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Blowin' In The Wind
Shamim Adam, Bloomberg
Singapore’s economy is improving after a “volatile” year that saw it shrink for the first time since 2001, prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
Saeed Azhar, Reuters
Singapore's GIC, the world's fourth-biggest sovereign wealth fund, is considering whether to include China's inflation rate in its benchmark for targeting returns, deputy chairman Tony Tan said in a magazine interview.
Stephanie Phang and Jay Wang, Bloomberg
Singapore’s economy probably shrank this quarter after six months of growth as weaker manufacturing output cooled the island’s recovery from the global recession.
Straits Times
'HDB flats which are fully sublet to non-citizens will no longer be eligible for U-Save rebates. This is similar to HDB flats which are owned by non-citizens, which are currently already not eligible for the rebates,' said the Ministry of Finance.
Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Alternatives
I am again bemused and frustrated at the same time when I read the article on Today newspaper.
Tan Kin Lian
Ng Lian Cheong/Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia
Members of coffee shop associations - the Foochow Coffee Restaurant and Bar Merchant Association and the Kheng Keow Coffee Merchants Restaurant and Bar-Owners Association - have expressed concern.
Yawning Bread
Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
This website will be dark until Jan 2010, as I wind down the year for a short vacation and some down-time.
Unless something really big happens between now and Dec 31st, there will not be any updates to this website.
Have some holiday fun, and see you in the new year.
Singaporean Skeptic
黄维财, 联合早报
如果有顾客担心吸入二手烟，大可不要靠近烟客，或不要光顾该咖啡店。这就如发现电视节目不好看，可随手把电视关掉不看一样，何必边看电视节目又边骂电视台和演员呢？
咖啡店业者更应该根据自己独有的环境和个别商业考量，自行决定是否继续提供吸烟区给烟客，这样做自然会吸引烟客，也会让一些不吸烟者却步，业者自会权衡得失，反正盈亏由咖啡店业者自己承担。
This will work when there are alternatives for the consumers. But the way coffeeshops are regulated in Singapore, it is usually a local monopoly, and customers have no real choices.
Maggie Chong and Dylan Loh, Today
The Education Ministry's move to raise annual school fees for permanent residents and international students from 2011 would affect foreigners' decision on whether they should remain in Singapore, according to foreigners who spoke to MediaCorp.
The Star
Malaysians whose children are studying in Singapore have been caught by surprise by an announcement that school fees for permanent residents (PR) and non-PR students in the republic will be raised in 2011.
Business Times
Starhub subsidiary Nucleus Connect may have written off rival Singapore Telecommunications as a bandwidth customer but it appears that all is not lost for the green camp, thanks to a little-known government decree.
AFP
Budget carrier Tiger Airways said Monday it has informed the central bank of its plans to list on the Singapore Exchange ahead of an initial public offer (IPO).
World Architecture News
Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter have won an international competition, organised by Singapore’s National Parks Board, to design Gardens by the Bay, part of the next phase of the city’s masterplan. The gardens will occupy 101 hectares of prime land by the water and will become part of Marina Bay.
Seelan Palay, The Online Citizen
With this kind of opposition or alternative party, Singapore will continue to be under the PAP for another half-a-century, giving firm assurance to the obvious desire of Law Minister K Shanmugam for the ruling party to continue with the status quo.
Raymund Koh Joo Guan, Today
Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times
Mediacorp has successfully sued an Internet start-up which had been offering a service for consumers to watch the national broadcasters' programmes online. The High Court on Monday ruled that while RecordTV itself had not infringed MediaCorp's copyright, the company helped end-users do so and ordered it to terminate the service.
Cloud-based video recording service not allowed? This verdict doesn't make sense to me.
Khaw Boon Wan, Ministry of Health
Good ideas are not difficult to get; turning a good idea into reality is the tough part. Sound implementation is what makes a healthcare system better than others.
Sam Ho, Sam's thoughts
Most training and operational matters deserve their confidentiality, but I hope the rules are not abused just to silence people who are deemed to be potential threat to the establishment. We are today definitely beyond such political strategies, because such strategies remove the agents of debate and lead to the avoidance of debate itself.
陈能端, 联合早报
针对教育部宣布明年起，新加坡公民将在小一报名抽签阶段比永久居民享有多一倍的机会，受访的本地家长绝大多数感到欣慰，但仍有一些觉得新措施不能在根本上解决热门学校学额供不应求的问题。
CNBC
Singapore casino resort is on track to open end of March, but may face delays depending on the weather, said its chairman, Sheldon Adelson. In an exclusive interview with CNBC, Adelson said delays to the launch of the $5.5 billion casino complex were due to rain.
Liau Chuan Yi and Norvin Chan, Asian Correspondent
Blaming the PAP for every aspect of our lives will thus have the effect of acknowledging that we want the PAP to play a role in every aspect of our lives, and manage it flawlessly. And that… will not be a desirable outcome.
Today In Singapore
Singapore Life and Times
When push comes to shove, and it is time for payback. the only most immediately profitable business that must be opened first is the casino.
I think no one -- not even the PAP government -- is denying the fact that the casino is the most important of the equation, profit-wise. But that doesn't imply, in my opinion, that all the other stuff are only to be rendered as side-shows only.
Farik Zolkepli, Malaysia Star
Singapore-registered vehicles are not exempted from the 20-litre restriction on the purchase of petrol within 50km of the border. Johor domestic trade, co-operatives and con sumerism department director Che Halim Abd Rahman said he was given a directive by the ministry that the ruling was in effect, a day after confirming Singaporeans were exempted.
杨宗, 扬子晚报
联合国气候变迁会议未能达成具有法律约束力的协议后，新加坡撤销在会议前宣布要减少碳排放量达16%的目标，将回复到今年稍早宣布的减排目标7%到11%。
Tan Nguan Sen, PUB, Straits Times
For safety reasons, we do not permit individuals to carry out water activities on their own.
Radio Free Asia
The web site of an influential Singapore news organization has been blocked in China since late Monday for unknown reasons, according to Chinese netizens and staff at the newspaper.
Lianhe Zaobao is a Chinese-language newspaper whose Web site, zaobao.com, could previously be accessed in China without using any firewall-scaling software.
Amelia Tan, Straits Times
From 2010, Singaporeans will get two chances to ballot for places in primary schools for their children. Previously, Singaporeans and Permanent Residents both had one chance to ballot. Balloting is done when the number of applications exceeds the vacancies at a school.
See Also: Measures to Further Differentiate Citizens, Permanent Residents and International Students in Education, by Singapore Government.
Ng E-Jay, The Online Citizen
How does our Law Minister propose to promote greater political awareness in schools when there is active censorship and restriction of expression of political ideas? How can any meaningful political education take place if there remains a general climate of fear about openly criticizing Government policies, especially in the civil service?
Shubhangi Khapre, Daily News And Analysis
Khushwant Singh, Straits Times
Rachel Zeng
Once again, may I implore Mr. K Shanmugam, our law minister, to enlighten us here once again on this issue.
Jermyn Chow, Straits Times
More foreign-born young men are serving national service.
Goh Chin Lian, Straits Times
It's a common sight at bakeries: one bag for one bun when you take your tray of bread to the cashier. Then it all goes into a bigger plastic bag.
Environmentalists baulk at this excessive use of plastic, but bakeries say it is for hygiene, and customers want it this way.
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
Singapore Democrats
The Judge agreed with the Prosecution that distributing flyers in a group of 5 or more persons criticising the PAP government's policies is an offence.
杨萌, 联合早报
花了两千多万元买下五个私人经营的湿巴刹、原本打算大展鸿图扩展超市王国的昇菘超市董事经理，已跟这些巴刹的摊贩签署临时合约，承诺三个月内不起租。
James Palmer, Independent
Nowhere does food quite like Singapore, from tiny hawker stalls to international fine dining.
Harry Suhartono and Kevin Lim, Reuters
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
There’s renewed debate over the decades-old language grind after surprising remarks by the architect of the republic’s bilingual education policy.
Judith Tan, Straits Times
Motorists say 70kmh limit too slow; LTA says it is necessary for safety.
Straits Times
周殊钦, 联合早报
2005年4月18日，新加坡做了一项重大且颠覆维持了数十载的传统思维的决定，一口气批准建设两座附设赌场的综合度假胜地。过去四年多来，针对这项决定利弊的公开讨论声音已经越来越小，但是另有想法的民众仍在私底下继续议论。
Cheong En Min, The Online Citizen
Chong Wan Yieng, Press Secretary to Minister for Law, Straits Times
Engaging in robust criticism per se is not and has never been a crime or libellous in Singapore.
AFP
The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) said Friday it will keep its stake in Citigroup in a vote of confidence for the US banking giant, whose shares tumbled this week.
ECO @ COP 15
While it has been argued that Singapore has low absolute emissions rate, our per capita emission is among the highest in the world. Though it is true that impacts of our reduction may not have much value on a global scale, we can lead the way by being an example of an economy and society that works on the values of sustainability.
Imran Ahmed, The Grand Moofti Speaks
Kelvin Teo, The Online Citizen
Ian On The Red Dot
We need a, cue the buzzword, crowd-source way of pulling in every single coverage of our MPs and potential candidates leading up to and during the next elections.
Singapore Democrats
The police are making up the law to specifically target the political opposition. The subsidiary legislation of the Miscellaneous Offences Act (MOA) under which the Defendants have been charged does not in any way specify that gatherings for commercial causes are exempt from police permission while political ones are not.
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
As an example of how HDB flat prices have soared, a three-room flat in Queenstown in 1964 cost $6,200, but would fetch at least $200,000 today. This translates into a 32.3 times gain over a 45 year period, or around 8 percent compounded annually. But have wages risen 8 percent annually over the same period?
Blowin' In The Wind
But the language experts have spoken.
Seelan Palay
I agree with the sentiment that Shanmugam is just trying to slow down what is inevitable, political change. So long, Shanmugam.
Jimmy Yap, iMerlion
Is SingTel downplaying the problem? If so, why do it in a way that is so easy to disprove?
Teo Xuanwei, Today
According to the global operating regulations of card companies such as Visa and MasterCard, which MediaCorp obtained copies of, a process exists for consumers to reverse a credit card transaction if they do not receive goods or services that have been purchased from merchants.
May Wong, Today
For the past two weeks, 15 Singaporeans have been attending discussions in Copenhagen and making plans with their regional counterparts for after the landmark talks.
Leong Wee Keat, Today
His initial worry about blogging and replying to Facebook posts was that it would take too much time. Three months after venturing online to talk policy, health minister Khaw Boon Wan's concerns have diminished.
Loh Chee Kong, Today
Talk has been rife that in the upcoming General Election, due by 2012, Mr Chiam would contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC - possibly in an alliance with Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam - and step aside for his wife to defend his Potong Pasir seat.
But Mr Chiam's move comes 20 years too late - and staking his claim on a GRC that has been uncontested since its formation in 1997 is risky business.
Associated Press
In Indonesia, Muslim groups burn down a mosque belonging to the minority Ahmadiyya. In Singapore, the government refuses to recognize Jehovah's Witnesses. In Belgium, 68 religion-based hate crimes are reported in 2007 alone.
People living in a third of all countries are restricted from practicing religion freely, either because of government policies and laws or hostile acts by individuals or groups, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, "Global Restrictions on Religion."
Jimmy Yap, iMerlion
I just got off the line with a SingTel spokesperson who said that she had checked with her network people and they said there was no problem with the network.
Blowin' In The Wind
AFP
Singapore's exports rose for the first time in 19 months in November, government data showed Thursday, further strengthening the country's rebound from a severe recession.
Muhammad Cohen, Asia Times
Under the guidance of Singapore's government - which even now, weeks before gaming begins, still hasn't issued its casino regulations - it was arguably a case of the blind leading the blind while throwing money down a hole.
The Lycan Times
Diary of A Singaporean Mind
李叶明, 新快报
Seelan Palay
The spinelessness of the YPAP is not surprising, however. Their mother party the PAP has never dared to debate with the opposition publicly on national issues. They couldn't even defend themselves when the late J B Jeyaretnam tore their ill-logic to bits during his terms in parliament.
The Online Citizen
Joy Olby-Tan, MediaCorp, Today
MediaCorp needs to balance the substantial costs of bringing in the World Cup matches for our viewers with revenues from advertisers and sponsors.
S.Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) said the purchase of content rights such as for the World Cup is a commercial decision. Its head for Competition and Market Access, Eileen Ang, said MDA will let market forces unfold.
Does this imply that the ministry responsible for sports development will not step in to help fund this sports entertainment? Tweet
Matt O'Sullivan, Sydney Morning Herald
The Federal Government has left the door open to Singapore Airlines getting the right to fly on the highly competitive Australia-US route once Virgin Blue's long-haul carrier, V Australia, becomes established. Tweet
Lian Cheong/ Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
The Tampines Town Council will empower its officers to take action against errant cyclists from next March when the estate allows cycling on footpaths. But if there're persistent complaints on reckless cycling, the town council will rope in auxilliary police officers. Tweet
Se Young Lee, Wall Street Journal
Singapore Airlines Ltd. on Wednesday said it will adjust its route network in coming months and said the operating environment remains challenging despite signs of improving demand. Tweet
Eddie Chua and Christina Chin, The Star
After three decades of serving the Penang-Singapore air route, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has finally called it a day.
SilkAir, SIA’s regional wing, has taken over the route. SilkAir now flies three times daily between the two islands. Tweet
Mark Jacobson, National Geographic
How did a sleepy little island transform into a high-tech powerhouse in one generation? It was all in the plan. Tweet
Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times
Part of the reason is that they often tend to seek jobs that pay close to what they used to earn, said labour MP Josephine Teo, who is also assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Tweet
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
Today, the Pinnacle@Duxton stands in place of the basic 10-storey rental housing blocks built in March 1963, not as a shining example of the success of home ownership, but as a testament to how the PAP Government has gradually lost its sense of responsibility towards citizens over the years.
But even with the high prices for some of the high profile projects that HDB have embarked on, are there still alternatives from the government that are 'affordable'? Just because the government is selling some flats at a high price doesn't imply there aren't other affordable flats for sale. Tweet
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen Tweet
高极登, 联合早报
新加坡拥有很好的资讯架构，这为我们从事虚拟行业提供了先天条件，善用这优势发展虚拟内容，肯定是件相得益彰的事。 Tweet
Straits Times
A joint SingTel-Starhub bid has failed to secure them the rights to the 2010 Fifa World Cup, a joint press statement from them said.
This new saga is far from the end yet, but this latest development should serve as a warning for those proposing different 'interesting' schemes -- forcing pay TV operators to cooperate, or reduce competition by banning exclusivity or sharing broadcast rights: we are not big enough a market to force foreign content owners to play by our rules. Tweet
Miral Fahmy, Reuters
In the heart of heavily urbanized Singapore, amid the high-rise towers and traffic, banana trees are blooming, chillis and bell peppers are ripening and parsley, basil and coriander are turning hotels green. Tweet
AsiaIsGreen.com
There are two factors that could cause the death of environmentalism in Singapore. Most of the local environmental NGOs and groups 1) adopt the issue-approach and 2) lack an open voice. Tweet
Yasmine Yahya/Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
From March next year, consumers who apply for or renew contract for fixed line, mobile or broadband service cannot be locked into the contract for more than 24 months.
Also from next March, consumers who sign on to contracts longer than three months and who terminate their contracts before the end of their contract period will no longer have to pay fixed early termination charges. Instead, they will see these charges decrease over time on a month-by-month basis as they serve out their contract. Tweet
Channel NewsAsia Tweet
Diary of A Singaporean Mind
Think about the issues clearly and rationally. Do not allow your emotions to be manipulated by propaganda. Tweet
Aaron Ng, Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Tweet
Straits Times
Singapore's largest ticketing service provider Sistic.com Pte Ltd is being probed for anti-competitive practices by abusing its dominant position in the ticketing service market through various exclusive agreements.
On Tuesday, it was slapped with a Proposed Infringement Decision (PID) by the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS), for likely infringement under Section of the Competition Act, which bars a dominant firm from engaging in anti-competitive business practices that result in harmful effects. Tweet
Seth Mydans, New York Times
Singapore is nearing a landmark in a long-running campaign to close down its cemeteries as it seeks ways to accommodate an expanding population. Soon, Choa Chu Kang — actually a complex of cemeteries representing different faiths — will be the only working burial place in Singapore. Tweet
Carolyn Quek & Linus Lin, Straits Times
Over the past five years, at least 10 families have had to bury their dead - because they could not cremate them. Tweet
Today
When it comes to giving expatriates a feel-good experience, Singapore has all the crisp processes and hardware - from the ease of setting up a utilities account and commuting to work, to organising their healthcare, finances and kids' school enrolment. But getting these foreigners to mingle with the locals? Not so easy. Tweet
Today
The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has discovered that two brands have raised the prices of their products by reducing the quantity of their contents while keeping the same - or having just slightly different - packaging. Tweet
Today In Singapore
Somewhere along the way, many were seduced in turning their basic tenement into a poker chip. Tweet
Bernadette Low, SMRT Corporation Ltd
The seat located directly behind the Service Leader (SL) on our new Euro 5 buses is meant for two passengers. However, it is designed slightly smaller than the normal two-seaters due to space constraints and is recommended for use either by two children, or an adult and a child. Tweet
Jufrie Mahmood, Singapore Democrats
They dare not ……. they dare not ….. they dare not …….. that is what is ailing society! Tweet
杨兆源, 联合早报 Tweet
Leong Wee Keat, Today
From next month, members of the public will - for a price - have access to The Pinnacle@Duxton's 50th storey skybridge for views of Jurong, Bukit Timah nature reserve, Mount Faber, Shenton Way and Sentosa. Tweet
Channel NewsAsia Tweet
Sam Ho, Sam's Thoughts
If you want to write a long essay expressing your loss of faith in NS, don’t do it. Just put all your feelings into one sentence, like “I don’t like the idea of NS, don’t support it, and have no faith in it” for example. Tweet
Maggie Chong, Channel NewsAsia
Under the new by-laws, Tampines Town Council will be able to take action against cyclists for reckless behaviour such as speeding on footpaths and endangering the lives of pedestrians, not dismounting from their bicycles in crowded areas and not stopping at the traffic lights. Tweet
Diary of A Singaporean Mind
Alex Tan is not apathetic. If the PAP and the media it controls makes an example of him by smearing his character, the rest of us will probably stay anonymous, keep quiet and mind our own business. Tweet
Liz Sinclair, Washington Post
If anyone had told me that after 12 hours in an airport I'd be running to catch my flight because I almost missed the last boarding call, I never would have believed them. Tweet
Rachel Chang, Straits Times
Mr Alex Tan has been banned from the page until he agrees to 'abide by the rules', according to a message sent to him on Nov 29 by the administrators, who are members of the Young PAP (YP). Tweet
Khartini Khalid, The P65 Blog
Allowing greater space for engagement, and developing a higher level of tolerance for criticisms and feedback will help Singapore “engineer” a better society, and hopefully, a less apathetic one at that. Tweet
Yaevlejunce Pilgrimage Tweet
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
The move is read as a tacit admission by the government that the political temperature is rising significantly enough to warrant the counter-measures to prevent an “accidental” outcome.
It also seems to support a popular belief that economic hardship and unpopular policies may be eroding some of the PAP’s support among Singaporeans. Tweet
Dee Kay Dot As Gee
I can’t say much for the rest of Singapore media. But the local blogs are definitely not controlled by the government. Tweet
Channel NewsAsia
Which would deliver the "most optimal results" for Singapore: An "activist government" or the "classic laissez fare approach"? Law minister and second minister for home affairs K Shanmugam believes it is the former. Tweet
Paul Chan Poh Hoi, Straits Times
The proposed change could be seen as shifting the goal posts further, given the fact that in past election campaigns, mainstream media did not give equal coverage to opposition parties. It is hard to define the parameters of 'ban' on political activities when the ruling party makes the rules. Tweet
Zul Othman, Today
Caesars Palace may have been the big loser, but gamblers who get into debt with foreign casinos should think twice if they now want to try pulling off a bluff. Tweet
Bayani S Cruz, The Asset Tweet
Military Life: Memoirs of a Conscript in the Lion City
Should our sons be bound by the same compact even as 34% of the population are not bound? Tweet
Singapore Democrats
This is why actions of Singaporeans who want to see the abolition of this senseless taking of the lives of small-time drug peddlers must continue. Tweet
Singapore Social and Political Thoughts
I am asking myself, is our government too protective of Singaporeans? Or they are taking away our rights to vote and install a walk over president? Tweet
Seelan Palay Tweet
陈汉豹, 联合早报
问题是，冷静日的设立是否有此需要？是堪称明智之举抑或是多此一举？是否会让人置疑政府的动机？ Tweet
林如兴, 联合早报
一个看似冷静的日子，却隐藏着更多不冷静的汹涌澎湃的暗流。如此一来，执政党也可能承受新政策的反效果。冷静日就可能使得选举更加缺乏公平竞争和“冷静”了。 Tweet
Zakir Hussain & Rachel Chang, Straits Times Tweet
Half Sigma
Apparently, Singapore is the only nation pursuing HBD-aware policies, and the results have been pretty good. Tweet
Kelvin Teo, The Online Citizen Tweet
Kelvin Teo Writes Tweet
Singapore Recalcitrant Tweet
Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia
Minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew said having a system where younger politicians are allowed to take office can create better results for the country. Tweet
Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia
Law minister K Shanmugam said he is strongly optimistic about Singapore's future and its ability to tap into the region's tremendous growth opportunities. And this, he said, requires good governance. Tweet
凤凰网
新加坡ＰＫ香港：谁更适合移居凤凰网近日，赴新加坡、中国香港投资定居项目持续火热，咨询和办理人数呈上升的趋势，两地繁荣兴旺的经济和举世瞩目的商贸地位吸引了大量中国投资者。那么新加坡与中国香港， ...and more » Tweet
Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times
Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan and party supporter Yap Keng Ho have been cleared of three charges each of speaking in public without a permit.
The Attorney-General's Chambers on Thursday confirmed that the prosecution withdrew the charges last week and the Court ordered a discharge amounting to an acquittal. Tweet
Victoria Ho, ZDNet Asia
The country could become the world's largest Internet exchange because of its position as a "technology hub" situated within many underserved markets, said Glimmerglass. Tweet
Xue Jianyue and Terence Lee, The Online Citizen
The Reform Party recently introduced a series of economic proposals touching on areas like minimum wage, productivity, education, foreign workers and housing. Tweet
Ng Lian Cheong and Cheryl Lim, Today
Several months ago, taxi companies reported a record slump in passengers, but drivers say business is now picking up. Tweet
The Temasek Review
With more new citizens like Mr Fredric becoming voters in future elections, the PAP can be assured of that their political hegemony will continue for many years to come. Tweet
Singaporean Skeptic Tweet
Kevin Childs, The National
The time must be fast approaching when Australia considers human rights when it gets into cosy deals with places such as the repressive city-state of Singapore. The Singapore government’s reach into our telecommunications is a worry, especially considering the authoritarianism of its government. Tweet
Koh Young-aah, Korea Herald
Despite its small local market, Singapore is one of the few Asian countries that is doing surprisingly well in the global media production market. The country has been involved in a lot of co-productions with leading Hollywood movie houses as well as those from Asia. The situation is quite different from Korea where media production firms still appear reluctant to support international collaborations and are focused on creating homemade content. Tweet
Mustafa Shafawi, Channel NewsAsia
The Censorship Review Committee (CRC), which is conducting a mid-term review of content issues, will be conducting a survey next month. The scope of the survey will cover issues such as classification and community attitudes towards content standards across the various media, including broadcast, films, videos and publications. Tweet
Robin Chan, Straits Times
Singapore economy is expected to expand by 5.5 per cent next year, a suvey of private sector economists has shown. Tweet
AFP
Singapore Airlines (SIA) said Thursday it will reinstate daily all-business-class flights to New York on January 18 as demand for the service begins to pick up. Tweet
Straits Times
To help members cope with the current economic climate, the Government will maintain the 4 per cent floor rate for interest earned on all Special and Medisave Accounts (SMA) monies and Retirement Account (RA) monies for another year until Dec 31, 2010.
After that, the 2.5% floor rate will apply for all CPF accounts, said CPF in a statement on Thursday. Tweet
The Online Citizen Tweet
Leonard Lim, Straits Times
Singapore National Olympic Council's secretary-general Chris Chan confirmed on Tuesday that the SEA Games Federation Council has endorsed his proposal for Singapore to give up hosting of the 2013 SEA Games. Tweet
Channel NewsAsia
The salary gap between managers and their clerical staff widened slightly this year, as a scarcity of senior management talent outweighed the impact of the global financial crisis. Tweet
Hedirman Supian, Today
From tomorrow, iPhone fans will have a smorgasbord of pricing plans to choose from, when StarHub and M1 launch sales of the iconic Apple smartphone. Tweet
Bernama Tweet
Rick Lim Say Kiong, Today
Employers favour foreign work permit holders over local workers because the former group is cheaper to employ and would find it harder to move on to other jobs due to their relative lack of skills. Tweet
国际金融报 Tweet
Rachel Zeng Tweet
Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
There will be minimal updates until Dec 10, 2009 (Thursday), as I will be away for work. Tweet
Gisela WIlliams, New York Times
Haji Lane has become a meeting place for the city’s anti-mall crowd. Tweet
Ben Bland, Asian Correspondent
The Singapore government occasionally speaks out in defence of the death penalty, insisting that it is necessary to keep crime down and claiming that capital punishment has overwhelming public support.
But, paradoxically, the government is afraid to open the issue up to debate, trotting out its hackneyed argument about how controversial subjects such as the death penalty, religion or race relations should not be discussed in public for fear of fanning the flames of social tension. Tweet
Straits Times
The free shuttle-bus service plying Orchard Road costs $18,000 a month to operate but it is off to a slow start. Tweet
Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen
The mainstream media has perpetuated precisely what the mandatory death penalty seeks to do: de-individualize those it condemns. Vui Kong is just another common criminal, to be treated with absolutely no difference from a seasoned drug trafficker with criminal convictions to his name.
Singaporeans need an opportunity to debate whether they feel this is just. Tweet
Viva News
Singapore, with its various vehicle restriction programs, has successfully avoided the congestions. One of the prominent programs is the ERP system. Tweet
Chen Jiaqi, Sin Chew Jit Poh
The more successful Singapore has become, the more I feel proud of my Malaysian compatriots who have crossed the Causeway to serve in the Lion City.
But sometimes I would have this perverted idea: You Singaporeans need to be grateful to us, the "Made in Malaysia" yet forsaken lot, for what you have achieved! Tweet
Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia
Borrowing money from loan sharks should not be seen as the easy way out for gambling addicts, said senior minister of state for law and home affairs, associate professor Ho Peng Kee. Tweet
Rachel Zeng
I have often wondered why the prison has to be so cruel and inhumane about visits. Why must the visits be conducted without any form of human contact, especially when it comes to inmates sitting on the death row? Tweet
林如兴, 联合早报
物价上涨肯定失去一些的顾客，如果再加上全面禁止抽烟的话，顾客量必定锐减，人潮决定了咖啡店的存亡。 Tweet
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
A proposed pre-citizenship test has stirred controversy, and the intense debate has divided Singaporeans over the future direction of the republic’s immigration policy. Tweet
Bernama
The emergence of low-cost airlines on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route has eroded the market of traditional airlines, with Singapore Airlines (SIA) expected to either reduce its capacity or pull out from the route. According to an industry source, SIA could also hand over its capacity to sister airline Silk Air, just like it did for the Penang route. Tweet
Diary of A Singaporean Mind
I would like to ask Singaporeans this rational question right now: Are you better off than you were 4 years ago? Another rational question would be: What are 5 things that PAP govt has done that benefits Singaporeans in the past 4 yrs? Yet another few rational questions: Does the peformance of our leaders justify their salaries? Do you feel greater financial security today than you did 4 years ago? Tweet
Deena Beasley, Reuters
Las Vegas Sands Corp expects to open its $5.5 billon, 2,700-room Singapore casino resort in phases starting in the first quarter of next year, a company spokesman said on Thursday. Tweet
Channel NewsAsia
There will be a a new 19-week BMT for obese recruits, and either a 9-week or 4-week customised BMT for other classes of recruits to better prepare them for their subsequent combat, combat support and combat service support roles. Tweet
Singapore Democrats
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has dropped three remaining charges against Dr Chee Soon Juan for speaking in public without a permit. Dr Chee was originally charged with eight separate counts. Tweet
The Temasek Review Tweet
Chua Chin Leng, Asian Correspondent Tweet
周殊钦, 联合早报
总理以本身到学校视察所见，肯定了现在的华文教师已在积极使用各种教学法，包括让学生透过角色扮演或利用话剧小品去传达不同信息，以设法激发学生的学习兴趣。 Tweet
Rachel Zeng
I really cannot understand why the AGC is so eager to execute this 21 year old. Yes he had committed a crime but he must be given a chance to have his appeal heard and furthermore he is so young. Shouldn’t he be given a chance to repent? Tweet
Goh Si Guim, Straits Times Tweet
Joshua Selvakumar, Straits Times
Compared to our neighbouring countries, we score 100 per cent for orderliness and 5 per cent for anxiety. So I would say there is no need for a cooling-off day on the eve of polls. Tweet
AsiaIsGreen.com Tweet
Kevin Lim, Reuters
Singapore state investor Temasek announced on Thursday it has sold oil exploration unit Orchard Energy to a Singapore-listed firm, less than two years after setting up the unit. Tweet
Evelyn Lam, Channel NewsAsia
While some employers are welcoming latest efforts to improve the English language standard of foreign workers, others are concerned that sending staff for classes will result in higher costs and disruptions to working hours. Tweet
Kristin Finan, Houston Chronicle
Singapore was already surprising the heck out of me. Tweet
Channel NewsAsia Tweet
Christine Chow, New York Times Tweet
Neil Chatterjee, Reuters
Singapore, a Southeast Asian city-state with high per-capita emissions, will head to global climate talks next week with a pledge to cut carbon pollution by 16 percent versus projected business-as-usual levels by 2020.
This "stretch target" is based on the level of greenhouse gas emissions that Singapore would produce by 2020 if no proactive measures to cut them were taken, but relies on a legal deal being reached after the U.N. talks in Copenhagen, ministers said. Tweet
Xinhua
Singapore's manufacturing sector appears to have shrugged off a temporary blip posting instead a positive turnaround, local media reported on Thursday. Tweet
Joyce Koh, Bloomberg
Singapore’s rich are among the most optimistic of global investors on real estate, expecting the value of their property holdings to rise in the next two years, according to a survey. Tweet
Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Alternatives
If PAP is that serious about rational and informed voters' choice during polling time, it should have declared the election date 3 or even 6 months in advanced. This is to allow the mass media to give enough exposure to each political parties the opportunities to present their parties' positions on various political issues so to allow voters to have closer scrutiny on them.
I don't buy this. Everybody "knows" that the next election is within 3 to 6 months already; where are the political party presentations? :-) Tweet
Readings From A Political Duo-ble Tweet
Fang Shihan, The Online Citizen
Though skeptics may argue that excessive policing has happened before and will happen again, one cannot deny that there could possibly be a genuine intention for the very rational, pragmatic government to promote a rational voting populace. If rational choice were to be the outcome of the electoral game, the ruling party must let political debate go on even under the proposed new rule. Tweet
Ravi Philemon
So, the transport ministry washes their hands-off from the issue, the PTC says they don't know anything about it, which brings the people with disability back to being at the mercy of the public transport operators. Tweet
何惜薇, 联合早报
本地收入最低和最高家庭的平均每月收入，距离进一步扩大。
统计局昨天公布五年一度的家庭开支调查报告，指出尽管过去五年来家庭收入普遍提高了，但收入较高家庭月入的增长率相对较高。 Tweet
Straits Times
From the third quarter of next year, new foreign workers have to clear an English proficiency test before they can get a work permit as a skilled worker. This will also lower their foreign worker levy, saving an employer $90 a month for each hire. Tweet
Leong Wee Keat, Today
Visitors to Sentosa island could soon hop onto coaches from Changi Airport, Orchard Road and Marina areas, to various drop-off points on the island. Tweet
Joy Fang, My Paper Tweet
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
Without an independent mainstream press and without free and fair elections, a cooling-off period before polling day only disadvantages the opposition even further because the opposition is effectively prevented from reaching out to the masses while the mainstream media has free reign to report according to the dictates of its owners. Tweet
Kelvin Teo Writes Tweet
Seelan Palay
While some are quick to mention that this "cooling-off" period is in practice in other countries like Australia, they are not as quick to mention that they observe it with several variations. For example, in Australia, there is a 3 day period before election day where electronic (TV & radio) advertising is not allowed. All other public campaigning continues and newspaper & online advertisements are allowed right through election day without restriction. Tweet
Rachel Zeng Tweet
Blowin' In The Wind
Sixty per cent of the households earn less than the average household income in Singapore while the top 20 per cent can save twice as much as they spend. Tweet
Otterman Speaks... Tweet
Marcus Lim, Today Tweet
Caitlin Fua, StarHub, Straits Times
Ultimately, it is about giving consumers the choice. Consumers can still choose our competitor's set-top box or StarHub's set-top box, or have multiple set-top boxes in their home. Tweet
Seah Wee Thye, Media Development Authority, Straits Times
The Media Development Authority (MDA) works closely with MediaCorp to serve up about 3,000 hours of public services programming across seven free-to-air multi-language TV channels each year. These programmes not only aim to provide wholesome entertainment to family viewers, but also place a strong emphasis on promoting national interests and core social values important to Singapore. Tweet
Chee Soon Juan, Singapore Democrats
This is the tragedy of Singapore. Mr Lee's personal experiences and ramblings often become diktat, and pass for policy-making processes. And when policy is made, no one dares to question it.
Are ministers paid so highly and intimidated so thoroughly that no one thinks of saying anything to Mr Lee when policies don't work? Is groupthink so prevalent within the cabinet? Tweet
CNET Asia
Singapore has incredible density, and Street View did capture the rich tapestry of this multi-racial country. Not to mention almost every house in the island state with their Ferraris, Lambos and Porsches, people going in and out of Geylang houses, etc. Tweet
Fredric Fanthome, The P65 Blog
I don’t see how the move is particularly advantageous to the PAP (or any single party). One argument being touted is that the fact that political broadcasts and news reports are allowed is unfair as the media is “in the hands of the government”. Well, if we assume that is the case, then by the same measure, the population will disregard anything the media puts out in that period, and moreover, it would actually be incensed by any blatant misuse of the media – and hence vote against the PAP rather than for it. Hardly a disadvantage. If I was an opposition candidate I would rubbing my hands in glee at the prospect of being able to ride the crest of such an anti-government wave. Tweet
蔡添成 游润恬, 联合早报
政府所做的系列选举制度改革，包括定下“冷静日”，都将纳入相关的修正法案，并趁财政部长向国会发表新财政年度政府预算案之前，在明年一二月间提交国会一读，按程序可在明年三月间完成二读辩论和三读通过。这是否意味着政府可能会在明年上半年举行大选？ Tweet
Yasmine Yahya, 938Live
Singapore is now one of the top 10 most expensive Asian cities for expatriates to live in due to the strengthening of the Singdollar. Tweet
Sam Ho, Sam's Thoughts Tweet
Singapore Government Tweet
The Temasek Review Tweet
Risen Jayaseelan, The Star
From day one, the stark absence of Singaporean involvement in the Iskandar Malaysia project had seemed odd. Tweet
Damian Koh, ZDNet Asia
It's been a long wait, but Google's ground-level imagery feature Street View of Singapore is at last a go. Tweet
Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, The Atlantic
In the sweltering sun, a portly man slowly wheels a wooden cart along a grid of narrow, concrete pathways in Singapore's Tiong Bahru neighborhood, stopping only to bellow, "Sataaay! Sataaay!" Tweet
Kelvin Teo Writes
The question that remains is whether these ministerial candidates has undergone the ultimate test – to be elected by voters. Walkovers are technically not considered election by the voters. The simple answer is not all have undergone such a test. Tweet
AFP
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), one of Asia's largest media companies, said Tuesday it would halve staff pay cuts introduced earlier this year as it was hit by the economic slump. Tweet
Singaporean Skeptic
This cooling off period is pretty insignificant compared to what the PAP has already done. It is a big joke that I don't intend to observe. Tweet
Alex Yard, Today
Why can't taxis be fitted with speed limiters? The public should not be put at risk by them breaking the law and trying to make an extra buck or two. Tweet
Patrick Lim, Straits Times
We were told that the maximum limit for gifts purchased overseas is $300 - anything exceeding that is taxable. I checked with many friends and relatives and none of them knew that this rule exists, not even the tour agency. Tweet
Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times
Ruling party could disguise election pitch as news items, they claim. Tweet
Gerald Giam
Why does this government have so much time on their hands to solve non-existent problems? When was the last time we had anything close to a riot on Polling Day? Not that I know of in the last 50 years. But perhaps our far-sighted government is preparing for a “freak event”. Tweet
Times They Are A-Changin'
From this insight by Dr Lee, we can only infer that Mr. Lim Kim San was rather misguided on the Bilingual policy; an ill-advised education policy that has inflicted a lot pain on generations of Singaporeans in the process. Tweet
Rachel Zeng Tweet
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen
The MOM’s latest report, without the media spin, is worrying. The race to the bottom, in terms of lowering wages, is disconcerting and could be the last straw that breaks the backs of working Singaporeans. Tweet
Under the Willow Tree Tweet
S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Leaders of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) said the move will help better manage the election process, but the opposition Workers' Party (WP) said otherwise. Tweet
Connie Veneracion, House On A Hill
As harsh (excessive, by Western standards) as Singapore’s penal system may be, it seems to work. The streets are clean, there are no graffitis, people smoke only in designated areas, no one spits chewing gum on the pavement, taxi drivers don’t cheat passengers, drivers and pedestrians observe the rules (although I did witness two incidents of jaywalking and I did wonder if the culprits were Filipinos) and a long-time resident like Malou talks about not losing sleep when her teenaged children stay out late with friends. Tweet
Victoria Ho, ZDNet Asia
A Singapore startup that was on the verge of debuting a much-anticipated tablet PC in the United States, may now be staring at multiple lawsuits instead after it fell out with its U.S. partner. Tweet
Gandhi Ambalam, Singapore Democrats
Not surprisingly, it does not apply to party political broadcasts and news reports. This is because the media is controlled by the PAP and will give the ruling party more opprtunity to disseminate its news while the opposition has no such means. Tweet
曹宁, 人民日报海外版
在做补习老师的过程中，最令人难忘的，是与学生及其家长在不经意间建立起来的真挚情谊。 Tweet
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
If we do not overhaul our immigration policies and recognize that a “growth-at-all-cost” approach is unsustainable, then indeed the world will pass us by and we would all be worse off. That is one gamble we simply cannot afford to take. Tweet
Cherian George, Journalism.sg
The government's proposal to introduce a moratorium on campaigning on the eve of Polling Day is sensible, but it will go down badly if it over-regulates what the Prime Minister correctly identifies as the "grey" area of online news. Tweet
The Star
There should no concern over Singapore aircraft taking part in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aero- space (Lima) Exhibition 2009, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
“There should not be any worry about a weapons race between Malaysia and Singapore because we have an understanding to respect the sovereignty of each country,” he said after opening the Lima Air Power Conference here yesterday Tweet
何宏, 联合早报
中国老百姓说“寒从脚来，老从腿起”。中医学讲“就全身循环而言，足部是身体底层的第二颗心脏”足底有人体各器官的穴位，不要着凉，要经常用热水泡脚，促进血液循环、舒缓关节不适，防止静脉曲张、促进新陈代谢。新加坡人均寿命近80岁。但我观察到这里的老年人腿脚不好、甚至坐轮椅的老人也颇常见到，看起来不如中国北方的老人身体硬朗，不知这是否与人们天热贪凉、光脚受风有关。 Tweet
Journalism.sg
Press coverage of the AWARE saga – probably the biggest media controversy of 2009 – is the subject of a research paper by Tan Tarn How of the Institute of Policy Studies. His report finds that, contrary to critics' claims, Straits Times coverage was generally "objective, fair and balanced". Tweet
The Temasek Review Tweet
Channel NewsAsia
After a nine-month hiatus, online fans of four MediaCorp radio stations can once again get their daily fix from the Internet - thanks to an agreement between the media giant and the Recording Industry Performance Singapore (Rips). Tweet
Straits Times
The income of Singapore workers has hardly moved, climbing a paltry $10 in one year to $2,600 this June. This rise in the median monthly income of full-time workers works out to a mere 0.5 per cent. Tweet
Vincent Fernando, Business Insider
The problem for cities like Singapore and Dubai though is that everyone wants to be a hub now. Thus even a rebound in world container shipping trade, perhaps driven by a moderate recovery for the U.S. consumer, might not be enough to provide much container shipping growth to Singapore, because port capacity all over the world will have likely grown faster. Ports will be undercutting each other. Tweet
Blowin' In The Wind Tweet
Gerald Giam
It will require a few bold professional journalists and businessmen to start up something truly credible and sustainable that Singaporeans can flock to. Tweet
Atanu Dey, Asian Correspondent
Here's someone who takes the long view. Tweet
Mathia Lee
These people may be in the minority, they may be in the fringe, they may often be overlooked. But I hope people remember also that the Bible talks about how God values even a singular person. Tweet
Adrian Lee, Straits Times
StarHub had been building the interest and expectations of tennis viewers throughout the week but let us down badly at the crucial moment by giving priority to football.
Letters such as these illustrate the simple fact that the business model of pay television -- selling channels -- is out of date and dying. In a world of unlimited bandwidth, 'channels' is out of touch with what customers want. Regulating this old business model, when big changes are forthcoming, will be taking a big step backwards. Tweet
Liong Ming Foong Kim, Straits Times Tweet
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.