SG makes it to list of innovators, US govt officials 'cancel' out on CES 2019

During the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) State of the Industry Address at CES 2019, CTA released the list of 16 out of 61 countries that are leading the world in having the "best environment" for innovation according to its new scorecard. Making it to the list was Singapore, along with countries such as Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA said that these countries made it to the list as they value disruptive innovators, when it comes to technology and policy. “These countries are world-class leaders in growing innovation. To be leaders in innovation, nations must drop protectionist rules and end barriers that limit them from creating the next great startups that will change the world for the better," he added. Germany and Israel were first-time honorees, as the former attributed its reach to its improved business growth and access to telecommunications and online services. In Israel, over 51.5% of its workforce hold high-skilled jobs, almost half of its college students earn degrees from fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In addition, statistics on CTA's scorecard also revealed that 4.3% of Israel's gross domestic product goes towards research and development, more than the other countries. Meanwhile, as the 2019 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which started yesterday, news have circulated that senior officials from US President Donald Trump's administration were not present at the event. According to FOX Business, these officials have reportedly "cancelled" their attendance. The article further said that with the government shutdown occurring, the officials' absence was due to the "optics" of being present at an event. Several others also cited the government shutdown as a reason to cancel their attendance to the show. These include FCC chairman Ajit Pai and commissioner Brendan Carr. However, last week, Shapiro said on a press statement that scheduled government speakers at CES 2019 will be cancelling because of the government shutdown. He also said that the speakers directory page will be updated accordingly to keep the attendees posted.