The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro
The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro |
- ‘Todd family’s claims untrue’
- Record number of marriages in last 30 years
- Good work-life balance is undergrads’ top priority
| ‘Todd family’s claims untrue’ Posted: LAW and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam dismissed allegations from American researcher Dr Shane Todd's parents that Singapore had mishandled the inquiry into their son's death. After a state coroner ruled on Monday that he had committed suicide, Dr Todd's parents sent a statement to the media alleging that the verdict had been predetermined. Shanmugam said at an event in Yishun on Tuesday that he understood the Todd family's grief but their allegations "have not stood up to scrutiny and have been found to be untrue". When asked whether the government would consider taking action against the Todds if they continued to impugn Singapore's justice system, he said: "The facts are there and people can judge for themselves. We will just have to leave it to the people to judge." He added that Singapore was legally required to hold a coroner's inquiry into the death and had done so, saying: "It was a full, open inquiry and all evidence was presented." The US Embassy in Singapore said in a statement on Monday that the inquiry had been "comprehensive, fair and transparent". When told that the Financial Times had stood by its February report which suggested that Dr Todd had been murdered, Shanmugam said: "The responsible thing to do would be acknowledge that the original article was full of inaccuracies." When asked in a press conference on Monday whether the government would consider suing the Financial Times if it did not correct the article, Shanmugam said: "I don't think that's a path we want to go down." On Tuesday, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin slammed the Financial Times for standing by its report. He said in a Facebook posting: "So the FT believes that their irresponsible piece of journalism stands? Creating conspiracy out of nothing... I wonder if their sensationalism led the Todd family down this unfortunate path." — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network |
| Record number of marriages in last 30 years Posted: THE number of marriages hit a record high in the last three decades, while divorce rates have gone down, bucking a rising trend in the last 10 years. There were 27,936 civil and Muslim marriages registered last year, up from 27,258 the year before. On the other hand, there were 7,241 divorces and annulments last year, a decrease from 7,604 previously, a first decline in the past eight years. Figures from the Department of Statistics released yesterday also indicated that the median age first-time brides and grooms remained the same compared to 2011. Last year, the median age of first-time grooms was 30.1 while the median age for first-time brides was 28 last year. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network |
| Good work-life balance is undergrads’ top priority Posted: EVEN before entering the workforce, university students here are sure of one thing they want from their careers: a work-life balance. It came out as the top motivating factor in a survey of 6,000 undergraduates, beating job security into second place and dedication to a cause in third. To be challenged competitively or intellectually was only fourth on the list while being a leader or manager was fifth. Employer branding consultancy Universum got university students to pick their most important career goals out of a list of nine. In sixth was to have an international career, in seventh was to be entrepreneurial and creative, in eighth was to be autonomous or independent and last was to be a technical or functional expert. Most students who took part in the online survey were from the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University and the Singapore Institute of Management. The survey was carried out between last December and May. Human resource experts interviewed said the survey's results explain why many young people have no qualms about taking unpaid leave or "job hopping". Human resource consultancy Remuneration Data Specialists associate director David Ang said: "Younger workers do not want to compromise their private life for work. If they cannot find that, they will leave." University students and fresh graduates interviewed said personal interests came first for them as they did not have to worry about supporting their parents – most of whom are financially independent. Human resource experts said companies needed to do more to design staff retention policies that fit the interests of young workers. Fresh graduate Alice Zhao, 23, said employers should promote a culture of "working with friends" – as is the case with her employer, a technology company. "We are trusted to work from home. We also socialise over the meals which are provided. It doesn't feel like we are working because we are enjoying ourselves," she said. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network |
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