive their orders has been shortened significantly … Singapore is a very strategic location,” Mr Garas told Channel NewsAsia.

    Other factors for locating the plant in Singapore included the country’s pro-business environment and a skilled talent pool, an essential consideration for concentrate production, Mr Garas said.

    The plant is now fully staffed by 90 employees, including scientists, engineers, supply chain specialists and flavour sensory technicians. PepsiCo also employs another 120 people in Singapore handling other aspects of the business, including sales and marketing.

    On whether the company will ramp up hiring here, Mr Garas declined to reveal specific plans. “PepsiCo always looks at growing and strengthening our market position by investing in capability and infrastructure. We will grow this plant ... And when you grow, you increase jobs but when and how many, I cannot speculate."

    With an impending hike in water prices come July in Singapore, Mr Garas said PepsiCo is unfazed by the possibility of higher production costs with the new plant incorporating several green design elements and certified as a Green Mark building by the Building and Construction Authority.

    "One important point to make is this plant has all the technologies that will support environment sustainability so water and electricity utilisation is rationalised," he told Channel NewsAsia. "It’s a very technologically efficient plant and (the water price hike) should not be of great concern."

    Minister for Trade and Industry (Industy) S Iswaran, who officiated the opening of the plant, said Singapore is well-positioned to capture opportunities in a fast-growing food manufacturing industry in Asia Pacific.


    [​IMG]
    Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran officiated the opening of the PepsiCo concentrate plant in Singapore. (Photo: Rachel Phua)

    On the back of the launch of the food manufacturing sector’s Industry Tranformation Map (ITM) last year, the Government will continue to partner the industry to anchor high value-added manufacturing, adopt advanced manufacturing technologies and equip workers with necessary skill sets, Mr Iswaran said.

    KEEPING THE FIZZ WITH HEALTHIER BRANDS

    Mr Garas said PepsiCo’s products are doing well across Asia, with the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia among its best-performing markets.

    In a bid to cater to changing consumer demands in the region, the company has widened its portfolio to include non-carbonated and low-calorie beverages such as sports drinks and bottled water.

    During its earnings announcement on Wednesday, PepsiCo said more than 45 per cent of its net revenue comes from sales of "guilt-free" products - beverages that have fewer than 70 calories per 12 ounces and snacks that have lower amounts of salt and saturated fat.

    As consumers crave for healthier options, PepsiCo will continue its drive into diversification and Singapore’s plant will play a big role in this portfolio transformation, Mr Garas said.


    [​IMG]
    PepsiCo's president of Asia Pacific Adel Garas. (Photo: Tang See Kit)

    "Eighteen years ago, there was not as much talk about calorie intake as we are seeing today," he said, referring to the time he first joined PepsiCo as a sales director in Egypt.

    "The company is evolving ... PepsiCo’s goal is to have at least two-thirds of the company’s global beverage portfolio volume to be at a level of 100 calories or fewer from added sugars per 12-ounce serving by 2025. Products meeting these guidelines include low or no-sugar versions of the company’s existing beverages, and new innovations in hydration and teas, for example, that are coming in the future," he added.

    Additional reporting by Rachel Phua.


    Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...s-130m-concentrate-plant-in-singapore-8796764
     
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    Loh Regular Member

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    Tuas West Extension MRT stations to open Jun 18



    [​IMG]
    The new Gul Circle MRT station on the Tuas West Extension. (Photo: LTA)

    27 Apr 2017 10:00AM (Updated: 27 Apr 2017 10:42AM)


    SINGAPORE: Four new MRT stations on the new Tuas West Extension (TWE) will begin operations on Jun 18, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Thursday (Apr 27).

    Comprising four aboveground stations – Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road and Tuas Link – the TWE is expected to serve 100,000 commuters daily.

    Commuters working in the Jurong and Tuas industrial estates can expect significant time savings, LTA said. For example, a journey from Ang Mo Kio to Tuas West can be cut from about 1 hour and 40 minutes to slightly more than an hour with the new extension.


    [​IMG]
    The Tuas Link MRT station. (Photo: LTA)

    LTA also said it will enhance the existing bus service network to further improve transfers for commuters and accessibility to the area. Operational details of the TWE and improvements to the bus network will be announced in the coming weeks, it said.

    The TWE will operate on the new signalling system to be used on the rest of the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL). Besides the four stations, the TWE project also includes the construction of the Tuas viaduct, which opened on Feb 18 this year, as well as a 26-hectare integrated depot, which provides stabling and maintenance facilities for up to 60 trains, including the additional 13 NSEWL trains purchased for the TWE.

    [​IMG]
    The system map of the Tuas West Extension. (Image: LTA)

    An open house for the new extension will be held on Jun 16, where all four stations will be opened from 12pm to 8pm. Members of the public can ride the trains along the TWE for free, and take part in games and activities, LTA said.

    To raise awareness about the TWE, LTA will hold roving exhibitions in the weeks leading up to the opening. The exhibitions will be held for 10 days at four stations on the East-West Line: Between 7am and 9am at Jurong East, Boon Lay, Pioneer and Joo Koon; and between 11am and 1pm at Boon Lay and Joo Koon.

    [​IMG]



    Source: CNA/cy
    Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...extension-mrt-stations-to-open-jun-18-8795768
     
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    Loh Regular Member

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    A family victory: S’porean lawyer wins Star Wars X-Wing World Championship
    [​IMG]
    X-Wing champion Justin Phua's family woke up in the wee hours of the morning of May 10, 2017, to welcome him back from the United States. Photo: Courtesy of Ivy Chua

    BY
    WONG CASANDRA
    wongcasandra@mediacorp.com.sg

    PUBLISHED: 11:15 PM, MAY 19, 2017
    UPDATED: 2:39 PM, MAY 20, 2017
    SINGAPORE — Lawyer Justin Phua has become the first Singaporean to win the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game World Championship, held early May.

    Although his wife, Ivy Chua, is a self-professed non-gamer — one who has “zero interest in games, not even Pokemon GO” — she was nonetheless elated.

    Chua, 44, woke up in the wee hours of the morning to welcome the X-Wing champion back from Minnesota in the United States, where the three-day championship was held.

    Their daughters, Sammi, 16, and Maisy, 13, who were “so excited about the news they couldn’t sleep the night before”, were also in attendance. They were decked out in Star Wars memorabilia and were bearing welcome banners and posters in honour of their father’s victory.

    “The Star Wars T-shirts and props were borrowed from my very supportive colleagues who were equally excited of my hubby’s incredible feat. I would like to think that he was pleasantly amused,” said Chua, a senior executive at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

    [​IMG]Photo: Courtesy of Ivy Chua

    Phua, 50, beat 346 other players from over 20 different countries — including two other Singaporeans — to place first in the annual X-Wing World Championship. Phua’s victory marks the first time that a Singaporean has won the competition, which has been going strong for six years.

    [​IMG]Photo: Courtesy of Ivy Chua

    THE MAKING OF A CHAMP

    X-Wing is a turn-by-turn tabletop miniature wargame played by two players in person. In the game, players battle it out, using miniature spaceship figurines representing opposing factions. Each session lasts about 75 minutes, according to Phua. 


    [​IMG]X-Wing miniatures. Photo: Shane Mok via Justin Phua

    Phua is no stranger to competitive miniature wargaming. He describes himself as a gamer “since time immemorial” and spends up to four hours a week on his hobby.

    From 2012 to 2015, together with a Singapore contingent of eight players, he participated in the annual European Team Championship for Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a tabletop wargame that involves battling it out with miniatures modelled after fantasy races — think orcs, dwarves and elves.

    [​IMG]Warhammer Fantasy Battle miniatures. Photo: Justin Phua

    Last year, he took a break from the competition to celebrate his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife, where the couple went on a 14-day road trip across Europe. It is also the same year he switched his focus to X-Wing.

    To prepare for the Championship, Phua attended regular training sessions with his gaming buddies, which included tracking the outcome of other tournaments overseas and engaging in back-to-back sessions to build his stamina.


    The efforts paid off. Despite fatigue, he managed to play through 13 rounds to emerge top and defeat last year’s winner during the Championship.

    The victory has fulfilled a lifelong dream of his — winning a game tournament and putting Singapore in the spotlight on the global stage. He has plans to be there next year to defend the title “subject of course to spousal consent”.

    He hopes it will spur other gamers in Singapore to pursue their dreams, especially in a category that’s dominated by the West.

    “It’s a dream that came true to me, and it can also come true for others. And I hope other gamers in Singapore and neighbouring countries will be inspired to fulfil their dreams in the same way that I have done,” said Phua.

    FAMILY TIES

    At home at least, Phua’s love for gaming seems to have greatly influenced his daughters. While they have no interest in tabletop miniature games, both are avid computer and handheld-console gamers.

    His wife is the odd duckling out of the family, and often gets teased about it.

    “I was totally clueless about the life and world of a gamer until we met (25 years ago). I tried to understand and fit in (followed him to games) at first, but lost interest after just two attempts,” said Chua.

    Despite her lack of interest in gaming or Star Wars, Chua is very supportive of her husband and even has a “rough idea” of his gaming strategies and rules.

    Her advice to those with gamers as spouses? “(Gamers need a) way of de-stressing from this stressful, materialistic world of ours. As the saying goes, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them!’ Or, at the least, give them your trust and mental support,” she added.
     
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  18. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Being Singaporean is not a matter of subtraction, but of addition: PM Lee
    [​IMG]
    PM Lee viewing an artwork by Hwa Chong Institution students at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. PHOTO: Wee Teck Hian

    The Chinese Singaporean is proud of his Chinese culture — but also increasingly conscious that his ‘Chineseness’ is different from the Chineseness of the Malaysian and Indonesian Chinese, or the Chineseness of the people in China or Hong Kong or Taiwan

    BY
    WONG PEI TING
    wongpeiting@mediacorp.com.sg

    PUBLISHED: 10:55 PM, MAY 19, 2017
    UPDATED: 1:35 PM, MAY 20, 2017

    SINGAPORE — The different races have evolved uniquely Singaporean variants of their various cultures, and this is quite an achievement in a scant 51 years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Friday night (May 19).

    Speaking at the official opening of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) along Shenton Way, Mr Lee said being Singaporean has “never been a matter of subtraction, but of addition; not of becoming less, but more; not of limitation and contraction, but of openness and expansion”.

    The Government, he said, has encouraged each of the four major races – Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian – to preserve its own unique culture and traditions, while respecting that of the others.

    This culture of integration, not assimilation, means no one group has been forced to conform to another’s “cultures or identities, let alone that of the majority”. Instead, they have allowed themselves to be influenced by others, Mr Lee said, adding: “The result has been distinctive Singaporean variants of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian cultures, and a growing Singaporean identity that we all share, suffusing and linking up our distinct identities and distinct ethnic cultures.”

    Often, this distinctness is instantly recognisable when Singaporeans run into each other overseas, whether in neighbouring countries or further away – someone speaking or acting in a certain way is instinctively pegged as a fellow Singaporean, he said.

    “When we deal with nationals from these countries, we are confident of our own Singaporean cultures and identities, even as we are conscious that we are ethnic Chinese, Malays, Indians or Eurasians.

    “Thus the Chinese Singaporean is proud of his Chinese culture – but also increasingly conscious that his ‘Chineseness’ is different from the Chineseness of the Malaysian and Indonesian Chinese, or the Chineseness of China, Hong Kong or Taiwan,” he added.

    In his 20-minute speech before a 530-strong audience, which included representatives from clan associations and arts and cultural organisations, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, Mr Lee pointed out technology, power, and prosperity alone are not the only measures of a civilisation.

    Important as it is to create jobs, bring in investments, upgrade workers and maintain competitiveness, arts and culture to “nourish our souls” are just as essential, he added, citing an old adage – “man does not live by bread alone”.

    Singapore, Mr Lee said, should aim to be a society that is “rich in spirit, a gracious society where people are considerate and kind to one another, and, as Mencius said, treat all elders as we treat our own parents, and other children as our own”.

    Mr Lee noted that while Singapore has progressed in this regard, “we are far from perfect”, with ungracious behaviour seen from time to time.

    He singled out the young couple that behaved “deplorably” recently by hurling abuse at and shoving an elderly man at a Toa Payoh hawker centre.

    If Singaporeans had regarded such behaviour as normal, it would have been concerning, said Mr Lee, who expressed relief that people were outraged instead.

    He added that in many countries, if one does not jostle to get to the front of the queue, one will simply be elbowed aside, noting that it was not too long ago when Singaporeans did the same.

    “We certainly don’t wish Singapore to be a first-world economy but a third-rate society, with a people who are well-off but uncouth,” said Mr Lee.

    That journey has been made possible because Singaporeans have been rooted to their various Asian cultures, which gave them identity and confidence, he said.

    “Cultures,” Mr Lee said, “reflect and express a people’s deep values as well as their collective experiences; individual talent as well as tradition; the old and the new merging to create fresh forms and new recognitions”.

    And while cultures develop and evolve naturally and organically, the Government still has a role to play, including by encouraging positive social norms, recognising cultural achievements and supporting the arts, as well as expose children to subjects such as literature, drama and music.

    These, indeed, were why the Government had created facilities such as the National Gallery, and supported institutions like the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, among others.

    Hence, the Government was happy to support the cultural centre when it was proposed by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations five years ago

    Completed last December, the 11-storey SCCC cost about S$110 million to build. It houses a 530-seat auditorium, 500-seat multi-purpose hall and 200-seat gallery space for the visual arts.

    While largely government-funded, the SCCC was supported by more than S$29 million in donations from clan associations, foundations, companies and individuals. This drew another S$15 million from the Government’s Cultural Matching Fund, which provides dollar-for-dollar matching for private contributions to cultural institutions capped at S$15 million.

    Speaking at its opening ceremony on Friday in Mandarin, the centre’s chairman, Mr Chua Thian Poh, said the SCCC will “become a platform for new immigrants and other ethnic communities to appreciate our local Chinese culture”.

    The venue “would complement existing large-scale performing arts venues, like Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and Victoria Concert Hall, to cater to the diverse needs of performing arts and culture fraternity”, he added.

    Since January, the SCCC has hosted more than 50 events, including concerts, dance performances, plays, lectures, exhibitions, which attracted nearly 30,000 people.

    On Saturday (May 20), an eight-day Cultural Extravaganza 2017 will kick off at the centre. The cultural showcase includes an opening performance by filmmaker Royston Tan, who is also the Extravaganza’s director, which will see Chinese art forms and traditional values being presented through the use of 3D projection mapping with holographic imagery.

    The work of five budding local film directors – Eva Tang, He Shuming, Kirsten Tan, Liao Jiekai and Jun Chong – will also be featured as they explore what makes Singapore home by tracing their cultural roots.

    Two people will also be conferred the Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award, an award that will be presented for the first time on Saturday, recognising the contributions of individuals and organisations in the development and promotion of Chinese culture in Singapore.
     
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  19. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    ‘Singaporeans owe a profound debt of gratitude to E W Barker’
    [​IMG]
    PM Lee Hsien Loong with Singapore’s first law minister Edmund William Barker’s wife Gloria Barker at the launch of the E W Barker Centre for Law and Business yesterday. photo: Wee Teck Hian
    By Valerie Koh
    valeriekohsf@mediacorp.com.sg -
    Published: 4:00 AM, May 30, 2017

    SINGAPORE — By combining legal know-how with political instincts and a human touch, Mr Edmund William Barker came up with practical solutions and contributed to creating and building a prosperous Singapore, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

    Paying tribute to independent Singapore’s first and longest-serving law minister, Mr Lee traced the Old Guard Cabinet member’s lasting contributions, citing his part in negotiations on the separation from Malaysia, the development of the Constitution, and other key pieces of legislation, such as the Land Acquisition Act.

    Mr Barker died in 2001 at the age of 80. He had served as Law Minister from 1964 to 1988, double hatting as National Development Minister between 1965 and 1975. He studied law at Cambridge University on a Queen’s Scholarship together with late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Kwa Geok Choo.
    He drafted the Separation Agreement, the Amendment Bill for the Constitution of Malaysia, and the Proclamation of Singapore — foundation documents for Singapore’s independence.

    “Fifty years later, none of the provisions in the documents have ever been disputed or challenged, not even fundamental provisions such as the guarantees of the Water Agreements,” said Mr Lee at the launch of the E W Barker Centre for Law and Business and a bursary named after the former Law Minister.

    “Singaporeans owe a profound debt of gratitude to the draughtsman of their independence, Mr Barker,” Mr Lee added.

    During his tenure, Mr Barker had negotiated the Separation with then-Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee and then-Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Razak.

    Mr Barker had been schoolmates with Mr Razak in Raffles College, and this friendship allowed both sides to work out an amicable solution in a “bloodless legal coup”, said Mr Lee. “They didn’t talk about EQ (emotional quotient) then, but Mr Barker possessed not only a very able legal mind, but also a first-class personality,” he added.

    Mr Barker also oversaw the formation and development of the Constitution, and during his term, key safeguards were introduced to protect minority rights, including the Presidential Council for Minority Rights.
    “Mr Barker was not just a legal eagle. He had a keen practical and political sense,” said Mr Lee.

    For instance, some ministers suggested legislating the “Stop at Two” policy in the 1960s, but he suggested incentivising families instead.

    Other achievements included resettling displaced squatters into new public housing, and building hawker centres for peddlers and hawkers relocated after the cleaning up of the Singapore River.

    “Therefore, today Singaporeans and tourists enjoy our chicken rice and bak chor mee at affordable prices and in orderly and hygienic conditions. Our hawker stalls sometimes even receive Michelin Stars,” said Mr Lee.
     
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  20. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    NTU tops NUS in global league, taking the highest spot ever for a uni here

    [​IMG]
    Nanyang Technological University president Bertil Andersson says that the varsity has been ramping up research, designing innovative academic and research programmes, and building new facilities ‘in a short time’. PHOTO: CNA
    Published: 4:00 AM, June 8, 2017
    Updated: 12:50 PM, June 8, 2017

    SINGAPORE — The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has overtaken the National University of Singapore (NUS) for the first time as Asia’s top university, achieving the highest position ever for a varsity here, in a global ranking published today.

    It snared the 11th spot in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) global league table of top universities, making this “its best performance ever”, the university said.

    The highest global ranking ever attained by a Singapore university was 12th, by NUS — a position it held for the past two years. This year, it dropped three places to 15th.

    In 2014, NUS was ranked 22nd while NTU was in 39th place. NTU vaulted to 13th spot in 2015, and held the same rank last year.

    Professor Bertil Andersson, president of NTU, said: “We know competition is extremely stiff in the upper echelon of the world’s best universities, and we cannot expect to continue to make big leaps. To climb up to the 11th spot (this year), just one place shy of the top 10, is remarkable progress.”

    He added: “Even though NTU is now the highest-ranked Singapore university, I maintain what I have always said — Singaporeans should be very proud that (this) small nation ... has two world-class universities.”

    Some 950 campuses from more than 80 countries were rated in this year’s QS world university ranking, using performance indicators such as academic and employer reputation, student-to-faculty ratio and citations per faculty. They were also assessed in four areas: research, teaching, employability and internationalisation.

    NTU has jumped 45 places since 2011 to quickly shoot up the world ranking. In the last three years, it has also topped the QS Top 50 under-50 ranking, which tables the world’s best young universities below 50 years old.

    Prof Andersson, who was appointed the university’s president in 2011, said: “This 11th spot is the highest position a young university has attained in the world university rankings. I hope NTU’s success, which is built on hard work, determination and a mindset of change, will be an inspiration to other young universities in the world.”

    He also listed three other “success factors”, which are “people, people, people”.

    “NTU has attracted the best talents — top faculty; promising, upcoming investigators; and the brightest students,” he said.

    Corporatised in 2006, NTU had the flexibility to chart its own strategic directions. Over the past decade, the autonomous university, located in Jurong West, has transformed “from a teaching university into a research-intensive one”, it said.

    In the last five years alone, it has set up joint laboratories on its 200ha campus with international partners such as Rolls-Royce, BMW and American global security and aerospace firm Lockheed Martin.

    This year, NTU made its biggest improvement in employer reputation, scaling 10 places to rank 38th internationally.

    NUS, which is still among the top 2 per cent in the world ranking, was placed 11th for both academic and employer reputation globally.

    Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, president of NUS, said: “While NUS is placed 15th this year ... we are pleased to note that (it) continues to be very highly rated for academic as well as employer reputation.”

    The latest QS World University Rankings 2017/2018 is released today and the full results can be viewed online at https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-ran....
     
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