17,000 Hearts, One Team Singapore For The SEA Games

Volunteers of different ages and backgrounds were treated to a night of fun at the Waterworld at Universal Studios Singapore in appreciation of their contribution to make a difference to the lives of others. Organised by Sport Singapore (SportSG), the event aims to recognise the efforts of sports volunteers and further cultivate the spirit of volunteerism in Singapore.

Every soldier a leader

Some are natural-born leaders, while others, like these specialists and officers, grow into effective commanders through personal experience and hard work.



Lead yourself; lead others

3SG NUR HAFIZUDDIN BIN RAHIM, 19
3rd Battalion, Singapore Guards (3 Gds)
Former rifleman

Before enlisting, 3SG Hafizuddin was a banquet server at Marina Bay Sands. Despite having over a year of experience, he never took the initiative to guide new staff. Why bother? After all, he was just a part-timer. "I let the manager do everything," recalled the 19-year-old who had dropped out of the Institute of Technical Education.

4 shifts in Singapore's approach to healthcare, outlined by PM Lee

With changing demographics and disease patterns, Singapore has made four shifts to its approach to delivering good healthcare, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the Universal Health Coverage Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday (Feb 10).

"In Singapore, we face the same challenges and difficulties as other societies in delivering good healthcare, because these trade-offs are intrinsic to healthcare delivery. Given these difficulties, we have developed our own approach, and it works reasonably well for us," he told the audience, which included World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Margaret Chan and Singapore Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.

North Korea, Singapore discuss bilateral cooperation

Ministers from Singapore and North Korea on Tuesday (Feb 10) discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international developments.

North Korea’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Ri Gil Song called on Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The issues they discussed included the importance of lowering tensions and maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.

Mr Ri will be in Singapore from Feb 9 to 12, and he is set to meet senior officials from the MFA. The minister is on a regional visit to several Southeast Asian countries.

Collective action key to global stability and progress, Dr Ng

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen underscored the need for the region to work collectively to avoid perils and reap promises in the Asia-Pacific security landscape, at a panel discussion at the 51st Munich Security Conference (MSC).

Held from 6 to 8 Feb this year, the MSC is an annual high-level security conference attended by heads of government, defence and foreign ministers, parliamentarians, military leaders and security experts from around the world.

Strong hiring demand for returning Singaporeans

More than 200,000 Singaporeans are based overseas. And there is increasing demand for them as their experience abroad makes them attractive to employers in Singapore's globalised economy.

Human resource consultancies said the returning Singaporean has the advantage of international exposure as well as knowledge of the local business culture. And it is estimated that employers are willing to pay a premium of up to 30 per cent - in industries where the experience is relevant.

PM Lee on religious harmony, new citizens and the South China Sea conflict

In a wide-ranging interview with German publication Süddeutsche Zeitung on Tuesday (Feb 3), Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about integrating new citizens, religious harmony and the South China Sea conflict.

Mr Lee is in Germany for an official visit to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between Singapore and Germany, and to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Here are some excerpts from the interview: