On the other hand, I got to know Oldhand better and he showed me his array of "mouth-watering" rackets, the latest in the Li Ning range as well. He even offered me to test one of his better rackets and I felt very confident holding it in my hand and sparring with him. Naturally, with such sturdy rackets, he won his first match with his partner, Jimmy, quite easily! And Oldhand is also an oldhand at taping his handle grips!
Productivity a vital issue The Straits Times Nov 26, 2009 By Sue-Ann Chia EVEN as a government-led panel prepares a blueprint for new ways to grow the economy, a think-tank has outlined what Singapore needs to do to remain competitive and relevant in the global marketplace. Chief among the recommendations of the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) is that businesses must address declining labour productivity levels by going beyond just getting workers to go for training to up their skills level. Companies have to change the way they do business, redesign work processes and provide products and services with higher customer value, the ACI said in its Singapore Competitiveness Report 2009 released yesterday. The report provides policymakers with 'options to consider while preparing Singapore for the next level of competitiveness', said a statement from the ACI, which is part of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Its recommendations are directed at the Economic Strategies Committee led by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and tasked with finding novel ways to transform the economy. The ACI's report said Singapore should not overreact to the current economic crisis as its fundamentals are solid and there is no reason to make dramatic changes. Said ACI director Neo Boon Siong: 'We are not falling off the cliff, so there's no need for major changes for the immediate or short term.'
CJ Chan gets jurists award The Straits Times Nov 25, 2009 By K C Vijayan CHIEF Justice Chan Sek Keong has become the first Asian jurist to be given the International Jurists Award by the International Council of Jurists (ICJ). India's President Pratibha Patil presented the 2009 award to CJ Chan on Saturday at the start of a two-day ICJ meeting in New Delhi. The event was part of the ICJ's conference on 'Terrorism and the Rule of Law' attended by some 3,000 delegates from several countries. ICJ president Adish Aggarwala said the award was given to CJ Chan in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the administration of justice. 'His achievement has enhanced the dignity of the Asian judiciary,' said Dr Adish. Previous recipients of the award, given out since 2007, included the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom , Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers and Canada's Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin. CHIEF Justice Chan Sek Keong has become the first Asian jurist to be given the International Jurists Award by the International Council of Jurists (ICJ). -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
S'pore, Jiangsu step up ties The Straits Times Nov 25, 2009 By Reico Wong SINGAPORE and Jiangsu are set to step up cooperation in the environmental services sector and the promotion of investment opportunities in northern coastal cities such as Lianyungang, Yancheng and Nantong. This was agreed on during the third Singapore-Jiangsu Cooperation Council meeting held in Wuxi on Wednesday. This comes after the Jiangsu Coastal Development Plan was recently endorsed as a national strategy by China's central government. Co-chaired by Singapore's Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, and Jiangsu Party Secretary Liang Baohua, the council reviewed its work report for this year and discussed next year's workplan. The council said it will continue to focus on six key areas next year - in trade and economic, environmental services, vocational and technical education as well as education exchanges, tourism, science and technology, and the training of Jiangsu officials. Moving forward, Mr Khaw said both sides will step up mutual collaboration in sustainable green development, especially in water treatment and other environmental services, identify integrated multi-sector projects to scale up benefits of collaboration, and seek partnership opportunities in the Jiangsu Coastal Development Plan.' Mr Khaw noted that Jiangsu places high priority on the quality of water and its conservation of Lake Tai and said Singapore companies can contribute in these areas. 'We are exploring undertaking demonstration projects in selected Jiangsu cities using a Public-Private-Partnership approach,' he added. 'The Jiangxinzhou project is very promising and I hope more Singapore companies can participate in this iconic development.' Mr Khaw (left) and Jiangsu party secretary Liang Baohua during an official call last night in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. Mr Khaw said both sides will step up mutual collaboration in sustainable green development, especially in water treatment and other environmental services. -- ST PHOTO: GRACE NG
German R&D lab in NTU The Straits Times Nov 25, 2009 By Chua Hian Hou , Technology Correspondent GERMANY'S Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the R&D giant known for its work on the MP3 digital music format, will set up a new $10 million institute to conduct research in digital media at the Nanyang Technological University. The Fraunhofer Singapore institute will employ 20 researchers when it opens mid-2010, NTU and Fraunhofer announced on Wednesday. More will be hired later to do cutting-edge research in computer graphics and virtual reality as part of its foray into Asia, said Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research's director, Professor Dieter Fellner. The number will be upped to 50 by 2013, and possibly even more over time, said Prof Fellner. Some possible research areas include new ways to capture every single possible detail of 'cultural heritage' objects, like a historical building or other artifact digitally, so that future generations can experience them even when the physical item is gone. Fraunhofer, which specialises in developing commercial applications out of cutting-edge academic research, is Europe's biggest research body with an annual research budget of 1.5 billion euros. It employs over 10,000 full-time researchers in its 60 research institutes.
Boom time for creative arts grads The Straits Times Sep 04, 2008 90 per cent of graduates polled found jobs within three months of graduating By Amelia Tan A BURGEONING arts scene has opened up more job opportunities for digital animators, actors, dancers and film-makers. The many animation and design studios opening here, a Universal Studios theme park in one of the integrated resorts, and an art and exhibition gallery in the upcoming mega shopping mall Ion Orchard are creating these job opportunities, noted Education Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday. 'But the sum effect is much more - a change in the image of Singapore...We will need more professionals who can contribute to the varied tastes and lifestyles as Singapore becomes an even more cosmopolitan city,' he said in his speech at the LaSalle College of the Arts convocation ceremony held yesterday at the Suntec convention centre. Employment statistics cited by LaSalle president and chief executive officer Lee Suan Hiang confirmed that things are looking up for creative arts graduates: A survey done last year showed that almost 90 per cent of graduates polled found jobs within three months of graduating. The number of arts-related companies and societies registered here has almost doubled in the last decade to 794. Nearly 27,000 arts activities and 7,450 performances were held last year and almost 1.5 million people attended a ticketed performance. The dean of the faculty of media arts, Mr Wolfgang Muench, said that to prepare students for careers in a changing arts industry, faculty members regularly consulted industry professionals when courses were being designed. Film major Boo Junfeng, 25, who graduated yesterday with first-class honours in his Bachelor of Arts course, also picked up the inaugural McNally Award for Excellence in Arts for being the overall top student. It is named after LaSalle's founder, Brother Joseph McNally. Mr Boo, who won multiple awards for his film Keluar Baris in the 21st Singapore International Film Festival held in April, said he gained a lot from the college's requirement that students of different disciplines such as film, theatre, music and dance work together in projects. 'This allowed me to experiment with new techniques and enhance the way I tell stories in my films,' he said.
Facelift for Hong Lim centre The Straits Times Nov 25, 2009 By Lim Wei Chean HONG Lim Food Centre at Block 531A Upper Cross Street will be closed for upgrading works from next March. A temporary hawker centre will be set up at Hong Lim Park's Speakers' Corner in the meantime until $6 million renovation works are completed in the first half of 2011, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a statement on Wednesday. 'The upgrading seeks to inject a new lease of life into the centre that was built in 1978, and provide an infrastructure where the stallholders can maintain better hygiene conditions,' said NEA. 'In addition, patrons can look forward to a new environment that is more conducive for their marketing and dining needs. Key aspects of the upgrading include improved ventilation, upgraded toilet facilities and increased refreshment area.' The upgrading will see the market layout reconfigured to provide bigger passageways as well as ramps to make it accessible for the handicap and the elderly. The sanitary and plumbing pipes will also be replaced, floor and wall tiles changed and fire safety features improved. During the renovation, some of the hawkers and wet market stalls will operate from a temporary centre set up at a rarely used section of Speakers' Corner at Hong Lim Park, just a stone's throw from the current food centre. Some 77 hawker centres have been upgraded under the NEA Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme to date. Several other centres currently being upgraded include Block 270 Queen Street and Block 628 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4. The upgrading will see the market layout reconfigured to provide bigger passageways as well as ramps to make it accessible for the handicap and the elderly. -- PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Jet Li Singapore Citizen Now that Jet Li is a Singapore Citizen,.... Can somebody get him to do a 'special appearence' at like 2010 Singapore Open??? I'm sure it would help to generate more publicity for badminton. Get him on the live telly broadcast kind of thing.
I think Jet Li appeared in the recent Apec Summit meetings as one of the well known personalities to be interviewed by cadet/undergraduate reporters. He has started a foundation to promote charity.
Lo Hwei Yen scholarship The Straits Times Nov 26, 2009 By Sujin Thomas THE National University of Singapore law faculty has set up a scholarship in memory of Ms Lo Hwei Yen who died in the Mumbai terror attack a year ago. Ms Lo, 28, a lawyer who graduated from the faculty, was killed on Oct 27 in the attack that left about 170 dead. Applications are expected to open in the second quarter of next year for rising fourth year law students. The first scholar will be selected for the academic year beginning next August. The student will receive a scholarship award of $6,000 which will be used towards the payment of tuition fees. The initial endowment was pledged by Ms Lo's law firm, Stephenson Harwood. Professor Tan Cheng Han, Dean of NUS Law Faculty, said: 'Hwei Yen was a bright student and cherished member of the alumni family. We hope that through this scholarship, we can help to keep her memory alive in a positive way.' The National University of Singapore law faculty has set up a scholarship in memory of Ms Lo Hwei Yen who died in the Mumbai terror attack a year ago. -- PHOTO: MICHAEL PUHAINDRAN
Top PSLE girl from China The Straits Times Nov 26, 2009 By Jennani Durai THIS year's top student in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) could barely speak any English when she moved here from China in 2006 with her family. Qiu Biqing, 13, from Qifa Primary School (considered just a neighbourhood school, not a prestigious one), achieved an aggregate score of 290, with four A*s and a Distinction in Higher Chinese. Her father, Mr Qiu Guo Hua, 45, is a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, and her mother, Madam Xie Xiaojin, 42, is a research assistant there. They both work in a physiology lab. The top Indian pupil this year is Muhammad Saad Siddiqui from Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), and the top Malay pupil is Syafiqah Nabilah Bte Shamshera from Raffles Girls' Primary School. Biqing said that she improved her English by reading a lot, and not being afraid to speak aloud even if she made mistakes. She has a place in Raffles Girls' School through the Direct Schools Admission process and hopes to become a lawyer or a novelist. 97% can go to Secondary school OF THE 48,541 Primary 6 pupils who sat for the PSLE this year, 97.1 per cent were able to proceed to secondary school. Two-thirds of students were eligible for the Express course, around 22 per cent for the Normal (Academic) course, and around 12 per cent for the Normal (Technical) course. A total of 1,424 pupils (or 2.9 per cent) were assessed to be not ready to go on to secondary school. This cohort is the first to come under Subject-based Banding, which allowed Primary 5 students last year to have the option of taking a mix of subjects at Standard or Foundation level depending on their individual abilities. The top Indian pupil this year is Muhammad Saad Siddiqui from Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), and the top Malay pupil is Syafiqah Nabilah Bte Shamshera from Raffles Girls' Primary School. Qiu Biqing is seen here talking to Mr Haqam, her oral skills teacher who called to congratulate her. Mr Haqam had called another teacher's handphone, who then passed it along to Qiu. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
PSLE RESULTS: More from neighbourhood The Straits Times Nov 26, 2009 By Amelia Tan and Leow Si Wan NEIGHBOURHOOD schools have trumped their more storied counterparts in producing top students in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Seven of the 13 best students this year came from schools in the heartland: Qi Fa in West Coast, South View in Choa Chu Kang, Greenridge in Bukit Panjang, Rulang in Jurong West and Gongshang in Tampines. Last year, only two neighbourhood schools produced top scorers. Qi Fa also had the best overall student: Qiu Biqing, 13, the daughter of Chinese nationals who are now permanent residents, who scored 290 points. Hot on her heels were pupils like Gongshang's Joyce Sin, who scored 287, and South View's John Zhang and Michelle Lim, with 286. Overall, the results for this year's PSLE cohort were similar to that for last year South View's John Zhang and Michelle Lim, both scored 286 points. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
PSLE RESULTS: More from neighbourhood The missing picture of John Zhang and Michelle Lim, both of whom scored 286 points.
Christmas comes early to Orchard Road Orchard Road is Singapore's shopper's paradise, especially with at least three big new shopping malls being added this year and many others being upgraded. ION Orchard is the most popular followed by perhaps Orchard Central! To usher in more tourists from overseas, Orchard Road has been given a huge facelift, the walkways have been widened and aesthetically paved, modern street furniture has been installed and greenery, trees and flowers adorned the lush garden-like surroundings to provide fresh air and shade from the hot afternoon sun. But during this time of the year, it is better to be armed with a handy umbrella in case the skies should open up unexpectedly and pour out their sorrows. Whatever, it can't be worse off than the threatening cold and snow from non-tropical countries in the West. And during this time of the year, Christmas buntings and giant decorations continue to brighten up the place and give it an air of hospitality, happiness and hope. Welcome and do join us at Orchard Road during this Christmas season. At night Orchard Road will be transformed into a Fairy Land with lights galore!
No pay hike for ministers The Straits Times Nov 26, 2009 By Sue-Ann Chia SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT CABINET ministers, appointment holders and top civil servants will not be getting a pay increase for the second year running, in view of the uncertain economic recovery. Salaries were to have gone up in January as part of salary revisions that follow from benchmarking to the private sector. But the move was deferred at that time as Singapore had slipped into recession. Announcing the second deferment on Thursday, the Public Service Division (PSD) said that annual salaries of officers in the elite Administrative Service, and of political, judicial and statutory appointment holders, will in fact shrink by up to 22 per cent this year. This means that the annual salary for ministers at the entry-level grade of MR4, for example, will amount to $1.49 million this year, down from $1.92 million last year. For Administrative Officers on the Superscale Grade (SR9), annual pay packages will be down to $338,100 this year - a 15 per cent decline from $399,500 last year. As part of Government efforts to retain talent, salaries are benchmarked to top earners in the private sector and reviewed yearly. Cabinet ministers, appointment holders and top civil servants will not be getting a pay increase for the second year running, in view of the uncertain economic recovery. -- ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM
