S. Korean 'Snapchat' takes Asia by storm

A South Korean version of popular social networking site Snapchat is taking Asian markets by storm, The New York Times reported on July 5.

While retaining significant similarities to Snapchat - which allows users to create and share short, self-destructing video messages - Snow added features more relatable to Asian users such as images of K-pop stars, as well as sushi and sumo wrestler filters. A significant advantage of Snow, which has more than 30 million downloads since its introduction last September, is its access to the 700 million Internet users in China, where Snapchat is blocked.

Snapchat, the brainchild of Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown that was launched in 2011, currently has more than 100 million active users.

New academy brings tennis to grassroots

Tennis, a relatively niche sport in Singapore, is getting a higher profile with the launch of the ActiveSG tennis academy on July 3.

This comes on the back of three other ActiveSG sports academies which were opened earlier for football, athletics and basketball - sports popular with youth both recreationally and competitively.

Up to 4,000 children are set to be introduced to tennis by the end of the year, as the academy works with schools and its five zonal centres to bring the "elite sport" to the grassroots, with a vision of making it more accessible to all. The initiative also hopes to spot young talents.

There is good news for Singapore's professional players too. Some of the best regional players such as 2009 SEA Games women's singles champion Lavinia Tanata of Indonesia are visiting to coach the best players in the country.

SMU walkathon on Car-Free Sunday

Sign-ups for Singapore Management University (SMU) Challenge's Walk for Good, to be held on July 31, are now open.

The walkathon coincides with Car-Free Sunday in the city, giving freer access of roads to participants. The event will include performances and family-friendly games.

The SMU Challenge is an SMU Community Service Project, organised by the SMU Special Interest & Community Service Sodality. This year, it is collaborating with Central Singapore Community Development Council, as well as working with the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Singapore and the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) to help their beneficiaries.

•For more information, visit the SMU Challenge Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/thesmuchallenge