Commonwealth Games: S'pore wins first 2 golds in shooting Channel NewsAsia 05 October 2010 1419 hrs SINGAPORE : Singapore's shooting team were on the mark at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India on Tuesday, winning two gold medals on the second day of the Games. Gai Bin and Lim Swee Hon won the first gold in the 50m pistol men's pair event, scoring 1,094 points, edging out India by seven shots. The women's pair of Aqilah Sudhir and Jasmine Ser set a new Games record with a score of 1,149 in the 50m rifle 3-position (pairs) event. Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan described Swee Hon's and Gai Bin's win as a tremendous achievement. He said Aqilah and Jasmine added to the gloss with a wonderful performance in a new Commonwealth Games' record. He added that this was a great start for Team Singapore and a strong inspiration for the athletes to deliver their best at the Games. Celebrating their success, shooter Lim Swee Hon said: "Definitely, I'm very happy, I'm very delighted. I was very proud that I can get the first gold medal. "It's not the first time we team up together, so definitely there's some rapport between us. And for this year, we have a lot of preparation." Jasmine Ser and Aqilah Sudhir (Photo by SSC)
New FLEX procedure to correct myopia Channel NewsAsia 05 October 2010 1912 hrs SINGAPORE : Correcting vision in a myopic eye used to mean going for LASIK treatment. Now there is an even more advanced alternative that promises to halve the treatment time and cause less discomfort. Known as FLEX or Femtosecond Lenticule Extraction, this treatment uses just one laser to LASIK's two. The special VisuMax laser used with FLEX cuts a lens-shaped layer from within the cornea and shapes it to correct vision. The Singapore National Eye Centre, which has done about 30 such treatments this year, said this works even better with higher degrees of up to 1,000. The procedure, which has also been tested in other parts of Asia and Europe, is available at around S$2,300 to S$2,500 per eye. FLEX may even be reversible, which will help those who develop long-sightedness or presbyobia as they age. Professor Donald Tan, director, Singapore National Eye Centre, said: "Because we are not using the excimer laser to burn away the myopia, but we are actually cutting a lens shape out, we feel we might be able to make use of that again. "Our research at the Singapore Eye Research Institute is (that) now we have patented a technique where we can actually keep that lens piece, store it for the patient in case later on for whatever reason, maybe you develop "lau hua" (long sightedness) or anything else, we can implant that lens back ... and restore some of the myopia. "But that still remains to be seen. That's still under research."
Benchmark checklist for courts The Straits Times Oct 6, 2010 By K.C. Vijayan, Law Correspondent THE Subordinate Courts have teamed up with agencies abroad to craft a gold-standard performance checklist for judicial systems worldwide to adopt. The framework for promoting court excellence is the first of its kind in the world, noted Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye. The checklist, officially launched by Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong at the Asia-Pacific Courts Conference yesterday, will help courts deliver high-quality services through the benchmarking of themselves against the best. The seven areas in the checklist include key issues like court management, user satisfaction and public confidence, among other things. Present at yesterday's launch at the Raffles City Convention Centre were some 220 delegates from 56 countries, including Malaysia's Chief Justice Zaki Azmi, Singapore's Law Minister K. Shanmugam and its Attorney-General Sundaresh Menon. Known as the International Framework For Court Excellence, the model checklist was drawn up by a consortium of groups from Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States.
Two golds for Team S'pore The Straits times Oct 6, 2010 NEW DELHI - AQILAH Sudhir had a warning from judges. Jasmine Ser found her sight getting blurry. Gai Bin started thinking of gold. Only Nigel Lim seemed unperturbed. In shooting, in which 'a blank mind is the perfect state', according to Aqilah, even the slightest distraction can be costly. Yet, Singapore's shooters, all in their first Commonwealth Games, won their personal battles in their own way to deliver the Republic's first two golds of the New Delhi Games in scintillating fashion. Aqilah and Jasmine's win in the 50m rifle three-position was doubly impressive given it was a new event for them. Still, not only did they beat an experienced Indian team which included Tejaswani Sawant, who only two months ago was crowned the world champion in the 50m prone, but they also set a Commonwealth Games record with their combined score of 1,149. The Singapore pair beat the Indians by six points. 'I'm still in shock,' said Ser, 20, who talks to herself to shut out the rest of the world from her mind during competition. Aqilah Sudhir and Jasmine Ser won the women's 50m rifle three-positions pairs title. -- PHOTO: AFP
REMEMBERING MRS LEE 1920-2010: 'Without her, I would be different' The Straits Times Oct 7, 2010 By Irene Ngoo IN a moving eulogy to his wife of 63 years, which brought tears to those attending the private funeral service of the late Madam Kwa Geok Choo at Mandai Crematorium on Wednesday afternoon, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew fondly recalled her devotion to him, the simple pleasures they enjoyed in the evening and how the matriarch of the family brought up her three children and doted on her grandchildren. Even as he grieved over her passing - which 'cannot be expressed in words' - MM celebrated her life in his 'last farewell to my wife', remembering the wonderful moments of their family life together and the life-long values she had taught their children. He shared personal anedotes with the gathering of close friends and relatives, Cabinet ministers, MPs, grassroots and community leaders who came to say their last goodbye to Madam Kwa, acknowledged by many as the 'mother of the country'. Minister Mentor began his eulogy, recounting how he met Madam Kwa, who became his constant companion since they both studied in Cambridge University in 1947. Mr Lee spoke of how Choo, as he called his wife, influenced his writing style, brought up their children to be 'well-behaved, polite, considerate and never to throw their weight as the prime minister's children', and the evening walks with her in the Istana grounds where their official residence was. 'We would walk around the Istana gardens in the evening, and I hit golf balls to relax,' recalled MM Lee. 'Later, when we had grandchildren, we would take them to feed the fish and the swans in the Istana ponds. Then we would swim.' On her contributions to the nation, MM Lee said Madam Kwa helped him draft the Constitution of the People's Action Party, and also an undertaking in the Federation of Malaysia Constitution to guarantee the two water agreements between the PUB and the Johor state government. 'She was precise and meticulous in her choice of words,' said MM Lee. The last two years of her life were the most difficult after Mrs Lee was bedridden following several successive strokes. It was also the hardest for MM Lee. 'She could not speak but she was still cognisant,' said MM Lee. 'Every night she would wait for me to sit by her to tell her of my day's activities and to read her favourite poems. Then she would sleep. ' In his parting words, MM Lee said: 'I have precious memories of our 63 years together. Without her, I would be a different man, with a different life. 'She devoted herself to me and our children. She was always there when I needed her. She has lived a life full of warmth and meaning. 'I should find solace at her 89 years of life well lived. But at this moment of the final parting, my heart is heavy with sorrow and grief.' Quotes from MM Lee's eulogy 'She had simple pleasures. We would walk around the Istana gardens in the evening, and I hit golf balls to relax. Later, when we had grandchildren, she would take them to feed the fish and the swans in the Istana ponds. Then we would swim.' 'She had an uncanny ability to read the character of a person. She would sometimes warn me to be careful of certain persons; often, she turned out to be right.' 'Her last wish she shared with me was to enjoin our children to have our ashes placed together, as we were in life.' AFTER HER SECOND STROKE... 'Her mind remained clear but her voice became weaker. When I kissed her on her cheek, she told me not to come too close to her in case I caught her pneumonia. I assured her that the doctors did not think that was likely because I was active. When given some peaches in hospital, she asked the maid to take one home for my lunch. I was at the centre of her life.' 'Her last wish she shared with me was to enjoin our children to have our ashes placed together, as we were in life.' MM Lee reading his eulogy to his wife at the Mandai Crematorium. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
REMEMBERING MRS LEE 1920-2010: 'I was the centre of her life' The Straits Times Oct 7, 2010 By Chua Mui Hoong 'Without her, I would be a different man, with a different life. 'She devoted herself to me and our children. She was always there when I needed her. 'She has lived a life full of warmth and meaning. I should find solace in her 89 years of life well lived. But at this moment of the final parting, my heart is heavy with sorrow and grief.' - Minister Mentor saying one last goodbye to his wife, life-long companion and confidante of 63 years. A WIFE who put her husband at the centre of her life. A loving but strict Mama who fretted over her children, even when they were studying and working abroad. And a doting Nai Nai to her grandchildren, who shared her love for books with them. This was the picture of Madam Kwa Geok Choo that emerged from the loving eulogies delivered by her family members at her funeral service at Mandai Crematorium on Wednesday afternoon. Madam Kwa had been hospitalised after a second stroke in May 2008 and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew recalled an incident from that time in his eulogy on Wednesday. 'When given some peaches in hospital, she asked the maid to take one home for me for my lunch. I was at the centre of her life,' he said. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his Mama had been a skilful knitter. He still had a favourite rust-coloured sweater she had knitted for him when he had left home to study at Cambridge University. Madam Kwa died last Saturday, aged 89. Thousands braved the heat and long queues over the last two days to pay their respects at the Istana to a woman who was intensely private but touched many with her quiet warmth and supportive stance by her husband's side. Those who knew her described her as caring and witty, a gentle yin foil to her husband's yang assertiveness. Her final journey began just before 4pm , when the cortege with her body borne by a ceremonial gun-carriage travelled from the Istana down Thomson Road to Mandai Crematorium, where friends awaited. Mrs Lee was a pioneer in her own right, for her scholastic achievements and for her successful law practice. A meticulous lawyer, she is also credited with drafting part of a key amendment to the Separation Agreement when Singapore and Malaya parted ways in 1965. She shunned the public limelight, preferring to remain in her role of supportive wife, loving mother and doting grandmother. And it was thus her family knew her, as they said in fond tributes at a private funeral service at once solemn and loving. Recalling her life full of warmth and meaning, MM Lee said: 'I should find solace at her 89 years of life well lived. But at this moment of final parting, my heart is heavy with sorrow and grief.' 'I should find solace at her 89 years of life well lived. But at this moment of final parting, my heart is heavy with sorrow and grief,' MM Lee said. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
Trial of Romanian diplomat Ionescu opens in Bucharest Channel NewsAsia 06 October 2010 2232 hrs By Claudia Craiu BUCHAREST, Romania : Special Envoy to Romania, Ambassador Anil Kumar Nayar, has said the Singapore government will do its best to help justice be served in the case involving former Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu. Ambassador Nayar and his team were at the opening of Ionescu's trial in Bucharest on Wednesday over the hit-and-run accidents in Singapore last year which claimed the life of a pedestrian. Mr Ionescu has denied responsibility. Another victim, who was severely injured in the accident in December, also showed up at the trial. The former Romanian diplomat appeared in court again on Wednesday, but this time, he met one of his victims, Bong Hwee Haw, who came to Romania accompanied by his mother and his attorney, N. Srinivasan. Two major surprises occurred in court at Wednesday's hearing. The first surprise was that the insurance company which had insured the Romanian embassy's car was allowed to claim damages. Its representatives are expected to testify in court on November 17. The second surprise came when Ionescu's attorneys filed a motion to make Romania's Foreign Office pay for their client's damages. The former diplomat's defence also had an extra barrister to assist the existing barrister, Nelu Tasca. Mr Bong's solicitor was not recognised as a certified lawyer by the Romanian law but he was, nonetheless, allowed to continue to represent his client. Mr Bong also mentioned that he wanted no compensation from Ionescu for his suffering, but he wanted justice to be served. Mr Bong gave no testimony as to what happened on December 15, as he is expected to return on the next court date on November 17. His lawyer mentioned that Mr Bong is still recovering and has only partial recollections of what happened that night. - CNA/al
$3.5m to unclog Little India The Straits Times Oct 7, 2010 Roads cleared, walkways widened to ease car, pedestrian congestion By Maria Almenoar A $3.5 MILLION project to ease the congestion on roads and pedestrian walkways in Little India is close to completion. Over the last year, the authorities have worked with shopkeepers and residents in the area to put in place measures that will keep traffic flowing smoothly and pedestrians off the roads. To ease the persistent traffic jam on the main thoroughfare, Serangoon Road, the back lanes of adjacent roads have been cleared. Illegal fixtures such as awnings and gas tanks have been removed so that vehicles can drive into these lanes and load and unload their goods, instead of doing so on Serangoon Road. The direction of traffic flow on Clive Street, which runs parallel to Serangoon Road, has also been reversed so that it now runs in the same direction as Serangoon Road. This serves as an alternative for motorists heading to some of the small streets off Serangoon Road, said the chairman of the Little India Task Force, Mr Ler Seng Ann, who is from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Previously, temporary poles with large concrete bases and generators that cluttered the pedestrian walkways had to be put up to support festive decorations. -- ST PHOTOS: ALPHONSUS CHERN
REMEMBERING MRS LEE 1920-2010: I inherited her love of reading The Straits Times Oct 7, 2010 INSTEAD of a television set which keeps many children company at other homes, Li Shengwu, growing up, had a 'tall, well-stocked bookshelf' with books picked by his 'Nai Nai', which would develop in him a love of learning and reading, and the 'kind of knowledge not found in print.' Paying tribute to Mrs Lee Kuan Yew, his grandmother, at her funeral service on Wednesday afternoon, grandson Li Shengwu, 25, who is Mr Lee Hsien Yang's eldest child, said the books contributed to much of his early childhood literacy. 'She chose our books well, and the selection was expansive, ranging from Peter Rabbit to a picture book on exotic animals, from Roald Dahl to Arthurian legend,' said Mr Li, whose personal anecdotes about his 'Nai Nai' brought smiles to the gathering who filled three halls at Mandai Crematorium, amid the grief and sorrow over the passing of the wife of Singapore's founding father, and who has been acknowledged as the 'mother of the country. In a rare glimpse into Mrs Lee, the former Kwa Geok Choo, who was known to be a very private person, Mr Li said the best books were placed on a 'yet higher shelf' - up the stairs and in her own bedroom, where she kept the accumulated stories of a lifetime's reading. There he found a hoard of books ranging from Chaucer and Shakespeare, the Sejarah Melayu, Confucius and Mencius, to King Arthur and Thomas Malory. 'Without her urging or insistence, I inherited her love of the kind of stories that are now called fairy-tale or fantasy, but used to be, simply, stories,' said Mr Li, a masters student in economics at Oxford University. 'It took me more than a decade to discover The Odyssey, Beowulf and Le Morte D'Arthur, but Nai Nai had the patience to sow the kinds of seeds that take long to fruit.' Mr Li's eulogy was peppered with poems, which included verses from Shakespeare and Samuel Butler. Hailing her as a 'great person; lively, quick-minded and kind,' he said: 'Her passing is to us an inconsolable loss, and it cuts keenly.' He added that the lives of his 'Ye Ye' (grandfather Lee Kuan Yew) and 'Nai Nai' are a story which will occupy many volumes. Earlier, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his eulogy, also spoke of his mother's passion for reading and remembered her bringing him and his siblings to the National Library in Stamford Road every fortnight to borrrow books from the children's section. 'By the time we graduated to the adult's section, we must have read hundreds of books, and had picked up a lifelong love for books and reading,' said PM Lee.' Without her urging or insistence, I inherited her love of the kind of stories that are now called fairy-tale or fantasy, but used to be, simply, stories,' Mr Li said. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
Eulogy by li shengwu AT THE FUNERAL SERVICE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW, MANDAI CREMATORIUM, 6 OCTOBER 2010 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to gain, And a time to lose (Ecclesiastes 3:1-6, some lines omitted) President S R Nathan, Distinquished guests and family who are here to honour my grandmother's memory, Ye Ye, Pe Pe, Gu Gu, Papa. One of our family's abiding institutions is the Sunday Lunch. Our three (once four) generations gather to Oxley Road on Sundays and share a meal. When I was little, the grandchildren tended to eat far too fast and play far too loudly. I remember Nai Nai's good humour as we mistook her rocking chair for a climbing frame. In lieu of a television, Nai Nai provided a tall, well-stocked bookshelf next to the childrens' table, and thereby contributed much of my early childhood literacy. She chose our books well, and the selection was expansive, ranging from Peter Rabbit to a picture book on exotic animals(on the lowest shelf), from Roald Dahl to Arthurian legend (on the higher shelves). I never saw what was on the highest shelf; it was a very tall bookshelf and I was not a very tall child. Little did I suspect that the best books were on a yet higher shelf; up the stairs and in Nai Nai's bedroom, where she kept the accumulated stories of a lifetime's reading, a hoard of Chaucer and Shakespeare, the Sejarah Melayu, Confucius and Mencius, to which the cheery bookshelf downstairs was a mere shadow or stepping stone. The King Arthur of Roger Lancelyn Green occupied the downstairs bookshelf; the King Arthur of Thomas Malory held court upstairs. Without her urging or insistence, I inherited her love of the kind of stories that are now called fairy-tale or fantasy, but used to be, simply, stories. It took me more than a decade to discover The Odyssey, Beowulf and Le Morte D'Arthur, but Nai Nai had the patience to sow the kinds of seeds that take long to fruit. Nai Nai had the benefit of a classical education, and upon returning from my studies overseas I discovered that she had long been reading the Greek philosophers that I had late come to appreciate. Well-worn copies of Plato's Republic and Symposium occupied places near her bedside. I wish we'd had the chance to talk about them. It is well to say that Nai Nai lives on in memory, but she was more than memory. She was a great person; lively, quick-minded and kind. Her passing is to us an inconsolable loss, and it cuts keenly. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings has for decades been a family favourite. In its final chapters, at the parting of the fellowship, the wizard Gandalf counsels, "Go in peace! I will not say, 'Do not weep!', for not all tears are an evil." Ye Ye and Nai Nai's lives are a story to occupy many volumes. Coming late into the narrative, I am a minor character who has missed many chapters. I cannot bear witness to the earlier plot twists, climaxes and denouements. But I know that they have loved one another steadfastly, through many trials and joys. The Bard tells us, "Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove: O no! It is an ever-fixéd mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose Worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come: Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom." (William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116) Nai Nai and Ye Ye have been, to me, an example of that kind of love. Nai Nai's grandchildren arrived relatively late in her life, and she loved each one [/SIZE]dearly. When Huanwu and I were children, we became entangled in a book on Cat's Cradle, a game of string figures played with a loop of twine and four hands. Seeing our difficulty, Nai Nai carefully unknotted our initial attempts, and showed us new spiderweb configurations mentioned nowhere in the book's pages. She passed to her grandchildren a love of learning and reading, as well as the kind of knowledge not found in print. Samuel Butler wrote, “I fall asleep in the full and certain hope That my slumber shall not be broken; And that though I be all-forgetting, Yet shall I not be forgotten, But continue that life in the thoughts and deeds Of those I loved.” We love you, Nai Nai, and we will remember you.
Concert to mark China-S'pore ties The Straits Times Oct 7, 2010 By Lai Han-Wei AN ARTS and cultural showcase will be staged to commemorate 20 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China. To be presented by Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) and the Chinese Embassy, the showcase will mark the two-decade relations between the two countries, established on Oct 3, 1990. In a statement, Mica said that 'close geographical proximity and similar cultural interests have also led to regular exchanges in the arts, culture and media' which strengthened bilateral bonds. To mark the occasion, a ballet gala performance by the National Ballet of China will be held from Oct 8-9, and an oil painting and photo exhibition will take pace from Oct 20 to 31. Singapore Post and China Post will also issue a joint commemorative prepaid envelope to celebrate the milestone on Oct 18. Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, said: 'Over the years, audiences in China and Singapore have had many opportunities to enjoy performances and exhibitions by prominent Chinese and Singaporean artists and performing groups. 'All these exchanges add flavour and colour to the extensive cooperation between China and Singapore and provide numerous avenues to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation between our people and our artists.'
Commonwealth Games: Singapore wins two more medals Channel NewsAsia 07 October 2010 1624 hrs By Tan Yo-Hinn | SINGAPORE: Team Singapore have won two more medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. National shooters Jasmine Ser and Aqilah Sudhir bagged a silver and bronze respectively in the women's individual 50m rifle 3 positions final. Ser shot a total of 672.6, while Aqilah shot 671.3. Australia's Alethea Sedgman won the event with a 676 total. The result brings Singapore's medal haul to two gold, two silver and two bronze - all from shooting events - as at 4pm Thursday
RWS 'has edge over rival' Oct 8, 2010 Location, loyalty programme among draws, experts say By Ng Kai Ling RESORTS World Sentosa (RWS) has the edge over its rival Marina Bay Sands (MBS), architects and gaming industry experts said yesterday. They believe the Sentosa integrated resort (IR) gives customers a better user experience which will keep them returning and spending. Speaking on the sidelines of the Asian Casino and Gaming Congress at MBS, the experts said that in terms of accessibility and customer service, RWS has started off with a stronger hand. Both IRs opened this year, but the experts said that RWS' loyalty programme and location gave it an advantage. RWS is tapping into its Malaysian parent company Resorts World Berhad's experience in running a casino in a market much like Singapore, with a large customer base built up over 39 years. Like most casinos, it uses a loyalty programme which it calls Genting Rewards to entice customers to return. Gamblers accumulate points to offset against hotel stays and show tickets. An aerial view of Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, prior to its opening in January 2010. -- PHOTO: ST/ALPHONSUS CHERN
EDB to partner industry groups to attract foreign firms Channel NewsAsia 07 October 2010 2337 hrs By Hoe Yeen Nie SINGAPORE: As Asia continues to grow, more international and Asian companies will want to expand into the region. And the Economic Development Board wants to woo them to Singapore, by getting local industry bodies to play matchmaker. The effort is targeted at global mid-sized companies that can give Singapore an edge in innovation. Research and development is big business in Singapore. It is expected to get even bigger, said Senior Minister Professor S Jayakumar at the Global Entrepolis Summit in Singapore on Thursday. "Strong R&D capabilities will make Singapore more attractive to companies seeking innovations that are tailored to Asian markets," he said. In September, the government announced a S$16.1 billion budget for Research, Innovation and Enterprise from 2011 to 2015. That's an increase of about 20 percent from the current five-year budget, and stands as sharp contrast to the R&D cutbacks seen in other countries. Already, many view Singapore as a gateway to the region. EDB's managing director Dr Beh Swan Gin said: "We are seeing a lot of American companies, European companies, who recognise that to do well in the years ahead, they have to be in Asia. So they are choosing a place in Asia to stage their efforts and their activities, and Singapore is being picked." But EDB says these foreign firms need support, especially mid-sized ones that have fewer resources. Such support includes help with staffing, navigating corporate and tax laws, and getting in touch with contractors and suppliers. That's where the local business community can come in. Over the next six months, EDB plans to form partnerships with 10 industry organisations, such as the national chambers of industry and commerce, to help mid-sized companies drive their expansion strategies. To kick-start this new effort, EDB has chosen the Singapore Business Federation as its first partner. Singapore Business Federation's Chief Operating Officer, Victor Tay, said: "It's what they call the multiplier - the ability to attract them, the ability to speak the business lingo, the ability to appreciate all their business challenges when they set up in a new place, and the ability to convey what are the reliable services, connect them, and package them into alliances." Mr Tay said foreign firms can also ride on the SBF's presence in major growth markets like China. Singapore skyline
APL named Asia's top container shipping line for 3rd straight year Channel NewsAsia 07 October 2010 2359 hrs SINGAPORE : Singapore-based APL has been named "Asian Container Shipping Line of the Year" for the third consecutive year. The award was announced at the 12th annual Lloyd's List Asia awards on Thursday night. APL, the world's fifth largest carrier, said it won from a field of finalists which included Maersk Line and Emirates Shipping. The award was presented by Lloyd's List, one of the oldest and best-known shipping industry newspapers. An international panel of maritime leaders made the selection of Asia's top carrier. The judges singled out APL for service, innovation and on-time performance in Asia. APL President Eng Aik Meng said: "We're gratified to be recognised with this honour again. To have won in 2008, 2009 and 2010 shows the passion our employees have for the shipping industry and our customers."
10/10/10 The Straits Times Oct 11, 2010 A total of 830 couples in Singapore pick once-in-a-century date to exchange wedding vows, including 118 at mass event on Sentosa By Daryl Chin ON BOARD a yacht, submerged underwater and in a mass event on a beach, a total of 830 couples in Singapore said 'I do' on 10/10/10. The once-a-century affair saw hotels, florists, photographers and wedding solemnisers booked way in advance. Some hotels, like Pan Pacific Singapore, received bookings more than a year ago. The hat-trick of 10s saw the number of marriage registrations jump tenfold, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Registry of Marriages and Registry of Muslim Marriages. One couple who planned early for their 'Perfect 10' date were Mr Sunami Masahiro, 29, a Japanese businessman, and Ms Jennifer Wong, 25, a beauty consultant from Malaysia. They were part of a mass solemnisation at Sentosa's Siloso Beach, organised by the People's Association (PA), Lianhe Wanbao and Sentosa Leisure Group, which saw 118 couples tie the knot. The couple first met in October 2007 when Mr Masahiro was working in Singapore: 'I was lost in Kovan, an unfamiliar area to me, and I went into a shoe shop to ask for directions. I met Jennifer there and by the next day, we started talking on the phone.' Since then, Mr Masahiro has relocated to Singapore, and the couple's marriage in Sentosa took more than a year of planning. Said Ms Wong: 'It was well worth the effort - I really enjoyed the beach.' Couples gathered round at Siloso Breach as the MC did a lucky draw. -- PHOTO: ST/ALPHONSUS CHERN
S'pore to deploy more military assets The Straits Times Oct 8, 2010 By Lester Kok SINGAPORE will be deploying more military assets, over the course of next year, to the Gulf of Aden (GoA) to help in the fight against piracy. To reaffirm Singapore's commitment to the international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf, the Singapore Armed Forces will for the first time, deploy a Fokker-50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The plane will provide maritime air surveillance operations in the GoA later this year in December to next year February. The SAF has also accepted an invitation to command the international Combined Task Force 151, which patrols the GoA, for the second time in March to June next year. Following that, another SAF task group comprising of a Landing Ship Tank (LST) with two Super Puma helicopters, will also be sent for the third time to GoA, in the second half of next year. The announcement was made by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean in his speech at the SAF Overseas Service Medal presentation ceremony at Changi Naval Base on Friday, where medals were prsented to 302 servicemen who had contributed to the counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, a hotbed for pirate activity off the coast of Somalia.
Poly sector growing The Straits Times Oct 8, 2010 By Leow Si Wan A POLYTECHNIC education will become more relevant and valuable in the next two decades. At the closing ceremony of the 14th Polytechnic Forum on Friday night - a platform for poly students to discuss current and national issues - Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said the polytechnic sector here has bucked the global trend by continuing to expand. Addressing 300 students from the five polytechnics at the Ngee Ann Convention Centre, he said: 'We are among the very few countries that have kept the polytechnic sector. Countries such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Hong Kong have either amalgamated their polytechnics with specific universities or converted them to full universities.' In Singapore, however, about 42 per cent of the Primary 1 cohort go on to enrol at polytechnics, up from just 5 per cent 20 years ago. Numbers are expected to grow to 45 per cent of the cohort by 2015. He added that one in three students in Singapore who qualify for junior college opts to attend a polytechnic instead. Demand, he said, is increasing. Employers describe polytechnic graduates here as 'industry-ready the very day they graduate', Dr Ng said. He also said that Singapore's polytechnics show how institutions can be responsive to a changing environment, where employers are looking for more than just paper qualifications. A POLYTECHNIC education will become more relevant and valuable in the next two decades. -- PHOTO: NANYANG POLYTECHNIC
S'poreans 2nd richest in Asia The Straits Times Oct 8, 2010 By Gabriel Chen SINGAPORE ranks fourth globally and second in Asia Pacific in terms of average personal wealth, according to the inaugural global wealth report by Credit Suisse Research. Average wealth per adult in Singapore has grown strongly in the last decade, rising from US$105,000 (S$137,100) per adult to over US$250,000 in 2010, supported by a period of strong domestic economic growth and asset price increases. Singapore's two-fold increase in average wealth per adult has also been accompanied by a 7 per cent slide in average debt. From a macro perspective, the report finds that the global wealth currently held by 4.4 billion adults has increased 72 per cent since 2000 to reach US$195 trillion. Singapore ranks fourth globally and second in Asia Pacific in terms of average personal wealth. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
8,000 needy elderly to benefit from national medical subsidy scheme Channel NewsAsia 10 October 2010 1932 hrs By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid SINGAPORE : Come April 1 next year, some 8,000 more needy senior citizens (aged 65 years and above) will stand to benefit from a national medical subsidy scheme that will be extended to five more chronic diseases. Under the Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS), those suffering from illnesses like schizophrenia and major depression can receive outpatient care with their neighbourhood general practitioners (GPs) at rates comparable to polyclinics. Dr Kong Kum Leng has treated patients who suffer from chronic illnesses like schizophrenia and depression. And the GP said managing their condition and meeting medical expenses can be quite a challenge. But he said the situation is set to improve when PCPS is extended to them. DR Kong said: "Some of the early-stage schizophrenia patients may not have been in employment, and will not have sufficient savings in the Medisave - this is where tapping on the Medisave becomes very difficult. PCPS will help to a certain extent. The subsidy given to them will help them a long way, in fulfilling their medical expenses." Doctors said when helping such patients, the need for constant medication, supervision and family support is of great importance. And all these can be further improved on when patients receive treatment at clinics near to their homes. Doctors said this can also help to further overcome any stigma associated with the illness when getting treatment in such a setting. Their conditions can also improve faster as fall-out from treatment can be averted. Dr Adidah Hassan, a GP said: "Polyclinics' waiting time can be very long, so it may not fit into their schedule. But they can come here (neighbourhood clinics) at their own time - morning or night, it doesn't matter." Under the latest move, the benefits will also be extended to those suffering from stroke, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bringing the total number of illnesses covered under the scheme to eight. Currently, PCPS covers those suffering from diabetes, hypertension and lipid disorders. There are some 28,500 PCPS card holders. Last year, GPs served nearly 60,000 clinic attendances for these patients. The Ministry of Healthy (MOH) said GPs received about $1.2 million in subsidies funded by the government, reducing the medical expenses of the patients. Separately, the MOH said the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) that aims to prevent complications that could lead to costly hospitalisation has seen some progress. Under the programme, patients with common chronic diseases are treated by polyclinics and GPs on protocols established as international best practices. Most patients - about 81.8 per cent - are above 50 years old. Its review has shown that patients are getting better health outcomes as the programme works closely with their family physicians to actively manage their diseases through regular monitoring, appropriate medical treatment and lifestyle changes. For example, it has been found that CDMP patients with diabetes who stayed for a year or more on the programme did not get hospitalised as often as those who were on the programme for less than 12 months. The number of patients who use Medisave under the programme has also gone up by more than six times - from 20,092 in 2006 to over 123,744 last year. An elderly patient has her blood pressure measured
