Singapore 'stands in solidarity' with Malaysia: MFA statement on MH17

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for a 'full and transparent' investigation into the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, and reaffirmed that Singapore 'stands in solidarity' with its neighbouring country.

The MFA statement issued on Friday (July 18), in full, reads as follows:

Singapore is shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic crash of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 on 17 July 2014. The Government and people of Singapore send our deepest condolences to the families of the victims in this time of profound grief. We also stand in solidarity with the Government and people of Malaysia during this difficult period.

It is important that a full and transparent investigation take place to establish what caused the crash. The investigation team should be given full access to the affected areas and evidence. We stand ready to offer any possible assistance.

At this point, there have been no reports of Singaporean victims. MFA remains in close contact with MAS and the relevant airport authorities to ascertain the nationality of the unverified passengers. Singaporeans who require consular assistance should contact the MFA Duty Office (24-hours) at 6379 8800, 6379 8855 (24 hours); by fax at 6476 7302; or via email at mfa_duty_officer@mfa.gov.sg

In a Facebook post and Twitter post on Friday afternoon, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he had just called Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to offer his condolences and Singapore's assistance in the crash.

Singapore Has Banned an Archie Comic for Depicting a Gay Wedding

A recent crackdown on publications discussing homosexuality sheds light on Singapore's traditional moral values and notoriously restricted press

State media censors in Singapore have banned the sale of an Archie comic book for its frank presentation of gay marriage, a matter that remains socially taboo and legally verboten in Southeast Asia's most developed state.

Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) censored the comic book, first published in January 2012, earlier this year, but the ban is only just now coming to light - a week after another state agency removed three children's books promoting tolerance of same-sex relationships from the national library's shelves.

The third installment in Archie: The Married Life, one of several spinoff series in the multifarious Archie universe, features the wedding of Kevin Keller, a gay character whose creation in 2010 earned writer Dan Parent a GLAAD Media Award last year. (In the latest volume, Archie dies taking a bullet for Kevin, now a U.S. Senator.)

As critic Alyssa Rosenberg noted Wednesday in The Washington Post, the 75-year-old comic book franchise has in recent years adopted a distinctly political subtext, taking on issues of topical significance as they come: Kevin, a gay solider, was introduced as the Obama administration was deliberating the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell; Archie's interracial marriage made the cover in 2012.

Social progressivism isn't really Singapore's forte, though.

'[We]... found its content to be in breach of guidelines because of its depiction of the same sex marriage of two characters in the comic,' an MDA spokesperson said in a statement to TIME. 'We thus informed the local distributor not to import or distribute the comic in retail outlets.'

In its guidelines for imported publications, the MDA prohibits comics and other illustrated material that depict or discuss 'alternative lifestyles or deviant sexual practices,' listing homosexuality as an example of such (alongside 'group sex and sadomasochism').

Such stringent regulations are par for the course in Singapore, where social conservatism reigns supreme and strict curbs are placed on the dissemination of information. The country ranks 149th of the 179 countries listed in the 2013 Press Freedom Index - between Iraq and Vladimir Putin's Russia - earning it the distinction of having the least free press of any developed economy in the world.

Concerning the recent purge of homosexual content, though, these restrictions may not be completely unwelcome. Sodomy, although rarely prosecuted, is criminalized as an act of 'gross indecency,' and the majority of citizens, according to one survey, still take a 'conservative approach' to marital and family matters. Indeed, the MDA claims to predicate its censorship decisions upon 'public feedback or complaints,' and only turned its attention to the Archie comic after receiving a number of grievances.

Singapore's exports dip 4.6% on

SINGAPORE: Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) in Singapore contracted 4.6 per cent on-year in June, dragged down by electronic exports which outweighed a rise in non-electronic shipments.

The fall in NODX comes after a 6.6 per cent on-year decrease in the previous month, according to statistics released on Thursday (July 17) by International Enterprise (IE) Singapore.

On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, NODX rose by 1.5 per cent to S$13.5 billion in June, compared with the previous month's 7.5 per cent decline.

Electronic exports fell 17.4 per cent compared with June last year, after declining 15.3 per cent in the previous month. The decrease was largely due to shrinking sales of integrated circuits (IC) (-17.3 per cent), (-32.2 per cent) and parts of PCs (-18.5 per cent), the trade agency said.

Non-electronic exports in June rose 1.3 per cent from the previous year, following a 2.4 per cent slump in May. The rise was led by pharmaceuticals (+24.3 per cent), petrochemicals (+29 per cent) and printed matter (+32.6 per cent).

On a year-on-year basis, NODX to all of the top 10 markets - except Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Taiwan - fell in June. The top three contributors to the decline were Hong Kong, South Korea and the European Union.

Singapore Startup Temasys Builds Next Generation Web Communications

IBM Connections built on Temasys tools

Singapore startup Temasys last month unveiled its Skyway platform-a combination of tools and infrastructure that will enable developers to swiftly embed Web Real Time Communication (WebRTC) in browsers, applications, websites, and internet-connected devices. This month, Temasys will release a plug-in for WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. In other words, if you have a site that is hosted by one of those content management systems-as Forbes.com does-you might soon be able to conduct a high-quality audio or video chat with a reader or hold an interactive seminar right from you home site or blog.

Skyway isn't a consumer product, although within a few years we all should be benefiting. Customers are developers and enterprises that want to create better, cheaper, more reliable communications services. For example, messaging applications like Viber, WhatsApp and Wechat could build on Skyway to add HD video conferencing. Snapchat could add audio and video functions. So could Facebook. Smartphones could soon be able to support up to four persons on a single call.

As for existing interactive video, such as Skype, the Skyway tools can enhance video and audio quality while taking up much less bandwidth. In the image below of an IBM Connections B2B video app built with Temasys tools, the visual quality is sharper than Skype's. Skype itself could also adapt the Skyway tools to enable many more users to participate in a group chat than it does now, Temasys CEO Chip Wilcox told me.

Right now, high-quality multi-party video conferencing is very expensive in install; overcoming that problem will open up greater avenues for distance learning, training, customer support and telemedicine.

I was especially interested in WebRTC when I learned that it would eliminate the need to download a standalone app like WhatsApp or (ugh! Don't get me started) Skype or a browser plug-in or add-on requiring Java or (ugh, ugh) Flash. We won't need to make sure our chat partner has the same app. We won't even need to sign up for app accounts.

Eventually, WebRTC will be embedded in every browser, website, application and device. Leading the way, the newest editions of the Chrome and Firefox browsers are already designed to be compatible with WebRTC apps. Once WebRTC becomes ubiquitous, we will initiate audio and video phone calls, text chats and even financial transactions simply by clicking a URL or Web link (which raises the question of the future roles of telecom companies).

World Wide WebRTC Working Group

The Web doesn't evolve into the next generation willy nilly, of course. Working groups within the World Wide Web Consortium first agree on the underlying open-source basic standards, or reference codes.

In the case of WebRTC working group, only seven of the 37 member companies are collaborating to create the reference code to upgrade online interactions. As proponents tend to put it, WebRTC will be the first technology invented 'from the ground up' specifically to facilitate online interactions. Group members include big players like Google , Mozilla, Intel and Imagination Technologies as well as two-year-old Temasys, which has only 16 employees, all in Singapore.

The reference code itself (often dubbed the 'DNA') is a collection of simple Javascript application programming interfaces (APIs) that specify how software components should interact with each other. On top of that reference code, about 300 companies are building server-side infrastructure products, developer tools like Mobile Software Developer Kits (SDKs), or customer-facing products such as voice-only services. Temasys is making both infrastructure products and developer tools.

'What Temasys with Skyway is offering is an easy way for developers to incorporate WebRTC into their products without a lot of tedious coding from scratch,' as a writer with Real Time Communications put it. 'With the Singapore-based company's APIs, SDKs and CMS widgets, they can develop proof-of-concept apps quickly.'

Freemium revenue model

I was especially interested in Temasys because so much (most?) of the 'tech' and internet companies one hears about in Southeast Asia rely on little local ingenuity. Be it social networks or e-commerce, hotel booking or taxi-hailing apps, most rely on off-the-shelf technology and mimic ideas hatched in the United States or elsewhere. Granted, there are original games and virtual icons created here, especially for mobile phones, but how do those inventions push along a country's development or advance individual skills any more than spending three hours a day playing on a smartphone?

Updated July 17 to clarify foundership: Temasys's principal founders and executives are foreigners but they had lived in Singapore for a long time before Temasys officially opened for business in March 2012. Founders and board members Tom Preststulen, from Norway, and Bill Lewis, from Britain, started the company as a Video as a Service (VaaS) business, using what was then Vidyo 's leading-edge conferencing technology. By the end of 2012, they switched focus to developing enterprise-grade solutions for WebRTC. CEO Wilcox, formerly of Yahoo, is American and CTO Alex Gouaillard is French.

An initial US$2 million in seed funding was raised by founders, employees and friends. The combination of a grant from the Singapore government's Infocomm Development Authority and incentives against expenses could total an additional S$350,000 ($282,000). Now Temasys executives plan to pitch investors in Silicon Valley for Series A funding of $5 million.

Artist who will draw Singapore's skyline from memory begins tour of the city

SINGAPORE - British architectural artist Stephen Wiltshire, known for his immense panoramic drawings of world cities, arrived in Singapore this week.

He began his week-long maiden visit with a tour on Monday of historical sites in Chinatown as well as the skyscrapers of the financial district.

Mr Wiltshire, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and travels with his older sister Annette, will be drawing a 4m long panorama of the city from memory. He will be at the Main Atrium of Paragon from Wednesday to Sunday, as part of a Singapore Press Holding's 30th anniversary celebration event called See The Big Picture.

'It's a nice city, it's very historic. But I like the tall buildings best,' he said after Monday's tour.

Singapore Bans Children's Book Featuring Gay Penguin Couple

Roy and Silo, two male penguins living in the Central Park Zoo, created a stir over a decade ago after they successfully hatched and adopted a chick named Tango. The little family then inspired the children's book ' And Tango Makes Three.'

That 2005 children's story is back in the news this week after Singapore's National Library Board announced it would be banning the book from its collection and destroying all existing copies.

'NLB's collection development policy takes special care of our children's collections to ensure they are age-appropriate. We take a cautious approach, particularly in books and materials for children,' the board said in a statement. 'NLB's understanding of family is consistent with that of the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education.'

Notably, the other two children's books banned by Singapore -- 'The White Swan Express: A Story About Adoption' and 'Who's In My Family: All About Our Families -- also feature gay and lesbian characters.

Singapore's penal code includes a section criminalizing homosexual acts, though it is rarely enforced.

Many Singaporeans took to Twitter to protest the decision to bar the books from the collection, using the hashtag #FreeMyLibrary. Thousands of users have also signed an open letter to the government urging a repeal of the ban.

'Parents who object to the content of these books have the option of not borrowing them for their children,' a portion of the letter reads. 'To withdraw it from circulation is irresponsible and unfair to other library users and parents who may want to teach their children about acceptance, tolerance, and the heterogeneity of family structures.'

Here in the United States, 'And Tango Makes Three' has also repeatedly attracted controversy. The American Library Association notes that its often listed on its top ten list of frequently challenged books.

IN-DEPTH SOCIAL

First published July 14 2014, 6:17 AM

World's hottest new cocktail city: Singapore

At Singapore's Anti:dote, inventive cocktails are concocted by head craftsman, Tom Hogan. He uses herbs from the hotel's garden and makes his own bitters and liquors. The citrus-y Corpse Reviver (pictured) is made with gin, Absinthe and house-made orange liqueur.

(CNN) -- Once described as 'sterile,' the birth city of the iconic Singapore Sling is experiencing a cocktail renaissance.

Since 2012, the city has seen a rush of cocktail bar openings, and the boom isn't showing signs of slowing.

In 2013, UK-based liquor-producing giant Diageo reported a 58% spike in spirits sales in Singapore over the previous financial year.

'Singapore's cocktail scene has grown tremendously in the past few years,' says Colin Chia, Asia Pacific manager of Diageo Reserve World Class, which hosted the World Class South East Asia Finals in Singapore in May to showcase top bartending talents in the region.

'The scene has moved toward the opening of independent bars with talents concentrating on craft cocktails and introducing the consumer to new techniques, ingredients and spirits, while still keeping true to the classics.

'They have collectively invested time and energy in putting Singapore on the global cocktail map.'

In the last year alone, some 20 new bars have sprouted across Singapore.

Tron Young, who founded the inaugural Singapore Bar Industry Accord to recognize the industry's future luminaries, says the city-state is at the forefront of Asia's cocktail and bar scene.

'Other Asian cities like Tokyo may have a longer reign at the top, but Singapore is taking the lead in pushing boundaries and drinking ideals, researching trends as well as exploring techniques,' says Young, a former bartender at Singapore hotspot Tetsuya's and ex-bar manager of Waku Ghin.

'One of the ways to gauge the progress of the beverage industry in a country is to look at the range of products available -- a bigger range and variety is generally driven by the volume of demand.'

More suppliers are indeed joining the spirits distribution game in Singapore, brandishing an alluring arsenal of artisan spirits by independent distilleries.

La Maison du Whiskey joined the fray in 2009; followed by Proof & Company Spirits (stablemate of the acclaimed 28 HongKong Street) in 2012; with Liberty Spirits Asia coming on board most recently.

'As consumer demand for artfully prepared cocktails has grown, the spirits industry has responded and is now going through its own renaissance,' says Spencer Forhart of Proof & Company Spirits.

MORE: Revolution and rum: 18 drinks inspired by the PhilippinesWhere cocktails are as important as food

According to Forhart, Singapore has a strong community of professionals treating bartending as a proper vocation and pushing each other to achieve.

'The result -- even restaurants and hotels are taking their cocktails and spirits seriously,' he says.

The seeds of all this growth were sown in 2008, when the trendsetting Tippling Club introduced its cocktail-paired tasting menu, a first in Singapore.

Today, Tippling Club has been joined by a host of restaurant-bars where cocktails are treated with as much reverence as food -- Bacchanalia, Catalunya, Sugarhall and Tess Kitchen Bar are examples.

'One of the best ways to judge the F&B trends in a city is also to see what the hotels are doing,' says Young.

'Recently Anti:dote at Fairmont Hotel and Manhattan Bar at Regent Singapore hotel opened while Four Seasons hired one of the greatest bartenders in history -- Javier de lad Muelas -- to consult on its beverage and cocktail list at One Ninety bar.'

In addition to adding a touch of glitz to the city's bibulous culture, hotel bars such as Anti:dote and Manhattan Bar have brought in talented craftsmen -- Tom Hogan and Ricky Paiva, respectively -- who are rapidly shaking up the craft cocktail movement started by stalwarts such as Aki Eguchi, bar manager of Jigger & Pony.

Today, Eguchi, a 2011 and 2012 Diageo Reserve World Class Singapore champion, has about 30 types of homemade infusions and syrups in stock at any one time.

'Singapore is enjoying a cocktail boom that New York and London experienced over the last 15 years,' concludes Forhart.

'It started a bit later than those cities, but it's really developing at a much faster pace.'

Thirsty yet?

Here's a roundup of Singapore's best new cocktail bars.

MORE: Asia's best beer bars: 10 top poursAnti:dote

Fairmont's latest F&B addition showcases inventive cocktails and a raft of tonics concocted by head craftsman, American-born Tom Hogan.

He uses freshly plucked herbs from the hotel's garden and personally makes a clutch of bitters and liquors, like spiced orange bitters fortified with Cognac.

Hogan cocktails such as Corpse Reviver #2 (made with gin, Absinthe and house-made orange liqueur) are best paired with the tapas by Spanish chef, Carlos Montobbio.

, Level 1 Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road; +65 (0)6 431 5313Manhattan Bar

Former Rickhouse barman, Ricky Paiva, puts the spotlight on craft cocktails at the artful grand hotel bar at the Regent Singapore hotel, which features a menu of 25 seasonally rotating cocktails inspired by the neighborhoods of Manhattan.

In addition to showcasing the world's first in-hotel 'rickhouse,' where the Sacramento native finishes whiskeys, ages cocktails and brews bitters, the bar offers cocktails mixed table-side via a trolley.

Manhattan BarMORE: Singapore's 8 best new restaurantsThe Library, Level 2 Regent Singapore, 1 Cuscaden Road; +65 (0)6725 3377The Library,Operation Dagger47 Keong Saik Road; +65 (0)6 221 8338

This secret bar tucked behind the recently re-branded The Study isn't spanking new but it's worth the schlep for the new-to-Singapore barman, Nicholas Quattroville.

Operation Dagger, 7 Ann Siang Hill, #B1-01; Sugarhall nMORE: 12 of the world's most unusual cocktailsStudio 1939 by Potato Head Folko telephone

An Australian formerly of The Blind Pig (London), he prepares most of his cocktail ingredients in-house -- horseradish-infused vodka, walnut orgeat and burnt butter whiskey are favorites.

Studio 1939 by Potato Head FolkTess Bar , 36 Keong Saik Road; +65 6327 1939

Located in an underground, window-less space near Oxwell & Co, this progressive speakeasy helmed by head bartender Luke Whearty makes its own infusions via sous vide cooking technique and bottle-ages carbonated cocktails with champagne yeast.

Super Loco

It also grows its own herbs on a rooftop garden with a beehive where honey is harvested and fermented to make mead.

This grill restaurant that pairs flame-kissed fare with rum-based cocktails concocted by Aki Eguchi (bar manager of next door stablemate Jigger & Pony) has a lively atmosphere.

Super Loco,MORE: Club Street: Singapore's hottest new dining enclave60 Robertson Quay #01-03

Set on the third floor of an art deco building on Keong Saik Road, this reservations-only bar serves small plates paired with cocktails made with artisan spirits, courtesy of Dre Masso, head mixologist for the Potato Head group.

Former Bitters & Love bartender Steven Leong calls the shots at the long bar of this eatery/bar near Raffles Hotel.

He shakes classic and quirky cocktails to go with the menu of modern European fare served on small, medium and large plates.

A sibling of ultra-popular Lucha Loco at Duxton Road, this water-fronting Mexican taqueria and bar (due to open in July) at Robertson Quay will serve gourmet tacos and Mexican street food.

Drinks will include a selection of tequilas, mescal and cocktails, including fresh fruit margaritas.

Evelyn Chen is a former Time Out food critic and current editor of Zagat Guide. Her food and travel features have been published in Destin Asian, Travel+Leisure SEA and Conde Nast Traveler.