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SINGAPORE - A younger leader with a long enough runway to tackle the huge challenges of a post-pandemic world is what Singapore needs, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat when he stepped aside as the leader if the fourth-generation team. As the 4G political office-holders deliberate over their next leader, Insight looks at the main issues that lie ahead and the traits needed to handle them. Finding sweet spot amid volatile global landscape for next 4G leader Singapore's economy has just registered its first quarterly growth since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with gross domestic product growth this year likely to exceed the upper end of the official 4 per cent to 6 per cent forecast range. Some Covid-19 measures have lapsed in tandem with the recovery, and wage subsidies under the Jobs Support Scheme have tapered. But recovery is uneven. The export-oriented manufacturing sector has charged ahead, while the construction and services sectors are still ... » Learn More about 4 key challenges ahead for Singapore’s next 4G leader

SINGAPORE - Local farmers from across the island are, for the first time, banding together to improve the small but important agriculture sector in Singapore. Twenty farms from the livestock, food fish and vegetable sectors have come together to form a farming federation known as the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises (Safef), it was announced on Thursday (Oct 26). There is another farming coalition, the Kranji Countryside Association, which was formed in 2005 to look after the interests of agribusinesses clustered in Singapore's rural north-west. But the new federation is an organisation formed to represent and promote agri-food enterprises from all across Singapore. Safef member farms include egg farm Seng Choon Farm, Rong-Yao Fisheries and vegetable farm Sustenir Agriculture (Singapore). The federation will work with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), as well as research institutions and institutes of higher learning, on various initiatives. The ... » Learn More about Local farmers band together to promote home-grown produce, solve challenges faced by agriculture industry

Authorities are ramping up measures to prevent road accidents this weekend as the Songkran holiday draws to an end and holidaymakers return home, says Boontham Lertsukekasem, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) director-general. Mr Boontham, also secretary-general of the Road Safety Directing Centre (RSDC) said more road accidents are anticipated. To manage the situation, the DDPM has coordinated with each of the provinces to set up more checkpoints at inbound locations around Bangkok and other major provinces. The checkpoints will be ramped up especially in accident-prone areas, on straight roads and locations where accidents happen frequently. Officials were also instructed to check whether drivers are fit to be behind the wheel. Motorists can expect to be challenged if they appear intoxicated, he said. Officials and road safety volunteers would be required to wear face masks, observe social distancing and wash their hands frequently. On the ... » Learn More about Traffic check boost as break ends

SINGAPORE - Eliud Kipchoge has three Olympic medals, holds the marathon world record and has won eight out of 10 World Marathon Majors races he has competed in. He is the first man to run a marathon under two hours, a feat he completed in the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna in 2019. But the greatest reward he has gained from the sport is perseverance, said the reigning Olympic marathon champion on Friday (April 16). He said: "Running marathons has taught me that if you believe and have faith in yourself, you can be successful. "It has informed me that if you set a goal and believe in that goal, you can go on without any problems. So it's like life. "It's built me and told me this is the wrong route and right route and above all, it taught me that life has ups and downs." Kipchoge, 36, was speaking at a virtual press conference hosted by professional outfit the NN Running Team ahead of the NN Mission Marathon on April 18. The event, a Tokyo Olympics qualifier, is a ... » Learn More about Marathon: Kipchoge wants to run ‘beautiful race’ for the people at Olympic qualifier amid ‘tough times’

SINGAPORE - The 5Cs of the Singaporean dream once went as follows: cash, car, credit card, condominium and country club membership. But these aspirations no longer resonate with younger Singaporeans today, noted Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat during a speech in which he suggested three new Cs to shape the country's future. These are creating more value for society, caring about the environment and wider community, and charting the way forward. "Aspirations evolve, and your generation have your own aspirations," Mr Heng told students at the Singapore University of Technology and Design's (SUTD's) Ministerial Forum on Friday (April 16). "You have grown up in a different phase of Singapore's growth and development, and you will have been exposed, much more, to global cultures and influences, and to social media." While the fundamental aspirations - a good career, strong relationships with family and friends and the opportunity to start families of their own - remain ... » Learn More about 5Cs? It’s 3 new Cs such as caring for environment that resonate with young S’poreans: Heng Swee Keat

About 96 per cent of all students took part in the month of full home-based learning, said Second Minister for Education Indranee Rajah in Parliament yesterday. "The few who did not participate were largely on medical leave, and those who did not participate persistently were encouraged to return to school," she said, in response to Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong GRC), who asked how schools assessed whether students have the necessary support at home. During this period of full home-based learning, about 3,300 primary school pupils and 700 secondary school students returned to school daily for several reasons, said Ms Indranee. Ms Rahayu had also asked if there were requests from parents for students to attend school, which could not be acceded to. Said Ms Indranee: "Requests from parents for their children to return to school were met, as long as there were genuine needs. "The challenge has in fact been the opposite, where schools invite the student to come back to school, but the ... » Learn More about About 96% of students took part in home-based learning

PETALING JAYA: The high-impact Kedah Rubber City (KRC) project in Padang Terap has so far attracted potential investments of more than RM2.1bil with more than 5,000 jobs generated by local rubber industry players. Kedah Mentri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said buoyed by the attractive and comprehensive fiscal incentive package, the industry players had given their commitment to be part of the project which is expected to start operating in the second quarter of next year. “KRC has great potential in line with the increasing global demand for rubber products. The first phase of the project started last year and the progress of its implementation is currently more than 30%. “Works on the manufacturing and logistics ecosystem is underway and KRC will be ready to accept investors starting this year, ” he said in a statement here yesterday. Muhammad Sanusi said once fully completed, KRC is ready to drive Malaysia back as a world leader in the rubber industry which will benefit the ... » Learn More about KRC attracts RM2.1bil investments from industry players

PETALING JAYA: Schools should only fully close if the number of Covid-19 cases within the school fraternity starts climbing. National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan said: “This is to ensure education can go on uninterrupted for the other students, providing that those who tested positive are quickly isolated and quarantined.” “If only one person is found to be positive, then that person will already be told to quarantine while, I believe, the Health Ministry conducts contact tracing, ” he said. He added that the authorities had been consistent in determining the need to temporarily close affected schools or classes or quarantine the affected individuals. However, educationist Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said the whole school should be closed if cases were detected as students would come into contact with each other, especially during dismissal. “Teachers have been working very hard to ensure the safety and well-being of students but somehow ... » Learn More about NUTP: Close schools only if cases are high

Malampaya natural gas plant. Source: http://malampaya.com/ MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) said during Tuesday’s hearing at the Senate that the Chevron-Udenna deal approved in March concerning the 45-percent stake in the Malampaya shares is a “voidable contract.” Energy Assistant Secretary Leonido J. Pulido III bared that the parties concur that the Chevron-Udenna deal sealed in March 11, 2020 could still be voided if it would not be approved by the DOE. The 45-percent stake of businessman Dennis Uy’s UC Malampaya LLC is worth $565 million. Pulido also stressed the sale is voidable in response to Senator Imee Marcos’ query if it is an “incomplete sale.” This means that the divestment of the 45-percent Chevron equity in Malampaya could still fail without government approval. Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos said the DOE is still evaluating the Chevron-Udenna sale as well as the financial and technical capability of the Uy-led firm to be in gas field ... » Learn More about DOE says Udenna deal in Malampaya shares a ‘voidable contract’

FILE PHOTO: This May 1, 2018, photo shows Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) San Francisco, United States — Advocates for children from around the world urged Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday to ditch plans for a version of Instagram geared toward pre-teens. Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood and the Electronic Privacy Information Center were among nearly 100 groups and individuals from North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia to make the plea in a letter to Zuckerberg. Instagram “exploits young people’s fear of missing out and desire for peer approval,” the letter contended. “The platform’s relentless focus on appearance, self-presentation, and branding presents challenges to adolescents’ privacy and well-being,” it argued, building on concerns about predators, bullies, and inappropriate content. Instagram is exploring the launch of a version of the image-centric social network for children under 13, with parental ... » Learn More about Zuckerberg urged to nix kids’ version of Instagram