Influenza A (H1N1-009), previously referred to as “swine flu”, was reported in 2009 as a new strain of influenza virus that spreads from human to human. The symptoms of H1N1 are similar to those of seasonal influenza and include fever, sore throat, cough, body aches, runny nose, headaches and tiredness. Unlike seasonal influenza, however, the H1N1 virus tends to strike a higher proportion of young adults and those with underlying medical conditions. Most cases of H1N1 infection in Singapore were mild, although up to 18 deaths due to H1N1 were reported in 2009.
Archive for the 'Politics and Government' Category
Said Zahari (b. 1928, Singapore – ) is a writer, journalist and former political detainee. After working as a journalist and editor at Utusan Melayu newspaper in the 1950s, he entered politics in the 1960s. Said was arrested under Operation Cold Store in 1963, accused of involvement in a communist plot and spent the next 17 years in detention. He was released in August 1979 and later published two memoirs.
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is Singapore's only teacher training institution. NIE is engaged in initial teacher preparation, provides continuing education and life-long learning to existing teachers and school administrators, and conducts extensive research in education that enhances NIE programmes.
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) was established by the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) as a post-secondary institution on 1 April 1992. It was to assume the functions previously fulfilled by the former Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB). As a statutory board under the MOE, the ITE is a key provider of vocational and technical education in Singapore. With one in four secondary school leavers enrolling in the ITE, the institute forms a key component of Singapore's education and training system. Under its “One ITE System, Three Colleges” Model of Education and Governance introduced in 2005, the ITE has three colleges that offer the National ITE Certificate (NITEC), Higher NITEC, Master NITEC and diploma programmes.
The first sex change surgery in Singapore was successfully performed on 30 July 1971 at the Kandang Kerbau Hospital. The operation involved a 24-year-old man and was the first procedure of its kind performed in Singapore and in Asia. There had been previous “sex change” operations performed in Singapore, but these mostly involved patients who had both male and female genitalia (hermaphrodites) and the removal of one set of genitalia. The 1971 operation was regarded as a first because it involved a surgical conversion aimed at functionally changing a person's sex.
The Singapore Judiciary System consists of two tiers, the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts. Located at 1 Havelock Square, the Subordinate Courts comprise district and magistrate courts and hear both civil and criminal cases that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Over 95% of all civil, criminal, family and juvenile cases in Singapore are heard in the Subordinate Courts.
The Slim 10 saga involved a number of people who were diagnosed with adverse health effects after consuming unlicensed weight-loss pills in 2002. Among them were two women who suffered liver failure. They were logistics manager Selvarani Raja, who died from her condition, and actress Andrea D'Cruz, who survived after receiving a liver transplant. Both the importer and the distributor of the pills, Health Biz and TV Media, were fined by the health authorities and paid damages after two civil suits were brought against them by the victims and their families.
The Chief Justice of Singapore presides over the Court of Appeal and is the most senior judicial officer in the republic. He is responsible for the overall functioning of the Singaporean judiciary, plays a role in numerous appointments and has other duties outside of the court system.
National Junior College (NJC) is located at 37 Hillcrest Road. Officially opened on 14 May 1970 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, it was Singapore's first junior college.
Singapore Chinese Girls' School (SCGS) is an independent full school comprising primary and secondary levels. It was the first girls' school founded and run by Peranakan Chinese (also known as Straits-born Chinese) and provided bilingual education in English and Chinese to Peranakan Chinese girls, at a time when education for females in Singapore was dominated by foreign missionaries and catered mainly to English and Eurasian children. Established in 1899 at Hill Street, the school was relocated three times, including spending 70 years at Emerald Hill, before settling in its present location at Dunearn Road in 1994.
