SingaporeSurf

Quick Switch For HDB Shop Tenants
by Straits Times
HDB has simplified the procedures for shop tenants wanting to change company names or the type of business.

Fined Singapore Politician Loses Chance To Stand In Poll
by Amy Tan, Reuters
Singapore opposition politician Chee Soon Juan lost his chance to contest the next general election when he was slapped with a fine on Tuesday for spearking in public without a permit.

Chee 'Ignored Police Advice'
by Straits Times

EZ-Link Report Card: Fewer Glitches With Card Now
by Karamjit Kaur and Bryan Lee, Straits Times
Some bus commuters still have problems with the new fare-paying system, but number of refunds given has been falling.

Esplanade Centre Turns To Government For Funding Aid
by Straits Times
The company running Singapore's newest theatre complex at the Esplanade looks set to be in the read - and the government may lend a hand.

Getting A Raw Deal From Raw Fish?
by Suzanne Sng, Straits Times
Eating cockles came under scrutiny recently due to the rise of Hepatitis A cases. Should one also be wary of eating other raw food like the much-loved sashimi?

Getting More Than Just 'Civil Service'
by Arlina Arshad, Straits Times
Public-sector agencies are raising service standards in a bid to shed their one-size-fits-all image.

Kampung Boys Across Causeway All Grown Up
by Tan Tarn How, Straits Times
In many aspects, the Malaysian capital has charms exceeding our city state, which go beyond the boulevards and avenues.

High Standard Of Service In HK An Eye-Opener
by Hansen Yeong Meng Fei, Straits Times
This dynamic spirit in the provision of service is missing in Singapore.

Women Treated Equally In Civil Service
by Jean Tan, Minister for Manpower, Straits Times
The lack of women in the Cabinet and the top level of the public sector is not evidence of discrimination.

Priceline, Yahoo! In Asia Join Forces
by Internet.com

Remaking Singapore
by Straits Times
Some things to wish for.

Competition Spurs Malaysia And Singapore
by Tan Tarn How, Straits Times
Complementary developments can benefit both and should be takeni n a positive light, said ex-Malaysian DPM.

MAS Reviewing Guidelines On Car Financing
by Christopher Tan, Business Times Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore is examining current guidelines on car loans to see if they are still relevant, and could come to a decision soon.

Seniority Wage System 'Flawed'
by Straits Times
Lim Boon Heng defends unions' support for CPF rate freeze, citing older workers' difficulty in finding jobs after layoffs.

Unwise To Have Only Two Local Banking Groups
by Oh Kim Chong, Straits Times
To do so will be to court economic suicide.

Singapore June CPI Up 0.10%
by Business Times Singapore
On a year-on-year, consumer prices were mostly higher, except for housing.

Civil Service Plans CPF Top-Up For Older Staff
by Bertha Henson, Straits Times

CPF Cuts: Fast Action Or Quick Fix?
by Laurel Teo, Straits Times
Freezing CPF contributions a wquick fix that won't secure jobs if seniority-based system not addressed, warn some MPs.

Private Feeder Services Allowed On Trial Basis
by Straits Times
Private bus operators who wish to run feeder services in HDB towns must meet the same service standards that are imposed on public bus operators, Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said.

Government Accepts All Proposals On CPF, HDB, Taxation
by Edna Koh, Straits Times
The government on Monday accepted all the proposals made by the Economic Review Committee's sub committee on taxation, the CPF system, wages and land.

Singapore Denies Local Air Buy
by AFP
Singapore Airlines has dismissed a report that it is backing a consortium that is preparing to enter the lucrative but failure-strewn Australian domestic aviation market.

Merrill: What If CPF Can't Be Restored?
by Andrea Tan, Business Times Singapore
"Few of the longer term, big issues in Singapore have been addressed."

CPF Pension Plan Proposal Worries Funds Industry
by Genevvieve Cua, Business Times Singapore
Hug source of funds for unit trusts seen drying up.

Zoo Exodus Blamed On Management Style Clash
by Krist Boo, Straits Times
Uneasy integration with Jurong Bird Park responsible for departures of the top brass, say past and present employees.

PM To People: Snap Out Of Gloom
by Straits Times
Focus on Singapore's bright economic future instead of issues like the transport-fare hikes, says Prime Minister.

Syed Hamid: Loopholes In Water Pact Must Be Plugged
by Mazwin Nik Anis, The Star
There cannot be any new deal with Singapore based on the water agreements signed in 1961 and 1962 because they have several weakness and loopholes, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

Recession-Hit Singapore Embraces The Blues
by Jonathan Landreth, Reuters
Singapore embraced the blues on a steamy summer night, looking to ease the pain of its worst recession in 37 years with plenty of cold beer and an outdoor air conditioning system.

Government Offers More Options For Top Scholars
by Laurel Teo, Straits Times
To get more exposure, they can do private-sector stint overseas and move on to do management and policy work.

Proposed CPF Property Cap Inconsistent: Daiwa
by Andrea Tan, Business Times Singapore
The proposal to cap withdrawal limit at 120 percent of property value appears to be inconsistent with the government's aim of discouraging over-investment in property.

Keep Up Or Lose Licence, Doctors Here Told
by Straits Times
They need to earn points through courses or self-study programmes to ensure their skills and knowledge get upgraded.

Safe Singapore Hit By Crime Wave
by Kornelius Purba, BBC
The Singaporean authorities are worried that their city's reputation as one of the world's safest may be in jeopardy.

SIA In Taipei Airport Mishap
by Reuters
Taiwan aviation officials say a Singapore Airlines plane was on the wrong taxiway at Taipei airport — the scene of a deadly SIA crash in 2000 — when its wing hit two objects before taking off.

20% Extra In Retirement Savings
by Straits Times

1 In 2 Borrowers May Be Affected Once CPF Cap Kicks In
by Soh Wen Lin, Straits Times
And once the proposed 120 percent cap is in place, nine ouf of 10 borrowers may be affected.

Low-Wage Earners May 'Spend It All'
by Neo Hui Min, Straits Times
Unionists raise this concern due to workers getting more take-home pay under CPF minimum-wage proposal.

Bank Loans For Some HDB Buyers
by Lydia Lim, Straits Times
Those who do not qualify for subsidies may soon be allowed to turn to banks to get mortgage loans at market rates.

Singapore's Water Reclamation 'World's Most Advanced'
by Straits Times
Singapore's water reclamation platn, which produces water that has been proven to be cleaner than tap water, is possibly the most advanced in the world.

Need A Mate? In Singapore, Ask The Government
by Dan Murphy, The Christian Science Monitor
Singapore's Social Development Unit and programs like it have helped earn this tiny nation a reputation as the ultimate nanny state.

A Fine Balancing Act
by Vikram Khanna, Business Times Singapore
The proposals, which retain the main pillars of the CPF scheme, are realistic.

Doubts Linger Over Job Prospects
by Straits Times
Older workers were not convinced that a lower CPF rate would improve their chances of finding re-employment.

Banks May Become More Cautious In Giving Loans
by Straits Times
Analysts say bank will weigh the fact that older borrowers won't have as much of their CPF in paying loans as before.

Bringing The CPF Back To Its Roots - Carefully
by Tammy Tan, Straits Times
It is clear that the committee was quite concerned with one element of arguably the world's most successful pension-fund system: The reliance on property as an asset.

Taxpayers Bear Cost Of Rectification
by Siew Ngung Chia, Straits Times
Without accountability, civil servants may use public funds freely to try out new designs without in-depth analysis.

SyBase ASE To Ship This Week
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The Early Adopter Program provides free use of ASE 12.5 on Mac OS X with free newsgroup support until the product is generally available in September.

Singapore CPF Proposals Put Emphasis On Retirement Security
by Business Times Singapore
A Singapore government economic review panel today proposed widespread changes to the compulsory state pension fund, aimed at ensuring people have enough cash for retirement.

Operators May Lose Seats In PTC
by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times
Minister Yeo won't give a firm 'yes' but says the tree execs in the council can be resource people rathe rather than members.

New Life For Old Parliament House
by Vladimir Guevarra, Straits Times
The National Arts Council is planning to turn about 940 sq m of space in the old Parliament House into a food and beverage-cum-retail development.

Singaporeans Don't Expect Free Lunches
by Lim Boon Hee, Straits Times
And if there is no 'free lunch', then who paid the bill for the $388 million mistake by the IDA?

Cabinet Should Not Sideline MPs
by Tan Kok Tim, Straits Times

HK Comparison Unfair
by Cheryl Lee Zi Du, Straits Times
Do not assume that the situation in other counrties is similar to that in Singapore.

PAP Backbenchers Should Get Out Front
by Bertha Henson, Straits Times
The hitherto cosy closed-door sessions between ministers, bureaucrats and backbenchers kill the MPs' credibility and breeds public cynicism towards the political process.

Fares Too High? Hop On A Free Bus
by Arlina Arshad and Wong Sher Maine, Straits Times
Amid rising public-transport fares, a growing number of shopping malls and hotels are offering free shuttle services.

Jakarta Has To 'Shed Big Country Image'
by Derwin Pereira, Straits Times
Indonesia has to shed its self-imposed image of acting like a 'big country' in its relations with Singapore, a respected scholar said yesterday.

RI-Singapore Relations Suffer From Misperception
by Berni K. Moestafa, Jarkata Post
Indonesia and Singapore's bilateral ties suffer from public misperception about each other, while new challenges affecting the region have emerged that must be tackled together, foreign policy experts from both sides said on Friday.

Can Singapore GLCs Succeed Overseas?
by Owen Belman, Business Times Singapore

CPF Deductions Provided For Under Law
by Matthew Wong, CPF Board, Straits Times
DPS is provided for under the CPF Act.

Singapore Won't Agree To One-Sided Water Agreement: DPM Lee
by Channel NewsAsia
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said Singapore will not give in to a one-sided water agreement with Malaysia.

Rep: Time For Senai Airport To Go International
by The Star
ìWhile the Singapore market should not be neglected, we now have to explore further and attract the foreign tourists to land here instead of Singapore."

Singapore Firms Becoming More Family Friendly To Promote Productivity
by Business Times Singapore
Singapore companies are seen to be investing more in the welfare of their staff as a way to boost productivity as they struggle through the Republic's worst recession.

All 21 DBS Hacking Victims Were Broadband Users
by Catherine Ong, Business Times Singapore
Broadband's fixed charges lead many to leave PCs logged on permanently.

IDA Must Make Amends For $388m Mistake
by Straits Times

Auditor-General Uncovers 35 Lapses In Government's Accounts
by Sim Chi Yin, Straits Times
Some ministries and stat boards had failed to collect money owned or overpaid for services, others had over-collected fees.

Unemployed Singaporeans Picky Over Work Conditions
by Business Times Singapore
Retrenched Singaporeans are willing to take a smaller wage cheque and even switch careers to find a job but they are less flexible when it comes to working conditions, a government report said today.

Too Early To Say Recovery Is Here
by Anna Teo, Business Times Singapore

Operators To Cut Ez-Link Failure Rate
by Straits Times
Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said yesterday he has asked transport operators and TransitLink, which issues the card, to reduce the error rate.

Clear Signal Of Recovery Ahead
by Narendra Aggarwal, Straits Times
Singapore's economy has bounced back strongly, with a healthy 3.2 percent growth for the April-June quarter, after a bleak 12 months of shrinkage.

SCV To Stop Airing Malaysian TV Channels
by Straits Times
The move came because the suppliers of foreign movies and dramas have only given rights to the two stations to show these programmes in Malaysia, but not in Singapore.

Better Services Come At A Price: Khaw
by Straits Times
Mr Khaw Boon Wan, the Senior Minister of State for Transport and Information, Communications and the Arts, yesterday explained why people were wrong about the reasons for the increases and why members of the Public Transport Council do not deserve the abuse that has been thrown at them.

MPs Scrutinise Bus, Train Fare Hikes
by Lydia Lim, Straits Times
They question need for increases when people are struggling financially but transport companies are making profits.

Singapore Relaxes Nanny Law For Malaysian Caregivers
by Business Times Singapore
Expectant mothers in Singapore can now apply instantly for permits to bring in Malaysian nannies or choose from a growing pool of local nursemaids, the Manpower Ministry said today.

Malaysia To 'Rework' Water Price Hike: Syed Hamid
by Eddie Toh, Business Times Singapore
Malaysia is to 'rework' its earlier proposal to jack up by 100 times the price of raw water it supplies to Singapore because the Republic has not accepted it, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar indicated yesterday.

Wear And Tear Or Shoddy Work?
by Laurel Teo, Straits Times
MPs want the HDB to take responsibility for ceiling problems but the authorities say it is up to residents to fix the defects.

12 Bills Passed, But So Many Missed Chances
by Tan Tarn How, Straits Times
On a day in which the fare-hike debate did not materialise, MPs failed to ask vital questions and got unsatisfactory replies.

Campus Of New Poly Has No Lecture Theatres
by Tracy Quek, Straits Times
Instead of a lecture-tutorial system, Republic Polytechnic will use approach allowing students to learn by solving problems posed by teachers.

IDA Error Should Not Be Excused
by Edwin Yeo Tee Yeok, Straits Times
If this mistake goes unpunished, it will only encourage a culture where civil servants think they can simply make decisions without taking any care, because they can go about making mistakes without ever having to account for them.

Agreement On Water Will Clear Way For Other Issues: KL
by Business Times Singapore
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar today said solving the water issue with Singapore will pave the way for a settlement of other outstanding bilateral issues.

Asia Embarks On Single Currency Voyage A La Europe
by Natsuko Waki, Reuters
Five years after the Asian crisis, the contours of a future regional currency regime are starting to emerge with a study that calls for the creation of a currency basket system and ultimately a single Asian currency.

Residents Slam Design Of Sengkang Blocks
by Lydia Lim, Straits Times
They say covered linkways let rain in, many of the block signs are hidden from visitors and lift lobbies are in constant darkness.

Malaysia Reveals Asking Price For Water
by Reme Ahmad, Straits Times
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said when the two countries meet again for talks next month, Kuala Lumpur plans to give Singapore a 'notice to review prices', to sell untreated Johor water at 60 sen (S$0.28 cents) per 1,000 gallons between now and 2007.

Online Bank Suffers Chinese Takeaway
by Nick Farrell, vnunet.com

Subsidising Public Services Is Ruinous
by Lim Bee Khim, for Permanent Secretary (Transport), Straits Times
Subsidy is kept to only capital expenditure. The government stays away from subsidising the consumption aspect of public transport.

Public Money, But Who Does Public TV Serve?
by Tan Tarn How, Straits Times
Should Ah Lee pay for television programmes which only Ali wants to watch?

IT Workers Likely To See Higher Salaries
by Straits Times
Two in three companies expect to raise salaries 3 to 4 per cent this year, while the rest have projected a wage freeze.

Coming Soon: More Screens Near You
by Krist Boo, Straits Times
Relaxed advertising rules and increased spending on ads have pushed up demand for giant video screens around the city.

Thinking The Unthinkable
by Trish Saywell, Far Eastern Economic Review
Economic integration between Malaysia and Singapore may seem far-fetched today but could one day become a mutually beneficial reality.

Building A Whole New Mindset
by Far Eastern Economic Review
Singapore needs to revitalize its economy. But to do so means changing the way everyone thinks, from people in high places to the person on the street.

IDA's $388m Error An Honest Mistake
by Lim Soo Ping, Prime Minister's Office, Straits Times
A lesson has been learnt from the error. But it would be inappropriate to punish the review committee or any of its members for it.

IDA Will Ensure Similar Errors Don't Recur
by Jennifer Toh, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Straits Times
IDA has determined that this was an isolated, not systemic, mistake. It was not the result of a systemic error or negligence on the part of the officers responsible.

Why Must Singaporeans Control Banks Here?
by Derek Clarence Zhu You Cheng, Straits Times
By watching on the sidelines as the global banking world consolidates, we run the risk of joining the game late.

Sentosa Plans Lower Admission Rates, Cheaper Drive-In To Attrack Visitors
by Channel NewsAsia
The island hopes to start charging just $2 from as early as September in time for the one-week school break.

Price No Longer A Weapon In Telco War
by Sue-Ann Chia, Straits Times
When MobileOne (M1) cut its prices last week, the three other telecommunications operators just shrugged it off.

Tougher Now To Have Number Portability
by Chang Ai-Lien, Straits Times
Hongkong software experts involved in implementing the service in the special administrative region said that the choice would add millions of dollars to the $100 million it is expected to cost should they decide to implement mobile-number portability (MNP) here.

Singapore's Temasek To Cut Stakes In Some Firms
by Business Times Singapore
Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment agency, said today it would hold on to companies with strategic interests such as utilities, reduce its stake in some and even divest businesses that are no longer relevant.

Singaporeans See Red Over Series Of Price Hikes
by The News International, Pakistan
Singaporeans, accustomed to living a relatively comfortable life, are up in arms over a spate of price rises to essential services at a time when wages are being cut and jobs lost.

Singapore Muslim Activist Under Defamation Probe
by Reuters
Singapore police are investigating a local Muslim rights activist for criminal defamation after he posted several articles about prominent politicians and personalities on the Internet.

Future Payouts Won't Include Tax Element: IDA
by Catherine Ong, Business Times Singapore
Infocomm Development Authority said yesterday it has learnt from its $388 million mistake and will not in future include provisions for tax in any compensation it has to pay.

Singapore Employers Cautiosly Hiring
by Chuang Peck Ming, Business Times Singapore
Firms reviewing talent pool and trying to attract people who can add value: consultant.

Singaporeans Must Control Singapore Banks: DPM
by Straits Times
But if size becomes a critical success factor, then MAS would have no choice but to let them 'marry somebody outside'.

Requests Not Met, So Singapore Did Not Back Taiwan Bid
by Straits Times
Singapore did not support the accession because Taiwan had discriminated against Singapore by not offering it some concessions under the GPA.

IDA Should Account For Negligence
by Ron Tank Aik Ti, Straits Times
If our senior civil servants are to have their salaries pegged to those in the private sector, they will have to accept similar responsibilities.

Singapore Inc Set To Chart New Course
by Jacqueline Wong, Reuters
Singapore's investment arm Temasek Holdings is expected to signal its intentions toward some of the 40 major companies under its charge when it unveils a new charter or mission statement on Wednesday, analysts said.

Malaysia, Singapore Unveil Pricing And Supply Plan On First Day Of Talks
by Mergawati Zulfakar and Sim Leoi Leoi, The Star
Syed Hamid said yesterdayís meeting went very well and was held in a cordial manner. However, he cautioned that the meeting would not be able to settle all the issues in the package.

Stop Justifying, And Listen To The People
by Michael Seah Swee Lim, Straits Times
What the public and consumer wanted was a consideration. What they got was not even an explanation, but a justification.

Prove Bank's Negligence To Get Compensation: Lawyers
by Straits Times
Although the issue of 'who pays and when' depends on the terms of the contract you sign, most contracts give the banks the upper hand.

Singapore, KL Cautious About Reaching Pact At Talks
by Straits Times
The ministers expressed cautious optimism that an agreement could be reached over two days of talks that would settle differences over water, the use of Malaysian air space by Singapore's air force, a proposed bridge, and the location of customs and immigration facilities.

Malaysia And Singapore Grapple With Water Dispute
by Barani Krishnan, Reuters
Malaysia and Singapore began talks on Monday to try to seal a tricky deal on water supply for Singapore, the thorniest bilateral issue between the two neighbours.