SingaporeSurf

Singapore's Economic Growth Hit 8.1% This Year: PM Lee
by Debra Soon, Channel NewsAsia

Casino Operators Grasp Singapore Concept
by Steven Mihailovich, Las Vegas Business Press

Singapore Hopeful Of Open Skies Talks
by The Age
Singapore was hopeful progress could be made on an "open skies" agreement with Australia giving the island state access to lucrative airline routes into the Pacific region, Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said.

7 Singaporeans Confirmed Dead, 18 Still Missing In Tsunami Disaster
by Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singaporeans had to be realistic and realise that out of the many uncontactable, some may not return.

Singapore Tries To Placate Casino Critics
by Linus Chua, Bloomberg
It vows to curb gambling by locals amid concern over social impact.

Look Up! It's A Speed Camera
by Goh Chin Lian, Straits Times
Traffic police are using mobile cameras on bridges.

To Get Into A Casino, Pay $100 A Day Or $2,000 A Year
by Glenys Sim and Kelvin Wong, Straits Times
Singaporeans and permanent residents will have to pay $100 a day or $2,000 a year to get into the casino if one is built here. The Trade and Industry Ministry yesterday said that the entrance fees were a signal that gambling was not a way to make a living.

LTA To Build Boon Lay MRT Extension
by Channel NewsAsia
The LTA will be extending the East West Line from Boon Lay Station westwards into the Jurong Industrial Estate.

Production Declines In Singapore
by Stephanie Phang, Bloomberg

Cut Waste In System, Not Corners
by Salma Khalik, Straits Times
With the cost of health care going up every year, the Ministry of Health has turned its sights to tackling the inefficiencies of the system.

Singapore Feels Tremors From Massive Indonesia Earthquake
by Channel NewsAsia
Tremors were felt in parts of Singapore early Sunday from a massive earthquake that struck Indoensia's Sumatra island.

Return CPF Money, Singapore Told
by Malaysia Star
The national airspace should not be traded for the release of the RM2bil in pensions belonging to Malaysians which is now locked in Singapore's Central Provident Fund, Johor Umno deputy chief Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.

Singapore, Australia Ministers To Meet On Open Skies Deal
by Bloomberg
Singapore Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said he will be meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson "in the coming months" to discuss an open skies agreement.

Singapore Not To Allow All-Gay Public Parties
by China Daily

Singapore Slashes Port Fees To Stay Competitve
by Associated Press
Singapore will slash some port fees by as much as 50 per cent next year in order to stay competitive, Transport Minister Yeo Choew Tong said on Tuesday.

AIDS Ignorance High In Singapore — Survey
by AFP

Singapore Leader Doubts Economic Union
by Associated Press
East Asia is so diverse that it would take a long time for the region to craft an economic community similar to that of the European Union, Singapore's founding father said.

SnowBall Party Should Not Be Gays Only
by Straits Times
Lee Hsien Loong: "We allowed ti and we made it quite clear that it had to be a party which was not targeted at gays alone... As the party turned out, our sense of it was that it was beyond what we were prepared to accept. So we said no."

Singapore To Impose Mosquito Fine
by BBC News
Singapore is to fine people who allow mosquitoes to breed in their homes, as the city state attempts to curb cases of dengue fever.

Gay Party No-Go 'A Signal Not To Push Limits'
by Tracy Quek, Straits Times
Socilogists and MPs contacted said events where homosexuals engage in public displays of affection may have taken the opening up of Singapore a bit further than what the authorities are prepared for.

No Casino Intention: Raffles Holdings
by Straits Times
"Raffles Holdings periodically reserves names related to its corporate brand. This is in order to protect our brand equity and as a defensive measure to prevent others from using it in the hospitality and related industries."

Singapore Waits On Regulatory Review
by John Burton, Financial Times
Singapore's financial authorities yesterday said it would be "premature" to make regulatory changes in response to the derivatives scandal at local-listed China Aviation Oil as they responded to mounting criticism about corporate governance in the city-state.

Newater To Cost Less From Next Year
by Alexis Hooi and Radha Baasu, Straits Times
The announcement came as the PUB awarded the contract to built and run Singapore's fourth and largest Newater plant. The improved membranc etechnology that helped keppel clinch the 20-year contract to supply Newater also allows the PUB to sell the water more cheaply.

Malaysian Muslims Warn Against 'US Agent' Singapore
by AFP
Hardline Islamists warned Malaysia's government Tuesday against allowing Singapore's air force to use its airspace, saying it would threaten the country's sovereignty because Singapore was an agent of the United States.

Scholars And That Second Chance
by Lee Ching Wern, Today
The Public Service Commission, which manages the various government scholarship schemes, has been supportive of scholars who hit a bad patch while studying.

Mustapa: Malaysia And Singapore Can Tackle Competition Jointly
by Zazali Musa, The Star
Competition between Malaysia and Singapore should not hinder the two countries from forging better economic co-oepration for their mutual benefit.

Two White Rhinos Born At Singapore Zoo
by Associated Press
Endangered white rhinos have given birth to two young at the Singapore Zoo, an official said Monday.

Talks With Singapore To Take Off Again Monday
by Mergawati Zulfakar, Malaysia Star

It's No Go For Planned Christmas 'Gay Party'
by Tanya Fong, Straits Times
A Christmas party, organised for the past two years by local subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based gay online portal, has had its licence application for thisyear's party turned down.

Tuition Fees Go Up At NUS And NTU
by Sandra Davie, Straits Times
Undergraduates at the NUS and NTU will pay nearly 5 per cent more — an extra $280 per year — when the acadmic year begins in August.

Two Prime Orchard Road Plots To Go On Market
by Tan Hui Yee, Straits Times
On eplot is at the junction of Orchard and Paterson Roads, the other next to the Specialists' Shopping Centre.

SPH, MediaCorp Lay Off Over 200
by Associated Press
State-owned broadcaster MediaCorp and Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. said Tuesday that they will shut down an English language channel and lay off more than 200 employees ahead of a merger of their mass market TV and free newspaper operations.

Government Okays Media Merger, With Strings Attached
by Joyce Teo, Laurel Teo and Sherwin Loh, Straits Times
MediaCorp TV must continue to provide local content on its free-to-air TV channels, said the MDA.

Singapore Moots Pre-Marriage HIV Test
by Reuters
Couples in Singapore may face mandatory HIV tests before marrying, Singapore media report, a week after the government said all pregnant women would be screened for HIV/AIDS to stem a rise in new infections.

2-Year-Delay For Stage 1 Of Circle Line
by Li Xueying, Straits Times
Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong announced the delay when he spoke to the media yesterday at the reopening of the Nicoll Highway.

Singapore Reduces Entry Permit Fee
by Mazwin Nik Anis, Malaysia Star
Foreign-registered vehicles entering Singapore can now enjoy a lower Vehicle Entry Permit fee in a move to attract more visitors to the island.

Election? Too Soon, If You Ask Me
by Laurel Teo, Straits Times
Lee Kuan Yew thinks it's too soon for the new government to go to the polls.

Singapore Tries To Limit $550m Trading Scandal
by John Burton, Financial Times
The Singapore Exchange scrambled yesterday to limit damage from the biggest scandal to hit it since rogue British trader Nick Leeson felled Barings bank, ordering an inquiry into a $550m derivatives loss by a Chinese company.

Singapore Using Residency Bait To Lure Rich Foreigners
by AFP
Rich foreigners can gain immediate permanent residency in Singapore if they park five million Singapore dollars in local financial instituions, under a new scheme unveiled by the city-state's central bank.

Singapore Warns Taiwan-China Conflict Likely, Fears Fallout
by Jack Lloyd-Smith, Associated Press
The chances of armed conflict across the Taiwan Strait are high, Singapore's government said Tuesday, warning that such a confrontation would derail Asia's economic growth.

HK Press: PSA Takes HK Port Stake For HK$2.6 Billion
by Dow Jones
PSA International will pay at least HK$2.6 billion for majority control of Asia Container Terminals, giving Singapore's state-owned port operator the strategic foothold in Hong Kong's port that it has long coveted, reports the South China Morning Post.

PSA Gains Foothold In HK Port Operations
by Nicholas Fang, Straits Times