Undersea security an increasingly paramount concern for nations
The growing importance of undersea security was a topic of discussion at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this past weekend. The International Institute for Strategic Studies has described the subsea domain as an increasingly critical arena in its Asia Pacific Regional Assessment. An extensive network of undersea cables, which spans more than a million kilometres — transcending international and continental boundaries — carries the vast majority of the world's internet traffic. Most cable damage is unintentional due to human error or natural disaster, but there has been growing concerns over intentional damage through sabotage or espionage.
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Independent Singapore
3 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Where NUS and NTU outshine Oxbridge in global rankings
One in three students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a foreigner. The attraction is clear: NUS ranks fourth globally—behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon—in computer science and information systems in the 2025 QS World University Rankings By Subject. In electrical and electronic engineering, both NUS and NTU share the fourth spot with Harvard, trailing just MIT, Stanford, and the University of California, Berkeley, according to the same source. Either or both of the universities excel in other fields as well, including law, medicine, and architecture. With their strong showing in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, could NUS and NTU be seen as the Oxford and Cambridge of Asia? Sticklers may disagree, and not without reason. For one, NUS and NTU are located far closer together than the dreaming spires of Oxford are to Cambridge. More importantly, they cannot yet rival the rich Oxbridge tradition in the arts and humanities. Still, in many other fields, they are catching up—or have already overtaken—and that progress is clearly reflected in the rankings. NUS and NTU are ranked eighth and 12th respectively, just behind Oxford and Cambridge, which come in at fourth and sixth. The strong performance of Singapore's universities is no longer a novelty. This marks the third consecutive year NUS has held eighth place. NTU, which ranked 15th in 2025, has returned to 12th, a position it surpassed in 2018 and 2020 when it ranked 11th. Splitting the two Singapore institutions in this year's rankings is the University of Hong Kong at 11th. See also Singapore experts weigh in on the Covid-19 situation NUS is the only Asian university in the global top 10. The only other non-Anglo-American presence is ETH Zurich of Switzerland, in seventh. The broader Asia-Pacific region has a growing presence in the top 20: China's Peking University and Tsinghua University are ranked 14th and 17th, while Australia's University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales are 19th and 20th. NUS, NTU: Areas of excellence The Singapore universities are no longer known solely for their engineering prowess. NUS ranks 10th globally in law—making it the only non-Anglo-American university in the top 10 for legal studies. NTU stands at 82nd. In medicine, NUS ranks 18th—the highest for any Asian university—while NTU is 84th. NTU, however, shines in communication and media studies, coming in fourth behind the University of Amsterdam, Harvard, and the University of Texas at Austin. NUS ranks 14th in this field. While Oxford and Cambridge still reign supreme in the arts and humanities, NUS is gaining ground. It ranks second globally in art history, eighth in linguistics, ninth in architecture, 15th in English language and literature, and 17th in history. See also SATIRE: Pokemon GO releases sad news for its Singapore fans This academic success is underpinned by scale and diversity. With over 33,000 students, NUS has the second-largest student body among the top 10 universities—trailing only University College London, which has over 45,000 students. NTU has more than 25,000 students. International students and staff International students and staff contribute significantly to the success of both institutions. Foreigners make up 36% of the student body at NUS and 33% at NTU. The faculty is even more international, with 65% of staff at both universities coming from overseas. In comparison, Harvard has around 24,300 students, including 6,700 international students, and over 4,400 faculty and staff, only 27% of whom are international. Oxford has over 22,000 students, more than 9,000 of them from abroad, and 6,500 faculty and staff, with 44% from overseas. The international students and staff carry weight in the QS World University Rankings. QS applies the following weightage when ranking universities: Academic reputation: 30% Citations per faculty: 20% Employer reputation: 15% Employment outcomes: 5% Faculty-student ratio: 10% International faculty ratio: 5% International research network: 5% International student ratio: 5% International student diversity: 0% See also SP overcharges bill, claims they 'overestimated' $1500 There's an old story about Benjamin Jowett, the 19th-century Master of Balliol College, Oxford, who once declared, 'I am the Master of this College; what I don't know isn't knowledge.' Today, such a claim would be inconceivable. From NUS to NTU, Oxford to Harvard, the global groves of academe are constantly striving for the next breakthrough, the next frontier of knowledge. Top 20 in QS World University Rankings 2026: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Imperial College London Stanford University University of Oxford Harvard University University of Cambridge ETH Zurich National University of Singapore University College London California Institute of Technology (Caltech) University of Hong Kong Nanyang Technological University University of Chicago Peking University University of Pennsylvania Cornell University Tsinghua University University of California, Berkeley University of Melbourne University of New South Wales
Independent Singapore
3 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Where's Michael Thng? Commenters ask after WP announces CEC update
SINGAPORE: The Workers' Party's (WP) announcement of updates to its top decision-making body was generally met with positive responses in online spaces, although a number of commenters had one question in common: 'Where's Michael Thng?' Mr Thng, who was fielded by the WP as part of its slate at Tampines GRC in last month's General Election, appears to have made quite a good impression with many in Singapore, to the point that some expected him to take a more visible place within the party. On Wednesday (June 18), the WP announced that its four new Members of Parliament— Sengkang MP Abdul Muhaimin, Aljunied MP Kenneth Tiong, and Non-Constituency MPs Eileen Chong and Andre Low—had been co-opted into its Central Executive Committee (CEC). The party also said that Ms Chong was its new Youth Wing head, taking over from Sengkang MP Jamus Lim. Many of the commenters online praised the WP for its leadership renewal, especially since party chair Sylvia Lim turned 60 earlier this year, and speculation has spread that she may only contest in one more GE. See also Pritam Singh: PAP's One-dimensional perspective A lot of netizens expressed approval of Ms Chong's new role in the party, saying that the 33-year-old is in the right place to represent the youth and begin to get ready for even bigger leadership roles. However, across different social media platforms, and even on the WP's Facebook account, netizens have been looking for Mr Thng, 37, who had made a splash during the campaign period when he said at a rally, 'We don't want to be told that the sky is white when we see it is blue.' He had also performed well during a televised debate prior to the May 3 polls. 'What about Michael Thng?' a commenter asked. 'Why didn't (the WP) include Michael Thng into the CEC,' another wanted to know, opining that Mr Thng is 'brilliant in talking.' 'I think Michael Thng should be with Eileen Choong to promote more youth to join the WP,' wrote a Facebook user. On Reddit, one asked, 'Michael Thng no more?' A commenter answered that 'Historically, the WP has voted their sitting parliamentarians into their CEC,' but added, 'have to follow their socials to see if Michael is still on the ground, I hope he is. The ground game for GE2030 has already started.' When one wondered if he had gone back to the United States, another replied that Mr Thng had just helped out at the Meet the People Session of Sengkang MP He Ting Ru the night before. Mr Thng, the chief operating officer of a tech start-up, has been volunteering with the WP for at least 15 years. 'I was always struck by his passion for Singapore, for our democratic processes, and how despite spending much time in the US, he would always fly back to be involved in election campaigns,' wrote Ms He in a social media post in April , adding that Mr Thng had gone with her when she contested at Marine Parade for GE2015 and then again at Sengkang for GE2020./TISG Read also: WP's Michael Thng: 'We don't want to be told that the sky is white when we see it is blue'
Independent Singapore
3 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
‘More vouchers?' Singaporeans on what they expect from PM Wong's National Day Rally speech
SINGAPORE: After it was announced on Wednesday (Jun 18) that Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong will be delivering the National Day Rally speech on Aug 17, commenters online expressed what they were looking forward to or expected from it. The PM's Office said that the speech will be held at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central in Ang Mo Kio. This is the second time Mr Wong will be giving the speech, and the first since Singapore handed the People's Action Party (PAP) a very strong mandate in last month's General Election. The speech is widely recognised to be the most significant political one of the year, since important policy announcements are made. In last year's speech, PM Wong made announcements concerning SkillsFuture, public housing, and other social support measures. This year, based on comments online, a number of Singaporeans appear to expect more announcements about vouchers. One Facebook user, perhaps mostly in jest, wrote that they expected the speech to be '50% about vouchers.' See also Employees in retrenching companies experiencing lower morale A Reddit user decided to play it twee, writing 'Papa Wong, I want more vouchers.' Others, however, decided to take things more seriously, and more than a few netizens across various social media platforms expressed hope for a rollback on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike. For one, however, public housing was high on their wish list. 'I just want affordable housing for young and future Singaporeans. Million-dollar public housing while the youth struggle with one of the worst job markets in history,' they wrote. 'Housing, housing, housing. The snowball keeps growing bigger,' another agreed. A commenter on Reddit was also concerned about jobs, writing, 'Please do something to prevent companies /jobs from leaving. Once they leave, they can only return back to our shores in next five to 10 years given the investments and commitment of their contracts in the countries they relocate to, so what will happen to us during these years, eat grass?' For one Facebook user, meanwhile, wi-fi costs are a big concern. 'Your speech should include reducing internet, WiFi Data cost for the people. Currently, it is just too high. Many competitors in the market, but all are game to con and swindle the people money. First month price is good. Second month, they just increase it like crazy… We want you to address these issues if we are to move forward Sir.' /TISG Read also: IN FULL: Lawrence Wong stresses strategies to navigate new world in maiden National Day message as PM
