On 1 October, the final day of the Singapore Bicentennial Conference, National University of Singapore academics expressed their worries over Southeast Asia’s widening inequality between rich elites and millions of poor. Professor Brenda Yeoh (NUS Department of Geography) acknowledged the growing diversity in the region, as evidence by the increasing number of marriages between Singaporeans […]

The late Professor Syed Hussein Alatas, internationally renowned Malaysian social scientist and also the first Head of Department of the NUS Department of Malay Studies, was honoured on 17 September 2019 at the Second Syed Hussein Alatas Memorial Lecture. During the lecture, Professor Tommy Koh (NUS Faculty of Law) highlighted four facets of Prof Alatas’ […]

In September, one month after enhanced subsidies for childcare were announced at the National Day Rally, the Early Childhood Development Agency announced that one-fifth of childcare centres in Singapore (which is 330 of them) would be raising full-day childcare fees due to rising costs. Parents worried that the fee increases would negate the subsidies, which […]

3 October 1990 marked the start of official relations between Singapore and China. Both countries have established warm ties over the years, with China especially important to Singapore as a trade partner and an immigrant source country. China’s abundant population provided both skilled and unskilled migrants to ease Singapore’s labour shortage in the 1990s. However, […]

In the second session of the Singapore Bicentennial Conference held on 1 October, with the theme of ‘Separations & Connections’, Professor Tan Tai Yong (NUS Department of History) spoke about Singapore’s merger and subsequent separation with Malaysia as an example of contesting visions and ideas in its history. Furthermore, he added that merger with Malaysia […]

In the first session of the Singapore Bicentennial Conference held on 30 September, with the theme of ‘War & Wealth’, Associate Professor Peter Borschberg (NUS Department of History) notes that Singapore has always occupied a contested geopolitical space, in view of the tensions between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific region today. To […]

On 1 October, the final day of the two-day Singapore Bicentennial Conference, University Professor Wang Gungwu (NUS Department of History) delivered a session on the divergences between Singapore and Hong Kong – despite their similar histories as British colonies. Prof Wang argued that Singapore has since been successful in forging a national identity after a […]

In September 2019, Singapore’s Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading reached the ‘unhealthy’ level – the first time since August 2016. Forest fires in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan were reported to have contributed to Singapore’s hazy conditions, which was facilitated by wind patterns and spells of dry weather. Professor Syed Farid Alatas (NUS Department of […]

The International Day for Older Persons is celebrated worldwide on October 1st to raise awareness about the issues affecting the elderly and acknowledge their contribution to society. The day’s 2015 theme, “Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment”, ties in well with “Geographical Accessibility of Community Health Assist Scheme General Practitioners for the Elderly […]

World Tourism Day, marked every 27th of September, recognises tourism as a key sector of the global economy, contributing to 10% of the world’s GDP and providing one in ten jobs. A key part of a tourist’s travel experience is their chosen place of stay. Whether you see yourself as a penny-pinching backpacker or a […]