SingaporeSurf

LTA Unveils New Rules For Motorised Bicycles
by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
They must be battery-operated and there are now speed limits and a minimum age for riders.

Malaysian Poultry Back In Singapore But AVA Will Impose Stricter Checks
by The Star
Trucks carrying more than 120,000 chickens, 2,000 ducks and 1.3 million eggs a day from Malaysia will start rolling into Singapore following the city state's decision to partially lift the six-week-old ban.

Opposition MPs Criticise SingPower Over Vouchers
by Sue-Ann Chia, Straits Times
"A scheme to help the poor had been made into a political activity."

MOFA Backtracks On Singapore
by Taipei Times

Singapore Resumes Poultry Import From Johor And Malacca
by K. Saithuruka, The Star
Singapore will import poultry and eggs exclusively from Johor and Malacca starting tomorrow because it is confident the products are safe, Malaysia's Argiculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

Taiwan Acknowledges Minister's 'Improper Wording' On Singapore
by Bloomberg
Taiwan Foreign Minister Chen Tan-sun, who dismissed Singapore as "a country the size of a booger," regretted his "improper wording," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Michel Lu.

Flats-To-Condos Finds No Takers
by Daryl Loo, Straits Times
In an unusual bid to cut its stock of 10,000 unsold flats, the Housing Board has asked private developers to buy entire blocks for conversion into condominiums. But the group sounded out, the Real Estate Developers' Association, has said 'no'.

Singapore Partially Lifts Ban On Poultry From Malaysia
by Business Times
Singapore partially lifted its ban on poultry from Malaysia, saying it was satisfied with steps authorities there have taken to contain the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Taiwan Minister Slams George Yeo's Comments
by Straits Times
Mr Chen described Singapore as 'a tiny country no bigger than nose dropping' in an agry response to BG (NS) Yeo, who said in his speech that Taiwan could drag in other countries if it continued to pursue independence.

See Also: MOFA Slams Singapore's U.N. Remarks
by Taiwan News
"How dare a little country criticize Taiwan and former President Lee Teng-hui at the United Nations?"

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Registers Of Electors Open For Inspection
by M Nirmala, Straits Times
The list of Singaporeans here and overseas who are eligible to vote in the next Presidential and general elections is open for inspection from Tuesday at community clubs and centres, and at designated embassies and consulates abroad.

Singaporean FM's Words Prompted By China, MOFA Says
by Melody Chen, Taipei Times
Pressure from China was one of the reasons Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo warned Taiwan not to move toward independence at the UN Generaly Assembly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

Singapore's First Transsexual Beauty Pageant A Sell-Out Success
by AFP
An audience of 1,350 people watched 13 finalists compete for the title of Miss Tiffany Singapore, based on the famous Thai contest of the same name, at the city-state's biggest in-house restaurant.

Amnesty Launches Appeal For Singapore Opposition Politican
by Associated Press
Amnesty International on Monday said that a defamation ruling likely to bankrupt a key opposition leader may "inhibit political life in Singapore" and called for a letter-writing campaign to support the embattled politician.

Radical Shift In School Ranking Lists
by Sandra Davie, Straits Times
Banding replaces ranking of secondary schools and there is now a greater emphasis on the non-academic areas.

Singapore Companies Will Be Worse Off If Unions Oppose Outsourcing: Swee Say
by Yvonne Cheong, Channel NewsAsia
"The change that we're going through will be a continuous process and this change has no beginning and no end."

New Checks Proposed For Charities
by Theresa Tan, Straits Times
Stricter rules for greater transparency demand more details of income and expenses and salaries of top three execs.

Singaporeans Flock Back To US Universities
by Sandra Davie, Straits Times
Singapore students are heading back in droves to American universities, encouraged by the economic upturn and shorter wait for student visas.

Focus Turns To A ComfortDelgro, SMRT Deal
by Ven Sreenivasan, Business Times
ComfortDelgro's stock rises on talk it may sell loss-making NEL.

Rivalry 'Won't Work For MRT'
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
The chairman of ComfortDelGro wants one operator for trains and another for buses because 'it's plain to see that competition for certain industries doesn't work in a small economy such as ours'.

SMRT To Crack Down On Commuters Crossing Yellow Lines To Prevent Accidents
by Yvonne Cheong, Channel NewsAsia
Land Transport Authority and SMRT say they will not install physical barriers at the 35 above-ground stations.

Foreign Players To Remain Shut Out From Singapore's Media
by AFP
Foreign players will remain barred from becoming involved in Singapore's media despite the government wanting to increase competition in the industry.

Singapore Issues Bomb Alert
by AFP
Singapore has issued another warning about terrorists' intentions to attack soft targets in the city-state following the deadly bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta, reports said today.

Singapore To Send Team To Explore Islamic Banking
by Associated Press
Singapore's central bank will send a team to the Middle East to explore Islamic banking in a bid to boost the city-state's standing as a financial center, senior minister Goh Chok Tong said Sunday.

Singaporeans Are Paying For Personal Services
by Arlina Arshad, Straits Times
Personalised services are a hit with those pressed for time.

Government Right To Open Up Media Industry: PM Lee
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
If a new player comes in and wants to start a newspaper or a new TV channel, the proposal will be examined.

Singapore Ban On Import Of Poultry From Malaysia To Be Lifted Next Week
by Raslan Baharom, The Star
Singapore's ban on the import of poultry and eggs from Malaysia, particularly from Johor and Malacca, is expected to be lifted next week.

Singapore Warns Of Deadly Illness
by BBC News
Authorities in Singapore have expressd concern about the rising death toll from the tropical disease melioidosis.

Singapore Media Firms Roll Back Competition
by Reuters
The end of this experiment is not the first failed attempt at introducing media competition to the island of four million people.

Singapore May Post Double-Digit Growth In 2004
by Bloomberg
Singapore' economy may expand more than 10 percent this year for the first time in a decade, Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen said. That would give the city-state Asia's fastest growth rate, overtaking China.

Singapore Air Wage Pact "Only The Beginning" — Lee Kuan Yew
by Dow Jones

Should We Switch To Taxing Current Income, Asks MOF
by Derrick A Paulo, Today
The government is considering a switch to a current-year basis of assessment, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. This would result in companies and workers having to pay income-tax on what they earn currently, rather than on income from the previous year.

SingTel Sells Stake In Today
by Straits Times
Less than a month after transport operator SMRT Corp sold its stake in the company that puts out the Today newspaper, telecommunications company SingTel did likewise yesterday.

Singapore Extends Detention For Terror Suspects
by AFP
Singapore has extended for another two years the detention orders on 17 suspected Islamic militants accused of terrorist plots against foreign and local targets.

Singapore Highway Collapse Caused By 'Glaring' Safety Lapses
by Associated Press
The cave-in of a newly excavated subway tunnel that left four construction workers dead in Singapore earlier this year was likely caused by lapses in basic safety guidelines, an inquiry board has said.

Fancy A Massage At 3 In The Morning?
by Jose Raymond, Today
All-night spas and massage parlours with liquor licences could soon be available in Singapore if the police's licensing division accepts recommendations made by the Advisory Panel on Licensing.

Plenty Of Cinderellas Still Live In Singapore
by Daily Times
Absurd demands imposed on foreign maids by their employers include killing a cockroach before going to bed at night and hiding in the kitchen when the husband returns from work, a check of maid agencies in Singapore found.

Changes In School: Too Many And Too Fast, Says Students
by M. Nirmala, Straits Times
And 1 in 3 feels education system puts too little stress on character development.

Singapore Studying KL's Plan To Keep Johor, Malacca Bird Flu Free
by Walter Fernandez, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore is studying Malaysia's plan and if it is satisfied, will consider lifting the ban on Malaysian poultry and eggs from these states, even before Kelantan is declared safe.

Tough Window Law Floods Contractors With Calls
by Joyce Teo and Tan Hui Yee, Straits Times

SAT No Longer A Must For Enty To SMU
by Sandra Davie, Straits Times

No Golden Years For These Women
by Vivi Zainol, Straits Times
Help needed for those in their 50s to 80s with no job, CPF nor anyone to turn to.

AVA Continues With Suspension Of Poultry And Eggs From Malaysia
by Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterianary Authority (AVA) will continue to suspend poultry and eggs from Malaysia, following a second case of bird flu detected in Kelantan.

Students Catch Singapore Fever
by Newindpress.com
After Australia, United States and Britain, now it's Singapore's turn to aggressively spread their education market in India.

LTA Looking At Safety Of Open MRT Platforms
by Tanya Fong, Straits Times
Barriers may be installed; MRT staff will patrol stations.

Apology: Temasek
by The Economist
We admit and acknowledge that the allegations are false and completely without foundation.

Speakers' Corner Turns Four
by Tor Ching Li, Today
Regular speaker commemorates anniversary with marathon 'rally'.

Oct 2005 Deadline To Fix Unsafe Windows
by Tan Hui Yee, Straits Times
Aluminium rivets must be replaced with steel ones if they are more than five years old; penalty is a fine or jail term.

HDB May Sell Directly To Singles Again In Future
by Andrea Tan, Business Times
But Mah says for now, government wants to reserve new flats for families.

Civil Service To Cut 8,100 Jobs Over 3 Years
by Straits Times
Over the next three years, government agencies must cut their staff by 3 per cent annually — or cough up $10,000 a year for each extra officer.