Singapore’s Daren Tang won the WIPO Director General post

Singaporean Daren Tang has been elected to be the next director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) after winning a vote in Geneva on Wednesday (Mar 4).

 In a letter proposing Tang as a candidate for the WIPO DG position, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan described Tang as “an experienced and inclusive leader who is able to balance the interests of all stakeholders to forge consensus.” Balakrishnan said that Tang has transformed IPOS from a regulator to an “innovation agency” and noted his extensive experience with bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations.  - ipwatchdog.com

"This is the first time a Singaporean has been nominated for the leadership position of a UN Agency," said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.


Mr Tang, the chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), was among the six in the race for the top job.
The other candidates were from China, Colombia, Ghana, Kazakhstan and Peru.

WIPO's coordination committee, which comprises 83 member states, held two rounds of voting.

More can be read from :

• Singaporean Daren Tang set to head UN intellectual property agency WIPO

• Singapore nominates IPOS chief to head World Intellectual Property Organisation

Water Price Reversions 2017

Read Water Price 2017

SINGAPORE - Water prices will increase for the first time in 17 years, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Monday (Feb 20). Including taxes, the prices will go up by 30 per cent in two phases. The first hike will be from July 1 this year, and the second from July 1 next year. But lower and middle income households will get help to manage the increase.- source : The Straits Times

2017 - Singapore score 'most powerful' passport: Index

SINGAPORE: Singapore has tied with Germany as the country with the most powerful passport in the world after a change in Ukraine's visa rules, according to a passport index by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital.
CNA - 19 April 2017

 Read more here

NUS and NTU retain positions as top two universities in Asia on Quacquarelli Symonds’ rankings

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has been named Asia’s top university for the third year in a row on the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, just ahead of Nanyang Technological University (NTU).- Todayonline

QS' TOP 30 UNIVERSITIES 2016

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

2. Stanford University

3. Harvard University

4. University of Cambridge

5. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

6. University of Oxford

7. UCL (University College London)

8. ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

9. Imperial College London

10. University of Chicago

11. Princeton University

12. National University of Singapore (NUS)

13. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)

14. Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

15. Yale University

16. Cornell University

17. Johns Hopkins University

18. University of Pennsylvania

19. The University of Edinburgh

20. Columbia University

21. King's College London

22. The Australian National University

23. University of Michigan

24. Tsinghua University

24. Duke University

26. Northwestern University

27. The University of Hong Kong

28. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

29. The University of Manchester

30. McGill University  

2016 - News on NUS sexualised orientation activities

"We are very disappointed that despite these efforts, instances of offensive and completely inappropriate orientation activities that were not submitted nor endorsed have surfaced": National University of Singapore. - CNA

The lewd orientation activities "were not submitted nor endorsed". Strong disciplinary action will be taken, says NUS. - The Straits Times

One student complained that her peers were made to re-enact a rape scene, while another was asked whose bodily fluids she would like to drink. NUS says: "Strong disciplinary action will be taken against those found responsible" - TNP

Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung has spoken out against the recent sexed-up National University of Singapore (NUS) orientation camps.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, July 27, he said university orientation activities must be carried out in a manner that respects the dignity of the freshmen.
He also said NUS has made clear to him that it does not condone such incidents. The university is conducting an investigation and will take strong disciplinary actions against those found responsible.
Describing one of the activities the freshmen were subjected to as “reprehensible”, Ong wrote:

Pretending to ejaculate into the face of a fellow student plays no part in this purpose – it is a reprehensible act that cannot be tolerated; goading others to act out a rape scene not only degrades the real suffering of rape victims, it inflicts fresh humiliation on female students.
Protesting such acts has nothing to do with being prudish or a bad sport, everything to do with respect for human dignity.

- by Mothership.sg link

"Pretending to ejaculate into the face of a fellow student plays no part in this purpose - it is a reprehensible act that cannot be tolerated; goading others to act out a rape scene not only degrades the real suffering of rape victims, it inflicts fresh humiliation on female students." - Minister Ong Ye Kung STOMP








The students' union of NUS says sorry to freshmen for “sexualised activities" that were "indecent, reprehensible and not condoned". - Today online



The university would need time and space over the next few months to rethink how to do orientation so that all students enjoy the experience, said NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan. - The Straits Times 2 Aug 2016 link

2016 - National University of Singapore (NUS) rank number 1 by Quacquarelli Symonds

According to the ranking by London-based education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) which was released on 14 June 2016, National University of Singapore (NUS) was ranked 1st in Asia.

NUS has been named top Asian university for third straight year.

The QS Asia University Rankings uses 10 key performance indicators to compare Asian universities, including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, papers per faculty, the proportion of international faculty and students, and proportion of inbound and outbound exchange students. - The Straits Times

Sabah quake - one year on

Remembering the victims

2015 - NUS is number 1 in Asia

1 Oct 2015 - The National University of Singapore (NUS) has become Asia’s top university.

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings released today, NUS ranked 26 position while NTU ranked 55.

Singapore Airlines ranked second best in the world - 2015

http://bit.ly/1et7BTD

The Singapore Airlines (SIA) was named the world's second best at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday (Jun 16, 2015). The award was given out by Skytrax, a consultancy and reviews site. - CNA

SIA also clinched other awards. It was voted Best Business Class Airline overall, as well as Best First Class Seats. Additionally, SIA's First and Economy Class categories both made it to the second spot on their respective lists. - CNA

Here are the world's top 10 airlines in 2014, according to Skytrax:

1. Qatar Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Cathay Pacific Airways
4. Turkish Airlines
5. Emirates
6. Etihad Airways
7. ANA All Nippon Airways
8. Garuda Indonesia
9. EVA Air
10. Qantas Airways
11. Asiana Airlines
12. Lufthansa
13. Austrian
14. Swiss Internationall Air Lines
15. Air France
16. Virgin Australia
17. Air New Zealand
18. Dragonair
19. Thai Airways
20. British Airways

National University of Singapore Ranked First in Asia

source : asia1 - NUS ranked No. 1 Asian university

Here is the full statement from NUS:
NUS Ranked First in Asia in the Latest QS World University Rankings
University rises to world's 24th and placed among the top 10 for academic reputation

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has emerged as the top university in Asia in the 2013/2014 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. The University was placed 24th in the rankings, moving up a spot from its 25th placing last year.
The QS World University Rankings evaluates over 800 universities in the world based on academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty student ratio, and proportions of international students and international faculty.

NUS has been placed 9th in the world for academic reputation, and 16th for employer reputation. The University improved significantly in the number of research papers published and citations generated.
Its faculty areas were placed as follows: Arts & Humanities (17), Engineering & Technology (7), Life Sciences & Medicine (27), Natural Sciences (11) and Social Sciences & Management (9).

NUS President, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan said, "We are pleased that the latest QS World University Rankings has placed NUS as first in Asia and 24th in the world. This is a reflection of our country's strong support for higher education and the ethos of continually seeking excellence, and hence is a very positive development for the whole of Singapore. NUS has strived to differentiate itself as a global university centred in Asia through educational innovation, multidisciplinary research and strategic partnerships. We will continue to keep a sharp focus on nurturing and recruiting talented academics, staff and students, while providing a conducive environment for this thriving community to pioneer advances in education and research and its application that will have a strong positive impact on Singapore and society."

Mr Ben Sowter, Head of Research at QS, said, "Rankings cannot consider all aspects of university activity, but they capture the headline trends. This year's QS World University Rankings identifies NUS as Asia's leading institution on the world stage. Despite operating in increasingly competitive territory, NUS continue to progress and our results suggest that securing a position in the world's top 20 is only a matter of time. For an example of consistent strategic development and implementation for a large, comprehensive university, both in terms of performance and recognition, look no further than NUS."

Apple unveils iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C

Apple launched iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S line yesterday (this morning, Singapore time), both models will be available in Singapore from 20 Sept 2013.

M1, SingTel Mobile and StarHub fined for failure to meet IDA's 3G mobile service standards.

Singapore's three mobile operators, M1, SingTel Mobile and StarHub Mobile have been fined S$10,000 each for failure to meet IDA's 3G mobile service standards.
According to IDA, SingTel only achieved 97.4 per cent outdoor coverage, followed by StarHub at 97.2 per cent, and M1 at 94.6 per cent.

Singapore 5th least corrupt in the world - year 2012

Singapore is fifth-least corrupt country in the world, acording to a ranking by Transparency International release yesterday.

Singapore 5th least corrupt in the world, least corrupt in Asia
Posted: 05 December 2012 2030 hrs

SINGAPORE: Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index has ranked Singapore as the fifth least corrupt country in the world, coming behind Denmark, Finland, New Zealand and Sweden.
This is the same ranking the international anti-corruption watchdog gave Singapore in 2011.
Singapore is also the least corrupt in Asia, ahead of Japan which ranks 17th and South Korea which ranks 45th. Singapore was also ranked best for Asia in 2011.
UK shares 17th spot in this year's ranking, while the US is in 18th position.
The 2012 index ranked 176 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.
The index assigns scores between one and 100 to countries, with 1 being highly corrupt and 100 clean. 

 Source: CNA

SMRT strike - 4 male PRC nationals charged

News from CNA today - "BREAKING - Latest on the SMRT strike: Police arrested 4 male PRC nationals for their roles in the illegal strike, they will be charged at the Subordinate Courts at 5pm today. If found guilty, they shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both."

No more naming of top students for national exams

The Ministry of Education (MOE) had announced that from this year on wards, the ministry will stop its practice of announcing the top-scoring students in the release of all national examinations results, starting from PSLE follow by GCE 'N' and GCE 'O' level results. At the same times, the naming of the top student from each ethnic group will also be scrapped.

The media is expected to highlight the performances of students from a variety of schools who have done well not only in the exams but also in other aspects as well.

As a parent, I am pretty happy of this announcement.

Apple - iPad mini unveiled

On 23 Oct 2012  at a special event in San Jose, Apple unveiled its 7.9 inch iPad mini that equipped with the Lightning port. 

You can view its technical specification here http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/specs/