Divergent views at forum on politics by Syed Amir Hussain 04:45 AM Mar 20, 2012 SINGAPORE - A question on the impact of last year's General Election (GE) on Government policies prompted divergent views at a forum on politics (picture) last night. Nominated Member of Parliament (MP) Tan Su Shan, who was among five panellists at the forum held at the National University of Singapore, argued that the Government's Budget for this year could arguably be "one of the more populist that we've seen in a long time" as a result of last year's GE. Mr Yee Jenn Jong, Non-Constituency MP and Worker's Party treasurer, drew a parallel to businesses. He said: "When the competition gets hotter, the incumbents have to respond." Member of Parliament (MP) for Ang Mo Kio GRC Intan Azura Mokhtar, however, disagreed that the Government is looking towards short-term moves now as a result of "a sudden change in tide". She said this year's budget "is needed, especially in terms of addressing the needs of those who need most help - the elderly, the low-income, the disabled". And People's Action Party (PAP) parliamentarians have been pushing for such policies for some time, she said. Yesterday's two-hour-long forum titled GE+1: Has Anything Really Changed? sought to explore changes here a year after the polls held last May. NUS law don Professor Kevin Tan noted there has been a "major generational shift in our demographics" with a new generation of voters who id not grow up in a post-colonial era looking at the world differently. The question to ask, he felt, is whether local politics is keeping up with the change. Dr Intan also noted that "definitely the old adage that our young ones are politically apathetic is not true". "Our younger generation is definitely a lot more aware about what's going on in the political arena," she said. Social media also give political parties a bigger platform to voice their thoughts, a view shared by both Mr Yee and NCMP Lina Chiam, chairman of the Singapore People's Party. Noting that social media such as socio-political blogs and websites are popular among youths, Dr Intan felt social media "is a force to be reckoned with and it's something that you can't quite run away from". Thus, she noted, the Government "is looking at it very seriously" and is stepping up on its new media approach while offering its perspectives online. Photo by DON WONG
More National Sports Associations to get multi-year funding Updated 10:55 PM Mar 19, 2012 SINGAPORE - More National Sports Associations have received the green light for multi-year funding this year, compared to 2011. The Singapore Sports Council said its annual grant exercise has given in-principle approval to the funding applications of 29 associations. In 2011, the number was 21. Introduced in 2009, multi-year planning was meant to help sports associations realise their medium-term strategies. Some S$62.48 million will be channelled into the funding exercise for 2012 - up from last year's S$62 million. National associations for table tennis, swimming and sailing will receive grants of more than S$1.5 million each, whereas rugby, athletics and basketball will get grants of S$500,000 to S$1 million. The council's chief of Sports Development Group, Bob Gambardella, said: "Champions are not made overnight. For Singapore to be able to produce champions on a sustainable basis, we need to have a sports pathway." He added that this requires talent identification, and structured training and competition programmes, which will need long-term planning. CHANNEL NEWSASIA Medals not the only gauge for funding By Ian De Cotta, TODAY | Posted: 20 March 2012 0630 hrs SINGAPORE: Despite poor performances in major competitions last year, badminton, shooting and netball remain in the top tier for the Government's annual funding exercise for the upcoming financial year (FY). In a press release issued on Monday, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) announced that they will disburse S$62.48 million to 48 national sports associations (NSAs) for FY 2012 - April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013 - an increase of S$480,000 over last year. While the Singapore Chess Federation and Special Olympics Singapore have been included in this year's funding exercise, Singapore Bodybuilding and Rollersports are not among the recipients. Badminton and shooting mostly struggled on the big stage last year but they are two of eight NSAs that will receive more than S$1.5 million for the new year, along with Netball Singapore, despite the national team finishing second from bottom at last year's world championships held here. Responding to queries, SSC chief of sports development group Bob Gambardella said performance at major competitions is not the only indicator as to how much money will be disbursed to NSAs. "It is not the only criteria we look (at)," he said. "We also look at the merits of their multi-year sports plans in meeting the needs of the sporting community and the ability of the NSAs to execute and implement such a plan based on their capacities and past track record." In 2010, the SSC introduced a multi-year-funding scheme of up to three years to help NSAs concentrate on their longer-term training and development plan for their athletes. Eight new NSAs have been given in-principle approval to receive multi-year funding, including Special Olympics and boxing, bringing the total to 29 The key performance indicator for boxing is to win gold medals at the 2015 SEA Games, which will be held here. Singapore Boxing Association president Syed Kadir said they have submitted a plan to the SSC that includes building up their youth and elite programmes. "We have already got these running and we have boxers coming up the ranks. Our target is two gold medals at the 2015 SEA Games and I think it is realistic," said Kadir. Special Olympics Singapore (SOS) are not looking at competition results. "While we aim for medals at special Olympics for our sportsmen and women, our targets are to increase the number of athletes into our existing sports and to help them with their intellectual disabilities," said SOS president Teo-Koh Sock Miang. "We are also putting in place a youth development programme for the under-8 children, to help them get active through sport." - TODAY
HK best place to do business, Singapore ranked 9th: Bloomberg Updated 08:54 AM Mar 21, 2012 LONDON - Hong Kong, a bastion of free-market policies and low corporate taxes as well as the gateway to the world's most populous nation, is the best place to do business, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Singapore came in joint ninth. Hong Kong secured top position in a new index based on six criteria including the degree of economic integration and labour costs. Holland, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia occupied the next four leading slots. The ranking marks a victory for Hong Kong 15 years after the city's return to Chinese sovereignty stoked concern that its role as an international financial hub would slide. Hong Kong's reputation for rule of law and corruption-free administration has helped distinguish the city from mainland China, which ranked 19th. Its links to the world's fastest-growing major economy have plus points by allowing it to serve as centre for the international use of the yuan, and last August China further relaxed limits on investment flows. "Hong Kong is a gateway to China, it has competitive tax rates and that makes it one of the natural choices for companies to set up their Asian headquarters," said Mr Tomo Kinoshita, deputy head of Asia economics research at Nomura Holdings. "It makes sense for companies that want to be close to China as well as the rest of Asia to use Hong Kong as their base." Bloomberg measured 160 markets on a scale of 0 to 100 per cent based on six factors. These are the costs of setting up business, hiring and moving goods; the degree of economic integration; less tangible costs such as inflation and corruption; and the readiness of the local consumer base, a category that includes the size of the middle class, household consumption and gross domestic product per person. Hong Kong scored 49 per cent, eclipsing Holland (48.3 per cent) and the US (46.9 per cent). Singapore was tied with Austria on 44.8 per cent, just behind eight-placed Tokyo but ahead of Switzerland and Canada. Of the top 50, Germany was the leader on the basis of cost of doing business, moving goods and less tangible costs, while the readiness of the local consumers was deemed best in the United Arab Emirates. Holland was deemed best for setting up a business. Brazil came bottom of the top 50 with 35.5 per cent, undershooting India at 35.9 per cent and Russia at 36.1 per cent. The World Bank ranks Singapore and Hong Kong top in its gauge focused on the ease of doing business. The Washington- based Heritage Foundation has named Hong Kong the world's freest economy for 18 successive years. BLOOMBERG [TABLE] [TR] [TD] The ''best countries for business'' rankings. Source: Bloomberg [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
WHO urges countries to stay united against tobacco companies by Ng Jing Yng 04:45 AM Mar 21, 2012 SINGAPORE - The fight against smoking is now at the crossroads as the tobacco industry takes on a more aggressive and explicit approach to undermine anti-tobacco measures, said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan yesterday. Countries such as Australia - which is being sued for its plain cigarette packaging legislation - are being targeted as they try to introduce tobacco control measures, said Dr Chan at the opening of the 15th World Congress on Tobacco or Health. This is the first time the five-day congress is being held in South-east Asia, with Singapore playing host to more than 2,600 participants from over 140 countries. Urging countries to stay united against tobacco companies, Dr Chan said: "What an industry wants to see is a domino effect. When one country's resolve falters under the pressure of costly, drawn-out litigation and threats of billion-dollar settlements, others with similar intentions are likely to topple as well." In Singapore, Health Promotion Board (HPB) chief executive Ang Hak Seng stressed that tough policies - such as banning tobacco advertising - will prevail, as the Government moves to bring down the smoking rate from the current 14 per cent to 10 per cent by 2020. But there is a need to pair them with bottom-up strategies, for instance by mobilising the community to convert smokers into activists. One challenge Mr Ang pointed out is in tackling smoking among youth, with 16 per cent of 19 to 29-year-olds currently smoking. "Telling the youth alone is not enough … we have to rebrand and take authority out of the equation," he said, citing HPB strategies such as creating smartphone applications where smokers planning to quit can get support from loved ones through a shared network and having peer support groups led by youth. Holding smoking cessation programmes at the workplace, where young adults spend most of their time, has also resulted in three in 10 smokers quitting, he added. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony yesterday, said that, moving ahead, Singapore's strategies will have to change as Singaporeans' social behaviour changes and the tobacco industry becomes more innovative in marketing to youth. He noted that while Singapore may have one of the lowest prevalence of smoking in the world, the rates have been picking up here, especially among younger smokers. "This is cause for concern as we do not want more of our young to pick up smoking and to continue the habit into their older years," Mr Gan cautioned. Dr Chan agreed with Singapore's inter-ministry approach towards tackling smoking. Recalling a visit to a country where a banana was more costly than a packet of cigarettes, she said: "It is easy to blame an individual for making bad choices (but) the government has a duty to provide a healthy environment for individuals to make healthy choices." WHO Tobacco Free Initiative director Douglas Bettcher applauded Singapore's efforts to drive down the prevalence of smoking, but pointed out there is still room here to increase taxes on tobacco products. He also felt that Singapore is now in a position to go further and suggested plain packaging for cigarettes to draw out health hazard warnings for smokers. [TABLE] [TR] [TD] BLOOMBERG [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
Singapore 'attractive target for espionage, foreign subversion' by Syed Amir Hussain 04:45 AM Mar 21, 2012 SINGAPORE - Even as the threat of terrorism persists post-911, the concurrent internal security "threats of espionage and foreign subversion are just as salient today as during the Cold War", said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday. Mr Teo, who is also Home Affairs Minister, noted that Singapore is situated "at the crossroads where the spheres of influence of major powers intersect" and also "an open society in a highly globalised world", which makes the country "an attractive target for espionage and foreign subversion", even by "friendly nations". Speaking at the 10th anniversary of the Internal Security Department's (ISD) Heritage Centre, he noted that a Singaporean Embassy staff member in Moscow was compromised and worked for the Soviet Union against Singapore's interest during the height of the Cold War. During the 1990s, the ISD dealt with "several cases" of espionage involving friendly nations. "The adage that "there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests" rings true," said Mr Teo. In highlighting other internal security threats such as the issue of self-radicalisation, as well as racial and religious extremism, Mr Teo noted that technology has been "a major game changer". A few cyber espionage attacks have already been countered, and more are expected, he said. "Our vulnerability has increased because of our own inter-connectivity, the cache of classified information that can potentially be stolen through electronic media, and our heavy reliance on IT systems for essential services," he added. While he noted that "the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and its affiliates continue to be a threat to Singapore" on the racial and religious extremism front, Mr Teo felt "the new variable in the racial and religious field is cyberspace". He said the Internet allows irresponsible, offensive and at times seditious comments about other races and religions to be made anonymously. Dangerous remarks on the Internet can go viral very quickly, "spiral out of control and rapidly damage inter-communal relations". "If transposed into action in the physical world, the consequences can be dire", added Mr Teo. He further noted that online and self-radicalisation also represent new forms of the terrorism threat. Yesterday, the new Counter-Terrorism gallery at the ISD Heritage Centre, which showcases security operations and intelligence work undertaken by ISD officers, was officially launched. The new gallery includes new cases and exhibits over the past 10 years since the disruption of the JI network here and features the inner mechanisms of the JI such as security tradecraft, recruitment efforts, physical and military training. The Heritage Centre hosted over 10,000 visitors last year and has reached out to another 70,000 through mobile exhibitions in schools, tertiary institutions, community centres and shopping malls. And as part of the ISD's outreach efforts, Mr Teo said the Heritage Centre will be working with the Ministry of Education to reach out to all national schools through mobile exhibitions that are "more student-centric" over the next two years. The gallery showcases case property seized from the Jemaah Islamiyah members. PHOTO COURTESY ISD
Singapore retains triple-A rating from Moody's Updated 04:39 PM Mar 20, 2012 SINGAPORE - Singapore has retained its triple-A rating from Moody's. According to a statement from the credit agency, Singapore's Aaa rating is supported by a high level of economic resiliency that is derived from rapid economic growth, rising per-capita income, and strong institutions. Moody's said that while Singapore lacks the size and the natural resources of most other nation states, its openness to global trade, finance, and immigration, together with an emphasis on human capital development, has driven its economic success. "These gains are also supported by the accumulation and prudent management of large fiscal and foreign currency reserves held at its sovereign wealth funds and its central bank," it added. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
New York City wins Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Published on Mar 21, 2012 By Robin Chan New York City has won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize this year for its urban rejuvenation since the devastating Sept 11 terrorist attacks more than a decade ago. The award will be given to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Departments of Transportation, City Planning and Parks and Recreation. Chairman of the prize nominating committee Kishore Mahbubani said: 'The city of New York is an inspiring story of urban rejuvenation. With bold vision, strong leadership, sheer determination, and excellent partnership between government and citizens, there is now a new sense of direction in the city.' He was speaking at the Raffles Hotel on Wednesday.
New initiatives launched to boost preschool standards [h=2]More study awards, career guide for teachers; kindergartens to get help for quality certification[/h] Published on Mar 21, 2012 By Lin Zhaowei THREE new initiatives announced on Tuesday are set to boost the standard of kindergartens here. The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced that more study awards for preschool teachers will be made available from this year, and a guide to career prospects is currently being finalised. In addition, kindergartens hoping to be certified under a voluntary quality assurance framework may apply for subsidised consultancy services to help them. Minister of State for Education Lawrence Wong said the MOE hopes to boost the number of preschools that are certified under the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework (Spark).
Expat schools to get more land to attract foreigners to stay This will spur them to think long-term about presence here Published on Mar 22, 2012 Canadian International School students perform a scene from the musical Footloose at the opening of its new Jurong West campus. The campus facilities include a 500-seat auditorium, swimming pool and soccer pitch. -- ST PHOTO: SAMUEL HE By Amelia Tan The Government will be releasing more land for international schools to use, so that Singapore continues to attract foreigners to live and work here. Second Minister for Trade and Industry S.Iswaran said that leasing out land for long-term use by international schools will encourage them to take a long-term view of their presence here. He said the Government has been encouraging international schools 'to set high standards and to invest in the resources that are commensurate with the expectations of parents and students in this global environment that we live in'. Mr Iswaran was speaking at the official opening of the new $140 million Canadian International School (CIS) in Jurong West. It sits on a 43,000 sqm plot of land, which has been leased from the Government for 30 years. The Jurong West campus currently has about 1,800 students aged between three and 18 years. The school plans to meet the maximum capacity of 3,300 in about three to five years. A further 750 students study at its Tanjong Katong campus.
New York City gets Lee Kuan Yew prize 04:45 AM Mar 22, 2012 SINGAPORE - New York City has been awarded the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize this year, after beating more than 60 nominations from all over the world. The prize was awarded yesterday to the Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, and the city's Departments of Transportation, Recreation, and City Planning and Parks for the city's transformation after the devastating Sept 11 attacks over a decade ago. The biennial award goes to cities and their administrative departments for outstanding contributions towards creating vibrant, liveable and sustainable urban communities. Cities and their people will need to live with changes and transformation in order to stay competitive, said Mr Bloomberg as he accepted the award at Raffles Hotel. "The pace of change is going to continue to grow and we're going to have to learn how to live with that, and it's going to provide great challenges to governments and to peoples, whether you're in Singapore, New York, or any other city," said Mr Bloomberg. "The difference is, successful cities will find ways to cope and unsuccessful cities will just throw up their hands. "If you had to make a bet, you'd bet on those who have been able to deal with change - like Singapore and like New York, and they're the ones most likely to be able to cope in the future." Professor Kishore Mahbubani, chairman of the prize nominating committee and dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said of New York City: "It's a very old city, very difficult to manage (and) has gone though very difficult times. "On a scale of difficulty, with one being the easiest (and) 10 being the most difficult, New York City is close to 10 in terms of difficulties in transforming and reinventing itself." The fact that New York City could against great odds transform itself was "a very strong winning point", he said, adding that Singapore can learn from how New York City has managed to accept and live with diversity. "I think one of the biggest mistakes Singapore has made recently is the belief that it is actually quite easy to be open, to welcome immigrants, to absorb them and to live with them. Now we're discovering it's not so easy," he said. "Frankly, New York City's capacity for absorbing immigrants is probably number one in the world." He added: "New York's capacity to accept diversity and to live with it is, I think, one of its great strengths - and I think that's something Singapore can learn from. "Singapore now has the great opportunity to become the capital city of Asia. Frankly, we're entering the Asian century; everybody wants to come to Asia. And just like New York City was the iconic city for the American century, Singapore can become the iconic city for the Asian century. "So to become the iconic city of the Asian century, we must learn to be more open, accept diversity and take full advantage of it - the way New York City did." Mr Bloomberg also met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other Cabinet ministers at the Istana yesterday evening. The World City Prize is jointly organised by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable Cities. PM Lee Hsien Loong and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the Istana yesterday. Photo by DON WONG
Formula One warming up for Singapore IPO 10:31 AM Mar 22, 2012 LONDON - Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone said yesterday he had recommended Singapore as the best place to float the motor racing business, seeking to tap Asian enthusiasm for international sporting brands. Mr Ecclestone, 81, stressed that he made the proposal, but a decision on any flotation was up to CVC Capital Partners, the private equity company that has owned a majority of the business since 2006. English soccer champions Manchester United also had plans for a US$1-billion (S$1.26-billion) flotation in the southeast Asian city state last year but put them on ice because of market volatility. The diminutive Mr Ecclestone, a former driver and team boss, has built Formula One - and with it his estimated US$4.2 billion fortune - from a circuit for motoring enthusiasts into a global enterprise that draws more than half a billion TV viewers for its races. It is banking on further geographical spread to keep its revenues growing, with a return to the United States later this year for a Grand Prix in Texas, after last year's inaugural race in India, and Russia joins the calendar in 2014. It will also race in Bahrain this year, despite continuing unrest, after last year's contest was shelved following a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests. A flotation for F1 has long been mooted, but the issue is made more urgent by the expiry this year of a confidential commercial agreement between the rights holding company and the teams whose cars compete in the 20-race series. Ecclestone said the flotation plan was not linked to the agreement with the teams and denied reports that Italy's Ferrari, the sport's best known team, and current champions Red Bull could be offered a stake in the business. CVC, which owns 63.4 per cent of F1, would continue to be a long-term holder of the business, and the initial public offering option being explored is for only part of the company, a source close to the matter said. Britain's Sky News has reported that CVC has asked Goldman Sachs to examine a placement of some F1 shares with a new investor as a precursor to a formal Singapore IPO. The Sky report put a potential valuation of over US$10 billion on the business. Goldman Sachs and CVC declined to comment. A minimum 15 per cent float in Singapore would make the deal worth US$1.5 billion. Investor reaction to such a listing could be difficult to gauge as there was plenty of scepticism around Manchester United's business and profitability when the club was preparing for a public float last year. "The same thing will apply to F1. At the end of the day it depends on their profitability and whether they can generate returns for shareholders," said Mr Ng Kian Teck, lead analyst at SIAS Research in Singapore. "But F1 has good branding and strong market share, and they are probably one of the few players that could do racing events to their kind of scale. That would probably put them on a better foothold compared to Man U." The F1 series had annual sales of US$1.55 billion and employs 200 people, according to the CVC website. F1's revenue for the current season, which began at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, will reach US$2 billion for the first time, said industry monitor Formula Money. In a recent report, Formula Money added that new races in the United States and Russia would help boost income from F1's commercial rights by almost 50 per cent to US$2.9 billion by 2015. REUTERS GETTY IMAGES
Changi Airport sees 11.2% rise in passenger traffic by Linette Lim 04:45 AM Mar 22, 2012 SINGAPORE - Passenger traffic at Changi Airport increased by 11.2 per cent year-on-year to 3.77 million last month. According to the Changi Airport Group (CAG) yesterday, there had been "strong travel demand across all regions". In particular, traffic between Singapore and the Middle East grew by more than 20 per cent, while traffic from other regions - the Americas, Europe, South Asia and South-east Asia - also saw double-digit growth. Accordingly, aircraft landings and take-offs rose by 13.1 per cent to 24,900 flights. Cargo movements, which had declined by 7.1 per cent in January due to the Chinese New Year holidays, rebounded. Data from the CAG showed that 143,900 tonnes of cargo was handled last month, up by 12.4 per cent year-on-year. Airfreight movements also grew 2 per cent year-on-year during the January-February period. As of March 1, Changi Airport serves about 100 airlines operating more than 6,100 weekly flights. Singapore Changi Airport. TODAY FILE PHOTO
Coming soon: A better way to treat cataracts by Amanda Lee 04:45 AM Mar 22, 2012 SINGAPORE - A safer, more reliable way has been rolled out by the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) to help treat cataracts, an age-related eye disease. The centre will introduce a femtosecond laser technology system, previously used in LASIK surgery, to perform cataract surgery procedures. This will give ophthalmologists more control when performing microsurgery within the eye, which may result in safer and more effective outcomes for patients. The technology will also allow the SNEC to ensure "better and more predictable outcomes" for patients, said Professor Donald Tan, the centre's medical director. Femtosecond lasers emit optical pulses of extremely short duration, allowing tissues to be cut more precisely and with almost no heat development. They also allow perfectly-centred shapes and patterns to be cut into the existing lens. The level of accuracy is higher than that possible with an ultrasound tool, which is the predominant technology used by cataract surgeons in removing the cataractous lens. The new system also offers the potential for bladeless surgery, as some lasers can now make corneal incisions. With the new technology, patients will pay the same rates as conventional cataract surgery. Average surgery time, however, will be shorter. "The future of cataract surgery lies in refractive-like outcomes, which SNEC has been evaluating for the last two years," said Associate Professor Chee Soon Phaik, head and senior consultant at the SNEC, who performed the procedure on 18 cataract patients overseas last year. The SNEC will launch the surgery at the end of this month or in the first week of next month.
National Plan of Action launched to combat human trafficking By Saifulbahri Ismail | Posted: 21 March 2012 1259 hrs SINGAPORE: Singapore has launched its National Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons aimed at taking a more holistic fight against human trafficking. This comes after a three-month long consultation with various stakeholders such as non-governmental agencies and foreign governments. This is the first time the country is taking a whole-of-government approach to tackle the issue. An inter-agency task force made up of officials from agencies like the Manpower Ministry, the Home Affairs Ministry and the Community Development, Youth and Sports Ministry was set up in 2010 to address this. The plan seeks to provide a common definition for trafficking to enhance the processes in victim identification and protection.
UN chief Ban to visit Singapore Posted: 21 March 2012 1845 hrs SINGAPORE: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is making an official visit to Singapore. The visit from March 22-23 is at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Mr Ban will be accompanied by his wife Mrs Ban Soon-taek, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Ms Noeleen Heyzer and senior officials from the UN. This will be Mr Ban's first official visit to Singapore as UN Secretary-General. During his stay, Mr Ban and his wife will call on President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Mrs Tan. Mr Ban will meet Prime Minister Lee who will also be hosting a dinner in honour of the visitors. Mr Ban will also be hosted to lunch by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and meet Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam. Mr Ban will deliver the inaugural IISS Fullerton Lecture organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (Asia). - CNA/cc
$976m shopping and arts complex near Holland V Published on Mar 22, 2012 A mock-up of Bouna Vista's first major mall in over 30 years, The Star Vista, which is due to open in September 2012 and boasts a 5,000 seat theatre. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG By Jessica Lim It has long been a hit with shoppers and diners alike. But for some, Holland Village is becoming a little too popular for its own good. Now, however, a new $976 million shopping and arts complex is set to take some of the pressure off the increasingly crowded enclave. Due to open in phases from September, The Star will be built next to Buona Vista MRT station and contain both a mall and a theatre. The development, which will have 110 shops and restaurants, is expected to serve more than 400,000 people within a 5km radius, said its general manager Billy Chua at the launch on Wednesday. This may be welcome news for residents, many of whom say other shopping spots nearby have become too packed. Mrs Susan Lim, 35, who lives a five-minute drive from the upcoming mall, Star Vista, said: 'Holland Village is getting really crowded. The coffee places there are always so packed. The new mall will give us all more options.' The nearby Jelita Shopping Centre also often has cars lining up for a parking space at weekends.
New Orchard mall to feature library, hotel and offices Published on Mar 21, 2012 Artist's impression of OrchardGateway. Expected to be ready in the second half of next year, this ground-breaking development is made up of two diagonally opposite sites. -- PHOTO: ORCHARD GATEWAY By Esther Teo A new Orchard Road mall will also feature an office block, a 500-room hotel and a library, its developers said on Wednesday. Orchardgateway, as it will be named, will comprise two towers on opposite sides of the road near Somerset MRT and linked by a glass overhead bridge. It is being jointly developed by OCBC Bank, Great Eastern Holdings and United Engineers. The retail portion features 180,000 square feet of leasable space over six floors, including two basement levels, for fashion outlets, lifestyle stores, restaurants and cafes. Office units will be situated above the six floors of shopping in one tower, while the other tower will house a hotel. Orchardgateway is targeted to open in the second half of next year. The development will also feature an 18,000 sq ft library at the mall, named library@orchard, which will open in 2014.
Eurasians gather for first reunion Many from across Asia-Pacific to attend two-day event Published on Mar 22, 2012 By Jennani Durai More than 200 Eurasians from across the Asia-Pacific will gather in Singapore on Friday for the first Eurasian Reunion. Organised by the Eurasian Association here, the event aims to connect the community across the region, as well as to 'renew old ties, make new friends, and celebrate our shared history, culture and heritage', said association president William Jansen. The two-day event will include a conference with a panel discussion, a gala dinner and the opening of the refurbished Eurasian Heritage Centre, situated in the Eurasian Community House along Ceylon Road. Mr Jansen told The Straits Times that he first had the idea of a Eurasian reunion in 2010, after attending the World Anglo-Indian Reunion in Perth, Australia.
Two of my varsity friends and I visited New York last October and we stayed in a hotel just overlooking the site which was then a great hive of activity. A number of skyscrappers surrounding Ground Zero were almost completed but some sites were still at foundation level. After about five months later, it will be another surprise transformation I'm sure. Anyhow, I now share with you some of what we saw then.
Singapore named most competitive economy in Asia Published on Mar 23, 2012 Singapore has the most competitive economy in Asia, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Boao Forum for Asia. -- THE BUSINESS TIMES PHOTO: ARTHUR LEE CH Singapore has the most competitive economy in Asia, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Boao Forum for Asia. The report said the city-state topped a list that reflected the strength, social development, infrastructure, human capital and innovation of 37 Asian economies. Trailing Singapore were Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Singapore has topped the list for two consecutive years, according to the English-language China Daily.
