End of the line for historic Singapore station

AFP
SINGAPORE — A historic train service from downtown Singapore to Malaysia faces its final run Thursday as part of a multibillion-dollar territorial settlement between the two neighbours.
The last train to Kuala Lumpur from Tanjong Pagar station in Singapore's port district is set to leave before Malaysia formally cedes ownership of the facility at midnight (1600 GMT), with railway buffs and tourists on board to mark the journey.
The closure resolves a gripe among Singaporeans over Malaysia's ownership of the station and a swathe of railway land running deep into the city-state's territory well after the two countries separated in 1965. Full story

Residential property prices still rising in Singapore

Propertycommunity.com, 30 Jun 2011
Prices of private residential property in Singapore is rising faster in the second quarter of 2011 than it did in the first three months of the year, new research suggests.
Average resale prices of leasehold condominiums in suburban areas increased the most at 3.9% quarter on quarter, compared to 0.8% in the previous quarter, according to DTZ.
The average resale price of freehold condominiums in the prime districts of 9, 10 and 11 grew by 3.3% quarter on quarter compared to 0.4% in the first quarter, based on a basket of completed condominiums tracked by DTZ Research. Full story

Tan Kin Lian: No need for lies, online bashing

Yahoo! Singapore News, 30 Jun 2011
Some take his statements and "give it the most negative twist", some have posted lies and defamed him online since he announced his Presidential bid, said former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian.
Tan, 63, also highlighted an individual who posted "several malicious statements" about him in websites, giving others a bad impression of him. He is considering legal action. Full story

Temasek unit Singbridge in $356 mn China business park venture

The Economic Times, 29 Jun 2011
SINGAPORE: Singbridge International, a unit of Singapore state investor Temasek , will jointly develop a business park in the Chinese city of Guangzhou with Singapore developer Ascendas and Guangzhou Development District (GDD), Ascendas said on Wednesday. Full story

Singapore GIC Loses Fight Over Bid for Bankrupt Paulson Resorts

Bloomberg, 30 Jun 2011
Government of Singapore Investment Corp. lost a bid to move forward with a $1.5 billion offer for a group of resorts that hedge fund Paulson & Co. is seeking to restructure.
The Singapore sovereign wealth fund, known as GIC, says the five resorts are putting it and other creditors at risk by prolonging their bankruptcy case and should instead be put up for sale. Full story

Related:
Paulson gets more time for bankrupt hotel payoffs - Reuters
Paulson gets more time for bankrupt hotel payoffs - The Baltimore Sun
Wednesday A Rare Good News Day For Paulson - FINalternatives

J.P. Morgan raids DBS for private bankers

FinanceAsia, 30 Jun 2011
J.P. Morgan private wealth management in Asia has hired Edwin Lim, Gabriel Chan and Patrice Huang from DBS’s private bank, and Eric Goh from BNP Paribas’ wealth management arm. Lim has joined as market manager for Greater China. He will be based in Hong Kong and has more than 25 years of experience in financial services, of which 20 are in private banking. At DBS, he was heading Northeast Asia private banking. Full story

Singapore Exchange to introduce all-day trading from August 1

The Malaysian Insider, 30 Jun 2011
SINGAPORE, June 30 — Singapore Exchange, Asia’s second-largest listed bourse operator, said today that it would do away with the midday trading break on its securities market from August 1.
With the change, SGX’s securities market will trade non-stop between 0100 and 0900 GMT (9am to 5pm local time) without taking a break from 0430 to 0600 GMT, so as to allow investors to respond faster to regional market movements and news. Full story

Related:
Singapore Exchange to introduce all-day stock trading from Aug 1 - Reuters
Singapore's SGX to end midday trading break - MarketWatch
Singapore Exchange to trade without lunch break - Business Standard

By population sizes, Singapore tops in web snooping - Google

The Times Of India, 29 Jun 2011
LONDON: Authorities in Britain are more likely to request details about internet users than in any other country, Google has revealed.
When population sizes are taken into account, the figure puts Britain second in a table of 26 developed countries.
Singapore, which has been condemned by human rights groups for its authoritarian regime, topped the table while Australia came third with 345 requests and France came fourth with 1,021 requests. Full story

PSA Is The Highest Bidder for India's Jawaharlal Nehru Port

Dredging Today, 29 Jun 2011
Port Authority of Singapore (PSA) has emerged as the highest bidder for the Rs 6,700 crore fourth container terminal at the Jawaharlal Nehru port, it is learnt.
PSA is believed to have offered a revenue sharing of 50.8 per cent, which is said to be the highest in the case of any private port project in the country.
Under the contract terms, the bidder has to bear the entire construction cost. The port trust will bear only the cost of dredging the channel. Full story

Singaporean investment surges in Iskandar Malaysia

Property-report.com, 29 Jun 2011
Special economic corridor Iskandar Malaysia could soon see growth by leaps and bounds, as nearby Singapore finally appears to be getting serious about investing in the special economic zone. Sold to investors as a cheaper alternative to pricey Singapore, Iskandar Malaysia is looking at around RM3 billion (US$989.28 million) in upcoming investment from a partnership between Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd.... Full story

OPINION: Singapore Quiets the South China Sea - Philip Bowring

Asia Sentinel, 29 Jun 2011
Singapore was angered by the docking of the Haixun 31 in Singapore on June 19 after a journey which took it through the South China Sea and hence through most of the disputed waters and close to some of the disputed islands and rocks. It had been presented to Singapore as the friendly and long-arranged port visit by a non-military vessel. In practice it was no such thing as China's own media itself proclaimed. The People's Daily, official mouthpiece of the Communist Party, said the vessel was carrying out checks on "oil rigs, stationary ships' operations in constructions and surveys…and will conduct checks on foreign ships navigating, anchored and operating in Chinese waters". Full story

Singapore Airlines to lease 15 new A330 aircraft from Airbus

Monsters and Critics, 29 Jun 2011
Singapore - Singapore Airlines Ltd on Wednesday said it was to lease 15 new A330 aircraft from European manufacturer Airbus SAS to expand its operations within Asia as well as to Australia and the Middle East.
The move comes at a time of increasing competition in the fast-growing Asian aviation market. Full story

Related:
Singapore Airlines To Lease 15 New A330-300 Aircraft From Airbus - FoxBusiness.com
Singapore Airlines says to lease 15 new Airbus A330-300s - Reuters

Rolls-Royce wins $1bn Singapore Airlines contract

AFP
LONDON — British company Rolls-Royce said on Wednesday it had won a contract to supply and maintain Trent engines for Singapore Airlines' Airbus planes worth $1 billion (694 million euros). Full story

PM Lee: CDCs must rise to growing challenges

Yahoo! Singapore News, 29 Jun 2011
As the "key agents" in delivering help to the needy, Community Development Councils (CDCs) must rise to the challenge of their growing responsibilities, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday.
The responsibility of CDCs will grow as the government continues to improve the social safety net and increase support to groups in need, said PM Lee. Full story

StarHub to raise cable TV rates

Yahoo! Singapore News, 29 Jun 2011
Subscribers of StarHub's residential cable TV service will be paying $2 more (before GST) per monthly subscription from 1 Aug this year, regardless of how many channels they have signed up for.
"We have managed to hold our prices for the last four years, but we are unable to continue absorbing the increased costs," said Iris Wee, StarHub's vice-president for home solutions and content. Full story

Michelle Yeoh deported from Myanmar

Yahoo! Singapore News, 29 Jun 2011
Hollywood star Michelle Yeoh, who plays pro-democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi in an upcoming film, has been deported by army-dominated Myanmar and blacklisted, an official said Tuesday.
"She did not have the chance to enter Myanmar again. She was deported straight away on the first flight after arriving at Yangon International Airport," a Myanmar official, who did not want to be named, told AFP. Full story

Nude squat probe completed, Singapore demands explanation from Malaysia

The Malaysian Insider, 29 Jun 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 29 — A special multi-agency panel concluded its investigations into the nude squat incident involving two Singaporean women earlier this month after the republic submitted written reports from their affected citizens.
The Malaysian Insider understands that Singapore’s Foreign Ministry handed over the reports to the Malaysian High Commission in the republic last week.
It is also understood that the island state has demanded an explanation from Malaysia after an earlier request for details concerning the case. Full story

Singapore west coast site sold for S$175.8 million

Property-report.com, 29 Jun 2011
A residential site on the west coast of Singapore has sold for S$175.8 million (US$141.9 million) to Boo Han Holdings Pte. Ltd.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority awarded the tender to the company which submitted the highest bid for the 12,662.7 sq m site,.... Full story

Singapore minister praises choice of Lagarde for IMF chief

Monsters and Critics, 29 Jun 2011
Singapore - Singapore's finance minister said Wednesday that he would work with new International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde to address immediate threats to financial stability and to contain potential repercussions to the global economy.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who also chairs the IMF's International Monetary and Financial Committee, said they 'will work to strengthen the multilateral surveillance process and, over the longer term, reform the international monetary system.' Full story

Related:
Singapore wants IMF to address stability issues - MarketWatch

Virgin dumps Malaysia Air, woos Singapore Airlines

eTurboNews, 28 Jun 2011
Virgin Australia will seek to end its relationship with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) as it pursues a partnership with aviation powerhouse Singapore Airlines (SIA).
Virgin and SIA have lodged an application with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to form their alliance. Full story

Jetstar drunk who urinated on passenger let off with only a warning in Singapore

Stuff.co.nz, 29 Jun 2011
A drunken Jetstar passenger has been let off with a warning after urinating in an aisle on an international flight from Auckland to Singapore.
The man urinated on a male passenger's leg and soaked a woman's scarf before he responded to the calls of other passengers to stop, The New Zealand Herald reported.
The man left the plane in Singapore with a warning and police were not called. Full story

Related:
Drunk Man Who Urinated In Aisle during Flight To Singapore Let Off With Warning - myfoxdc.com

Dr Tan Lai Yong - Singapore's barefoot doctor who lived in rural China for the past 14 years

CNNGo.com, 24 Jun 2011
In 1996, Singaporean doctor Tan Lai Yong did what many Singaporeans would never consider; he moved to rural Yunnan, China together with his wife,Tan Lay Chin and then year-old daughter, Amber Tan, to fulfill a calling.
“The going away is a small detail -- the real thing is to bring wholeness, healing, and restoration to a community,” says 50-year-old Tan, who was sent to China by his church, Bethesda Frankel Estate Church,as a cross-cultural worker.
“If my skills could bring some healing and joy to any community, then let it be my first aim.” Full story

Singapore blasts US over human trafficking report

MSN Philippines News, 28 Jun 2011
The State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released Monday, elevated Singapore's ranking to Tier 2, which means that while it does not fully meet standards on human trafficking, it is making efforts to do so.
This effectively removed Singapore from a group of countries put on the human trafficking watchlist.
"We note the change to Singapore's tier ranking... but we are dismayed to find the US TIP report riddled with inaccuracies in the section on Singapore," the foreign ministry said in a statement. Full story

Related:
Singapore blasts US over trafficking report - The West Australian
Singapore dismayed at unabashed U.S. human trafficking report - People's Daily Online

Singapore Sets Capital Rules for Banks Above Basel III Levels

Bloomberg, 28 Jun 2011
Singapore said it will raise capital rules for local lenders to more than the global minimum to solidify the city’s reputation as a financial hub after regulators tightened norms for the world’s biggest banks.
Lenders incorporated in Singapore will need to meet a minimum common equity Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio of 6.5 percent from Jan. 1, 2015, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said in a statement today. That’s 2 percentage points more than the so-called Basel III rules announced last year. Full story

Related:
Singapore banks to face tougher capital rules than Basel III - Reuters
Singapore Banks to Face Tougher Capital Rules Than Basel III - CNBC

Tan Cheng Bock not backing down from Presidential bid

Yahoo! Singapore News, 28 Jun 2011
Former People's Action Party MP Tan Cheng Bock has stressed he will not abandon his plans to contest the Presidential Election.
"I am never more determined to contest this Presidential Election," wrote Dr Tan in a Facebook posting on Tuesday morning.
"I want Singapore united in transparency, integrity and independent thinking. I will not back off," he stated. Full story

Ageing Singapore prepares for grey future

Free Malaysia Today, 28 Jun 2011
Like other affluent Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, Singapore’s demographic profile is being drastically transformed by falling birth rates and longer lifespans.
Officials say 20% of Singaporeans will be 65 or older by 2030.
This has spawned businesses catering to the elderly, from hiring foreign caregivers and designing wheelchair-friendly homes to developing high-tech devices that alert emergency services when a senior citizen needs help. Full story

Related:
Ageing Singapore prepares for grey future - Sin Chew Jit Poh
Ageing Singapore prepares for grey future - AFP

South China Sea disputes could lead to war in Asia: think tank

Reuters India, 28 Jun 2011
(Reuters) - Risks are growing that incidents at sea involving China could lead to war in Asia, an Australian policy think tank warned on Tuesday.
Concentrated on the South and East China seas, the risk-taking behaviour of the Chinese military, resource needs, and greater assertiveness, raised the possibility of armed conflict that could draw in the United States and other powers, the Lowy Institute said in a report. Full story

46 percent against weekly day off for maids: poll

Yahoo! Singapore News, 28 Jun 2011
A recent poll by Yahoo! Singapore revealed that most respondents are opposed to making it mandatory for employers to give domestic workers in Singapore one day off a week.
Of the 13,782 users who participated in the poll, 6,375 users --46 percent -- responded "No" to the question on whether Singapore should pass a law to give domestic helpers a compulsory day off. Full story

GIC Investing $40 Million in Sun Art Retail's Hong Kong. IPO

Bloomberg, 28 Jun 2011
Sun Art Retail Group Ltd., the Chinese hypermarket operator backed by France’s Groupe Auchan SA, plans to raise as much as HK$8.2 billion ($1.1 billion) in a Hong Kong initial public offering.
The Shanghai-based company is selling 1.14 billion new shares for HK$5.65 to HK$7.20 each, according to a sales document obtained yesterday by Bloomberg News. About half the stock will go to nine so-called cornerstone investors, including Government of Singapore Investment Corp. and Tiger Global Management LLC, which agreed to invest $40 million each. Full story

GIC names Lim Hng Kiang acting chairmen for real estate, special investments arms

Reuters, 28 Jun 2011
(Reuters) - Singapore sovereign wealth fund Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) has named acting chairmen for its real estate and special investment arms.
Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang will be acting chairman of GIC Real Estate, which manages the fund's property investments around the world. Full story

Singapore Air, pilots head to arbitration court over pay dispute

Reuters, 28 Jun 2011
Reuters) - Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its pilots union are taking their dispute over a pay rise to the country's Industrial Arbitration Court,.....The paper said the dispute involved the parent airline, the world's second-largest carrier by market value, and its subsidiaries, SIA Cargo and SilkAir. The hearing date for SIA Cargo has been set for July 8 and a date in August set for the pilots of the parent airline, the paper said. Full story

Related:
Singapore Airlines, pilots head to arbitration - MarketWatch

Apple adopts 7-day App Store return policy in Taiwan

AppleInsider, 27 Jun 2011
In response to a ruling earlier this month ordering Apple to alter its App Store rules, users in that country now have a seven-day trial period for when they download software to their iPhone, according to The Economic Times. Within a week of buying an application, users can choose to return it and receive a full refund.
Apple's rival, search giant Google, did not comply with the order that stemmed from Taiwan's consumer protection law. As a result, Google was fined the equivalent of $34,600 U.S. dollars. Full story

Related:
Google fined by Taipei over app trial refusal - The Economic Times

Singapore off US human trafficking watch list

Inquirer.net, 28 Jun 2011
WASHINGTON – The United States on Monday removed the Philippines and Singapore from a human trafficking watch list that had drawn concerns from the close allies, but it reported record abuses around the world.
The State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report has become increasingly sensitive for Southeast Asian governments, which face a cut off of US assistance if they are found to be unresponsive in fighting trafficking. Full story

Related:
Philippines, Laos, Singapore improve anti-trafficking efforts - Sun.Star
Philippines, Singapore off US Trafficking Watchlist - The Jakarta Globe

Arab diplomat offers S$6,200 for sex

Yahoo! Singapore News, 28 Jun 2011
A five-star hotel banquet manager was offered US$5,000 (S$6,211) by some Arab diplomats to spend the night with them.
According to Chinese paper Lianhe Wanbao, the woman was assigned to receive the group of diplomats at the hotel on 23 June.
While she was serving the group, some of the Arab diplomats started to look at her and commented on her looks. Full story

Goldman to Embark on Hiring Spree in Singapore

FoxBusiness.com, 27 Jun 2011
As Goldman Sachs (GS) plans major job cuts in the United States, the firm is planning to expand overseas with a major hiring spree in Singapore and taking the unusual step of alerting Congress before even it's widely known to its own shareholders, the FOX Business Network has learned.
Goldman is so concerned about the potential for criticism that the firm’s representatives have been alerting staffers of lawmakers in Washington of the hiring spree in recent weeks as a way to mollify any concerns they may have about previously undisclosed plans to add 1,000 jobs to the firm’s Singapore office, ..... Full story

Related:
Goldman Sachs Is Firing Employees In The US So It Can Hire 1,000 In Singapore - Business Insider
Goldman Sachs Plans To Hire 1,000 In Singapore While Cutting U.S. Jobs - Huffington Post
GOLDMAN SACHS REPORTEDLY PLANNING TO HIRE 1,000 WORKERS IN SINGAPORE - Zacks.com
Goldman Sachs Reportedly Planning To Hire 1,000 Workers in Singapore - Financial News Network Online
Goldman Comes Clean On Job Cuts, Rivals Expected To Swiftly Follow - Here Is The City

Plunge in Chinese meat firm Yurun stocks hurt Temasek's stake

Reuters, 27 Jun 2011
Reuters) - China Yurun Food Group Ltd (1068.HK), a meat processor that has seen some of the world's most well known investors among its shareholders, sufferedof publiclyst ever fall on Monday, hit in part on market talk that it was the target of Muddy Waters, a now famous short-seller whose negative reports have decimated shares of publicly traded Chinese companies listed overseas.
Hopu and Temasek had bought $247 million worth of shares in Yurun from the company's controlling shareholder Willie Holdings, a source told Reuters in April 2010.
It was not immediately clear how much these investors owned in Yurun as of Monday. Temasek and Hopu were not available for comment. Full story

Temasek And Khazanah To Develop Land In Singapore And Iskandar Malaysia

Bernama.com, 27 Jun 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 (Bernama) -- Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Temasek Holdings (Private) Ltd will establish joint venture companies, M+S Pte Ltd and Pulau Indah Ventures Sdn Bhd, to respectively develop land parcels in Singapore and undertake projects in Iskandar Malaysia in Johor.
These joint developments were supported by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong in their Joint Statements of May 24, 2010, June 22, 2010, September 20, 2010 and June 27, 2011, a statement from Khazanah and Temasek said here Monday.
Owned 60:40 by Khazanah and Temasek respectively, M+S will develop four land parcels in Marina South and two land parcels in Ophir Rochor, each as an integrated development. Full story

Related:
Khazanah, Temasek to Develop $9.8 Billion of Property Projects - BusinessWeek
Khazanah, Temasek to Develop Joint Projects - Bloomberg
Temasek Holdings, Khazanah Nasional enter joint ventures in Singapore, Malaysia - Property-report.com
Temasek and Khazanah in $9bn property development deal - BBC News

HSA issues warning on two ‘traditional Chinese medicines’

Yahoo! Singapore News, 27 Jun 2011
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has issued a warning on two health products sold as traditional Chinese medicines which have been detected to contain potent western medicines.
The two products labelled as Ren Sem Tu Chon Chin Kuo Pill and Huo Li Bao are adulterated medicines which are not approved by the authorities. Full story

OPINION: Singapore casinos defy odds - Muhammad Cohen

Asia Times Online, 28 Jun 2011
SINGAPORE - Marina Bay Sands, the world's most expensive stand-alone casino resort at US$6.9 billion, held its grand opening a year ago in the teeth of a persistent global economic slump and in direct competition with the world's second-most expensive casino resort, the US$5.7 billion Resorts World Sentosa.
Many analysts doubted either resort could turn a profit and failed suitors for Singapore's two coveted gaming licenses eagerly awaited an opportunity to pick up these pricey properties at bankruptcy sale prices. Full story

Singapore, Malaysia To Open Cross-Border Rapid Transit By 2018

Nasdaq
SINGAPORE -(Dow Jones)- The Singapore and Malaysia governments plan to open a rapid transit link between the city-state and the neighboring city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia's south by 2018, both governments said in a joint statement Monday.
"The terminating stations of the (rapid transit system) link will be in the vicinity of JB Sentral, Johor Bahru and in the vicinity of Republic Polytechnic, Singapore," the statement said. Full story

Related:
Singapore, Malaysia To Open Cross-Border Rapid Transit By 2018 - FoxBusiness.com
Singapore, Malaysia agree to build rapid transit rail link by 2018 - The Washington Post
Singapore and Malaysia to open rapid transit link by 2018 - Monsters and Critics
Malaysia-Singapore deal sealed - Malaysia Star

Guns, grenades and iPads for Singapore soldiers

AFP
SINGAPORE — New recruits to Singapore's military, air force and navy are to get a new standard-issue item of equipment besides their rifle -- the iPad.
The defence ministry said Monday it will be issuing "about 8,000" of the sleek, touch-screen tablet computers -- already wildly popular with the city-state's tech-savvy youth -- to recruits from November.
The ministry said it was also planning to issue the devices to other servicemen next year. The cheapest iPad2 device currently retails in Singapore for Sg$668 ($538). Full story

Related:
Guns, grenades and iPads for Singapore soldiers - Inquirer.net
Singapore soldiers to get iPads - The Times Of India
Singapore Sends Its Soldiers To War Armed With iPads - Cult of Mac
Singapore army gets new weapon: iPad - CNET News

Insurer: Top 10 most dangerous roads in Singapore

Yahoo! Singapore News, 27 Jun 2011

Top 10 accident-prone roads:
1.Bukit Timah Road
2.Lentor Avenue
3. Upper Serangoon Road
4. Thomson Road
5. Upp Thomson Road
6. Orchard Road
7. Scotts Road
8. Braddell Road
9. Clementi Road
10. Yio Chu Kang Road
Full story

LTA: Service improvements for 17 SMRT, SBS bus services

Yahoo! Singapore News, 27 Jun 2011
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that SBS Transit and SMRT have made improvements to 17 bus services between April and June 2011.
The improvements were made after a quarterly review of bus services by LTA and include deploying higher capacity buses or adding more bus trips along sectors that have experienced consistent heavy ridership. Full story

Samsung Galaxy S II sells out in Singapore

CNet Asia, 27 Jun 2011
Samsung launched its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S II , last Friday (June 24) in Singapore with all three telcos. According to CNET Asia blogger Michael Tan, the phone itself was sold out within minutes at the M1 online store. Luckily, he managed to get a set for his wife.
Now, Samsung has officially confirmed that stocks of the smartphone have run dry. We have word from Samsung that new stocks are expected to arrive by the end of the week (or even earlier), which should please customers who couldn't get their hands on the S II last weekend. Full story

Singapore an attractive destination for Indian PMETs

Workpermit.com, 27 Jun 2011
Singapore is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Indian professionals; Thanks to continued economic growth there are plenty of opportunities for Indians and others. For example there is increasing demand for overseas labour from the financial services and banking industries.
According to Prem Xavier Raj of the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group in Singapore, the financial services industry in Singapore is one of the biggest employers of Indian talent. Full story

Lee Kuan Yew : U.S. presence in the region enhances regional peace and stability

VietNamNet, 27 Jun 2011
Lee said that the nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has damaged Japan's reputation as a "careful, thorough planner".
Although Lee is positive that Japan will emerge from its reconstruction challenge "stronger as a united people," he believes the negative impact on its economy may linger for several years or even longer.
As for Singapore, as it faces the emerging strategic reality of a rising China and a weakening Japan, it seems to be pursuing a policy of further strengthening its defense ties with the United States. Lee fully endorsed this option, emphasizing, "Singapore and the US share a belief that a strong U.S. presence in the region enhances regional peace and stability." Full story

Singapore reports uncommon dengue cases

People's Daily Online, 27 Jun 2011
The Marsiling area has seen two clusters of dengue transmission recently, with the first detected on April 21 and the second on May 19.
The National Environment Agency said it has since stepped up control measures, including dispatching 70 officers to carry out mass operations to search and destroy potential breeding habitats of Aedes mosquitoes. Full story

Cash over valuation (COV) for HDB resale flats rises again

Yahoo! Singapore News, 26 Jun 2011
Cash premiums for resale HDB flats have risen again after a dip in the last two quarters.
This reverses the trend of falling cash over valuations (COVs) -- the amount a buyer must pay over and above the valuation of a HDB resale flat -- after the government introduced measures to cool the housing market last year and early this year. Full story

Sex, Lies and Videotape in Malaysia

Asia Sentinel, 24 Jun 2011
Three men known collectively as “Datuk T” pleaded guilty Friday in a Kuala Lumpur magistrate’s court to screening a videotape in March allegedly featuring Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim having sex with a Chinese prostitute earlier this year.
The three are former Malacca Chief Minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, a stalwart of the United Malays National Organization, Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, formerly a close friend of and fundraiser for Anwar, and Shuib Lazim, former treasurer of the Malay supremacy NGO Perkasa, which is closely aligned with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Full story

PM Lee: Dr Tony Tan will unify S’poreans

Yahoo! Singapore News, 26 Jun 2011
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he has no doubt Dr Tony Tan, if elected as President, will be a unifying figure for all citizens, and will bring honour and credit to Singapore.
PM Lee said that Dr Tan informed him he would be resigning from the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) to contest the election as an independent candidate. Full story

Singapore PM applauds Indian heritage, cultural celebrations

MSN India, 26 Jun 2011
Singapore, Jun 26 (PTI) Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has applauded the annual Indian New Year celebration here, saying such events bring the local community and new citizens together.
The celebration, themed "Rhythms in Unity", showcased Indian contemporary dances and music as well as various Indian traditions with an aim to create greater awareness among residents on the rich Indian culture ..... Full story