SingaporeSurf

Consturction Of HarbourFront Mall Seems Headed For Delay
by Channel NewsAsia

Economists Express Cautious Optimism Over Singapore's Economy
by Low Hooi Hoon, Channel NewsAsia
The worst appears to be over for the Singapore economy.

Telcos Won't Ring With Glory Next Year
by Teh Hooi Ling, Business Times Singapore
Sentiments will remain weak, analysts said, as the industry continues to grapple with overcapacity and slowing growth.

Visitors' Centre For Chek Jawa?
by Straits Times
An old coonial house on Pulau Ubin could become the new visitors' information centre for the island's most beautiful beach, Tanjung Chek Jawa.

Don't Lose Heart, PM Goh Tells Singaporeans
by Leong Weng Kam, Straits Times

Not For The Faint-Hearted
by Anil Ananthaswamy, New Scientist
Ever wondered how much snot you swallow in a day, or why your feet smell? Sylvia Branzei could tell you straight off.

Don't Be Fooled By Predictions Of Early Economic Recovery NTUC Chief
by Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia
Singaporeans should instead prepare for more difficult times and to work harder to make a living.

Rain, Rain Go Away... And It Did
by Straits Times
The weatherman predicted rain until Sunday, but yesterday turned out to be a bright, sunny day.

Singapore's Religious Groups Split On Embryonic Stem Cell Research
by Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia

Awaiting Signal On Contrary Viewpoints
by Viswa Sadasivan, Feedback Unit, Straits Times
There needs to be an unequivocal signal from the government. It can no longer be a subtle signal. It has to be a bright flashing light.

Gifts Thrashed In Mix-Up
by Margaret Perry, Straits Times
Boys' Brigade says sorry for mistake that happened because red bags were used to wrap gifts after it ran out of blue ones.

Singapore's Airport Offers 'Game Show' For Passenger
by Ananova
Up to 30 people at a time sit at electronic consoles while a host shouts out number-based questions such as the weight of a Boeing jet.

Mortgagee Sales Reach Record High In Singapore: Report
by Business Times Singapore
About 1,400 properties belonging to people unable to repay their mortgages were put up for auction this year, easily surpassing 450 such sales in 1998 at the height of the regional economic crisis.

Sing Dollar Hits 11-Year Low On Weak Yen
by Business Times Singapore
By the end of trading day, the US dollar was quoted at S$1.8445 - its highest level in 11 years.

Singapore Sees Plunge In Mobile Hone Subscribers In Nov
by Au Yong May Lin, Channel NewsAsia
The number of mobile phone users in Singapore plunged in November as operators continued to terminate their inactive pre-paid accounts.

Will Singapore GDP Grow 1.5% In 2002?
by Anna Teo, Business Times Singapore
Economists tweak up their estimates, but they may again get it wrong.

Singles In Singapore Can Now Get Hitched Via SMS
by AFP
Single in Singapore keen to find their potential life partners but too shy to go on the first date can break the ice first via short message service.

Early Release Possible For Convicts Held At President's Pleasure
by Channel NewsAsia
In Singapore, an under-18 murderer or drug trafficker is detained indefinitely at the President's pleasure instead of being sent to the gallows.

New Grads' Salaries Dive As Much As 30%
by Eunice Lau, Straits Times
The worst hit are those with general degrees, with starting pay now ranging from S$1,400 to S$1,800.

MOE Looking At Different Models For Private Schools
by Hwee Goh, Channel NewsAsia
"If we are going to be state funded, then there must be some principles for admissions."

PSC Scholarship Revamp To Attract More Talents
by Laurel Teo, Straits Times
Changes intended to ensure public service maintains its share of talent in face of competition from private sector.

IRAS Refunds Tax Rebates To Nearly All Taxpayers
by Channel NewsAsia
The taxman has reassessed and given rebates to 99 percent of taxpayers affected by the off-Budget measures announced in October.

Reclamation Works Along Pulau Ubin Beach Deferred
by Lee Siew Hoon, Channel NewsAsia
National Development Ministry said this was to allow it to consult experts on how best to protect the marine life there.

Stylish Skyline, But No Street Life?
by Lydia Lim, Straits Times
Singpaore's cityscape is more interesting than Tokyo's, says architect Kisho Kurokawa. But it needs a new approach to urban design for more street buzz.

Adults-Only Lifestyle Shop At Orchard Road Pulls In The Crowd
by Channel NewsAsia
From vibrating toy soldiers to edible body lotions, the U4Ria outlet at Midpoint Orchard, unlike earlier novelty condom shops, touts itself as the first real sex shop along the Orchard shopping belt.

Feedback Group Proposes Independent Elections Commission
by Tan Tarn How, Straits Times
"The process of election smust be autonomous and seen as autonomous."

Appetite For Eating Out Still Poor
by Eugene Low, Business Times Singapore
Despite signs that the retail sector may be turning around, Singaporeans' appetite for dining out remains poor.

Casino In Singapore? No Dice
by Sue-Ann Chia, Straits Times
It is not the only way to woo more tourists, says Wong Kan Seng; it would only bring to life a host of social ills.

POSB Savings Deposits Above S$100,000 No Longer Tax Free From Jan
by Kenneth Wong, Channel NewsAsia
From 1 Jan next year until the end of 2004, DBS Bank will start to partially remove tax ememptions for its POSB savings accounts.

Singapore's Retailers Hit As Shoppers Turn Cautious
by Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia
Sales are down and retailers could be in for nine more months of struggle before a recovery kicks in, says Dr Jannie Tay, President of the Singapore Retailers Association.

UOB And Unions Clinch On Severance Package
by Edna Koh, Straits Times
The agreement paves the way for UOB to let go of as many as 2,000 excess employees.

Sell Night's Stay In HDB Flat, Says Reader
by Straits Times
"Singapore is about living in HDB flats... It is an unique story to tell."

PAP Spent $1.8m In November Elections
by Hwee Goh, Channel NewsAsia
In contested wards alone, the PAP spent $1m or $1.50 per voter, more than the $1.35 spent per voter in such wards in the 1997 elections.

Cheng Bock Against Idea Of Forum
by Straits Times
The man many tout as an ideal candidate for the People's Action Forum does not favour the idea.

Concert Organisers Can't Ban Food
by Arlina Arshad, Straits Times
Those going for events at Fort Canning are free to take in food and drinks, says NParks, after a recent show barred them.

Number Of IPOs Fall By More Than Half
by William Choong, Straits Times
Many that braved the weak market have fared badly but bankers are hopeful that things will improve if economy recovers.

Work On New $1.5b Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway To Begin Next Year
by Channel NewsAsia
Three quarters of the new expressway will be underground — making it the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia.

Streats Cuts Publication To 5 Days A Week
by Farah Abdul Rahim, Channel NewsAsia
Saturday edition did not serve the working commuter.

Leave Price Adjustments To Market Forces
by Straits Times
While I agree that the association should be concerned with the 'big pcicture' of protecting consumers, it may have fallen into the trap of being fixated on the magnified image of a small picture.

Pay Freeze: Singapore, Malaysia Hit Hardest
by Straits Times
10 per cent of 71 firms polled here froze workers' wages this year.

Library For The 21st Century
by Yvonne Tan, Straits Times
The new National Library will feature a number of Singapore characteristics in its architecture; including the tropical elements of the sun,w ind and greenery.

TDB And PSB Merger Talks Off, New Names In January
by Katherine Tay, Channel NewsAsia
The Ministry now thinks there is no real need to merge the two.

'Dont Make Estate Private'
by Sim Chi Yin, Straits Times
Some residents of an HUDC estate in Tampines are asking for a delay in the privatisation of the estate because they are concerned that they cannot cough up money during the recession.

Two Operators To Provide Transport System Along Singapore River
by Fiona Tan, Channel NewsAsia
With longer river coverage and more stops, it may become a viable alternative for many.

Is The Party Really Over?
by Sue-Ann Chia, Straits Times
Companies are scaling down year-end dinner-and-dance budgets, and some have scrapped the event altogether.

Singapore Government Accepts Calls For Wage Restraint To Save Jobs
by Business Times Singapore
The government also agreed with the council that companies "that are profitable and performing well should reward workers with appropriate wage increases."

More People Banned From Hiring Maids
by Paula McCoy, Straits Times
The number of people who have been banned from employing a maid because they abused their last one has risen in recent years.

Virgin, StarHub Cut SMS Rates
by Steve Dawson, Straits Times
Newcomer reacts to feedback that its service costs too much and also reduces outgoing-call rates; StarHub follows suit.

The Chinese High Wants To Go Private
by Sandra Davie, Straits Times
Independent school aims to have its own curriculum and to hire varsity lecturers and business professionals as teachers.

HSBC, Maybank And Standard Chartered To Share ATM Network
by Hong Lee Tiam, Channel NewsAsia
The three banks are teaming up to challenge the dominance of local Singapore lenders with their very own network.

Revised NWC Guidelines Aimed At Saving Jobs: SNEF President
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
The National Wages Council did not discuss cutting CPF contributions in its latest round of deliberations.

Regulatory Body Relooking Safety Of Buildings Here
by Straits Times

McDonald's Raises Prices
by Chong Chee Kin, Straits Times
Fast-food giant ups prices of some items by 7 - 10 per cent due to incrasing costs. Consumer body wants hike justified.

Business At Airport Still Slow
by Straits Times
Almost three months after the Sept 11 attacks, business is still slow at Changi Airport, say retailers there.

Singapore's Third ATM Network In The Offing
by Straits Times
A third ATM network is muc closer to becoming a reality because the two new banks can give such a network the critical mass it needs to succeed.

Singapore Leaders Goh And Lee Seek Court Judgement Against Critic
by AFP
Legal sources expect the two leaders to be awarded substantial damages based on their stature and on similar cases in the past.

MAS Awards QFB Licences To HSBC And Maybank
by Business Times
The two new QFB licences which are effective from Jan 1, are part of the liberalisation of the banking section.

Science Hub To Focus On Three Industries
by Derek Cher, Channel NewsAsia
Financial and business services, biomedical science field, and the infocomms and media industry.

Lower Public Transport Fares: Just Say Yes Or No
by John Ng tian Siong, Straits Times
In these times, I wonder whether their profits are from the subsidies that we were supposed to enjoyed.

Justify Building Sentosa Rail Link
by Norman Ng Wei Jing, Straits Times
Would it not be wasting resources and funds to build a rail link to Sentosa if it is unable to offer fresh attractions on the island?

Keppel Corp To Privatise Its Shipyard And Telecoms Units
by Derek Cher, Channel NewsAsia

PAP As The Modern Prince
by Asad Latif, Straits Times
The party needs to develop a sharper ideological profile to relate to an increasingly pragmatic populace.

Downturn May Delay Building Of Airport's Terminal 3
by Steve Dawson, Straits Times
"We want to be sure that we don't complete Terminal 3 and have it half empty."

Singapore Lure For Our Workers
by Maizatul Nazina, The Star
Singapore remains a strong pulling point for Malaysia's retrenched workers even if more jobs are likely to be affected in the coming months.

The Other Side Of .Net
by Robert X. Cringely, PBS
Why Microsoft could still fail with .Net and how they'd likely recover from that failure.

Coffeeshop Shake-Up
by Debbie Goh, Straits Times
Is competition heating up?

PM Sends 'Rules Of Prudence' Letter To PAP MPs
by Lew Siew Hoon, Channel NewsAsia
Reminding them "these are the rules, these are the standards expected of our MPs."

Voters, Not PM Goh, Decide Who Will Be NCMP
by Steve Chia, NCMP, Straits Times
It is not for the PM or any other politician but for the voters themselves to decide who they want as their MPs.

Food Street To Be Closed To Traffic
by Straits Times