Enjoy Thaipusam 2010

The annual Thaipusam festival drew some 9,500 devotees this year - about 400 more than last year. And they all fulfilled their vows to the Hindu deity Lord Muruga.

Devotees walked the four-kilometre stretch from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road.

Organisers said more people took part this year because it was held over the weekend.
Most of the devotees carried pots filled with milk, called the paal kudam. Others shouldered kaavadis - tower-shaped spiked structures - as a form of thanksgiving or family tradition.

One devotee said: "My daughter-in-law wanted to carry the paal kudam. She made a vow and we followed her."

Another commented: "In our family, we usually come to the temple during Thaipusam when we have a newborn..."

The colourful festival is also a draw for tourists.

It is also common to see Singaporeans of other races taking part in the festival, a point also highlighted by the guest of honour who was at both temples to witness the procession.

Lim Hwee Hua, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, and Second Minister for Finance and Transport, said: "They have grown up together amidst diversity, (and have the) opportunity to experience each other's culture and that is really natural and that is really good.

"But what we would like to build into them is that elsewhere outside of Singapore, some of these differences can become a source of tension. We just want them to be aware of it.

"Celebrate the differences, but at the same time, respect that we are all born differently and we are all born of different backgrounds, different religious beliefs. So I believe that we should continue to build that consciousness, but allow the natural assimilation to continue in a very good way."

The Thaipusam procession, which began at midnight, continues for a 24-hour period.

Shamu: Don't jump to conclusion... errrr...

If my knowledge thru CSI and many crime related books didn't help improve my analytical skills - I'm a dam-fool.

IT IS not right or appropriate for the Singapore Government to determine guilt in the ongoing investigations related to a hit-and-run accident involving a Romanian embassy car, said Law Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday.

But it is right for the Government to investigate the facts, put them forward and take the appropriate steps, he told reporters after a dialogue with Yew Tee residents.

"There is no question of us not going through the facts carefully or trying to shield anyone, or not following due processes," he said, stressing the need for fairness.

Mr Shanmugam was replying to a question a resident had posed on the Government's apparent silence on the accident.

Earlier this month, Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo said that due process must be allowed to take its course for the case.

The accident occurred last month in Bukit Panjang. It left one man dead and two men injured. Mr Shanmugam said that the police would "investigate without fear or favour" and that, in the next step, the Attorney-General would "proceed only if he believes that a case can be made in court with witnesses beyond reasonable doubt".

ST Kinetics bids for US$3b India defence contracts

ST Kinetics, an arm of Singapore Technologies (ST) Engineering, said it has bid for five Indian defence contracts worth US$3 billion. 'If all five defence tenders we have bid for come through, we will have a revenue of $3 billion over five years,' Patrick Choy, chief marketing officer of ST Kinetics, told reporters.

ST Kinetics also said it will begin India trials of its 155MM Howitzer Towed guns for the army in a month. 'There are two programmes, towed guns and light guns,' Mr Choy told reporters. ST Engineering is the world's largest aircraft repair firm.

India is upgrading its largely Soviet-era arsenal to counter potential threats from Pakistan and China with a series of acquisitions.

The Indian army needs new weapons urgently as the Bofors howitzers were its last major acquisition, made back in 1986. India is now seeking heavy-lift helicopters, submarines, ships and artillery for its army, valued at millions of dollars, a KPMG report said this week.

Prataman Sympathies Haiti

The Singapore government said on Thursday that it will make a contribution of 50,000 U.S. dollars in support of the international community's humanitarian relief efforts for earthquake-hit Haiti.

According to Singapore's Minsitry of Foreign Affairs, the donation will be made through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Singapore President S R Nathan on Thursday also wrote to Haitian President Rene Preval to convey his sympathies to the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of the earthquake which struck Haiti causing widespread destruction and the loss of many lives. On behalf of the people of Singapore, I would like to convey my sympathy to all victims of the earthquake, especially to those who have suffered the tragic loss of their loved ones." Nathan said.

Indian Human Spaceflight in 2013

India would be launching its first manned spacecraft by sending two astronauts into orbit in a Russian spaceship in 2013. This mission will be the precursor to Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) maiden human spaceflight planned to be launched in 2015. Government has already sanctioned Rs 95 crore to study all aspects of the manned space mission under which ISRO plans to send a two-member crew on a week-long sojourn in space.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be buying the Russian Soyuz spaceship launch its cosmonauts into orbit. Besides paying for the spacecraft India will also finance the training of the Russian cosmonaut who is to head the team of Indian cosmonauts, Vitaly Davydov, Deputy Head of Roskosmos, the governmental organization responsible for managing the Russian space program, is quoted as saying.

Indian wants 'vyomanauts' for Indian spaceflight

Not so long ago, people in space were either astronauts or cosmonauts. Then the Chinese gave us
taikonauts. Now, another billion-strong nation with an ambitious space programme – India – is seeking a new breed of spacefarers: vyomanauts, according to Indian media.

The tongue-twisting term comes from the Sanskrit for sky or space (vyoma, pronounced veeohma). The closest Sanskrit word to astronaut would have been vyomagami, for something that passes in the sky. The other word for an Indian spacefarer that had been bandied about was gaganaut (gagan is also Sanskrit for sky). But "vyoma is very good", says Choudury Upender Rao, a professor of Sanskrit studies at the

Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. "It's an appropriate choice."
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now in the process of choosing four vyomanauts from a pool of 200 fighter pilots, P. Madhusoodanan of the Indian Air Force told DNA, a daily newspaper, this week.

India's first crewed space mission is scheduled for 2015, designs for which were unveiled last year by Madhavan Nair, former chairman of ISRO. The three-person vehicle will initially carry two vyomanauts into 275-kilometre low-Earth orbit. Before this flight, ISRO will launch its second moon mission in 2013.

Just For Laughes - Local version

Details Of Telecast

Title: Just For Laughs Gags Asia Channel: Mediacorp Channel 5 & HD5

Date: Starts 12 Jan 2010.

Episode 1 (Premiere Time): 9.00PM – 9.30PM

Description: Tune in to the world premiere of Just For Laughs Gags Asia – Made In Singapore on Channel 5! Get set to laugh out loud with bone tickling gags and priceless reaction from your fellow Singaporeans.

Happy Laughing!!

No more Ang Mohs but Ah Nehs, Mats and Cinas.

India lets work together for the better

India is hosting its global Diaspora in a three-day meet. More than 1000 participants, including a delegation from Singapore, are in the country to discuss ways to enhance trade opportunities and cultural relations.

More than 200,000 Indian expatriates living in Singapore are making their presence felt in business and cultural life of the country.

According to Singapore's Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Indian Diaspora has played an important role in enhancing bilateral relations.
A fourth generation Indian, Minister Balakrishnan feels the Diaspora can act as a soft power to project India's growing economic strength.

He said: "We want to remind the Indian government as well as Indian businesses that we continue to be a viable, focal point for Indians who want to do business in Asia Pacific, especially in Southeast Asia.

So it is really about opportunities both for Singapore companies in India and Indian companies in Singapore."
More than 4,000 Indian companies are operational in Singapore. Bilateral trade has been growing at over 30 per cent annually.

And with the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement that came into effect from January 1, the trade is set to grow even more.

The FTA agreement, considered the world's largest, will slash tariffs for over 4,000 product lines over a staggered period, by 2016 making imports from ASEAN countries, including Singapore much easier.

Vijay Iyengar, chairman, Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "We are looking at opportunities in India. Every state of the country is here and more and more states are coming to make their presentations at the Global Diaspora meet. This itself shows that the states are seeing the importance of this event and for us to interact with different businessmen of each state is a very important thing."

The Indian government is also encouraging the expatriates to invest in the country.
India is one of the world's biggest recipients of expatriate remittances.
Their savings totalled nearly US$50 billion last year.

But the Prime Minister has asked the Diaspora to turn their savings into investment through Foreign Direct Investment into the country.

The government has opened an "Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre" to promote two-way interaction between the overseas Indian community and Indian businessmen.

India is growing rapidly and the Diaspora is a part of the larger network that can amplify the country's success and create more opportunities for the Indian companies as well as Indian entrepreneurs.

The Global Diaspora meet has provided a platform for overseas Indians to exchange ideas and support India's development.

Peacok meets Dragon

Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar is expected to visit China from January 6 to hold dialogue with the Chinese military leadership to discuss the long-pending border issue, steps to improve coordination along the Line of Actual Control and increasing bilateral military cooperation.

In the first-ever visit by an Indian Defence Secretary to Beijing, Kumar is likely to be accompanied by senior Army officials from Eastern Command which looks after the Chinese border in the northeast, Defence Ministry sources said.

During the visit, which comes in the backdrop of recent military incursions by the Chinese PLA along the LAC, Kumar is expected to hold meetings with the top Chinese military leadership and is likely to discuss some new confidence building measures, the long-pending boundary dispute and the steps to improve coordination along the LAC, they added.

If these two country sneeze, the whole world catches cold.

Prataman's Advisor

President S R Nathan has appointed Bobby Chin Yoke Choong as a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers for a term of six years.

Mr Chin sits on the board of several companies and is currently the chairman of the Tote Board.
Temasek Holdings Chairman S Dhanabalan has also been reappointed as Council member for a term of four years.

Singapore Exchange Limited Chairman J Y Pillay remains as head of the Council.

The Council advises the President in the exercise of his custodial and discretionary powers. For example, the President consults the Council before he considers the budget of the Government and key government-linked bodies.

Council of Presidential AdvisersAddress: Istana Orchard Road Singapore (238823)
Tel: 68355332Fax: 67353135
Email Address: istana_cpa@istana.gov.sg

To discharge its constitutional duties to the President to safeguard Singapore's past reserves and uphold the integrity of the public service.

Personnel
The present Chairman of the CPA is Mr J Y Pillay, Chairman of the Singapore Exchange Limited. The other members are Mr Po’ad Bin Shaik Abu Bakar Mattar, Mr Yong Pung How, Mr S Dhanabalan, Mr Goh Joon Seng and Mr Bobby Chin Yoke Choong. The two alternate members are Mr Lim Chee Onn and Mr Stephen Lee Ching Yen. > Mrs TEE Teow Lee (Asst Secretary (Admin) )