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by Singapore Democratic Party
by Ca-Mie De Souza, Channel NewsAsia
by Matt O'Sullivan, Sydney Morning Herald
Singapore Airlines' desire to challenge Qantas's stranglehold on the lucrative Australia-US route has received an unexpected flilip, the federal government revealing that it will consider allowing more carriers to fly across the Pacific.
by Matt Woolsey, Forbes
Today Singapore features the world's busiest port and, based on assessments by Wim Elfrink, chief globalization officer of Cisco Systems, is rapidly becoming one of the world's centers for pharmaceutical research. That development strategy, focused on commerce over finance, might help soften the ensuing economic blow for many of the emerging cities on our list.
by AFP
Disgruntled investors have been holding weekend gatherings at Singapore's Speakers' Corner since October 11 to demand financial institutions give back their investments.
by Ministry Of Manpower, Singapore Government
Preliminary estimates show that employment grew by 57,800 in the third quarter this year. This was lower than the gains of 71,400 in the preceding quarter and 58,600 in the third quarter of 2007.
by Chong Chee Wah, Today
What are the checks and balances?
by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
Tan Kin Lian is threading on increasingly dangerous grounds.
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
Las Vegas Sands plans to open its Singapore casino by end-2009 as scheduled despite a report that the project will be delayed, a Singapore-based company executive said on Thursday.
by Tan Siew Tin, Straits Times
If the library has laid down one of its rules as silence, why does the management contradict its own rules by permitting noise in the library with live performances?
by Loh Chee Seng, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Straits Times
We clarify that pump prices do not rise or fall at the same time as crude prices and by the same percentages for the simple reason that pump prices are affected by a combination of factors, and crude prices are just one of these many factors.
by Ledlati Tan, New Paper
by S M Ong, New Paper
I, for one, look forward to saying good night to the night markets for good.
by Tessa Wong, Straits Times
A shake-up in the retail industry is looming as worries over the economic outlook threaten to crimp spending. Industry players are worried that the impact of the current downturn will be worse than that during the Sars outbreak in 2003, or the Asian financial crisis a decade ago.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
The "Live On" movement aims to promote altruistic living organ transplantation, and build up societal consciousness on organ donation after death.
by Maria Almenoa, Straits Times
A new operating standard for trains was rolled out today. Operators who do not follow these standards can be fined between $10,000 to up to $1 million.
To help reduce congestion on trains, SMRT will modify 10 trains by removing 84 of the 300 seats from the trains. This will create more standard room for passengers.
by AFP
by Straits Times
Even with Formula ne race, September tourist arrivals to Singapore dropped 4.1 per cent year-on-year. And the Singapore Tourism Board now said it may not meet this year's tourism receipts targets of $15.5 billion.
by Straits Times
Job advertisements in Asia's financial centres Singapore and Hong Kong fell in the third quarter as the financial crisis spurred companies to cut costs, recruitment firm Robert Walters said on Thursday.
by Mr Wang Says So
by Rachel Chung, The Online Citizen
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
The Boon Lay extension of the Mass Rapid Transit system will start operating from February 28 next year.
by Combodia Calling
When I hear Singlish in Cambodia, I often smile. I miss it so much.
by Kevin Lim, Reuters
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
The full opening of one of Singapore's casinos may be delayed due to construction issues and a shortage of labour, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.
by Beth Jinks and Jean Chua, Bloomberg
Las Vegas Sand Corp. soared a record 80 percent in New York trading after the Singapore government siad it was in talks with the casino company to help finish a $4 billion casino project in the city-state.
The Singapore Tourism Board will "facilitate the success" of the project in downtown Singapore, the agency said. It didn't say how it would help or if it will provide financial support.
by Leong Wee Keat, Today
Even though ridership has doubled within a year, the night-bus scene is set for a shake-up from tomorrow.
by Leong Wee Keat, Today
by Singapore Life And Times
Perhaps it is timely for these Town Councils who have invested and lsot in the Lehman products to account for the investment in full.
by Groundnotes
For our PAP ministers, leadership is a word, an idea, a catchphrase that is taught in expensive MBA or MPA programmes in Harvard or Yale. It's about what you say and what you say you are, but very rarely about what you do.
by Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen
Twenty-year-old Ms Agnes Lin msut be Singapore's most loathed undergraduate, and all thanks to a Sunday Times article that portrayed her as a spoilt brat leeching off her parents to feed her expansive shopping tastes.
by Chia Ti Lik
Any allegation of unfair discrimination in executive acts ought to be examined as they were relevant because such acts will reveal a violation of Article 12 of the Constitution.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
ComfortDelGro, Singapore's largest cab operator, will be removing the 30 cents diesel surcharge on taxi rides with effect from 6am, November 12.
by Singapore Biennale 2008 Blog
Singapore audiences have this terrible desire to want to understand everything in a reductionist way. If we don't understand the literal meaning of one scene of a show, we can't deal with it - we want to be spoonfed so much.
by Gerald Giam, The Online Citizen
People want to hear different, and better ideas from the opposition on how to run the country, not just gripes about every little fault of the PAP.
by Blowin' In The Wind
Public spending projects to beat poverty and recession and boost the economy are not unusual at all.
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
Trans-Cab, which has a fleet of 2,200 red-and-white taxis, said it will lift in the 30-cent fuel surchage levy on Nov 11, just over three months after powerhouse ComfortDelGro introduced the surcharge.
by Tan Hui Leng, Today
With Singapore having impressed upon its citizens on the need to conserve water, the government is now looking at ways to do the same for energy.
by Foo Cexiang, Straits Times
This housing subsidy policy seems to go against our quest of a progressive society. Crucially, this regressive policy affects 95 per cent of the 80 per cent in public housing, as they are home owners.
by Francis Chan and Selina Lum, Straits Times
Investors in DBS High Notes 5 finally got the news they have been dreading for weeks: Their investments are officially worthless.
by Tan Kin Lian, The Online Citizen
This guarantee places the Singapore taxpayers at risk and deserves an appropriate return.
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
Town councils said only a small percentage of their total investments were spent on those affected products.
Under current guidelines, each town councils can use 65 per cent of their sinking funds to invest in government bonds, while up to 35 per cent can be invested in other financial instruments like corporate bonds and equities.
by Fiona Chan, Straits Times
Job losses are looming as the economy slows, with companies in the manufacturing and financial services industries expected to be the first to cut staff.
This means unemployment is set to rise over the next few quarters, while salaries will grow at a much slower pace, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in its latest half-yearly Macro Economic Review, released on Tuesday.
by Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia
by CPF Board, Singapore Government
Among the active members who turned 55 in 2007, about one third (35.6%) met the required Minimum Sum (MS). This is a drop from 57.1% in 1996, and could be attributed to the increase in the required MS from $40,000 in July 1995 to $99,600 in July 2007, and cuts in CPF contribution rates in 1999 and 2003.
by Straits Times
Kissing the back of a woman's hand may be an age-old gentlemanly form of greeting - when permission is granted. But when a teenage girl was suddenly approached by a stranger who planted an uninvited kiss on her hand on Sept 7, she complained to her fther, who then called the police.
I'm not sure whether this Straits Times article is reporting accurately, but it sure seems too excessive penalty to me.
by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg
Singapore's economy, which entered a recession last quarter, faces "further slippage" as a global slowdown threatens manufacturing, consumer spending and tourism, the city-state's central bank said.
by Andrew Ong, The Online Citizen
After listening to the speeches and reading through the handed materials, I concluded that the vision of the PA should be more accurately communicated as "contributing readily to the PAP," and not to our nation.
Unfortunately, I don't see much of justifications made by the author in this article to support the assertion. I would like to see more insights beyond the surface.
by Life At 60km/h
by Life In Dubai
Then they woke up to the fact that they were destroying their history, their heritage, their heart and soul.
by Satiman Jamin, New Straits Times
Iskandar Malaysia has the potential to absorb Malaysians who may lose their jobs in Singapore due to the global economic slowdown, home minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said on Saturday.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
We need new heroes, basiclaly - people who can inspire and re-awaken the lethargic spirits of our citizens. At least as far as political participation is concerned.
by The Legal Janitor
For all your complaining about "fairness" and "Singaporeans first", it is all bullshit, and you are just a xenophobic and/or racist fucker.
by Jermyn Chow, Straits Times
These are bad times to be a psar malam or night market vendor. Many are dropping out of the business, hit by a triple whammy of factors: competition from heartland malls, rising overheads, and the ongoing financial meltdown.
by Jenny Teo, Today
Changes in the fuel oil cost are reflected in the electricity tariff every quarter. As the tariff is set in advance using the forward fuel on price, there is a three-month time lag between the oil price movement and the actual tariff revision. Alternatively, if we had used the spot oil price to compute the tariff, it would have been higher in 11 of the 16 quarters since 2004.
In other words, when the tariff hasn't been increasing due to this 3-month lag while the fuel oil cost was rising, I don't see you guys complaining, eh?
by Ho Lai Fung, Singpaore Power Ltd, Today
The increase in the tariff this quarter is used to meet the higher cost of fuel needed to generate electricity. Neither SP nor any of its subsidiaries benefit from the tariff increase.
by Lee Lay Hong, Straits Times
Why is my child discriminated against for her disability, and why is she penalised for coping well? And why is the school unwilling to meet me to discuss my child's needs?
by Geoffrey Lim, Land Transport Authority, Straits Times
Any system based on forward projections is subject to errors in forecasting.
by Channel NewsAsia
by Teoh Song Keng and Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia
by Still Me
Talking does not cost much, and it starts with small individual actions that could break the self-fulfilling prophecy of surveillance.
by Singapore Dino
Dr Chee and his comrades have taken upon themselves to fight unjust laws. We may not agree with his political ideology, but let's support his brave attempt to put an end to the PAP's hegemony.
by Notes From A Not So Young Mind
Perhaps it will take a long while more before the walkers reliquish their tight hold on pavements and learn to share with cyclicst and cyclist not to abuse their rights.
by Bad News On The Doorstep
by Dr Cynic And Mr Idealist
My sentiments when I read the article: serve you right; have you not heard of caveat emptor?
by AFP
by mrbrown
by Otelli Edwards, Channel NewsAsia
by Dennis Lim, Singapore Sports Council, Susan Koh, Singapore Land Authority, Straits Times
Although we had some interest from private vendors, the proposals we have received so far did not fulfil the criteria of sports and recreation usage.
by Ho Chi Sam, Straits Times
Discomot with men sporting longhair is indicative of the set of gender norms and expectations one subscribes to, which derives from a specific time in history.
by The Online Citizen
All that's needed are determined enough political parties or NGOs able to invest the resources, and - more critically - the right issue.
by Chua Chin Hon, Straits Times
Singaporeans aggrieved by their investment in Lehman Minibonds and DBS HIgh Notes 5 will have their complaints handled 'fairly and properly', prime minister Lee Hsien Loong assured on Sunday in his first remarks on the issue.
by Gerald Giam, The Online Citizen
by Think For Me, Singapore
I would now like to thank our government for their pursuit of "growth" for the benefit of us, Singaporeans and the degradation of our social and moral values.
by Salary.sg
Ok, let's be fair. It's the price increase that puts us up there. Our electricity is the 12th priciest - not too bad.
by Ashes Of Times
by The Constiution Times
Once we break out of the bipartisan trap, we can take an objective view on any problem.
Unfortunately, a lot of problems do not have an objective view. Politics is about compromise.
by My Singapore News
The CPF scheme is now a red herring. The Singaporeans are saving but spending at the same time. I should have called this saving scheme a myth.
But the properties does have a value. The question is how can older Singaporeans make better use than this value, than just to die in.
by Singapore Educational Consultants
One wonders how much of it is really due to the school system and the teachers in Singapore?
Just because many enrolled in extra tuition doesn't necessarily diminishes contributions made by teachers in schools.
by Josh Reviews Everything
by Robert Amsterdam, Legal Counsel To Dr Chee Soon Juan, Telegraph
We call on the international community to stand together to defend this courageous man, whose personal sacrifices for the ideals of freedom and democracy have left him a hostage tothe whims of a government that has become used to acting with impunity against its own citizens.
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
The two casinos, opening late next year and early 2010, will need 20,000 employees that will provide a bright spark to the poor job market.
by Gracia Chiang, Straits Times
For the third week in a row, about 500 investors gathered in Hong Lim Park eager to find out how they can seek redress for Lehman-linked financial products they claim were mis-sold to them.
by The Economist
by Singapore Life And Times
by Paul Tay, Singapore Police Force, Straits Times
We have reviewe the case and agree we could have handled the situation better. On this, we will strive to do better.
by Benson Ang, New Paper
A father tried to catch a man who exposed himself to his teenage daughter on a public bus - and discovered the best and worst in Singaporeans.
by Lee Siew Hua, Straits Times
Cultural barriers do not come down easily in Asia, and for this reason, minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew believes talent will not flow smoothly across borders anyt ime soon.
by Singapore Democratic Party
What the minister says and does is in conflict with the Constitution. So what do you do when there is such a conflict?
by They Call Me Jaywalk...
by Two Cents Worth
An overpopulated country is not necessarily a healthy country.
by Irene Shen, Bloomberg
Singapore Airlines Ltd., the world's most valuable airline, dropped the most in 21 years, leading Asian carriers lower on concerns a global recession will cut business and leisure travel demand.
by Peh Shing Huei, Straits Times
Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday called for a measured response to the ongoing financial crisis, cautioning agaisnt an over-reaction that might cause more alarm and uncertainty.
by The Legal Janitor
What we should really take note of is, that religious fundamentalists are hypocrites. They will accuse a government of being X, but then happily use government's powers in the same X way to pursue their own religious agendas.
by Chemical Generation Singapore
by Reuters
by Tan Hui Leng, Today
Preliminary statistics in August from the Monetary Autority of Singapore show that total debt to individuals stand at S$112 billion - almost 10 per cent up over a period of 12 months. In particular, credit card rollover debut has ballooned to S$3.3 billion, an increase of S$296 million over the 12 months against a S$94-million increase for the previous 12 months. Housing loans are also up S$6.6 billion.
by Susan Ferroa, Channel NewsAsia
by Science Blog
What struck me in the article was that Singapore is very explicit about its goal, and that isn't knowledge for knowledge's sake.
by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times
New rules set by the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore will require travel agents and airlines to advertise full fares so travellers know right away how much their air ticket or holiday will cost, The Straits Times learnt.
by Straits Times
Senior civil servants can expect their annual pay package to shrink next year, because a significant portion of it is tied to how well the economy is doing.
by Melvin Tan, A Blog Day's Work
It is the reason wy WP supports using the reserves that it rejects the EP scheme.
by Simon Sia, Straits Times
Motorists buy cars to drive them, not to park them for decoration outside their homes.
But different drivers drive through different routes. Drivers that contribute to congestions should pay much more than drivers who commute daily between, say, Yishun and Senoko, or Pasir Ris and Changi. There is a different, and these drivers should be taxed differently.
by Chan Soon Sen, MP, Joo Chiat Constituency, Straits Times
I have been misled into attending the ceremony on Monday.
by Leong Wee Keat, Today
When pump prices fell for the 10th consecutive time yesterday, ComfortDelGro, which operates 15,000 of the 24,000 taxis in Singapore, said it will review the 30-cent diesel surchage with its drivers.
by Today
The Public Service Division (PSD) may revise civil service salaries in light of the turmoil in the financial markets and lower growth forecasts for Singapore, the first Asian economy to slip into a technical recession.
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
by Singapore Democratic Party
Why the dragging of feet? And why were not all the defendants informed?
by Shaffiq Alkhtib, Channel NewsAsia
Two men involved in a protest against recent price hikes have been fined a total of S$1,800. 31-year-old PhD student, Ng E-Jay, and 44-year-old freelance offshore engineer, Jeffrey George, admitted to taking part in an unlawful demonstration dubbed the "Tak Boleh Tahan" protest near Parliament House on March 15 this year.
by AirKosong.com
by Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times
Jurong GRC resident Sri S. Vadivel Kounder is withdrawing his application to get the High Court to order a by-election in his constituency, following the death of his counsel J. B. Jeyaretnam.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
After three years of construction, the S$230 million Marina Barrage is ready. It dams up Singapore's river mouth, forming a reservoir - the Marina Reservoir - which has a catchment area that is one-sixth the size of Singapore.
by Enjoy The Breeze
by Travel In The Know
by Readings From A Political Duo-ble
There is, without a doubt, a need to adopt a human rights and care approach when it comes to migrant workers issues. Unfortunately, that is also the language which PAP despises.
by Associated Press
Singapore's central bank said two banks have "shown interest" ina ssuming obligations on 640 million Singapore dollars of bonds linked to bankrupt U.S. brokerage Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
by Tan Ee Lyn, Reuters
Scientists in Singapore may have found a way to reduce certain carbohydrates in soybeans that have long been blamed for flatulence.
by Koh Gui Qing, Reuters
Singapore's annual inflation accelerated in September on higher food and housing costs but stayed below a 26-year-high, with price pressures likely to ease in coming months as the financial crisis reduces demand.
by AFP
China and Singapore signed a free-trade agreement in Beijing on Thursday, capping two years of negotiations, officials said. "The agreement will enhance Singapore companies' access to the vast Chnese market and further boost our excellent bilateral trade and investment relations," said the Singaporen government in a statement.
by Rachel Kelly, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's consumer price index rose 6.7 per cent in September compared with the same period last year. Data from the Singapore Department of Statistics showed this was largely due to higher prices of food and housing.
by Singapore Dino
by Jotman
Singapore's Constitution is a rights-grab, an illegal mechanism by which an unelected government usurps the human rights of its citizens through a legalistic maneuver.
by Joel Tan, The Online Citizen
Alas, in pursuit of becoming "world class," we've found that there really is nothing more to it than class, class, class.
by Rosie Milne, Telegraph
Depending how you translate it, dim sum literally means heart's delight, or little bit of heart, or touch your heart, or something vaguely along those lines.
by New Straits Times
The Human Resources Ministry has set up a committee to monitor the labour market situation in the country.
by Chong Chee Kin, Straits Times
The old Woodlands Checkpoint, pressed into service in March to ease Causeway congestion, looks set to stay open permanently.
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
Stuck in a taxi queue that is hardly moving? Relief may come soon from a system of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at taxi stands feeding 'live' images back to cab despatch centres, which can direct cabbies to where fares are waiting.
I find it hard to believe that cabbies don't already know where the fares are.
by Today
A trial at Choa Chu Kang showed that people are motivated to recycle more waste if it is made more convenient.
by Cheow Xin Yi, Today
Four financial institutions involved in the structured products controversy have thrown a lifeline to some investors scarred by a chain reaction that started with the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
by Gerald Giam
Since the 1991 election, the PAP has used pork barrel promises in the form of HDB upgrading to further its political objectives. In the last election, senior minister Goh Chok Tong promised $180 million to upgrade Hougang and Potong Pasir flats, without even thinking through how the government was going to fund that spending, as he admitted months later.
by Tan Soo See and Nicholas Fang, Channel NewsAsia
by Straits Times
by Straits Times
Sngapore must aim to be a 'cool and funky' place - the kind of city the creative and entrepreneurial types would like to work and live in, said senior minister Goh Chok Tong on Tuesday.
by Channel NewsAsia
by Sina
by Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen
by The Workers' Party
See Also: Low Thia Khiang Urges Affected Investors Not TO File Class Action Suits Against Banks, by Hwee Goh, Channel NewsAsia.
by Javier Blas and John Burton, Financial Times
Oil trading in Singapore almost halved in September as the financial crisis and slowing regional demand combined to keep speculators away from the world's third largest energy trading hub.
by Joie De Vivre
You come to my country, so learn my customs and my base language.
by Esther Tan, Straits Times
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
Singapore's parliament voted on Tuesday to amend the city-state's constitution to allow the government more access to the country's reserves to cope with a faltering economy, local media reported.
by Nelson Benjamin, Gladys Tay and Mohd Farhaan Shah, The Star
Tens of thousands of Malaysian workers from the services and manufacturing sectors in Singapore will be retrenched when employers, hit by recession, start downsizing in the island republic.
by New Straits Times
Malaysia and Thailand's battle against drug traficking received a boost yesterday when Singapore joined the annual jiont narcotics course for the first time.
by Wong Kan Seng, Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore Government
What were the reasons for the Traffic Police to charge security supervisor, Mr Paul Antony Fernandez, for speeding in spite of him providing proof that he was not the driver; whether there was a need for Mr Fernandez to make 10 court appearances and spending thousands of dollars in legal fees before the charges were dropped; and what measures, if any, are in place to prevent such future lapses.
by Wong Kan Seng, Ministry Of Home Affairs, Singapore Government
On what measures are put in place to keep pathways and walkways safe for children and the elderly from the indiscriminate use of bicycles and motorcycles, whether there are plans to put in place formal regulations or enforcement officials, other thna the dependence on volunteer citizens to monitor the situation; and whether there are also plans to coordinate enforcement efforts with the Town Councils and NParks for pathways that are linked to areas under their responsibilities.
by Lee Chiu San, Today
Parents who demand safety for their children in school buses, have to bear the added costs.
by Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times
When politicians bid to outdo one another with more and more goodies for voters, expect trouble in paradise. That was the message from prime minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday when he cited Norway and Australia to make a case for protecting Singapore's reserve.
by K F Seetoh, New Paper
Divide seats in a food court into two sections - one for folks who will clear their trays and the other for those who wish not to clear them. There should be a surcharge for those choosing the lazy route and a penalty for those hwo neglect their responsibility at the I-will-clear-tray tables.
by Straits Times
The Far Eastern Economic Review (Feer) will appeal against a High Court ruling that the weekly magazine defamed prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
See Also: FEER Magazine To Appeal Singapore Defamation Ruling, by Koh Gui Qing and Kevin Lim, Reuters.
by Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia
Plans by the government to increase its spending are not likely to affect Singapore's reputation as a financial centre, according to economists that Channel NewsAsia spoke to.
by Diane Francis, National Post
Singapore represents itself as a democracy with the rule of law and a good place to live and do business. But Singapore is a bully and its strong-arm tactics against critics, domestic or foreign, is unrecognized by the rest of the world, thanks to its carefully crafted public relations strategy designed to show the city-state as a model of government, democracy, economic development and the rule of law.
by Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia
by Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia
Senior minister of state for trade and industry, S Iswaran, said the formula had kept tariffs lower than if the country had pegged tariffs to the daily oil price or spot price instead.
by Singapore Kids Places
by Associated Press
Malaysia on Tuesday proposed limiting the number of vessels that can enter one of the world's busiest shipping lanes amid worries that rising congestion could spark accidents.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
Eminently qualified, so why so silent?
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
For a good overview of the current financial crisis — no, it's not all due to greed — do take a listen to this episode of "This American Life."
by Jacob's Weblog
These 18 individuals were only exercising their constitutional rights.
by John Burton, Financial Times
A suspension in share trading of two Singapore-listed Chinese companies due to debt servicing problems has undermined investor confidence in the China-related sector that has been a driving force behind the Singapore Exchange's recent growth.
by Straits Times
Reimbursement to kidney donors will help protect donor welfare and reduce thebarriers against kidney donation, said health minister Khaw Boon Wan. He said the health ministry and National Kidney Foundation are working out the details.
by Tan Kin Lian, The Online Citizen
I hope that appropriate action be taken to restore the confidence of the people in the fairness of the system in Singapore and to restore the reputation of Singapore as a financial hub that the Singaporeans and foreigners can trust to leave their money here safely.
by This Lush Garden Within
This phrase only serves to demoralize Singaporeans and over-qualify foreign workers.
by David Kwok Ng Kan, Today
Besides Yan Kit swimming pool, there are other public pools which have also been left vacant for years.
by Robin Chan, Straits Times
Houswives and retirees should roll up their sleeves and prepare to rejoint he workforce to help their families cope with what may be a prolonged recession. That spark piece of advice came from Prof Tan Khee Giap, associate professor and co-director of the Asia Research Centre at Nanyang Technological University, yesterday.
by Geoffrey Lim, Land Transport Authority, Straits Times
The roads are crowded not because the COE system is not functioning as intended, but because at 3 per cent per annum, vehicle growth significantly outstrips road growth at 0.5 per cent, thus making it untenable to continue at this rate.
by Amelia Tan, Straits Times
Three undergraduates have started a news website as an alternative to their campus newspaper which recently saw a report on a political opposition figure's visit yanked from its pages by the university administration.
by Diary Of A Singaporean Mind
See Also: Be More 'Proactive', MAS, by Francis Chan, Straits Times.
by Ng Baoying, Channel NewsAsia
Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told Parliament on Monday that the government wants to increase the amount of investment returns from the country's reserves that can be used for spending. As Singapore's society ages, there will be greater demand for healthcare and other sectors.
Do we still need a huge defence budget?
by Straits Times
Curbing the number of foreign talents who are prepared to immigrate here would be counter-productive to Singapore's long-term interests, said home affairs minister Wong Kan Seng on Monday.
See Also: Written Answer To Parliamentary Question that in view of the need for a rooted local populace in Singapore, whether the future immigration policies will be tightened since our recent population statistics reveal that citizens comprise only 65% of the local population, by Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore Government.
by Straits Times
Government of Singapore Investment Corp and Temasek Holdings, the nation's investment companies, can take advantage of financial turmoil to add assets instead of being forced into 'panic' sales, said senior minister of state for finance, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua on Monday.
by Channel NewsAsia
Trade and industry minister Lim Hng Kiang has said about S$700 billion is deposited by individuals and non-bank customers in banks, finance companies and merchant banks here.
by Channel NewsAsia
by Camie De-Souza, Channel NewsAsia
National development minister Mah Bow Tan has said while worker dormitories are located away from residential areas as far as possible, it is a challenge to house an increasing foreign worker population in land-scarce Singapore.
by 938Live
It will cost eastbound traffic more to pass throught he ERP gantries at Marina South and on the slip road from Ophir Road during evening peak hours from next month.
by Koh Gui Qing and Kevin Lim, Reuters
Singapore's economy, which fell into a recession in the third quarter, will see growth remaining weak for "several quarters" through inflationary pressures will take time to ease, the country's trade minister said on Monday. Lim Hng Kiang also said while Singapore's inflation, which hit a 26-year-high of 7.5 percent in April, May and June, will continue to ease, it will take time for the decline in prices to be reflected in the consumer price index.
by COM 101
I thought Singapore was a multi-racial country that took pride in accepting different cultures and embracing them. This is definitely not a very loving act that these Serangoon Gardens residents have done to them.
by Tan Kin Lian
Is this the kind of society that our minister is so proud about? A society where people are fearful to spek up, in case they make a slip and get be sued till bankrupt?
by Rachel Chung, Xtralicious
by ieatishootipost
Great kopi and kaya toast and a legacy of an old Hainanese man preserved for future generations to enjoy.
by Not That Sane
Regulations that we take for granted in the United States, like building codes, are not part of the milieu here.
by Ian On The Red Dot
by Imelda Saad, Today
by Pearl Lee, The Online Citizen
by Lin Yanqin, Today
With Singapore's economy now in a technical recession and businesses expected to start slashing costs to remain viable, the threat or retrenchment looms large for some. And it is no surprise that working mothers who are going on or already on maternity leave are feeling jittery about their jobs.
by Seah Ru Han, The Enquirer
The ones affected are ordinary unpoliticised Singaporeans.
by Channel NewsAsia
By March next year, 75 per cent of the total number of lifts will have cameras installed to monitor anti-social behaviour such as urinating and vandalism.
by StaticVariable
by Singapore Short Stories
by AFP
The chips are down for Asia's gaming sector, which high rollers and other visitors expected to stay home as the world financial crisis takes it toll. But analysts say the squeeze is likely to be short-term, and Asia's gaming sector should weather the financial turmoil better than Las Vegas.
by AFP
In a country where protests are traditionally the domain of a tiny political opposition and a vocal group of human rights activists, the rally on October 11 by disgruntled financial investors was a rarity.
by Tyler Brule, Financial Times
Rather than focusing on building a hothouse for creative minds, Singapore should bring in all the best financial whizz kids an dplay to its great national strength - service.
by Zakaria Abdul Wahab, Bernama
The culture of planned succession of prime ministers and ministers on the basis of merit has made political transitions in Singapore stable, orderly and predictable, senior minister Goh Chok Tong said Saturday.
by Terence Lee, The Online Citizen
Dr Balakrishnan said the government takes attacks on accuracy and integrity very seriously, because "establishing a high trust enivornment" is an advantage that gives Singapore an edge in a competitive global economy.
He said: "We don't mind political openness, but we don't want too much of the excitement. To the outsider, when they look at Singapore, they know that politics here is serious, it's accurate, it's real and accountable. It's not a situation you get in other countries. We're an outlier, but we are outlying because we want to keep our politics honest."
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
Senior minister Goh Chok Tong said the government is looking at how it can help Singaporeans overcome temporary economic hardship next year.
by Tan Kin Lian
A few people have warned me to "be careful". People are so scared to do the right thing in Singapore. They are only willing to do what the government approves for them to do. It is such a sad state of affairs. I hope that more people can come forward and be courageous.
by Robin Chan, Straits Times
Singapore's exports have continued a dismal run by declining for a fifth straight month in September - although the slide was not as steep as expected.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
Thus far, the MAS looks more like a headless chicken desperately dashing around than an authority providing certainty in leadership.
by Robert Amsterdam
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
While London and New York have lost some of their financial influence, Singapore, with its large reserves and strict banking governance, could benefit from the chaos.
by Lim Bee Khim, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Straits Times
We formed a multi-agency committee led by the Singapore Tourism Board to engage stakeholders in the vicinity of the circuit park.
But, obviously, this didn't work, did it?
by Francis Chan, Straits Times
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has decided against following Hong Kong's lead in requiring banks to buy back Lehman Brothers-linked Minibonds at market price from investors.
by Straits Times
The government on Friday gave its position on criticisms levelled against government leaders by opposition politicians, in response to a statement by a New York-based advocacy group, Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In reply, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts' spokesperson noted that in Singapore, opposition politicians have the right to criticise the government and government leaders. But, Mr K Bhavani added: "That does not entitle them to tell lies or defame."
by Theresa Tan and Ang Yiying, Straits Times
Almost half of baby boomers in a new study said they do not want to retire and instead would rather work 'for as long as they can'. The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports study also found that not all want to work because they need money.
by Associated Press
An international rights group called Friday on Singapore to stop using defamation lawsuits to stifle criticism and bankrupt opposition politicians.
The critcism by Human Rights Watch came in response to the Hgh Court's decision this week to order Chee Soon Juan and his opposition Singapore Democratic Party to pay US$416,000 to prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, Lee Kuan Yew, in damages stemming from a 2006 defamation case.
by Zakaria Abdul Wahab, Bernama
Singaporeans will continue to flock to Malaysia for shopping and holiday although the worlds economy is currently facing hard times and the city-state is experiencing a technical recession. "The numbers from Singapore remain strong this year," said Tourism Malaysia director for Singapore, Rafidah Idris.
by Alex Kennedy, Associated Press
Singapore's central bank said Friday it is investigating allegation sof misconduct by commercial bank officials in connection with the sale of about 640 million Singapore dollars of bonds linked to bankrupt U.S. brokerage Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
by Zakir Hussain, Straits Times
As the global financial upheaval hits Singapore shores, the issue of jobs, investments and deposits in financial institutions is set to dominate Parliament when it sits on Monday.
See Also: Order Paper For The Parliament Sitting On 20 October 2008, by Singapore Government. (Note: Link goes to Microsoft Word document.)
by Straits Times
Singapore Telecommunications, South-east Asia's largest phone company, slashed some subscription plans for Apple's iPhone by half to lure users before rivals start offering the phone, Bloomberg news reported on Friday.
by Lee J. Miller, Bloomberg
From Zurich to Singapore, the "safe haven" status of wealth-management centers is being challenged by a global credit crunch, prompting on the same day a $59.2 billion bailout for UBS AG and a guarantee of deposits at banks licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
by Greta Georges, Channel NewsAsia
by Greta Georges, Channel NewsAsia
The Land Transport Authoity (LTA) has kicked off two new initiatives - a transport portal and a message service.
See Also:
Added Convenience For Public Transport Users - Public Transport Portal And Real-Time SMS Bus Arrival Information, by Land Transport Authority, Singapore Government.
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
Did ComfortDelgro promise that the taxi fuel surcharge will be dropped when "the price of fuel falls below $109", as alleged by this blogger?
No. What ComfortDelgro promised was this instead: "The surcharge... is a temporary measure to offset the spiralling increases in diesel costs. It will be removed when diesel prices fall back to $1.19 per litre which was the market price on 17 December 2007." (Note: Previous link goes to PDF document.)
And, as Channel NewsAsia reported today, the price of diesel fuel at Shell, SPC, ExxonMobil and Caltex is $1.603 per litre, still higher than that $1.19 figure promised.
To get the facts of something so easily google-able wrong will significantly weakens whatever arguments that follow in the post.
by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, International Herald Tribune
by Rosie Milne, Telegraph
The mooncakes we took to the picnic were "Western mooncakes", as the Beloved Son put it. A friend gave them to us, and she'd got them from Raffles Hotel, no less. The main ingredient was Champagne truffle. Not Hmm, this time, but yum!
by Sujesh Pavithran, The Star
by Singapore High Court
by Groundnotes
If we value government scholarships so highly, if we store so much symbolic value in something an 18 year old signs, then we must really be hopping mad over news that our table tennis China-imports Li Jiawei and Feng Tianwei may be dumping their Singapore passports to return to China right? Balls.
by Nafka Mina
Compare Singapore to other 'Chinese" countries in Asia and note the difference in wealth, law and order, cleanliness, manners, etc. Certain population need taming, for want of a better term.
by Blowin' In The Wind
The only possible complaint: Why so slow, Singapore?
by Robert Amsterdam
by Selene Cheng, The Online Citizen
If the vehicles are idling and not being used for operations, why can't they be used for other purposes? Surely, it will save money in the long run (if all the money used are properly accounted for), and isn't that what we as taxpayers want?
by Reuters
"No money no honey" seems to be ringing true for Singapore's bridal agencies, which are seeing slowing business as the financial crisis and a looming recession hit love in the country.
by Jessica Lim, Tessa Wong and Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times
The belt-tightening comes amid new economic data that shows Singapore has entered a technical recession, its first in six years.
by Tan Mien Wee, Straits Times
I am writing to ask if the authorities will compensate retailers in the Suntec City Mall area, for the severe disruptions leading to drastic sales shortfalls during last month's Formula One event.
by Ting Kheng Siong, Channel NewsAsia
by Channel NewsAsia
The Singapore government said it would guarantee all Singdollar and foreign currency deposits of individual and non-bank customers in licensed banks, finance companies and merchant banks.
The guarantee takes immediate effect and will remain in place until 31 December 2010.
by Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV
A lawmaker has said the government should pay more attention to the increasing number of "sexually trafficked" Filipino women workers, most especially in Singapore.
by Straits Times
Most Singaproeans turn to at least three media sources, primarly mainstream media like newspapers and TV, for their daily news and entertainment fix.
We have more than two sources of 'mainstream' news? News on Channel 5 (television) and news on ChannelNewsAsia.com (internet) and news on 938Live (radio) and news on Today (newspaper) should be considered one single source, not four.
by Kevin Lim, Reuters
The Government of Singapore Investment Corp said on Thursday its over 9 percent stake in UBS AG will be diluted by the Swiss government's move to invest 6 billion francs in the embattled lender.
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
The government will had out $35 million to help mini bus operators fit seat belts in their vehicles over the next five years.
by Where Bears Roam Free
How is it that concealing the name of the woman offender in Case 1 protects the underaged victim, but in Case 2, a male offender, naming him does not cause detrimental effect to the victim?
by Temasek Poly
At the entrance, even before going in the swimming complex. A row of them is already standing behind a glass panel. And looking insid ethe swimming complex so happily. So sick...
by A Poor Scholar
by Straits Times
The Singapore dollar has fallen to near a one-year low against the US dollar on concern that the global economy is headed for a recession, undermining growth in the island's economy, Bloomberg news reported.
by Koh Gui Qing, Reuters
Singapore said it was not aware of a plan by Southeast Asian nations, backe dby Japan, China and South Korea, to set up a multibillion-dollar fund to buy toxic debt and help the region's banks hit by the financial crisis.
by Artinfo
by DPA
by Blowin' In The Wind
One can appreciate the delicate position Singapore's finance minister is in — and his prudence.
by Nury Vittachi, The Daily Star
Singaporeans go shopping with the sentence: "Everything also I want."
by Julia Koh, Today
Should taxi drivers be privy to customers' phone numbers? Or should the transport company's phone operators be the only point of contact between commuters and drivers?
by Yolanda Chin, Today
by Jenny Teo, Energy Market Authority, Straits Times
The increase in the tariff this quarter was necessary because of the 38 per cent spike in the forward fuel oil price from US$83 to US$115 per barrel between April and July this year.
by Er Meng Hwa, Nanyang Technological University, Straits Times
Nanyang Technological University will not allow our media platforms to be exploited to provide publicity for uninvited people who enter our campus to draw attention to themselves. This is our right and responsibility as publisher.
by Lim Wui Liang, Straits Times
It is a sad allegory of a society that has become obsessed with rules and image, at the expense of compassion and flexibility.
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's banking system is not in trouble and the Monetary Authority of Singapore's response to the current financial crisis has been a measured one. Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam also says there is no need to provide guarantees for local lenders.
by Jason Gale, Bloomberg
by Red Sports
The sweet euphoria of winning that Olympic silver medal in Beijing is starting to levae a bitter aftertaste in the mouth. The sense of national pride in that achievement is starting to deflate and the win is now increasingly looking like a hollow victory.
by Channel NewsAsia
The Public Transport Counci has fined SBS Transit S$9,300 and SMRT Buses S$1,000 for lapses in service standards in the six months from December 2007 to May 2008.
by Kevin Lim, Reuters
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) may guarantee all Singapore deposits to ensure local banks are not disadvantaged by similar moves in other countries, the Straits Times reported on Wednesday quoting banking sources.
by Tammy Tan, ComfrotDelGro Corporation Limited, Today
As the privacy of a passenger has been compromised, we are now relooking our booking system to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
by Lim Wei Chean and Jessica Lim, Straits Times
A lone bright spot shines amid the gloom of a worsening economy: The prices of food commodities will soon fall.
by Lediati Tan, New Paper
by S. Murali, New Paper
Consider: Drivers who park along double yellow lines are hit with $70 fines. So perhaps Mr Kassim should have slept on the road instead.
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
Why must closed minds conjure images of pandemonium and anarchy when we talk about protests?
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
In spite of technological advances, lighthouses are still crucial in ensuring navigational safety, said Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority.
by Ossian Shine, Reuters
The man who helped deliver Singapore's first Olympic medal in 48 years is set to quit as table tennis coach after rejecting an "insulting and insincere" new deal from the city-state.
by Asia Sentinel
The Lee family again uses its tame courts to wipe out political opposition.
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's Attorney-General (AG) has applied to the High Court to commence contempt proceedings against three individuals who are alleged to have impugned the reputation fo the country's judiciary, by appearing in the new Supreme Court building wearing identical white T-shirts bearing a palm-sized picture of a kangaroo dressed in a judge's gown.
See Also: Contempt Proceedings Against 3 Individuals - Kangaroo T-Shirt Case, by Singapore Government.
by Adam Majendie, Bloomberg
Two Singapore auctions of Asian art at the weekend missed estimates as a slump in global financial markets kept many buyers away.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
Health minister Khaw Boon Wan said Singapore is "under-performing" when it comes to care for the dying.
by Diary Of A Singaporean Mind
It is time for your MP to work for you.
by Tan Kin Lian
How would breaking the law help you? If even a small group of investors were arrested, it would terrorize the rest into sullen submission. Any attempts at trying to build a case or even to win public opinion would collapse.
by Read, Reflect, Respond
Because never say cannot doesn't mean is can.
by Singapore Government
For Singapore, our small size, low wind speeds, lack of major river systems and high urban density, inevitability constrain our ability to switch from fossil fuels to low-carbon alternative energies such as geothermal, wind, hydroelectric, solar, and nuclear energy. In this sense, we are an "alternative energy disadvantaged" country that has few options apart from fossil fuels.
by Francis Chan, Straits Times
The police have advised a group of investors of DBS High Notes 5 to call off their planned protest outside the bank's Shenton Way headquarters tomorrow.
by Nelson Benjamin, The Star
The 300,000 Malaysians employed in the island republic have been advised to gear up for retrenchment if the country continues to slide into a recession. Human resources minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said that although the technical recession experienced by Singapore has not yet translated into unemployment, it was better for Malaysians to be prepared.
by Lee Soon Chin, Today
Why is the Land Transport Authority (LTA) spending $2 million to mollify residents of Serangoon Gardens?
by Ansley Ng, Today
Following Mr J B Jeyaretnam's fatal heart attack two weeks ago, the High Court has postponed hearing the application on the issue of a by-election in Jurong Group Representation Constituency. A replacement lawyer has yet to be named to the case, and the party making the application did not turn up for a pre-hearing meeting last Friday.
by Serene Luo, Straits Times
So far this year, 21 people has fallen or found their way onto the tracks. More than 70 per cent of the cases were intentional, that is, the perpetrators were drunk, high on drugs or trying to commit suicide.
by Tan May Ping, New Paper
Transient Workers Count Too, which runs a breakfast and dinner proramme in Little India with another advocacy group, One Singapore, said there has been a surge in numbers, starting last month.
by Esther Tan, Straits Times
An airplane mounted on a trailer was stranded on the Tampines Expressway for more than an hour on Monday morning, unable to pass under an overhead pedestrian bridge.
by Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore police have advised the public to air their grievances in a lawful manner such as at Speakers' Corner or to apply for an assembly permit if they want to use an indoor venue.
by Koh Gui Qing, Reuters
by Zakir Hussain, Straits Times
The High Court has awarded prime minister Lee Hsien Loong $500,000 in damages and minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew $450,000 in damages in a defamation suit that both won against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and several of its leaders.
by Singapore Short Stories
by Vir Sanghvi, Hindustan Times
It's a dish that has always mystified me. Sometime in the 1970s, I first heard of the "famous Indian fish head curry" in Singapore. I had to say that I knew nothing about this 'famous Indian' curry.
by Kevin Lim, Reuters
The Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC), the world's third-largest sovereign fund, has warned against over-regulation amid efforts by governments to solve the financial crisis, saying it may stifle innovation.
by Straits Times
Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College will merge in January so that its six-year integrated programme can be strengthened and made seamless.
by Lanka Business Online
by S L Gan, Today
A passenger riding in one of the company's taxis had evidently read my booking request from the taxi driver's screen, saw my name, address and mobile number and started messaging me.
by Reggie J, New Paper
MediaCorp should inform, educate and entertain the masses in a commercially viable way.
MediaCorp, by virtue of given the public airwave to broadcast programmes and earn money, should bear the social responsibilities of broadcasting minority, children, and news programming.
by Blowin' In The Wind
The Sunday Times can pose questions to the West, but it can't fully report what's happening at home?
by Erika Fry, Bangkok Post
Singapore is a choice destination for many Thai 'working girls,' but an unknown number are trafficked to remote locations on the edge of the city where they are essentially held as sex slaves.
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
Some Singaporeans suggest that the government could look into compensating family members who donate organs to their loved ones to encourage more related donations.
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
The government says there's a perfectly good reason for the disparity. In Singapore, the tariffs are calculated from oil prices in the preceeding three months. Oil ws more expensive then.
Singaporeans appear baffled with the explanation, asking if Hong Kong can make its market work better, why can't we?
by Associated Press
Hundreds of distraught Singaporean investors flooded a park to express their anguish at losses from structured notes issued by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. that they say were sold to them by banks as safe investments.
by Singapore Election Watch
by Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
More than 1,000 people who lost hard-earned savings investing in structured products like Lehman Minibonds and DBS High Notes, turned up at the Speakers' Corner on Saturday evening.
by Adam Majendie, Bloomberg
by The Economist
Lee Kuan Yew may have been infinitely the greater statesman, but some would have judged Mr Jeyaretnam the bigger man.
by Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
Some analysts said retrenchments could hit home as early as December, while others predict the full impact will be felt in the second and third quarter of next year.
by Gabriel Chen, Straits Times
Economists have painted a grim picture of the economic outlook here, warning that Singpaore will not be unscathed by the financial carnage sweeping rapidly across the United States and Europe.
by Two Cents Worth
by Glenda Kwek, Sydney Morning Herald
The ABC journalist Peter Lloyd may reach an agreement with Singapore's prosecutors on his drug charges by the end of this month, his lawyer has said.
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday said the country's financial system is sound, and its economy remains competitive despite slowing down.
See Also: Asia Faces Rough Ride, by Straits Times. Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has warned Singaporeans to prepare for a 'rough ride' over the next year - and 'quite possibly longer.' Mr Lee said Singapore and Asian countries cannot avoid the impact of weakening US, European and Japanese economies.
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
It's always hard predicting the economy. As the joke goes, astrology was invented so that economy could be an accurate science.
Now, with that in mind...
June, 2008: Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam... gave the assurance that Singapore is not heading for a recession.
Feb, 2008: Asia will not tip into recession even though the United States economy is faltering, minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said.
If you haven't, time to really start saving.
by Koh Gui Qing, Reuters
Singapore eased monetary policy on Friday for the first time since 2003 after the Southeast Asian economy sunk into its first recession in six years and as the meltdown in financial markets threatened to further hit growth.
by Nelson Benjamin, The Star
Malaysian High Commissioner Datuk N. Parameswaran has hit out at allegations by Singapore that members of his staff abused their VIP privileges at land checkpoints and attempted to ferry an overstayer from the island republic to Johor.
The letter by Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore was first published in the Today newspaper on Sept 20 earlier this year. I wonder why The Star newspaper only picked up this story until now.
by Channel NewsAsia
Against the less than favourable economic environment, Singapore's GDP growth forecast for 2008 has been revised to around 3% from 4-5%.
by AFP
Singapore's trade-sensitive economy has declined for a second straight quarter, the government said Friday, meaning the city-state has entered a recession for the first time in six years.
by Lediati Tan, New Paper
Vistors to West Coast Park will soon be paying a price for the inconsideration of others, in the form of parking charges.
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
This attempt to spike the story has failed, and in fact has boomeranged on the authorities, both university and state. Internet technology made a difference.
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
Two new pairs of flyovers will be built along the most congested stretches of the Central Expressway (CTE). THe Land Transport Authority said on Thursday one flyover will allow northbound motorists from the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) to continue their journey on the CTE without competing with those taking the Braddell exit.
by Amos Toh, Singapore Law Review
These restrictions abrogate not only the right of an artist to perform, but also to fulfill his professional duties. Moreover, PEMA is merely a microcosm of a wider, more perplexingly restrictive climate enforced through the letter of the law.
by Groundnotes
Why did the LTA or MND not anticipate the protest from Tai Hwan and Mei Hwan estate residents given the experience with Serangoon Gardens?
by Straits Times
The nightmare on Wall Street reached Singapore on Wednesday, with The Straits Times Index nosediving a sharp 6.6 per cent. But it seems not many Singaporeans are too concerned.
by Pkchukiss
If the morale and discipline of the local police force were that easily weakened by an honest posting of a person's thoughts on the internet as what De Souza has suggested, it implies that the police officers are not sufficiently trained to contain their human emotions while on the job.
by Blowin' In The Wind
by The Art Of Dumbspeak (And Pigging-Out)
I think before the government arrests any more people for hurling racist remarks pertaining to Persons of Non Chinese race on their blogs, they should examine the prejudice that was blatantly displayed without proper censure and censorship in the past month.
by Sumathi V. Selvaretnam, Straits Times
Singapore's two biggest universities moved in opposite directions in the latest survey of international universities by The Times of London Higher Education supplement.
by John Burton, Financial Times
The current financial crisis may actually increase the appeal of PoweSeraya to buyers.
by Janine Stein, Hollywood Reporter
Chinese-American director Wayne Wang is talking to Singapore financiers, directors and film industry authorities about making movies in the Southeast Asian city-state.
by Lin Yanqin, Today
Four in five of the expats surveyed by HSBC Bank International were unsure if their children would remain in Singapore, which meant that this group was the least certain about where their children would choose to live.
by San Oo Aung's Weblog
For Jeyaretnam, no amount of security was worth the sacrifice of individual liberties to which Singaporeans have grown accustomed, while for his nemeses within the ruling People's Action Party, security and prosperity (particularly their own) are paramount over individual rights.
by Hong Jia, Singapore Law Review
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
by Marie Morice, CSR Asia
by John Jannarone, Dow Jones
Temasek Holdings didn't participate in a $10 billion stock offering by Bank of America, allowing a dilution of the stake it will own in the bank after a takeover deal with merrill Lynch is complete.
by AFP
Public houisng is often associated with poverty-stricken slums and other social ills but Singapore's high-rise apartment blocks built by the government are an exception. "Essentially we have housed an entire nation and created a nation of homeowners," Tay Kim Poh, chief executive officer of the city-state's Housing and Development Board (HDB), told AFP in a recent interview.
by Lim Yan Wen, The Online Citizen
by Dee Kay Dot As Gee
If you ask me, I would say that it is a reasonable pric eincrease. But increasing the price now on a dying technology is a bad move. Not only will it affect the fix line customer base, it might also affect the customer base in other Singtel services.
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
If I ask you how much you earn per month, and you reply, say, $4000 per month. Do I have any idea whether you are earning too little, earning too much, or earning just right?
Of course not. Not without, for example, finding out what you do, what is the quality of work you produce, and how easily you can be replaced.
Similarly, if I ask a company how much profit is a commercial for-profit company earning, and the company tells me, say, $4 million per year. Do I have any idea whether the company is earning too little, too much, or just right?
Lately, there are a lot of complains about why some for-profit companies are raising prices when the companies are still earning profits. But, none of these complains compare the profit to, say, the amount of investment the companies have made.
Take two extreme example. If a company spent $1 to earn $4 million profit, one may be justified in claiming the company is earning too much profit. However, if the company spent $1 trillion to earn $4 million profit, one will be justified in claiming the company is earning too little, and the company should just close down, and the shareholders can simply earn more money just by putting the $1 trillion in the bank and earn interests.
Of course, these are extreme examples. The reality lies somewhere in the middle.
The problem with all these complaints, however, are that none of these bloggers bother to look at this reality. $4 million profit may be a lot of money, but without the context of the cost of production or service, the complaints sound hollow.
by James Shikwati, Business Daily Africa
The dictatorship in this tiny country of close to 4.5 million people figured out that instilling the right attitude among people is the best strategy to get citizens to engage in productive activity.
by Cheow Xin Yi, Today
by Tammy Tan, SBS Transit, Today
SBS Transit would like to apologise to all of its wheelchair-bound commuters who have been confused by the use of blue Wheelchair-Accessible Bus (WAB) decals on buses not running on WAB routes. SBS Transit has taken immediate action to remove them to avoid further confusion and will ensure that only WAB-designated Services carry the decals from now on.
by Ng Lian Cheong, Channel NewsAsia
by Singapore Dino
by Koh Gui Qing, Reuters
Singapore's export-dependent economy may narrowly escape a recession in the third quarter, but the deepening financial crisis should prompt the central bank to ease monetary policy to avoid a sharper economic slowdown.
by Tan Seng Giap Jason, Giapsby's Weblog
Education could be a powerful tool, but there is also a need for the young of the nation to really experience diversity to understand the importance.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's Changi Airport will be corpratised by July 2009. It will be split into two entities - a regulatory arm and a new airport company.
See Also: Corporatisation Of Changi Airport And Restructuring Of Civil Aviation Authority Of Singapore (CAAS) - Corporatisation Model Announced, by Ministry of Transport, Singapore Government. (Note: Link goes to PDF document.)
by Alamak
by Judith Tan, Straits Times
The National Environment Agency (NEA), foodcourt owners and cleaning agencies have come out to assure cleaners - some of whom are elderly - that they will not lose their sources of livelihoods.
The follow-up question, which Straits Times dd not ask, is that will the salaries of cleaners be pushed even lower, using the excuse of having less work to do.
by Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times
It is a $2 million compromise that the government has worked out to appease Serangoon Gardens residents unhappy over the foreign worker dormitory to come up in their neighbourhood.
by Channel NewsAsia
SingTel is increasing its local fixed line subscription by S$10 a year from January 1, 2009. Local fixed line call charges will go up from 0.7 to 0.8 Singapore cents per 30-second block during peak hours or per 60-second block during off-peak hours.
See Also: SingTel Sees Hit From Finance Crisis, To Cut Costs, by Jennifer Tan, Reuters.
by Channel NewsAsia
Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to expand a bilateral air services agreement that will allow Low Cost Carriers to operate between Singapore and three cities in East Malaysia.
by Reuters
Singapore will see an economic slowdown that could last several quarters as the subprime mortgage meltdown has evolved into a global economic crisis, finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in remarks published on Monday.
by Eugene Chew, In God We Trust
Consumers should not be unnecessarily burdened with an initiative that is likely to only favour the management.
by Hard Hitting In The Lion City
In banning the broadcast... Chee Soon Juan now has more airplay than ever before.
by Singapore Democratic Party
by Lo Wei Liang Ian, Social Problems In A Global Context
With the government so much influencing key areas, are we who we are because of who we really are or is it because of what the government want us to be so that they can remain where they are?
by Li Xueying, Straits Times
Measures to help ease the impact of the 'rather large' hike in electricity tariffs could be introduced in next year's budget. Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam hinted at it yesterday during a dialogue with residents of Toa Payoh East.
by Li Xueying, Straits Times
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam assured that Singapore is 'not in the same situation as the US.' He said: "I can assure you our Singapore banks are well regulated and there is no risk and no reason whatsoever to have a run on our banks."
by Terence Lee, The Online Citizen
About 80 people attended the "Stand Up for Media Freedom" protest held yesterday, which consisted mainly of students.
by The Legal Janitor
I'd rather pay our ministers and MPs tons of cash upfront, and have all that transparency and accountability, rather than have them try to weasel up goodies off the books from supplicants trying to garner government favour.
by Kimberly Spykerman, Straits Times
Some improvements showing in clear-your-tray campaign.
Let's be cynical here for a moment: is this just a ploy to reduce the service level provided at food courts without a corresponding reduction of prices? Will stall owners be charged a lower rent and be able to choose to pass on the savings back to the customers?
by Straits Times
"I am a murderer. If only I did not screen her on that day..."
by Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times
More than 100 residents gathered at a local playground yesterday to voice their objections to a foreign worker dormitory planned for Serangoon Gardens.
by Salma Khalik, Straits Times
Once it is accepted that doing nothing about the situation is morally wrong, as it condones exploitation, it follows that the faster regulations are in place, the better for all.
by John Burton, Financial Times
Temasek Holdings, the Singapore state investment company, plans to use the proceeds from the sale of an Indonesian bank last week to make more investments in the Asian financial sector.
by Thaddeus Wee, The Online Citizen
We need to let intellectual opinion and ideas flow in order to validate or invalidate them. To deny the possibility of another opinion would mean to assume the infallibility of one's own opinion.
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
What was news — because it is not said everyday at eulogies — was the way Jeyaretnam's sons spoke of his political life. In its complete silence, the Straits Times once again abandoned its journalistic craft.
And unknowingly underlined everything that Jeyaretnam had been pointing out about the state of democracy in Singapore.
by Reuters
About 60 people gathered at a park in central Singapore on Sunday to protest against a university's decision to censor news stories in the school media related to a prominent opposition politician.
by Saeed Azhar and Kevin Lim, Reuters
by John Chan, CNET News.com
by PakMakJujat
by Joanna Png, Catholic News
The negative perception that stems from stereotyping invariably instils an unfounded fear and suspicion of others.
by Huzir Sulaiman, The Star
As a Malaysian, it saddens me to note time and time again that Singapore does a much better job of giving voice to its ethnic minorities than we do.
All the more reason, then, that it's strange to see that the ancestral voices of Singapore's ethnic Chinese immigrant communities are absent from the electronic mass media. You can hear Malay and Tamil voices but not Hokkien or Cantonese. It's all Mandarin.
by Rachel Chung, Xtralicious
by Rachel Chung, Xtralicious
by AFP
People from different age groups, social backgrounds and races packed the steepled, English Gothic Saint Andrew's Cathedral in the business district for an Anglican church service.
In a eulogy, Jeyaretnam's eldest son Kenneth compared his father to a raging bull who, despite the blows he received, remained "undefeated and unbowed." Another son, Philip, a prominent lawyer, said his father's principle of "giving voice to the silent" led him to enter politics.
by Ryan Huang, Channel NewsAsia
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
J.B. Jeyaretnam's passing may have left a void in the political scene, but it could also be a rallying point for Singaporeans hankering for change.
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
by Alicia Wong, Today
The university was concerned its student media platforms would be "inadvertently exploited."
This is such a cop-out. Either the platforms are exploited, or not exploited. Make a stand, and stop making excuses.
by Ng We Khoon, People's Association, Soffy Hariyanti, Ministry of Transport, Straits Times
Families who need assistance can continue to apply at their local community centre or community club, and they will be given help if eligible.
by Chee Soon Juan, Singapore Democratic Party
You have fought the good fight and now you have been called home to rest. They cannot hurt you anymore.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
by Ryan Huang and Greta Georges, Channel NewsAsia
For the first time, structures such as bridges, towers and pavillions will be conserved as part of Singapore's architectural heritage, and Anderson Bridge is one of six bridges named for conservation in 2008.
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
Three people contracted the dengue virus after receiving tainted blood from a donor in Singapore, a doctor wrote in a letter published in a medical journal on Thursday.
by Reuters
Singapore's central bank said it does not have the power to force banks to compensate retail investors who bought structured products linked to failed U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers.
by Camie De-Souza, Channel NewsAsia
The Ministry of National Development (MND) has decided to proceed with a dormitory development at the former school site at Serangoon Gardens for manufaturing and services workers.
by Lilian Karunungan, Bloomberg
Daiwa SB Investment Ltd. and Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Ltd. are selling Singapore dollars on speculation the central bank will curb the currency's advance as the economy teeters on the brink of recession.
by John Burton and Paul Betts, Financial Times
Plenty of potential pitfalls remain for Temasek.
by Ow Chee Chung, Society for the Physically Disabled, and Leslie Teo, Handicaps Welfare Association, Today
The use of the decal as a policy were discussed from the planning stage. It was then proposed that, to avoid confusion to the commuters, the decal will be displayed only after the service is declared as a wheelchair accessible bus (WAB) service. Thus we find the comments from SBS Transit and the LTA in the article confusing given the disregard to the original discussion and agreement.
by Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
by Sam's Thoughts
by Law Sin Ling, Sg Review
Lee's vision of Singapore becoming a more gracious society will not be realised by one who delivers a condolence as a political and personal victory speech.
by Gobloking
Conscience dictates that I must honor this humble, intriguing, brave man who stood like a Giant Cactus in a pristine, over-pruned artificial garden of roses.
by Lee Siew Peng, Organic-Ally
by Ooi Giok Ling, Today
Various differences in culture and economic means have been accommodated in Singapore, through best practices in planning that we should bear in mind as we continue to see the popular get more diverse with worker in-migration.
by Esther Ng, Today
The message of the little blue sticker seems obvious: We're a wheelchair-friendly bus. But, as disabled commuters hve found out the hard way, it doesn't necessarily mean they're welcome aboard.
by Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times
Whether they knew him from afar or up close, many who went to the Mount Vernon funeral parlour yesterday to pay their last respects said they admired Mr Jeyaretnam for havig fought hard and tirelessly for his beliefs.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
Singaporeans from all walks of life attended Mr JB Jeyaretnam's wake on Wednesday. And online, several hundred people penned their thoughts on the veteran politician.
by Lip Kwok Wai and Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
How long do we have to wait before our media starts to ask some hard questions?
by Ned Stark, Winter Is Coming
by Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's National Park Board said it received 31 registrations in September - of which 11 were indicated as public protests.
by John Burton, Financial Times
by Meera Vijayan, The Star
Former Singapore opposition leader J.B. Jeyaretnam died without fulfilling his greatest dream of returning to parliament.
by Melvin Tan, The Online Citizen
Mr JBJ may have had unfulfilled dreams like anyone else but, in my view, has achieved more than what he had originally set out to accomplish.
by Esther Ng and Ansley Ng, Today
by Tan Hui Leng, Today
With massive road diversions and road closures in place about a week before the street race, businesses in the Marina Bay area generally suffered a decline in sales.
by Maria Almenoar, Straits Times
The 130,000 transport vouchers meant as a cushion against the new public transport fares taing effect today may not be enough to go around.
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
I find PM Lee's condolence letter insincere and unbefitting of his stature as head of government and the ruling party.
by Ian Tan, Empty Vesel
Now you don't have to agree with the man's beliefs and ideas, you can simply be in awe of his incredible stamina and his personal belief that he was doing the right thing for his fellow men. That's what PAP serously lacks - politicians who impress people with their verve.
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