WTA Finals Singapore 2014

Serena Williams routs Halep for WTA hat-trick and title No. 5
By May Chen, The Straits Times, 27 Oct 2014

SERENA Williams had a double mission yesterday - to prevent history from repeating itself and to write a new chapter in the books for herself.

The American accomplished both, trouncing Simona Halep 6-3, 6-0 to secure the Billie Jean King trophy at the inaugural BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore.

In the process, the world No. 1 prevented the Romanian world No. 4 from repeating her upset win (6-2, 6-0) in their earlier round-robin match - Williams' biggest defeat in 16 years.

It was the 33-year-old's third straight win at the prestigious season finale - she is the first player since Monica Seles (1990 to 1992) to achieve this feat.

Including her wins at the 2001 and 2009 editions, Williams has now amassed five year-end titles, bringing her level with Steffi Graf.

The win earned Williams US$2.047 million (S$2.6 million), while Halep took home US$971,000.

No easy retirement in South Korea

Familiar worries hound S. Korea's retirees
The Straits Times, 27 Oct 2014

SEOUL - Out of work and out of pocket, South Korean retirees are struggling to force their way back into an unwelcoming job market in an effort to supplement meagre or non-existent pensions.

But President Park Geun Hye's vision of a new "creative economy" seems to have little space for a generation that grew up with shipyards and steel mills rather than smartphones and start-ups.

Mr Kim Min Su, 69, receives a monthly pension of 590,000 won (S$715) - the sole income for him and his wife.

But the former head engineer said he needs a minimum of two million won a month for living expenses.

Recently, he was introduced to a small company which offered to take him on full time for 1.2 million won.

"They basically said, 'You're old. Take it or leave it'," he said.

Mr Kim is better off than many, in that he has a little pension and help from his children.

South Korea introduced a national pension system only in 1988, and just around a third of people aged 65 or older actually receive one.

Many more joined the pension scheme at the tail end of their careers and receive very small sums.

Close to 50 per cent of South Koreans over the age of 65 live in "relative poverty" - meaning their monthly income is less than 50 per cent that of the average household income, according to state data agency Statistics Korea.

President Park had promised to give every senior citizen over 65 a 200,000 won monthly stipend, but reneged on the commitment last year, saying the economic situation would not allow it.

Retirement can come early in South Korea, with many companies pushing staff out in their early- or mid-50s.

New rules clear air for transnational marriages

Easier for foreign spouses to work here; sharper insights for couples
By Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2014

From 1 January 2015, Singaporeans who want to marry a foreigner have a new option that can speed up their application for the spouse to live here, by as much as five months.

The spouses will also find it easier to work in Singapore as the new rules would no longer classify them as foreign workers, subject to quotas and levies.

The new measures may go some way towards easing the labour crunch while removing much of the uncertainty that unions between Singaporeans and foreigners currently involve.

The couple will have a clearer idea of what they are getting into and learn much more about the backgrounds of their prospective spouses.

They can apply for a Letter of Eligibility from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) before they tie the knot.

This option is to help couples be fully aware of their partners' backgrounds, said the ICA, as the application requires both sides to give such information as details of past marriages, the children from these marriages, their educational and employment backgrounds and criminal records, if any. Each will get a copy of their own and their partner's completed forms.

The new move, announced by the ICA yesterday, is part of a series of policy changes to lend support to the growing number of Singaporeans marrying foreigners. Three in 10 marriages nowadays involve such transnational couples, compared to two in 10 in 2003.

With the Letter of Eligibility, the couple need to wait six weeks, at most, for a Long-Term Visit Pass, compared to a maximum of six months for couples who choose to apply for the pass after they marry.

The Letter of Eligibility is valid for only one year, which means the couple must marry within this period.

Exercise for free at malls

You can go shopping and get a workout too with free fitness classes held in shopping centres
By Benson Ang, The Sunday Times, 26 Oct 2014

On Monday, Ms Evelyn Lee, 77, goes for a pulsating kickboxing session at The Star Vista in Buona Vista.

On Tuesday, the retiree heads to either Lot One Shoppers' Mall in Choa Chu Kang or IMM Building in Jurong for KpopX fitness, aerobics incorporating K-pop moves.

And on Friday, the fitness enthusiast, who lives in Choa Chu Kang, busts out more K-pop moves at JCube in Jurong or Junction 8 in Bishan.

And these exercise classes do not cost her a cent.

She says: "I don't need a gym membership and seldom attend classes at the community club. I can exercise at the mall for free."

Yes, these days, it is possible to get workouts at the malls every day of the week.

Since 2010, the Health Promotion Board has been working with shopping centres to organise exercise sessions.

These activities, aimed at making exercise more accessible to the masses, are led by professional instructors.

Most are paid for by the board or the malls, but they declined to reveal cost figures.

At least 12 malls, mostly in the heartland, now offer such activities regularly, and more than 13,000 people have participated in them.

The sessions, which are mostly an hour long, include mall walks and aerobic activities such as zumba, kickboxing and KpopX fitness.

Spirit of giving back 'alive and well' in CDAC

PM Lee lauds self-help group as it raises $17.8m for endowment fund
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2014

FACED with mounting debts, Mr Lai Siew Kuan turned to the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) when he lost his machinist job during the financial crisis of 2008.

The council helped by finding and subsidising skills-upgrading courses for the sole breadwinner of a family of four, and helped match him to a job.

Now a sales executive, Mr Lai, 41, is paying it forward by volunteering at the CDAC. His two sons, aged 13 and 12, have joined him in volunteer work, which includes distributing rice to low-income families.

"Given how much they've helped me, not giving back - however I can - would be ungrateful," he said.

Mr Lai's story was cited by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night, when he noted that the spirit of giving back was alive and well at the CDAC.

Community self-help groups play a key role at a time of changing needs, he said, noting that an ageing population required stronger social support, and poor families faced challenges from the impact of globalisation and technological advances.

"Self-help groups keep the pioneering spirit of 'mutual help' alive, enable every beneficiary to strive for a better future, and foster a society where everyone, including those who have benefited, contributes," he said in Mandarin at the CDAC's charity dinner at Shangri-la Hotel, where $17.8 million was raised for its Endowment Fund.

"From CDAC and the lives they have touched, we can see that the spirit of mutual help, self-help and giving back is alive and well," he added. "This is what we stand for in Singapore."

Mr Lee thanked those who make monthly contributions to the CDAC, regardless of the amount they give. This was an important gesture which "shows that we all bear a shared responsibility to each other".

The CDAC supported 17,000 low-income households last year.

Schooled for a sweeping revolution

Marsiling Primary's project is about creating a lifelong habit and a sense of belonging
By Han Fook Kwang Editor At Large, The Sunday Times, 26 Oct 2014

I am back at my favourite primary school and the news is even better.

Yes, the premises are cleaner but that's not the reason I am excited.

It's what's happening inside the pupils' heads and hearts that makes the experiment at Marsiling Primary School one that the rest of Singapore should know about and learn from.

I wrote last year about how this school in Woodlands was about to start a project to get its pupils to clean the school.

But it was not just about keeping it litter-free. If it was just that, it wouldn't be worth the space here. After all, lots of schools get their students to clean their classrooms.

What's special about Marsiling is the attempt to make this a lifelong habit.

This isn't just about what they do in school but how they turn out later in life.

It requires the pupils to want to keep their space clean because they believe it's their responsibility to do so as members of the school community.

The real lesson isn't about cleaning but belonging.

The Marsiling school project involves all Primary 3 and 5 pupils, with the older children acting as buddies and mentors to the younger ones.

Because teachers are less involved, it allows pupils to take ownership of the problem - an important ingredient in community building.

Primary 3 pupils learn from their seniors the how and why of cleaning and talk about the experience at the end of each clean-up.

As a result, they develop a deeper understanding of the issue and a more lasting relationship with their buddies - another key aspect of community.

Primary 5 pupils learn as they teach and guide their charges.

They say teaching is one of the best forms of learning and that's what's taking place here.

Another important part of the project is about knowing and respecting the school's paid cleaners.

Groceries make a clean difference

Two Jurong housing blocks much cleaner after residents are rewarded for their effort
By Amelia Tan, The Sunday Times, 26 Oct 2014

Two Housing Board blocks in Jurong East are looking cleaner these days, thanks to an initiative that rewards residents who help keep their estate spick and span.

Under the scheme started in April, families living in two blocks of one- and two-room rental flats in Jurong East Street 32 get free groceries for keeping their estate clean.

They get $30 worth of household items every month if they keep their front yards and corridors free of litter and bulky items.

They get an extra $60 to $240 worth of items if they volunteer to patrol the estate, wash the blocks or do gardening. Those who spend more time volunteering and have bigger families get more.

Yesterday, more than 300 families collected items such as biscuits, sugar and soap at the void deck of Block 373 in Jurong East Street 32. Some residents also had free haircuts and dental check-ups.

The groceries are handed out under Project Hand In Hand, a one-year initiative by Jurong East grassroots leaders.

More foreign domestic workers say they do not get enough to eat

By Chang May Choon, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2014

JUST two months after she started working for her new employer in August, Anya saw her weight drop to 47kg - a loss of 9kg.

The 29-year-old domestic worker gets a slice of bread for breakfast, bread or instant noodles for lunch, and rice with only vegetables for dinner.

"I'd hide in the toilet and cry because I was so hungry and upset," said the Filipino, who did not want to give her full name.

"I'm scared to ask for more food, because the auntie is always nagging about the peanut butter finishing so fast," she added.

Post by The Straits Times.

While the malnourishment of foreign maids here is not a new problem, it might have grown worse, say advocacy groups.

As many as eight in 10 domestic workers who seek help from the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) do not get enough food, said Ms Valli Pillai, its director of case work. Home said it saw a 20 per cent rise in complaints about poor or insufficient food from 2012 to last year.

Mr John Gee, head of research at migrant workers group Transient Workers Count Too, said it gets cases of inadequate food on a "regular basis", noting that it is a "less obvious form of abuse".

Agencies claim that cases of hungry maids are rare, but The Straits Times did not have to look too hard to find examples.

Penang bans foreign cooks at hawker stalls

Penang's ban on foreigners cooking local food gets the thumbs-up from majority of hawkers
The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2014

GEORGE TOWN (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Penang Government's move to ban foreigners from being the main cooks of local hawker fare, effective from Jan 1, 2016, received the thumbs-up from the majority of hawkers and related associations.

Penang Consumer Protection Association president K. Koris Atan said he supported the effort and urged the state government to immediately enforce the ban.

"Why does the state need to give a grace period? When the foreigners are brought into the country to work, they are categorised as cleaners, construction workers or even cooks.

"The authorities must conduct regular checks and penalise those who disobey the ban," he said when contacted yesterday.

Penang Hawkers Association chairman Lam Tong Ying also supported the ban.

"Penang is a preferred destination when it comes to hawker food. Tourists from all around the world travel to Penang for its local food so we must maintain the standard.

"The ban will help maintain the standard of our local food, unlike in Kuala Lumpur where foreigners are mainly the cooks," he said.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the move was to preserve the authenticity of the state's local flavours.

Mr Lim added that all hawkers operating at coffee shops, hawker complexes, shopping mall food courts and roadside stalls should do away with employing foreigners as their main cooks and ensure that "only locals or Malaysian citizens" cooked their fare.

"Foreigners can still be hired to do the washing, handle orders or assist in preparing ingredients, but not to do the cooking," he told a press conference in Komtar yesterday.

Farewell to A Loyal Soldier - COL (Ret) John Morrice

SAF pioneer, 79, dies of heart attack
By Aw Cheng Wei, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2014

AS A colonel, Mr John Morrice had 300,000 men under his command. But there was one person whom he reported to, and that was his wife, Stella.

This was how Mr Andrew Morrice, 47, a wholesaler of motorcycle parts, described his parents' marriage. The elder Mr Morrice, 79, died of a heart attack on Thursday night.

"If we needed something, we would go to our mother. Then, she would go tell him to do it and he would," said his son.

Post by The Singapore Army.

Mr John Morrice was one of the pioneers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), joining in 1957 as a regular and retiring 26 years later in 1983 as a colonel.

He was the first Officer Commanding of the first Officer Cadet Company, and headed the 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade and the SAF Training Institute, among other appointments.

He was also on the front lines during Konfrontasi, conducting patrols during the troubled period from 1963 to 1966, when Indonesia opposed the newly formed Malaysia, which Singapore was then a part of.

Lieutenant-Colonel Swee Boon Chai, who was in Mr John Morrice's first batch of officer cadets in 1966, said his former officer was an "efficient and consistent" man. "He would write his reports daily and filed them conscientiously at the end of training sessions," said the 68-year-old retiree.

Mr John Morrice also served as president of the SAF Veterans League for more than 10 years, organising overseas tours and golf competitions.

He stepped down last year. His dedication and commitment to the army drew praise from Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen: "He is a shining example of a devoted soldier who served his country to the best of his abilities and for as long as he could."

Khaw lauds MPs' work on animal welfare Bill

Inclusive committee, which took over two years, sought views widely
By David Ee, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2014

NEW legislation to strengthen animal welfare here will not only give more bite to protection of animals, but it will also make parliamentary history.

In a blog post yesterday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan praised the work of the MPs behind the rare Private Member's Bill tabled on Oct 7, hailing it as a "a big step forward" for both people and animals.

Post by Khaw Boon Wan.

The Bill, tabled by MPs Yeo Guat Kwang, Alex Yam, Gan Thiam Poh, Edwin Tong and Vikram Nair, was the fruit of more than two years of hard work and is set to be one of two such Bills to be passed in two decades.

Private Member's Bills are introduced by MPs who are not Cabinet ministers.

The last time one was passed in Parliament was in 1994, when then Nominated MP Walter Woon tabled the Maintenance of Parents Bill.

"In our Parliament's history, there have not been many Private Member's Bills. On Ministry of National Development (MND) matters, there has been none," said Mr Khaw.

Mr Christopher de Souza, an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, also tabled a Private Member's Bill on Oct 7 to combat human trafficking, with support from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Persuading students to study engineering a challenge: Prof Lui Pao Chuen

Professor Lui Pao Chuen, the recipient of the IES Lifetime Engineering Award, said that excellent education and employment prospects are key to drawing more people into this field.
By Vimita Mohandas, Channel NewsAsia, 24 Oct 2014

Persuading students and their parents that an engineering degree will lead to good jobs and ample career progression is a problem that Singapore is currently facing, according to Professor Lui Pao Chuen.

Prof Lui was speaking at the Institution of Engineers Singapore's (IES) annual dinner on Friday (Oct 24), where he received the Lifetime Engineering Award.

He said that over the last 20 years, interest in science and engineering has declined among young people around the world - including Singapore. He said this was because many students prefer business and accounting courses as they are easier to score in, and the finance sector pays fresh graduates better.

But in the last three years, there has been a revival of interest in engineering in Singapore - the number of bachelor of engineering graduates will hit 5,000 in 2015, about 3,000 more than in 2000. He added that excellent education and employment prospects are key to drawing more people into this field.

With upcoming infrastructure developments, Prof Lui said it is an exciting time to join the profession: "We are going to have a new airport in the east, a new port for the PSA on the west and the MRT lines will connect the country in a much more convenient fashion.

"The number of engineering challenges ahead is so much higher than in the past and we believe this will be a draw for young people to want to create things."