singapore

S’pore appoints new ambassadors to Vietnam, Israel

aseanpr 20 1 月

2 minutes

The Government has appointed two new ambassadors - Mr Jaya Ratnam to Vietnam and Mr Lim Chuan Poh to Israel - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced yesterday. A career diplomat, Mr Ratnam has been with the foreign service since 1991 and was Singapore's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium from July 2016 to December last year. Prior to that, he was Singapore's High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam - from June 2012 to March 2016. A graduate of the National University of Singapore and Johns Hopkins University, Mr Ratnam has received awards for his work in the civil service, including the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2012 and Long Service Medal in 2014. He has served in various capacities both in Singapore and abroad, including in roles in the Permanent Mission in Geneva, the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta and the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Mr Lim also received his new appointment yesterday, taking up the role of non-resident ambassador to Israel, said the MFA media statement. He is currently chairman of the Singapore Food Agency, and has served in several high-ranking roles in public office. He was executive chairman of the Agency for Science, Techn...

New female manikin vest to help train rescuers on proper CPR technique for women

aseanpr 17 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A new vest that gives medical dummies a more feminine physique has been developed to help people being trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) better help female victims whose hearts have stopped and increase their chance of survival. Traditionally, CPR training is taught with manikins of a male physique. Rescuers may not be as familiar with performing CPR on women, said the Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF), which developed the manikin vest. Some also hesitate to perform chest compressions on women for fear of being accused of molest if they touch a female patient's breasts. Likewise, worries about outrage of modesty may stop them from using an automated external defibrillator (AED) to revive a woman. SHF board member Chee Tek Siong said such worries may lead rescuers to placing their hands too low on the chest, below a woman's bustline, which may cause injuries when performing chest compressions during CPR. But the female manikin vest can help familiarise first aiders with where to correctly place their hands on a woman's chest - on the lower half of the sternum, just like for men. Trainees can also learn how to paste AED pads without unnecessarily exposing a wo...

WHO team to fly from S’pore to Wuhan today

aseanpr 14 1 月

2 minutes

A World Health Organisation (WHO) team of international experts is due to depart Singapore today for the Chinese city of Wuhan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said yesterday. The team is investigating the origins of the coronavirus, which was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019. On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian had told a regular news briefing in Beijing that the team was due to arrive in Wuhan today from Singapore. In response to queries, the Singapore MFA spokesman said: "We note that the PRC (People's Republic of China) MFA has mentioned at its press conference on Jan 12 that the World Health Organisation international mission to investigate the zoonotic origin of Sars-CoV-2 would fly from Singapore to Wuhan on Jan 14. "As a member of the WHO and a friend of both China and the WHO, Singapore is happy to play our part by facilitating the transit of the members of the WHO's international field mission. "The international mission is mandated by a World Health Assembly Resolution co-sponsored by more than 130 countries, including Singapore and China. "We have maintained Changi Airport as a transit hub and implemen...

Lucasfilm to sell Sandcrawler building in Singapore for $175 million to US firm

elean 13 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) - Blackstone Group is looking to purchase Lucasfilm's state-of-the art facility, The Sandcrawler, named for the classic Star Wars transport that inspired its design. The US private equity giant has started the process of buying the building for about $175 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The sale is pending regulatory approval. The move signals Singapore's property assets continue to be attractive to foreign investors, who see the city's political, financial and legal stability as an advantage. Other American companies including Amazon.com and Facebook are also expanding their presence, while China's tech behemoths such as Tencent Holdings and ByteDance are looking to make Singapore a beachhead for South-east Asia. The Sandcrawler, located at Fusionopolis tech park in one-north district, has eight floors of office space. The 22,000 square metre facility also includes a retail shopping area, a 100-seat theatre, lush gardens and a Yoda fountain. The futuristic-looking, horseshoe-shaped building is modeled after the Sandcrawler, the fictional huge mobile fortresses featured in the Star Wars films. It houses Industrial Light & Magic Singapore...

Otterly delightful surprise for office workers in Penang Road

aseanpr 12 1 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Office workers at 9 Penang Road were surprised by some unexpected wildlife guests on Monday (Jan 11). A group of 13 smooth-coated otters were seen trooping through the building towards Fort Canning Park to the delight of their onlookers. Led by one adult, the frolicking family slowly made their way through the 24-hour link to Fort Canning Park. Otters have been spotted in various urban locations in Singapore, including the streets outside Mustafa Centre, a swimming pool of a condominium in Newton and Tan Tock Seng Hospital. In 2018, the relationship between Singapore and its otters was lauded by top international otter expert Nicole Duplaix as a role model for the world on co-existing with the animals. Dr Duplaix said that Singapore is unique because the number of otters that have settled in the country's urban environment is unheard of anywhere else in the world. More on this topic Related Story Otters are the latest exotic pet trend in Asia, but their rising popularity may be their undoing Related Story Have an otterly fun time at Otah's pop-up

S’pore firms must innovate to seize opportunities in electronics, manufacturing: Chan Chun Sing

aseanpr 12 1 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Companies here need to continue to innovate for Singapore to successfully capture new economic opportunities in electronics and manufacturing created by advances in technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Making this call on Tuesday (Jan 12), Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing encouraged companies involved in the distribution of electronic components and in wholesale trade to "take bold steps... and chart new paths of growth through innovation". "We also need our local hardware technology start-ups to continually innovate and develop new technologies, participate in (Singapore's) growth and improve the resilience of our manufacturing sector," he said. Speaking at the official launch of the PlanetSpark Innovation Centre in Changi Business Park, Mr Chan cited two emerging global trends the Government is trying to address that companies can play a role in: the transformation of the electronics and advanced manufacturing sectors, and the growing need to improve the resilience of supply chains. On the first trend, he noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated efforts to digitalise and this will continue as companies see...

Joining the Singapore navy is ‘not crazy’: New RSN recruitment ad

aseanpr 11 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - "Join the navy? You must be crazy," a father tells his daughter and flings her duffel bag - presumably packed for her first day of enlistment - into a swimming pool. This is the opening scene of a video posted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) on Monday (Jan 11) and sets the theme for its latest recruitment campaign: The way friends and family often react to news of a loved one signing on with the maritime force. "We really wanted to tell people that it's not crazy to join the navy, if you understand our mission, our ideas and all the things that we do to ensure the safety, security and sovereignty of this country," said Colonel Ho Jee Kien, who heads the RSN's personnel department. The action-packed, cinematic advertisement can be viewed on the RSN's social media channels. It will be complemented by shorter clips on different navy vocations that will be progressively rolled out over the course of the year. They form part of a new recruitment campaign seeking to appeal to Generation Z, or those born from the mid-1990s. But the RSN also aims to attract applications across the board, from Singaporeans who are either students, pre-enlistees to national service, full-...

Dean of SMU law school among three new Senior Counsel appointed

aseanpr 11 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Three individuals were appointed as Senior Counsel at the opening ceremony of the new legal year on Monday (Jan 11). They are: Professor Goh Yihan, dean of Singapore Management University's (SMU) School of Law; Ms Kristy Tan of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC); and Mr Abraham Vergis, managing director of Providence Law Asia. Prof Goh joined the National University of Singapore as an assistant professor in 2011. He moved to SMU in 2014, and was appointed the dean of SMU's School of Law in 2017. Before academia, he was a justices' law clerk and later became the first-ever senior justices' law clerk at the Supreme Court of Singapore. In 2008, he was appointed an assistant registrar. Ms Tan was an equity partner in law firm Allen & Gledhill LLP before joining the AGC in 2018. She now serves as the head of the advocacy group in the organisation, dealing with litigation matters involving civil, commercial, criminal and public law. Mr Vergis, a lawyer with more than 21 years of legal experience, handles both local cases and international arbitration matters. He has also served as the chairman of the Law Society's Criminal Legal Aid Scheme Committee, defending criminal cas...

Singapore kept IPO flow steady last year despite pandemic-driven market volatility: PwC

elean 11 1 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - In a year ravaged by a recession and wild swings in financial markets, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) managed to bring in as many new companies to list here as in 2019. The bourse attracted 11 initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2020 despite the coronavirus-induced uncertainty and market volatility, according to a report by PwC Singapore. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Why do S’pore students ace IB exams all the time?

aseanpr 10 1 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Singapore students once again came out tops in the latest International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma results released last Monday, outshining their global peers. Of the 99 students worldwide who attained the perfect score of 45 points in the exam last November, more than half - 55 - were from schools in Singapore. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

PM Lee receives Covid-19 vaccine as Singapore starts nationwide vaccination drive

aseanpr 8 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took the Covid-19 vaccine on Friday (Jan 8) morning, at the start of a nationwide drive to vaccinate staff across various public healthcare institutions. Also vaccinated were the Health Ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak, along with 88 healthcare workers from the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). "It's painless, it's effective and it's important," Mr Lee said, speaking to reporters after the 30-minute observation period following the jab was up. "I hope that Singaporeans will take it up as we roll it out." He added: "We've got ample vaccines coming in. We ordered them early, we have enough for everybody in Singapore - all the residents, all the citizens and even the non-citizens who are staying here." The Prime Minister was at SGH to observe the start of inoculations for healthcare workers, and said he took the opportunity to get his own vaccine. He was jabbed in his right arm, as he is left-handed, and will return in three weeks for the second dose. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two injections, given 21 days apart, and all who are vaccinated will be issued a vaccination card to remind them of follow-up appointments...

Launch of Digital Week 2021: Southeast Asia

indie 7 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE, Jan 7, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Calling all Cloud enthusiasts!W.Media is gathering ASEAN's best and brightest for a 4-day virtual conference to cover everything from datacenter deployment to digital banking. From 23-26 February, network with 7000+ Senior IT Leaders across the Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand markets.Digital Week is the webinar experience: REVAMPED.Our virtual platform is a community hub for you to access more content and engagement than ever:- Interactive industry chat rooms- Live speaker Q&A sessions- 1-on-1 video calls between attendees - Conference-wide prizes and competitionsRegistration is open. Join the conversation today! Register here: https://whova.com/portal/registration/digit2_202102/For more information, please visit https://w.media/digital-week/.About W.MediaW.Media is a global B2B technology marketing agency specialising in PR, Media, and Events. It is the anchor of the cloud, datacenter and cybersecurity communities in Asia Pacific, combining market knowledge and network to uplift brands via targeted communication. W.Media educates both industry stakeholders and the public on the latest developments in ...

Parliament: World Economic Forum participants in Singapore to undergo rigorous Covid-19 testing

aseanpr 5 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Participants attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Singapore this May will have to abide by strict public health requirements, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan on Tuesday (Jan 5). This includes undergoing a rigorous Covid-19 testing regimen involving pre-departure and on-arrival tests, as well as adhering to strict safe management measures. "To minimise the risk of seeding local transmissions, we will also put in place measures to manage the interactions between the local community and the event attendees," Mr Tan said. He was responding to Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang), who had asked about health requirements for WEF participants and contingency plans should the situation worsen to the extent of border closures. Mr Tan said specific public health requirements and contingency plans are currently being worked out, and will take into consideration the latest coronavirus situation in Singapore and around the world. "The health requirements developed for this event could also serve as an important reference for subsequent events that are going to be held in Singapore," he added. In December 2020, the WEF announced its decision to shift the annu...

Parliament: Plans to make energy greener, more reliable as Singapore rebounds from 2020 electricity demand fall, says Tan See Leng

aseanpr 5 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Overall electricity demand in Singapore is expected to have fallen by between 2 per cent and 4 per cent last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but energy use is expected to rebound as the economy recovers and grows. Singapore wants to green its energy mix as this happens, but is also taking steps to ensure electricity supply remains stable and reliable, said Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng in Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 5). "We will harness four switches to transform and diversify our energy supply, so as to achieve our vision of a clean and efficient energy future," he said in response to four MPs who had asked about Singapore's efforts to tap renewable energy and the country's electricity import plans. Currently, 95 per cent of Singapore's electricity is generated from burning natural gas, the cleanest form of fossil fuel, but a fossil fuel nonetheless. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, which trap heat on the planet, causing the climate to change. Dr Tan said this fuel will continue to be the main source of energy for power generation to serve households and industries here reliably in the medium term, given that the Republic d...

Singapore students account for more than half of world’s perfect scorers in IB exams

aseanpr 4 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Amid a Covid-19 pandemic which has disrupted learning, students from Singapore who sat the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma exams last November have managed to outshine their global counterparts again. The Switzerland-based IB Organisation, which conducts the exams, said Singapore produced 55 of the 99 perfect scorers - more than half - this year. Of the 2,228 students in Singapore who took the exams, 97.73 per cent passed. The global pass rate was 76.68 per cent, while the rate for the Asia-Pacific region was 91.83 per cent. The average scores of Singapore students were also higher than those of their global and regional counterparts: 38.35 points against 29.81 and 34.83 respectively. More than half - 50.65 per cent - of Singapore students also scored 40 points and above, out of 45. In comparison, 11.63 per cent of global students and 27.66 per cent of Asia-Pacific students achieved the same result. On Monday (Jan 4), students from eight schools - including Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), School of the Arts and St Joseph's Institution - received their results. Dr Siva Kumari, IB director-general, called 2020 a "tumultuous year for our students". "I am extre...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Jan 3

aseanpr 3 1 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Jan 3. Malls and restaurants buzzing on first weekend of Singapore's phase 3 reopening Strong winds and wet weather did not deter Singaporeans from making the most of the long weekend. READ MORE HERE Rainfall on Saturday among highest in Singapore in past 39 years The amount of 210.6mm is more than half of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in January. READ MORE HERE Malaysia's high-speed rail project without Singapore stop is redundant: Transport experts It will likely end up a white elephant if it is built, analysts said. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Time for Singapore to do more to stub out smoking? The Jan 1 raising of the minimum age limit for smoking to 21 is the latest step to manage the harm of tobacco. But some feel more needs to be done. READ MORE HERE Covid-19 testing tightened for shore-based staff in Singapore's maritime sector They will be tested every 7 days in the light of 2 cases in which a marine surveyor and a harbour pilot tested positive for Covid-19. READ MORE HERE Police probing group of 44 who were drinking, smoking, singing in...

Mercury drops to 21.5 deg C in Admiralty as wet and windy start to the New Year continues into Saturday

aseanpr 2 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - It is still sweater weather in Singapore, with the wet and windy condition on New Year's Day showing no signs of easing. The lowest temperature recorded on Saturday (Jan 2) at 1pm was 21.5 deg C in Admiralty. This was lower than what was initially forecast by the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Thursday, which predicted an average temperature of 23 deg C to 33 deg C over the first two weeks of January, dipping to lows of 22 deg C on some days. Similarly, the rain showed no sign of abating on Saturday, with significant rainfall recorded in Pasir Ris and Changi. Dr Winston Chow, Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society at the Singapore Management University's School of Social Sciences, projected that the record for the highest total rainfall in one day might well be broken. "The highest total rainfall in one day for January is 216.2mm for manned weather stations, and 238.2mm for automated weather stations," he said in a tweet on Saturday morning. "As of 10.30am, the Changi Airport station has measured 159mm of rainfall since midnight. With the monsoon surge not expected to cease until tomorrow, chances are this record will be broken with time to sp...

No HSR, but little change to other plans for Jurong: Experts

aseanpr 2 1 月

5 minutes

The axing of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) will have no immediate bearing on development plans for the Jurong region, which was slated to host the project's southernmost terminus, experts said yesterday. Jurong's status as the economic and social centre in the west predated the HSR and will survive it, said Singapore University of Social Sciences' associate professor of economics Walter Theseira. He said: "I believe our plans to continue developing the Jurong region remain unchanged; they were not contingent on the HSR being built." The 350km line would have run from a terminal station in Bandar Malaysia, downtown Kuala Lumpur, to a terminal in Singapore's western Jurong area. The surrounding Jurong Lake District was positioned, in 2017, as Singapore's future second Central Business District (CBD), with an ambitious 20-year blueprint for commercial, housing, nature and transport developments, along with the potential for creating some 100,000 new jobs. Two years later, the Government announced that the district would include a new 7ha integrated tourism development from 2026. Flexibility was worked into plans for the district, to cater for changing circumstances ...

Heavy rain sparks flood warning at 5 places on New Year’s Day

aseanpr 1 1 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Heavy rain in parts of Singapore sparked warnings of potential flash floods at five locations on Friday afternoon (Jan 1). National water agency PUB said in a Facebook post at around 12.55pm that the public should avoid Jalan Seaview and Mountbatten Road in the next hour as water levels in drains and canals in these areas had reached 90 per cent. In an update, PUB added Siang Kuang Avenue and Langsat Road / Lorong 105 Changi at around 1.40pm, as well as West Coast Road at 1.58pm to the list of locations. On Thursday, the Meteorological Service Singapore said that Singapore is set for a cool and windy start of the year, with periods of moderate to heavy rain. Moderate thundery showers are forecast in the afternoons on most days for the next two weeks. Heavy and widespread thunderstorms are also expected on a few days. Overall, the rainfall for the first half of January is expected to be above average over most parts of the island.

Timeline of events for terminated KL-Singapore HSR project

aseanpr 1 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - In 2013, Singapore and Malaysia had agreed to build a 350km High Speed Rail (HSR) line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, which would have cut travelling time to 90 minutes compared to over four hours by car. On Friday (Jan 1), both countries announced in a joint statement that the HSR has been terminated, after both countries failed to reach an agreement on changes proposed by Malaysia by the deadline of Dec 31. Singapore's Ministry of Transport said in a separate statement that Malaysia had allowed the HSR bilateral agreement to be terminated, and has to compensate Singapore for costs already incurred, in accordance with the agreement. Here is a timeline of key milestones in the now-defunct project. Feb 19, 2013: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and then-Malaysian PM Najib Razak agree to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore after meeting at the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat in Singapore. Oct 9, 2015: Singapore and Malaysia jointly launch a request for information for the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project. July 19, 2016: PM Lee and Mr Najib witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the HSR. Dec 13, 2016: Singapore and Malaysia...

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