Singapore,
officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island
city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula,
137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, south
of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's
Riau Islands. At 710.2 km2 (274.2 sq mi),[8] Singapore
is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast
Asia. It is substantially larger than Monaco and Vatican
City, the only other present-day sovereign city-states.
Singapore
is an alpha World City. Singapore is unique as it
is the only country in Asia which has English as its
first language. Singapore also has one of the highest
percentage of foreigners in the world. 36% of the
population in Singapore are foreigners and foreigners
make up 50% of the service sector in Singapore.
Even
before independence in 1965, Singapore was already
one of the richest states in East Asia due to its
strategic location as a trading port. Its GDP per
capita then was $511, roughly the same as Portugal.
In comparison, both South Korea and China had a GDP
per capita of $105 and $90 respectively in 1965 After
independence, Foreign direct investment into Singapore
and a state-led drive to industrialization based on
plans drawn up by Goh Keng Swee and Albert Winsemius
have created a modern economy focused on industry,
education and urban planning. Singapore is the 5th
wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP (PPP)
per capita and 23rd wealthiest in terms of GDP (nominal)
per capita. As of January 2009, Singapore's official
foreign reserves stand at US$170.3 billion (9th in
the world). The city state is also the second most
crowded country in the world after Monaco.
In
2009, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Singapore
the tenth most expensive city in the world in which
to live—the third in Asia, after Tokyo and Osaka.
The 2009 Cost of Living survey, by consultancy firm
Mercer, has ranked Singapore similarly as the tenth
most expensive city for expatriates to live in.
The
population of Singapore including non-residents is
approximately 4.99 million. Singapore is highly cosmopolitan
and diverse with Chinese people forming an ethnic
majority with large populations of Malay, Indian and
other people. English, Malay, Tamil, and Chinese are
the official languages.
Singapore is a parliamentary republic, and the Constitution
of Singapore establishes representative democracy
as the nation's political system.[19] The People's
Action Party (PAP) dominates the political process
and has won control of Parliament in every election
since self-government in 1959. Freedom House ranks
Singapore as "partly free" in its "Freedom
in the World report" and The Economist ranks
Singapore as a "hybrid regime" in its "Democracy
Index".
Media
Main
article: Media of Singapore
Around 78,000[citation needed] people work in the
media in Singapore, including publishing, print, broadcasting,
film, music, digital and IT media sectors. The industry
contributed 1.56% to Singapore's gross domestic product
(GDP) in 2001 with an annual turnover of S$10 billion($6.6b,€5.1b).
The industry grew at an average rate of 7.7% annually
from 1990 to 2000, and the government seeks to increase
its GDP contribution to 3% by 2012.
The "Singapore government" says the media
play an important role in the country, and describes
the city as one of the key strategic media centres
in the Asia-Pacific region. The goal of the government's
Media 21 plan, launched in 2002, is to establish Singapore
as a global media hub.
In its Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index for 2004,
Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore 147 out
of 167. Most of the local media are directly or indirectly
controlled by the government through shareholdings
of these media entities by the state's investment
arm Temasek Holdings, and are often perceived as pro-government.
Broadcasting
Main article: Broadcasting in Singapore
State-owned MediaCorp operates all seven free-to-air
terrestrial local television channels licensed to
broadcast in Singapore, as well as 14 radio channels.
Radio and television stations are all government-owned
entities. The radio stations are mainly operated by
MediaCorp with the exception of four stations, which
are operated by SAFRA Radio and SPH UnionWorks respectively.
The Cable and IPTV Pay-TV Service are owned by Starhub
TV and Singtel Mio TV. Private ownership of satellite
dish receivers capable of viewing uncensored televised
content from abroad is illegal.
Print
There
are a total of 16 newspapers in active circulation.
Daily newspapers are published in English, Chinese,
Malay and Tamil.
The
print media are dominated by Singapore Press Holdings
(SPH), government-linked publisher of the flagship
English-language daily, The Straits Times. SPH publishes
all other daily newspapers, including a free bilingual
daily, My Paper -- which claims to be the world's
first, with equal coverage in both English and Chinese
-- with the exception of Today, a free English-language
tabloid published by the state-owned broadcaster MediaCorp,
as well as an online version.[110] Most of these papers
have parallel online versions. English-language SPH
papers available online include The Straits Times,
Business Times, and The New Paper.
There
are also several popular magazines circulating in
Singapore, like i-weekly, 8 days, Citta Bella, Her
World, Brides, Men's Health and FHM Singapore. (Credit:
Wikipedia)
AsianLogic
to Sponsor Fire&Ice 2009
17th December 2008
18
December 2008 (London, UK) – Ground breaking
Asia-Pacific gaming company AsianLogic will cap their
presence at IGE in January by sponsoring Fire&Ice
on January 28th. Fire&Ice, held each year between
the IGE (formerly ICE) and CAP tradeshows, brings
online gambling executives, operators, affiliates,
media and suppliers together for a decadent evening
befitting an industry which sets the standard for
digital entertainment.
“Whenever
we are involved in an Asian Poker Tour event or an
industry affair such as ICE, or any marketing endeavor,
we always look to deliver a highly entertaining and
visually stimulating experience to our players, partners
and guests. Fire&Ice is an exceptional platform
to host our VIPs and we’re gearing up for what
promises to be another memorable evening,” says
Tom Hall, CEO of AsianLogic.
“The
Cake Poker Network will be a Fire&Ice sponsor
for the first time this year. Their army of Cake Poker
chefs will serve up a special treat at midnight. “Last
year we reserved a VIP table at Fire&Ice and this
year we realized the benefit of having a slightly
larger presence in front of the who’s who in
the industry,” said the Cake Poker Network Team.
“The
sponsors and the industry make Fire&Ice what it
is, and I’m extremely proud to have first-class
brands on board again this year!” says event
producer Jodie Thind. “How do we top last year’s
burlesque circus at the Hippodrome? To start, we’ve
got an amazing venue and we have amazing sponsors
on board. We’ll announce more details soon but
this year’s event will be one you’d hate
to miss…stay tuned.”
Fire&
Ice is a free event for all iGaming execs and sponsorship
opportunities ranging in size are still available
for Fire & Ice 2009. Please contact Jodie Thind
for sponsorship opportunities: Jodie@lyceummedia.com
About
Fire & Ice (www.lyceummedia.com/fireandice)
Lyceum
Fire & Ice is the largest and most decadent iGaming
social event on the entertainment calendar. It brings
online gambling executives, operators, affiliates,
media and suppliers together to a unique informal
event, which epitomizes an industry that is on the
cutting edge of digital entertainment. Now in its
eighth year Fire&Ice is produced by London iGaming
PR and events specialists, Lyceum Media (www.LyceumMedia.com).
About
AsianLogic (ALOG) (www.asianlogic.com)
AsianLogic
(AIM: ALOG) is a leading online and land-based gaming
company focused on the Asia-Pacific markets. Listed
on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, it
operates several online casino and online poker brands
and is engaged in the development, operations and
marketing of peer-to-peer gaming, Asian-themed games,
and sports betting. The Company also owns the Asian
Poker Tour, a premier live poker tournament.
The
Company also maintains a corporate advisory team specialising
in the gaming sector which is an active investor in
gaming-related businesses as well as providing consultancy
and analytical services. It enjoys strong commercial
relationships with leading gaming providers including
Playtech and LVS.
About
The Cake Poker Network (www.cakepokernetwork.net)
The
Cake Poker Network caters to a select group of partners;
ones that uphold its company values and that require
a more tailored service rather than a standard “out
of the box” solution. Whether you are looking
to add poker to your existing site or upgrade your
current poker offering, the Cake Poker Network will
position you to succeed by providing a wide range
of customizable services and solutions to fit your
requirements. Your success is ensured by their Flexibility,
Liquidity and Integrity. Their philosophy towards
you is simple: Offer world class solutions to world
class partners.
