Personal attacks launched in internet forums against Quah Kim Song after relationship with WP chairman Sylvia Lim was made public

Asiaone Forum, 30 Jul 2013

"Surprisingly, still resorting to such personal attacks. It reflects on your party. It stinks. Alamak, what has Kim Song to do with WP at this pt of time ?" - harlym

"You always out to tarnish others reputation.....why so vindictive and evil? Following the footsteps of your employer izzit? Even I am not religious, I still believe there is such a thing call Karma. What did you expect him to do before he met Silvia? Stay home and knit or like you spending every waking moment gossiping and thinking about how to vindicate others? - SingaporeUncle

Link

Related:
http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?158391-please-do-not-show-this-thread-to-Sylvia-Lim

Khaw Boon Wan: Public housing programme "on right track"

PropertyGuru.com.sg, 31 Jul 2013
Singapore’s public housing programme is moving on the right track, according to National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan in a Facebook post.
Mr Khaw noted that the housing board introduced housing grants of up to S$60,000 for two-room flats in its latest Build-to-Order (BTO) exercise. The grants bring down the cost of the two-room flats to as little as S$16,000 for low-income families, while bringing the starting price of three-roomers to only S$115,000. Full story

Related:

1. OPINION: Khaw's doublespeak on HDB pricing
2. Growing number of resale flats in mature estates selling for more than $900,000
3. Singaporeans should not be traumatised over $1m flat price :Khaw - Hudcsg.blogspot.sg
4. HDB resale prices hit record high in Q2 2013
5. More million-dollar HUDC sales to come: expert
6. 900 old HDB flats acquired under SERS for redevelopment are to be rented out to new citizens with children

In Focus: Singapore Rebel - Zan Azlee

Astroawani.com, 30 Jul 2013

Singapore is one of the smallest countries in Southeast Asia and with a population of only 5.3 million. It is also the strongest economy in Southeast Asia. Basically, the island state is the epitome of first world development, not just in the region, but also around the world.
However, one issue that continues to haunt Singapore is the limits and restrictions that the government imposes on the media and freedom of speech and expression. In fact, as recent as a month ago, the government came up with a law that was seen as wanting to curb the online media. Full story

Singapore a bane to FAM's privatisation project

New Straits Time,s 31 Jul 2013
Local teams can forget about participating in the AFC Champions League if Singapore's LionsXII continue to play in the M-League after its privatisation.
If Lions are invited into the privatise league, which will be managed by an independent company, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will not accept Malaysian teams in its Champions League.
AFC does not allow teams from leagues that include non-domestic squads to participate in the tournament. Full story

Concern over Singapore killings of 357 monkeys in six months

Hong Kong Standard, 30 Jul 2013
Wildlife concern groups have expressed concerns over the killing of 357 monkeys in Singapore in just six months this year. That amounts to an average 59 macaques a month.
Media reports cited Louis Ng, chief executive of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society as saying that the scale of culling ``seems like we're trying to exterminate the monkeys, not manage the conflicts between them and people.''
The Sunday Times said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority had euthanized 357 monkeys from January to June, compared with 204 in 2010, 151 in 2011 and 127 last year. Link

Consumers ultimately pay the price for MDA's decision on football broadcast rights

Out-Law.com, 30 Jul 2013
A pay-TV broadcaster in Singapore has been told to let customers of a rival broadcaster access standalone Barclays Premier League football coverage at the same price it charges its own customers, but has won the right to separately bundle that same content together with other content it offers to its own customers.
The Media Development Authority (MDA) said SingNet was exempt from rules that would have required the company to cross-carry channels where BPL coverage was bundled with other content on a platform operated by rival StarHub. SingNet was, though, told to make its standalone BPL coverage available to StarHub subscribers on the same terms as it is available to its own customers. Full story

Leading defence journalist's sudden death in Singapore is "natural"

BBC News, 30 Jul 2013
A leading defence journalist died of natural causes on business in Singapore and probably did not know he had a rare serious illness, an inquest heard.
Adam Baddeley, 40, from Emneth, Norfolk, died suddenly and post-mortem tests found he suffered from Sarcoidosis of the lungs.
Singapore police investigated the death but decided it was "not suspicious". Full story

Singapore is the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam

VietNam News, 29 Jul 2013
HA NOI (VNS)— Foreign direct investment (FDI) registered during the first seven months of this year surged by 19.6 per cent over the same period last year to US$11.91 billion.
General Statistics Office figures show $6.92 billion came from 677 newly licensed projects, up 10 per cent, while the remainder was an increase of capital on 266 existing projects.
Among 42 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam, Singapore was the biggest foreign investor with registered capital of nearly $2.5 billion. Its investment accounted for 36 per cent of the total capital of newly invested projects. Full story

Ex-SAF Staff Sergeant jailed for harbouring Filipino prostitutes

The Economic Times, 30 Jul 2013
SINGAPORE: An ethnic Indian former staff sergeant of the Singapore armed forces has been jailed for a year for harbouring prostitutes, a report said today.
Muralidharan Pillai, 53, pleaded guilty in April to offences that included procuring and harbouring six Filipino women for prostitution and living off their earnings, 'The Straits Times' reported.
Pillai, who is married to a Filipina and has a five-year old son, left the armed forces in 1997. Full story

City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee under fire for sermon

Yahoo! News Singapore, 30 Jul 2013

City Harvest Church founder and senior pastor Kong Hee has found his way in controversy again — this time for a comment he made in what appeared to be a sermon at a church conference held in Australia last year.
In a video posted on YouTube by user anointedforworship on Sunday, Kong, who is accused of criminal breach of trust and misappropriating church building funds, claimed that God apologised to him for his struggles. Full story

OPINION: MDA's action again cloaked in opacity - Andrew Loh

Yahoo! News Singapore, 30 Jul 2013
The MDA acted on what is apparently a tip-off of “specific information which gives it cause for concern over foreign interest to fund The Independent.” This “specific information” has apparently turned out to be untrue, according to The Independent’s statement. The site’s shareholder’s agreement, formulated on 19 April, states that foreigners are prohibited from being shareholders of the enterprise.
As blogger Howard Lee asked: “How did he authorities receive this “specific information”, who specifically gave this information and how did MDA verify the accuracy of this information? Are our policy makers making policy decisions on information that they care not to reveal? How, then, would we know that future decisions are made with good data collection and analysis, instead of acting on a hunch, rumour or unverifiable tip-off, a practice which the Minister of Communications and Information has took pains in Parliament to weed out of citizens?” Full story

OPINION: Why I advised my sister not to reclaim her Singapore citizenship - Brian Vittachi

Yahoo! News Singapore, 30 Jul 2013
I told my sister that if she could, come here, work for some years until she makes a pile of money, and then return to Sri Lanka. Whatever Singapore has, in time to come, Sri Lanka can have the same if not better. It is a country of stunning natural beauty, an ancient culture and a character all of it's own. Hopefully one day she will get a competent and honest government that will take that country to a better place.
Singapore has sold its soul. It is a place of manufacture and retail with no sense of nationhood. It has lost its character and is a wannabe-this, wannabe-that and a No.1 copycat. Right now, we are a haven for mega-rich tax evaders, cold-minded, calculative opportunists and those of the "greed is good" school of thought.
In short, Singapore is a place to make money and little else. The shopping malls, theme parks and IRs are just a fantasy land created to lure the tourist dollar and is far removed from the realities of day-to-day living. Full story

We need to guard against elitism, warns Goh Chok Tong. Who will take his words seriously?

Yahoo! News Singapore, 28 Jul 2013
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong warned of the dangers of elitism on Saturday evening, saying that it “threatens to divide the inclusive society that we seek to build”.
In order to guard against elitism, ESM Goh said that the practice of meritocracy must not widen the gap between the successful and the rest of society.
Speaking at a Raffles Institution (RI) Homecoming dinner for alumni, ESM Goh talked about adapting and strengthening Singapore’s brand of meritocracy into what he termed “compassionate meritocracy”. Full story

Singapore football hero Quah Kim Song finds love match with Sylvia Lim of Workers’ Party

Yahoo! Sports Singapore, 28 Jul 2013
The chairperson of the Workers’ Party (WP) told The Straits Times on Saturday that the two have been dating for the past six months.
The couple – both Catholics – first met at a WP variety show in January where Quah, invited as special guest, sang and danced with Lim, who is 48 and single.
The youngest of the sporting Quah brothers – three played football for Singapore, one was a triple jumper – must have swept Lim, an Aljunied Member of Parliament, off her feet.
Local press quoted Quah, a widower with two children, saying they “hope to be together for a long time.” Full story

Masagos Zulkifli encourages Singapore companies to invest in Nigeria

The Nation Newspaper, 28 Jul 2013
The Singaporean Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, has said that Nigeria holds the ace in his country’s quest for investment.
Zulkifli said Nigeria has abundant resources that his country could tap from.
He said rather than concentrate on China and Asia for business, Singapore was already looking in the direction of Nigeria.
Zulkifli, who spoke when Nigerian’s Ambassador to Singapore, Nonye Rajis-Okpara, paid him a courtesy call, said several companies from Singapore were already in Africa. Full story

Also read:
PAP MP Vikram Nair compares Chen Show Mao’s proposals to a Nigerian Scam - Singapolitics.net

OPINION: Singapore’s Immigration Struggles - Tom Bueno

The Diplomat, 28 Jul 2013
“They (PAP) run Singapore like a company. They bring people from all over to come here and do our jobs,” said one of the many taxi drivers who act as a barometer of sorts, relaying to baffled foreigners the subterranean discontent of the local community in a country that has had its long traditions of political protest deadened by decades of PAP rule.
The driver’s disgruntled suspicion of foreign labor might seem misplaced in an economy with such low unemployment, but his misgivings are not entirely out of sync with recent developments. In 2011, of the 122,600 jobs created last year, more than two thirds, or 84,800 positions, were taken by foreign professionals, according to data from the government itself. Singapore already has a non-resident population of 1.46 million, and almost 40% of the island’s total population were born abroad. Although no serious analyst of Singapore’s political situation expects the ruling party to fall from power anytime soon, it is taken for granted among the generation populace that its share of the vote will decline even further in the next general election. Full story

Ex-NUS scholar and girlfriend receive death threats while on bail

XIN MSN News, 28 Jul 2013
Malaysian sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, who were released on bail on Friday, now fear for their safety after receiving death threats.
The couple were bombarded with threats after they posted an offensive Ramadan greeting which depicted them eating bak kut teh with the words “Selamat Berbuka Puasa” - a Malay greeting for breaking fast - on Facebook two weeks ago.
Their personal details like addresses, IC numbers, and relatives' details were released on social networking sites such as Facebook, and their photo, accompanied by a menacing caption, has been circulated widely. Full story

Mediacorp teen idol expresses no confidence in the Singapore police

The New Paper, 26 Jul 2013
Last Friday, local teen idol Edwin Goh, 19, tweeted about being attacked by a group of men while on his way home at about midnight the day before.
Concerned fans and friends included fellow actor Ian Fang, who asked Goh if he had made a police report.
Goh's reply, "What can police do?", caused a stir online and his mother had to defend him publicly.
Since Monday, he has also gone silent on Twitter. Full story

Related:
17-year-old Edwin Goh smoking and drinking in public - Hardwarezone Forum

OPINION: $1.7 million CPIB Case Raises Serious Questions

Yawningbread.wordpress.com, 27 Jul 2013
What I find staggering is that the alleged offences took place over four years 2008 to 2012, and even includes “misappropriating” two cars and a motorcycle. The Straits Times reported that it was a whistle-blower who alerted the CPIB to the case, not that it was discovered in the course of an annual audit. This seriously undermines confidence in audits of government agencies. How can large fixed assets like cars go missing without anyone noticing? Full story

OPINION: First came the Chinese wave, now it is the Indian diaspora - Seah Chiang Nee

The Star Online, 27 Jul 2013
Statistics showed that by 2010 Singapore had given PR to about 110,600 Indian visitors, a prerequisite to becoming citizens. This compared to 237,000 Singaporean Indian citizens.
The new wave of migrant workers has so far brought into Singapore some 400,000 Indians and 800,000-850,000 mainland Chinese.
The welcome mat was brought out since 2006 for talented and semi-skilled Indians in numbers large enough to pose a threat to local job-seekers.
It has since reduced admission but resentment from Singaporeans – including local Indians – remains deep and widespread.
To attract talents, the authorities have done everything possible to make their life pleasant. Thousands of scholarships were handed to Indian students much to the dismay of many local taxpayers.
For example, Starhub, the biggest cable television station now operates nine Hindi channels for them, compared to only four Tamil ones mainly for Singaporean Indians.
Bollywood films have received endorsement from political leaders; state radio features three hours of its dance music a day. A special studio that teaches Bollywood dancing has been opened.
A rising number of India’s wealthy has bought properties along Singapore’s pleasant west coast. In some parks, one can see – not locals kicking football – but Indian kids playing cricket. Full story

HDB resale prices hit record high in Q2 2013

TR Emeritus, 27 Jul 2013
Despite 8 rounds of property financing curbs by the Govt, prices for HDB resale flats continue to rise.
The Resale Price Index (RPI) for HDB flats rose slightly by 0.5% from 205.5 in the 1Q of 2013 to 206.6 in the 2Q of 2013. This is a new record high.
However, the 0.5% growth is lower than the 1.3% growth in previous quarter:


Full story

MDA cross-carriage ruling led to more than 70 percent hike in EPL pricing

Yahoo! Sports Singapore, 27 Jul 2013
MDA released a press release on Friday July 27, announcing their final decision following deliberation of SingNet's filing of an exemption request earlier this month under Paragraph 2.7.1 (a) of the Code of Practice for Market Conduct which asked that StarHub only cross-carry the channel package containing EPL content (Standalone EPL content), instead of cross-carrying channel packages containing EPL content and other non-EPL content as part of an 'EPL Bundle'.
However the ruling also left open the decision to allow the holder of the exclusive rights to the content, SingTel, to set the pricing of the package. SingTel had earlier stated that an enforced cross-carriage ruling will affect the projected revenue from exclusive broadcast and lead to higher pricing.
On Friday, SingTel released the new pricing for its content. The much-anticipated Standalone EPL package is available for S$59.90 on both mioTV and StarHub. A similar Sports Pack from mioTV which included EPL content was available for just S$34.90 last year. Full story

Most corruption, financial crimes in civil service only involve junior officers: CAD, CPIB

上梁不正下梁歪

XIN MSN News, 26 Jul 2013
SINGAPORE: Most cases related to corruption and financial crimes within the civil service involve junior frontline officers.
This is according to a study conducted by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) of public officers investigated over the past five years.
The study was commissioned by the Prime Minister's Office after a spate of high-profile cheating and corruption cases involving civil servants. Full story

PAP government gets tough on dissent as cartoonist charged

Reuters, 26 Jul 2013
Singapore government lawyers have started legal proceedings that could result in a political cartoonist serving a jail term, in another sign that the long-ruling People's Action Party (PAP) is becoming increasingly intolerant of opponents, critics said.
Chew Peng Ee, known to followers of his "Demon-cratic Singapore" site on Facebook as Leslie Chew, had committed contempt of court "by scandalising the judiciary of the Republic of Singapore", the Attorney-General's Chambers said in a statement on Thursday.
The charges stemmed from four cartoons that Chew had published in 2011 and 2012, three of which were about the perceived unfairness of the courts when imposing punishment. His case will be heard on Aug. 12. Full story

Indian pair used Singapore as transit point to smuggle $1.4mil worth of drugs from India into Thailand

NDTV.com, 26 Jul 2013
Two Indian men have been arrested and charged in Thailand with trafficking crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $1.4 million, a customs official said today.
The suspects were detained yesterday on the holiday island of Samui after flying in from Chennai in southern India via Singapore.
Custom authorities said they had found 12.3 kilos (27 pounds) of methamphetamine hydrochloride, known as "Ice", in their luggage. Full story

Related:
Indian pair face Thai drug smuggling charges - New Straits Times

OPINION: Censorship, sex and scandal in Singapore - André Dao

Themonthly.com.au, Aug 2013
“It’s a necessary evil and compromise for me,” Tey wrote to a colleague in September 2010 about the arrangement. “I feel cowardly. Without academic spine.” The colleague counselled a softly, softly approach, to “engage and persuade, not confront and antagonise”. Full story

Singapore Home Prices Climb to Record High Despite Imposition of Home Loan Curbs

BusinessWeek, 26 Jul 2013
Singapore home prices climbed to a record in the second quarter as gains in suburban housing values accelerated, prompting the government to implement new measures on property loans.
The island-state’s private residential property price index rose 1 percent to 215.4 points in the three months ended June 30, extending a 0.6 percent increase in the first quarter, according to revised figures released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority today. The pace of gains in prices in the suburbs more than doubled from the previous three months. Full story

Former PAP MP Choo Wee Khiang acquitted of CBT by Singapore judge

Yahoo! News Singapore, 26 Jul 2013
Former member of parliament (MP) Choo Wee Khiang and ex-national table tennis player Koh Li Ping were acquitted on Friday of one charge of criminal breach of trust.
Choo, 58, was accused of committing the offence in 2005 during his tenure as the president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association.
He had been on trial for misappropriating $8,400 of the organisation’s funds to pay Luo Jie, a former assistant coach, for coaching students of Fuhua Secondary School between 2001 and 2003. Full story

Malaysia must re-negotiate water deal with Singapore: Tun Mahathir

FZ.com, 25 Jul 2013
PETALING JAYA (July 25): The bilateral ties across the causeway is bound to turn sour with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad calling for the re-negotiation of the sensitive water agreement between Malaysia and Singapore.
Mahathir in his blog today said the country is being “short-changed” in the raw water deal, stressing the current rate of 3 sen per 1,000 gallon was “ridiculous.”
He pointed out that in the present agreement, Malaysia will only get RM30 from selling 1,000,000 gallons of raw water.
“Malaysia can buy 12% of the raw water treated by Singapore at 50 sen per 1,000 gallons i.e for 120,000 gallons, Malaysia has to pay RM60 for this. Full story

Rising interest rates may force 9000 property owners to sell their homes: analyst

PropertyGuru.com.sg, 24 Jul 2013
Up to 9,000 Singapore private property owners could be forced to sell their homes if interest rates rise in the city-state, according to an analyst report published today.
On the back of news that up to 10 percent of Singapore households may have already over-leveraged their private property purchases beyond the new 60 percent limit that was recently imposed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), wealth management firm Religare Enterprises has cautioned its clients to avoid investing in Singapore property developers. Full story

Customer relates his experience with Singpost and it's team of foreign CSOs

Hardwarezone Forum, 26 Jul 2013
"On the same day, 3 hours later, i called Singpost at 1605 about the parcels.
I told them the ordeal and the Pinoy CSO claimed that she will escalate it.
She also promised to call me back asap but i may have to call again next day.
Nothing was heard again
The next day, i called them again once in the morning.
The foreigner CSO, even have the cheek to tell me ," We(CSOs), normally don't call customers back".
Again i related the same thing and they promised to escalate it, do investigations and send my parcel soon.
He told me to call 2 hours later after the investigation.
2 hours later, nothing was received, so i called them again."
Full story

Diners Singapore hacked in global operation, 5 men detained by US authorities

Sbs.com.au, 26 Jul 2013
US authorities indicted five men on charges of running a global hacking operation that enabled them to steal the bank card numbers of more than 160 million people.
According to the indictment, the men -- four Russians and a Ukrainian -- targeted major payment processors, retailers and financial institutions around the world over the course of seven years, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
The defendants were charged with attacks on, among others, NASDAQ, Visa Jordan, the Belgian bank Dexia, and Diners Singapore. Just three of the corporate victims have reported combined losses in excess of $300 million. Full story

S'pore AGC begins legal proceedings against "Demon-cratic Singapore" cartoonist Leslie Chew

XIN MSN News, 25 Jul 2013
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has started legal proceedings in the High Court against Leslie Chew Peng Ee for contempt of court by scandalising the judiciary of Singapore.
AGC said the action is in connection with Leslie Chew's publication of various comics as part of the "Demon-cratic Singapore" series on Facebook.
If the court decides that an offence has been committed, it will set out the punishment to be imposed, which can be a jail term, a fine, or both. Full story

Malaysian hacker's jail sentence commuted and fine reduced by Singapore judge

XIN MSN News, 25 Jul 2013
SINGAPORE: A computer engineer who was convicted of hacking into the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) computer network last year and causing a partial blackout had his jail term set aside and fine reduced on Thursday.
Justice Choo noted that Liew's acts had drawn an "inescapable conclusion" that he deliberately intended to cause the blackout.
Still, Justice Choo said it was not clear what exactly was the damage caused by Liew's actions and that there was no evidence that detailed it. Full story

Also read:
Man jailed for stealing $32 from mosque to buy food - Asiaone.com 

LTA splurges $285m in Caldecott station construction

Yahoo! Finance Singapore, 25 Jul 2013
According to a release, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded Contract T213 for the construction of Caldecott Station and associated tunnels to Samsung C&T Corporation for a contract sum of approximately $285 million.
Scheduled to complete in year 2020, Caldecott station will become an interchange station connecting the future Thomson Line with the Circle Line, bringing further convenience and connectivity to commuters working and residing in the Thomson Road and Toa Payoh Rise area. Full story

Related:
Singaporeans think government is not poor and expects more from government: PM Lee Hsien Loong - XIN MSN News

Should opposition MPs ask MOM for FT fake certification rates here?

Atans1.wordpress.com, 25 Jul 2013
And that this isn’t happening here? (Reminder, only recently there was report of 25 FTs convicted for using false education certificates in work pass applications.)
The ABC has revealed that thousands of Indian students, skilled workers and 457 visa holders have been admitted to Australia on dodgy travel and work documents.
Note that in the US, there are complaints that Indian IT companies are misusing the US visa system: However, critics of the proposed expansion argue that it’s not the future Facebooks of the world that are in desperate need of more H-1B visas but rather large outsourcing firms like iGate Technologies and Cognizant that benefit most from the programme. Full story

NCMP Lina Chiam on CPIB case: Revise government policy of high salaries

Yahoo! News Singapore, 25 Jul 2013
The Chairman of Singapore People’s Party (SPP), Lina Chiam, is the first opposition member to comment on the recent graft case involving a senior officer in the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
Chiam, who is also a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP), released a statement on the opposition party’s website, which also referred to other recent corruption-related offences among civil servants.
In the statement, Chiam had “urgently” asked the government to fight corruption by tightening its system. In particular, she called for a revision of the government policy of paying high salaries to mitigate corruption in the public and civil service.
She asked, "Who will guard the guardians themselves against corruption?" Full story

Over-excavation causes crane to topple near City Hall MRT station onto Coleman Street

Yahoo! News Singapore, 25 Jul 2013
A crawler crane operating at the barricaded section of a construction site of the National Art Gallery tilted, causing the crane jib to land onto Coleman Street.
The incident occurred at approximately 9 on Thursday morning, triggering alarm from passers-by.
No injuries or damages to vehicles in the vicinity were reported, however, and according to a worker from a neighbouring construction site, the driver of the crane, which was used for drilling into the ground, jumped out of the controlling cabin as it was falling.
Workers knocking off from their night shift also told reporters on the scene that it could have been "too much excavation" that resulted in the crane toppling. Full story

Singapore plots economic lift-off with satellites, spacecraft

Malaya.com.ph, 25 Jul 2013
Singapore’s foray into the $300 billion-a-year space industry may seem like a lucrative venture, but the path is lined with risks, especially in satellite manufacturing where Western firms have long dominated and entry barriers are high.
The push into space technology, announced earlier this year, will initially focus on satellites to meet growing demand for top-speed Internet connections as well as high-resolution images commonly used in surveillance, forestry and energy exploration.
The venture may also help rekindle Singapore’s electronics sector by creating high-paying jobs in the satellites and components segment to replace jobs lost with the decline of disc media and computer parts manufacturing. Full story

Singapore returns to boosting high value manufacturing

EETAsia.com, 25 Jul 2013
The engineering department of the National University of Singapore has partnered with A*STAR's Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) to establish two joint research labs in precision motion systems and industrial robotics.
The 'Joint Labs' collaboration, which aims to boost productivity for high value manufacturing in the medtech, aerospace, marine & offshore and precision engineering sectors, are launched in conjunction with the Industrial Robotics Research programme of A*STAR. Full story

Nine people missing after barge capsizes in Singapore waters

theSundaily, 25 Jul 2013
Nine people are believed to be missing after a barge, Guo Liang 677 capsized in Singapore waters about seven nautical miles north of Horsburgh Lighthouse on Wednesday.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement, at around 1pm (Singapore time) on Wednesday, it received a report of the incident.
MPA said one crew member was rescued by a Police Coast Guard (PCG) patrol craft in the area. The rescued crew member reported that 10 other persons were missing. But subsequently, MPA was informed that another crew member had been rescued by a vessel in the vicinity. Full story

Related:
Barge capsized in Singapore waters, 8 Chinese missing - Chinadaily.com.cn

Singapore to make financial statements of all charities available online

China.org.cn, 24 Jul 2013
Singapore will soon make the financial statements of all charity organizations available on an official Charity Portal shortly, the Office of the Commissioner of Charities said on Wednesday.
This is part of the changes in regulations made by the Commissioner of Charities to better protect charities and donors following the Charities Act Amendment Bill that was passed in parliament in 2010.
Now all externally-audited charities, including all charities set up as companies, and all other charities with annual income or expenditure over 500,000 Singapore dollars (393,701 U.S. dollars), will have to post a summary of their financial information online on the Charity Portal. Full story

Singapore casino resorts struggling to grow: CIMB Research

The Star Online, 25 Jul 2013
KUALA LUMPUR: Marina Bay Sands’ (MBS) recently released second quarter results showed total gross gaming revenue at US$774mil, up 12% year on year, but CIMB Research remained unimpressed with the casino resort sector in Singapore, saying MBS’ growth was due to the previous year’s low base.
“The underlying trend of the business shows that Singapore’s integrated resorts are struggling to show growth,” it said, as it maintained Genting Singapore, the other player in the market, at Underperform. Full story

US littoral warship deployed to Singapore suffers from frequent breakdowns

UTSanDiego.com, 24 Jul 2013
The first real-world deployment of the Navy littoral combat ship Freedom was supposed to boost the controversial vessel’s credibility. But, despite some successes with Asian navies, the ship’s tour to Singapore has raised even more questions about its future.
The $500 million prototype ship has broken down three times, still leans heavily on civilian contractors for maintenance, and Congress is just as concerned as ever. Full story

Related:
Navy Littoral Combat Ship Needs More Scrutiny, House Panel Says - BusinessWeek

PRs shun resale property, more are buying directly from developers attracted by hefty discounts

PropertyGuru.com.sg, 25 Jul 2013
Permanent residents (PRs) and other foreigners are buying up fewer private residential properties in Singapore as a result of the government’s stringent cooling measures.
Based on DTZ’s caveats analysis, the number of private homes purchased by PRs and foreigners dropped for a second consecutive quarter in Q2 2013, while those bought by Singaporeans rose 14.4 percent quarter-on-quarter.
But the number of private homes bought by PRs in the primary market, or directly from developers, climbed 4.2 percent quarter-on-quarter to 525 units during the same period. Full story

Ex-NUS scholar and girlfriend granted bail, barred from using communication devices

The Malaysian Insider, 25 Jul 2013
The Malaysian couple who shot to "fame" for their sexploits and controversial Ramadhan greeting posted on Facebook have been given bail and barred from using communication devices by the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.
Judge Datuk Azman Husin granted Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee bail of RM30,000 bail with two sureties each, after allowing their revision application for three charges against them last week.
He also ordered their passports be impounded and prohibited them from uploading any offensive articles, comments or provocative and pornographic photographs that touches on racial and religious insensitivity. Full story

Related:
Sex bloggers given bail, barred from using communication devices - The Malaysian Insider

OPINION: Confessions of an ex-RC Chairman

Asiaone Forum, 21 Jul 2013
The role of grassroots is primarily to sell the PAP’s policies to the residents and of course to conduct activities for residents at discounts and to organise MPs’ a.k.a. Guess-of-Honor’s visit/s to the constituency. We are not paid any salary nor allowance but we do have perks such as FREE parking within our constituency (GRC), priority Primary 1 registration for our children, National Day parade tickets, visits to the Istana (National Day open house), free event makan-makan, free visits to the Zoological Gardens, just to name a few.
Chairmen are automatically members of the GRC Executive Committee and Town Council where meetings are champion by MP/MPs. As member of Town Council we are paid a monthly allowance of $300. The allowance is paid via the Town Council funds which is funded by residents. Full story

Rude RC members going door-to-door selling Singapore flag rile AMK residents

Hardwarezone Forum, 23 Jul 2013


Link

Singaporeans should not take clear skies for granted: Grace Fu

XIN MSN News, 21 Jul 2013
SINGAPORE: Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Foreign Affairs Grace Fu has urged Singaporeans to stay vigilant and not take the clear skies for granted.
She was commenting Sunday on the 15th Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) on Transboundary Haze, which was held in Kuala Lumpur on 17 July 2013. Full story

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The Grace Fu Saga - TR Emeritus

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Singapore is one of the preferred destinations for Indians buying property overseas

MSN India, 20 Jul 2013
Hyderabad: Singapore, Malaysia, New York, Dubai and some cities in the UK, the suburban areas of London in particular, are preferred destinations for Indian property buyers, according to real estate consultancy firm Jones Lang LaSalle.
The real estate market in many countries offers lucrative investment prospects. Apart from that, Indians buying property abroad can in some cases avail of citizenship in the host country. This factor has considerable aspiration value with many, according to Anuj Puri, Chairman & Country Head, Jones Lang LaSalle India. Full story

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Philippines to temporarily stop sending Filipino maids to Singapore over placement fees

GMA Network, 20 Jul 2013
A group of local recruitment agencies deploying household service workers (HSWs) to Singapore will temporary suspend sending Filipinos there starting September 2.
At a general membership meeting on Saturday, a total of 120 members of the Association of Licensed Recruitment Agencies to Singapore (ALRAS) agreed to stop deploying household workers to protest continued collection of placement fees by their counterparts there.
ALRAS president Lucy Sermonia announced the decision to implement a self-imposed moratorium so that member agencies can convince some partners in Singapore to abide by the Philippine policy of “non-collection” of placement fees. Full story

Related:

1. Recruiters to stop household service workers deployment to Singapore - Sunstar.com.ph
2. Recruiters to stop sending maids to Singapore - Inquirer Global Nation