Video : Francis Seow - The Interview

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IAEA suggests Japan widen exclusion zone near nuclear plant

Reuters Africa, 31 Mar 2011
TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog suggested Japan consider widening an evacuation zone around a stricken nuclear plant as French President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to arrive on Thursday, the first leader to visit since a devastating earthquake and tsunami sparked the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.
Concerns over radiation spreading beyond Japan grew again after Singapore detected radiation nine times the limit in cabbages imported from Jhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifapan while the United States reported small levels of radiation in milk samples on its west coast. Full story

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Tired Jetstar pilots told to 'toughen up princesses'

The Sydney Morning Herald, 31 Mar 2011
A senior manager told Jetstar pilots complaining about fatigue from long shifts to "toughen up princesses" in a scathing email, a Senate inquiry heard today.
"You aren't fatigued, you are tired and can't be bothered gohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifing to work," the email said.
The email, which dismissed pilot complaints about Jetstar'shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif flying rosters from Perth on the Denpasar-Singapore-Perth-Melbourne-Perth route, surprised Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce and Jetstar chief executive Bruce Buchanan when they received a copy of it fhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrom Senator Nick Xenophon, who introduced it to the Senate's inquiry into pilot safety during questioning over pilot fatigue. Full story

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Singapore tourism gives IR the thumbs up

eTravelBlackboard, 31 Mar 2011
The Singapore tourism industry has been very receptive about the positive impact that the Integrated Resorts (IR) have made in Singapore's travel and tourism industry.
“Singapore has definitely benefitted from the addition of the two integrated resorts,” Fairmont Singapore general manager and regional vice president Asia Ian Wilson said.
“Their presence has helped to raise the profile of the destination, and I think it is safe to say that they have helped hotels in Singapore. Full story

Singapore got cabbages from Japan with radiation - IAEA

Reuters UK, 30 May 2011
(Reuters) - Singapore has told the U.N. nuclear watchdog some cabbages imported from Japan had radiation levels up to nine times the levels recommended for international trade, IAEA officials said on Wednesday.
"The Singapore authorities sent reports on measurements in food imported from Japan, namely cabbages ... some samples were over the Codex Alimentarius values recommended for international trade," Denis Flory, of the Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said. Full story
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Singapore got cabbages from Japan with radiation - IAEA - Malaysia Star
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Indonesian Undergoes Ground Breaking Surgical Treatment in Singapore

Benzinga.com, 30 Mar 2011
Singapore, Mar 30, 2011 - (ACN Newswire) - A team of specialists at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre were the first to carry out an unusual complex jaw surgery followed by dental implants in Southeast Asia. In the past, the treatment would take one year to be completed. However, treatment time was completed in just over three months for Indonesian patient Rudolf Santoso. Full story

Australia, Singapore: Least Tainted with Corruption--survey

International Business Times, 30 Mar 2011
Dealing with the government and private sector in countries Australia and Singapore were perceived to be the least tainted with corruption, a new survey made by Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy, Ltd.'s (PERC) latest Asian Intelligence report indicated.
These two countries, figured prominently as the least of those with corrupt practices that marred the smooth running of government agencies and private companies. Full story

Row as maid seen carrying Singapore soldier's pack

Bangkok Post, 30 Mar 2011
A photograph of a maid carrying a soldier's rucksack as she walked behind him has sparked outrage in Singapore and concern that recruits to its armed forces arehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif a pampered lot.
The picture, published in the Singaporean media and on the Internet this week, showed the male soldier in military fatigues and combat boots strolling on a footpath. His female maid followed a step behind with the military-issued rucksack slung over her left shoulder. Full story

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Singapore central bank says Menon will be new head

The Malaysian Insider, 30 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE, March 30 – The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the city-state’s central bank, said today that Ravi Menon will become its managing director from April 2, replacing Heng Swee Keat who is likely to enter politics.
Menon joined MAS in 1987 and rose to become an assistant manahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifging director before holding other government posts. He is currently permanent secretary at Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. Full story


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World Cup draw pit Singapore against Malaysia

The Malaysian Insider, 30 Mar 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — The AFC headquarters were filled with groans after Malaysia were handed a possible showdown against arch-rivals Singapore in the second round of 2014 World Cup Asian qualifying when the draw was made today.
The match rekindles the searing rivalry between these two neighbours which raged during the Malaysia Cup in the 1990s. Full story

Shy Singapore men hire coaches to find partners

Sin Chew Jit Poh, 30 Mar 2http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif011
SINGAPORE, March 30, 2011 (AFP) - At 17, Xavier See was an insecure school dropout with very few friends, little luck with girls and a bad stutter.
"Physically I was out of shape, my skin saw way too little sun and I had terrible hair. Socially, due to my poor looks and grooming, I had poor self-confidence. I never imagined anyone would take me seriously," he says. Full story

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Shy Singapore men hire coaches to find partners - ABS-CBNNews.com

Singapore Considers Underground Nuclear Reactors

NewScientist, 29 Mar 2011
The idea was first floated last fall by Hooman Peimani an energy security specialist at the National University of Singapore. Countries with nuclear power typically build large-scale reactors 15 to 20 km away from heavily populated residential areas. Singapore, a country of roughly 700 square kilometers, doesn't have a potential site even 3 km from residential areas, Peimani
Singapore is currently dependent on natural gas imported from Indonesia and Malaysia for much of its electricity production but is building a massive liquefied natural gas terminal that would allow the country to import the fuel from anywhere in the world.
The Singapore government authorized a feasibility study for underground reactors last year without setting a timetable for completion. Peimani says recent events in Japan may help push the idea forward. Full story

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Arab Spring won't come to China: Lee Kuan Yew

AFP
WASHINGTON — The wave of revolts against authoritarian regimes in the Arab world will not spread to China as its leaders are not worried about global opinion, Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew said.
Chinese Internet users inspired by events in the Middle East have tried to organize mass strolls in a number of cities but they have faced a clampdown by authorities. Full story

Watch the full interview here

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Singapore doctors develop non-invasive treatment for prostate cancer

Xinhua, 30 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Singapore doctors have http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifdeveloped a new non-invasive treatment option for prostate cancer patients that minimizes the side effects and significantly cut the treatment time, local media reported.
Prostate cancer is affecting the aging population in Singapore four times more frequently than 30 years ago. Existing treatment options include surgical removal of the prostate gland and radiation therapy. Full story

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Alleged Love Affair In Dr Susan Lim's Case

BruDirect.com, 30 Mar 2011
Singapore - SingHealth Group chief executive Prof Tan Ser Kiat, who had chaired a Singapore Medical Council (SMC) disciplinary panel investigating Dr Susan Lim for overcharging, has refuted Dr Lim's allegations that he had "personal and professional conflicts of interest" and also denied that he had ever tried to date her. Full story

Sex video may strengthen Anwar, says WSJ

The Malaysian Insider, 30 Mar 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — The sex video implicating Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim could end up strengthening his position if he can convince Malaysians he is not the man in the recording, a leading US newspaper said today.
The internationally distributed Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said that if the opposition leader is successful in his denial, it will reinforce the belief that he is the victim of a political ploy and turn the tables on Umno, seen to be the perpetrators of the sex tape. Full story

Singapore electricity rates to rise by 6.5 pct from April 1

Reuters, 29 Mar 2011
(Reuters) - Electricity tariffs in Singapore will increase by an average of 6.5 percent starting April 1 to reflect the higher cost of fuel, the city-state's main electricity retailer said on Tuesday, adding to inflationary pressures in the city-state. Full story

OPINION: Beware contracting out our young graduates’ futures — Richard Hartung

The Malaysian Insider, 29 Mar 2011
A more recent survey by the five polytechnics showed that “more than 90 per cent of polytechnic graduates were in the workforce as at Oct 1, 2010”. And the Ministry of Manpower’s Report on Labour Force in Singapore, 2010, released in January, showed that the percentage of contract workers dropped from 12.7 per cent in 2009 to 11.5 per cent in 2010.
Dig a little deeper, though, and there’s more reason for concern than the top-line headlines may indicate. The report on polytechnic graduates showed that “among the economically active fresh graduates, 68.5 per cent were in full-time permanent employment” so over 30 per cent had only a contract job or none at all. Full story

Worker death halts maintenance work at Singapore refinery -ExxonMobil

Reuters Africa, 29 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE, March 29 (Reuters) - ExxonMobil Corp suspended maintenance work at its Singapore refinery in Jurong afhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifter the death of a contract worker, the company said on Tuesday. Two contract workers were discovered unconscious in an enclosed space filled with nitrogen on Monday night, the company said in a statement. They were taken to hospital, but one died, while the other is in a critical condition. Full story

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Pirates hijack Singapore-bound oil tanker

Reuters Africa, 28 Mar 2011
MOGADISHU, March 28 (Reuters) - Pirates firing rocket-propelled grenades and small arms hijacked an oil tanker bound for Singapore from Sudan on Monday, the European Union's anti-piracy task force said. "At approximately 0900 (GMT) on 28 March, the Crude Oil Tanker the MV ZIRKU was pirated approximately 250 nautical miles southeast of Salalah in the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden," EU Navfor said on its website. Full story

Two SAF trainees badly beaten up while fishing near Ascot Waters, Australia

Perth Now, 28 Mar 2011
UP to 10 men are believed to be responsible for a vicious attack against two Singapore students.
Nine News reports two men, aged 19 and 20, were fishing at Ascot Waters at about 4am on Saturday morning when they were attacked.
The men suffered injuries to their heads and upper body, both needed stitches and one may require plastic surgery after being hit with an iron bar, bottles and their own fishing rods.
Snr Sgt Chris Adams said: "It was a callous and vicious attack that was unprovoked, on two innocent people that have come to this country to undertake defence training. Link



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Gang attacks Ascot fishermen - au.news.yahoo.com

Singapore property market remains strong in Q1 2011, according to CBRE

Property-report.com, 28 Mar 2011
Singapore’s property investment sales remained active in the first quarter of 2011, continuing on a blockbuster 2010.
Investment sales in Q1 2011 have amounted to $7.23 billion (US$5.73 billion) so far, 66.6 per cent higher that the S$4.34 billion (US$3.44 billion) in Q1 2010, according to a report from CB Richard Ellis. The private investment sales market has accounted for S$4.36 billion (US$3.45 billion) or 60.3 per cent of the quarter’s total investment sales to date, while investment sales in the public sector contributed the remaining 39.7 per cent or S$2.87 billion (US$2.27 billion). Full story

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Singapore private home prices fell slightly in February

iStockAnalyst, 28 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE, Mar. 28, 2011 (Xinhua News Agency) -- Private home prices in Singapore went down slightly in February, according to an index released on Monday by the National University of Singapore's Institute of Real Estate Studies. The Singapore Residential Price Index, which covers non-landed properties in the central and non-central regions in Singapore, was down 0.4 percent from January. Full story

Singapore man gets 16 years in jail, 8 strokes for killing boy

Monsters and Critics, 28 Mar 2011
Singapore - Singapore's High Court on Monday sentenced a man to 16 years in jail and eight strokes of the cane for kicking to death a 6-year-old boy under his care, a news report said. Mohammad Johan Rashid, 32, a friend of the victim's parents, pleaded guilty to culpable homicide, .... Full story

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China's CNOOC expands trading team in Singapore

Reuters UK, 28 Mar 2011
BEIJING, March 28 (Reuters) - Leading Chinese offshore oil producer China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) has hired its first oil products trader in Singapore, joining bigger rivals PetroChina and Sinopec in boosting its trading portfolio, industry sources said on Monday. Full story

Singapore Should Play Meaningful Role As Bridge For India And China - Iswaran

Bernama.com, 28 Mar 2011
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, S. Iswaran, said the city-state could play a meaningful role in the growing needs and opportunities in these two large economies.
"China and India are rising economic giants within Asia and key drivers of the global economy.
"They constitute one-third of the world population, and contribute nearly eight per cent of the global gross domestic product," he said at the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI) conference here Monday. Full story

Singapore students attacked while fishing near Ascot Waters

Thewest.com.au, 28 Mar 2011
Two young men were attacked while fishing at an inlet near Ascot Waters at the weekend.
A police spokeswoman said the pair were fishing at 4am Saturday when a group of about seven people asked them for cigarettes.
The two men asked the large group how old they were and the seven people left and came back armed with an empty beer bottle and a wheel brace.
They demanded the two men hand over their wallets and attacked them with the bottle, the wheel brace and their own fishing rods before throwing them into the river.
The police spokeswoman said the pair received serious injuries and one could require plastic surgery to his eye.
One of the injured men is believed to be from Singapore.
The offenders are described as in their early 20s, about 175cm tall, with dark skin and a slim to medium build.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Link

OPINION: Singapore’s top 5 new hawker food spots - Sally Q

CNNGo.com, 28 Mar 2011
Singapore’s hawker centers were once wet, dirty and dim shelters crammed with all forms of street food.
As the country took on a more modern face, its food spots followed suit, with many of the island’s hawker centers upgrading or moving indoors in the 1990s to air-conditioned food courts.
While foodies bemoaned the loss of authenticity, diners with delicate constitutions and wary of reusable cutlery cheered. Full story

Bulls turn bears on India as doubts grow

Daily Times, 28 Mar 2011
Only a few months ago investors were pouring into Indian equities, seeing the country as a promising high-growth market and talking about the “India story”. But now the mood looks to be on the turn. The government’s lack of progress on economic reform, massive corruption scandals including the cut-price sale of telecoms licences, and eight interest rate hikes to try to tame high inflation have all had an impact.
Citigroup economist Rohini Malkani said she had met some 50 investors in Singapore and Hong Kong this month and about 70 percent were “bearish on India”. Full story

Singapore Suspends Fruit, Vegetable Imports From Japan’s Kanto

BusinessWeek, 27 Mar 2011
March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore sushttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifpended fruit and vegetable imports from Japan’s Kanto region after more radioactive contaminants were detected in two samples of vegetables.
The city-state halted imports from four prefectures in Kanto and will now extend the suspension to Tokyo and two other prefectures, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday. The island also earlier stopped imports of milk, seafood and meat from four other affected areas in Japan. Full story

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Housing Sector in Singapore Only Getting Hotter

The Jakarta Globe, 27 Mar 2011
Private home prices in Singapore rose 17.6 percent last year despite government attempts to cool the market in February and August. Resale prices of HDB apartments that house more than 80 percent of the population gained 14 percent.
The city-state’s median household income rose a much smaller 3.1 percent, or 0.3 percent after adjusting for inflation, to S$5,000 a month last year.
Singapore, Asia’s second-largest financial center after Hong Kong, has one of the world’s highest rates of home ownership at 87 percent, thanks to a home-building program to provide cheap housing for its citizens that began in the late 1960s. Full story

India, Singapore troops hold joint exercise

Sify News, 26 Mar 2011
New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) The Indian Army is holding month-long joint war games with Singapore Army troops at Babina in Madhya Pradesh, where the two sides conjured up a tank battle scenario to help build each other's capabilities in mechanised warfare.
The exercise, codenamed 'Bold Kurukshetra', will end Tuesday and their final manoeuvring after the joint training was witnessed Saturday by Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh, who was on a two-day visit there beginning Friday. Full story

OPINION: Battle of the elite looming - Seah Chiang Nee

Malaysia Star, 26 Mar 2011
FOR the first time in years, Singapore’s opposition is seeing a little light in a dark tunnel, at least in recruiting the highly-educated.
An impressive number of top scholars and professionals, including a dozen with Masters and Doctorates (PhD), will likely emerge to challenge the People’s Action Party in the elections expected in May.
It is something Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had long predicted would happen after his political retirement. Full story

Singaporean couple drop NY lawsuit against celebrity wedding planner

Dailymail.co.uk, 25 Mar 2011
A couple claimed their celebrity wedding planner’s ‘arrogant’ and ‘despicable’ actions almost ruined their $300,000 big day.
But Melissa Chin and husband Steve Choi have now dropped their $200,000 lawsuit against My Fair Wedding TV host David Tutera after a long-running war of words.
Chin - labelled ‘Bridezilla’ by Tutera when she sued him - had accused the star of sabotaging her 2009 wedding. Tutera has also dropped his counter-suit in New York. Full story

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Shoppers in Asia Avoid Japanese Food Products on Concerns About Radiation

Bloomberg.com, 25 Mar 2011
Shoppers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney are shunning Japanese food products in supermarkets amid concerns about radiation.
Across Asia shoppers are questioning the safety of food from Japan after cobalt, iodine and cesium were found in the sea near the stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant north of Tokyo. The shoppers, including Japanese living abroad, are taking their cue from governments that have started restricting food imports from Japan on fears of radioactive contamination. Full story

Singapore Feb. Industrial Output Growth Eases

RTTNews, 25 Mar 2011
Singapore industrial production grew a slower pace of 4.8 percent on a yearly comparison in February, following last month's revised 11 percent growth, the Economic Development Board said Friday. The consensus forecast called for an annual growth of 6.2 percent. Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output grew 11.9 percent in February from the previous year. Output of the biomedical manufacturing cluster declined 8.7 percent. Full story

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Singapore detects radioactivity in food from Japan

CBC News, 24 Mar 2011
Singapore, which has limited food imports from Japan since the nuclear power plant began leaking radiation, says it has found radioactive contaminants in four vegetables imported from Japan.
The contaminants were found in vegetables imported from Chiba and Ehime, areas not as directly affected by the quake, as well as from Tochigi and Ibaraki, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said on its website.
There were also unconfirmed reports that radioactive cesium 1.8 times higher than normal had been found in a green leafy vegetable grown in a research facility in Tokyo. Full story

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PSA creating problems for Tally service contractor

Thenews.com.pk
KARACHI: Gwadar Port plans to handle 125,000 tons of fertiliser during the current year, but the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) is creating hurdles for the port, an official said on Thursday.
“The Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) is creating problems for the Tally Contractor, Hussain Traders.”
The contract for Tally services (to monitor the weight and counting of the bags) was awarded to Hussain Traders, Karachi, for one-year till March 2012, but the PSA refused the services and stopped its entry to the port, saying that it has not received any intimation from the Gwadar Port authorities. Full story

Singapore's Rate Of Ageing To Rise By 6 Pct Annually From 2012 To 2020

Bernama.com, 25 Mar 2011
The ageing rate in Singapore will rise to 6 per cent per year from 2012 to 2020, making the city-state one of the fastest ageing societies in the world, Minister For Prime Minister's Office, Lim Boon Heng said.
"The government has worked on preparing Singapore and Singaporeans for successful ageing for many years," he said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Asia Pacific Conference on Ageing 2011 here tonight. Full story

Singapore’s HDB launches iPhone app, new projects

Property-report.com, 25 Mar 2011
Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB) has announced it will launch a new iPhone app, Mobile@HDB, to enable iPhone users to obtain the details of HDB sales launches on the go.
The news comes as the HDB launches two new Build-To-Order projects in Jurong West and Sengkang today which will offer a total of 1,527 new flats,....Full story

Temasek Foundation: Policy, Governance and Capacity Building Program for Philippine Leaders and Educators (PGCB Program)

Philstar.com, 25 Mar 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Accountability and transparency are keys to good governance, according to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
Belmonte said corruption continues to gnaw at institutions and hamper reform efforts.
The Speaker spoke at the launching yesterday of the “Temasek Foundation: Policy, Governance and Capacity Building Program for Philippine Leaders and Educators (PGCB Program)” at the Ateneo de Manila University. Full story

OPINION: Media as politics in Singapore - Megawati Wijaya

Asia Times Online, 24 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE - Days before Singapore Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced the government's 2011 budget in parliament, the political opposition offered a glimpse of how it would allocate the national finances in a "shadow" budget. The state-controlled mainstream media gave the opposition announcement scant coverage, but it was picked up widely by a number of alternative news websites.
To be sure, opposition criticism of the ruling party's budget is nothing new. But rather than being forced to wait for parliament to meet to air their dissent, now opposition parties are able to post pre-emptively their criticisms online, shifting the time and space of Singapore's political debate. Each opposition party's posts of their competing budgets sparked robust discussions in a variety of online forums. Full story

Singapore integrates analytics in land transport

FutureGov, 24 Mar 2011
Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) embarked on one of the largest government data warehouses in Singapore pooling from various business data sources cross-referencing trillions of inter-modal data records known as Planning for Land Transport Network (PLANET).
Confronted with Singapore’s fast paced socio-economic development and an ever-increasing demand on land transport system, the use of analytics in land transport policy planning has become more important. Full story

Only 30% of companies' Internet traffic linked to work activities in Singapore

MSN Malaysia News, 24 Mar 2011
Statistics compiled by a Singapore security firm that specialises in monitoring office Internet traffic show that workers here are using company networks to indulge in non-work activities.
Niometrics chief technology officer Kostas Anagnostakis said only 30 per cent of a company's Internet traffic is linked to work activities such as downloading corporate e-mail or accessing files from the firm's database. Full story

Singapore Suspends Food Imports From Quake-Affected Parts Of Japan

Nikkei.com, 24 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--Singapore has suspended food imports from areas of Japan where radioactivity was detected in some food products following the March 11 earthquake that damaged reactors at a nuclear power plant in the northeastern part of the nation.
The suspension comes after the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of received information that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has detected high radioactivity levels in raw milk and vegetables from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures. Full story

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Singapore suspends food imports from near stricken Japan plant - Monsters and Critics
Singapore halts food imports from Japan's radiation-affected areas - Philstar.com
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Japanese food ban widens across Asia on radiation fears - BBC News
Singapore bans imports of food from Japan areas near reactor - CNBC.com

Murder suspect wanted in Adelaide fled to Singapore

Herald Sun, 24 Mar 2011
A MAN wanted for questioning over the murder of a woman in Adelaide may have fled to Singapore, police say.
Wei Li, 19, is wanted in relation to the death of a woman at a home in suburban Burnside.
Her body was found on Tuesday but she may have been dead for some time.
A police spokesman said investigations had revealed the man caught a flight to Singapore in the early hours of yesterday morning. Full story

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Singapore GIC ups stake in Shanda Games to 10.3 pct

Reuters, 23 Mar 2011
(Reuters) - Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC has increased its stake in US-listed Chinese video games firm Shanda Games to 10.3 percent as of March 14, from 8.2 percent in December, according to a U.S. filing late on Tuesday. Full story

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Singapore GIC ups stake in Shanda Games to 10.3 pct-filing - CNBC

Tourism Malaysia Strategises To Woo More Singaporeans To Malaysia

Bernama.com, 23 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE, March 23 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board has lined up strategies to introduce affordable new tourism products and packages to attract more Singaporeans to Malaysia.
Malaysia Tourism Singapore director Zalizam Zakaria said Singapore was a "very big and important market for us".
"It has always been the biggest contributor to our nation's tourism economy," he told Bernama after the launch of the Central Region Seminar and Travel Mart 2011, here. Full story

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S'pore mulls copyright governing broadcast content

ZDNet Asia, 23 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE--The government's move to abolish the radio and TV (RTV) license has put in question a user's right to view and copy free-to-air broadcasts, and also casts uncertainty over a recent court ruling involving an online recording service.
Announced last month as part of its 2011 budget, the Singapore government's said license fees were "losing their relevance" with increasing media convergence where anyone can now receive broadcast content over the Internet and mobile devices. Full story

Singapore proposes regulating credit rating agencies

Reuters, 23 Mar 2011
(Reuters) - Singapore's central bank on Wednesday proposed regulations for credit rating agencies to ensure independence in the rating process and protection of non-public information, following steps initiated by other developed economies.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said it is inviting comments on whether rating agencies must be licensed and made to follow a new code of conduct. Full story

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Singapore launches fertility treatment training centre

FIGO.org, 23 Mar 2011
Singapore has launched the first fertility treatment training centre in the Asia-Pacific region.
The facility at the National University Hospital (NUH) in the country will provide aspiring embryologists and clinicians with a range of courses in treatments to help people suffering from infertility problems. Full story