SINGAPORE - Ever been away from home for long and wondered whether you could get news that has been curated just for you?
The Straits Times is launching a new service for Singaporeans living or studying abroad.
They can now enjoy special digital publications to keep themselves informed of major happenings and policy changes in their home country.
ST will create two monthly e-zines - one for adults and the other for students - detailing major current affairs and interesting stories about Singapore and Singaporeans.
These digital newsletters will be sent by the Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU) to all Singaporeans based abroad who are registered with the unit.
The two newsletters are:
- Singapore Heartbeat, designed for professionals working overseas, which will include content on Singapore policy and business changes, investment opportunities and news about other overseas Singaporeans and
- Singapore Pulse, which will reach out to overseas students. They can read stories on happenings in Singapore, developments in the education sector, inspiring stories about young Singaporeans, internship opportunities and entertainment-related stories.
The two monthly newsletters will be released in the first week of every calendar month.
Overseas Singaporeans wanting to read more can also visit a special page titled Singapore Connect set up by The Straits Times here: www.straitstimes.com/singapore-connect
This will be regularly updated with new stories.
ST and OSU hope that these new initiatives will not only keep overseas Singaporeans informed but also ease the process of homecoming.
Said Mr Wong Kan Foo, director of the Overseas Singaporean Unit at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY): "We engage fellow citizens all around the world so that Singapore remains close to their hearts. We do this through a variety of programmes such as Singapore Day and the Singapore Speaker Series, as well as through our online channels.
"Our partnership with SPH (Singapore Press Holdings) will provide overseas Singaporeans with an additional avenue to stay updated on the latest developments in Singapore. We hope that this will bring a slice of home closer to our fellow Singaporeans, wherever they may be."
The OSU, which is now part of the MCCY, was set up to engage overseas Singaporeans and keep them connected with the Republic.
There are currently over 200,000 Singaporeans working, living and studying abroad, with the majority residing in the United States, Britain, China and Australia.
All overseas Singaporean students and working professionals on the OSU mailing list will receive either the Singapore Pulse or Singapore Heartbeat, with the option to subscribe to the other newsletter, or opt out.
Said Mr Warren Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief, The Straits Times & Singapore Press Holdings' English, Malay and Tamil Media Group: "Singaporeans living or travelling abroad often miss home. The best antidote to this is to stay connected to home, and The Straits Times helps many do so with our digital editions.
"Through this partnership, we will be able to serve more people through our website as well as by curating content specially for those overseas who want to keep abreast of all the action back in Singapore and the region around us."
ST is also offering a special digital subscription scheme that gives unlimited access to overseas Singaporean readers for free, for the first three months.
CapitaLand, Mitsubishi Estate Asia and Shimizu Corporation are the key sponsors of this project.
