Awards – Page 16 – Sure A Not

PM aims high for airport

On: March 1, 2024

Premier outlines aviation ambitions

The government aims to have Suvarnabhumi airport rank among the world’s 20 best airports within the next five years, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin says.

This is part of the government’s “Ignite Thailand, Aviation Hub” campaign to make the kingdom a regional aviation hub, Mr Srettha, also the finance minister, said at Government House.

“Suvarnabhumi airport will become one of the world’s top 50 airports in one year and a top 20 airport within five years. I want to thank and offer support to everyone involved in fulfilling the goal of making Thailand an aviation hub,” he said.

Located in Samut Prakan, east of Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi airport ranked 68th in the Skytrax World Airport Awards last year and 77th in 2022.

The government also plans to increase the capacity of the airport to handle 150 million passengers annually. It currently handles about 60 million passengers per year, he said.

Suvarnabhumi’s third runway is also expected to be opened for service in October, enabling the airport to handle about 90 flights per hour, up from about 60 flights, the prime minister said.

“Six months from now, I hope we will not see long queues at Suvarnabhumi,” Mr Srettha said in response to passengers and tourists’ complaints about the long wait at the airport’s immigration control.

The government also plans to develop Don Mueang airport into a point-to-point airport system and to increase its capacity from 30 million to 50 million passengers per year, with the construction of a new terminal for international passengers and expansion of its facilities, the prime minister said.

He said the government also plans to upgrade existing airports in other smaller cities across the country, such as Nan and Si Sa Ket, as well as to build new ones, such as Andaman airport in Phangnga and Lanna airport in the northern province of Lamphun.

Airports of Thailand (AoT) said it is speeding up construction of the new Andaman International Airport, which is set to become a direct long-haul flight hub in the South.

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said earlier that the new airport, which is in its second stage of development, will serve as an extension of Phuket airport.

The two airports are expected to handle as many as 18 million passengers per year, compared to the annual average of 12.5 million currently handled by Phuket airport, he said.

Once Andaman International Airport opens, it will be a hub for direct long-distance international flights while the original airport in Phuket will accommodate only domestic and short-haul international flights, he said.

AoT president Kerati Kijmanawat said that the AoT is ready to proceed with its East Expansion project, which involves the expansion of Suvarnabhumi’s passenger building. It will invest 9 billion baht in the project, with bidding to start in June, he said.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2027, he said.

He added that bidding for the construction of Suvarnabhumi’s West Expansion project and Satellite Terminal 2 will start next year.

Mr Kerati said earlier that the AoT also aims to increase the flight capacity of Suvarnabhumi’s Satellite Terminal 1 from 50 flights per day to 120 flights per day within two months, then 400 flights per day by the end of the year.

He said the AoT will also invest 36 billion baht in the third phase of Don Mueang airport’s development.

The plan includes the construction of a new international terminal and the renovation of Passenger Building 1.

The expansion will increase the passenger capacity from 30 million to 50 million annually.

The bidding for the project will begin later this year.

Kharkiv luminary takes page out of US governors’ playbook – Asia Times

By: Bolen C

On: February 29, 2024

In: Asia

Just over two years ago, Kharkiv Regional Council chairwoman Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko was forced to grab her two sons and go into hiding as invading Russian troops sought to assassinate locally elected officials, especially those aligned with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People Party that the university law professor serves as deputy party chief.

The battle for Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city located kilometers from the Russian border, was more violent, more deadly than the Russian blitz to take out Zelensky and his government in the capital, Kiev.

The heroic resistance and defense of Kharkiv shocked Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin henchmen, who fully expected the predominantly Russian-speaking city to capitulate and welcome the invading soldiers rather than fight a block-by-block insurgency, leaving large swaths of working-class apartment complexes in rubble.

YouTube video — Utah Governor and National Governors Association chairman Spencer Cox speaks with Capitol Intelligence/CI Ukraine along with Colorado Governor and vice-chairman Jared Polis, former NGA chairman and Maryland Senate candidate for governor, Larry Hogan, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore on supporting Ukraine in Washington, DC, during the NGA Winter Meeting on February 22, 2024.

But two years after the invasion, Yehorova-Lutsenko has expanded her role by leading economic development to the region, such as persuading a Canadian company to build thousands of high-quality prefabricated homes for displaced workers from occupied Donetsk that now work in Kharkiv-based factories.

Yehorova-Lutsenko, who became the president of the Ukrainian association of locally elected officials last year, is now copying a page from the highly successful model used by US governors to promote economic investment in their home states: foreign trade missions accompanied by accomplished and dynamic business leaders.

Her direct counterpart in the United States is Utah Governor Spencer Cox, the current chairman of the National Governors Association.

Not only has Utah been the US state most active in Ukraine – leading numerous people to people and business to business missions throughout Ukraine – but the association of Utah defense companies 47G Utah Aerospace and Defense, led by Aaaron Starks, was the first US defense group to sign a memorandum of understanding with Zelensky to establish and promote co-production in the country.

During the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, President Joe Biden stressed to the governors their important role in helping Ukraine to achieve victory.

Utah, which calls itself “Silicon Slopes,” has surpassed Texas as the best state to do business in thanks to its diverse mix of companies, from high tech to agrochemicals, and a global outlook stemming from the Church of Latter Day Saints’ (Mormons’) tradition of sending its youth out to the world as missionaries.

Not only does Cox lead foreign trade missions with the chief executive officers and owners of leading Utah-based companies, but the Salt Lake City-based World Trade Center hosts foreign leaders and their companies. WTC Utah is headed by Ukrainian speaker Jonathan Freedman.

Yehorova-Lutsenko will lead her US investment mission with two Kharkiv-native business owners: Ivan Shvaichenko, the founder and CEO of Boosteroid, the world’s third-largest cloud gaming hosting company after GE Force and xCloud of Microsoft, and Alexander Kroshka, the founder and CEO of Ukrainian green commercial and residential boiler manufacturer EPG-Kolvi Group of Companies.

Boosteroid’s Shvaichenko has just opened his US headquarters in Houston, Texas, where he is investing millions to expand the company’s half-dozen data centers and cementing his business relationships with Advanced Micro Devices and Hewlett Packard Enterprises.

Boosteroid, with its 10-year partnership agreement with Microsoft’s Activision and commercial agreement with South Korea’s Samsung, along with HPE and AMD, has created a group rivaling the giant Nvidia with its market capitalization of nearly $2 trillion.

Kroshka has made EPG-Kolvi into a leading heating-supply company, with its growth mainly due to replacing energy-inefficient and polluting systems of the former USSR.

Kroshka, like Shvaichenko, is living proof of the resilience and dynamism of the Ukrainian private sector, as both were able to grow their companies even after being bombed by the Russians during the invasion and now facing near daily missile attacks (intercepted by US Patriot anti-missile systems).

“Right at the beginning of the invasion, we, like everyone else, were in shock. The plant was damaged when an aerial bomb fell. Thanks to the fact that the structure was strong enough, everything held together. But it was a serious blow,” Kroshka said in an interview with RBK Ukraine, adding, “Many of the staff have gone abroad [after February 24, 2024]. But we survived the most difficult period, even increasing our production capacity.”

In his spare time, Kroshka invented and built an AI-guided drone capable of delivering an explosive payload 750 to 1,000 kilometers inside Russia. The AI guiding system makes the drone immune to Russian electronic warfare, and the distance between Kharkiv and Moscow is 765km, making the $50,000 drone the cheapest cruise missile in the world.

(President Ronald Reagan’s deployment of US cruise missiles in Europe was the final straw that broke the financial and military back of the Soviet Union.)

Moore takes a page from Mississippi’s successful mission to Uzbekistan, when then-governor Phil Byrant traveled to the geopolitically important Central Asian nation with number of CEOs and business owners.

Moore can do the same, and even more, with a delegation of Maryland-based companies – led by the CEO of Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin, James D Taiclit – on an official mission to the Baltic state of Estonia and a lower-key visit to Ukraine.

Baltimore, Maryland, civil-rights icon Marvin “Doc” Cheatham said Governor Moore can return from his visit to Estonia with an agreement to staff Baltimore elementary schools with Estonian computer-science teachers. Estonia is the only nation that teaches computer science and cybersecurity at third grade, while only three US states have mandatory computer-science courses for secondary education (ages 12-18).

Boosteroid’s Shvaichenko also won the personal attention of the former Rhode Island governor and venture capitalist, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, after his talks to build a server data center and software and gaming academy in America’s most economically depressed and segregated city of Gary, Indiana, located a mere 50km from Chicago.

Not only is Raimondo doing everything in her power to promote US corporate investment into Ukrainian companies like Boosteroid and EPG-Kolvi, but Shvaichenko’s willingness to create new tech-sector jobs and a bootcamp in Gary fulfills much of the promise of the $39 billion Chips and Science Act to make the United States self-sufficient in the manufacture of critical semiconductors by 2030 and create “hundreds of thousands of new jobs.”

The bill was passed through the bipartisan efforts of US Senators Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, and Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana.

At a standing-room-only crowd at the Center for Strategic Studies, Raimondo bluntly stated that self-sufficiency in semiconductor chips is vital to US national security and that the world’s largest economy cannot be dependent on one country (Taiwan) for the supply of chips needed for everything from cars to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

According to US intelligence analysts, one of the top three threats to the national security of the US, the European Union and Asian allies is that Chinese President Xi Jinping will order a two-week blockade of Taiwan and set off a veritable Pearl Harbor on global financial markets.

Raimondo awarded the first tranches of the $39 billion of the CHIPs Act to UK-based BAE Systems to build a semiconductor factory in Nashua, New Hampshire, to supply the US Department of Defense; $1.5 billion to the United Arab Emirates’ sovereign-wealth controlled GlobalFoundaries to produce automotive and sensitive chips in Malta, New York and Vermont; and Chandler, Arizona-based Microchip Technology to produce microcontroller units (MCUs).

While she is fully aware the initial awards did not make her friends with the giants Intel and Nvidia, Raimondo says she is confident industry leaders will be even more motivated in submitting value-added proposals.

But the problems for Ukraine are not the democratically elected leaders of the West, but resentful mandarins who violate CNN founder Ted Turner’s motto: lead, follow or get out of the way.

“The problem for Ukraine is not support from Western and Ukrainian leadership but the second line of bureaucrats and mid-level executives who do everything to delay or undermine the efforts of their principals,” said the vice-chairman of PKO’s Ukraine unit Kredobank, Adam Swirksi.

Another Biden administration leader in getting private-sector investment into Ukraine is the president of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Scott Nathan, who said he welcomes the initiative of Yehorova-Lutsenko highlighting investment in Ukraine companies.

Zelensky is like any successful political leader or CEO, who dream of cloning themselves so they can be everywhere.

But as he cannot clone himself, Zelensky is pushing for regional and municipal officials like Yehorova-Lutsenko to travel the globe to help support the country in its existential battle for survival and create the global economic footprint as it prepares to enter the European Union by the end of 2025.

The question world leaders must now ask themselves whether they want a new Canada as a member of the European Union or a new South Korea where NATO soldiers will be stationed to defend against a new North Korea.

New retention scheme a ‘reason to stay’ but payouts not substantial enough, say some nurses

By: Marcus Ching

On: February 23, 2024

In: South-East Asia

SCHEME “FALLS SHORT” IN SOME AREAS

But Sarah and some nurses CNA spoke to pointed out they have to wait four to six years for each payout and that the incentive does not apply to those in the private healthcare sector.

Sarah, who has been a nurse for 10 years, acknowledged that the retention scheme serves as an “additional boost” on top of existing benefits.

But a S$20,000 payout over four years means S$5,000 a year, or just S$417 per month.

This is “close to” the amount a locum or stand-in nurse receives in one shift, Sarah noted. “I feel that it is the main reason why nurses are speaking up; (they do) not consider it a substantial amount,” she said, pointing to comments from fellow nurses on social media.

To this, SIT’s Assoc Prof Siow said: “It is difficult to put a specific amount on what is considered a sufficient payout for nurses.

“At first pass, the amounts do look generous, but it must be understood that these payouts happen every four to six years,” she said.

“Some nurses may forgo the amounts if they have better opportunities elsewhere or prefer to leave the workforce for personal reasons – such as to take care of family or children – despite the loss of these payouts.”

Janet (not her real name), a home care nurse working at a community care organisation, also told CNA that while she appreciates the Health Ministry’s initiative to retain nurses, she believes it “falls short”.

“Nurses need an annual salary increase with a minimum cap. We are underpaid, considering the hard work we put in to meet patients’ needs and deliver quality care,” said the 36-year-old who has been a nurse for more than 10 years.

Publicly funded community care organisations and social service agencies can also apply to participate in the scheme. They will need to co-fund the awards, with most of the funding coming from the government, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Tuesday.

Private hospitals, however, are not included in the scheme.

“I would be grateful if such schemes are given to private sectors as well. As nurses, be it in the government or private sector, the job is equally stressful and lacks staff welfare,” said Mr Staffan Stewart, who works in the transitional care facility at Raffles Hospital.

“I do hope that private hospital nurses will also be recognised for their hard work,” added the 31-year-old.

Mr Stewart also wanted to see that the welfare of all healthcare workers, and not just nurses, improve gradually.

“If not, it’s painful to see our locals moving away to other countries just to get the life they are unable to live in Singapore.”

Nurses also told CNA that there is more to retaining the workforce than money.

“Beyond monetary compensation, nurses require adequate rest, a safe working environment, protection from healthcare worker abuse, and opportunities for promotion and career progression within the health organisation,” said Alexandra Hospital nurse Ms Yap.

Likewise, Assoc Prof Siow highlighted that nursing attrition is a multi-faceted issue which “cannot be addressed just by one solution”.

“The pull factors for remaining in the profession are not entirely monetary. There are other factors that should be considered such as work conditions, passion for the job, regard for the profession, opportunities for upskilling and opportunities for career progression,” she said.

“Beyond implementing measures to retain nurses, we need to continue efforts to grow the nursing workforce by getting more people to consider nursing as a career.”

Star Awards 2024: All That Glitters up for the most awards, Andie Chen has double nominations

By: Marcus Ching

On: February 23, 2024

In: South-East Asia

This year’s live red carpet and awards ceremony show, happening on Apr 21 at Stars Avenue, takes the theme of “Ignite, Inspire, Impact, Influence” and will feature four chapters of tributes and performances, each dedicated to one of the aspects. “Ignite” celebrates young talents and rising stars, “Inspire” spotlights supporting artists and programme hosts, “Impact” is dedicated to performers with high accolades and “Influence” is all about popularity award recipients.

The seven-hour Backstage LIVE commentary marathon is also set to return.

Like last year, there will also be a separate closed-door Gala Night on Apr 15 for the Programme and Creative Achievement awards, held at Zouk Singapore.

This year also sees more recognition for radio DJs with the introduction of a new Best Audio Personality award. Along with the Best Radio Programme accolade, this category will be judged solely by a panel of professional judges.

Fans can already start preparing for the voting categories, with the Best Theme Song category already open and voting for the artist popularity awards commencing in March.

For more information and the full list of nominees, visit mediacorp.sg/StarAwards

Catch the Star Awards 2024 Live Show on Apr 21 at 7pm (Walk Of Fame at 5pm and Backstage LIVE starting 3.30pm online) on Channel 8, Channel U, mewatch and Mediacorp Entertainment’s YouTube Channel.

CloudMile opens first of its kind cloud CoE in Malaysia

By: Mary Blight

On: February 22, 2024

In: Technology

Offers participants access to digital learning paths at no cost
CoE set to benefit 300k Malaysians by 2026 via upskilling programme

CloudMile has announced the opening of its CloudMile Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Malaysia, serving customers across Southeast Asia (SEA). The firm claims that the CoE, is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the cloud industry,…Continue Reading

Commentary: With Prabowo poised to be next Indonesia president, his challenge is to ensure Cabinet continuity

By: Jing Write

On: February 20, 2024

In: Asia

PRABOWO’S DIPLOMATIC STYLE

Prabowo shows more ambition in the foreign relations space, but his penchant for conflating foreign policy with defence policy may mean a “less talk, more action” approach.

Prabowo repeatedly put his defence minister hat on when quizzed about foreign policy during the candidates’ debate. While his opponents spoke about cultural diplomacy, leveraging the diplomatic network, or revitalising ASEAN, Prabowo emphasised the need to gain respect by having a powerful military. For him, the South China Sea issue is a matter of improving military capabilities. Prabowo’s style of diplomacy relies on hard, instead of soft power.

While he may have traded his strongman image for an affable grandpa to appeal to domestic voters, his tough rhetoric on foreign influence continues. Being tough on outsiders serves his patriotic image well, so one can expect a power-based approach to international relations.

The new foreign minister may be given the job of projecting an image of a strong Indonesia, one ready to defend its sovereignty rather than a team player who will abide by a set of rules. Any bilateral and multilateral engagements would be evaluated on their domestic benefits rather than their international appeal. Being seen as a responsible global citizen is less important than being seen as a strong country.

Prabowo has proven himself to be a smart political operator by successfully managing to embody both transformation and continuity. Nevertheless, his pursuit of continuity will be contingent on his Cabinet picks. Like his predecessor, he will likely use ministerial posts to entice opposition parties to switch sides.

But the exit of experienced ministers may make realising both his predecessor’s and his own ambitions difficult. Foreign policy will likely be subordinated to defence policy in the absence of a strong diplomat. After winning the hearts of Indonesian voters, it is now time for Prabowo to win the trust of the international community.

Andree Surianta is an Associate Researcher at the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies and an Australia Awards PhD scholar at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. This commentary first appeared on Lowy Institute’s blog The Interpreter.

Ex-policewoman who suffered severe brain injuries in traffic accident awarded S.4 million in damages

Ex-policewoman who suffered severe brain injuries in traffic accident awarded S$3.4 million in damages

By: Marcus Ching

On: February 16, 2024

In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: A policewoman riding pillion on her husband’s motorcycle suffered severe brain injuries and vision loss in a traffic accident with another motorcyclist in 2016.

Ms Rajina Sharma Rajandran, 39, was awarded S$3.4 million (US$2.5 million) in damages by a court, according to a judgment dated Feb 13.

Her husband, Mr Theyvasigamani Periasamy, was found liable for 75 per cent of the amount, while the other motorcyclist, Mr Jasmani Jaffar, was found liable for the remaining 25 per cent.

A third party who had been involved in a separate collision that happened nearby just before the accident was brought in by Mr Theyvasigamani and agreed to indemnify Mr Theyvasigamani to the extent of 10 per cent of all damages and interest payable to Ms Rajina.

Ms Rajina had launched the negligence lawsuit through Mr Theyvasigamani, who is her litigation representative and caregiver.

The defendants’ respective insurers took conduct of the case.

Although Mr Theyvasigamani is being sued, as his insurer is taking conduct of the case, it is likely that the money will come from the insurer.

According to the judgment, Ms Rajina was riding pillion on her husband’s motorcycle along the Central Expressway towards the Ayer Rajah Expressway on the morning of Nov 2, 2016.

Mr Jasmani, who was riding his motorcycle in front of the couple, suddenly skidded and fell from his bike.

Mr Theyvasigamani braked abruptly to avoid him, but crashed into the rear of Mr Jasmani’s motorcycle.

The impact of the collision flung Ms Rajina off the motorbike, causing very severe injuries.

She was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, resuscitated and hospitalised for more than four months, undergoing multiple medical procedures during this time.

Her injuries included: A severe traumatic brain injury with permanent impairments of language and cognition and a resulting loss of functional independence, vision loss in both eyes, nerve palsy affecting the face and a chest injury with seven rib fractures.

HER EMPLOYMENT

At the time, Ms Rajina was a senior staff sergeant with the Singapore Police Force. Before this, she worked part-time jobs from the age of 16 before joining SPF three years later.

She rose through the ranks from corporal to sergeant and later senior staff sergeant until 2019, when her service had to be terminated because of the accident.

She earned a number of accolades including the Singapore Police Service Good Service Medal, the Singapore Police Service Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and several Commissioner of Police’s Commendation awards.

Ms Rajina, through her husband, sought S$2.09 million for her loss of future income, inclusive of employer’s Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions.

This was based on her salary scale of S$3,580 to S$5,490 at the time of the accident, as a senior staff sergeant, as well as various bonuses.

Justice Teh Hwee Hwee awarded her S$1.96 million for loss of future earnings, which makes up the bulk of the total S$3.4 million in damages Ms Rajina was awarded.

Ms Rajina claimed S$705,900 for her future caregiver expenses. Her husband said he wanted to return to work and to hire a caregiver to take over care of his wife.

The judge awarded S$400,848 for future caregiver expenses, taking into account an estimated salary of S$650 per month and other expenses such as levies, insurance and living expenses.

Parties agreed that Ms Rajina was expected to live up to the age of 72 instead of the age of 86, for other females who share her year of birth.

The judge awarded Ms Rajina various other damages for different heads of claim, including S$296,375 for the loss of retirement benefits under the SPF INVEST Scheme, and S$300,291.34 for Ms Rajina’s pre-trial loss of earnings.

She noted that Ms Rajina’s husband has been devoted to caring for her.

CLAIM FOR HUSBAND’S LOST EARNINGS

Ms Rajina had also made a claim for her husband’s pre-trial loss of earnings, as he stopped working to care for her.

He was earning a gross monthly salary of S$3,640 before the accident, before taking no pay leave for about four months to care for his wife.

He later resigned in August 2017 to tend to his wife full-time.

Counsel for Mr Theyvasigamani said this claim for Mr Theyvasigamani’s pre-trial loss of earnings should not be allowed, because he was both the caregiver and the tortfeasor – meaning a person who has committed a civil offence that injures another party.

The lawyers said Mr Theyvasigamani had already compensated his wife by providing gratuitous care.

If he were ordered to pay damages to his wife for this claim, he would be paying double compensation, argued the lawyers.

Justice Teh rejected this argument.

“In my judgment, where services are volunteered to another family member in need out of affection, devotion or a sense of duty by a family member who is also the tortfeasor, the situation should be treated in the same manner as where gratuitous services are provided by third parties out of sympathy or the goodness of their hearts,” said the judge.

She said there is “also no circularity of payment because damages are awarded to compensate the plaintiff for the plaintiff’s loss and to meet the plaintiff’s needs, and not to compensate the tortfeasor-family member”.

“A tortfeasor-family member who is acting out of affection, devotion or duty when caring for the plaintiff does so with no expectation of getting paid by the plaintiff to begin with,” said Justice Teh.

She awarded S$93,080 for Ms Rajina’s claim for her husband’s pre-trial loss of earnings.

Godzilla, Oscar newbie, stomps into the Academy Awards

By: Jing Write

On: February 16, 2024

In: Asia

“Quite frankly, I wasn’t looking at the world when we set out to make this movie,” Yamazaki said in a recent interview. “A lot of our team members said, ‘Oh, it’s Godzilla, The whole world is going to see this. You have to treat it differently.’ I told them all: ‘This is a small budget film made for a certain audience.’ They’ve proved me wrong and I’m very happy that they did.”

Much has been made of the pairing of Oppenheimer and Barbie, but the better double feature for Christopher Nolan’s film might be Godzilla Minus One. Across seven decades of movies, Godzilla has been deployed in a variety of ways. But Godzilla Minus One returns to the essential nature of Godzilla as a sober symbol of nuclear holocaust and atomic trauma.

In the 1954 original, Godzilla is woken by hydrogen-bomb testing. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka once said: “The theme of the film, from the beginning, was the terror of the bomb. Mankind has created the bomb, and now nature was going to take revenge on mankind.”

Ironically, that Godzilla didn’t reach American audiences at the time. The version released in the US was heavily edited and stripped of much of political themes. Raymond Burr, a Canadian actor, was inserted in new footage.

For some Western moviegoers, Godzilla Minus One is a truer introduction of Godzilla, one of the movies’ greatest and grandest metaphors, than ever before.

“One of the many interpretations of Godzilla, through the evolution of the series of films over the years, has been forgotten – which is the original interpretation,” says Yamazaki. “Given the current state of affairs, what the world is going through right now, I thought it was very important that message not be forgotten. My intent was to put a spotlight on what Godzilla represented.”

In Godzilla Minus One, just as WWII is ending, Godzilla is growing. He begins appearing off the coast of Tokyo. For a kamikaze pilot Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki), who didn’t kill himself in battle, confronting Godzilla offers a chance for redemption. When Koichi returns to Japan, he finds his parents dead and the city in ruins. Meanwhile, American bomb tests on Bikini Atoll are fuelling Godzilla’s power.

Recent Hollywood versions of Godzilla have put the kaiju into less Japan-centric contexts. The last was 2021’s Godzilla Vs Kong. Legendary Pictures, which licenses the character from Toho, will on Mar 29 release with Warner Bros Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. If not for its coming debut, Godzilla Minus One might still be playing in theatres. It bowed out of cinemas in late January after the one-week run of a black-and-white version.

But unlike more broadly blockbuster-styled Godzilla films, Godzilla Minus One is rigorously rooted in a Japanese perspective. Some have lamented that Oppenheimer, in staying close to J Robert Oppenheimer’s story, leaves out any Japanese experience of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But what’s absent of Oppenheimer is everywhere in Godzilla Minus One.

Yamazaki has only seen an English version of Oppenheimer; the film hasn’t yet been released in Japan. But he believes it’s telling that both he and Nolan were separately drawn back to the dawn of the nuclear era.

Hayley Woo and Richie Koh dating rumours intensify

By: Marcus Ching

On: February 15, 2024

In: South-East Asia

Valentine’s Day is over but love may still be in the air, especially for two Singapore celebrities.

Local actors Hayley Woo and Richie Koh have sparked relationship rumours following a Shin Min Daily News story on Wednesday (Feb 14).

The 31-year-old actress, who last year told reporters that she has a boyfriend, said she was happy with her partner but did not reveal his name, reported the local Chinese daily.

When asked if the couple would publicly confirm their relationship, the actress said no as they “don’t want to affect each other”, and when pressed if they would get married secretly, Hayley responded that they would announce their marriage.

Speculation about Hayley and Richie as a couple arose due to their Instagram interactions, where the 30-year-old Richie would consistently like her posts.

He also thanked someone he “loves” in his Best Actor acceptance speech at the 2023 Star Awards last year.

CNA Lifestyle reached out to Richie’s representative on Thursday to get confirmation of the relationship and received a “no comment”.

Vasantham’s Pradhana Vizha awards show to be held on Feb 24

By: Marcus Ching

On: February 14, 2024

In: South-East Asia

The stage is set for the biggest celebration of local Indian entertainment. Mediacorp’s annual awards ceremony Pradhana Vizha 2024 will be held on Feb 24 at The Theatre at Mediacorp.

Themed Starry Night, the awards show will celebrate creative and artistic excellence across 26 categories in two parts.

The first, hosted by Mediacorp OLI 968 DJs Ravi Guna and Haleema Asma, is dedicated to the behind-the-scenes talents with awards for 13 Creative and Programme categories.

The second show is hosted by Karthikeyan Somasundram, Jay Nesh Isura as well as entertainment presenter Priyanka Deshpande, and will focus on Performance and Personality awards.

Part Two will also showcase the launch of the new theme song for Pradhana Vizha. Titled Velicham Paravum Ulangengum, the track is composed by Shabir Music Asia. It will be performed by local musical maestros Suthasini, Vishnu Balaji, Subashini and Vasantham Star 2023 winner Navein Gunasekar at the event.

Besides that, there will also be performances by veteran artistes Mohamed Raffee and Vicknesvari Vadivalagan, as well as Yaar Antha Star 2020 first runner-up Durgashin.

Among this year’s nominees, dramas Naam 2 and Yaar 4 have emerged as front-runners with five nominations each, dominating categories like Best Drama Series, Best Original Screenplay and Best Direction.

The spotlight also falls on the versatile personality Karthikeyan Somasundaram, who is a triple nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Drama Series, Best Host (Entertainment) and Best Host (Information).

Celebrities including Raghadeepan Santeran and Vikneswary Se are also vying for the Most Popular Male Personality and Most Popular Female Personality awards. Fans can cast their votes for their favourite celebrities until Feb 24, 10pm on the Mediacorp website.

Pradhana Vizha 2024 Part One will be available live on mewatch on Feb 24 from 4pm to 5.30pm.

The Red Carpet segment will follow on mewatch, Mediacorp Entrtainment YouTube channel, and Vasantham from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.

Part Two will be available on the same day on mewatch, Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel and Vasantham from 9pm to 11.30pm.

Visit mediacorp.sg/pradhanavizha for more information.

Awards (Page 16)

SCHEME “FALLS SHORT” IN SOME AREAS

PRABOWO’S DIPLOMATIC STYLE

HER EMPLOYMENT

CLAIM FOR HUSBAND’S LOST EARNINGS