Singapore's DBS says has US$1.28 bln Dubai exposure

Reuters, 30 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Singapore's top lender DBS Group (DBSM.SI) said on Monday its total exposure to Dubai is about S$1.8 billion ($1.28 billion).
It said in a statement it believed this exposure was manageable as a substantial portion was to Dubai-owned firms operating in Asia that it said were sound.
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Related:
Singapore’s DBS says has RM4.4b Dubai exposure - The Malaysian Insider
Singapore's OCBC says has no exposure to Dubai World - Reuters
DBS Bank has $400m exposure to Dubai World - Rediff.com
Singapore DBS says potential Dubai loss manageable - MSN Money
Singapore's DBS reports $1.3 bln Dubai exposure - AFP
Singapore DBS says potential losses in Dubai are manageable - The China Post

Singapore banks have under 1 pct UAE exposure - MAS

Reuters, 30 Nov 2009
INGAPORE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Singapore's central bank said on Monday the total gross exposure of the country's banking sector to the United Arab Emirates was well below 1 percent of total banking assets.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore also said in a statement that it does not expect the developments in Dubai to adversely affect the financial stability of Singapore.
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Related:
Singapore says financial stability not affected by Dubai crisis - Earth Times

China, Singapore Cooperate on PV "Sun City" In Wuxi

JLM Pacific Epoch, 30 Nov 2009
Construction has begun on Sun City, a joint photovoltaic (PV) industry park between China and Singapore, in Wuxi, Jiangsu province on November 26, spvchina.com reports. The park, slated to become China's largest PV industrial base, will have a total construction area of more than 1.5 million square meters and will be divided into six sections, including a solar cell and module production area, complementary materials production area and a logistics area, the report said. The first phase of the park will be completed in May 2010 while the whole project is expected to be finished around 2015 with an annual production capacity of 1800MW, said the report.
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40 Exceptional Students from China, Korea and Hungary Discover Singapore is a Great Place to Work and Live

PRWeb, 30 Nov 2009
Singapore (PRWEB) November 30, 2009 -- 40 students from the top universities in China, Korea and Hungary visited Singapore recently on an immersion programme conducted by Contact Singapore. Titled "Experience@Singapore: Engineering and Technology", the programme brought the students on a 5-day visit to Singapore government organizations, top multinational companies and new upcoming developments in Singapore.
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OPINION: Singapore: Is it a city or country?

Global Voices Online, 30 Nov 2009
s Singapore a city or a country? This question seems silly since Singapore is globally recognized as an independent state. But for Singapore Law Minister K. Shanmugam, Singapore should be treated as a city. This remark triggered a debate in the blogosphere.
In his lecture during a meeting of the New York State Bar Association International Section, Shanmugam observed that many people are criticizing the dominance of a single party in Singapore politics because they are comparing Singapore with other countries. He insisted that Singapore should be judged as a city.
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MAS: October Bank Loans S$275.39 Billion

Nasdaq

                        Oct 2009       Year Ago       Sep 2009
Total                   S$275.39B      S$275.94B      S$275.89B
Housing/Bridge          S$ 89.12B      S$ 78.54B       S$87.07B
Professionals
& Private Individuals   S$  2.97B      S$  2.91B        S$ 2.95B
Building/Construction   S$ 48.46B      S$ 49.89B        S$49.02B
Manufacturing           S$ 11.26B      S$ 14.24B        S$11.43B

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Singapore's OCBC says has no exposure to Dubai World

Reuters, 30 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Singapore's second biggest lender Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC.SI) said on Monday it has no exposure to Dubai World.
"OCBC Group has no exposure to Dubai World and Nakheel, and its exposure to the Dubai Government, government-linked corporations and other institutions is not material," an OCBC spokeswoman said in response to a query from Reuters.
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Nepalese politicians using Singapore for secret meetings

The Himalayan Times, 29 Nov 2009
KATHMANDU: Politburo member of Unified CPN (Maoist) Krishna Bahadur Mahara today said that the ruling parties were attempting to continue the government even covering the rising intra parties' conflict.
Speaking at a programme organised on the occasion of fourth Sunil Memorial Day here today, Mahara said no agreement was reached between party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda' and Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala to topple the government during their meet in Singapore.
Mahara who is also the chief of Maoist Foreign Department, said the Singapore meeting was focused only on the formation of the high-level political mechanism. "The news of ''seven-point agreement'' during the Singapore meeting disseminated widely in media are ‘baseless’ and ‘fabricated’, said Mahara.
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Related:
Singapore Saga: Conspiracy to Foil Nepal’s Peace Process, Dr. Koirala - Telegraph Nepal

OPINION: Ejected from Singapore - Ben Bland

Guardian.co.uk, 30 No 2009
Unfriendly reporters are jailed, assaulted or assassinated by the governments of Burma, Iran and Sri Lanka. Singapore, with pretensions to being a global "media hub", prefers tools of repression that are more subtle, yet have the same chilling effect on free speech. After a year as an accredited correspondent in the southeast Asian city-state, I was unexpectedly told last month that my employment visa would not be renewed.
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Related:
Singapore: censorship city - Index on Censorship

China's shipping industry woes

China Daily, 30 Nov 2009
China's shipbuilding industry has been hit hard by the slump in world trade. According to the World Trade Organization, international trade in and out of China fell by 20 percent in the first nine months of this year and by 17 percent across the globe.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Transport, container throughput into the country was down 7 percent from 126 million TEUs (container units) last year to 117 million TEUs this year.
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Declining productivity in Singapore a problem

The Malaysian Insider, 30 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 30 — The declining productivity of Singapore’s workers is likely to be a key issue tackled by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) when it releases its recommendations in January.
This is a problem the government-led panel — set up to find new ways for Singapore to grow over the medium term — should address, say economists.
Over the last few years, Singapore’s rapid growth has been mostly driven by a massive increase in the workforce, said Citigroup economist Kit Wei Zheng.
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China has to break through "Neighborhood Dilemma"

The Global Times, 30 Nov 2009
If Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew enraged the Chinese media as well as the online readers not long ago by his remarks appealing for the U.S. Asian presence to balance China's growing military and economic clout in the region, it is now the right time for the whole thing to cool down so as to leave some space for more reflection on China's complicated neighborhood.
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Big FM exits from deal with Singapore's Mediacorp

Indiantelevision.com, 28 Nov 2009
MUMBAI: The global downturn has upset Big FM's plans to spread its footprint overseas.
The deal between Reliance Media World, the company which runs its radio business under the Big FM brand, and Singapore-based MediaCorp Network has gone kaput much before it could run its full five-year course.
According to sources, Big FM stopped syndicating content to MediaCorp from 27 November.
The downturn affected Big FM's business deal with MediaCorp. "An advertising slump did not make the business model viable for Big FM. The costs did not justify the revenue," says a source.

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Singapore Send Young Squad To SEA Games

Goal.com, 29 Nov 2009
With an average age of just 19-years-old, Singapore will have perhaps the youngest squad at the SEA Games in Laos next month.
The young Lions will be in Group B of the biennial meet against hosts Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia.
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Temasek eyeing stake in India's Coffee Day Holdings

Business Standard, 27 Nov 2009
Global private equity players Stanchart Private Equity and Singapore-based Temasek have joined the race with KKR to invest $100-150 million (Rs 465-700 crore) in Bangalore-based Coffee Day Holdings.
Coffee Day Holdings is the holding firm for Cafe Coffee Day, Coffee Day Hotels and Resorts, retail broking firm Way2Wealth, venture capital firm Global Technology Ventures and Tanglin Development, the real estate arm which has set up software parks at special economic zones (SEZs) in Bangalore and Mangalore.
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Singapore authorities note rise in late-stage HIV detections

Earth Times, 28 Nov 2009
Singapore - Singapore's health ministry is concerned about the increasing number of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases being detected in the late stage of HIV-infection. It is also concerned that 27 women tested positive between January and June this year, compared to 30 in the whole of last year.
The report said that 129 cases of the 218 new cases were infected through heterosexual activity. Sex between men accounted for 33 per cent of new cases, according to the report citing figures from the Health Ministry.
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Singapore may be the new financial hub

The Economic Times, 28 Nov 2009
MUMBAI: The jury is out on what the future holds for Dubai. Fund managers and high-street bankers see the fall of Dubai as a prelude to the emergence of Singapore as the undisputed financial centre of Asia.
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Singapore media hail China's plan to cut emission

Xinhua, 28 Nov 2009
INGAPORE, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's media on Saturday hailed China's recent plan to boost energy efficiency and cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Titled "China fuels hopes for climate change," an article in Singapore's leading English newspaper, the Straits Times, said China's pledge to cut emissions had put pressure on other countries to follow suit.
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STB along with TUI and F Bar & Lounge promotes Zoukout 2009 in New Delhi

Travel Biz Monitor, 28 Nov 2009
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in association with TUI and F Bar & Lounge has organised slew of initiatives to promote ZoukOut 2009 in India.
The main aim of the event was to attract more youngsters from North India to Singapore for ZoukOut 2009. Prior to New Delhi, the tourism board organised the event in Chennai. This is the first time that STB has taken the initiative to promote ZoukOut 2009 in India though it has been organising the event in Singapore for the last nine years.
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Singapore state-control media lauds Taiwan for fining Next Media

The China Post, 28 Nov 2009
Singapore's largest Chinese language newspaper on Friday praised Taiwan for fining Next Media Interactive Limited's Taiwan branch for running violent motion graphics on its online news channel.
An editorial published in Lianhe Zaobao said that because children and teenagers are the main recipients and viewers of new media, the violent images of blood run by the company would have a negative effect on the mental health of young audiences.
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OPINION: Upper middle class folks are living in style - Seah Chiang Nee

Thestar.com.my, 28 Nov 2009
In recent months, I have had a few glimpses of how far Singapore’s upper middle class has moved ahead in the richest city in South-East Asia.
The chance came as I was searching to rent a home, looking behind closed doors in the presence of an agent.After visiting some two dozen homes in several estates, a picture soon emerged of how well the upper gentry — roughly a third of the population — has benefited from the island’s prosperity.
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Sources said SIA could inject CNY 7 Billion into China Eastern Airlines

TradingMarkets.com, 27 Nov 2009
Sources said that Singapore Airlines would possibly inject CNY 7 billion into its Chinese rival China Eastern Airlines Co. Ltd., but the China Eastern Airlines Board Secretary Luo Zhuping argued that it was not a fact but a report.
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Representing Singapore at the World Expo: DURIAN STAR

Shanghaiist.com, 27 Nov 2009

Drawing inspiration from our iconic Merlion and The King of Fruits, the Durian, Singapore Tourism Board developed LIU LIAN XIAO XING - a lovable and easily recognisable character.
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Casino venue in Singapore will have Las Vegas flavor

Las Vegas Sun, 27 Nov 2009
Margaret Teo, assistant CEO of development for the Singapore Tourism Board, said the resorts are expected to attract 2 million to 3 million more visitors and generate $1.9 billion (U.S.) to the economy by 2015.
Teo thinks the addition of the resorts will expand Singapore’s tourism market to India, where fans of Bollywood movies should find some appeal in Genting’s Universal Studios theme park.
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Vulnerable Singapore reflects a picture of inactivity

Financial Times, 26 Nov 2009
Singapore, the world’s largest container port by throughput, looks likely to suffer a bigger fall in traffic than many other ports this year, in spite of a slight uptick in traffic in provisional figures for October.
The fall in Singapore volumes is much steeper than the predicted 10.3 per cent drop in global traffic this year, marking a serious reverse for PSA, which runs five of the port’s six container terminals and accounts for about 97 per cent of its container throughput.
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Singapore firm inks massive Myanmar gas deal

AFP
A Singaporean marine engineering company has signed a multimillion dollar contract with a Myanmar firm, and will lay gas pipelines off the shores of the military-ruled nation next year.
Singapore-based firm Swiber Holdings will construct 150 kilometres of gas pipelines after signing a 77 million US dollar contract with "a Myanmar oil and gas company," the company said in a statement Friday.
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Related:
Singapore Company Wins Contract for Burma Gas Deal - Voice of America

Singapore Air Force To Make Maiden Appearance At LIMA 2009

Bernama.com, 27 Nov 2009
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- For the first time since its inception, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is set to rock the skies of Langkawi in its maiden appearance at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA).
Armed with its AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopter and F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, the RSAF is set to thrill the crowds of LIMA 2009, with the fanciful aerial displays of both aircrafts.
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Related:
Singapore airforce to make maiden appearance at LIMA - Xinhua

Temasek-backed Investment Firm FountainVest Buys Into Sina Corp

The Wall Street Journal, 27 Nov 2009
Sequoia Capital, FountainVest Partners, and Citic Capital Holdings Ltd. are backing the Sina management team's purchase of new shares that will give the group a 9.4% stake in the company, according to the people. Sina's management, led by chief executive Charles Chao, will put in around $50 million and the three investment firms will provide the remaining roughly $130 million, one person said, with each taking stakes of a similar size.
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Sembawang Shipyard joined Indian port to set up shipyard at Kakinada

Business Standard, 27 Nov 2009
Sembmarine Kakinada Limited (SKL), a joint venture of Singapore-based Sembawang Shipyard Pvt Ltd and Kakinada Seaports Ltd, has announced the establishment of a shipyard at Kakinada port at an estimated cost of $375 million to cater to offshore units and merchant vessels operating in Indian waters.
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Singapore and Chinese Companies Further Collaborate in Digital Media

IT News, 27 Nov 2009
A group of some 30 Singapore digital media companies today wrapped up their five-day business mission trip to China with a slate of business deals with their Chinese counterparts.
The business mission, which covered the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Shaanxi over 23 to 27 November, was organised by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), as part of its ongoing efforts to help Singapore's media companies gain access to the global market. The programme included visits to major Chinese digital media companies and research centres, as well as networking events and pitching sessions.
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New Zealand And Singapore Invest Over NZ$1.3 Million In Metabolic Disease Research

Voxy.co.nz, 27 Nov 2009
More than NZ$1.3 million has been awarded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR, Singapore) to support research into metabolic disease through a joint research initiative. The initiative supports applicants to engage in research activities that will produce gains for New Zealand and Singapore, and offer significant leverage to build New Zealand's health research capacity.
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Key Wins for Singapore’s MICE Business

AsiaTravelTips.com, 27 Nov 2009
Singapore has so much going for it - overall efficiency, excellent transport system, the highest quality of hotels and MICE facilities, the latest technology and communications infrastructure, great shopping and leisure options, and a welcoming, well educated and multi-lingual populace - that it should come as no surprise that it has successfully clinched a good number of association meetings over the next few years. And, with some mammoth new projects preparing to open in the coming months and years, this MICE success is only going to get better.
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Singapore to roll out A/H1N1 vaccine for young adults, children

Xinhua, 26 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday that the 2009 A/H1N1 vaccine is now ready to be rolled out to children and young adults aged from 10 years old to 18 years old.
The MOH and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) have reviewed the safety of CSL Limited Panvax A/H1N1 Vaccine in children aged from 10 years old to 18 years old and are satisfied with the safety profile of the product in this age-group.
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Minsheng falls on debut, Temasek's investment under pressure as sentiments for Chinese banks soured

Reuters, 26 Nov 2009
HONG KONG/BEIJING, Nov 26 (Reuters) - China Minsheng Banking Corp (1988.HK) fell a disappointing 3 percent in its Hong Kong debut on Thursday after raising $3.9 billion in the world's fifth largest IPO this year, underscoring how sentiment for Chinese banks has soured recently.
Minsheng, which attracted investors including billionaire George Soros and Singapore state fund Temasek [TEM.UL], was quoted at HK$8.79, compared with an IPO price of HK$9.08, which was around the mid-point of its indicated range.
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Singapore October Industrial Production Rises On Year

RTTNews, 26 Nov 2009
Industrial production in Singapore grew 3.6% year-on-year in October, rebounding from the upwardly revised 6.3% decrease in the previous month, the Economic Development Board reported on Thursday. Economists had expected industrial output to rise 7.5%. Excluding the biomedical manufacturing sector, output climbed 4.3%.
Full Story

Related:
Singapore Manufacturing Rebounds On Electronics - TheStreet.com
Electronics lift Singapore's factory output: govt - AFP
Singapore Q3 Services Sector Receipts Rise On Quarter - RTTNews
Singapore's overall business services receipts drop 4.4% in Q3 - Xinhua

Singapore on list of ‘degree mill’ countries

The Malaysian Insider, 26 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 26 — Degree mills that churn out ‘graduates’ at the drop of a hat are the sort of dodgy outfits we link with shadier parts of the world, but the problem is a lot closer to home and threatens to harm Singapore’s name as an education centre.
Small as it is, the country appears six times on a list compiled by Oregon’s Office of Degree Authorisation (ODA).
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PSA lures three container carriers from DP World

Livemint.com, 26 Nov 2009
Bangalore: Singapore-based PSA International Pte Ltd, the world’s second biggest container port operator, has persuaded three container carriers being serviced by rival DP World Pvt. Ltd to use its new terminal, the second at Union government-owned Chennai port in Tamil Nadu.
The three container carriers are currently using Chennai Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd, run by DP World, the world’s fourth biggest container port operator, majority owned by the Dubai government.
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Chennai Minister In Talks With Spore Officials To Build An Aerospace Park

Expressbuzz.com, 26 Nov 2009
CHENNAI: Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin held discussions with Singapore officials for setting up of an Aerospace park in Chennai, according to a release on Wednesday.
Stalin, who was on a visit to Singapore, discussed the proposed park and the financial city with Singapore Deputy Minister for Commerce Easwaran and other senior government officials.
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Changi Airport Growth Initiative to replace Air Hub Development Fund

AsiaTravelTips.com, 26 Nov 2009
Changi Airport Group (CAG) has launched the Changi Airport Growth Initiative (CAGi), a strategic programme designed to enhance CAG’s partnership with airlines and other airport stakeholders to drive Singapore Changi Airport’s growth. CAGi, which takes effect on 1 January 2010, replaces the existing Air Hub Development Fund (AHDF) programme which expires on 31 December 2009.
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OPINION: As you sow, so will you reap - LIM MUN FAH

MYsinchew.com, 25 Nov 2009
Singapore used to be a Chinese educational bastion for Southeast Asia with the most comprehensive Chinese-language educational system. But the deviation of its educational policy had changed everything in just two to three decades. Nanyang University, a leading Chinese university in Southeast Asia for 25 years, became part of the history in 1980. As nearly 100% of students were enrolled in English stream primary schools, English became the first language for all primary and secondary schools in Singapore. Since then, Chinese education had basically disappeared from Singapore, leaving only Chinese language teaching.
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Temasek unit to manage former Babcock S'pore trust

Reuters, 25 Nov 2009
Singapore's Global Investments Ltd (GLNV.SI), a trust previously managed by a unit of Australian investment bank Babcock & Brown, will now be managed by a fund management firm linked to state investor Temasek.
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CapitaLand CEO preaches perseverance and paranoia

Interactive Investor, 25 Nov 2009
Singapore-based CapitaLand's Chief Executive Liew Mun Leong advises staff to work out in the morning, eat less oily noodles and weigh themselves daily, in one of his many lectures about the route to corporate success.
"If we are not fighting fit, how can we cope with this everyday high-speed life?" Liew, who jogs daily, wrote in a book compiled from his Sunday emailed musings to employees.
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Singapore Airlines flies high again in Zagat survey

Reuters, 25 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Passengers and travel agents have voted Singapore Airlines this year's best international carrier in a Zagat survey that also showed how the economic downturn had grounded the travel industry.
The 2009 Airline Survey by the travel and entertainment guide covered 73 international airlines and 16 domestic U.S. carriers, rating premium and economy classes on a 30-point scale covering factors such as comfort, food, in-flight entertainment and luggage policies.
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Related:
Singapore Airlines flies high again in Zagat survey - Moneycontrol.com

GIC To Invest In China Longyuan Power Group's IPO

Nasdaq
HONG KONG -(Dow Jones)- The institutional tranche of China Longyuan Power Group Corp.'s (0916.HK) initial public offering is eight to nine time oversubscribed, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday.
Singaporean sovereign-wealth fund Government of Singapore Investment Corp. and Hong Kong-listed Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. of China Ltd. (2318.HK) have agreed to subscribe to shares in Longyuan, the person said.
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Singapore private sector pumps RM2.68b into Iskandar Malaysia

The Malaysian Insider, 25 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 25 — Iskandar Malaysia has attracted RM2.68 billion, or some S$1.1 billion, in manufacturing investments from Singapore’s private sector since 2006.
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said that this sum comes from the 178 manufacturing projects with Singapore participation which have been approved by Malaysia from 2006, when the Johor economic zone was first launched, till May this year.
Most investments from Singapore have been in manufacturing, particularly those by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), he noted. The majority are in the business of producing plastics, electronics or electrical goods and fabricated metal products.
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OPINION: How fall of Berlin Wall affected Singapore — K. Kesavapany

The Malaysian Insider, 25 Nov 2009
Singapore's own walls: Every country has its own domestic walls. They exist in the minds of its people and are demonstrated in their behaviour.
Singaporeans have their walls of prejudice against foreign workers and walls of social separation. It will take time for us to become more self-aware and thus a better, more gracious and more understanding society, hence making it possible for these walls to come down.
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Paradigm Shift in Singapore

Khaleej Times Online, 25 Nov 2009
Like scores of journalists, I attentively listened as Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivering his closing remarks, and for the last time answering journalists’ questions. It was the conclusion of 17th APEC Economies Leaders’ Meeting in Singapore, on November 15, and Prime Minister Lee was clearly tired, although unruffled.
Lee is an impressive man. He has a commanding presence and is very articulate, despite his soft poise and humble demeanor. He speaks with the confidence of a leader of a great nation, not an island city-state, the smallest nation in Southeast Asia.
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Temasek announces another major bond offer

AFP
SINGAPORE — State-linked Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings on Tuesday said it plans to raise 600 million Singapore dollars (433 million US) from new bond offerings.
The latest news follows an announcement in October that the firm would raise 1.5 billion US dollars through a 10-year bond offer under a capital raising programme worth 5.0 billion US dollars.
Full Story

Related:
Temasek announces major bond offer plan - brisbanetimes.com.au
New Issue-Temasek Financial issues S$300mln bond - Interactive Investor

OPINION: Asia Sentinel Loses a Singapore Correspondent - Ben Bland

Asia Sentinel, 24 Nov 2009
When I moved from London to Singapore last October to set up as a freelance journalist, I finally got to meet the two officials from the Ministry of Information who had helped me secure an employment visa.
Over a cup of coffee at their office in a former colonial police station - possibly the world's most stylish propaganda ministry - they probed me politely about my background and intentions in Singapore. They were friendly but seemed perplexed about the concept of freelance journalism, even though it forms the backbone of much foreign reporting these days.
"If we have a problem with something that you've written, who can we speak to?"
Obviously, I told them, you can talk to the editor of whichever publication has commissioned any particular story.
"But what if we just don't like what you're writing in general?"
Then talk to me, I added.
They never did. Last month, after applying to renew my visa following a successful year in Singapore, I received a one-line letter informing me that my application had been rejected.
Full Story

Singapore visitor arrivals slip 0.5 pct in Oct

Reuters, 24 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Visitor arrivals in Singapore in October fell 0.5 percent from a year earlier, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Tuesday.
The STB said there were 845,000 visitors in October. The total days spent by tourists in Singapore fell 4.6 percent to 3.3 million.
Full Story

Related:
Tourist arrivals in Singapore down slightly, industry still suffers - Earth Times
Singapore tourism falls slightly in October - thestar.com.my
Singapore Visitor Arrivals in October 2009 - AsiaTravelTips.com
Arrivals dip but Singapore hotel occupancy on high - The Malaysian Insider
More than expected decline in Singapore October Consumer Prices - Top News Singapore

GIC's subsidary sold stake in Beijing property to Beijing Capital Land

China Knowledge, 24 Nov 2009
Beijing Capital Land Ltd<2868> on Nov. 20 announced that it plans to acquire the remaining 45% stake in a property project in Chaoyang District, Beijing from Singapore-based Reco Ziyang for RMB 369.5 million to become the sole owner of the project, which will complete construction at the end of this year, sources reported.
Reco Ziyang, which is principally engaged in property investment in China, is a subsidiary of GIC Real Estate, a leading property developer in Singapore. As of Nov. 20, Reco Ziyang indirectly held 165.07 million H shares in Beijing Capital Land, or 8.14% of the latter's outstanding shares.
Full Story

Gujarat schoolboy bags Singapore scholarship

DNAIndia.com, 24 Nov 2009
In an outstanding achievement, city lad Yash Shah, a student of class IX, Asia English School, has bagged a scholarship programme in Singapore. With this, Shah has become the only boy from Gujarat to have been awarded this scholarship. He will be leaving for Singapore on December 26, 2009.
This prestigious programme spans 4 years, at the end of which Yash will receive the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education 'Advanced' (GCE 'A') Level (equivalent to STD 12) certificate. This means that he will be pursuing his studies from class IX to XII in Singapore.
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A Conversation with Singapore Finance Minister Tharman - Bruce Nussbaum

BusinessWeek, 23 Nov 2009
Every once in a while I come across a government bureaucrat who totally surprises me with the person’s insight and competence. Singapore Minister of Finance Tharman is one of them. We opened the ICSID World Congress Monday with a conversation onstage. Every nation has a governing elite but Singapore has an exceptionally competent one.
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Singapore PM calls for Singapore, China media cooperation

Xinhua, 24 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday called on media both from Singapore and China to enhance cooperation and communication to make Asia's voice better heard around the world.
During a meeting here with He Ping, editor-in-chief of China's Xinhua News Agency, Lee said that the recent successful state-visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to Singapore has boosted bilateral ties between the two Asian countries, and also established a platform for collaboration between their media.
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"Unsustainable" cities need radical rethink - ETHZ

Swissinfo.ch, 23 Nov 2009
Zurich's Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) has launched a collaboration with two universities in Singapore in an effort to produce a template for the modern sustainable city.
Many of today's cities are reaching breaking point in terms of pollution and sheer numbers of people, according to ETHZ professor for architecture Gerhard Schmitt.
"Cities provide living space for more than half of the world's population, and this rate is set to rise. They produce half of the economic output but also half of the pollution," Schmitt told swissinfo.ch.
"This leads us to the conclusion that cities are no longer sustainable no matter where they are. We know the more they expand the more quality falls. There is a limit of size."
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Related:
"unsustainable" Cities Need Radical Rethink - Turkishweekly.net

Singapore October Consumer Prices Drop More Than Expected

RTTNews, 23 Nov 2009
Consumer prices in Singapore dropped 0.8% year-on-year in October, mainly due to lower costs of housing, and recreation & others, the Department of Statistics reported on Monday. Economists had expected consumer prices to fall 0.5%. Excluding accommodation costs, the consumer price index dropped 1.1% from a year ago.
Full Story

Related:
Singapore consumer prices fall for 7th month - Thestar.com.my
Singapore's CPI Down 0.8 Pct On-Year in October - english.cri.cn

Singapore assessing mkt before new property measures

Reuter, 23 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Singapore said on Monday that it will assess the property market before deciding on any new moves to cool buoyant prices, after recent measures that have dampened speculative demand.
"The government will continue to monitor the property market closely and assess the market response to the measures introduced before deciding whether further measures are ncessary to promote a stable and sustainable property market," National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told Parliament.
Full Story

NOL president-CEO wins top shipping award

mb.com.ph, 23 Nov 2009
Ronald D. Widdows, the president and CEO of Singapore-based container shipping and logistics group, Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) was named an "Admiral of the Ocean Seas," one of the shipping industry’s top awards. Widdows received the prestigious award, conferred by the United Seamen’s Service in New York recently.
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SIA CEO calls for united approach from Asia/Pacific airlines

ATW Daily News, 23 Nov 2009
Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng called for airlines in the Asia/Pacific region to line up in support of the Assn. of Asia Pacific Airlines in order to counter the regulatory strength of the EU and US.
Addressing AAPA's Assembly of Presidents in Singapore Friday, Chew said despite the fact that the region accounts for half of world trade and soon will account for half of the world's aviation traffic, Asia/Pacific countries' clout in aviation policymaking suffers because the region's airlines lack a united voice.
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OPINION: The Beauty of Singapore - Wen Bin Zu

Asia Sentinel, 22 Nov 2009
I am a typical byproduct of Singapore: a Chinese who can speak Mandarin, passed Mandarin classes but can still barely read and write the language well enough to be considered proficient. Technically I am illiterate. And, while that may not speak for all of us, there are sufficient numbers to justify the label "typical."
This has become an issue because Singapore's founder, former prime minister and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew openly acknowledged last week that the 40 years of bilingual language policy he put in place was "wrong." Today, he says, that policy started out on the erroneous assumption that it was possible to master two languages – English and Mandarin, the latter for the majority Chinese community – equally well, and that Mandarin was taught at a too difficult level that "turned students off completely," he said. In retrospect, he said, Chinese language teachers should now make learning the mother tongue fun.
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Singapore 2010 mascots unveiled

Australian Olympic Committee, 21 Nov 2009

With just 266 days to go before Singapore hosts the world’s first Youth Olympic Games (YOG), Lyo (pronounced as Leo) and Merly are ready to blaze the trail. The official mascots for Singapore 2010 were unveiled by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports today.
As mascots for Singapore 2010, Lyo, a lion cub, embodies the values of Excellence and Friendship, while Merly, a merlion, personifies the values of Excellence and Respect.
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Top Three Singapore Banks by Assets

Seeking Alpha, 22 Nov 2009
The top 3 Singapore banks based on assets held as of December 2008 are listed below:

S.No.	Bank	Total Assets as of Dec, 2008 (in US $ Mil.)	Country Rank by Assets
1	DBS Bank	178,375	1
2	United Overseas Bank Limited	127,113	2
3	Overseas Chinese Banking Corp	126,032	3

Source: BankScope

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Temasek To Be A Strategic Investor In Another Chinese Property Developer

The Standard, 23 Nov 2009
Kaisa Group has attracted subscriptions from big names - including Henderson Land Development (0012) chairman Lee Shau-kee - after securing US$60 million (HK$468 million) from four cornerstone investors.
It is the eighth listing of a mainland developer this year.
Sources said Lee will subscribe to the institutional tranche of the HK$4.45 billion float, while Temasek Holdings and Carlyle Group will become strategic investors.
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Singapore Joins International Fight Against Counterfeit And Illegal Medicine

the Gov Monitor, 22 Nov 2009
HSA Participates in International Operation to Combat Online Supply of Counterfeit & Illegal Medicines.
Due to an ever-increasing number of websites supplying dangerous and illegal medicines, INTERPOL and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) have launched a coordinated effort among 24 countries this week from 16 to 20 November 2009. Known as Operation Pangea II**, participating countries would, during this dedicated week of action, concentrate on illegal websites in their countries selling illegal medicines.
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Singapore A*STAR Invests $36 Million In Medical Technology Industry

the Gov Monitor, 22 Nov 2009
A*STAR collaborates with CIMIT to enhance the environment for growing the medical technology industry as part of the drive to transform Singapore into a knowledge-based innovation-driven economy.
Local doctors, BMS scientists and engineers given the boost to create engineering solutions to medical problems.
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Singapore Students Visit Baitaul Wajihah

BruDirect.com, 23 Nov 2009
Bandar Seri Begawan - A Group of seventeen Primary Five students and two teachers from Singapore visited the Baitul Wajihah Home-stay in Kampong Pengkalan Batu yesterday as part of their year-end school trip.
The group was greeted upon arrival by the owner of Baitul. Wajihah Homestay, Hj Muslim, who also briefed the visors about the various traditional model houses, animal traps, traditional children's toys as well as traditional woven baskets and bags.
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OPINION: Health Care Reform: US vs Singapore - Bruce Nussbaum

BusinessWeek, 22 Nov 2009
I attended a briefing by the DesignSingapore Council’s International Advisory Panel on Friday that discussed making healthcare an economic driver of this city-state in the future. Now think about this. As the politics of the US continues to grind on around providing all Americans with the basics of health care, the government of Singapore has put together a panel of some of the world’s top designers to reshape it’s already terrific medical system so that it attracts people from all over the world to its facilities—and makes high value medicine a 21st century industry.
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Singaporeans urged to learn from handling economic downturn

CCTV.com, 22 Nov 2009
Singapore's Law Minister K. Shanmugam said on Saturday that there are three lessons for Singaporeans to learn from the way the Government, employers and unions handled the economic downturn.
According to Channel NewsAsia reports on Saturday night, the minister said that the first lesson to be learnt from the financial crisis is the Singapore's government managed the state's finances prudently and in a disciplined way.
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Singapore to host World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention in 2011

CCTV.com, 22 Nov 2009
ingapore will host the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC), the biennial gathering of Chinese businessmen around the globe, in October 2011, a founder of the WCEC said Saturday.
Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be the organizing agency for the 11th WCEC, Ian. C.W. Fok, chairman of Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce said at the closing ceremony of this year's WCEC convention in Manila.
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S'pore helping Johor To Set Up Medical Hub For S'porean Patients

Thestar.com.my, 22 Nov 2009
JOHOR BARU: The state is on the way to becoming a medical hub – for both locals and foreigners – with the building of a new public hospital and the proposal for a wellness centre in Nusajaya.
Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the public hospital would be located within the planned Medical City in Nusajaya.
Abdul Ghani said the proposed wellness centre would be built with the cooperation of the Singaporean government.
He added that Johor’s strategic location and comparable costs for healthcare could draw more foreign patients, especially from Singapore and Indonesia.
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High-living Singapore monk jailed for 10 mths for fraud

AFP
SINGAPORE — A high-living Buddhist monk who ran one of Singapore's most well-known charities was Saturday jailed for 10 months for fraud, court officials said.
Shi Ming Yi, 47, was handed the sentence after being convicted last month of conspiring with his personal aide, Raymong Yeung, 34, to cheat the Ren Ci charity out of 50,000 Singapore dollars (36,000 US).
Yeung was sentenced to nine months for the crime.
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Related:
Singapore celebrity monk sentenced to 10 months in jail for fraud - Earth Times
Singaporean celebrity monk sent to jail for fraud - Taipei Times

Another collapse in the offing, fears SocGen

The Malaysian Insider, 21 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 21 — Much has been said of government stimulus packages and the nascent global economic recovery. But have investors given serious thought to the prospect of another crash?
In a report, Societe Generale (SocGen) painted a Doomsday scenario in which global economic collapse could recur in the next two years. It advises clients to go short on US dollars and European stocks, and long on government bonds and agricultural commodities.
The French bank says state rescue packages over the past year have merely transferred private liabilities on to sagging sovereign shoulders, creating a fresh set of problems.
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OPINION: Education for the real world - Seah Chiang Nee

Thestar.com.my, 21 Nov 2009
FOR years, Singapore’s schools have been steering a bit away from their traditional teaching towards a 21st century “ideas” economy. The pursuit, however, has been sporadic rather than countrywide. But come 2016, an institutional transformation will take place in all primary schools.
The revamp, announced last week, is aimed at making pupils adept at not only Science and English, but also at thinking and communicating.
n seven years’ time – when enough buildings and teachers are in place – all Singapore primary schools (attended by thousands of foreigners) will introduce full-day sessions.
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Singapore Tech Banned From Indian Gun Bid

IDRW.org, 19 Nov 2009
Singapore Technologies will not be allowed to participate in an Indian tender for 155mm ultra-light artillery guns because it was named in an alleged corruption scandal in June this year by India’s fraud investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The move is the outcome of the latest circular from the Indian Defence Ministry, which does not allow tainted defense companies to participate in the procurement process pending a full CBI report, ministry sources said.
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OPINION: Too Close for Comfort? - Jeya Segaram

The Diplomat Magazine, 20 Nov 2009
As Singapore emerges from its sharpest and most protracted recession, the city-state’s policymakers have been keen to emphasize the importance of immigrants to the country’s future well-being. But as Jeya Segaram discovers, the downturn has exacerbated simmering tensions over an immigration policy that some Singaporeans believe is too lax.
Adapting to life in Singapore hasn’t come easy for Xiao Li.
Leaving her family in Guangdong, China, Li (who asked her real name not be used) says adapting to what she calls a ‘pseudo-Western’ lifestyle has been difficult. But she says that although her new lifestyle has been an awkward fit, what has been hardest is overcoming the hostile attitude of natives in a country known for being a melting pot of different cultures.
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Singapore refuses to renew foreign journalist’s visa

Committee to Protect Journalist, 20 Nov 2009
New York, November 19, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Singapore government’s refusal to renew British freelance journalist Benjamin Bland’s work visa and his application to cover the recently concluded Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting. Bland was reporting on the summit for the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Bland’s visa renewal application was rejected without explanation by the Manpower Ministry on October 1, according to Bland. When the reporter inquired why the government refused, the ministry’s senior assistant director, Yeo Kim Huat, told him on October 15 that, after internal discussions, officials decided that they could not disclose their reasons for the rejection.
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Related:
Enforced hibernation - Asian Correspondent

Singapore concerned about brain drain

ABC Radio Australia, 20 Nov 2009
In Singapore, where authorities are concerned about a potential brain drain.
Top Singapore students who're awarded scholarships often choose to go abroad to study, for several reasons, including overseas exposure and getting a degree from a world-renowned university. Now, a former senior minister, S Dhanabalan has spoken up against this. He says Singapore should encourage its best and brightest to get their first degree from a local university adding that people in the top echelons must have not just global experience, but also a good understanding of Singapore.
Link

Click here to listen to the broadcast

Vietnam's salt sand export extended until June 2010

VietNamNet Bridge, 20 Nov 2009
According to the guidance released on November 17 by deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai, from now till June 2010 is the time for custom offices and sand exporters to move the volume of sand stuck at ports because of the decision to ban the export of sand of all kinds.
Previously, businesses who had recovered this kind of sand complained to the Prime Minister and related agencies about losses of a billion dong due to the sudden ban on export.
This sand is not used in construction. It is exported, mainly to Singapore, to serve sea encroachment projects.
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Singapore Airlines, Continental take top honors in OAG 'Airline of the Year' awards

USAToday.com, 19 Nov 2009
Singapore Airlines was named the 2009 OAG Airline of the Year and took two other "best of" categories. Renowned for its upscale service, Singapore is a perennial winner in global airline surveys and awards.
As for Continental, it took the OAG honors for "Best Business Class" and for "Best Airline Based in North America." Read on for a list of other winners in this year's OAG rankings.
Airline of the Year: Singapore Airlines
Best Trans-Atlantic Airline: Virgin Atlantic
Best Trans-Pacific Airlines: Singapore Airlines
Best International First Class: Singapore Airlines
Best Business Class: Continental Airlines
Best Economy Coach Class: British Airways
Best Airline Based in North America: Continental
Best Airline Based in the Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent: Emirates
Best Low-Cost Airline: Southwest Airlines
Best Airline Based in Central South America & Caribbean: LAN
Best Airline based in Africa: South African Airlines
Best Airlines based in Western Europe: Virgin Atlantic
Best Airline Based in Central/Eastern Europe: CSA Czech Airlines
Best Airline Based in Australia/Pacific: Qantas
Best Airport: Singapore Changi
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Related:
OAG picks Singapore as 'Airline of the Year' - Airline Biz Blog

Asian Governments Indicate They May Take Action to Deter Speculation

The New York Times, 19 Nov 2009
As a tumultuous year for Asian real estate comes to an end, it seems that regulators are likely to try to cool the market next year — as hard as that might be to believe.
In early November, Singapore also suggested it would introduce cooling measures. The Monetary Authority of Singapore said there should be “close monitoring” of home prices and transactions. The central bank already had scrapped a system of “interest-only” loans, which the bank believed was making it easy to “flip” apartments.
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Lim Hwee Hua: Many Airlines Still Face Margin Pressure

The Wall Street Journal, 20 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE -- Singapore's second minister for finance and transport Lim Hwee Hua on Friday said that many airlines were still suffering from sharp declines in yields and profitability and the industry faces a second round of threat from rising oil prices and worries of a second wave of the H1N1 strain of influenza this winter season.
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Related:
Singapore Minister: Many Airlines Still Face Margin Pressure - Nasdaq

Temasek's subsidiary sold stake in Black Gold Energy to Niko Resources

Calgary Herald, 19 Nov 2009
CALGARY - Stock in Calgary-based international explorer Niko Resources Ltd. jumped by three per cent or $2.91 to $87.59 Thursday after it announced it is buying Black Gold Energy LLC, its partner in several offshore exploration blocks in Indonesia.
Niko said it will pay $310 million for Black Gold, to be raised by issuing convertible debentures to a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings, an investment company owned by the Singapore government that is the largest shareholder in the private company. The debentures will mature in three years, pay five per cent per year and carry a conversion price of $110.50 per Niko share.
Niko chairman and chief executive Ed Sampson said Temasek asked for the deal to be structured as it is so that it can potentially wind up with 5.5 per cent of Niko.
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Singapore admits making mistake in Chinese rote learning policy

The China Post, 20 Nov 2009
Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said that the city started 'completely wrong' in Chinese language learning, admitting that it is a mistake to teach Chinese by enforcing rote learning.
“A language is first listened to, heard and then spoken. It's not read or written — that follows later,” Lee said as quoted by news Web site Asiaone.com, “We started the wrong way. We insisted on spelling and dictation.”
Link

Southeast Asia's biggest anime festival to be staged in Singapore

Japan Today, 20 Nov 2009
Thousands of anime fans are expected to throng Southeast Asia’s biggest anime festival that will be held in Singapore this weekend to cater to the craze for Japanese pop culture in the region. The show featuring ‘‘all things related to Japanese animation and popular culture’’ will be held at Suntec City Convention Center in downtown Singapore and promises to be even bigger than the first one last year.
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Singapore defamation case threatens press freedom

Amnesty International USA, 19 Nov 2009

The Singaporean parliament should enact new legislation protecting freedom of expression, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, after a magazine and its editor agreed to pay S$405,000 (Approximately US$290,000) following a fine by the country’s highest court for alleged defamation.
The Dow Jones Company-owned Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) magazine and its editor Hugo Restal had published an article critical of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
The 2006 article entitled "Singapore's 'Martyr', Chee Soon Juan", contained allegations against the two leaders, including of corruption, which the Singapore Court of Appeal ruled as defamatory.
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Related:
Amnesty: Singapore defamation ruling attacks press - The Jakarta Post
Singapore defamation ruling attacks free press: Amnesty - The China Post

Tiger Airways Mulls IPO Next Year

The Wall Street Journal, 19 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE — Singapore low-cost carrier Tiger Airways is considering an initial public offering of at least $500 million some time next year, a person familiar with the situation said.
"At this time they are considering a $500 million minimum, but it could change. They have the agreement of shareholders. They need to fund their expansion in Australia and the purchase of new planes," the person said, adding that Tiger Airways is considering listing 30% of its share capital.
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Singapore Expects Growth, But Asset Bubbles a Worry

The Jakarta Glob, 19 Nov 2009
Singapore sees a return to modest growth and higher inflation next year, which may spur the central bank to tighten policy in April by allowing its currency to gradually strengthen.
The central bank joined other policy makers around Asia in saying it was watching property prices and lifted its 2010 inflation forecast to between 2.5 and 3.5 percent on Thursday, as a flood of foreign investment raises asset bubble worries.
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StarHub scoops Russian news channel

C21Media, 19 Nov 2009
Singaporean pay-TV provider StarHub TV is launching a 24-hour English-language news channel, adding to its stable of international broadcasting.
Russia Today will transmit live via a GlobeCast satellite from Moscow from December 1, offering a Russian perspective on international current affairs, entertainment and sports.
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SingTel launches traffic planning guide TrafficLive

CNET Asia, 19 Nov 2009
It seems Google isn't the only one hogging the traffic news today. Singapore telco operator SingTel has just announced its traffic planning guide dubbed TrafficLive.
The service, which is supported on all WAP handsets, will be available from November 20. Data charges are waived, but users will still need to pay S$0.21 on a pay-per-use basis or subscribe to a monthly plan for S$3.21. The service is free for six months for those who purchase selected handsets and sign up for TrafficLive between November 20 and 29.
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Singapore debuts Ambient Experience to relax heart patients

CNET Asia, 19 Nov 2009
Cardiac patients undergoing procedures at the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) from today may find themselves either immersed in a Disney World setting or the African Savannah with accompanying audio playing in the background. This is part of a testbed project by the center involving Philips' Ambient Experience to soothe patients through the intimidating clinical process of preparation, examination, treatment and post procedure.
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S'pore slumped dramatically in Gunn Report 2009

Media.asia, 19 Nov 2009
GLOBAL – Japan has maintained its position as the fifth most-awarded advertising market in the world, but Thailand and Singapore’s rankings slumped dramatically in the latest Gunn Report.
The Gunn Report, which tracks performance in the world's leading award shows, noted that there was remarkable consistency in the top 10 countries, with two notable exceptions in 2009.
Singapore, 13th last year, but with five previous top 10 rankings to its credit, slumped to 20th position with only 19 points, by far its lowest points total ever.
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GIC among the likely bidders for Shanghai's most expensive real estate

China Daily, 19 Nov 2009
Hutchison Whampoa and Sun Hung Kai Properties are likely to enter the bidding race for Shanghai's most expensive piece of real estate, according to industry sources.
Analysts estimate that the plot, located in the future Bund international financial service center, could fetch an auction price of nearly 11 billion yuan, making it the most expensive piece of realty in the mainland.
Officials with the Huangpu district government, owner of the plot, refused to reveal the base price for bidding, but said they expect the price to between 9 billion and 11 billion yuan indicating that the per sq m cost of the plot would be around 40,000 yuan by gross floor area.
Prominent among the other companies that participated in the meeting are CITIC Pacific, Swire Properties, GIC Real Estate, the Government of Singapore Investment Corp, and the Shanghai-based 'land king' Greenland Group.
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OPINION: Why SingTel should sell Optus - Paul Budde

Business Spectator, 19 Nov 2009
The rumour about SingTel being interested in selling Optus does not come as a surprise, as it makes perfect sense for more than one reason.
First of all there is SingTel’s success in the Asia mobile market. It is one of the few international mobile operators that has been able to move out of its national market and succeed in the international marketplace.
Most of these markets still have enormous growth potential, while Australia, and Singapore for that matter, are saturated markets. Optus easily represents the largest operating unit within SingTel and as such is key to the financial possibilities of the organisation; so looking at leveraging Optus as a possibility for its potential growth makes sense.
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Tiger Airways expected to continue posting losses

etravelblackboard.com, 19 Nov 2009
Tiger Airways has said that it will be posting its financial accounting for the half year soon with Singaporean regulators, but already many have predicted that there will be plenty of red ink.
With a US$30 million loss for the financial year to March 2009, Tiger Airways has only once made a financial year profit since its launch in 2004. And most analysts believe that its Australian arm isn’t helping matters.
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Singapore declares its recession over

AFP
SINGAPORE — Singapore on Thursday declared a severe recession over as data showed its economy grew for the second straight quarter in the three months to September.
Official data released Thursday showed gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 14.2 percent in the July-September period on a quarter-on-quarter annualised basis following a 21.7 percent surge in the previous quarter.
Full Story

Related:
Singapore declares its recession over - Bangkok Post
Singapore declares its recession over - The China Post

Singapore Says Economy May Expand 3% to 5% Next Year

Bloomberg.com, 19 Nov 2009
Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore said its economy will expand next year after exiting the deepest recession since independence in 1965, adding to evidence of a regional recovery that’s prompted some policy makers to start removing stimulus.
The economy will grow 3 percent to 5 percent in 2010 after shrinking as much as 2.5 percent this year, the trade ministry said in a statement today. Gross domestic product climbed a revised annualized 14.2 percent last quarter from the previous three months, the second consecutive expansion, it said.
Full Story

Related:
Singapore seen revising down Q3 GDP growth slightly - Interactive Investor
Singapore expects economy to grow up to 5 per cent next year - Monster and Critics
Singapore Q3 Revised GDP +14.2% On Quarter - RTTNews
Singaporean economy expands for second-straight quarter - GMANews.TV
Singapore economy expands for 2nd straight quarter - The Associated Press
Singapore Out Of The Red, Sees Growth in 2010 - International Business Times

MAS: no change in underlying inflation

Reuters, 19 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Singapore said on Thursday that an upward revision in its forecast for the consumer price index in 2010 was due to a pending increase in property tax rather than any broader increase in underlying inflation.
Singapore revised its inflation forecast for 2010 to a range of 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent, from an earlier projection of 1-2 percent, citing an increase in the property tax that will take effect next year.
Full Story

Turkish universities to collaborate with Singapore’s NTU

Today's Zaman 19 Nov 2009
Singapore’s leading science and technology university -- Nanyang Technological University (NTU) -- has signed cooperative agreements with four top Turkish universities as it ramps up efforts at international research partnerships.
This partnership, the first ever between NTU and Turkish universities, will provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff exchanges and joint research activities, which include organizing workshops, supervising doctoral students and exchanging information and research materials.
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OPINION: Barking Enough To Join The Big Boys - Leo Lewis

Times Online, 18 Nov 2009
For Singapore, always desperate for recognition, it was its biggest speaking part in the global drama: the “little red dot” was still small but the leaders descending on it last weekend were the biggest in the world. President Obama, President Hu and 19 other heads of state hit town for the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum. Issues up for debate included averting financial and environmental apocalypse.
As the summit ended Singapore’s status as a global player was assured. “Designer pooches are the nation’s top dogs,” barked a two-page spread in the local press, capping three consecutive days of prominent dog stories during the global summit.
This article was fascinating for anyone interested in obtaining the correct licence for a Labradoodle, but a bit embarrassing, I suspect, for a country bursting to be taken as a serious global financial centre. In real global financial centres, three-legged schnauzers are often edged out of the paper by trillion-dollar debt crises and megamergers.
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GIC buys China's Shanda Games stake, eyes deals

Reuters, 18 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 18 (Reuters) - GIC, Singapore's biggest sovereign wealth fund, has bought a 5.4 percent stake in Chinese videogames company Shanda Games (GAME.O), its second recent investment in a newly listed firm in the United States.
GIC [GIC.UL] bought 4.4 million U.S. shares of Shanda Games, currently valued at about $47 million, according to a regulatory filing a few weeks after Shanda completed a $1 billion initial public offering.
Full Story

Related:
Singapore takes stake in China's Shanda Games - CIO.de
Singapore Takes Stake in China's Shanda Games - PC World

OPINION: The Hidden Dangers of Energy Efficiency - Chris Tobais

Reuters, 18 Nov 2009
Dr. Geh Min of the Singapore Nature Society said, "If energy efficiency leads to more consumption, rather than overall reduction in resource use, then we are on a self-defeating path."
Jessica Cheam , reporter for the Straits Times agreed. "Without assessing patterns of consumption, we're definitely heading down the wrong track," she said.
Ultimately, we need to question if these incentives for companies are really working. We need to scrutinize where the savings are going if energy efficiency is really going to help us solve climate change.
Full Story

Singapore central bank launches 2010 Year of Tiger Almanac coins

People's Daily Online, 18 Nov 2009
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Wednesday launched the 2010 Year of the Tiger Almanac Coins.
The coins are part of the third Chinese Almanac Coins series designed by Xu Yunfei of Shanghai Mint. The image of the tiger is integrated with ancient Chinese seal characters of the "Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches" symbolizing the animal's characteristics. The design also incorporates a peony which symbolizes blessing.
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Indosat rolls out Singapore submarine cable link

TeleGeography, 18 Nov 2009
Indonesian telco PT Indosat has revealed plans to roll out the submarine cable system known as Sistem Komunikasi Kabel Laut (SKKL) to connect Jakarta, Pontianak, Batam and Singapore, Antara News reports the operator’s president Harry Sasongko as saying. The new 1,300km marine cable system will provide Indosat with additional bandwidth capacity at the early stage of 80Gbps which will be used for both IP-based services and non-IP, he added. The SKKL, to be installed in cooperation with NEC, will have four landing points on the islands of Tanjung Pakis (Karawang, West Java), Sungai Kakap (Pontianak, West Kalimantan), Tanjung Bemban (Batam), and Changi (Singapore).
Link

Google Maps in Singapore partners with the Land Transport Authority

Techgoondu, 18 Nov 2009
Techgoondu is heading down Thursday morning for an announcement by Google and the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
What could it be?
According to the media invite teaser, I am guessing it could well be a data blend between LTA’s live traffic update and Google Maps’ routing feature (that thingamajing which tells you the route to take from point A to B).
Full Story

Temasek sells its first 30-year bonds

Financial Times, 18 Nov 2009
Temasek, Singapore’s state investment company, sold its first ever tranche of 30-year bonds on Tuesday, just a month after completing its first bond sale in four years.
The $500m of bonds were priced to yield 115 basis points more than comparable US Treasuries, offering investors a longer-term alternative to the $1.5bn of 10-year bonds it issued last month.
Talk in the market was that the transaction was launched and priced in 30 minutes, thanks to two large buyers who had lined up the deal in advance.
Full Story

Related:
Temasek prices $500 million 30-year bond - FinanceAsia.com

Singapore's Changi Airport posts Oct traffic growth of 6%

Flightglobal, 18 Nov 2009
Changi Airport posted a 6% increase in passenger traffic in October, its third consecutive month of passenger growth.
In October passenger numbers rose 6% year-on-year to 3.32 million, says Changi Airport Group, adding that this is the third consecutive monthly rise after September's 6% and August's 0.5% rise.
Full Story

Related:
Singapore's Changi Airport Records 6% Rise in Traffic for October - TopNews Singapore

Entrepreneurship Popular Among Youths In Singapore

the Gov Monitor, 17 Nov 2009
More youths are taking up the call to be entrepreneurs, going by the figures of the Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES!) for Schools and Startups, as well as the inaugural Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students survey (GUESS). Just a year after the two YES! schemes were launched, 31 schools with over 6,000 students have been supported under YES! Schools and 59 youths have started 38 companies under YES! Startups.
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Singapore comes second on media access to government info

The Malaysian Insider, 18 Nov 2009
SINGAPORE, Nov 18 — Singapore has come out second in a global study on how accessible government information is to the media.
Topping the list is Australia, with the maximum score of 120 points while Singapore chalked up 115, according to the study by the Austria-based International Press Institute (IPI).
The pilot project, done in June, required media organisations to ask their governments a set of six questions.
Full Story