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     People: News 2007

 

    News

    2007

 

Update on the Norovirus outbreak at Pioneer Primary School

"Norovirus was confirmed in the stool of six food handlers. These findings highlight the importance of good food and personal hygiene. In particular, symptomatic persons should refrain from handling food when they are not well.
"The six infected food handlers have been issued orders prohibiting them from working until they are certified free of infection. MOH has also advised the school on the necessary prevention and control measures to avoid future outbreaks.
"Pioneer Primary School recorded a total of 147 Norovirus gastroenteritis cases, comprising students, staff and food handlers, during the recent outbreak. The illness is self-limiting and most recovered within 1-3 days. None was hospitalised..."

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Singapore Crime Situation for first half 2007

"While the figures for outraging of modesty and cheating and related offences were not significantly different, index crimes that were significantly higher in Jan-Jun 2007 from the same period in 2006 were rape, motor vehicle theft, robbery and snatch theft.
"However, there is no cause for alarm. For rape, which saw the greatest percentage increase of 32%, the vast majority of cases (90%) involved offenders who are known to their victims..."

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Formula One (F1) levy on hotel room revenues

"Following consultation with the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has decided on the following rates for the Formula One (F1) levy on hotel room revenues:
a. 30% of the total revenues from rooms and room packages for trackside hotels; and
b. 20% of the total revenues from rooms and room packages for all other tourist hotels[1]..."

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Good growth for Changi Airport in first half of 2007

"More than 17.7 million passengers went through Changi Airport in the first six months of the year, representing a 5.4% increase over the same period last year..."

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Inaugural F1 Singapore Grand Prix to be held on 28 Sep 2008

"A fortnight ago, on 27 July 2007, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA, or the World Motor Sports Council) set the date of the first Singapore Grand Prix as 28 September 2008.
"The 5.05km long street circuit offers a number of overtaking opportunities, fast turns and technically challenging sections for F1 race drivers, which, in turn, will present viewers with compelling race action to keep them on the edge of their seats.
"More than 70 per cent of the street circuit is made up of Singapore’s existing road network. The Paddock building will house the control tower, garages for the teams, hospitality lounges, Press Room and other facilities..."

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Prime Minister's National Day Message 2007

"Economic growth in the first half of this year was 7.6%, higher than we had expected. For the whole year, MTI has raised its growth forecast to between 7 and 8%.
"The good news is that we have added 111,000 jobs in the first half – the highest number ever. Unemployment is very low, at 2.4%. Workers are enjoying good wage increases and higher bonuses because businesses are doing well...
"One reason our income gap is widening is our ageing population. Singaporeans are living longer than ever. We must help our elderly live comfortably by keeping medical care affordable, making our city barrier-free, and our public transport wheelchair friendly. Those with enough savings will feel secure about their future..."

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PACE releases report on English TV and Radio programmes

"In recommending the areas for further improvement, PACE noted that vacant timeslots left when a programme series ends are still repeatedly filled with the same type of slapstick programming like Mr Bean and Just for Laughs...
"The Committee applauded MediaCorp TV for working with schools to involve youths in the revamped debate programme The Arena. However, the Committee noted that there is still a lack of quality programmes that address the issues which youths face, and those that cater to children aged eight to 12 years old...
"Recommendations from the Committee included a clear distinction between 'live talk' on air and advertisements, as well as longer stretches of music play with interruptions only for informative commentaries..."

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Licence for public forum with foreign speaker cancelled

"Police has cancelled a licence under the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act to organise a public forum on 7 Aug 2007 at 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road on gay issues by a foreign participant.
"A Singaporean, Mr Au Wai Pang, had applied for the licence. He had separately applied to ICA for a professional visit pass for the foreign national to speak at the forum..."

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New dog licensing rules from 1 Sep 2007

"All licensed dogs must be microchipped with an ISO compliant microchip.
"Dogs that were licensed before 1 Sep 07 will be exempted from the requirement. However, owners of such dogs are strongly encouraged to have their dogs microchipped for better traceability...
"Under the new Rules1, the annual licence fee for all unsterilised dogs (both male and female) is $70 while the licence fee for sterilised dogs is $14..."

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Special and Express courses at secondary schools to merge

"Starting from the Secondary One students in 2008, the Special and Express Courses will be merged into the "Express Course"...
"For the 2007 Secondary 1 cohort, there are 4,466 Express Course students and 4,410 Special Course students offering HMTL.
"In addition, some schools have placed Special and Express Course students in the same classes. Thus, there is now little distinction between Special and Express students in secondary schools..."

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Lottery Scam Alert - A Crime Prevention Advisory

"From January to July 2007, Police have received 23 such reports, of which 31 victims have parted with amounts ranging from $32 to $52,800.
"The fraudsters would typically call the victims on the pretext of conducting surveys or inviting the victims to attend overseas events, by claiming to be staff of overseas companies.''
"To claim their prizes, the victims were requested to make up-front payments as administrative or processing fees via remittance companies to China. In some instances, local accounts were also used..."

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     - Police seek three men in unlicensing moneylending and harassment cases

 

Online submission of school choices for Sec 1 posting

"Parents of Primary 6 pupils will have an additional channel of submitting their child’s school choices for the Secondary One posting exercise at the end of this year.
"The Ministry of Education (MOE) will be introducing a new Internet System to make it more convenient for parents to be able to submit their child’s Secondary One school choices online.
"The new Internet System will also give parents the option of checking their child’s Secondary One posting results online...
"Parents who wish to use hardcopy forms to submit their child’s school options to the primary school can still do so. The Secondary One posting exercise procedures remains unchanged..."

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Employment situation in 2nd Quarter 2007

"Preliminary estimates show that total employment grew by a record quarterly high of 61,900 in the second quarter of 2007, as the economy continued its strong growth...

"Employment grew in all the major sectors, led by services which added 33,600 workers. Manufacturing posted gains of 16,600, higher than earlier quarters..."

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HDB releases public housing data

"30% of all resale cases in 2nd Quarter 2007 were transacted at or below valuation, with an overall median Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) of about $7,000...
"The number of resale transactions increased by 38% from 6,300 cases in 1st Quarter 2007 to 8,700 cases in 2nd Quarter 2007 (see Annex D).

"This is indicative of a more active HDB resale market, and the availability of more resale flats to meet the location and flat type preferences of flat buyers..."

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Dating agencies and practitioners in Singapore to be accreditated

"Upon approval by the Accreditation Council, dating agencies and practitioners will be awarded the SDU Trust Mark. They will also be listed in two national registries that SDU will be setting up - Registry of Dating Agencies (www.rda.gov.sg) and Registry of Dating Practitioners (www.rdp.gov.sg).

"Singles should see the first batch of accredited dating agencies and practitioners by early 2008..."

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Inaugural study on work-life harmony in Singapore

"The study, which involved 1,601 respondents, was conducted in partnership with the Family Studies Centre of Brigham Young University in the United States1...

"This inaugural study revealed that the benchmark work-life harmony score for Singapore for 2006 is 64, with 0 indicating “no harmony” and 100 indicating "total harmony"..."

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Iconic Hotel Phoenix closes on 1 August 2007

"In line with the major construction that is happening on our neighbouring sites, the owners of Hotel Phoenix Singapore will be discontinuing operations at the Hotel on 1 August 2007 for a refurbishment.

"While we are sad to do so after 35 years of operations, we believe the refurbishment of Hotel Phoenix will add value to the rejuvenation of Orchard Road and contribute to the Government's vision of strengthening Orchard Road's appeal as a major retail, commercial and entertainment belt..."

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Rehabilitation regime for first and second-time abusers of cannabis and cocaine

"The aim of the treatment and rehabilitation regime is to give first and second time abusers a chance at rehabilitation without the stigmatisation of a criminal record...

"Recalcitrant abusers with two previous records for consumption of cannabis or cocaine or that of opiates, synthetic drugs or buprenorphine who are arrested again for the consumption of any of these drugs would be liable for long term imprisonment under the Long Term (LT) Imprisonment Regime, if convicted..."

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library@orchard ends stay at Ngee Ann City on 30 Nov 2007

"The National Library Board (NLB) announced today that after eight eventful years at Ngee Ann City, the library@orchard will be moving out from its current premises at Ngee Ann City on 30 November 2007...

"The library@orchard will re-open in 2010 at a new location – *scape the youth community space, and possibly another redeveloped site along Orchard Road..."

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SingTel launches pay TV service

"Subscribers who opt for the Set-Top Box with recording function can pause, rewind and record live TV programmes so that they no longer have to miss anything.

"The mio TV website allows subscribers to programme their recordings even when they are not at home, and an upcoming service that will enable them to do it via their mobile phones..."

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     - Key indicators on marriages and divorces 2001 - 2006

 

Public consultation on proposed National Registry of Diseases Bill

"The Ministry of Health is proposing to introduce a National Registry of Diseases (NRD) Bill...
"Currently, the NRD includes registries for cancer, renal failure, heart disease and stroke.
"The information captured by the NRD is mainly from public sector healthcare institutions who submit data on a voluntary basis.

"There is a need for data from the private sector to be included so that the dataset is complete and useful for national level planning..."

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Compensation for dead and injured SAF servicemen

"MINDEF applies similar principles and practices used by the civil courts or the Workmen's Compensation Act (WCA) to determine compensation for deaths and injuries due to service...

"MINDEF does not buy insurance for its servicemen because MINDEF itself takes on the liability of paying compensation its servicemen for deaths and injuries arising from service through MINDEF's compensation framework..."

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Optometrists and Opticians Bill 2007 passed

"For optometrists, those with recognised qualifications and at least a year of optometry experience will be fully registered. Optometrists with less than a year of experience will be provisionally registered, and will have to work under supervision for 1 year before they become fully registered...
"For opticians, those with work experience of at least 5 years will be fully registered as opticians if they pass a competency test. Those with between 2 to 5 years of experience will need to undergo a part-time modular upgrading course.  There may be some opticians who do not intend to do any refraction but wish to do only dispensing; they will need to undergo a competency test or failing which, an upgrading programme but without the refraction component. This will ensure that they can uphold safe standards in dispensing. 

"Opticians with less than 2 years experience and all new entrants to the profession will need to attend a certificate course in opticianry in order to qualify for registration. Singapore Polytechnic has organised a course to cater to these opticians. Such a course can be completed in 9 to 24 months..."

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Two in three Primary Six students have myopia

"About 30 % of our Primary 1 students and 2 in 3 Primary 6 students have myopia. By the time they are 18, 80% of them are myopic..."

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Minister answers questions on Internet-related sexual crimes

"There were 124 reported cases of females becoming victims of sex crimes as a result of them knowing the offenders through the Internet between 2001 and 2006...

"Of these reported cases, 80 cases (or about two-thirds) involved victims who were below 16 years of age. Of these 124 cases, two of them also involved the victims’ property being stolen..."

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Minister answers questions on Singapore permanent residents

"In 2006, about 57,000 persons were granted permanent residency status in Singapore. These new permanent residents (PRs) came predominantly from Asian and South-East Asian countries...

"In 2006, about 13,000 persons were granted Singapore Citizenship (SC). These new SCs came predominantly from Asian and South-East Asian countries..."

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Passports (Amendment) Bill passed

"Thus, this Bill repeals the existing Act, and re-enacts a new Passports Act which introduces measures against the abuse and misuse of Singapore passports and travel documents, as well as foreign travel documents...

"Clause 45 of the Bill makes it compulsory for Singaporeans, or a person who has parental responsibility for a Singaporean aged 16 and below, to report the loss or theft of a passport within 14 days when he first knows of the fact...

"Clause 23 of the Bill allows the Controller to refuse passports to persons for law enforcement reasons, such as to persons who have been placed under supervision under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This will ensure that they do not indulge in drug-related activities overseas. Others who may be refused passports include those who are the subject of warrants of arrest issued for seizeable offences...

"A person who is found guilty of giving away his Singapore passport or travel document and is reckless as to whether it will be misused by another person for travel or for identification purposes will face a fine of up to $5,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both..."

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Banks to adopt new guidelines on home loans

"These guidelines provide customers with clear disclosures on the use of home loan board rates, the financial indicator(s) against which these rates are benchmarked, and the basis for the change in the rates over time...

"The new guidelines are applicable to loans taking effect from 15 June 2007 and not to loans committed before that..."

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Braddell Road Angsana tree to be removed

"When the construction for the new Lornie-Braddell Road Interchange began in 2005, LTA and NParks had opted to save the Angsana tree by bifurcating the slip road around the tree...

"Based on LTA’s observations and the public feedback, LTA and NParks came to the conclusion that removing the tree is the most prudent course of action to prevent any future accidents..."

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Police conduct raid on syndicate selling counterfeit products

"In a 13-hour island-wide operation conducted from 9.30am to 11.00pm on 11 July 2007, Police busted a major local distributor and a syndicate involved in the sale and distribution of counterfeit luxury and sportswear products..."

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Five Vietnamese nationals arrested for stealing spree

"Police arrested two men and three women, aged 22 - 37 at the airport yesterday after they were found with nine pieces of luggage containing more than 350 pieces of new garments...

"Preliminary investigations revealed that about 30 of the items in their possession were found to be stolen from shops in the Orchard area..."

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1 SIR turns 50

"Formed on 12 March 1957 as a regular infantry battalion, 1 SIR was involved in protecting Singapore's internal security during the tumultuous period of the 1950s and the 60s...

"Operations that the unit undertook before independence included enforcing curfews during the racial riots in Singapore in 1964, as well as patrolling areas of Sabah and Johor during the Confrontation between 1963 and 1964..."

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Payout period for IDAPE claimants extended to 6 years

"IDAPE is fully funded by the Government: those who are eligible for IDAPE benefits are not required to pay premiums. IDAPE is means-tested as it is targeted at helping the low-income elderly who are severely disabled...

"The claims criteria for IDAPE are the same as ElderShield. IDAPE claimants are those who are unable to perform at least 3 out of the 6 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). They receive $100 to $150 per month depending on their monthly per capita household income..."

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Singapore in a period of good economic growth and social development

"We are into a period of good economic growth and social development. Singapore made 6.6% growth in the last quarter of 2006 and 6.1% in the first quarter of 2007.

"If there are no wars or oil crises, this golden period can stretch out over many years. Investors from developed economies are pouring money into East and Southeast Asia through fund managers who are investing in the stock markets of the region..."

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New Woodlands mini checkpoint for motorcyclists opens

"Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will open an additional clearance zone for motorcyclists with effect from 5 July 2007.

"This new mini checkpoint will be an extension of the existing Woodlands Checkpoint, and will operate up to five hours daily from 5am to 10am..."

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Changi Airport launches new lifestyle magazine Changi Class

Singapore Changi Airport has launched a new magazine for passengers, entitled Changi Class. Changi Class replaces the fortnightly tabloid, Changi Express. The complimentary monthly publication will be available at Changi Airport's Departure Transit Malls from 5 July 2007..."

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Singapore Food Festival 2007

"Other themed events held over the weekends of the Singapore Food Festival include Curry Fish Head Mela (5-8 July) at the Banana Leaf Apolo at Little India Arcade, Yuk! Makan Festival (7-8 July) at Malay Heritage Centre, Tantalising Treats of Singapore Chinatown (13-15 July), Rasa Satay Singapura (19-22 July) at Lau Pa Sat Festival Market and Singapore Seafood (27-29 July) at VivoCity..."

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Local university places offered to UNSW Asia students

24 students who had been affected by the closure of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Asia have been offered places by the three local universities, National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore Management University (SMU).

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     - Licence needed for 15 chemicals (explosive precursors) in Singapore

     - Third local dengue death reported

     - Higher starting pay for those joining Mindef and SAF

     - Thieving cabby nabbed by police

     - National Health Surveillance Survey 2007

     - Apple Scam Cheats Nabbed

 

$60 million ElderShield premium rebates

"Our preliminary computations suggest that the total ElderShield rebate amount is likely to exceed $60 million. When confirmed, it will be distributed to the existing policyholders numbering some 770,000.
The rebates, when confirmed, will be given out in proportion to each policyholder’s contribution during the 5-year period..."

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Primary 1 registration exercise for 2008

"Under the Compulsory Education Act, Singapore Citizens born after 1 January 1996 and residing in Singapore are required to attend national primary schools regularly.

"Thus, a child born between 2 January 2001 and 1 January 2002 has to be registered at the 2007 Primary One Registration Exercise for admission to Primary One in January 2008. Children born between 2 January 1999 and 1 January 2001 (both dates inclusive), who have not previously been registered for Primary One classes, may also be registered for admission to school in 2008..."

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Update on growth of Infocomm industry in Singapore

"The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore’s (IDA) Annual Survey on Infocomm Industry shows that in 2006, the total revenue for our infocomm industry shot up almost 20% to S$45.4 billion (US$29.5 billion).
"The strong performance was driven by healthy growth in our export market. The export market accounted for some S$29 billion compared to S$22 billion in 2005 while the domestic market accounted for S$16.4 billion compared to S$15.8 billion in 2005..."

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Shell LiveWIRE Awards 2007 launched

"Jointly organised by Shell Companies in Singapore, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), the ITE Alumni Association and the Singapore Press Holdings Chinese Newspapers Division, the prestigious Shell LiveWIRE Awards 2007 aims to groom, recognise and reward promising young entrepreneurs and promote the spirit of enterprise...

"To qualify for the Awards, applicants should be 35 years or below and have been in business from three to 36 months. The Top Award is $10,000. There will also be four Merit Awards of $2,000 each. The Closing Date of the Awards is 31 July 2007..."

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Funding and mentorship for Casual Games development

"Game studios and independent developer teams are invited to submit their concept proposals from 16 June to 10 August 2007, and successful applicants will be eligible for up to S$35,000 in prototype development funding.

"Each of the 10 project teams that receive funding under INVIGORATE will be expected to produce a playable PC demo by 25 January 2008..."

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Phasing out of temporary registered doctors for service provision

"Only temporary medical registration for service provision is being phased out by 31 Dec 2007.

"Existing temporary registered doctors brought in as service providers before 1 Jan 2008 can still continue to work here until they either become conditionally registered (acquired recognized postgraduate qualifications) or they have completed their 4-6 years of service in Singapore..."

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Tightening of security of Non-Biometric Passports

"ICA will be tightening the security of non-biometric passports by adopting the same security measures as those implemented on the Singapore biometric passport (BioPass).

"Hence, with effect from 1 September 2007 (Saturday), photo update services for non-biometric passports will no longer be available. Non-biometric passport holders who no longer resemble their passport photo are advised to update their photos before 1 September 2007...

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     - Apple scam cheats nabbed by police

     - Statistics on number of persons jailed for unlawful assembly

     - Update on dengue situation in Singapore

 

1st Quarter 2007 Real Estate Statistics

"Overall prices of private residential properties rose 4.8% in the 1st Quarter 2007, compared with the 3.8% increase in the previous quarter

"Prices of non-landed properties rose 5.3% in the 1st Quarter 2007, compared with the 4.3% increase in the previous quarter. Prices of apartments rose 5.1% while those of condominiums rose 5.4%..."

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Further detentions and releases under the Internal Security Act

"In Feb 2007, ISD arrested and subsequently detained one self-radicalised Singaporean under the Internal Security Act (ISA) – Abdul Basheer s/o Abdul Kader (Abdul Basheer), aged 28...

"At the time of his arrest, he had purchased an air ticket to Pakistan, where he intended to make contact with a militant group – the Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) - that could help him train for ‘militant jihad’ and to cross over into Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban..."

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Spam Control Act 2007 will come into effect on 15 June 2007

"Under the Act, marketers - particularly those based in Singapore or who have operations here - who continue to spam the “not interested” group face potential financial penalties. The statutory penalty is $25 for each electronic message, up to a total of $1 million..."

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Suspension of poultry and egg imports from Selangor, Malaysia

"The Malaysian Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) informed the Agri- Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) this morning (6 Jun 2007) that it had detected an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in chickens in a village household in Sungei Buluh, Selangor.

"About 60 chickens had died as a result of the outbreak. Although the poultry and layer farms in Selangor that have been approved to export to Singapore are bio-secured, AVA is suspending poultry and egg imports from Selangor as a precautionary measure with immediate effect..."

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Singapore Art Show 2007

"Held at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) from 2 August to 3 September, SAE comprises an Open section and a Curated section. Singaporeans and residents can be a part of SAS2007 by submitting their works for the Open section.

"To ensure the wide-ranging and inclusive nature of the Open section, the public can submit any form of visual artworks.
"These include works of painting, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, batik, photography, printmaking, mixed media, installation and new media art..."

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MediaCorp Radio to be fined $15,000 for breaching radio programme code

'The Media Development Authority (MDA) has informed MediaCorp Radio that it will be fined $15,000 for breaching the Radio Programme Code when it broadcast exploitative and inappropriate content in its programme “No Bra Days with the Muttons” from 14 – 16 March 2007...'

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Growth of structured finance products in Singapore

Ms. Tay Bee Bee, Director Monetary Authority of Singapore

"Over the last 3 years, Singapore managers originated more investment CDOs than any other country in Asia ex-Japan, with an estimated S$6 billion of CDOs in 2006...
"In Asia, Singapore has been pro-active in providing clarity and certainty on the treatment of CDOs into our regulatory regime. Banks have been allowed to invest in all tranches of CDOs, while insurance companies have been permitted to invest in the equity tranches of CDOs since January 2006..."

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Man arrested for making bomb hoax calls

"At about noon on 2 June 07, the culprit, a freelance web page designer, called the SCDF control room to inform that there was a bomb at Raffles Place. SCDF immediately reported the call to the Police...
"Subsequently, around 2.30pm, the same caller made a second call to the SCDF control room informing that someone had planted bombs at Orchard Road and the Tanjong Pagar area..."

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Home for children and the elderly under one roof opens

"The 4-storey purpose-built facility comprising 2 homes, Sunbeam Place and Evergreen Place, was completed in May 06 and commenced operations a month later.

"Sunbeam Place is a group home for children and young persons run by Singapore Children's Society. Evergreen Place is a home for the aged run by Singapore Amalgamated Services Co-operative Senior Citizens Home..."

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Adequacy of subsidised B2 & C beds in public hospitals

"Our current bed situation is tight, particularly in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital as it is the only hospital serving the large population in the north besides its own catchment area.
"The over-crowding in TTSH in turn causes spill-over to the other hospitals, especially National University Hospital and Changi General Hospital. There will be relief when the new general hospital in Yishun opens in 3 years time..."

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Changi Airport's Terminal 3 to start operations on 9 Jan 2008

"Airlines, airport agencies, ground handlers, shop tenants and other airport business partners operating at Changi Airport's new Terminal 3 can start to move in and set up their offices and systems to prepare for operations...
"Terminal 3 and its associated works cost S$1.75 billion. It will have a handling capacity of 22 million passengers per year, bringing the total annual passenger handling capacity of Changi Airport to about 70 million..."

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MOE Selects First Five FutureSchools@Singapore

From 2008, students at Canberra Primary School, Crescent Girls’ School, Jurong Secondary and Hwa Chong Institution can look forward to even more innovative teaching methods and engaging lessons – made possible through more widespread use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
"These four schools will join a new primary school, Beacon Primary School, as the pioneer FutureSchools@Singapore..."

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EDB on closure of UNSW Asia

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia has taken the decision to discontinue the operation of its Asia campus in Singapore with effect from 28 June 2007. UNSW has taken this difficult decision on business grounds after careful thought and due consideration.
Mr Ko Kheng Hwa, Managing Director, EDB said, “We regret that UNSW has decided to close the Singapore campus. EDB has been fully committed and has worked closely with UNSW from day one towards the establishment of its Singapore campus.”...

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Site preparatory works start on Gardens by the Bay

"Marina City Park will close from 1 June 2007 for the Gardens by the Bay’s site preparatory works. Marina South Promenade facing the Marina Channel, the playing fields and waterfront promenade will be closed to the public...
" 'The public can look forward to the Gardens by the Bay when its first phase opens in 2010. Meanwhile, we urge the public to bear with the temporary inconvenience and encourage them to visit other parks in the vicinity for recreation,' said Dr K Ismail Sudderuddin, Assistant Director of Gardens by the Bay..."

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920 persons arrested for drink driving in 1st quarter 2007

"For the first quarter of 2007, SPF arrested 920 persons for drink driving, an increase of 22% over the same period in 2006. Slight injury accidents related to drink driving increased from about 200 cases in 2004 to 260 cases in 2006.
"Fatal and serious injury accidents related to drink driving have remained stable over the past 3 years, registering 38 cases, 28 cases and 32 cases in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively..."

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$210 million rebates for 800,000 households in FY2007

"For fiscal year (FY) 2007, 800,000 eligible households will receive $210 million worth of Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC), rental and Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebates as part of the GST Offset Package announced in the Budget Statement 2007.
"Households can get up to 4 months of S&CC rebates, 4 months of rental rebates and $220 worth of U-Save rebates. These rebates will cost the Government $210 million in FY2007 and $800 million in total over 5 years..."

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     - Govt accepts NWC recommendations for 2007/2008

 

Optometrists and Opticians Bill

"In May this year, the Ministry of Health will propose legislation, in Parliament, to regulate the practices of optometrists and opticians. If passed in Parliament, it will be called the Optometrists and Opticians Bill..."

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36,000 persons granted permanent residence in Singapore yearly

"Over the last ten years i.e. from 1997 to 2006, an average of about 36,000 persons were granted permanent residence (PR) in Singapore annually...
"Over the last ten years, an average of about 8,500 Singapore Permanent Residents became Singapore Citizens annually..."

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Exhibition on infectious diseases and their impact on Singapore

"Hosted at the Central Lending Library in Basement 1 of the National Library at 100 Victoria Street, the exhibition will be open to the public from noon of Thursday 24 May until Sunday 8 July from 10am to 9pm daily...
"Through text panels, photographs, artefacts, interactive displays, video clips, documents and news reports, visitors to the exhibition will be able to learn how and what they can all do to fight and prevent diseases, individually and as a nation..."

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Direct School Admission Exercise 2007 for admission to polytechnic

"The first Direct Polytechnic Admission (DPA) Exercise will commence on 11 July 2007, for admission into polytechnics in 2008...
"The five polytechnics – Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic – will each admit up to 2.5% of their Academic Year 2008 intake through DPA, or about 100 students per polytechnic on average..."

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Direct School Admission Exercise 2007 for admission to JC1

"The Direct School Admission Exercise 2007 for admission to JC1 and its equivalent level (DSA-JC) will be held from Monday, 25 June 2007, to Friday, 5 October 2007...
"Similar to last year’s exercise, Government and Government-aided junior colleges (JCs) 1 will be admitting up to 10% of their 2008 JC1 intake using schoolbased criteria under the DSA-JC Exercise..."

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Singaporeans can sign up for GST Credits from 15 May 2007

"2.4 million Singaporeans will be eligible for $650 million of GST Credits and Senior Citizens Bonus in 2007...
"Eligible Singaporeans will receive a letter from the CPF Board by 15 May 2007 on how much GST Credits/Senior Citizens’ Bonus they can receive and how to sign up.
"From 15 May 2007, Singaporeans can sign up at any DBS/POSB/UOB/OCBC ATM or through the GST Offset Package website at www.gstoffset.gov.sg. They need to do so by 25 June 2007 to get the GST Credits/Senior Citizens’ Bonus if they would like to receive these on 1 July 2007..."

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Pilot project allowing cycling on all footways in Tampines

"Land Transport Authority (LTA), Traffic Police (TP) and the Tampines Grassroots Organisations (GROs) will be conducting a study in the Tampines Town to assess the feasibility of allowing cycling on footways with effect from 27 May 2007.
"The study will last for one year and end on 30 May 2008...
"Currently, under Rule 28 of the Road Traffic Rules, enacted in 1981, cycling on footways is prohibited. Like any other vehicles, bicycles are to be ridden on the roads and cyclists are required to abide by all relevant traffic rules and regulations..."

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MOH drafting a National Disease Registry Bill

"We support the stand that personal information identifiable to an individual participating in human biomedical research should be safeguarded.
"Proper rules governing the access and use of personal information and a secure system of information protection would re-assure research subjects on the confidentiality of personal information.
"In this connection, MOH is drafting a National Disease Registry Bill to provide an overarching legal framework for the collection of epidemiological information on key diseases for public health policy and planning purposes..."

More.....

 

Two SAF servicemen die in incident in Taiwan

"At 9:25 am this morning, a Taiwan Air Force F5F aircraft crashed into a storeroom located within a Taiwanese military facility, resulting in a fire at the storeroom...
"Two SAF servicemen are injured and are being treated in hospital. Seven others have minor injuries. Two bodies have been found and their identities are being verified. The next of kin of the affected servicemen have been informed. The rest of the SAF personnel in Taiwan are safe and accounted for...."

More.....

 

Direct School Admission Exercise for Secondary 1 in 2008

"This year, 56 schools, 9 more than last year, will be participating in the Direct School Admission Exercise for admission to Secondary One in 2008...
"This year’s DSA-Sec Exercise will be extended to the new School of the Arts (SOTA), a specialised Independent School for talented youths in the visual and performing arts. SOTA will start in January 2008..."

More.....

 

Changes to childcare subsidies for PRs

"From 1 January 2008, PR children aged 2 months to below 7 years will only be eligible for half the current amount of centre-based child care subsidy.
"From January 2009, such children will not be eligible for the subsidy..."

More.....

 

Calculators for Primary 5 and 6 Mathematics

"To align assessment with the curriculum, the use of calculators will be allowed in part of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) Mathematics and Foundation Mathematics examinations from 2009.
"These examinations will be revised from the current single paper to a two-paper format from 2009. Calculators will only be allowed in Paper 2 of the examinations, which will contain questions for which a calculator can be used..."

More.....

 

New Burial System using concrete crypts for all burials

"The New Burial System (NBS) introduced in 2002 for the re-internment of exhumed remains from the Bidadari Cemetery will now be extended to all burials from the end of this month.
"The system will first be implemented in the Muslim Cemetery end of May. This will be followed by the Chinese Cemetery in August, Christian and Lawn Cemeteries in October, and Hindu Cemetery in December..."

More.....

 

 

Inuka the polar bear to remain in Singapore

"During a committee meeting on January 27, 2007, Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s Animal Welfare & Ethics Committee (AWEC) has made a recommendation that Inuka the polar bear should remain in Singapore and not be relocated to a temperate country following his mother’s demise...
"AWEC and Singapore Zoo, nevertheless, will continue to keep an open view. With new discoveries every so often in veterinary science, captive animal breeding and management around the world, there will be a need to again assess the situation at that point in time when Sheba passes on...

More.....

 

World’s largest floating stage being built at Marina Bay

"The Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) conceptualised the design and managed the development of the new multi-purpose facility at the Marina Bay. The facility comprises a seating gallery and a floating platform...
"DSTA worked closely with the Ministry of Defence, Singapore Sports Council and Urban Redevelopment Authority to conceptualise the innovative solution to address the need for a temporary facility to hold mass spectators events over the next five years in view of the expected demolition of the National Stadium..."

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Commissioner of Charities deregisters three dubious charities

"Following the implementation of new regulations governing charity registration, public fund-raising appeals and large charities on 1 May 2007, the Commissioner of Charities (COC) announces today the removal of three charities from the Register of Charities with immediate effect.
"These are the Children of Singapore Foundation, Children's Lukaemia Foundation Limited, and Club Sunshine Limited (previously known as Kids-In-Distress Foundation Limited[1]).

"The COC has also decided not to grant charity status to Kidney Fund Organisation..."

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Employment situation in 1st quarter 2007

"Preliminary estimates show that total employment grew by 48,000 in the first quarter 2007. This is higher than the gains of 45,000 in the same period a year ago, but seasonally lower than 51,500 in the fourth quarter of 2006.
"All major sectors added workers, led by services with gains of 33,400 workers. Manufacturing posted increases in employment of 9,500..."

More.....

 

Niche schools recognised for 2007

"Thirteen primary schools have been awarded the Programme for School- Based Excellence for 2007. In addition, the 24 schools which received the award in 2005 and 2006 had their awards renewed this year.
"Nine secondary schools have been recognised as Niche Programme Schools for 2007, in addition to the 12 schools that were recognised in 2005 and 2006..."

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Schools may hire full-time Infocomm Technology executives

"From July 2007, schools will have the option to engage full-time Infocomm Technology (ICT) Executives.
"The ICT Executives will provide schools with professional ICT support and additional technical expertise to handle the increasingly sophisticated ICT implementation in schools..."

More.....

 

Rise in number of metal theft cases in 2007

"Jan-Mar 2007 recorded 294 reports of metal thefts, which is 110 cases more than the same period in 2006.

"Just recently on 22 April 07, 50 copper covers from fire risers were stolen from a block of flats in New Upper Changi Road..."

More.....

 

Licks 5D Productions presents Hello Music Land at GV VivoCity

Hello Music Land introduces audiences to the wonderful world of music through a combined cinema and live musical stage show which offers families an incredible cross-platform entertainment experience.

24 May to 3 June 2007

7.00p.m. nightly, from Thursday to Sunday

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     - Singapore Public Holidays 2008

 

     - Inaugural Singapore Day at Central Park in New York

 

Inaugural Singapore Business Events Awards

"The inaugural Awards ceremony will be held some time in early August 2007 and thereafter, it will be held annually...

"The Awards will recognise industry players that are innovative in organising business events and whose expertise and service levels meet global standards..."

More.....

 

Retrenchment and Re-employment in 2006

"Specifically, the re-employment rate of residents retrenched from PMET jobs rose from an average of 65% in 2005 to a post-Asian crisis high of 73% in 2006.

"This exceeds the rate for the other two occupational groups, unlike in past years when clerical, sales & service workers were the most re-employable...

"In 2006, private sector establishments each with at least 25 employees retrenched 12,359 workers..."

More.....

 

Experience lifestyle yachting with an Azurea membership

Kingfisher Marine announces the launch of Azurea, an new membership scheme that provides easy and affordable access to the exclusive world of lifestyle yachting...

Azurea is specifically designed for the busy professional who wants to simply climb on board with his family or friends and go boating!
The scheme removes all of the uncertainties associated with chartering and relieves members of all the responsibilities and expense normally associated with ownership.

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UBS opens Wealth Management Campus in Singapore

“ 'The Campus will be a centre of excellence for development programmes targeted at employees and clients in the Asia Pacific region. More importantly, it will also serve as a hothouse for wealth management research and thought leadership in new wealth management initiatives,' said Kathryn SHIH, Head of UBS Wealth Management in Asia Pacific...

"Equipped with state-of-the art facilities, including a lecture hall with video conference facilities and voice activated cameras, five seminar rooms, a media lab for business technology training, networking and administrative areas, UBS expects to train approximately 5,000 existing and future UBS Wealth Management staff by 2010..."

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    - Public forum on democracy organised by the Singapore Democratic Party

 

New restrictions for hand-carry luggage on flights departing Singapore

"Singapore will be implementing new aviation security measures for hand-carry luggage on flights departing Singapore from 8 May 2007 (Tuesday), 1200hrs..."

More.....

 

Impact of the two Integrated Resorts in 2010

"Together with the two IRs, these will help us achieve our target to attract 17 million visitors and generate S$30 billion in tourism receipts by the year 2015...

"In terms of manpower, the two IRs combined are expected to create some 50,000 to 60,000 additional jobs throughout the economy when both are fully operational..."

More.....

     - Commemorating 40 years of National Service

 

Two policemen die in boat collision while pursuing illegal immigrants

"Two Police Coast Guard (PCG) officers had been killed and an unknown number of illegal immigrants gone missing after the boats which the PCG officers and the illegal immigrants were in respectively collided at the sea off Tuas last night...

"Two other fellow crew mates on board the same PCG boat had been rescued. Three illegal immigrants had also been rescued, together with the recovery of a body of a fourth illegal immigrant..."

More.....

 

Police bust unlicensed moneylending syndicate

"Seventeen Chinese men aged between 17 to 38 years old believed to be members of an unlicensed moneylending (UML) syndicate were arrested in an island-wide operation conducted on 12 April 07. More than $130,000 in cash was seized...
"Fifteen premises in Woodlands, Sengkang, Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Hougang, Yishun, Sembawang, Serangoon and Changi were raided during the operation, which lasted from 8pm on 12 April 07 to 1am on 13 April 07..."

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Spam Control Bill 2007 passed

"Part I of the Bill defines spam. A message is “spam” when it is an unsolicited commercial electronic message sent more than 100 times, with the same or similar subject-matter, during a 24-hour period, or more than 1,000 times during a 30-day period, or more than 10,000 times during a one-year period...

"An opt-out approach is adopted under the Bill as it balances the need of companies and marketers to send unsolicited messages for business reasons...

"In order to balance between consumer interests and industry needs the Bill will require that each message contains a valid unsubscribe facility, an ‘<ADV>’ label to mark it out as an advertisement, accurate header information or subject titles and functional contact details of the sender...

"The unsubscribe process has been structured to be consumer-friendly so that even individuals who receive small volumes of spam have a means of recourse, without resorting to legal action. The Bill makes it mandatory for senders to allow recipients to unsubscribe via the same medium through which the spam was received. This ensures that unsubscribing from spam can be done easily and conveniently by replying to an email or SMS..."

More.....

     - Film "Zahari's 17 Years" banned from 12 April 2007

 

Man to be charged for importing pellet guns

"When asked, the man did not declare any items. Subsequent screening revealed images that appeared to be guns within his baggage. A physical check of his check-in carton revealed 20 sets of pellet guns and 5 bottles of pellets. He was subsequently detained for investigation.

"Police investigated a total of 38 cases involving airsoft guns in 2006. Since the beginning of this year (2007), Police have investigated 21 such cases. Most of these airsoft guns were detected at the airport and other checkpoints, as well as the Singapore Post Centre..."

More.....

 

Pay rise for ministers and civil servants

"The resignation rate of the Management Executive Scheme (which employs graduate officers across the ministries) was 10.6%, up from 7.4% in 2005. At some of our entry grades, the situation is quite serious, with resignation rates as high as 25%.
"Members of the House would also have read from the newspapers[4] that for our Home Team, there has been a 40% increase in the resignation of junior officers in January and February this year, compared to the same period last year.
"We need to act before the situation becomes more serious. The Government, as an employer, has to respond quickly and decisively to stay competitive and close the wage gaps. Otherwise, we will deplete the Service of the able people we need, and the service level to the public will be affected..."

More.....

 

 

Pre-bookings for flights on Singapore Flyer

"Fly high for the best view of Singapore for the affordable price of just $29.50! Singaporeans can now snap up the experience of a life-time on the Asia's latest world-class iconic attraction - the Singapore Flyer - at a fraction of the price of tickets on other observation wheels around the world...

"The iconic landmark attraction is set to usher in 2008 with a big bang when operations take flight early 1st quarter..."

More.....

 

 

The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society formed

"A new Council, The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS), will be formed on 1 April 2007 by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), to study the far-reaching social, ethical, legal and regulatory implications of a rapidly growing Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) sector..."

More.....

 

 

Singapore first country to host Toon Boom Animation Festival

"Singapore will be the first country to host the inaugural Toon Boom Animation Festival, which kicks off on 2 April 2007...
"Free workshops will be conducted by ITE to train students who are not familiar with the Toon Boom software. Said Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO, ITE..."

More.....

     - Decline in Tuberculosis incidence in Singapore

     - 140 Foreign Medical Schools recognised in Singapore

 

Changes to Bus Lane Scheme from 1 April 2007

ADJUSTMENTS TO BUS LANE HOURS

Days

Existing Operation Hours

New Operation Hours

Mondays to Fridays

7.30am to 9.30am

7.30am to 9.30am
(No Change)  

4.30pm to 7.00pm

5.00pm to 8.00pm

 

Saturdays

7.30am to 9.30am

No Longer Applicable

11.30am to 2.00pm

Indicated by a continuous yellow line

More.....

 

New Maritime Command and Control Centre in Changi

"The SMSC will bring together elements from key domestic maritime agencies such as the Republic of Singapore Navy, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and the Police Coast Guard under one roof...

"The Changi C2 Centre is expected to become operational in 2009..."

More.....

 

Public consultation on draft Postal Services (Amendment) Bill

"The Postal Services will be fully liberalised when Singapore Post Ltd (SingPost)’s monopoly license for Basic Mail Services expires on 31 March 2007.

"The Postal Services (Amendment) Bill will provide the legislative framework for liberalising Basic Mail Services...

"MICA will take into account the comments provided during this public consultation when finalising the draft Postal Services (Amendment) Bill in preparation for its consideration in Parliament..."

More.....

 

$30-million Songs of the Sea opens on Sentosa

"The attraction will run two shows every night, 365 days a year. The open-air styled viewing gallery can comfortably seat 2,500 visitors. Each show lasts 25 minutes..."

More.....

 

 

1,420 fatal and injury accidents involving taxis in 2006

"Fatal and injury accidents involving taxis rose from 1,270 cases in 2005 to 1,420 cases last year.
"As a proportion of fatal and injury accidents involving taxis, the rate remained stable at 19% over the last 2 years..."

More.....

 

RFID tags to replace paper HDB season parking tickets

"HDB is introducing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to replace the current paper disc issued to season parking tickets (SPT) holders...
"SPT holders will be notified by post closer to the time when the RFID tags are implemented at their car parks. New SPT applicants will be given RFID tags when they apply to purchase season parking..."

More.....

 

National Piano & Violin Competition 2007

"Organised by the National Arts Council (NAC), the competition serves as a valuable platform to nurture and showcase young musicians in Singapore. NAC is now inviting participation in the prestigious event to be held from 5 to 15 December 2007...
"Registration for the Competition is now open. Applications close on 6pm, 31 August 2007..."

More.....

 

Needy patients to get more subsidies for chronic renal dialysis

"A higher subsidy of $300 will be given to patients below per capita family income of $300 per month.
"Approximately 550 more patients will stand to benefit from the revised scheme. The new framework will apply to new patients who seek dialysis treatment at the VWOs..."

More.....

 

Paying our public servants competitive salaries

"We know from head-hunters that the entire top managements of some of our agencies are being targeted. The Middle Eastern countries are particularly interested. They have studied Singapore’s success story. They want to tap our people to join them and replicate the miracle, and money is no object...
"This is an urgent problem. We have experienced on previous occasions the painful consequences of responding too slowly when the private sector surged ahead.
"For example in the early 1990s, the Administrative Service lost entire cohorts of good officers. This showed up in the age profile of the Service – broad at the young and older age groups, but narrow at the mid- to late-30s range. We took many years to recover from the loss. This must not happen again..."

More.....

 

 

Inaugural Singapore National Barista Championship 2007

Mr Ross Bright Master Coffee Roaster & Wholesale Manager with the Spinelli Coffee Company

29 – 31 March 2007

More.....

     - NAFA School of Visual Arts (SVA) Degree Graduation Show 2007

     - Bank Julius Baer opens wholesale bank branch in Singapore

     - TAF & Mindef physical fitness performance awards for schools 2006

 

Recall of pet foods manufactured by Menu Foods, Inc.

"The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore has been informed that Menu Foods, Inc., a manufacturer based in Canada is recalling all its "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food produced at its facility in Emporia, Kansas between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007...
"According to the recall information available so far, the products are sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"Nevertheless, the AVA is currently carrying out investigations to determine if the products had been exported to Singapore..."

More.....

     - Seventh Annual Singapore Biathlon

 

Singapore Labour Market 2006

"Total employment creation for the whole of 2006 rose to an all-time high of 176,000, surpassing the previous year’s gains of 113,300. This brought the total number employed to 2,495,900 persons as at December 06...
"On average, 67,500 residents were unemployed in 2006, down from 74,900 in 2005 and the high of 91,200 in 2003..."

More.....

 

 

$5.2 billion Resorts World at Sentosa slated to open in early 2010

"Resorts World at Sentosa will welcome some 10 million tourists, excluding local visitors, by 2015, generating S$15 billion in tourism receipts, half of Singapore’s target.
"Spending per diem on entertainment and sightseeing is expected to be more than six times higher than current spending levels...
"In anticipation of the increase in tourist traffic to Sentosa Island, Resorts World at Sentosa is also committed to significantly enhance the existing infrastructure of the island by building a new three-lane bridge, adjacent to the existing Sentosa Gateway Bridge...

More.....

 

 

One Singaporean, one electronic medical record (EMR)

Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health

"Right now, it is one Singaporean, multiple medical records, stored away in different clinics and hospitals in different formats, and not connected or consolidated. As a result, when patients visit different doctors, they have to have tests repeated and scans redone. This adds to unnecessary cost.
"We are moving towards this target of 'One Singaporean, One EMR'. Because of legacy systems, we cannot achieve it in one step. But we have made progress...
"However, this is a complex national project - very few if any countries have successfully implemented a system that links up public, private and the charity sector..."

More.....

 

 

Beware of snatch thieves in streets and common areas

"Since the beginning of the year, there have been 124 cases of snatch theft reported. Of these cases, 67 cases involved the stealing of handphones...
"More recently on 6 Mar at about 6.45am, a teenaged male victim lost his handphone to a snatch thief when he was hit on the back of the head whilst walking near Tampines St 41. The culprit picked up the $100 mobile phone that the victim dropped and fled with it..."

More.....

 

Singapore Crime Situation 2006

"Theft and related offences 2, which accounted for more than half (61%) of overall crime reported, fell by 2,192 cases from 22,711 to 20,519 cases in 2006.
"The overall decrease was largely due to fewer cases of shop theft, theft from person and other theft3 . In addition, handphone crimes4 also dropped from 4,825 to 4,594 cases...
"Youths made up 19% of total persons arrested in 2006, compared to 23% last year..."

More.....

 

2007

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2007 - Part 1

2006

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2006 - Part 4

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2006 - Part 3

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2006 - Part 2

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2006 - Part 1

2005

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2005 - Part 6

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2005 - Part 5

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2005 - Part 4

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2005 - Part 3

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2005 Part 2

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2005 - Part 1

2004

Previous News, Articles & Reports 2004

Previous News, Articles & Reports