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by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
by Vaudine England, BBC News
Train lovers and travel nuts have long had a dream of going from Europe to Singapore by rail.
by Elysa Chen, New Paper
Still no evidence that the man is in Singapore.
by Baradan Kuppsuamy, IPS
Singapore's embattled human rights lawyer and leading anti-death penalty campaigner, Ravi Madasamy, intends to defend his reputation "all the way" to the highest courts after being released on bail for allegedly causing a disturbance at a mosque.
by Ben Bland, Telegraph
Although it has a population of nearly 5m, Singapore often feels like it's a small market town and the death of Ms Lo has hit the city as if she was known to everyone here.
by AFP
Lo Hwei Yen came from a country that prides itself on rigorous anti-terrorism measures. But all the security in the city-state of Singapore meant nothing when Islamic militants stormed the Indian hotel where Lo was staying and took her hostage.
by Glass Castle Blog
It's not something DBS shareholders and customers would necessarily feel comfortable supporting financially. DBS should be upfront about this.
by Creative Commons Singapore
by Linh Tat, The Argus
Gopalan Nair, a San Jose resident who practices law in Fremont maintained his innocence Friday and continued to lash out at the Singapore government as being corrupt. He said he plans to repost the two previous entries and that he will continue to write critical pieces of the government, reliazing he'll never be able to step foot in Singapore again.
by Wall Street Journal
As for this week's contempt ruling, the first line of Justice tay's decision is revealing as a standard for Singapore justice. "Words sometimes mean more than what they appear to say on the surface," he writes, going on to interpret the words as contemptuous because they had an "inherent tendency" to scandalise the court."
We'll pay the fine. We'll also continue to express our views about politics, the courts and other subjects that we think our readers should know about. And we'll let readers decide what to make of the judiciary in Singapore.
by Mollymeek
by Mr Wang Says So
Why gather hard information about things that are best kept a secret.
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
Few analysts expect the PAP to lose an election anytime soon. Its record as a stable, capable government remains in many people's minds despite the crop of unpopular policies it has pushed through.
The younger set of leaders is, however, undergoing a baptism of fire and not exactly coming out with flying colours.
As noted elsewhere, the younger 'leaders' today did not really go through the ritual of an election and having to go out and earn people's votes. All they know, in a sense, is to lead by command-and-order a.k.a. SAF-management-style, and to throw money at problems and hope for the best.
Many people will be willing to die for Lee Kuan Yew. How many of the younger generation will even want to ride a bicycle with the younger generation of MPs?
by Bernama
Singapore's employment rate grew by 2.7 percent last June compared to a year ago after more local women and older residents joined the workforce.
by The Malaysian Insider
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
Under your leadership, all that Singaporeans seem to be doing these past years is swallowing bitter stuff - while at the same time, being told by you and your government how exceptional a government you are and how Singapore is in a 'golden period'.
by Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Government
My Cabinet colleagues and I are painfully saddened by the news of the death of a Singaporean among the hostages in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Our condolences go out to her family and her loved ones for their tragic loss.
The loss of any life to terrorism is sad but the loss of a fellow Singaporean is a pain more keenly and more closely felt by every Singaporean. I know that all Singaporeans feel deeply for the family and our hearts go out to them in their time of sorrow and grief.
by Geoffrey Lim, Land Transport Authority, Bernadette Low, SMRT Corporation, Straits Times
In a survey of over 700 commuters conducted after deployment of the modified trains on Oct 31, nine in 10 commuters on platforms and seven in 10 in trains preferred being able to board a train quickly to having a seat. Most commuters also felt it was important to have more standing space in the cabins. And six in 10 felt that LTA and SMRT have modified the correct proportion of trains.
by Singapore Life And Times
by Gerald Giam
by Ca-Mie De Souza, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's foreign ministry says the Singapore Chinese woman held hostage at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai has been killed.
See Also: MFA Press Statement On The Singapore Hostage In Mumbai, by Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Government. We are deeply saddened to have to inform you that the Singaporean who was held hostage since 27 November 2008 was a casualty. We would like to convey our sincere condolences to the family of Ms Lo Hoei Yen. This is a tragedy for all SIngaporeans.
by Musings
... unless you want to spread hate, instead of love.
by Alex Kennedy, Associated Press
Singapore's central bank warned the city-state's economy, which slid into recession in the third quarter, will continue to weaken, hurting corporate profits and sparking job cuts.
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
Regulation of civic activities in Singapore stand in stark contrast to the streamlined way by which bisnesses are registered.
by Toh Han Shih, Straits Times
While it is fair to argue that too muchbickering can paralyse a government when it needs to act quickly in a crisis, it is undesirable to have a dominant government so ossified in its ways, it cannot respond nimbly and effectively to ever-changing situations.
by New Paper
by Mr Wang Says So
by Raphael Minder, Financial Times
Singapore should expect tougher international scrutiny of its banking secrecy rules, as the Asian city-state continues to expand its wealth management and private banking businesses, according to the chief executive of the Swiss Bankers Association.
by Amir Efrati, Wall Street Journal
A spokesman for Dow Jones, the News Corp. unit that owns WSJ and the Law Blog, said the company "strongly disagrees with the court's analysis" and that its newspaper "has not engaged in a 'campaign' of any sort against the Singapore judiciary. We will in future continue to defend the right of The Wall Street Journal Asia to report and comment on matters of international importance, including matters concerning Singapore."
by Diary Of A Singaporean Mind
At which point will the check and balance kick in? At which point will Singaporeans be calling out loudly to reform the GIC and Temasek?
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
The three Singaporeans who have been found guilty of contempt of court in the kangaroo T-shirt case have been sentenced to jail. Two of them, 19-year-old Muhammad Shafi'ie Syahmi Sariman and 33-year-old Isrizal Mohamed Isa, received a seven-day jail term each, while 47-year-old John Tan Liang Joo was slapped with a 15-day jail term.
by 938 Live
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has said it is working closely with the Indian authorities to secure the safe release of a Singaporean woman held hostage at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai.
See Also: MFA Press Statement On The Mumbai Terrorist Attacks And Hostage Situation, by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Government.
by Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times
October marked yet another dismal month for tourism, as arrivals dipped year-on-year for the fifth consecutive month, according to official figures released yesterday.
by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
Dr Teo Ho Pin's "reassurance" raises more questions given that he is merely rehashing old arguments in defence of the PAP Town Councils.
by Ovidia Yu
by mrbrown
Ok, ok, we get it. Don't go Bangkok. Now please cover some news Singaporeans care about.
by Asia Sentinel
A high court judge reinvents Alice in Wonderland in a contempt case.
by Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia
In a statement to the media on Wednesday, he said town councils have been prudent because they understand their responsibility to residents.
Channel NewsAsia uses the word "clarify" to describe Teo Ho Pin's words. I'd use the word "claim", because no where in this articele can I find any evidence that town councils are either "prudent" or "responsible" to residents.
"Estate maintenance and improvement plans will not be affected," calimed Teo Ho Pin. That may simply mean that the PAP town councils have collected too much money in the sinking fund, such that losing a few millions here and a few millions there will "not affect" the plans.
by Cheah Yean Ti, Channel NewsAsia
A joint statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence said that while Singapore is concerned about the humanitarian problems caused by the irresponsible and indiscriminate use of cluster munitions, it is impractical to impose a blanket ban on these weapons.
This is not good enough. Singapore should sign the agreement, and stop manufacturing and remove all existing cluster bombs. "Responsible use of cluster munitions for self-defence" is a horrible excuse, as there are enough weapons in the world already for any kind of self-defence. I am disappointed by Singapore's government stand on this matter.
by Fiona Chan, Straits Times
Temasek Holdins has halted its sale of power generation company PowerSeraya, as deepening pessimism about the global economy thwarts corporate deal-making plans around the world.
by Edward Say, Straits Times
The present press-formed seats have been shaped and sized to seat passengers compactly, with barely enough shoulder and leg room for a medium-built individual. Hence the converted space will in practice takes about the same number of standing passengers as seats removed, after allowing for shoulder room and room to avoid breathing down another passenger's neck. The net result of the exercise is thus no increase in space for more standing passengers and no more room for those who stand. Not surprisingly, this has been borne out by feedback from passengers.
by Singapore Life And Times
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
I hope Mr Lim realizes the wool that the mainstream media has pooled over everyone's eyes in tainting the SDP as a rogue or maverick party with little political agenda apart from breaking the law.
by Li Hongyi, Straits Times
An effective response to Dr Tan must account for both costs and benefits of multi-party politics and argue why one side outweighs the other - in particular, why Singapore can harness such political compettion to generate better policymaking while avoiding the attendant costs, when many other countries are unable to do so.
Personally, I want a samll government. I want government out of my life. But if I can't have that, I rather have more political parties than less, because a single-party parliament will tend to get bigger, not smaller.
by Hannah Ruth Chia, Straits Times
SMRT can throw statistics at commuters and claim that maximum capacity has not been reached. If this is true, I shudder to think how unbearable train journeys will be if maximum capacity is reached.
by Kelvin Lim, The Online Citizen
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
Whether the cut and deferment for ministers' salary is a political move does not really matter at the moment. What will matter — to the PAP as a political party and Singaporeans in general — is whether the government will be able to help Singaporeans through the next two or three years when unemployment is expected to double and when thousands start to have difficulties living day to day.
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's High Court has found the Wall Street Journal Asia in contempt of court and fined it S$25,000. It is the highest fine meted out so far for such cases.
by Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said the country cannot simply stimulate demand during this time of crisis by raising government spending. While that may be what other countries are doing to stem the downturn, Mr Lee said it cannot work for Singapore because of its small economy.
by P N Baliji and Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen
Go for the presidency, Mr Tan.
by Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia
Three Singaporeans have been held in contempt of court for appearing at the Supreme Court building in May wearing T-shirts showing a kangaroo in a judge's gown.
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
Penalising people for saying that our courts do not meet expected standards does not improve justice. It's just a conversation stopper. A silencer.
by Karsten Carmer, Today
I would like to ask the National Library Board (NLB) why foreigners in Singapore are not given the option to sign up for a basic membership, and instead are required to sign up for a premium membership?
by Reuters
by Farooq Hameed Khan, The Nation
by Mariko Oi, BBC News
For years the financial district of Singapore has been a magnet for thousands of expats seeking big bonuses and a glamorous lifestyle. But now with job losses spreading to Asia and the city state in recession, the party could very soon be over.
by Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta Post
by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
by The Star
Singapore has proposed to make an 'iconic investment' in Iskandar Malaysia as a symbol of commitment between the two countries,s aid deputy prime minister Seri Najib. He said the suggestion was put forward by Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong when the two met at the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit.
by Fiona Chan, Straits Times
Inflation continued to ease last month, but stayed higher than expected as the hikes in electricity rates kicked in.
See Also: Singapore Consumer Price Index, October 2008, by Singapore Department of Statistics, Singapore Government.
by Straits Times
The civil service will cut pay of ministers and senior officials by up to 19 per cent next year, and hte year-end payment for 2008 by one month in view of the slowdown in the global economy and in Singapore, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced on Monday.
by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
by Elysa Chen, New Paper
Cyclists who ride dangerously on pedestrian walkways should be taken to task. Otherwise more people are going to get hurt.
See Also: Off The Bus And Into A Speeding Cyclist, by Elysa Chen, New Paper.
by Singapore Kopi Tok
Just a year ago, everyone's concern was that inflation far exceede the fixd deposit rate.
by Blowin' In The Wind
by Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia
Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council said while it is looking at safer options for investing, it will also take into account what residents prefer. Speaking on the sidelines of a community event on Sunday, Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council chairman, Ahmad Magad, said the council has been communicating with some residents who have asked about the investments. And going forward, it will listen to what residents prefer.
by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
Mr Tan's latest announcement may not be too welcomed by certain quarters in the government going by the slant the state media has been adopting so far against him.
by Diary Of A Singaporean Mind
I expect the PAP to now start mining for information on Mr. Tan.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
Many parents have asked for non-academic achievements to be given greter prominence and to be included in key performance index.
by Anthony Capella, The Times
Any country that bans chewing gum can't be all bad, particularly when the same controlling attitude also created some of the world's most vibrant street food.
by Nur Dianah Suhaimi, Straits Times
The 60-year-old former chief executive officer of NTUC Income told The Sunday Times he is considering standing as Singapore's next elected president or contesting in the next general election as an independent candidate.
See Also: Tan Kin Lian Eyes Elected Presidency, by Tan Kin Lian. "It is not my interest or amibition to stand for election. If I do not get 100,000 signatures, I have the excuse to opt out - that this is a bad idea."
by Tan Dawn Wei and Zureena Habib, Straits Times
Town councils must be accountable to their residents for what they do with the money they collect from them, said national development Mah Bow Tan. But the government should not meddle with how these funds are managed, just as it does not interfere with the town councils' other operations.
by Yuhui's Singapore Blogger
by The Star
To all our politicians who intend to go for long and expensive overseas trips to study how to run our country, please don't waste taxpayers' money. Be humble and just learn from Singapore!
by Diary Of A Singaporean Mind
The PAP is a product of Singaporeans' apathy and complacency.
by The Online Citizen
In a wider sense, the current acrimony is also a product of latent worries about the government's notoriously secretive management of the country's savings.
by Gilbert Goh, The Online Citizen
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
The government, which had been sweeping general elections, is evidently worried about an upsurge in discontent that could erode its power base.
by John Burton, Financial Times
Singapore's government faces its biggest test since taking office in 2004 after forecasting that the economy will shrinnk 1-2 per cent next year.
A recesion next year would be the fourth that Singapore has suffered since independence in 1965 but some economists believe it could be the country's worst. The sudden downturn may prompt the government to call an early election before scheduled polls in 2011 in case economic pain leads to a backlash against the People's Action party that has ruled Singapore for 50 years.
by Lianhe Zaobao
by Rayner Teo, Straits Times
Experience does not prevent us from making mistakes; worse, it creates an environment of complacency and lethargy.
by Vincent Tan, Straits Times
by DPA
by Chen Shiyin, Bloomberg
Temasek Holdings Pte, Singapore's state-owned investment company, plans to cut salaries and said a worldwide recession may extend beyond 2009.
THe firm, which oversees $130 billion, said senior management has volunteered a 15 percent to 25 percent pay cut. The key managers will provide almost 90 percent of the savings from the companywide cut, it said in an e-mailed response today to a Bloomberg News query.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
by Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia
Faced with a steady growth in traffic volume, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has announced plans to further evelop the Old Woodlands Checkpoint.
by Mollymeek
What the PAP wants is people to believe that it has to be in power forever, not that a dominant-party system is better than a two-party system. Once we get this clear, we know where to steer the debate.
by The Star
Malaysia-Singapore ties will always remain strong despite long-standing bilateral issues, said Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia T. Jasudasen.
by Robin Chan, Straits Times
The MOnetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said there are no plans to change its current exchange rate policy stance.
by Fiona Chan, Straits Times
Singapore's economy could shrink next year for the first time since 2001 as the global downturn deepens, warned the Ministry of Trade and Industry on Friday.
by Melvin Tan, The Online Citizen
by Jane Ng, Straits Times
The first batch of students outside mainstream schools to sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination have done as well as their counterparts elsewhere, with over 90 per cent of them doing well enough to move to the secondary level.
by Tan Wu Meng, Young PAP, Straits Times
In partnership with the people of Singapore, PAP governments have kept this nation afloat through the 1970s oil shocks, the 1980s recession, the 1990s Asian financial crisis, the post-9/11 aftermath and Sars. Which other party in the world has this depth of experience?
PAP prides itself on economic success. But if one measures against protecting the freedom and rights of the citizen as enshrined in our constitution, PAP's track record is bad..
by Karen Ngui, DBS Bank, Straits Times
A hiring freeze was already in place and we considered temporary measures, including tiered pay reductions across the organisation. But the most imortant consideration of all is that the changes in the financial landscape are drastic and permanent - they are not cyclical.
by Tan May Ping, New Paper
Like many in the U.S. who believed that the value of their properties will only increase and never decrease, this couple was burnt.
by Rachel Kelly, Channel NewsAsia
by Jeffrey Ho, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
Are residents made to pay for the Lehman-related loss by the town council with higher S & C fees i the future before the GE2006 promises can be fulfilled?
I don't think the sports complex is going to be paid for by the sinking fund.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
by AFP
by Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times
Call me chicken, but no thanks.
by Feed Me To The Fish
If government ministers can sponge off Singaporeans with their million dollars salary, paying Mdm Lim $330 a month is chicken feed.
by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
The Straits Times Forum is a place which allows the views of ordinary citizens to be heard and should not be abused as a platform to launch personal attacks or unfounded allegations on one another.
by Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia
Consumer confidence in Singapore has fallen to an all-time low, according to a Nielsen survey. Findings showed that one-third of Singaporeans have started feeling the heat of the economic downturn, even before the government announced that the country was in a technical recession.
by Tan Kin Lian
by Bertha Henson, Straits Times
Somebody in Peru's committee tasked with organising the Apec summit this weekend in Lima has a sense of humour - or maybe not.
by This Lush Garden Within
by Kelvin Kwan Chee Hong, Today
Affected Town Councils should not hide behind past successes and simply brush off the losses as unforeseeable and an insignificant percentage of their total funds.
by AFP
More people in Singapore are taking public transport as they try to save money during the global economic slowdown, the city-state's transport minister said in a speech released Wednesday.
by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg
Singapore's economy probably shrank last quarter as a manufacturing slump and easing demadn for financial services drove the nation into its first recession since 2002, adding pressure on policy makers to stimulate growth.
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
Neptune Orient Lines, the world's seventh-largest container carrier,s aid on Wednesday it will shed 9 percent of its workforce and warned the outlook was grim as the shipping sector faces up to a prolonged downturn.
See Also: NOL Warns Of Unprecedented Industry Crisis, by John Burton, Financial Times.
by Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen
by Vincent Sear, The Online Citizen
I hav ehad the privilege of working with Mr Tan Kin Lian in NTUC Income several eyars ago. As far as I know, at no time did Mr Tan advocate any unethical or unscrupulous practices for his sales force.
by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
Mr Teo Ho Pin should learn some basic investment strategies from Mr Low Thia Kiang lest he frittered away our precious Town Council sinking funds again.
by Lim Chih Yang, The Online Citizen
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
The number of bids submitted exceeded the COE supply of 1,851 by only one.
by Mr Wang Says So
by Groundnotes
How does the PAP patronize Singaporeans? Let me count the ways.
by Karen Woon, Straits Times
The government has advocated high pay packages to public servants, because their pay should be commensurate with the risks they take, just like the CEO of a private organisation. But when mistakes are made, the CEO has to answer for them, most often at the cost of his job. So who should take the rap for these mistakes? And what actions will be taken to prevent future cases like this?
See Also: Questions Over Losses By Town Councils, by Liew Yeng Chee, Straits Times. Will there be accountability?
by Tan Kin Lian
by Melvin Tan, A Blog Day's Work
by Melvin Tan, A Blog Day's Work
by Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
by Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
Senior mnister of state for finance, Lim Hwee Hua, announced in Parliament that one key change is that the amounts of child relief and handicapped child relief will be increased from next year.
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
How do Singaporeans get the good government they want from another party in the absence of a two-party democracy?
by Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia
by Robin Chan, Straits Times
Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said that while consumer loans have increased by 10 per cent in September compared to a year ago, it is in line with the economic growth and property boom in recent years.
by Beth Jinks, Bloomberg
Las Vegas Sands Corp. has enough money to finish Singapore's first casino without help from the city-state's government or billionaire Kwek Leng Beng after the company raised $2.1 billion, president William Weidner said.
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told Parliament that none of Singapore government statutory boards are holding the Lehman Minibonds, Pinnacle Series, DBS High Notes Five, Merill Lynch Jubilee Series products.
Mr Tharman says four statutory boards - the Civil Service College, Singapore Land Authority, Infocomm Development Authority and the Professional Engineers' Board - have invested in other credit-linked notes.
by Daryl Loo, Reuters
by Esther Ng, Today
by Zakir Hussain, Straits Times
The minimum marriage age at which Muslims can marry has been raised to 18, in line with that for other Singaporeans.
by Irene Ngoo, Straits Times
Singapore's budget deficit for this fiscal year is expected to be more than three times larger than the earlier estimated $800 million due to higher expenditures, additional spending and more payouts to the people, said finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. But he said the government would not reduce this deficit, either by trimming its expenditures or raising additonal revenues.
See Also: Singapore Budget Deficit To Swell, Tax Cuts Eyed, by Melanie Lee, Reuters.
by Bhag Singh, The Star
by Patricia lui, Bloomberg
Singapore, facing a slump in exports amid a recession, may change its exchange-rate policy to favor a weakening currency in April or sooner, according to UBS AG.
by Loh Chee Kong, Today
In finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's words, it would have been "easy" for the govenmetn to score political points by putting pressure on the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to bear down on the financial institutions that sold Lehman-linked structured products to retail investors. But such a move would only backfire and hurt investors, said Mr Tharman yesterday as he robustly defended the SIngapore authorities' approach to resolving the saga.
by Clarence Chua, The Online Citizen
Instead of advocating dress changes, the SMU students and SKM should tackle the spectre of over-filled food centres.
by The Online Citizen
by Chris Tan, Straits Times
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
THe two firms building integrated resorts (IRs) in Singapore have requested for approval from the government to open their projects progressively. Senior minister of state for trade and industry S Iswaran told Parliament the government is considering the requests from Resorts World at Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands.
by Goh Chin Lian, Straits Times
Holland-Bukit Panjang and Pasir-Ris-Punggo have about $12 million invested in troubled structured products. Senior minister of state (national development and education) Grace Fu gave this update in Parliament on Monday, in response to a question from nominated MP Eunice Olsen.
Holland-Bukit Panjang invested about 6.7 per cent of its total funds available for investment in the structured products, and Pasir Ris-Punggol, about 2.6 per cent.
by Channel NewsAsia
Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has confirmed that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has started formal enquiries into allegations of mis-selling of financial products by banks here.
by Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has instructed the CEOs of all financial institutions to conduct a thorough review of their sales and marketing processes for structured products.
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
NTUC's impotence is a symptom of structural changes to the global economy. DBS is evolving into a multinational company. Unions, on the other hand, are still stuck in a pre-World War II mindset, organising themselves within national boundaries only.
Would NTUC and the Singapore government even be able to contemplate a future where workers are part of multinational unions? Our government is wedded to the idea that they should control the unions, and so long as this is non-negotiable, can we even begin moving down the road of multinational unions? But if things stay as they are, won't the NTUC lose all influence altogether, as more and more companies go global?
by Gabriel Sim, Simply Gab
The PAP is not stupid. One thing they do know is how to spin economic uncertainty in their favour.
by Singapore Democratic Party
So what if DBS Staff Union had been consulted? The PAP government did not obliterate trade unionism in the 1960s for nothing. Appointing a cabinet minister to head the NTUC sums up the sorry state in which workers find themselves.
To be able to organise the working sector we need to get the people together, we need for people to speak up, and we need to form independent labour unions. To do these we need the freedoms of speech, association and assembly. In short, we need political rights.
by AFP
Singapore, which is already in recession, could experience negative growth next year, the city-state's premier has warned. Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said the recession will probably last a year but beyond that there could be several years of slow growth.
by Channel NewsAsia
by Reuters
Singapore's non-oil exports fell an unexpected 7.4 percent in October after seasonal adjustments, the biggest drop in five months and the latest evidence that hte worsening financial crisis has hit demand for Asian exports.
See Also: Singaproe's External Trade - October 2008, by IE Singapore, Singapore Government. (Note: Link goes to a PDF document.)
by Yesterday.sg
Tucked away in a corner of Singapore and accessible only by the know-how, the dam separating Seletar Reservoir and the Straits of Johor provides a nice scenic view of the kelongs on the straits side and the greenery fo the reservoir side.
by Yaw Shin Leong
For a small country, Singapore must caution and insure itself against elitist politics of the one party system. Singaporeans must ensure that there is political competition and credible alternative partisan representation in Parliament to ensure that the present elitist PAP leadership does not take its people for granted.
by Asia Sentinel
The rapid demise of ABC Lerning, which is Australia's largest childcare provider, show sthat Temasek's poor investment decisions are not limited to the banking sector.
by Tan Hui Leng, Today
In response to queries from Today, a Ministry of Health spokeswoman said: "A patient who is retrenched at the time of hospitalisation will enjoy full subsidy. If his income hsa shrunk, means testing will be based on his latest income. Hospitals will need evidence of retrenchment or income reduction."
by Sundeep Tucker, Financial Times
Asian investors are missing out on billions of dollars by not taking part in class action lawsuits against US companies whose managers have been accused of improper corporate behaviour, according to a study.
by Neo Chai Chin, Today
Foreign workers can count on this going for them in Singapore: Remittance rates here are among the cheapest in the world.
by Prime Sarmiento, IPS
by Elysa Chen, New Paper
by Shree Ann Mathavan, New Paper
The former NTUC Income CEO is not pleased that he is being ignored.
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
by PN Balji, The Online Citizen
by Money Mind
by Mathia Lee
by Miniature Disaster
by Straits Times
A two-party system will not work in Singapore, which is much better off with 'one dominant, clean and good party,' said prime minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday.
But he acknowledged that the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) 'should not have a carte blanche'.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
Isn't 10,000 investors enough reason for them to come forward and help out?
by Where Bears Roam Free
It has long been argued, for decades, that as long as S17(2) of the Industrial Relations Act is in place, all the hot air MOM or NTUC talk about retrenchment will be just that - hot air. The retrenchment exercise by DBS has proven just that.
by Martyn See, No Political Films Please, We're Singaporeans
It's two steps back, one step forward.
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced that the country's budget statement will be brought forward to Janaury next year. The budget is usually delivered by the finance minister in February.
Mr Lee said the government is working out the best combination of measures for the coming budget with the am of not just helping Singaporeans with the present downturn but also to build up strength for the future.
by Cheryl Tan and Cara Van Miriah, Straits Times
No, it's not, say diners who dismis students' campaign against using tissue paper packets to reserve seats.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
by The Gigamole Diaries
Now that lassiez-faire has been offiically pronounced dead, dare we hope the government will invest a bit more and provide us better regulatory service?
by Maximizing Progress
by Bernama
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
by Gerald Giam
Ambiguous signals like this latest statement from the acting manpower minister only serve to embolden large corporations to think they can willy nilly cut staff as long as the process is communicated properly from a PR standpoint.
by Mr Wang Says So
Can you really blame Richard? I mean, everyone knows that employee trade unions in Singapore are supposed to be docile, subservient and useless. How the heck was Richard to know that before retrenching the workers, he was supposed to consult the bank union...
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
The manpower minister will soon release guidelines on how to manage excess manpower in light of expected increase in retrenchment in Singapore. The guidlines willi nclude what's called responsible retrenchment, where employers work with unions to explain the situation to workers before serving the termination letter.
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
There is no denying that over-regulation that caused people to draft - and follow - regulations, sometimes automatically by instinct, ahs contributed to a safe, clean and efficient Singapore.
That was in the past when people were production ants.
by James Hipkiss, New Straits Times
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
The PAP understands perfectly that the only potential threat to their hegemony comes from the educated professionals - the elite and middle class of Singaporeans residing in private landed properties and apartment which forms 10% of the population. Keep them happy even at the expense of the low-income group and this will ensure continued stability.
by Gerald Giam
by Jessica Lim, Straits Times
The two white tigers involved in Thursday's attack on a cleaner are exhibiting symptoms of stress. This is because of the commotion that occurred during the attack, said the zoo's assistant director Biswajit Guha.
by Jessica Lim, Straits Times
by Looi Teik Soon, Public Transport Council, Straits Times
Although the standard is measured at the interchange, the operators cannot let bus bunching or delays get out of hand, because that would mean the bus cannot be ready for its scheduled departure at the next bus interchange.
To reduce the impact of traffic conditions, more bus priority measures such as bus lanes, priority traffic signals and giving way to buses exiting bus bays are necessary.
by Seah Gek Hoon, Straits Times
Apparently, Marina Mandarin has different classifications of slippers for different customers.
by Loh Chee Kong, Today
by The Online Citizen
Singapore's current government-dominated model for industrial growth is too tightly enmeshed with other aspects of its political economy for it to be easily loosened up, much less by the party that stands at the heart of the entire system.
by Valerie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
Labour chief Lim Swee Say has expressed his disappointment in the sudden decision by DBS Bank to cut 900 jobs. In a statement, Mr Lims said that the bank had not consulted with the DBS Staff Union on other alternatives to cutting costs. As a result, the perception on the ground is that DBS Bank decided on retrenchment as a first resort.
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
A day after a cleaner was mauled to death at the Singaproe Zoo's white tiger enclosure, officials assured the public that the exhibit is "very safe".
by Khushwant Singh, Straits Times
According to eyewitnesses, Mr Nordin, who was seen shouting and flinging items about shortly before the incident, vaulted a low wall and landed in a moat in the enclosure, four metres below. Carrying a yellow pail and a broom, he then crossed the 1.75m-deep moat, walked up to a rocky ledge near where the animals were and began agitating them by swinging the broom.
by AFP
The Singapore Tourism Board said it was considering a proposal by Las Vegas Sands for the complex to be opened progressively from the end of 2009.
Is this fair to the other casino coampny, and to the other companies that lost in the tender?
by Francis Chan, Straits Times
by Straits Times
A Malaysian cleaner died after he was mauled by a white tiger at the Singapore Zoo on Thursday.
by Saeed Azhar, Reuters
Singapore will introduce stricter measures for sales of structured products, a government minister was quoted as saying, after retail investors suffered hefty losses on products listed to collapsed bank Lehman Brothers.
by Channel NewsAsia
Former Singapore lawyer Gopalan Nair will not be jailed for contempt of court but has been given a telling-off and warning against making attacks against the Singapore Judiciary in future.
by See Eng Soon, Straits Times
The 'tisue culture' implicitly increases the turnaround of patrons at popular food centres, helping most workers who aim is to eat and return to work on time. In addition, this benefits people who dine alone.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
Will Singaporeans take an active role in the elections?
by Mollymeek
by Nick Wingfield and Christopher Lawton, Wall Street Journal
The iPhone and its sister device the iPod touch, which feature big screens and powerful graphics, are emerging as serious competitors to Nintendo's DS handheld and Sony's PlayStation Portable.
by Muhammad Cohen, Asia Times
Premier Lee has made his bet on the developement's success, and his arguments for it strengthening the island's tourism business still appear to stand.
by Elizabeth Wilmot, Straits Times
Bus and rail operator SBS Transit on Wednesday posted a 17 per cent slump in third quarter net profit to $8.3 million, as higher expenses such as fuel costs eroded stronger revenue.
by IDA, Singapore Government
The Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC), Singapore's national registry for domain names, will release Single-Character Domain Names (SCDN) such as WWW.A.SG, WWW.B.SG, WWW.C.SG, based on the 26 letters in the English alphabet series.
Bidding starts at S$20,000.
by Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times
SingTel, which posted a 12 per cent fall in net profit in the second quarter, has begun cost-cutting measures to help it ride out the downturn, including a hiring freeze and cutback on discretionary expenses, the company said on Wednesday.
by Tan Kin Lian
I do not know how MAS can find a solution without listening to the views of the many thousand of people who have lost their hard earned savings.
by Singapore Social Activist
We should stop ursuing an ideology of neoliberal "market fundamentalism" and pay attention to real human needs. The definition of progress and success cannot be measured in material terms alone.
by Mathia Lee
by Yesterday.sg
Do you know you can learn quite a bit about the history of Singapore from matchboxes too?
Do you remember KFC used to be a full-service restaurant?
by Business Monitor International
Singapore's present economic difficulties are inevitable in such an open economy, which is one of its key strengths. Recessions come and go, and the structural factors boosting Singapore have not changed.
by Roger Tay, The Star
Many Malaysians with CPF savings would appreciate it if they are able to withdraw their CPF savings early to help them ride through the difficult times.
by Koh Lay Chin, New Straits Times
How did the stuffy Singaporeans end up with bar-top dancing and casinos, while across the border we debate the evils of yoga?
by Thomas Fuller, New York Times
As another global financial crisis unfolds, the signs of distress in Southeast Asia are much more subtle.
by Tessa Wong, Straits Times
Singapore consumer confidence for the next six months has dropped to below market's historical level, in line with regional sentiments.
See Also: Asians Will Bargain Hunt For The Good Life: Survey, by Miral Fahmy, Reuters. Wining, dining and fashion are still a priority for Asia-Pacific consumers, but a regional survey shows that the global financial crisis is motivating them to hunt for bargains and save more.
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
Updates will be minimal until 15 Dec 2008, due to my a) going on a holiday, b) work commitment, and c) reservist duties; not concurrently, and not necessary in that order. :-)
by Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times
The government has 'no intention' of bailing out the integrated resorts in Singapore should they fail, senior minister of state S. Iswaran said on Wednesday. To another question on whether a government-linked company will bail out the IR, he said that such companies are 'commercial enterprises' which will 'have to make their own decisions' on whether an investment is viable or not.
Just a note: Temasek, if I undertand correctly, is a 'government-linked company', and is not part of the government.
See Also: Completing Singapore Casino Number One Priority: Sands, by AFP.
by The Online Citizen
The best way for the government to show its sincerity towards e-engagement is by granting independence to MICA.
by Clifford Coonan, The Independent
China's leading lady Gong Li is being accused of treason by her irate countrymen for becoming a Singaporean citizen.
by Aaron Low, Straits Times
The Elections Department has started preparations for the next general election, which is due at the latest by Feb 2, 2012. It has identified 28,000 civil servants to become election officials, and has begun sending letters out to them.
by Melvin Tan, The Online Citizen
by Caryn Yeo, Straits Times
No one political system is the best for generating sustaine deconomic growth, and the success of a country's economy does not rest on whether the governance is Asian-style or Western-style, senior minister GOh Chok Tong said on Tuesday night.
by Maria Almenoar, Straits Times
More trains with about a third of their seats removed will ply the MRT tracks from next week, even as commuters yesterday said they found the trains no less crowded as a result.
Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the intention is not to fit more people on the train, but to give standing commuters more space. But that seems to be what is happening. Nine of 10 commuters travelling during yesterday's morning rush hour told The Straits Times that they did not have any more room while standing.
Take a look at the accompanying photo on The Straits Times: the number of people standing in the space created by removing the seats is the same as the number of people sitting when the seats were not removed. This is a stupid and useless move by LTA and SMRT.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
by Roland Lim, Channel NewsAsia
Goh Chok Tong said the financial system must be flexible to allow ingenuity in creating new products, but agreed that more mechanisms need to be put in place to protect investors.
See Also:
Governance And Growth In Emerging Asia, speech by Goh Chok Tong, Singapore Government.
by S. Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Bus lanes will be implemented at three more locations from November 17. They will be marked by the usual yellow lines along Commonwealth Avenue, Cmmonwealth Avenue West and Queensway.
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
by The Star
by Tan Thuan Seng, Today
Public funds and liberalisation of rules governing the casinos should not be allowed to svae these IR projects.
by BothSidesOfTheJohorStraits
All ministers without portfolios should be immeidately downgraded to lower-paying positions within ministries, so as to save millons each year.
by Opodo
The Singaore Tourism Board has announced that, following a highly successful year for the city-state's travel industry, it is now developing ambitious plans for the future.
So, is "highly successful" the new code word for "probably will not meet targets"?
by Monica Cheang, Straits Times
This is a waste of money for something so unnecessary.
by Ca-Mie De Souza, Channel NewsAsia
Central Provident Fund (CPF) cuts is a last-resort measure to keep business costs down, said labour chief Lim Swee Say in an exclusive interview on Monday. "Any talk about CPF cuts at this moment is way too premature because there are 1,001 thins we can do to prepare ourselves, to strengthen ourselves to ride through this crisis," he said.
by Saeed Azhar, Reuters
Property developer CapitaLand said on Monday it has not held any talks with Las Vegas Sands over its Singapore casino-resort project, but will explore opportunities to invest in distressed assets.
by Waste Management World
The Singapore National Environmental Agency has announced it is looking into the possibility of building an eco park on a land fill at the recent International Solid Waste Association Congress in Singapore. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, minister for the environment and water resources, made the announcement at the opening ceremony saying "With this, we can create opportunities for research and development, as well as the application of clean technologies."
by Chen Shiyin, Bloomberg
Singapore's government may form a venture with CpaitaLand Ltd. to take over one of the island's two casino-resorts if Las Vegas Sands Corp. falls to stave off loal defaults, CIMB-GK Research Pte said.
by Serville Zervant, The Online Citizen
It is about time Singaporeans sit back and reflect what has caused all this deterioration in the last 53 years and seek to rectify the situation. No economic achievement can sustain itself without parallel political achievements.
by Channel NewsAsia
by Groundnotes
The real question should be, is the Cabinet ready to select a non-Chinese PM?
by Conrad Raj, Today
Why is streamlining done only during a downturn? Why can't companies here run a tight ship even in good times, so that the chances of resorting to lay-offs and retrenchment are slimmer?
by Kimberly Spykerman, Straits Times
Mr Kumar said his group was not against reserving seats at food centres. Rather, they wanted to encourage people to find a more gracious method.
by Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen
I find it somewhat ironic that a Singaporean can go to a neighbouring country like Vietnam, pay a few thousand dollars, and marry a bride whom he has met only a few days before. In contrast, if he wants to marry a foreigner who has ever been to Singapore on a work permit or S-employment pass, he has to apply for permission.
by Tan Kin Lian
In some cases, the investments were made in bonds, so that actual loss may not be that large - although the share price may have dropped a lot.
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
Chinese actress Gong Li, teh glamorous siren who made a successful crossover to Hollywood, has become a Singaporean, a local newspaper reported on Monday.
by Veronica Boudville, National Library Board, Straits Times
Library@esplanade serves a unique niche as a library for the performing arts, the first of its kind in Singapore. Patrons are informed of programmes in advance via our library websites, posters and public announcements. This is done to help those who wouldlike to attend the porgrammes and others who may choose to visit the library outside appointed times of performing arts events.
by Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
by Straits Times
The government will ensure no Singaporean falls below the poverty line as a result of the financial crisis but it cannot restore peoples living standards to what they were pre-crisis. Minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew gave this assurance today, as he promised measures in next year's budget to buffer lower-income earners and those without jobs from the impact of higher prices of food and other goods.
by Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
Minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew has said the current global recession ins the most severe since the Great Depression of the 1930s. And he cautioned that it is just the beginning in Singapore. But Mr Lee said: "Our reserves can see us through this crisis without going broke, although we have no natural resources, no oil, gas, palm oil whatever."
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
by AFP
Cash-rich sovereign wealth funds from Asia and the Middle East may be turning cautious after getting burnt by investments in Western firms hit by the current financial turmoil, analysts said.
by The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
It is quite frankly a severe case of double standards, to only hold opposition-run town councils to a high standard of scrutiny when the maority of town councils in Singapore, which are PAP-run, do not hold themsleves up to that same standard of scutiny.
by Where Bears Roam Free
If the PAP is race bias, don't blame it on the people. No matter how much PAP has been saying that race is not an issue for them, and at the same time poking jibes at other countries' race politics, the PAP has always played the racial card.
by New Straits Times
Singapore foreign minister George Yeo said the two neighbours could work together in staving off a potential crisis as their economies were closely intertwined.
by Anis Ibrahim, New Straits Times
Prof Amran Hamzah of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Iskandar Malaysia should leverage on its advantage and not compete with Singapore in the same tourism area.
by Bernama
Malaysia and Singapore will not allow outstanding issues to hinder efforts at forging closer bilateral ties, said foreign minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim Saturday.
by David Lawsky, Reuters
A U.S> District Court judge in New York ordered a newly hired Apple Inc. executive to stop work immediately because he ight be violating an agreement with his former employer, IBM.
See Also:
The Papermaster Chronicles: An Apple Vs. IBM Timeline, by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune.
by Mr Wang Says So
The Singapore government likes to say that it has high standards, but are the standards high becuase the system is really good? Or because the students these days are just working harder and harder and harder.
by Mr Wang Says So
If the world heads into a really bad economic patch in the next few years, the IR projects can do litle to help Singapore.
by Jamais Cascio, Open The Future
Underlying this evolution is a stark sense of insecurity.
by With One's Past...
by Global Problems
What is a nation if its only pursuit is one of economic progress?
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
As the recession bites harder some find unconventional ways to get spending money while others show their meaner side.
by Neil Chatterjee, Reuters
Prices for exclusive golf club memberships in Singapore have been whacked as the global financial crisis seeps into the real economy.
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
Curing homophobia requires teaching people to question received authority, peer pressure and the whole notion of social conformity.
by Mr Wang Says So
See Also: Wrong Sex And The Wrong Time? (And A Case Of Exemplary Journalism), by Mollymeek.
by Geoffrey Lim, Land Transport Authority, Straits Times
A car on average carries 1.5 people. A single-deck bus can carry 80 passengers. As road space is limited, we need to make a decisive shift towards public transport to meet travel needs. To do this, we need to increase the attractiveness of public transport, and bus lanes help to increase the speed and reliabiity of bus services for commuters.
by Maria Almenoar, Straits Times
Train commuters will know which door is opening and which stop they are heading to with a new real-time map system to be rolled out by SMRT. The map panels are similar to that on Hong Kong trains.
by Tania Tan, Straits Times
by Neel Chowdhury, Time
by Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia
Economists expect Singapore's government to increase its spending by up to S$10 billion next year. Senior minister Goh Chok Tong said on Thursday that the next budget will be an "expansionary" one, which means the government will be spending more and collecting less.
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
The incident left many financially scarred but politically awakened in a city-state where protests are rare and street gatherings of five or more people require a permit.
by Chong Chee Kin, Straits Times
A new security system which makes use of sensors and automated bollards at bus interchanges will be implemented soon to deal with the threat of car bombs.
Privates cars entering interchanges accidentally — such as Woodlands Interchange, where this is a not-too-rare event due to the poor traffic junction design — will face serious problems.
by Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
The National Medical Ethics Committee has supported the proposed change to the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) to compensate kidney donors.
Among its recommendations, the committee suggested that the compensation scheme should start with Singaproe citizens and permanent residents. The donor should also be given a choice whether to accept or decline the compensation.
by Indonesian Matters
by Harish Pillay
by Everyday's Life In A Snapshot
Assuming the government does take actions to stimulate spending, would Singaporeans bite?
No, the government will just spend on public projects. Many public projects are still going on, from the casinos to Orchard Road renovation to the Sports Hub to the new rail lines and expressways.
by Simon Tay, SG Energy Crisis
There won't be sufficient electricity generated to be shared among all the HDB household to be utilitze for their personal consumption.
by Beth Jinks and Kelvin Wong, Bloomberg
Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire who controls Las Vegas Sands Corp., held talks with the Singapore government this week as a cash shortage threatens the company's $4 billion casino development there, a person with knowledge of the meetings said.
Las Vegas Sands seeks funding to stave off defaulting on loans while facing "substantial doubt" about its ability to survive as a going concern, the casino operator said yesterday. Las Vegas Sands and government offiicals will publicly pledge to complete the Singapore project, said the person, who declined to be identified because the information isn't public.
by Saeed Azhar and Kevin Lim, Reuters
DBS Group, Southeast Asia's biggest bank, will cut 900 staff from Singapore and Hong Kong or six percent of its workforce by the end of this month to reduce costs, its CEO Richard Stanley said on Friday.
by Lawrence Loh, Today
Tear down the infrastructure that supports the sex trade and things will fall into place.
by Tan May Ping, New Paper
The need for the GRC or group representation constituency scheme shows clearly that we're still tribal folk, flocking together like birds of a feather.
Who says we still need the GRC scheme?
by Clarence Chua, The Online Citizen
Writing skewed articles and settling on an ill-fitting interviewee: honest mistakes or second-rate work ethics?
by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia
by Ben Bland, Asia Sentinel
When Singapore's newest reservoir was opened this weekend, it was billed as the garden city's latest leisure hub, designed to attract boaters and picnickers keen to escape the hectic pace of urban life.
But the Marina Reservoir, the 15th to be built in Singapore and the first to be located in the city center, has a much more important role to play. It is the latest advance in the city-state's drive to wean itself away from imported water from Malaysia and its concomitant political entanglements. In the process, Singapore has emerged as an unlikely world leader in water conservation, reclamation and desalination.
by Terence Lee, The Online Citizen
Yes, we should be critical of the mainstream press, but we must also be reminded of the realities in Singapore: where else can you get your daily dose of news about the local scene?
by Loh Chee Kong, Today
Town councils that have invested in Lehman-linked products should inform their residents how much (or little) money they lost and what recourse (if any) has been sought. Residents should not have to wait until next April to find out these answers, if at all.
by Dhevarajan Devadas, The Online Citizen
The PAP titled its 2006 election manifesto "Staying Together, Moving Ahead." But it has failed to live up to this promise.
by Geoffrey Lim, Land Transport Authority, Straits Times
At 1,600 passengers per train, the MRT pssenger density will translate to about 4.9 passengers per square metre, which is significantly lower than the actual loading density of 7.0 pasengers per square metre experienced on the Tokyo metro.
I propose LTA start measuring with something that passengers can relate more: a) what is the maximum time for a passenger to alight a train, when nobody else is getting off the train, b) how big a newspaper/magazine can one read comfortably: Penguin Classic, Today, or Straits Times.
by Sylvia Lim, Straits Times
Even if the provider needs to recoup the same total revenue, this can be achieved where the baseline consumption rate is significantly below 30.45 cents per unit while consumption in the subsequent tiers is charged at progressively higher rates.
Non-green event organisers like F1 should, especially, pay a significantly higher tariff than the rest of us. I support Sylvia Lim in this issue.
by Jeffrey Chan, Straits Times
In a post-9/11, terror-threatened world, does SIA truly want to offer passengers who harbour ill intentions an additional option of guaranteeing a certain seat beforeand, a seat tha talso offers maximum mobility in that cabin class?
by Megawati Wijaya, Asia Times
When the United States and Europe showed early signs of financial distress last year, Singapore came to the rescue of a handful of big investment banks hit by subprime mortgage problems. But as the financial contagion spreads, the island nation's open economy is emerging at least in the short term as one of the region's biggest losers from the crisis.
by Lau Joon-Nie, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore prime minister Lee Hisen Loong said the world needed strong US leadership to overcome the deepening economic crisis and conclude the Doha Round of trade negotiations.
See Also: MFA Press Release: Congratulatory Letters From PM Lee Hsien Long To US President-Elect Barack Obama And Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden, by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Government.
by Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times
StarHub, which had earlier said that it will have the Apple iPhone 3G in stores by end of the year, will not be bringing it in after all.
by Judith Tan, Straits Times
The Ministry of Health supports the principle set by the Bioethics Advisory Committee to compensate women who donate their eggs for research for their loss of time and earnings.
by Ca-Mie De Souza, Channel NewsAsia
SIngapore's foreign affairs minister George Yeo has called the election of the first African-American US president a "historic event" that is "deeply inspiring".
See Also: Obama Victory, by George Yeo, Beyond SG.
by Asha Popatlal, sin
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been working with potential suppliers to test different satellite systems for the past couple of years. However, at the Urban Transport Leaders Summit on Wednesday, its chief engineer said there is no complete solution in sight yet.
by Business Times Singapore
The stumbling block, said Lee Kuan Yew, is that even if the decision was made eventually to build a nuclear power station, the densely populated and compact republic lacks the minimum safety distance required for evacuation in case of a fallout. Singapore, he said, would eventually be "forced to cooperate" with its neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, in this alternate energy effort.
See Also: Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's Dialogue At Singapore Energy Conference, by Singapore Government.
by SingingQuilter's Weblog
It started with a quilt made by the Girl Scouts for their scout leader, Elizabeth Ennis during the first year of incarceration at Changi.
by Greg Robert, The Australian
The Queensland government has hailed Singapore as a prime example of the success of introducing recycled sewage to the drinking water supply, but most of the water the island nation derives from recycled sewage is used for industrial and commercial purposes.
See Also:
Singapore Drinks Recycled Water Too, by Stuart Khan, Water Recycling In Australia. What is more interesting in Singapore is the high level of treatment used. This has made the water highly suited for a number of applications including Singapore's considerable electronic chip manufaturing industry.
by Melanie Lee, Reuters
by Loh Chee Kong, Today
DBS not only has to resolve this High Notes saga but also repair the damage done to its standing among Singaporeans.
by Looi Teik Soon, Public Transport Council, Straits Times
The PTC imposes on premium bus service (PBS) a minimum fare of 1.5 times the baic bus fares to protect the viability of basic bus services. Without the fare guidelines, the PBS will cannibalise the ridership of the basic bus services.
by Low Kok Soon, Straits Times
Public infrastructure is being used inefficiently as there are only seven bus services plying this stretch during peak hours... This means in an hour, there are only 42 service splying this stretch. On the other hand, there are about 1,200 vehicles squeezed into the two remaining lanes during the same period.
You want to compare numbers? Why don't you compare actual number of people using those lanes instead? How many people are on the buses, and how many people are using private space-hogging congestion-inducing cars?
By the way, I counted the 13 services using at least part of the affected road: 67, 75, 77, 170, 171, 173, 176, 177, 178, 184, 961, 963, 970.
by Ng Lian Cheong, Channel NewsAsia
by Department Of Statistics, Singapore Government
This present publication contains a wide range of current satistical information on the Singapore economy and society. (Note: Link goes to an PDF document.)
by Joseph Sedfrey S. Santiago, BusinessMirror
It is a good time for art lovers to be in Singapore.
by Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times
The trial of three men taken to court for wearing T-shirts with a Kangaroo dressed in a judge's robe shas been postponed for three weeks to give them more time to prepare for the case.
by Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia
James Cook University Singapore has suspended the services of its contract lecturer John Tan Liang Joo, who is also the assistant secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).
by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Attorney general Water Woon said laws against contempt of court are not a restriction on freedom of speech or expression. He said the right to criticise does not give anyone the licence to make irespnosible accusations against the judiciary.
by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
by AFP
Singapore's attorney-general has withdrawn a drug trafficking charge against ABC reporter Peter Lloyd, but he still faces four lesser charges, his lawyer says.
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
Singapore may have been the first to implement bold initiatives such as the vehicle quota system and congestion pricing, but it gets many of its ideas from other cities, said transport minister Raymond Lim.
by Dancingredheels
Am I allowed to sheepishly retract whatever insensitive remarks that I have stupidly made?
by Singapore Skeptic
I think organising regular protests, while admirable, is not very effective. What is the best way to get at DBS? Hurt them at the pocket books.
by New Straits Times
When the Eye On Malaysia here officially opens for business on Saturday at the Sungai Melaka rivermouth, the people behind this project along with the state government will be keeping a close eye on Singapore.
by Neil Chatterjee, Reuters
Singapore restaurants grabbed top spots in a new guidebook to the best Asian eateries that favours the region's twists on modern European cuisine rather than street stall favorites.
by Kevin Lim, Reuters
Human resource experts say cultural differences explain why Asian firms try harder to preserve jobs in difficult times, which will stem unemployment and may help keep Asian economies afloat at a time of slowing exports.
by Wong Siew Hoong, Ministry of Education, Singapore Government
As there might have been some miscommunication on the issue, the school has since clarified the matter with Mdm Lee.
by Business Times Singapore
Last month's market upheaval swept away S$16.4 billion in market value from Temasek Holdings' portfolio of major ivnestments in Singapore-listed companies alone.
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
The new Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE), which will link the new downtown to the western and north-eastern suburbs, is busting its budget in a big way.
As a layman, this is one land project that I cannot understand why it is needed.
by The Age
Add in a good dose of old-fashioned central planning leavened by a fair degree of common sense (spiced by paternalism), and its IT, or "infocomm" industry can't help but thrive.
Sadly though, I don't see a lot of IT innovations.
by Tan Lay Peng, Straits Times
See Previously: Bus Commuters Caught In Terminology Jam, by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread.
by Serene Luo, Straits Times
Women who donate their eggs for research should be reimbursed only for teir expenses such as cab fares, and earnings in the time taken. They should not be paid for the inconvenience, the pain they undergo, nor the risks involved, said the Bioethics Advisory Committee of Singapore, which on Monday unveiled seven recommendations on the handling of human eggs donated for research.
by Zakir Hussain, Straits Times
Attorney-general Walter Woon will be in the Hgh Court on Tuesday to argue that the publisher of the Wall Street Journal Asia is gulity of contempt of court.
by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
Customers will be able to get a guaranteed exit row seat on Singapore Airlines flights, but they will have to pay US$50 per sector for the privilege.
SIA says it may extend this Preferred Seat Selection programme to other seats that offer more leg room in future.
by AsiaIsGreen
by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
SM Goh's continued insistence that the government understands the concerns of Singaporeans when its policies remained in favor of foreigners shows how out of toucht eh PAP is from the general populace.
by Zul Othman, Today
Singaporeans' interests "msut come first," said Mr K Shanmugam, but that does not mean "we shouldn't allow foreigners to be here."
by New Paper
A check by The New Paper on Sunday has revealed how easy it is to buy a 'pre-registered' card from some phone vendors without signing any papers or showing any identification.
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
"We are surprised that transport operators choose to discriminate based on a 'man-made' label; tertiary and non-tertiary."
by Lee Lilian, The Itch To Write
I think its time for our ministers to come out from their ivory tower and take a look at what is happening outside... Singaporeans should come first.
by Tan Siok Choo, The Sun
As a tortoise, Malaysia has been spared the turmoil affecting thousands of investors in Hongkong and Singapore. This is because policymakers like Bank Negara Malaysia emphasise developing ringgit-based lending and ringgit-based investment products while resisting the temptation to be financially trendy.
by Jamie Ee Wen Wei, Straits Times
In response, Ministry of Education said the publisher has been asked to replace the picture at the next reprint of the textbook.
by Straits Times
by Straits Times
This time, the 58-year-old is alleged to have said, among other things, 'that the courts were being abused for political ends'.
by Salma Khalik, Straits Times
The law will be changed early next year to allow people who donate their kidneys to get monetary compensation from the recipient or a voluntary organisation. The amount should not be so large that it is seen as an inducement, said health minister Khaw Boon Wan when he announced this yesterday.
by Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Alternatives
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
The petition calls for "fair compensation" for investors of failed credit-linked securities who were "misled by sales reps and/or sales material" which described the products as low risk.
by The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
by Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
The government's most pressing concern moving into 2009 is to maintain progress amid the uncertain economic conditions and to ensure that vulnerable groups are taken care of. Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong made this point on Saturday during a dialogue session with youths aged 18 to 35.
by Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times
Singapore's first outdoor gay protest at Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park on Nov 15 has been postponed to early next year. Organiser Roy Tan, 50, a Singaporean who initiated the event, yesterday cited the overwhelming response from the gay community as a key reason for the date change.
by Marissa Chew and Esther Fung, Today
The government has put the brakes on its land sales programme, as the outlook for the local economy and the property market takes a turn for the worse.
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
It's back to the eugenics debate with minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew bringing it up once again but this time around there seems to be little interest among the younger generation.
by Lim Bee Khim, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Straits Times
Electricity prices are lower in Hong Kong partly because it produces electricity from coal, whereas Singapore produces most of our electricity from natural gas. In fact, this is the main reason, rather than Hong Kong's tiered tariff system.
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
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