SingaporeSurf

Singapore 3Q Unemployment Up To 5.9%
by Business Times
Singapore's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate surged to 5.9 per cent by the end of September with the Republic's fragile economic recovery not doing enough to absorb a rising pool of job seekers, the government said on Friday.

Singapore-Malaysia Relations — Life After Mahathir
by Radio Singapore International
"I would think that the newer generation would have less baggage than the past generation."

$40m Boost For Changi's Air Hub Status
by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times
Cash reward for every extra traveller that airlines bring in; two-year scheme has no cap.

Ministry: No Sudden Policy U-Turn
by Straits Times

Direct Bus To Senai? Don't Hold Your Breath
by Goh Chin Lian, Straits Times
Transport Minister hints that LTA may not approve bus link for budget carrier AirAsia due to 'national interests'.

KL Calls For Levy On Users Of Singapore, Malacca Straits
by Donald Urquhart, Business Times
Malaysia has publicly added its voice to those calling for a user-pays system for the Malacca and Singapore straits to spread the burden of maintaining safe navigation in the busy international waterways.

Singapore's Founding Father Speaks Out
by Maria Ressa, CNN
From British rule, to the communist war, to the brutal Japanese occupation, Lee said he learned from Singapore's violent past.

PM's Australia Remarks Put In Proper Context
by Burhan Gafoor, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Straits Times
The Prime Minister made it clear that he does not subscribe to such a view.

PM Goh: We Were Too Lax On Surpluses
by Lydia Lim, Straits Times
Indeed, he admitted, the Government even slackened in its fiscal discipline during the good years and spent too much of its surpluses in some areas.

AirAsia Backs Down On Bus Plan To Senai
by Brendan Pereira, Straits Times
It says it will seriously consider demand that it serve Singaporeans out of airports in the Republic.

Three Hurdles That DPM Lee Faces
by Chua Mui Hoong, Straits Times
What's next for PM Goh and Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew when DPM Lee becomes PM?

AirAsia Claims: Singapore Ministry Breaks Silence
by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times
Transport Ministry gives its side of the story on direct Senai bus link, departure tax and stalled talks over airline's flights to S'pore.

AirAsia Boss Raps Singapore Over Bus Link To Senai
by Goh Chin Lian, Straits Times
No official rejection but signs point 'clearly' to no-go, says CEO, who cites concern about Senai airport competition.

He Was Bron Here, Did NS Here, And Will Raise Kids Here. So Why Is This Man Stateless?
by Li Xueying, Straits Times
Turned down twice for Singapore citizenship, this reformed drug addict is upset that 'I belong nowhere'.

Censored And Original Versions Of Movies To Be Allowed
by Straits Times
But distributors would be required to wait a week before releasing a different version.

Retailers Fail To Delay GST Hike
by Straits Times
The Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) has failed in its bid to get the Government to delay raising the goods and services tax (GST) to 5 per cent, an increase that is due to take effect in January.

Bush Talks Terror With Singapore Leaders
by Associated Press
President Bush pressed for closer Asian partnerships in the war on terror, carrying his appeal Tuesday to free-trade partner Singapore and planning for a visit to Bali, Indonesia, under unusually tight security precautions.

Bush Brings Message To Singapore
by Reuters
After agreeing with Pacific Rim leaders to crack down on terror and revive world trade talks, U.S. President George W. Bush has taken his message to Singapore — but he will largely be preaching to the converted.

Singapore PM 'Just Plain Wrong'
by AAP
The federal opposition has condemned remarks by Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong that Australia needed to have a majority Asian population before it could properly engage with the region.

DPM: Singapore Free To Refer To Third Party
by Jane Ritikos, The Star
It is Singapore's prerogative to refer to an international third party its long-standing dispute with Malaysia over railway land, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Fears For Singapore's Stray Cat Multitudes
by Associated Press
The Singapore government's decision to stop sterilising stray cats has raised animal lovers' fears that more strays in this famously tidy city-state will be put to death, activists said last week.

Why Robinson Is Likely To Go To The Highest Bidder
by Wong Wei Kong, Business Times
Balancing equally the interests of shareholders, employees and customers is an ideal, but in practice, it rarely happens.

Exiled Singapore Dissident Plans Democracy Radio
by Reuters
A Muslim activist who fled Singapore in 2002 after accusations that he had defamed founding father Lee Kuan Yew plans to return via the airwaves with a message of free speech, a state-run newspaper reported on Sunday.

Low-Cost China Threatens Singapore's Electronics Recovery
by Dow Jones
The shift of manufacturing to low-cost China is undermining Singapore's electronics sector, causing structural changes that are threatening the pace of Singapore's economic recovery, the country's central bank said Friday.

Soldier's Death Sparks Commando Shake-Up
by Dominic Nathan, Straits Times
Combat survival course put on hold, top commando replaced, instructors suspended and investigations continuing.

Extremely Serious Lapse Of Conduct In Training Caused Death Of Serviceman
by S. Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean on Thursday revealed that unauthorised training caused the death of a national serviceman, Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai who died on August 21 during a Combat Survival Training course.

Singapore Air's 18-Hour Flight
by Reuters
Longest commercial flight, L.A. to Singapore, starts in February; N.Y. to Singapore flight next.

Singapore Cracks Down On Foreign Maid Agencies
by Reuters
Singapore has begun a crackdown on housekeeping agencies that ask prospective maids to sit or stand in shop windows, saying the growing practice treats them like ''commodities.''

No Direct Bus To Catch AirAsia Flight... Yet
by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times
Two bus companies have applied to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to run a direct Singapore-Senai service, but it may take up to a month to evaluate the applications.

Rocky Horror To Make Singapore Debut, 28 Years Later
by Associated Press
The cult classic "Rocky Horror Picture Show,'' which premiered in U.S. theaters almost 30 years ago, will finally make its Singapore debut, media reports said Tuesday.

New Budget Airline Gears For Take-Off
by Tammy Tan and Goh Chin Lian, Straits Times
No green light or details on destinations yet, but Singapore's Valuair ties up with DBS and looks to launch next year.

Forget Caning, It's Now The Lad Of 'Be Kind' — Or Else
by Detroit Free Press
Singapore, the Southeast Asian island that isn't shy about lashing its people into obedience, has a new behavior idea: public kindness. It is a serious effort, paid for and strongly encouraged by the government.

ISPs Join Forces With IDA To Battle Spam
by Raju Chellam, Business Times
Technical and regulatory reviews may also cover cellphone spam.

Letter From Singapore: Sex And The Single Singaporean
by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, Newsweek
Despite loosening controls, sex presents an area for improvement.

Deputy Premier Says Singapore No "Family Show"
by Reuters
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong does not see governing the nation as a family business and is prepared to ask his father to quit the cabinet if required, a newspaper said.

Is The Tri-Party Over
by Rebecca lee and Sue-Ann Chia, Straits Times
As union members who have lost their jobs become disgruntled, union leaders deliver a rare public lashing to employers.

Singapore Economy Rebounds But Economists Cautious On Outlook
by Business Times
Singapore's economy rebounded in the third quarter after a sharp Sars-led contraction in the second, the government said on Friday, but analysts were cautious that the recovery is not yet broad-based.

UN Court Rejects Malaysia Plea On Land Reclamation
by Reuters
A U.N. maritime court on Wednesday rejected a Malaysian request that it order Singapore to suspend land reclamation in the Strait of Johor but told the island state to ensure dredging did not harm the environment.

Ruling Today: Will Singapore Have To Stop Reclaiming?
by Straits Times
Tonight, Singapore finds out whether it must suspend all reclamation works around Pulau Tekong and Tuas immediately.

Decision On Singapore Reclamation Work Today
by K.Y. Pung, the Star
Malaysia will know today if the world maritime court here will order Singapore to halt its reclamation projects in the Straits of Johor.

Publishers In Singapore Are Losing Readers
by South China Morning Post
Singapore Press Holdings and other newspaper publishers experienced a decline in readership in the year through June, Nielsen Media Research said, signaling they were losing readers to the Internet.

Goh Sees Better Singapore Outlook
by Reuters
Singapore's economy posted a sharp rebound in the third quarter and the spurt may well boost 2003 growth above the official forecast of one percent, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong says in a media report.

Singapore In A Scramble For New Fighter Jets
by Geraldine Chua, Reuters
Singapore is about to spend more than US$1 billion on 20 warplanes to replace its ageing A-4SU Super Skyhawk combat jets in its biggest-ever fighter jet investment.

Parents Petition Against Breastfeeding 'Misinformation' On MediaCorp Show
by Teo Pau Lin, Straits Times
More than 50 parents turned up in town on Sunday to sign a petition against the image a current MediaCorp TV drama is presenting on breastfeeding.

Malaysia Regrets Singapore's Attitude
by The Star
Malaysia regrets that Singapore is continuing with its reclamation works in the Johor Straits despite the case being brought before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Andrea De Cruz Awarded Almost S$900,000 In Slim 10 Case
by Asha Popatial, Channel NewsAsia
Television actress Andrea De Cruz, who suffered liver failure, has won a lawsuit against distributors of diet pill Slim 10 and was awarded damages amounting to almost S$900,000.

Bankrupt One.99 Shop Founder Set For Comeback
by Corinne Kerk, Business Times
Sim Wong Hoo's private vehicle to buy One.99 Shop trademark.

S$9.99 AirAsia Tickets Being Sold At Singapore Post Offices
by Johnson Choo, Channel NewsAsia
Malaysia's AirAsia starts its budget flights from Senai to Kuala Lumpur from 22 October and tickets can be bought at five post offices in Singapore.