A National University of Singapore (NUS) programme to nurture entrepreneurs in different nodes of the world is heading to Switzerland and Germany next.

Since 2001, the university has set up six overseas colleges – in Silicon Valley, Stockholm, Israel, New York, Beijing and Shanghai – where it sends its students to take up courses in partner universities and work in start-ups.

This July, it will add the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne-EPFL) to the list.

NUS is also in the process of identifying a German university partner to set up its eighth overseas college.

With two more colleges, about 350 students will head every year to the eight colleges.

Dr Lily Chan, chief executive officer of NUS Enterprise, which oversees programmes to nurture entrepreneurship at NUS, said the overseas college in Switzerland will offer a slightly different programme.

She said unlike the other overseas colleges which receive NUS’ undergraduate students, EPFL will receive students from NUS’ Global Engineering Programme for a start. They will head there in their fourth year to work on their master’s research project.

Another difference – EPFL will send its own students on an exchange programme to NUS. She said EPFL, on the shores of Lake Geneva, offers a high-energy, dynamic learning and research environment.

Among other things, the university is known for the Human Brain Project, an undertaking to simulate the entire human brain using supercomputers, in order to gain new insights into how it operates.

Dr Chan said NUS overseas colleges all have a different focus and different programmes.

Highlighting how the alumni of the NUS overseas colleges have created about 200 companies, she said the hope is that those sent to Switzerland and Germany will return with deep technological capabilities and new ideas to translate them into commercial solutions.

“We need people with high-level tech skills if we want to see ‘deep technology start-ups’ in Singapore – these are business start-ups that are founded on a true technological innovation or scientific discovery.”

Professor Christopher Tucci, dean of the College of Management of Technology at EPFL, said it is known for providing the right environment for high-tech start- ups, besides a top-notch education and opportunities for innovative research.

Its Innovation Park hosts about 170 companies and admits 15 to 20 new companies each year.

NUS engineering dean Chua Kee Chaing said NUS, which takes in 1,500 engineering students a year, offers the accelerated Global Engineering Programme to the best and brightest. They can pursue a master’s degree overseas at top universities after completing their degree studies in three years.

“EPFL, a top-notch Swiss science and engineering institution, will be a welcome addition,” he said.

Mr Jeremy Lim, 20, who is applying to NUS to study engineering, said what drew him was the overseas-colleges programme.

“I love the idea of inventing things and starting my own business,” he said.

sandra@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 11, 2016.
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Cyber bullying is linked to self-harm among children and teenagers in Singapore, newly released research suggests.

The Singapore Children’s Society (SCS) and Institute of Mental Health studied data involving more than 3,000 students aged between 12 and 17 in 2014, in a survey on cyber bullying and Internet addiction.

Among other things, participants were asked if they had ever hurt themselves deliberately, for example, by cutting themselves.

The findings of the study, which were released to The Straits Times last week, concluded: “Being involved in cyber bullying – whether as a victim or as those who are both bullies and victims of bullying – was associated with a higher level of reported self-harm, than reported by those not involved in cyber bullying.”

But the researchers added that cyber bullying does not necessarily lead to self-harm, as it could be that youngsters who already do so have characteristics that make them vulnerable to online or offline bullying.

Psychologists and youth counsellors said youngsters could be more prone to self-harm in the event of trauma or distress because of hyper-sensitivity and a tendency to hide their emotions from adults.

Psychologist Daniel Koh, from Insights Mind Centre, said online hostility could fuel such trauma.

He said: “Negative comments on social media have the power to reinforce whatever negative thoughts a person might have, which makes it more difficult to cope. They may not be able to deal with the situation in a positive manner and hence are responding to the distress by self-harming.” He said he has come across five cases of depression caused by cyber bullying in the past year.

“There could be more of such cases, but it’s just that they tend to go unreported. If the depression is not detected, it may lead to more serious cases of self-harm or even suicide,” said Mr Koh.

An increasing number of secondary school students were found to have felt they are on the receiving end of hostile acts online.

In a separate study, Cyber wellness firm Kingmaker Consultancy conducted a survey of 2,600 students aged between 13 and 15 last year, and found an increase of up to 7 percentage points in the types of bullying, such as spreading rumours or sending offensive messages, compared with 2013.

About 43 per cent of male students said they were made fun of by others who posted pictures or jokes about them online, compared with 36 per cent in 2013. About 32 per cent of female students also reported the same in the latest survey, up from 28 per cent previously.

SCS senior director for youth services Carol Balhetchet said that for cyber bullying, warning signs include situations when children go quiet and go into their own worlds. After a distressing event that disturbs a young person’s sense of safety, they want to quickly get back into a “safe space”, she said.

“They will try to isolate themselves from shame or guilt and withdraw into their own world, or refuse to talk about their problems.”

This creates a vicious circle, where they might resort to extreme behaviour – such as self-harming, abusing substances or getting into fights – to exert some sense of control over their emotions.

“The problem might seem like it’s a lot bigger because they don’t talk about it and, in the end, it’s the situation that controls them, not the other way round,” said Dr Balhetchet.

Children take time to develop skills to deal with their social environments, so when they do react, they tend to be hyper-sensitive.

Dr Raymond Cheong from Children/Youth Learning and Counselling Clinic said that in these instances, parents should listen to their children and not talk down to them. “When they start to talk to you, don’t interrupt but keep listening. Sometimes, they don’t want a solution, but just want parents to listen to them first.”

If their condition does not improve, parents should seek professional help, he added.

yuensin@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 11, 2016.
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Despite scoring a phenomenal 299 out of 300 in the singles at the Schools National B Division bowling championships, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)’s Nicholas Ong, had to settle for silver.

The same applied to the all events category while he and his team-mates got a bronze in yesterday’s quartet competition.

However, there was consolation for Nicholas as ACS(I) emerged as overall boys’ champions anyway.

He said: “I do not feel bad about not winning the singles gold. My team-mate Shaun Wee (who also won the all events) worked extremely hard and he deserved to win gold. I am happy I was able to contribute to us winning the overall championship.”

He revealed that he was not expecting to do as well as he did. “During training I was not doing so well, so I had to overcome the fear of not performing at my best. I surprised myself with such good results.”

Another bowler who surpassed her own expectations was Singapore Sports School’s (SSP) Amabel Chua, 16, the girls’ singles and all events champion.

“I was not really expecting to achieve all that I did today,” she said. “My goal coming into this competition was to have fun and play my part in the team.”

In fact, the SSP girls had plenty of fun, sweeping the singles, doubles, quartet, all events and overall titles. Their male team-mates won the doubles and quartet events.

But it was not all smooth sailing for the SSP girls. One challenge they faced was keeping morale up when things were not going their way.

“During low-scoring games, our negative emotions can affect our team-mates. So we had to learn how to overcome such situations,” said Fiona Yew, 16.

Captain Amirah Ng, 16, said one thing that helped was team spirit. “Our support for each other really motivated us and helped us win today,” she explained.

ACS(I)’s captain Jaden Tan, 16, also cited the importance of camaraderie, and he believed that the team’s victory has strengthened their bonds.

“If we can carry the kind of friendship and brotherhood we displayed today into the next few years, we will definitely do well together,” he added.

This article was first published on March 11, 2016.
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Internet content provider The Opinion Collaborative (TOC Ltd) intends to contest an order from the authorities that it return $5,000 it received from a British company.

It has asked the Media Development Authority (MDA) the reasons for the demand.

TOC Ltd also said on Wednesday that it will decide whether to return the money after the MDA replies.

When contacted on Wednesday, an MDA spokesman said: “We have received the letter and will reply to TOC Ltd in due course.”

TOC Ltd took the money from the Monsoons Book Club (MBC) in a sponsorship deal for an online essay competition it organised last year, when it was still running the socio-political website The Online Citizen. It stopped doing so last September.

The MBC is a non-profit company which has Singapore fugitive Tan Wah Piow as one of its directors.

As TOC Ltd is registered as an Internet content provider discussing political issues on Singapore, it is not allowed to receive funding from foreign sources for the provision, management and operation of the website, “except for bona fide commercial purposes”, the MDA said last week.

“MBC is a non-commercial foreign entity incorporated in the United Kingdom. TOC Ltd’s receipt of the advertising revenue from MBC Ltd is thus a clear breach of the licence condition,” the MDA added.

But in its letter to the MDA on Wednesday, TOC Ltd asked why the MDA had labelled its advertising agreement with MBC as “not for bona fide commercial purposes”.

Another question it raised is why MBC is classified as a “non-commercial foreign entity”, and asked for examples of other such organisations.

TOC Ltd also pointed out that it had received the funds in April last year and notified the MDA of the money within a month. Yet the MDA’s order to return the funds came only 11 months after, it added.

Mr Howard Lee, one of TOC Ltd’s four directors, said this effectively meant that his company was expected to not use the money during the period in the event that MDA demand the funds to be returned, as it has done so now.

“We cannot expect MDA to hold us to ransom indefinitely,” Mr Lee told The Straits Times.

In its statement last week, the MDA had given TOC Ltd 30 days to return the money.

In the light of the 30-day deadline, TOC Ltd asked the MDA to reply to its letter by March 17.

ziliang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 11, 2016.
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Gangsters are now more open about their activities on social media, with some even tapping Facebook and Instagram to recruit young members.

This is because young people are naturally curious about the “cool” photos that their friends post online and social media allows them to strike up conversations easily, said former gangster Kim Whye Kee, 37.

“Also, there’s no hierarchy anymore in gangs today… Anyone can join the gang and be a headman, as long as he gets a few men under him,” said Mr Kim, who was in a gang for 10 years and is now a potter.

But having an online presence also makes it easier for them to get caught, said another former gang member Azmi Abdul Rahman, 43. “Is it worth it?” he asked 35 teens yesterday at the National Police Cadet Corps Campsite in Pulau Ubin.

The duo were guest speakers at the eighth Camp Ace, aimed at gang-linked youngsters. The two- day camp, which ended yesterday, was organised by the Secret Societies Branch of the police’s Criminal Investigation Department.

Ace stands for All Can Escape – that is, all young people can escape crime and negative influences. This year’s participants were aged 13 to 18 and from the Streetwise Programme, which focuses on structured intervention initiatives such as counselling to help at-risk youth stay away from gangs.

Mr Azmi said the sense of pride that one gets from joining a gang is temporary. He recounted how he was once chased down Orchard Road by rival gangsters armed with knives. It was just a few months after he had joined a gang at age 20.

“As I was running away from them, I had only one thought. It was not pride. It was about my mother,” said Mr Azmi, now a delivery driver.

Participants at the camp were asked questions such as: Why do I want to join a gang? For John (not his real name), it was a means to prove himself. He joined a gang at 15 and skipped classes to peddle drugs. Six months later, he quit the gang after realising his actions affected his family negatively.

On what he would tell those looking to join gangs, John, now 16, said: “Do you want to spend time beating someone up? Or spend the time with a loved one and create memories you can cherish forever?”

nghuiwen@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 11, 2016.
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Tesla wants to re-enter the Singapore market, after leaving in a huff in 2011 without selling a single car.

Despite the recent brouhaha over a self-imported Model S which was slapped with a $15,000 carbon surcharge, the California-based electric carmaker feels Singapore “could be a great market”.

In response to e-mail queries sent to chief executive Elon Musk – who called Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last week over a controversial carbon surcharge imposed on the solitary Model S – a Tesla spokesman said: “We are already in close contact with the Land Transport Authority and working with them to bring Tesla vehicles to Singapore.”

In February 2011, Tesla packed up and left – just six months after setting up an office at Suntec to market its battery-powered cars. The Straits Times understands that the company pulled out because it failed to secure tax incentives, making them commercially unviable.

The two-seater Roadster, which was Tesla’s only model back then, would have cost about $500,000 without the incentives.

That would have made the car – with the body and chassis of a Lotus Elise – as costly as a Porsche 911 S.

But had the tax break been granted, the car – which is no longer produced – would have cost around $250,000 or less.

The Economic Development Board, which was in charge of approving the tax break that was tied to a test-bedding project, said Tesla had not met “technical requirements”.

With the new Carbon Emissions-Based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS) in place, Tesla reckons that it is worth giving Singapore a second shot. But it would not say when it will return.

In addition to the Model S, Tesla recently released a crossover with falcon-winged doors called Model X. The company is also rolling out software updates that allow its cars to be operated semi-autonomously.

If the cars qualify for the top-tier CEVS rebate of $30,000, retail prices are likely to range from $300,000 to $450,000.

christan@sph.com.sg

Singapore man buys Tesla in Hong Kong and brings it home

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Reuters, Tesla, AFP

This article was first published on March 11, 2016.
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