SM Lee receives top May Day award from NTUC for ‘supreme’ contributions to labour movement

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At the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) ceremony held on May Day, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong was presented with the&nbsp, Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award on Friday ( Apr 25 ).

In a press release, NTUC stated that this major prize is” conferred on individuals who have made exceptional and significant efforts to the labor action.”

SM Lee worked diligently to reinforce the tripartite relationship between NTUC and its unions, employees, businesses, and the government over the course of many years of dedicated public services.

This made it possible for Singapore to climate economic downturns, safeguard work, and offer staff opportunities. Under his leadership, the pleasant labor-management environment that he fostered contributed to the growth of Singapore’s business and consistently improved the lives of its employees, NTUC continued.

The May Day Awards, which were held this year at the&nbsp, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center, honored a document 180 recipients since its founding in 1963, according to NTUC.

For their unwavering commitment and concern for protecting workers ‘ interests as well as for having a significant influence on the labor movement, they were given the honor of recognition of remarkable union leaders, tripartite partners, staff, and organizations.

In honor of Mr. Lee, NTUC applauded him and his team for “working tirelessly” to advance the country’s economy and prosperity through crises like the 1985 crisis, the Asian financial crisis, the global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 epidemic, which then enabled the country to emerge stronger from each problems.

Additionally, it was noted that Mr. Lee was in charge of important workplace activities that supported ongoing education and training, including the launch of the Skills Redevelopment Programme in 2008, which laid the groundwork for the SkillsFuture program today.

Mr. Lee even supported and introduced fundamental strategies like the Workfare Income Supplement and the Progressive Wage Model, which aid lower-wage workers and enhance their employment prospects.

Under his management, the National Wages Council’s annual comments continued to include wage increases for lower-income employees, according to NTUC.

In other industries, Mr. Lee’s initiatives for workplace change included:

  • The Employment and Employability Institute, a company that offers job-matching, job advice, and skills-upgrading services to employees.
  • The Job Security Council, which supports displaced employees ‘ job-matching and location.
  • The Company Training Committee program that promotes employee transformation and advancement.

Major changes in work safety and health standards were achieved under his command, reducing workplace injury levels and improving working conditions, NTUC added.

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Mark Lee nabs award for best actor at inaugural Asian Art Film Awards in Macao

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Catherine Ng, Lee’s woman, expressed congratulations on his victory in a blog on her Instagram page, writing,” This honor belongs to you and to every companion who poured their heart and soul into this work.”

She continued,” Special thanks to all the production crew people… This job and his accomplishments were made possible by your expertise, determination, and passion.

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Is China suddenly cool? – Asia Times

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A 20-year-old American YouTuber and digital star named ShowSpeed just live-streamed hourslong tour of Chinese locations, including Beijing and Shanghai, to show his almost 40 million viewers the locations.

IShowSpeed, whose true name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., admired friendly locals, flawless streets, and the high-speed Wi-Fi on the train, and Chinese fans heckled him for selfies on the Great Wall during the March activities.

Beijing’s state media seized the spotlight, with one Foreign blog claiming that the American apex had “eliminated all American misinformation about China” in the eye of a new era.

This analysis is confirmed by IShowSpeed’s YouTube site.

One leading comment reads,” China is therefore underappreciated wtf.” Another person writes,” I realized how foolish my earlier sights on China were after watching this picture.”

Such feedback don’t provide any information. However, as someone who studies the impact of Chinese soft strength, I find the sight of a young American burning China’s picture to Western audiences to be incredibly important.

It provides an illustration of how smooth energy standards have been altered in recent years, and how China appears to be having some success appealing to the world’s children.

blending politicians and music

Soft power refers to a nation’s capacity to shape people’s preferences through society, values, and diplomatic relations by influencing others through attraction rather than coercion. The phrase was coined by political professor Joseph Nye to describe how nations job authority by imposing demands on others through military or economic stress.

US sweet energy didn’t have to make that much of itself throughout the Cold War and into the 21st century. It exploded from surge boxes after being broadcast on MTV and sported fabric. Rock music crossed the Iron Curtain when politics don’t, with painters like Madonna and Bruce Springsteen reaching Russian children more efficiently than any adviser.

And in China, Michael Jackson gained a following also before McDonald’s or Hollywood films, bringing about a beautiful, open America that so many people desired.

American society wasn’t really leisure to some growing up in China in the 1990s; it was persuasion, aspiration, and even subversion.

The blockbusters from Beijing

The US is still, of course, a cultural powerhouse, and American actors and musicians are still recognizable all over the world. However, there are indications that China is attempting to erode that position.

Take the movie. Chinese movies were once viewed as niche films in other countries. An animated Chinese feature film called” Ne Zha 2” broke box office records in January 2025. A stunning retelling of a mythic boy-god’s story, the film has grossed an astonishing US$$ 2 billion worldwide, outperforming many Hollywood studios.

It is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and it was produced by a Chinese studio with hundreds of local animators.

Beijing made a quick decision to incorporate” Ne Zha 2″ as a representation of China’s creative rise and” soft power moment” in terms of culture. The success of the movie was praised by state media as evidence that Chinese folklore and artistry can captivate audiences around the world just as effectively as Marvel superheroes.

” Ne Zha 2″ isn’t a one-off. The Beijing-based Wanda Films ‘” Detective Chinatown 1900,” which was released in January, is the year’s third-highest-grossing film to date.

Hollywood, which was once confident in its cultural monopoly, now faces a massive new rival on the global stage, one supported by 1.4 billion people and a government determined to overthrow Western pop culture dominance. Additionally, there are some international audiences. Ne Zha 2 also had a positive impact when it first aired in the US.

Gamers travel to the east in search of adventure.

Additionally, it includes non-profits.

Video games have been a stronghold in American and Japanese culture for decades. Black Myth: Wukong, a Chinese-developed game that was created by a Hangzhou studio, has become popular worldwide.

When its first gameplay trailers for Black Myth: Wukong first appeared in 2020, they were so popular that they were immediately followed along with its promising AAA-level graphics and action that drew inspiration from China’s well-known” Journey to the West” tale.

Skeptics questioned whether the finished product could quite possibly compete with the likes of the well-known series God of War or the Elden Ring in George R. R. Martin’s style. But those doubts vanished when the game finally debuted in 2024. In the summer of 2024, Black Myth: Wukong debuted to a great deal of worldwide support, instantly claiming a spot alongside the biggest Western franchises.

It is China’s first true blockbuster video game, and it is evidence that the nation can produce world-class entertainment, according to critics all over the world.

A smartphone screen shows a monkey-man image.
At The Game Awards 2024 on December 13, 2024, Black Myth: Wukong won Best Action Game and Players ‘ Voice. via Getty Images / The Conversation image VCG / VCG

It’s about narrative power for the Chinese state, according to me, not just about snagging titles in China’s gaming industry.

Instead of, say, a Marvel superhero or a Tolkien epic, millions of young people around the world subtly shift the cultural center of gravity eastward as they spend 30 or 40 hours a week immerse in Sun Wukong’s adventures.

It suggests that Chinese myths are evolving to appeal to people around the world as cool as Western ones. And that is soft power.

Small screen, big impact

In the meantime, another Chinese export has deeply ingrained itself into global culture on the smaller screens we carry in our pockets: TikTok.

TikTok has over 1.6 billion monthly users in over 160 countries as of 2025.

TikTok’s cultural reach is even more impressive. The app’s algorithm has helped songs by musicians from South Korea or Nigeria reach the top of the global charts, and it has inspired grandmothers in Italy to try Mexican recipes from grandmothers in Italy who were previously featured on a popular Chinese app. Teenagers in Kansas are learning Indonesian dance moves.

In essence, TikTok has created a brand-new transnational pop culture commons, one that is owned by a Beijing-based business. Yes, users all create the content on TikTok, not dictated by the Chinese government, but the platform’s very existence is a testament to Chinese tech entrepreneurship and global ambition.

Every second spent scrolling TikTok by Western youths is a moment they are residing in a cultural sphere created by China. It’s no wonder the US government is worried about TikTok’s influence because it’s about cultural security more than just data security.

Since outright banning it has proven to be politically challenging, TikTok has continued to steadily firmly established itself as a staple of global youth culture.

Blockbuster movies, popular video games, and viral apps all feature a larger truth: China is rapidly gaining soft power as America runs the risk of letting its own erode. China expands its influence through the Belt and Road Initiative and development loans at a time when the US reduces foreign aid.

And while the US enacts visa restrictions for students and scientists, China’s universities, some of which are now in the top 20 on the world, are becoming more appealing.

Can the US maintain its cultural diversity?

It is notoriously difficult to assess the impact of soft power because most countries that use it play a very long game.

Beijing’s push for soft power is not guaranteed to succeed everywhere. Many societies continue to doubt Beijing’s intentions, and its authoritarian system limits the appeal of its political model in democratic societies.

However, there are obvious indications that younger generations are buying into China’s cultural exports.

The US once almost automatically set the pace for global culture. However, as China invests a lot in its creative industries and digital platforms, it is increasingly shaping the narrative and themes for a growing global audience.

The question is no longer whether China has the ability to compete for soft power power, but whether America has a strategy to hold its ground.

Shaoyu Yuan is a research scientist at Rutgers University – Newark’s Division of Global Affairs.

This article was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the text of the article.

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Why China’s robot makers are unfazed by US tariffs: ‘We’re the only supplier’

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A group of customers gathers around an automated shop at China’s largest trade fair, eagerly watching as a pair of robotic hands fix a latte.

More than its creators had anticipated, the robotic cafe has already received orders totaling 8 million yuan ( RM4.82 million or US$ 1.1 million ) during the first two days of the Canton Fair in Guangzhou.

” To our amazement, the buyer enthralling this year has been overwhelming,” said Han Zhaolin, the leader of Dolphin Robot Technology. ” Clients from Vietnam to the Middle East demonstrated a strong willingness to make a purchase on-site.”

Han’s team had no idea how the growing US-China trade conflict, which has seen both sides increase tariffs on each other’s products by around 12 %, would impact sales. He ultimately had nothing to fret about.

The mechanical shop from the fifth generation, which has nearly 100 inventions, is unaffected by Han’s claim, Han said. In light of rising US jobs, the company has been able to remain resilient.

Because of US customers ‘ stringent demands, he said,” We aren’t bearing the tariff, nor are we lowering our prices.” Everything else compares to the goods produced in the US, Germany, or Japan, and North Korean goods cost half as much.

Han’s encounter reflects a wider trend at play at the Canton Fair: a wide range of Chinese-made intelligent products have proven extremely resistant to the effects of the trade war, from bionic limbs to skyscraper-cleaning robots to robotic limbs.

In many cases, the system’s main elements are all directly produced, indicating they are exempt from import duties. They also tend to be much less expensive than their adversary products in Europe and America, and they developed much more quickly, keeping them competitive even in the face of sky-high taxes.

Zhejiang Qiangnao Technology is in a position like this. Despite the current tensions, it is moving forward with releasing its artificial legs and hands, which are controlled by algorithms developed using brain-computer software research.

According to a company representative, Pan Siyu, the company’s smart prosthetic legs have now received health system accreditation from the US Food and Drug Administration and are covered by US health insurance.

They are priced at US$ 50, 000 ( RM219, 275 ), and they continue to be competitive in the market at the current tariff level, Pan said. However, that might change if the US were to increase levies even higher.

The bright artificial legs and hands of our company just cost one-fifth to one-seventh as much as American goods, she said. ” It all depends on the taxes ‘ goings’… US regulations alter often. We didn’t foresee how our goods may be classified in the future.

A Guangzhou-based company named Lindu Intelligent Tech Development won the” Best of the Best” award at this year’s Canton Fair Design Awards.

The machine is a self-developed and eminently special system, like many of the 90, 000 intelligent products exhibited at the exhibition. It is non-invasive, can be used to clear skyscrapers up to 500 meters high, and can be firmly attached to cup curtain walls even in a force-12 hurricane.

” There are very few competitors in the market,” said Chen Sihong, a sales director at Lingdu. Various products can just reach about 60 meters and also require additional liquid pipes and wires.

Exports account for up to 80 % of Lingdu’s total revenue, with exports now accounting for more than 20 countries. According to Chen, Middle Eastern buyers have shown a strong curiosity in the Canton Fair.

Cleaning solutions are costly in foreign nations. He claimed that using our robot to clean a building’s exterior wall costs only 2 yuan ( RM1.20 or US$ 0.27 ) per square meter.

” With the exception of one or two properties cleaned, the expense will be paid off. Additionally, the machine has a duration of up to eight times and can perform 24/7.

Chen did not directly address the impact of US taxes on the company’s profits, but he argued that Chinese tech goods ‘ cost advantages and swift development would become even more obvious over time.

The automated cafe operated by Dolphin Robot, which occupies only 2.5 square meters of floor space, can make more than 50 different beverages, including coffee, milk, tea, matcha, and chocolate beverages. Each cup can be customized according to size, strength, temperature, sweetness, and ice level in only 50 seconds.

According to Han, the system’s low operating cost is a major plus for Western buyers.

He claimed that a single smartphone can control the entire robot cafe remotely. It can self-repair 90 % of malfunctions, run continuously for ten years without hiring anyone, and cost less than 5, 000 yuan ( RM3, 010 ) per year in terms of electricity.

” In contrast, a typical US cafe pays more than 10,000 yuan ( RM6, 020 ) per month for electricity,” the article states.

In some ways, Han added, the trade war may even offer the company an opportunity.

He continued,” It’s not a bad thing.” It increases the interest and willingness of many foreigners to try China’s newest tech product line. That’s one of my biggest takeaways from the Canton Fair this year, according to the South China Morning Post.

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Three universities nab coveted regional gongs

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PUBLISHED: 24 Apr 2025 at 03: 30

In the THE Awards Asia 2025, Burapha University, Mahidol University, and Chulalongkorn University were recognized for their advances and economic job.

The Excellence in Higher Education on the globe is honored at THE Awards Asia in recognition of exceptional leadership and administrative performance.

The finalists of this year’s awards were revealed on Tuesday at a dinner meal at the THE Asia Universities Summit in Macau.

Supamas Isarabhakdi, secretary of higher education, research, research, and creativity, praised the three universities for making a tag on the global stage and giving the kingdom greater recognition for its high standard of education.

For its task titled” MDCU MedUMORE: A Lifelong Learning Platform for Medical Experts,” submitted by the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University won the Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year award.

In the group of Remarkable Commitment to Environmental Leadership, Burapha University received a very praised award. This was in reaction to the Environmental Learning Center for the Eastern Regional’s job” PEMSEA”.

For her work on” Game-based learning to market student engagement and collaboration in medicine education,” Pornpun Vivithanaporn at Mahidol University received a very commended position in the Most Modern Teacher of the Year group.

THE Awards Asia is very competitive, according to Panpermsak Arunee, the ministry’s assistant continuous minister. More than 500 comments from 16 different Asian nations were submitted this year, but only 80 of those were chosen.

This year’s honors competition pitted ten Thai institutions. The last round of voting was made possible for twelve comments in seven groups.

Huachiew Chalermprakiet University, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Walialak University, Suranaree University of Technology, Assumption University, Nakhonratchasima Rajabhat University, and the Panyapiwat Institute of Management were other institutions in dispute.

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A charity patron who ‘touched the lives of many’: Puan Noor Aishah’s life as the wife of Singapore’s first president

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Mr Winston Choo, past aide-de-camp to Mr Yusof, said in CNA’s 2015 film: “Personally, she takes great anguish to see to the list, decide on the menu, and to truly manage also the preparing of the dessert. ”

He added: “ In all my life, even until now, I have never eaten otak melaka the way she prepared. ”

FIRST ASIAN PRESIDENT OF SINGAPORE GIRL GUIDES ASSOCIATION

As Singapore’s second woman, she took on a major role as patron or leader of many generous and open organisations.

She hosted sessions for security agencies, raising funds to help the weak, the handicapped and the aged. Using her own effort, she prepared foods like burgers, ondeh ondeh, and epok epok for tea events to bless donors.

In 1964, she received the Distinguished Service Medal for her “active and committed ” interest in social security work – from Mr Yusof himself.

She had a special affinity for companies working with people. Worried about the education of young girls, she agreed to be president and patron of the Singapore Girl Guides Association   – as it was then known  – in 1960.

Her characters to the federal helped the association receive a land contract for a new offices building in the 1960s.

In 1970, in glory of her decade-long services as the first Asian leader of the Singapore Girl Guides Association, Puan Noor Aishah was presented with the Laurel Leaf Award – its highest glory.

In 2000, the Puan Noor Aishah Awards was established to accept efforts of excellent Girl Guides.

“TOUCHED THE Life OF MANY”

Puan Noor Aishah proved to be an competent director who was balance many things at once, and even made her own clothing for activities.

“She’s always very, very prompt. She actually manages the time very well, ” said Mr Choo.

“She cooks but she knows that things must end at a certain time. She must give herself time to change dress up and to be on time for the next appointment, ” he added.

Puan Noor Aishah supported her husband in his official functions both in Singapore and abroad, drawing crowds wherever they appeared.

When Mr Yusof’s health deteriorated during his third term of office, she took his place to present medals for the 1968 National Day awards.

He eventually died of heart failure in 1970.

The following year, Puan Noor Aishah became the first Malay woman to receive an honorary doctorate – a Doctor of Letters degree from the National University of Singapore.

Mr Lee said at the book launch that it was a “daunting task ” for her to manage her large household while carrying out official and ceremonial duties.

“She even hired a teacher to teach her English so that she could communicate effectively with Singaporeans and foreign dignitaries, ” he noted.

“ But Puan Noor Aishah made all these appear effortless with her grace and poise, and she touched the lives of many with her quiet determination, humility and charm. ”

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Kerala: India’s sword-wielding grandmother still going strong at 82

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An 82-year-old girl who teaches the old American martial arts of Kalaripayattu says she has no plans to retire.

“I’ll perhaps practise Kalari until the day I die,” says Meenakshi Raghavan, frequently thought to be the oldest woman in the world to practise the art type.

Kalaripayattu- kalari means battle and payattu means battle- is believed to have originated at least 3,000 years back in the southwestern state of Kerala and is regarded as India’s oldest military art.

It is not entirely practised for fight or fighting; it also serves to instil skill, develop strength and build self-defence knowledge.

Ms Raghavan is favorably known as Meenakshi Amma- Amma means family in the Malayalam vocabulary- in Kerala’s Vadakara, where she lives. The city is also home to another renowned exponents of the arts like Unniyarcha, Aromal Chekavar and Thacholi Othenan.

Meenakshi Amma often performs in various cities but generally runs her personal Kalari college, founded by her partner in 1950. Her time are active, with lessons from five in the morning to noon.

” I teach about 50 pupils regularly. My four babies were also trained [in the art form ] by me and my father. They started learning from the age of six,” she says.

Kalaripayattu has four rounds and it requires persistence to learn the art type.

Education begins with meypattu- an fuel treatment followed by exercises to issue the body.

After about two years, students progress to kolthari ( stick fighting ), then to angathari ( weapon combat ), and finally to verumkai- the highest level, involving unarmed combat. It usually takes up to five years to learn Kalaripayattu.

Kung fu is believed to have adapted principles like breathing techniques and marmashastra ( stimulating vital points to optimise energy flow ) from Kalaripayattu, according to Vinod Kadangal, another Kalari teacher.

Legend has it that around the 6th Century, Indian Buddhist priest Bodhidharma introduced these approaches to the Shaolin priests, influencing the more prominent Chinese martial arts.

Meenakshi Amma also recalls the first time she stepped into a Kalari- the red-earth area where the artwork is practised- 75 years before.

” I was seven and very good at dancing. So my expert- VP Raghavan- approached my papa and suggested that I learn Kalaripayattu. Just like party, the craft form requires you to be versatile,” she says.

Hailing from Kerala’s Thiyya area, Meenakshi Amma’s master was 15 when he and his brothers opened their own Kalaripayattu class after being denied entrance somewhere because of their reduced social caste.

” There was no discrimination when it came to girls enrolling to examine Kalari- in reality, real education was enforced in all Kerala schools at that time. But we were expected to stop after attaining adolescence,” she says.

Unlike people, Meenakshi Amma’s dad encouraged her instruction into her late teenagers. At 17, she fell in love with Raghavan, and they immediately married. Collectively, they went on to teach hundreds of students, usually for free.

” At the time, a lot of children came from poor families. The only money he [Raghavan ] accepted was in the form of technique or a gift paid to the instructor,” she says.

Gifts sustained the university, while Raghavan afterwards took a teaching work for more money. After his death in 2007, Meenakshi Amma fully took command.

While she has no plans to retire at the moment, she hopes to hand over the class one morning to her eldest son Sanjeev.

The 62-year-old, who is also an professor at the college, says he is happy to have learned from the best- his family. But being her brother earns no prioritises; he says she’s also his greatest player.

Meenakshi Amma is a native star. During our meeting, three officials drop by to ask her to an awards service.

” Amma, you must grace us with your presence,” one of them says with folded arms.

” Thank you for considering me, I’ll go,” she replies.

Her kids speak of “fierce enthusiasm” for her. Some have opened their own Kalari schools across the condition, a source of great pride for Meenakshi Amma.

” She’s an inspiration to women anywhere- a unique person who shows love and affection to her pupils, but remains a rigid disciplinarian when it comes to Kalari,” says KF Thomas, a former pupil.

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Nora Aunor, one of the Philippines’ biggest stars, dies at 71

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In a job that spanned seven years, Nora Aunor, one of the biggest stars of  Philippine cinema&nbsp, has passed away.

Aunor passed away on Wednesday ( 16 April ), as her children’s social media posts claimed. She was 71. No more details about the cause or location of her dying were immediately provided.

Lotlot de León, a Filipina actor, claimed on Instagram that her mom” touched decades with her unequaled talent, joy, and passion for the ship.” Her reputation will never be forgotten thanks to her voice, existence, and artistry.

De León stated that early information regarding the funeral arrangements will be revealed.

Aunor, who was born Nora Cabaltera Villamayor to an impoverished home in northeast Camarines Sur state, sold liquid in a train station in her children. She first gained notoriety as a song in her youth in the 1960s before moving on to the screen. She won numerous acting awards and more than 200 credits in film and television, including some classics from the Philippines.

Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos ( Three Years Without God ), Bulaklak sa City Jail ( Flowers of the City Jail ), and The Flor Contemplacion Story from 1995 are notable examples.

She won the country’s best performer prize for her role in the 1990 film Andrea, Paano ba ang Maging Isang Ina. What is It Like to Get a Family, Andrea? and won the Eastern Film Awards for her role as a nurse in the 2012 film Thy Womb.

Aunor started acting as recently as last year, starring in the movie Mananambal ( The Healer ) and in the TV series Lilet Matias, Attorney-at-Law.

Aunor was honored in 2022 as the nation’s highest honor for players in the field of video and broadcast art. Due to a past drug imprisonment in the US in 2014, then-President Benigno Aquino III had denied her the honor, causing a public uproar.

Aunor’s attorney claimed a tube discovered in a case she did not pack in 2005 at the Los Angeles airport led to her imprisonment because she was traveling with four aides at the time. After she completed a diversion program in 2007, the charges were dropped, according to her attorney, who spoke to the case in 2014.

From 1975 to 1996, Aunor and Christopher de León were married.

Lotlet, Ian, Matet, Kiko, and Kenneth de León, along with them, are their kids.

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