Sammi’s back! Tickets for 《Touch Mi郑秀文世界巡迴演唱会 新加坡站》Round 2 go on sale on today. Get your tickets through SISTIC now at http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/sammi0716
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Hong Kong diva 鄭秀文 Sammi Cheng will return to Singapore for Part 2 of her Touch Mi World Tour in July. What would you like to hear her sing?
NDP ticketing application starts 13 May (Friday). SHARE this with your friends & loved ones now!
NDP 2016 Tickets Application Dates & Procedures from 13 – 22 May 2016 | SINGPromos.com
This year’s National Day Parade (NDP) will be held at the National Stadium. Returning back to the iconic National Stadium after ten years, spectators will be able to see highlights of NDP 2016 appearing at NDP for the first time
SINGAPORE – Presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has emerged as the overwhelming choice of Filipino people, clinching more than 92 per cent of the votes at a poll on Monday (May 9) – much to the consternation of Filipinos living in Singapore.
The 71-year-old city mayor of Davao has made the headlines repeatedly for his brash talking style and vulgar language.
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, this includes the time when he complained about “not being first in line, as befitting the mayor, to rape a pretty Australian missionary who was later killed by the prisoners who had taken her hostage in 1989”.
Equally controversial has been a focal point of his campaign. According to a Reuters report, his advocacy of “extrajudicial killings to stamp out crime and drugs (which) have alarmed many who hear echoes of the country’s authoritarian past”.
Most of the Filipinos that AsiaOne spoke to disagreed with Duterte’s particular brand of politics, while also stating that his charisma has resonated with voters.
A 37-year-old Singaporean-Filipino, who only wanted to be known as Julia, said that from what she had heard, Duterte “has no qualms about violating human rights, and for all his talk about ending corruption, when it came time for him to walk the talk, he couldn’t”.
She was referring to the scandal that has plagued Duterte and his running mate, Alan Peter Cayetano, where Duterte had “dared” his opponents, which included Mar Roxas and Miriam Santiago, to “sign a waiver” that would make their bank accounts public.
As reported by Rappler, Senator Antonio Trilanes IV who was in charge of a corruption investigation, said that Duterte himself had to sign the waiver to reveal an alleged “undeclared P211-million (S$160 million) bank account”.
According to Philstar, when the account was discovered, Duterte admitted its existence and said that it had been a gift from his friends and that he had already spent it all for “happy-happy”.
Harold, a 37-year-old Filipino, agreed with this sentiment, questioning Duterte’s consistency throughout his campaign.
He added that Duterte seemed to be using the law only when it was useful to him, saying that “the problems with the (Filipino) justice system need not be fixed by a death squad”.
Indeed, the controversies that have made Duterte a divisive political figure irked Harold, who said that he did not vote for him because of these inconsistencies and controversies.
On the other hand, 27-year-old Samuel, who is a Filipino working in Singapore, said that he voted for Duterte because he is “already proven as a mayor”, adding that “a lot of people want change” from the previous administrations.
Samuel also said that he personally did not think the death squad would be put in place when Duterte assumes office, while pointing out that Duterte has said he will not swear again when he becomes president.
Julia, however, voiced her concern for the long-term future of the Philippines, saying that she “feared under (Duterte’s) rule, the (country) will go back to the days of Martial Law. And that’s a scary thing.”
“That said, he can inspire his legions of followers, and I hope that he will use this for good. For now, Filipinos have no choice but to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope for the best,” she added.
prabukm@sph.com.sg
LONDON – Fans pelted Manchester United’s team bus with bottles and other missiles outside West Ham United’s ground on Tuesday, injuring two and forcing a delay to their Premier League game.
Visiting captain Wayne Rooney said the vehicle was “smashed up”.
Video footage circulating on social media showed the team bus being hit by a hail of cans and bottles as it arrived at West Ham’s Boleyn Ground in east London.
Police on horses and wearing helmets separated the black coach from the crowd, some wearing West Ham shirts, as onlookers recorded the scene on mobile phones.
Kick-off in West Ham’s final game at the landmark stadium was delayed by 45 minutes until 1930 GMT after the incidents.
One image showed a gaping hole in a pane of protective glass.
Rooney told Sky Sports television: “We know it’s a big game for West Ham, a big night for them, leaving the stadium, but I’m sure West Ham as a club will be disappointed with what the fans have done.” “It wasn’t nice,” he said.
A short video surfaced on Twitter that seemed to show Manchester United’s players lying on the floor of the bus as it came under attack.
Midfielder Jesse Lingard appeared to have filmed the video on his smartphone and could be seen pulling faces at the camera.
Phil Jones, Michael Carrick and Adnan Januzaj, all wearing their club suits, could also be seen, squeezed together on the floor in the space between the two aisles of seats.
Police said that one officer and a member of the public were injured in the incident and said that all incidents of disorder would be investigated.
West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan blamed United for not arriving earlier however. He claimed the bus had not been damaged.
“I don’t understand why United couldn’t get here at four o’clock,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “They could have got here early. They knew it would be busy. It’s crazy.
“There was congestion in the street and they couldn’t get the coach in. There were people around the coach, but there was no attack on the coach.
“If you check the coach there won’t be any damage to it.” But United manager Louis van Gaal echoed Rooney, saying: “What do I have to tell? The images tell everything.” “The way we have been received is not the proper way, of course. That makes all the influence on the players and that is a pity,” he added.
Police said there were no arrests.
“We are aware that a number of items were thrown towards Man Utd’s coach this evening,” the Metropolitan Police football unit wrote on Twitter.
“Where criminal offences are committed we will seek to work with the clubs to bring those that break the law to court.” The Boleyn Ground has been West Ham’s home since 1904.
The club are moving to the nearby Olympic Stadium at the end of season and were due to stage a farewell ceremony following Tuesday’s game.
Manchester United had also been delayed arriving for their game at Tottenham Hotspur, also in London, a month ago, when kick-off again had to be put back.
On that occasion, traffic congestion was blamed.
At the 9th Singapore-Liaoning Economic and Trade Council on Wednesday (May 11), local companies signed 16 agreements for projects in the province, spanning sectors from hi-tech manufacturing to modern services.
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SINGAPORE – Singapore’s parliamentarians will be taking on Spanish La Liga side Valencia CF in a celebrity league match at this year’s Football With A Heart charity tournament which will be held at the National Stadium on May 21.
Team Parliamentarians, which…
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SINGAPORE – About S$90 million will be set aside over the next five years to develop industries through the Local Enterprise and Association Development (Lead) programme, announced Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran on Tuesday (May 10).
This marks a 20 per cent increase from the S$75 million previously set aside for the programme in 2011.
The fund, managed by both International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and Spring Singapore, supports Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) to undertake projects that will drive industry transformation for evolving sectorial needs.
Mr Iswaran, who was speaking at a panel discussion during the Lead Partners Dinner, said: “TACs are important partners in helping to identify and aggregate industry needs as well as co-develop scalable solutions for their members.
“The Government will continue to support TACs’ industry development efforts, and provide resources to help willing TACs strengthen their capabilities so that they can play a more proactive role in driving transformation at the industry level and fostering collaboration among members.”
The Lead programme will support TACs’ productivity, innovation, capability-upgrading and internationalisation initiatives to drive industry development, help companies grow their businesses and develop stronger workforces.
Since 2005, the programme has supported 35 TACs in more than 180 industry-upgrading projects, totalling S$120 million in grant and benefitting over 40,000 enterprises.
Tuesday’s event also saw 10 TACs being awarded close to S$10 million in funding for 11 projects to drive upgrading in the industry and build capabilities for overseas expansion.
This article was first published on May 11, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Changi Airport has set new standards for check-in and baggage collection, among other services, that must be met for 95 per cent of all travellers.
Previously, the target for airport partners was nine out of 10 travellers.
This means, for example, that even as arriving passengers may see the first bag taking a few minutes longer to reach the belt – one of the changes made during the recent review – more bags will arrive within this time-frame.
As part of the review, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has also extended the service standards, for the first time, to cover transit passengers.
This would ensure, for example, that those who need to collect their boarding passes for the next leg of their journeys are processed quickly and efficiently.
Since the new standards, which are not made public, kicked in last month, the authority has also started monitoring the performance of key assets.
These include aerobridges, flight information display systems, power supply and baggage handling systems, a spokesman said.
This is to ensure that there is close oversight on areas that could potentially affect airport operations and passengers’ experience, she said.
The CAAS spoke to The Straits Times following a recent report that arriving passengers may have to wait longer for their bags after the changes to service standards.
The changes are part of the wider review which also took into account growing passenger numbers and operational constraints.
For example, where previously the rules were the same for all airlines – no traveller should wait for more than 10 minutes to get to the front of the line and another two minutes to be processed – more time is now given to budget carriers.
The airport’s “first bag on the belt in 12 minutes” standard has also been relaxed to allow a couple more minutes, sources said.
The CAAS spokesman said that, ultimately, the airport’s success will continue to be driven by delivering the best possible passenger experience.
The end-to-end experience is critical, said Mr Abbas Ismail, course manager, aviation management and services, at Temasek Polytechnic.
“For instance, the passenger does not benefit if his baggage is brought to the belt quickly but he is held up at immigration or his aircraft is parked at the furthest parking bay and he has to take a long walk to the arrival hall. Likewise, efficient immigration clearance is meaningless if the baggage has not yet reached the belt,” he said.
More than seven in 10 arriving travellers The Straits Times spoke to at the airport recently said they did not experience a longer wait for their bags despite the recent relaxation.
Indonesian pastor Kunaraz, 58, said: “I fly more than 20 times a year, and I think that Singapore has a very efficient system in place.”
Only 10 out of 80 travellers said they waited more than 15 minutes.
As traffic continues to grow amid a manpower crunch, Changi will find it more challenging to meet passenger expectations, experts said.
Senior lecturer Ma Nang Laik at UniSIM’s School of Business said the key is to invest in automation, simulation and self-directed services which may help to solve the issue of labour shortage.
Changi Airport has plans for a massive roll-out of self-service options for check-in, immigration and aircraft boarding.
Additional reporting by Rachel Chia, Samuel Mak and Veena Vinod
This article was first published on May 11, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
BANGKOK – A top Thai medical college has caught students using spy cameras linked to smartwatches to cheat during exams in what some social media users on Monday compared to a plot straight out of a Mission Impossible movie.
Arthit Ourairat, the rector of Rangsit University, posted pictures of the hi-tech cheating equipment on his Facebook page on Sunday evening, announcing that the entrance exam in question had been cancelled after the plot was discovered.
Three students used glasses with wireless cameras embedded in their frames to transmit images to a group of as yet unnamed people, who then sent the answers to the smartwatches.
Arthit said the trio had paid 800,000 baht (S$31,000) each to the tutor group for the equipment and the answers.
“The team did it in real-time,” Arthit wrote.
Thailand’s Channel 3 news reported on Monday that the students had been blacklisted.
“We want this to be known in public to make people aware that we must be careful, particularly for medical exams where there is high demand among students but not many vacancies,” Arthit told the network.
His original post went viral, with many either praising the students for their ingenuity or condemning them for cheating.
“If they had passed and graduated, we might have had illegal doctors working for us,” wrote a Facebook user.
Others were more impressed. “Cool,” wrote one. “Like Hollywood or Mission Impossible.” Medical degrees are highly sought after in Thailand, where doctors can make small fortunes in a private sector that has become one of the world’s treatment hubs.
Read also: Computer-based exam to prevent cheating
Despite more than a decade of impressive economic growth, Thailand’s education system is in dire need of reform with rote learning, long hours and poor international test scores still commonplace.
In the 2014 PISA rankings, which measures global educational standards, Thai students performed below the global average and much worse than those from poorer Vietnam in subjects like maths and science.
Last year, the World Bank said improving poor quality education was the most important step the kingdom could take to securing a better future, with one third of Thai 15-year-olds “functionally illiterate” – lacking the basic reading skills to manage their lives in the modern world.
Critics say the kingdom’s high corruption levels and ongoing political instability have made deep-seated education reforms impossible over the last decade.
Read also:
1,000 in India detained for exam cheating
Indonesia’s new exam system fails to prevent cheating
