Exports declined less than expected last month but the outlook for Singapore's small, trade-dependent economy remains gloomy.
Non-oil domestic exports (Nodx) fell 4.8 per cent in September compared with the same month a year earlier - a smaller contraction than economists' expectations of a 5.8 per cent slide. This came after zero year-on-year growth in August.
The numbers released yesterday by trade agency IE Singapore were the latest in a recent spate of depressing economic data, signalling that Singapore is likely in for a protracted slowdown.
Advance estimates released last week by the Ministry of Trade and Industry showed that the local economy grew just 0.6 per cent in the July to September quarter, the weakest rate of growth since 2009 in the wake of the global financial crisis.
Both electronic and non-electronic shipments weighed on Septem- ber's trade numbers, according to yesterday's data.
Electronic Nodx shrank 6.6 per cent over the same month last year, largely owing to declines in shipments of integrated circuits, disk drives and PC parts.
Non-electronic Nodx slid 4 per cent, driven by fewer exports of structures of ships and boats, civil engineering equipment parts and petrochemicals.
Shipments to Singapore's top 10 markets, except Hong Kong, the European Union and South Korea, contracted year on year in September.
The worst-hit markets were Malaysia, Indonesia and the United States. Exports to China - Singapore's largest trading partner - fell for the 15th straight month.
September's trade numbers were not as poor as expected and some exports - such as pharmaceuticals, electronics and petrochemicals - saw month-on-month growth, said Citi economist Kit Wei Zheng.
But there is "no reason to cheer as yet". He pointed to a statement from the Monetary Authority of Singapore last week which forecast that global trade will "grow more slowly than expected" going into next year.
This means trade-related sectors will continue to weigh on economic growth in the coming quarters.
Should the economy take a turn for the worse in the coming months, the central bank may act to nudge the Singdollar lower at its next policy meeting in April - or possibly even earlier, said Mr Kit.
Inflation, manufacturing and labour market statistics due out next week will offer a clearer idea of the economy's performance in this half of the year, he added.
SIM Global Education senior lecturer Tan Khay Boon said "the plight of weak exports" is unlikely to ease without a significant improvement in external demand.
"Instead of pinning hopes on a depreciation of the Singapore dollar - the effect of which is uncertain due to the high import content of manufacturing exports - other methods such as reducing industrial rents and providing subsidies to SMEs for them to lower costs and incorporate advanced technology can be given more consideration," he added.
chiaym@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Oct 18, 2016.
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The Indonesian navy has detained a Singapore-flagged vessel as well as its captain and a crew of 12 for allegedly smuggling used television sets, refrigerators and other household items from the city state.
The 835-ton Toll Emperor landing craft tank was stopped in Tanjung Pinggir waters just off Batam island in the Riau Islands province in the early hours of Sunday, said the navy yesterday.
According to the navy, the vessel, also referred to as Emperor, is registered under Toll Logistics Asia, a logistics firm based in Singapore.
Naval commander S. Irawan, who is based in Tanjung Pinang, the Riau Islands' provincial capital on Bintan island, told reporters that navy officers on board a quick-response patrol craft spotted several smaller boats approaching the larger vessel.
The crew of the Toll Emperor were observed to have unloaded goods onto the smaller boats in open sea before the ship sailed towards the Sekupang seaport in Batam, said First Admiral Irawan.
"We have detained the crew because they brought in used goods without permits," said the admiral.
"We have since notified Singapore about this arrest and are now investigating the crew."
The Emperor departed Jurong Port in Singapore on Saturday, and preliminary investigations by the Indonesians showed that the vessel did not have the required travelling documents and its captain, identified as Adrian Esra, also did not possess a valid piloting licence.
The goods carried by the vessel and seized during the arrests were also not logged in the shipping manifest, said First Admiral Irawan.
Sunday's arrest comes as Indonesia increases sea patrols - primarily targeting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing - after President Joko Widodo last year announced plans to beef up the country's fisheries sector.
Recent arrests in Indonesian waters involving Singaporeans or Singapore-flagged vessels include fishing boats MV Selin and the Seven Seas Conqueress, both piloted by Singaporean captains.
MV Selin captain Shoo Chiau Huat was ferrying seven Singaporean and six Malaysian recreational anglers near Tanjung Berakit when he was arrested in April.
His case was followed by a similar incident in August when the Malaysia-flagged Seven Seas Conqueress, which was piloted by boat captain Ricky Tan Poh Hui, was detained while it was in waters near Bintan.
Mr Shoo and Mr Tan are in the custody of the Indonesian authorities pending their court hearings.
The authorities have refused to release Mr Shoo despite a court clearing him in July of a trespassing charge. He has since been charged with a fresh immigration offence.
His case will come up again today in a local district court in Tanjung Pinang where the prosecution will make its arguments before the judges issue their ruling a week later on Oct 25.
Last year, two Singapore vessels were detained by the Indonesian Transport Ministry. They allegedly had no permits when they were piloting a tanker travelling through Indonesian waters in the Malacca Strait. These vessels have been released.
wahyudis@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Oct 18, 2016.
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A widower who "fell in love" with a woman he met online ended up acting as a conduit for the transfer of more than half a million dollars to third parties here.
Mohammad Haikal Abdullah, 56, was found guilty of laundering stolen money and jailed for a total of 33 months last week.
Haikal's project development company Nory International received two deposits in November 2012 amounting to US$455,000 transferred from US-based MAI Wealth Advisors on the apparent e-mail instructions of its client, Ms Lisa Kerkorian.
But MAI later learnt that its client never issued such instructions and that her e-mail had been hacked by unknown fraudsters.
Haikal, the sole director and signatory of Nory's Singapore bank account, withdrew the sums in five tranches ranging from $180,000 to $31,000 within two weeks in the same month and handed over the cash to four people as instructed by one Lillian Alves.
Haikal's wife died of pneumonia in Feb 2012 and he later befriended Ms Alves online in search of a new partner.
His lawyer, Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair, argued in mitigation that Haikal was the victim of an online scam who believed Ms Alves cared for him and was keen to jointly invest in business projects with Nory.
Haikal, the sole director and signatory of Nory's Singapore bank account, withdrew the sums in five tranches ranging from $180,000 to $31,000 within two weeks in the same month and handed over the cash to four people as instructed by one Lillian Alves. He was instead conned by Ms Alves who sought to use his account to transfer money to buy gems for her clients.
The lawyer referred to a 2014 British media report in which a similarly named Lillian Alves courted a lonely 61-year-old seeking "undying love", but tried to use him as a "money mule" and sought his bank account details. The British prosecutor later dropped the charge against the man, concluding he had been duped.
Mr Chandra Mohan urged the court to consider Haikal's emotional and mental state, given that he lost his wife suddenly.
Pointing out that Haikal did not benefit from the scam and was looking after his two sons here, he suggested the former national dragon boat racing team member be placed on probation or fined instead.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Nicholas Khoo and Tow Chew Chi called for a deterrent sentence, pointing out it was in the public interest that money laundering and its related offences are dealt with firmly and "with the greatest disapprobation".
They said, among other things, there were also aggravating factors given the large sum involved, and that Haikal's claim of being "in love" with Ms Alves affected his decision making was "utterly without merit", based on the evidence.
"The accused is no babe in the woods himself; rather he is an experienced businessman who once served as the CEO of the third largest construction company in Saudi Arabia. He is far from simplistic and naive," the prosecution added.
District Judge Imran Hamid, who sentenced Haikal, ordered jail terms for two of the seven charges - one of 30 months for receiving stolen property and one of three months for transferring the proceeds - to run consecutively.
Haikal is appealing against the conviction and currently on bail.
vijayan@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Oct 18, 2016.
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Born in India, he became liable for national service when he was given Singapore citizenship at the age of four.
But he was out of Singapore for more than four years without a valid exit permit, and when the time came to do his duty, Jay Kamal Shah stayed on in India to complete his studies.
He surrendered only last year, and yesterday, the 22-year-old was jailed six weeks for remaining outside Singapore from Nov 3, 2010 to Dec 8, 2014 without permission.
He was given a one-week concurrent jail term for failing to enlist for national service in March last year. He did so only about two months later.
Shah graduated from college in India in 2012, and a Bachelor of Management Studies course last year.
His Singaporean mother had tried to apply for his national service deferment but this was rejected. She also e-mailed the authorities that she wished to renounce her son's Singapore citizenship.
Shah returned to Singapore on April 28 last year, and enlisted for national service about a month later.
His lawyer Rajan Supramaniam said in mitigation that Shah chose to wait until he had completed his examinations before returning to Singapore to surrender himself so that he would not be considered a "drop-out".
Urging the court to impose a fine, counsel said Shah had done well in national service, and may be considering a career in the army.
He also said Shah did not have the benefits and privileges of possessing a Singapore citizenship, having spent his entire life in India.
Shah could have been fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to three years on each charge.
elena@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Oct 18, 2016.
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New bus drivers, who want to obtain their licence, will now have to go through an additional centralised training programme conducted by the Singapore Bus Academy, which was officially opened yesterday.
The five-day Enhanced Vocational Licence Training Programme will cover foundational topics such as the public transport industry, omnibus driver's vocational licence and regulations, bus ticketing system and common fleet management systems, customer service and safe driving.
It will complement public bus operators' existing training programmes for the Omnibus Driver's Vocational Licence - the industry requirement for public bus drivers.
The programme will be conducted in both English and Mandarin by in-house trainers, as well as those from the National Transport Workers' Union, SBS Transit and SMRT.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo, who attended the opening, noted that the academy is part of the strategy "to raise professionalism through enhanced training".
She added that the Land Transport Authority and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) will provide training grants to cover around two-thirds of the programme fees for all local bus drivers.
The first batch of 30 trainees will start the programme at the end of this month.
One of the trainees who is looking forward to starting the programme is 57-year-old Yeo Teng Lam, a new bus driver with SBS.
"I'm interested in the safe driving aspect," said the former project manager in the construction industry. "It raises awareness of the potential dangers and hazards, so it benefits me as an individual too."
An estimated 2,000 new bus driver are expected to go through the programme every year.
The academy, which is located at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability in Jurong East, will provide more training programmes for bus drivers, as well as for other workers in the bus industry, such as technicians and planners, in the future.
It also serves as a career resource centre for members of the public who are interested in joining the public bus industry.
feliciac@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Oct 18, 2016.
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Tantalising new details have been unveiled about the massive $3.2 billion mixed development that will transform the area right next to Paya Lebar MRT station.
The mega project, Paya Lebar Quarter, comprising office space, shops and private housing, will be spread across seven buildings on land the size of eight football fields.
Developer Lendlease yesterday disclosed details of the project's vast retail mall, three office towers and three residential blocks.
The urban-regeneration project, to be connected to Paya Lebar MRT interchange station, will transform the area into a "vibrant, pedestrian-friendly city precinct", it said.
Paya Lebar Quarter has a total gross floor area (GFA) of about 1.8 million sq ft. The office blocks will account for about 55 per cent.
The one million sq ft of Grade A office space will be spread across two 14-storey towers and one 13-storey tower, offering large floor plates for major clients seeking extensive office space. Lendlease said it is in talks with large multinationals for leasing that space, which will eventually house about 10,000 workers.
Despite the weak economic outlook, Lendlease is optimistic about leasing activity and interest in Paya Lebar Quarter. "I think it will be highly sought after because of the fundamentals," said Mr Richard Paine, managing director of Paya Lebar Quarter at Lendlease.
"Has it got good connection to public transport, is it centrally located, is it near schools... does it have a workforce nearby that might lease the property? It just ticks all these boxes," he added.
The project is being developed on two plots spanning 3.9ha. One plot will house a retail mall and two office blocks, while the three condo blocks and another office building will sit on the other plot.
The 340,000 sq ft retail mall will feature about 200 stores and cinemas over seven floors. About 30 per cent of the tenants are expected to be food and beverage operators.
Lendlease announced the first two anchor tenants yesterday: supermart NTUC FairPrice Finest, to occupy over 22,000 sq ft, and foodcourt Kopitiam, with 15,000 sq ft.
It is Lendlease's fourth mall here, after Jem in Jurong, 313@Somerset in Orchard Road and Parkway Parade in the East Coast area.
The office and retail elements are expected to be completed in the second half of 2018. The 429-unit Park Place Residences, comprising one- to three-bedroom units, will be completed in the first half of 2019.
It will be Lendlease's first residential development here.
The developer plans to launch the apartments for sale in the first half of next year, but declined to disclose further details. The residential blocks will have 17 storeys, including four floors of carpark.
Lendlease said it does not think "selling and demand will be an issue" for the private housing units.
"We are bullish in regard to the fact that there haven't been too many launches in this area," said Mr Paine, adding that Park Place Residences will largely be marketed to Singaporeans.
Cushman & Wakefield research director Christine Li estimates that the average selling price could be "above $1,400 psf, with small units touching $1,500 psf", while International Property Advisor chief executive Ku Swee Yong puts it at around $1,500 to $1,700 psf.
About 100,000 sq ft has been set aside as public space, with a cycling path incorporated in the development. Lendlease will also introduce what it calls "end-of-trip facilities", featuring parking spaces for bicycles and personal mobility devices, as well as lockers, changing room and shower facilities.
A consortium comprising Lendlease and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority won the tender for the 99-year leasehold site in Paya Lebar Central last year with a $1.67 billion bid (about $943 psf per plot ratio).
wongsy@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Oct 18, 2016.
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Both uterine and ovarian cancers target the female reproductive system. Other than that, they are worlds apart.
The incidence of uterine or womb cancer has been rising rapidly. In 1998, it was the 10th most common women's cancer. Now it ranks fourth, with more than 400 women diagnosed each year.
Still, Dr Tay Eng Hseon, medical director of the Thomson Women Cancer Centre, called it a "happy" cancer as most patients are diagnosed early and the cure rate is high.
This is because the symptoms are obvious: it causes unusual bleeding in the early stages, and most women would see a doctor, have it diagnosed and treated before the cancer spreads beyond the uterus.
But ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all gynaecological cancers, he said. There are no symptoms in the early stages, so the majority of those hit find out only at a late stage.
It is the fifth most common cancer among women, affecting about 350 a year.
The survival rate is good for those who discover it early, usually as a result of regular gynaecological checks.
Doctors say one of the reasons ovarian cancer is on the rise is the trend of women having fewer children, and later in life.
"Developed countries tend to have a higher prevalence, because more women work, and so they have fewer children, and later in life," said Dr Chia Yin Nin, a gynaecology-oncologist at Gleneagles Hospital.
Dr John Chia of the National Cancer Centre Singapore said having more children protects women against ovarian cancer, as the risk is lowered when women ovulate less. They do not ovulate when pregnant.
He said: "When eggs are released, they rupture through the fallopian tubes, and that leads to some damage. So every time women ovulate, it opens the door to cancer cells and carcinogens."
Going on the pill also confers protection against ovarian cancer, said Dr Tay. In fact, just going on the pill for five cumulative years cuts the risk of getting this cancer by half.
The best thing a woman can do to prevent ovarian cancer is to "have two children, breastfeed, then go on the pill till the age of 45", he said.
This is because there is no ovulation during pregnancy, breastfeeding and when women are on the pill, so it gives the ovaries a rest. But the pill is not recommended for older women as they could be at risk of getting deep vein thrombosis.
There are various types of ovarian cancers, with epithelial, in which the cancer forms on the surface of the ovaries, being the most common and also the most serious. About four in five ovarian cancers are this type.
Even after surgery and chemotherapy, the majority of patients face a relapse 12-20 months later.
Dr Tay said that knowing this, doctors are recommending maintenance therapy, which means treating the cancer like a chronic disease that needs to be suppressed.
Patients are given Avastin every three weeks, typically a 90-minute intravenous infusion of the drug, which slows the growth of new blood vessels and thus the development of tumours.
The results of a trial on this, presented in May at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, one of the world's biggest cancer meetings, show that it reduced the risk of disease progression by 29 per cent.
Dr Tay said this drug is well tolerated, and "the physical toxicity is less than the financial toxicity" as it costs $3,000-$5,000 per treatment, depending on the person's weight.
The recommendation is for 12 treatments. But this can be extended for up to two years - to keep cancer cells at bay for longer - if the drug continues to remain effective in preventing blood-vessel growth.
Another form of ovarian cancer is germ cell, which is aggressive and usually hits women in their teens and early 20s.
The safest option is to remove the ovaries, but many of the women are still at a child-bearing age so Dr Tay tries to preserve the ovaries if they ask him to, saying: "It's a crime to remove their ovaries. The cancer does not affect their fertility and it does not transmit to their babies."
Finally, there is borderline ovarian cancer, technically a cancer since the cells proliferate but, unlike other cancers, it does not destroy other tissue, said Dr Tay.
Typically, doctors do a frozen section - send a piece of the tumour taken during surgery to the pathologist for immediate analysis. The results can come in while the patient is still in the operating theatre.
If it is borderline cancer, then only the growth is removed. If it is unclear whether the patient has borderline cancer and she is young, the surgeon would be conservative and preserve her womb.
For older patients no longer planning a family, a hysterectomy to remove the reproductive organs would be the typical choice.
•For more information, contact: supportgroup@singaporecancer society.org.sg or call 6499-9147 or 6499-9132; National University Cancer Institute, Singapore on 6773-7888 or e-mail ncis@nuhs.edu.sg.
This article was first published on Oct 19, 2016.
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Gaming peripherals manufacturer Razer has long been known for its computer accessories, such as mice, keyboards and headsets. But buoyed by the success of its Singapore research arm, the company is now eyeing the mobile space.
On the cards could be products such as Razer wireless earbuds, designed by the company's research and deveopment team here, said Mr Hilmar Hahn, associate director of product marketing.
"Generally, mobile is going to be a big thing for Razer, and we're thinking about hardware that plays in the mobile space," he explained. "We are looking at products like wireless earbuds, but anything that goes into the mobile ecosystem will be a focus for us here."
The American company, which is headquartered in California, has a longstanding tradition of focusing on R&D.
It has three research labs in China, the United States and Singapore. Just yesterday, it announced its majority acquisition of THX Sound, which will add the audio-visual company's know-how to its stable.
Of the three R&D labs, the Singapore branch has been the most prolific - 84 out of 116, or over 70 per cent, of the patent families that Razer holds were developed here.
The Singapore R&D team has also been growing steadily. The office has 350 people, of which 143, or about 40 per cent, are involved in R&D. This has grown by about 60 per cent from three years ago, when the R&D team had 85 people.
Mr Hahn added that having a large R&D base here is a strategic decision: "Singapore has good infrastructure, phenomenal talent and proximity to our production lines in Taiwan and China."
Notable products that the Singapore team has worked on include the Nabu and Nabu X wearables, as well as RazerGo, a location-based chat application. This month, another Singapore-born product, the Razer Ornata, will be making its mark on the market.
It is the world's first keyboard to use the patent-pending "mecha- membrane" technology. This fuses two distinct categories of keyboard - membrane and mechanical - and draws on the strengths of both, by combining a mechanical keyboard's "clicky" feel with the soft landing of a membrane keyboard.
Before Razer developed its own switch in 2014, all gaming keyboard manufacturers were using switches from third-party manufacturers, such as Cherry.
However, none of these switches were specifically made for gaming. Mr Kushal Tandon, manager of product marketing (global), said: "We always felt that this switch was great for typing, but it wasn't really good for the needs and demands of hardcore gaming."
After numerous prototypes, a team of eight to 10 people in 2014 released the Razer mechanical switch, which is more durable than the average switch and can be pressed multiple times more quickly.
Mr Tandon said the Singapore R&D team's foray into developing its own mechanical switch several years ago laid the groundwork for current innovation. He explained: "Once we did R&D, and understood and redesigned every single component of the keyboard switch, we could think out of the box.
"The Razer team in Singapore is also on the forefront of technology such as virtual reality (VR). Product marketing manager Jeevan Aurol said: The VR industry is so big, there isn't one single platform that everyone can put their hardware on. Because of that, there's a lot of fragmentation."
Two years ago, the team launched OSVR, an open-source virtual reality platform that aims to be a common denominator for all VR hardware and software. It has also created its own VR headset, the HDK2, which has specs comparable to those of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Mr Justin Ng, the head of design and business at game developer Gattai Games, said that Razer's VR efforts have made it easier to develop games for a wide variety of hardware. He said: "It's more efficient, as if something works on the OSVR, it will work for some other headsets that we want to work with as well."
lting@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on October 19, 2016.
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In the past few years, new Apple iPhones have been launching on cue with clockwork precision. The video game industry, however, has been doing the same for decades with its best-selling - so-called triple-A - video games.
Gamers can always count on a barrage of new releases each autumn in the Northern Hemisphere - from around the end of September to the end of the year.
Last month saw a deluge of sports games. These include racing game Forza Horizon 3, basketball simulation NBA 2K17 and the perennial loggerheads in football simulation - Pro Evolution Football 2017 and Fifa 17.
Early this month, Mafia III and Gears Of War 4 were released. And later this month, we will see the launch of the sixth iteration of the decades-old turn-based strategy game, Civilization.
First-person shooters (FPS) Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 will also make their debut this month.
In November, FPS fans can continue their blood thirst with Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
Action-adventure gamers can finally get their hands on Dishonored 2 and Watchdogs 2.
Why has the year-end period been so hot for new game launches?The general hypothesis is that the days are shorter during autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. So, people tend to stay indoors during the nights, allowing them more time to play video games.
In addition, it marks the start of the Christmas shopping season from September to December. This is when parents start to shop for games for their children to play during the winter break.
Or game vendors could be wanting to make sure gamers spend their money on these game titles, rather than on the annual Black Friday sale in the United States.
In any case, this is the time of the year when gamers get to enjoy the best titles.
Games to look out for these few months
Battlefield 1 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Oct 21
Titanfall 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Oct 28
Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Nov 4
Dishonored 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Nov 11
Watchdogs 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Nov 15
Pokemon Sun and Moon (3DS) - Nov 18
Final Fantasy XV (PS4, Xbox One) - Nov 29
Dead Rising 4 (PC, Xbox One) - Dec 6
The Last Guardian (PS4) - Dec 6
trevtan@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on October 19, 2016.
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Early symptoms of ovarian cancer like bloating and abdominal pain are often mistaken for less serious conditions like gastrointestinal disorders, leading to late detection of the disease.
Its sister, uterine (womb) cancer - whose site of occurrence is close to the ovaries and which can look similar under the microscope - is an easier catch with abnormal vaginal bleeding as an obvious symptom.
But whichever the case, doctors no longer have to rely solely on physical symptoms as research has given birth to better ways to prevent, detect and treat these cancers.
For example, women can now test for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which put them at a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers.
The test is recommended for women with a family history of such cancers.
According to the United States National Cancer Institute, women with the BRCA1 mutation have a 39 per cent risk of getting ovarian cancer by age 70, while those who inherit the BRCA2 mutation have an 11 to 17 per cent chance of developing the disease. In comparison, 1.3 per cent of women in the general population get the disease.
A small ongoing study at National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) has found that about 30 per cent of ovarian cancer patients in Singapore have this mutation, higher than the international figure of 15 to 20 per cent.
Those who test positive can have their ovaries removed, which studies have shown cuts their risk of getting ovarian cancer by up to 95 per cent and reduces the risk of breast cancer by up to half if the ovaries are removed before menopause.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and the use of birth control pills have also been shown to lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Women with a family history of Lynch syndrome, a hereditary disorder caused by a mutation in a mismatched repair gene, can also test for it as it puts them at a higher risk of developing digestive tract and gynaecologic tract cancers like colorectal and uterine cancers.
Those found to have the syndrome will be recommended to have more frequent check-ups so that the cancer can be detected early.
Robots have also enabled surgeons to perform hysterectomy, the removal of the womb and usually done as open surgery with large incisions in the abdomen, in a minimally invasive manner.
Patients who undergo such robotic surgery can be discharged on the day of the operation instead of having to stay in hospital for two weeks.
Researchers have also come up with better ways to deliver cancer drugs into patients' bodies.
Associate Professor Gigi Chiu of the National University of Singapore, for example, has developed a nano drug delivery system that kills ovarian cancer cells more efficiently and with a smaller drug dose.
The delivery system is a solution - comprising a lipid and a special type of polymer - that delivers breast and ovarian cancer chemotherapy drug Paclitaxel through either a vein or the abdominal cavity.
This system also makes the cancer cells more sensitive to the drug, allowing its dosage to be reduced.
"If we could reduce the dose, we could also reduce the side effects... not just vomiting, hair loss, but also disruptions to the immune system," said Prof Chiu.
The system has been tested in animal models and Prof Chiu is studying how it can be used to deliver a combination of drugs.
NCIS is also studying new ovarian cancer treatments.
Dr David Tan, a consultant at its department of haematology-oncology, said NCIS is, for instance, studying the benefits of combining low-dose radiotherapy with weekly chemotherapy.
"Some data suggest low-dose radiotherapy might enhance chemotherapy," he said.
Another study is on the use of immunotherapy to treat ovarian cancer. Research has shown that cancer cells thrive as they can hide from the immune system.
New immunotherapy drugs can remove that shield and stimulate the patient's body to attack the cancer cells.
"The question is how to enhance that stimulus and make all ovarian cancer respond to such immune-directed attacks," said Dr Tan.
This article was first published on Oct 19, 2016.
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For years, women have turned up at cancer treatment clinics after sleepless nights thinking they have ovarian cancer, only for a battery of tests to tell them otherwise.
They have all had one thing in common - a high level of the protein CA-125 in their blood.
Many health screening packages offer a blood test that measures the level of the protein in the blood, with an elevated count considered a sign of ovarian cancer.
But this is an inaccurate way to detect the cancer and should not be used in this way, said Associate Professor Jeffrey Low, who heads the division of gynaecologic oncology at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore.
Although a person with ovarian cancer could have a high level of CA-125, there are many other reasons for it, such as pregnancy and the presence of uterine fibroids or ovarian cysts. Both uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts are non-cancerous conditions.
Women who are ovulating or having their periods also have more of the protein in their blood.
"Every week, we have people who get referred to us after they have the CA-125 test and they come in telling us, 'Doctor, I have cancer,'" said Prof Low.
"In the weeks that they wait for an appointment, they can't sleep, they can't eat, they are worried and they think they are going to die."
Prof Low said these women have to go through the stress of additional blood tests and scans, and some even end up removing a healthy ovary in the worst- case scenario.
The effectiveness of the CA-125 test is, instead, in monitoring people who have already been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, he said.
If at the point of diagnosis the ovarian cancer patient is found to have a high level of CA-125, the blood test can be used to track the remission of the disease after treatment, which would be indicated by a drop in the level of the protein. An increase in CA-125, on the other hand, could mean the cancer has relapsed.
The blood test is also useful in helping doctors decide if an ovarian tumour is more likely to be malignant or benign.
There is still no good way to screen for ovarian cancer, but doctors say it is important for women to find out if they have a family history of the disease, which would put them at a higher risk of developing it.
These women should be more aware of the symptoms of the cancer, which include persistent abdominal bloating or swelling, pelvic pain, loss of appetite and breathlessness.
In the meantime, doctors discourage using the CA-125 test as an indication of ovarian cancer.
This article was first published on Oct 19, 2016.
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Die-hard supporters of the Fifa and Pro Evolution Football (PES) football-simulation game franchises have been arguing for decades about which is the better football simulator.
LICENSING
Fifa 17 easily wins this aspect with its wide array of licences that covers almost all the major European leagues, including the English Premier League (EPL).
Furthermore, it has the stadiums of most of the EPL clubs. You even get to enjoy the sight of well-known coaches like Jurgen Klopp, Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho patrolling along the touchline, instead of some random coaches.
With PES 2017, you are pretty much stuck with the old. Developer Konami did its best to catch up with Fifa 17 in terms of licensing. For example, it managed to secure licences for Liverpool (my beloved club), Arsenal, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.
It also has the licences for continental competitions that Fifa 16 lacks, such as the Uefa Champions League, Europa League and AFC Champions League.
But even in these licensed competitions, there are some fake teams with names like Quarpelather City that you have to play against.
Also, there are only a few stadiums that you can play in.
Plus, if you are a Manchester United or Manchester City fan, you have to put up with some ugly jerseys as well as being labelled Man Red or Man Blue.
Of course, you can change the names of the players, teams and managers to the correct ones, or manually patch the game with fan-made kits and team badges. But it is an arduous process.
MENU INTERFACE
Fifa 17 continues the sleek and streamlined presentation of its predecessors. The menu interface is much easier to navigate.
Interface-wise, PES 2017 can do better. Although the menu interface is not as messy as its predecessor, it does not look as sleek as that of Fifa 17. Some frequently used functions can do with a quick button too. For example, in Fifa 17, the save function can be accessed with a button. But in PES 2017, it requires an additional window in order to save a game.
GRAPHICS AND AUDIO
The graphics of Fifa 17 are gorgeous, with many of the well-known players' faces and the teams' jerseys faithfully reproduced down to the finest detail, such as hairstyles, facial hair and tattoos.
But some players have changed their hairstyles since.
Every time you start a match, it feels like you are watching a live match on TV. The stadiums are varied, the atmosphere with the audiences chanting feels authentic and the soundtrack leading to the game adds much excitement.
You can hear the Liverpool anthem "You'll never walk alone" being sung when you are playing in Anfield. Even the advertising boards will show the sponsors of the home club.
PES 2017, on the other hand, feels rather subdued. You don't hear the Liverpool anthem and there is no Anfield home ground despite Liverpool being one of the licensed teams.
Don't get me wrong. PES 2017's players are also well sculpted and resemble the real players. However, they lack the details, such as tattoos - not to mention it is not uncommon to see two players with the same face in the same team.
Commentary-wise, both games lack sustained variety. You will find the commentators in both games turning into broken records after just four or five matches.
GAMEPLAY
For most football fans, gameplay is what really matters. In this regard, both games are neck and neck.
Fifa 17 sees some changes in the way you take set pieces. For example, you can adjust how you want your player to approach the ball when taking a penalty, before applying the power and changing the direction of your kick.
For corners, instead of adjusting the flight of the ball in the past, you move a reticle inside the penalty box to deliver the ball to.
I find all these changes to be unnecessary, though.
Using physicality to your advantage is important. Physically stronger players can shoulder-charge and barge off smaller players to win back the ball.
Fifa 17 is akin to Liverpool when it was under Brendan Rogers. The pace is slow and plodding. You need to be calculating in your build-up play, wait for your players to find space and send an accurate through pass to split the defence, before your player can score.
On the other hand, PES 2017 is Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp. Like its predecessor,the gameplay is fast and furious.
You need to make quick decisions while making short passes, before finding pockets of space to deliver that killer through-pass.
In fact, playing as Liverpool in PES 2017 is like watching the present team in action. You can see "gegenpressing", or counter-pressing, during the gameplay. It is exhilarating to see the likes of Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino closing down the opposition to win back possession.
One quibble: While PES 2016 has the right goal celebrations for players, this year's version lacks such details. Instead, it is Fifa 17 that has got the right goal celebrations for different players, such as Daniel Sturridge's trademark dance and Robbie Keane's iconic cartwheel and forward roll.
Both games share one similar trait though - strict refereeing decisions. The referees will blow the whistle for the slightest trips or tackles.
CAREER MODES
Fifa 17 provides career modes, such as Manager mode, Player mode, Ultimate Team (creating your own team) and The Journey.
The Journey is like a role-playing game that traces the rise of a footballer from the time he was a young boy to when he became a legend, with cutscenes and nice voice acting along the way.
You even get to respond differently in conversations.
While PES 2017 provides almost similar kind of modes (with the exception of The Journey), they lack the polish of Fifa 17. The preparations between matches almost feel like an afterthought to get into the next match.
For instance, PES 2017's Become A Legend, which is similar to the Player mode of Fifa 17, does not even let you train to improve your stats. Instead, you can only shift points to change your attributes.
MULTIPLAYER
Online issues continue to plague the PES series. Even though the overall multiplayer online experience is better in PES 2017 compared with its predecessor, it is still too slow and laggy to the point that gameplay is hugely compromised. At times, I could not even find an opponent to play against. The server also went down a couple of times during the review.
On the other hand, Fifa 17 shines in the multiplayer realm. I could find opponents quickly and there was virtually no lag during the matches. There were also plenty of different multiplayer modes that I could play, ranging from seasons to creating or joining a club to play 11 vs 11.
FIFA 17
Rating: 9/10
Price: $69.90 (PC), $79.90 (PS4; Xbox One, version tested)
Genre: Football simulation
Playing as Liverpool in PES 2017 is like watching the present team in action. Photo: Konami
PES 2017
Rating: 9/10
Price: $52 (PC), $69.90 (PS4, version tested; Xbox One)
Genre: Football simulation
Verdict:
Despite numerous sleepless nights playing Fifa 17 and PES 2017, I am still torn between the two. If gameplay is all you care, then the PES 2017 is the one to get. But in terms of overall presentation, graphics, licensing and multiplayer experience, Fifa 17 will be the one to pick.
trevtan@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on October 19, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Zombie shows are spreading across the globe with the same speed those undead monsters are attacking humans.
Like the wordless slapstick humour of Mr Bean, zombies make for an ideal international movie genre - visceral fear of rampaging hordes needs no explanation in any culture.
The zombie movie - which originated from the United States with the film White Zombies (1932) and popularised by classics such as Night Of The Living Dead (1968) - has indeed gone well beyond North American shores, infiltrating European and, more recently, Asian film industries as well.
This week, audiences will see a new zombie flick from Japan: I Am A Hero, which is a live-screen adaptation of Kengo Hanazawa's popular manga series.
It stars Yo Oizumi as meek manga artist Hideo Suzuki, who attempts to rise to the occasion and become a hero in zombie-infested Japan and not just in his imagination.
The movie comes hot on the heels of South Korea's zombie blockbuster Train To Busan, starring Gong Yoo, which clawed its way to the top of the box office not only in its domestic market, but also internationally, earlier this year.
In Singapore, the film directed by Yeon Sang Ho did so well that it is now the highest-grossing Korean film here to date, making more than $5.35 million.
These films add to the growing list of Asian zombie flicks, which includes Bollywood's Go Goa Gone (2013), the Hindi film industry's first foray into the genre; Thailand's Sars Wars (2004); and Taiwan's Zombie 108 (2012).
Singapore also made its own zombie movie four years ago - Hsien Of The Dead, directed by first-time film-maker Gary Ow on a budget of $350,000.
According to Mr Leslie Tan, course chairman for the diploma in film, sound and video at Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Film and Media Studies, zombie flicks will continue to become more popular the world over because of what they represent - a common fear that citizens of any country have of everything from mass infections to terrorism in this globalised world.
He says: "Fear transcends culture, race and nationality, and the threat of global destruction through a pandemic such as Sars or H1N1 is so real that zombie films tap the fascination that people have with it.
"Many new zombie films even eschew the traditional term 'zombie' in favour of 'infected', giving it a more identifiable slant for audiences in the light of these looming threats."
The idea that zombies are infected versions of modern-day human beings also makes them instantly more relatable than other old-fashioned movie monsters such as Bigfoot or the Chinese jiangshi, or the hopping zombie.
Nanyang Technological University assistant professor Liew Kai Khiun, who has research interests in pop culture, says: "The Chinese jiangshi, dressed in Qing dynasty imperial robes, hark from a distant past.
"And unlike zombies that can be physically destroyed by humans, jiangshi can be contained only by spirit mediums."
Also in the works are a host of new zombie movies, including Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the latest instalment in the hit franchise; World War Z 2, the sequel to the 2013 film starring Brad Pitt; and The Forest Of Hands And Teeth, based on the best-selling novel of the same name that will star Game Of Thrones' Maisie Williams in the lead.
Television hit The Walking Dead, one of the most-watched shows in the world, has also just been renewed for an eighth season earlier this week.
While zombie movie tropes are well-worn and done to death, it is up to the individual film-maker to make his movie unique and befitting local contexts.
Mr David Lee, 37, vice-chairman of the Singapore Film Society, says: "The rules of the game in terms of what zombies can or cannot do come from Western movie conventions.
"But film-makers are creative in adding their own social or political commentary to their films. I Am A Hero, for example, is very Japanese - it depicts the working class in Japan and how they cannot get out of their jobs. In a way, the living state for many of the movie's characters is already a zombie state."
In the same vein, home-grown director Ow borrowed the look and manner of his monsters in Hsien Of The Dead from American genre conventions - the rotting flesh of their bodies, the incoherent growling as they move and their eagerness to devour living humans.
But his film is, nonetheless, very much about the Singapore experience. That is because the zombies in his movie carry on with their day jobs and start preying on living flesh only if the human breaks some kind of rule, such as littering or jaywalking.
Ow, 36, says: "It's a humorous take on Singapore's sterile environment, featuring very obedient and compliant zombies."
REVIEW / HORROR
I Am A Hero (M18)
When Tokyo is infested by zombies, manga artist Hideo Suzuki (Yo Oizumi) ends up protecting a schoolgirl. Photo: Shaw Organisation
127 minutes/Opens tomorrow/ ***½
The story: A manga artist, Hideo Suzuki (Yo Oizumi), is going nowhere in his career and his girlfriend is on the verge of dumping him. When a mysterious virus turns citizens across Tokyo into zombies, he must try to become the hero he has always imagined himself to be. Adapted from Kengo Hanazawa's best-selling manga series.
For a gory zombie movie, I Am A Hero contains a surprising number of laughs - albeit not the kind one gets from straight-up zombie film parodies such as British film Shaun Of The Dead (2004), where everything from the genre is exaggerated and mocked.
First and foremost a horror movie - and one filled with some of the bloodiest and most satisfying gut- spilling scenes in the genre - I Am A Hero trades in humour through meticulous details, such as a sumo-sized zombie barging down the road, threatening to do more harm to the protagonist with his weight than his teeth.
If there were a zombie apocalypse, of course there should be an obese one in the mix - it is an element most other zombie movies and television shows have omitted.
Most subtly funny of all is leading man Hideo, who is the opposite of the typical hero in zombie flicks, never mind that his name written in Kanji literally means hero.
He is certainly a far cry from the slick and macho Gong Yoo, the lead actor of South Korea's recent mega-hit zombie movie Train To Busan (2016).
While Gong's Seok Woo throws himself at zombies to protect his daughter - and looks good doing it - the well-meaning but cowardly Hideo chooses to escape into his wild fantasies as much as he can.
He keeps coming up with excuses to get out of doing the expected heroic thing and, more than once, gets saved by two women he befriends along the way.
There are no surprises as to whether he rises to the occasion to do the right thing, but his journey to get there is believable.
Evolution of the undead
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
Director: George A. Romero
Synopsis: When a zombie apocalypse breaks out, Barbra (Judith O'Dea) seeks refuge in a rural house with a group of strangers. While trying to protect themselves against being eaten by zombies, the humans must also deal with dissension among themselves.
What is different: White Zombies (1932) may have been the first movie made about creatures known as zombies, but it was Romero's Night Of The Living Dead that gave audiences the modern-day idea of the zombie - as flesh-eating and resurrected from the dead after getting bitten. Previously, zombies were portrayed on film as having been transformed that way by witch doctors.
Considered by film experts as one of the most important horror movies of all time, Night Of The Living Dead spawned five more zombie films between 1978 and 2009 to make up what is known as Romero's Living Dead series.
This film is so iconic, it also inspired several remakes, including one in 1990 by Tom Savini and another in 2012 by James Plumb. Two more reboots of the film are reportedly in the works, including Matt Cloude's Night Of The Living Dead: Genesis, which will reportedly bring back actress O'Dea.
Resident Evil (2002)
Photo: Mediacorp
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Synopsis: Based on the popular video game of the same name, amnesiac Alice (Milla Jovovich, left) and a group of commandos fight off hundreds of zombie- like scientists at a secret underground facility, while trying to contain the mysterious virus that mutated them from spreading to the outside world.
What is different: Not usually the top choice in a film critic's library, but Resident Evil is nonetheless worth mentioning simply because of its female lead Alice. An original character created for the film, she is an amalgamation of strong female characters taken from the video game and has since become one of the most iconic female action stars in film history.
28 Days Later (2003)
Photo: Facebook/28 Days Later
Director: Danny Boyle
Synopsis: Jim (Cillian Murphy, above) wakes up from a month-long coma to discover that London has been overtaken by zombie-like victims of a virus.
What is different: Boyle's movie changed the game by making zombies move fast, really fast. That upped the stakes and thrills so much more, given how much harder it is for humans to run away from them.
Now, it has almost become the norm for zombie movies to feature fast zombies, from World War Z (2013) to the recent Train To Busan from South Korea and I Am A Hero from Japan.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Director: Edgar Wright
Synopsis: Shaun (Simon Pegg) is an electronic shop salesman who leads a dull life until a zombie apocalypse occurs. He teams up with his friend, Ed (Nick Frost), to get his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), from her house and lead her to safety.
What is different: This parody has all the signature dry wit of Pegg and Wright (who also made the hilarious Hot Fuzz, 2007, and The World's End, 2013). They know their zombie movie tropes well and play with them for laugh-out-loud moments. Shaun, for example, does not notice there is a zombie apocalypse at first because he has a hangover.
Even though the film is meant to be a comedy, it does not stint on the gore, with one scene showing zombies disembowelling a human.
Warm Bodies (2013)
Photo: Shaw
Director: Jonathan Levine
Synopsis: Zombie R (Nicholas Hoult) encounters human girl Julie (Teresa Palmer, both above) and falls in love with her. So instead of eating her, he does the non-zombie thing and saves her life.
What is different: Here we have a romantic zombie comedy - a rom-zom-com. This one made lead zombie R more intelligent than usual, giving him the ability to have minor communication with his human crush and even the chance to become more human himself. It gave the usual star-crossed love story that much more, well, bite.
Train To Busan (2016)
Photo: Golden Village Pictures
Director: Yeon Sang Ho
Synopsis: Divorced fund manager Seok Woo (Gong Yoo, above) takes his daughter on a trip from Seoul to Busan to see her mother. Chaos ensues when zombie-like passengers start re-populating in the small confines of the train they are on.
What is different: This is certainly not the first Asian zombie movie, but it is the Asian zombie movie that took the world by storm.
Beyond its domestic South Korean market, where it shattered box-office records, it has done exceptionally well overseas, becoming the highest-grossing South Korean film in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. In Western markets such as the United States, rave reviews have also poured in for the movie, with trade rag Entertainment Weekly calling it "first-class throughout".
As with successful films, producers are looking to shoot a sequel and A-listers Song Joong Ki and Lee Min Ho are rumoured to star in it.
yipwy@sph.com.sg
Follow Yip Wai Yee on Twitter @STyipwaiyee
This article was first published on October 19, 2016.
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Juggling acting and school since the age of seven has taken its toll on South Korean teen actress Kim So Hyun, 17.
She barely had time to study in middle school and sat examinations unprepared. She missed out on school activities with friends.
Resolute about not giving up either acting or academic pursuits, Kim found a solution last year. She chose to be home-schooled, instead of enrolling in high school.
Explaining her choice, she says in an e-mail interview with The Straits Times: "My ambition in acting has grown bigger and I don't think I can give up the roles that I've been given. Yet, I was unable to pursue my studies like others. This way, I will be able to have time to study well and to film.
"I will even have time to watch movies and read books, which I was unable to do before. I discussed the issue with my mother and she gave me full autonomy. I made the decision, so that I will have no regrets in future."
Spending the last decade working alongside adults has rubbed off on the teen, turning her into a precocious lass who sounds mature beyond her years.
Well aware of the sacrifices that come with the job, she reveals that she "got injured and scarred" during the process of honing her craft and feeling her way around the film set.
"Those incidents have become valuable life lessons for me and I think I'll be able to smile at my scars later in life," says Kim, who grew up in the industry with friends and fellow teen actors Kim Yoo Jung, 17, and Yeo Jin Goo, 19.
Learning from the school of hard knocks early in life, she also treasures the advice "not found in books" offered by her seniors on set. What keeps her hooked on acting, she says, is the chance to experience "a variety of different lives", adding: "There's the charm of getting viewers to feel my emotions through acting."
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Photo Gallery
Kim So Hyun in Singapore to promote her latest drama
The versatile actress has tried her hand at both villainous and goody-two-shoes roles. She made audiences livid when she played a jealous princess scheming to win the prince's love in hit fantasy period drama Moon Embracing The Sun (2012).
In recent supernatural romance Bring It On, Ghost (2016), she endeared herself to audiences as a lively schoolgirl, albeit a dead one. Her ghost character was entangled in a love-hate relationship with a suave exorcist, played by actor Ok Taecyeon, 27.
Dapper Ok of boy band 2PM is one of many young celebrities that Kim counts as her co-stars and workmates.
She shared a kiss with teen actor Yeo Jin Goo in melodrama Missing You (2013). She also used to host music programme Show! Music Core with boy band members - Block B's Zico and Shinee's Minho.
While she admits to being much envied for working with popular and handsome actors, she says: "I've yet to meet my own idol. "But when working with these actors, I can understand why fans would idolise these stars."
Perhaps all the make-believe romance on set has sparked Kim's desire to date in real life.
It is clear that she shares the desires of young people when she says: "I want to experience romance like everyone else my age. My ideal type has to be kind and very thoughtful. If he's someone I can learn a lot from, it would be great."
Catch actress Kim So Hyun in dramas such as Bring It On, Ghost and Moon Embracing The Sun on South Korean entertainment streaming platform Viu. Viu is available on viu.com and the Viu app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
This article was first published on October 19, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
After the meeting, the council, which represents more than 250 churches here, said yesterday it now recognises that the Government's decision is a "judgment call".
In a new statement to its members, NCCS said: "Given the data on the current remote gambling landscape, the Government deems this to be the best approach to mitigate driving remote gambling activities underground and exacerbating law and order concerns.
"The Government acknowledges the council's deep concern about the negative social consequences of legalising two remote gambling platforms, and will regularly monitor the overall impact."
The council had put out an initial statement two weeks ago, saying it "finds it difficult" to accept the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) rationale that a complete ban would only drive remote gambling underground, making it harder to detect.
This "cannot be the best option for Singapore", the NCCS said then.
Since then, its representatives have had a "candid and important face-to-face discussion" with MHA and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, said the council.
It said the Government "is willing to proactively strengthen the family and social environment to prevent and mitigate the harmful consequences of online gambling".
The Government has proposed to meet council leaders in the next three to six months "to take this further".
These will be rolled out on Oct 25 and Nov 15 respectively.
The authorities' approval followed applications by the local operators to be exempted from the Remote Gambling Act passed by Parliament two years ago, banning phone and online gambling.
NCCS was the first religious body to weigh in, saying the Government is sending "confusing and conflicting signals".
Yesterday, the council said that at the meeting, the Government explained this was not the case.
This is because when the Act was passed in 2014, the authorities had already said some exemptions would be given as they did not think a complete ban would work.
The Act, including the provision of exempt operators, was also discussed with social service leaders and religious representatives before it was passed.
During the meeting, the Government maintained that allowing exempt operators to provide online gambling services under stringent controls is the best approach to contain any adverse social consequences - a conclusion based on its assessment of possible scenarios.
But the council added that it still has its reservations about this conclusion, arguing that the family and social fabric of Singapore is "currently not strong enough" to provide the safeguards against problem gambling.
It said it will be rolling out a slew of measures to address the harmful consequences of online gambling.
The first is to set up a task force to explore ways to strengthen the family and Singapore's social fabric; to care for problem gamblers within and outside of their congregations; and to work with the Roman Catholic Church, other faith communities and the Government on this area.
The second is to publish a tract on gambling "that can be placed in the hands of every church member and can be used as the basis for teaching and discussion on the subject".
Lastly, the council aims to monitor the situation of online gambling closely and to provide feedback to the authorities with the aid of its member churches.
Other religious bodies have chimed in on the issue as well.
The Catholic Church on Oct 12 urged the Government to monitor the situation closely, and requested regular consultations and updates on the consequences of its decision.
Muslim leaders have also reminded the community about the ills of gambling - including online gambling, which they said is "firmly" prohibited in Islam.
In its letter, NCCS said it will always endeavour to "play its part as a responsible intermediate organisation to seek the welfare of our city-state and to work together with the Government and other religious and grassroots organisations to promote the common good".
This article was first published on Oct 20, 2016.
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<p>The Government has met the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS), in the wake of a statement by the religious body urging the authorities to review the decision to allow two operators to offer online betting services.</p>
ISLAMABAD - A young Pakistani tea-seller whose intense blue eyes made Internet users in Pakistan and India swoon after a picture of him was posted by a local photographer on Instagram has now bagged himself a modelling contract.
Arshad Khan, the 18-year-old teenage tea vendor who hails from the Pakistani city of Kohat and has never been to school, found himself becoming a social media heart-throb when he caught the eye of a local photographer while making tea in the Sunday Bazaar in the capital Islamabad.
A photo of his piercing gaze was uploaded on Instagram on Sunday and the image quickly became viral, earning him many new fans.
The teenager was identified a few days later and since then, has won the attention of several media organisations who picked up the story, the Press Trust of India reported on Thursday (Oct 19).
Now, the teenager has also secured a modelling deal for an undisclosed sum with local fashion portal fitin.pk.
Khan's appeal has now even be credited with uniting Pakistanis and Indians in a time when tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours are heightened after militants in Kashmir killed 19 Indian troops last month, The Guardian reported.
India has blamed Pakistan for harbouring the militants, although Pakistan has dismissed those claims.
The tensions spilled over to the entertainment scene on Monday when an Indian film festival dropped a Pakistani drama from its programme after its screening was interrupted by protesters .
For his part, Khan has remained humble despite his newfound fame, telling The Dawn newspaper he first realised the extent of his stardom when he spotted local boys with flyers carrying the photo of him that has since pushed him into the limelight.
And while he says he is flattered by the attention, Khan says he prefers not to be photographed while making tea at work.
Good-looking gangster becomes an Internet sensation
Singapore has emerged as the top destination for Asian businesses expanding abroad, according to a UOB survey out yesterday.
The country's stable political and social climate is a strong draw in these challenging times as overseas expansion becomes more urgent amid slowing sales in domestic markets, the poll showed.
The bank's Asian Enterprise Survey was first conducted in 2014 and is now in its second edition. The latest survey polled 2,500 companies in six markets - mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Just under one-third, or 32 per cent, of the business leaders surveyed said they would choose Singapore as the market to expand into in the next three to five years. The Republic also took top spot in the 2014 survey.
Coming in second was Japan (29 per cent), followed by Vietnam (28 per cent). China was ninth with 22 per cent.
Asian companies still see opportunities for growth in the region but are cautious about overseas expansion given the tough economic environment, said Mr Frederick Chin, the head of group wholesale banking at UOB.
The companies polled said they are drawn to a stable political climate, large and growing customer demand and a favourable tax and regulatory environment when choosing a destination for overseas expansion.
In comparison, the bank's 2014 survey showed that consumer demand was a stronger pull factor.
This reflects the more cautious investing environment and the fact that "stability is now at the top of (companies') minds", noted UOB economist Francis Tan.
"Expanding regionally is increasingly becoming a need, not just a want," he said.
Singapore companies, for instance, are moving abroad to grow sales given their limited domestic market and mounting competition.
The poll also found that China continues to be the top expansion destination for Singapore companies, similar to the 2014 findings.
Of the 300 Singapore companies surveyed, 56 per cent are already doing business or operating in China.
There is also growing interest in Asean markets like Vietnam and Thailand, the survey showed.
Poll results also pointed to rising costs, increasing competition and falling consumer demand as the main factors weighing on business growth in the region.
Mr Chin described the investing environment as "challenging... but it's not doomsday".
There are still pockets of growth and Asia is in a good position to weather the slowdown, he said.
This article was first published on Oct 20, 2016.
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Even as it expands its full-time degree offerings and places, SIM University has maintained its appeal among its key target group - working adults eager to pursue part-time degree studies.
The university, which looks set to become Singapore's sixth autonomous university, launched full-time degree programmes two years ago and now has 900 school leavers enrolled in six degree courses.
But based on enrolment figures released recently, its mainstay continues to be its 13,000 students enrolled in 60 part-time courses from counselling to accounting.
UniSIM said it continues to receive more than 5,000 applications a year from working adults and mature students who want to pursue a degree.
Communications, logistics and supply chain management, early childhood education, social work, and building and project management are among the courses that continue to draw students.
Nearly 400 people applied for the 60 places in UniSIM's law school, which starts its two new programmes in January.
The school, Singapore's third law school, hopes to plug a gap by training criminal and family lawyers.
UniSIM president Cheong Hee Kiat expects demand for its part-time degree courses to remain healthy over the next few years because of the SkillsFuture initiative, which encourages workers to update their skills to thrive in the workplace.
"Working adults want to further themselves in their career. Some want to make a switch. UniSIM offers them a flexible path to work and study for a degree at the same time," he said, noting that a UniSIM part-time student is 28 years old on average. Most have three to five years of work experience, and attain their degrees in four years.
He said one of the main draws is the Ministry of Education's (MOE) subsidy that covers 55 per cent of the tuition fees for Singaporeans. "It's recognition by MOE that UniSIM offers quality degrees."
Students say another draw is that the courses are job relevant and recognised by the industry.
Many of its 60 courses are accredited by professional bodies. Its popular accountancy degree, for instance, is recognised by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.
Its Human Factors in Safety course is recognised by the Ministry of Manpower and meets a rising need for workplace safety and health professionals.
By 2018, 19,000 will be needed, up from the fewer than 5,000 now.
Professor Cheong also noted the good outcomes for UniSIM graduates.
In a survey last year, seven in 10 working adults reported a salary increase within a few years of graduating from UniSIM. The average increase in annual salary was 21 per cent.
UniSIM students welcomed the MOE's move to convert the university into an autonomous institution, saying this will boost its stature and the recognition of its degrees.
Said Ms Felicia Teo, 28, a business development executive who is studying for a marketing degree: "UniSIM is well thought of by employers. In fact, it was my employer who encouraged me to take up this course. But if it is on a par with the other five universities, then there would be even more recognition for my degree."
If the Government's proposal is accepted, then the privately run university will come under the ambit of the MOE and be fully funded by it.
Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung, who announced the proposal at UniSIM's convocation last week, pointed out that UniSIM has supported generations of working adults and mature learners.
Prof Cheong said UniSIM will keep its focus on applied learning and customising courses for working adults.
"UniSIM aims to become the standard bearer for continuing education and training," he said.
This article was first published on Oct 20, 2016.
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