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Two newcomers - Premier Taxi and Smart Automobile - have been given a licence to operate taxis here, bringing the total number of operators to seven. They plan to start with 50 cabs each in 2004. (Straits Times 1 Oct 2003 H1)

For free fertility advice, visit aLife, an organisation founded by consultant obstetrician gynaecologist Peter Chew. Its two centres, with 25 volunteers, are in Bukit Batok and Ang Mo Kio. For more information, visit www.alife.org.sg or call (65) 6896 1805/9183 4483. (Straits Times 1 Oct 2003 H5)

Handpicked police officers have been deployed as air marshals on 'high-risk' Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights since mid-August 2003. Parliament passed a law on 14 Aug 2003 to allow the deployment of marshals on SIA and SilkAir flights. (Straits Times 1 Oct 2003 4)

Media industry regulator Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) yesterday announced that UnionWorks had been fined S$15,000 for featuring explicit discussions on sex in a broadcast on 27 Jul 2003 on The Morning Show of its English radio station WKRZ 91.3FM. (Straits Times 26 Sep 2003 H5)

A teenager was jailed for four months and fined S$20,000 for having sex with a 15-year-old girl, a secondary 3 student. Chua Kok Tiong, 17, of Geylang Serai Vocational Training Centre, had been sentenced by the Juvenile Court and placed on probation for a similar offence with another girl. (Straits Times 21 Sep 2003 19)

Nan Hua Primary's Perry Lam, 11, beat 11 contenders in the finals of a local television quiz show, for 11- and 12-year olds, to become Singapore's Brainiest Kid. Among the other contenders, all 12 years old, were Joween Chong from St Anthony's Canossian Primary; Jose Hong from Maris Stella Primary; Ian Ernst Chai from St Michael's Primary; Dwayne Kaan from Anglo-Chinese Junior School and Louise Chng from CHIJ Katong Primary. (Straits Times 21 Sep 2003 22)

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has settled a negligence suit brought by SQ006 plane-crash victim Dr Harald Linke, 67, in the United States. The amount awarded remains confidential under the terms of the settlement. (Straits Times 20 Sep 2003 3) 

Almost 11,500 more certificates of entitlement (COEs) for car buyers will be available for the remaining six months of the quota year starting from April 2003. This is because 54,000 cars were scraped in the first eight months of 2003, surpassing the Land and Transport Authority's (LTA) forecast of 44,100 cars for 2003. (Straits Times 20 Sep 2003 6)

Chomp Chomp food centre in Serangoon Gardens has closed for a six-month refurbishment under the National Environment Agency's (NEA) Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme. It will reopen in April 2004. The hawker centre, originally known as Serangoon Garden Food Centre, was last upgraded in 1998. (Straits Times 19 Sep 2003 H11)

The new extension to Paragon occupying the site of the old Promenade shopping centre has opened with 64 new stores, bringing the total number of stores at the combined Paragon to 184. The extension, costing S$45 million, added six levels of shops and restaurants in an area of 125,000 sq ft, and boosted the total retail space of Paragon to 435,000 sq ft. (Straits Times 18 Sep 2003 L6)

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) yesterday launched a four-month trial to reduce the number of illegal banners in public places by providing designated stretches of railings along the roads for legal banner placements. Banners will be removed on the first of every month. For more details, call BCA at (65) 6325 7379 or LTA at 1800 225 5582. (Straits Times 17 Sep 2003 H8) 

A total of 183 cars were stolen in Singapore in 2002. And 126 of NTUC Income's policyholders lost their vehicles to thieves in Malaysia in 2002. Straits Times 14 Sep 2003 36)

A man was yesterday convicted of insulting the modesty of a woman doctor by insisting that she look at his semen while in her consultation room.  Eng Wah Wooh, 43, was S$2000 and jailed for one day. (Straits Times 14 Sep 2003 1)

A teenage boy was sentenced to 20 years in jail and 24 strokes of the can yesterday for various sexual offences committed on girls between the ages of eight and 12.  Mohamed Noh, 17, preyed on 11 young girls near their homes in the Bedok Reservoir and Tampines area this year. He was arrested after an officer at Bedok neighbourhood police station identified him from a photofit. (Straits Times 13 Sep 2003 6) 

Robinson & Co, Singapore's oldest department store, is selling its entire retail assets, including its flagship Orchard Road store, seven John Little and eight Marks & Spencer stores here and in Malaysia. The company is exiting the retail business following a decision by two key shareholders - OCBC Bank and Great Eastern Holdings - to dispose of their combined 38.4% stake. (Straits Times 13 Sep 2003 1)

More aggrieved parents are turning to mediation centres instead of the Maintenance of Parents Tribunal. Since 2001, community mediation centres here have heard about 14 cases yearly involving maintenance of parents, a spokesman for the mediation centres said. The Maintenance of Parents Tribunal has heard about seven cases a month this year, compared with about 25 a month in 1996. Tribunal president Mr K.S. Rajah said that almost 60 per cent of the 773 cases the tribunal handled from 1996 - 2001 involved parents suing either one or two children for maintenance. In only 30 per cent, the parents sued three, four or five children for support. (Straits Times 13 Sep 2003 H10) 

There are 17,294 bankrupts here and the number in the first seven months of this year rose by 22 per cent to 2,529 compared to the same period in 2002. In 2002, a total of 3,588 people were made bankrupt. (Straits Times 13 Sep 2003 H4)

Singaporeans whose passports lack a machine-readable strip on the page with the holder's picture need to apply for a new passport if they wish to enter the United States without a visa from 1 Oct 2003. All Singapore passports issued here on or after 2 Jan 1991 are machine-readable. But, those who got their passports via Singapore missions overseas before 18 Oct 1999, and children who travel on a parent's passport are affected. Babies must have their own machine-readable passports if they wish to travel visa-free to the US. Since 9 Aug 1999, the US has not required visas for Singaporeans who stay there for less than 90 days, unless they are there to work or study. (Straits Times 12 Sep 2003 H3)

A Coroner's Court yesterday heard that Sergeant Chan Kong Wah, 26, the policeman who was found dead on the morning of 15 Jun 2002 with a single gunshot wound to his head, had quarrelled with his mother over his decision to stop giving her an allowance. Chan killed himself with his service revolver, a .38 Smith and Wesson, after locking himself in an office at the Tuas Checkpoint where he worked. (Straits Times 9 Sep 2003 H4)

Singapore may have its first foreign private university by 2005. It is also likely to have two or three private secondary schools. The Economic Development Board (EDB), which is spearheading the plan, hopes this variety of private institutions will triple the number of foreign students here from 50,000 to 150,000 by 2012. (Straits Times 8 Sep 2003 1)

A 15-year-old schoolgirl died after she and a schoolmate, also 15, were hit by a van at a pedestrian crossing on Pasir Ris Street 11 at about 12.30pm on 5 Sep 2003. Tan Jin Jin suffered severe head injuries and died at Changi General Hospital. Both were students of Greenview Secondary. Police have arrested the van driver, a caterer. (Straits Times 7 Sep 2003 25) 

SingTel is seeking about 100 mobile phone users to test its new 3G services in a month-long trial starting at the end of December 2003. The new phones allow users to make and receive video calls, catch movie trailers and access the Internet at about 40 times the present speed. Users have to report weekly on their experiences using the new services. (Straits Times 4 Sep 2003 H8)

A SAF regular serviceman collapsed after a 5km run and died in Changi General Hospital yesterday afternoon. Second Sergeant Rajagopal Thirukumaran, 25, a guardsman in the Third Guards Battalion, joined the Singapore Armed Forces in 1999. (Straits Times 4 Sep 2003 H3)

The suicide rate among people aged 65 or older has gone down from 40.1 per 100,000 in 1990 to 17.8 per 100,000 in 2000, according to a recent study by Prof Kua Ee Heok of the National University of Singapore's department of psychological medicine. The actual decline is from 68 in 1991 to 59 in 2000. However, in that period, the proportion of elderly people grew to 7.5 per cent from 6 per cent. (Straits Times 4 Sep 2003 4)

EZ-Link is currently testing smart chips embedded in watches. The watches will save commuters the hassle of taking out their EZ-Link cards for use on card readers on MRT trains and buses. EZ-Link may extend the testing to the public by the end of 2003. More than 5.1 million Ez-Link cards have been issued since the EZ-Link system was launched in April 2002. However, about 3,050 out of 50,900 cards returned in June & July 2003 were damaged. (Straits Times 3 Sep 2003 4)

NTUC Income said 126 of its policyholders lost their vehicles to thieves in Malaysia in 2002, more than double the 56 cases in 2001. AXA had eight cases in 2002, up from three in 2001. Five clients of AIG lost their cars in Malaysia in the first half of 2003, three more than for the same period in 2002. Together, the three insurance companies insure about 60% of the 405,000 cars in Singapore. (Straits Times 1 Sep 2003 3) 

You can now apply online to renew or replace your identity card. The new service commenced on 1 Sep 2003 on Immigration and Checkpoint Authority's (ICA) Web site at www.ica.gov.sg. Submission of photos and payment are done online. However, you need to collect your new IC personally. (Straits Times 30 Aug 2003 H12)

In 2002, the number of pregnant women who were over 35 years old formed about 19 per cent of the total pregnant women. In 1985, only eight in 100 of those aged between 15 and 45 were above 35. Studies show that women older than 45 have a higher than 50 per cent chance of miscarriage, compared with just 10 per cent for those under 35. (Straits Times 29 Aug 2003 H13)

An Indonesian maid was jailed for 10 months yesterday for scalding a toddler in her care on 19 Aug 2003. Eni Suciana Sukarman, 22, admitted splashing a cup of hot water on the two-year-old girl. (Straits Times 29 Aug 2003 H8)

A man who dangled his girlfriend's 3½-year-old daughter upside down from the seventh storey in August 2002 was yesterday sentenced to three months' jail after pleading guilty to two charges of endangering the girl's life by acting rashly. He cannot be named to protect the identity of the child. (Straits Times 23 Aug 2003 H6)

With only 18,503 babies born between January and June 2003, the number of births for 2003, estimated at about 37,000, is expected to be the lowest in 26 years. This figure is lower than the 38,364 recorded in 1977. Singapore needs at least 50,000 live births a year to sustain its economy, defence and other manpower needs. (Straits Times 20 Aug 2003 1) 

A woman and her 4-month old baby boy fell to their deaths at Block 17 Teck Whye Lane on the night of 18 Aug 2003. China national and Singapore PR Madam Xu Jin Ying are believed to have fallen from the 12th storey. Police are treating her son's death as murder and hers as unnatural death. (Straits Times 20 Aug 2003 5)

Ng Kwang Lim, 46, the university technician who allegedly killed Prof. Lee Kwok Hong, 47, a vice-dean, was formally charged with murder yesterday. (Straits Times 16 Aug 2003 H6)

A National University of Singapore (NUS) lecturer was slashed in the throat by a technician who burst into a faculty meeting yesterday. The assailant was apprehended by the police who arrived within minutes. A woman administrative officer at NUS was also slashed across the face. Associate Professor Lee Kwok Heng, 47, a vice-dean at the engineering faculty, died at the National University Hospital where he was taken to. (Straits Times 14 Aug 2003 1)

A survey based on face-to-face interviews with 510 young Singaporeans aged 15 and above found nine in 10 of those aged 15 to 19 were confident about the road ahead for Singapore. The figure was eight in 10 for those in their 20s. The survey was conducted in July 2003 by Singapore Press Holdings' marketing, planning and development department. (Straits Times 8 Aug 2003 4)

The 25-year-old residents' committee (RC) logo has been replaced with a new logo. The new RC logo which has two bold broad strokes of red and orange was unveiled by Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng yesterday. (Straits Times 4 Aug 2003 H6)

According to the MAS, banks here wrote off S$17.5 million in June 2003, the highest monthly write-off since 1991. During the three months ending June 2003, banks wrote off S$8 for every S$100 rolled over by cardholders at the end of each month. (Straits Times 1 Aug 2003 3)

The Land Transport Authority has issued a new taxi operating licence - the first since SMRT's Tibs Taxis received the licence in 1990 - to Trans-Cab Services. Trans-Cab Services's taxis, which will have a white top and red body, will start with a fleet of 150 taxis and by the fourth year will have 1,000 taxis. (Straits Times 1 Aug 2003 3)

The number of non-emergency calls to 995 fell to 2,847 in the first half of 2003 from 4,289 in the same period in 2002. The number of hoax calls also went down by 51 calls to 1,377 hoax calls out of a total of 39,248 calls SCDF's Emergency Ambulance Service responded to for the first half of 2003. Emergency calls rose to 35,024 for the first half of 2003 from 32,501 for the same period in 2002. SCDF said its fleet of 30 ambulances and nine fast-response paramedic bikes responded to 80 per cent of 995 calls within 11 minutes. (Straits Times 30 Jul 2003 H6)

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) found that between 1997 and 2002, temporary employment increased by 45 per cent compared to permanent employment which increased by 8.1 per cent. (Straits Times 17 Jul 2003 H4)

From 15 Aug 2003, business registration fees will be halved to S$50, and the cost of renewing the licence each year will be S$20, instead of S$25, said DPM Lee Hsien Loong yesterday. (Straits Time 16 Jul 2003 4)

A 23-year-old woman jogger was sexually assaulted on one of MacRitchie Reservoir's forest trails yesterday morning. She was found naked, except for her jogging shoes, by three other runners. (Straits Times 1 Jul 2003 3)

Singapore Press Holdings yesterday axed 111 employees, trimming its wage bill by S$5.7 million a year in a bid to streamline operations to fit a lower volume of business. The retrenchment exercise, its third in three years, will mean a payout of S$7.2 million in one-off retrenchment benefits. SPH retrenched 116 people in 2001 and 97 in 2002. (Straits Times 1 Jul 2003 H2)

The CPF Minimum Sum has been raised by S$5,000 to S$80,000 from 1 Jul 2003. The revision will apply to members who turn 55 from that day. Members can pledge property of up to S$40,000 to fulfil part of the minimum sum, but the remaining S$40,000 must be cash deposited in the retirement account. (Straits Times 1 Jul 2003 H3)

The Ministry of National Development is scrapping the Island-wide Cleanest Estate Competition, which started in 1995, as it had become more of a test of which town council had the most efficient cleaners, rather than a way to encourage homeowners to be more socially responsible. (Straits Times 30 Jun 2003 5)

  A Primary 3 pupil of Anderson Primary died after a bus hit him at the junction between Ang Mo Kio Avenues 6 and 9. NG Li Kai was crossing the road with his sister NG Qian Yi, 10, when the accident happened. (Straits Times 25 May 2003) (24)

  The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has confirmed that a campaign to cull stray cats is being mounted islandwide in the wake of Sars. An AVA spokesman stressed that the culling had nothing to do with any fear that cats were transmitting the Sars virus. There are about 80,000 stray cats in Singapore. Yesterday, 30 cats were culled, and the day before, the number was 25. (Straits Times 24 May 2003) (H1)

  TV Media closed its last three outlets recently. Its Shaw Towers outlet closed in mid-February, the Bugis Junction outlet in March and the Centrepoint outlet on Sunday last week. In its heyday in the mid-1990s, the store had five outlets here and its exercise products, such as Abdomenizer, Abflex and Power Rider were hot sellers. It was fined S$64,000 in July 2002 for distributing Slim 10 to pharmacies without a wholesale dealer's licence and selling the slimming pills after the government had recalled them. (Straits Times 24 May 2003) (H12)

  The annual Car free Day has been replaced by Green Transport Day, which will be celebrated on World Environment Day on 5 Jun 2003. Few people had been willing to give up using their cars on Car Free Day. The National Environment Agency (NEA) will also launch its fuel economy label on 5 Jun 2003. These labels tell consumers how far their cars can travel on one litre of fuel. (Straits Times 23 May 2003) (H9)

  A police officer was arrested after two shots were fired from his service revolver at his home early on Wednesday morning. 45-year-old station inspector Rosli Abdul Ghani and his wife had been quarrelling, the police said in a statement yesterday. The gun went off twice when the couple's 17-year-old son and his 63-year-old father-in-law tried to interfere. One shot hit the ceiling and the other, a wall. Nobody was hit, said the police. (Straits Times 23 May 2003) (H5)

  A DBS Bank teller was jailed for four years and four months yesterday for pocketing S$355,000 from four fixed deposit accounts belonging to the bank's customers. LIM Geok Hwa, 30, who worked at the Seng Poh branch in the Tiong Bahru area, took the money between May 2002 and January 2003. (Straits Times 20 May 2003) (H4)

  A man who went berserk yesterday evening and attacked a couple died suddenly after he was subdued by about six bystanders, police said. He allegedly attacked the couple with the casing of a rubbish bin at the void deck of Block 682B Woodlands Drive 73. (Straits Times 19 May 2003) (5)

  Nine children have come down with hand, foot and mouth disease at NTUC Childcare's Jurong West centre. One has since recovered and the rest are expected to return to the centre next week, said a spokesman for NTUC Childcare yesterday. (Straits Times 19 May 2003) (H6)

  Cathay building and cinema is now undergoing a S$100-million redevelopment which will see the construction of a new 15-storey complex, comprising offices, apartments, cinemas, and retail space. The historic building's brown-tiled facade will be preserved. The new complex will be ready by the end of 2005. (Straits Times 17 May 2003 H6)

  The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) has extended the deadline for filing of income tax returns by phone or Internet to Friday 18 Apr 2003. Those filing by paper will have to deposit their returns in a post box before midnight tomorrow. (Straits Times 14 Apr 2003)(H6)

  A training scheme which helps to pay the course fee and a portion of the employee's salary may be part of the relief measures to be announced soon by the SARS ministerial committee. This will help hotels, restaurants and others in the service industry to save some jobs. SARS victims who are hospitalised will be charged C class rates. The cost of drugs will be absorbed by the Health Ministry. Health-care workers' entire medical bill will be footed by their employers. (Straits Times 11 Apr 2003)(1)

  The Health Ministry said that 12 people have broken quarantine orders since it invoked the Infectious Diseases Act on 25 March 2003. There are currently 490 people who have been ordered to stay home because they have come into contact with SARS patients.  People who have been quarantined will now have to report in front of a surveillance camera several times a day. If they are found to be not at home, they will have to use an electronic tag on their wrist and be given a written warning. (Straits Times 11 Apr 2003)(H1)

  A key Cabinet reshuffle likely to take place this month or early next month will see some of the seven new Ministers of State being made Acting Ministers, said Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong in New Delhi yesterday. (Straits Times 10 Apr 2003)

  95 per cent of Junior College and centralised institute students attended school yesterday when the 16 JCs and two institutes, which have about 24,000 students, reopened. (Straits Times 10 Apr 2003)(H1)

  An Indonesian maid was yesterday jailed for 15 months for attempting to cause harm to her employer's 63-year-old mother-in-law Madam LIANG Aizhu. Ria Rohati Riswandi, 19, had taken a packet of soya bean milk, poured some into a glass and stirred some glue into it before pouring the tainted milk back into the packet on 10 Feb 2003. The old lady did not drink it. (Straits Times 10 Apr 2003)(H6)

  Fifty medics from the Singapore Armed Forces are helping polyclinic nurses to screen passengers who fly into Changi Airport from Sars-affected countries. (Straits Times 10 Apr 2003)(9)

  A retrenched storekeeper was jailed for 18 months yesterday for making bomb hoax calls about his former company. Ramiahthevar Thevadas, 48, made two calls claiming there was a bomb on the premises of Jade Precision Engineering on Tuas Ave 2 on 31 Oct 2002. (Straits Times 9 Apr 2003)(H8)

  Singapore has been placed 15th in a reading comprehension test for nine- and ten-year-olds held in 2001. About 7,000 pupils from almost 200 primary schools here took part in the test administered by the Netherlands-based International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement in co-operation with Singapore's Ministry of Education. Its results were released yesterday. About 28 per cent of 3,800 Primary 3 students here surveyed in 1991 usually spoke English at home. This contrasted with the 42 per cent of the cohort in 2001 who said they spoke English at home. (Straits Times 9 Apr 2003)(H7)

  The Catholic Church is stopping all individual confessions until the SARS outbreak is contained. Priests will grant a "general absolution" instead, said Archbishop Nicholas CHIA, who sent out the instructions to all 30 churches last week. (Straits Times 9 Apr 2003)(H2)

  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong yesterday announced the setting up of a ministerial task force, headed by Home Affairs Minister WONG Kan Seng, to deal with all aspects of the SARS outbreak, including what to do if the worst happens. Mr GOH had this message for Singaporeans: "There is life. With terrorism, with the Iraq war, with Sars, we are going to live as near normal a life as possible." (Straits Times 7 Apr 2003)(1)

  The Community Chest and Land Transport Authority (LTA) are auctioning off 3,400 black-and-white street signs to raise money for charity. Bidders can register their bids at comchestauction.org.sg. The auction closes on 30 April 2003. (Straits Times 6 Apr 2003)(24)

  The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said yesterday that after a three-month investigation into the collision of the RSS Courageous, it has found the collision was caused by "errors of judgement" committed by Lieutenant NG Keng Yong, 27, when he approved changes - by junior officer, Lieutenant CHUA Chue Teng, 23 - that steered the vessel into the path of the ANL Indonesia. Lieutenant CHUA was into her fourth month of training as officer of the watch. The crew of the ANL Indonesia did everything by the book when it changed course to avoid a collision but the many wrong turns by RSS Courageous resulted in both vessels heading towards each other. Straits Times 5 Apr 2003)(1)

  Meidi-Ya, a Japanese supermarket, will open in the former basement premises of Daimaru at Liang Court tomorrow. (Straits Times 3 Apr 2003)(H3)

  Tiong Bahru Plaza is currently undergoing a S$10 million facelift which will relaunch the shopping mall as a one-stop mall for shoes. When the renovations are completed in December 2003, the mall will have an additional 7,000 sq ft of space, bringing the total net lettable area to 192,000 sq ft. (Straits Times 3 Apr 2003)(H3)

  The National Day Parade's Web site, www.ndp.org.sg, was launched yesterday. This year's parade will take place at the National Stadium and feature a more spectacular light show, with the introduction of a giant, high-end projector. (Straits Times 3 Apr 2003)(H2)

  Acting Transport Minister KHAW Boon Wan yesterday confirmed that the North-East MRT Line will start running by the end of next month or June, provided no major glitches emerge. (Straits Times 3 Apr 2003)(H1)

  A young serial robber had his jail term increased from 9½ years to 14 years on appeal. Secondary school dropout Jerrick CHEN Weixiong, 17, will also receive 24 strokes of the cane. CHEN had chalked up 45 offences in just a few months. He went around with accomplices robbing school children of their mobile phones and bashing them up if they did not give them up easily. (Straits Times 2 Apr 2003)(H2)

  A peeping Tom who peered at two female instructors who were changing in the adjoining cubicle in the ladies' toilet was yesterday jailed for four months. Samuel Lee Yin, 23, an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS), pleaded guilty to insulting their modesty in February 2001. (Straits Times 1 Apr 2003)(H2)

  After a two-day inquest, State Coroner John NG yesterday ruled that weight-loss pill Slim 10 triggered an adverse reaction in logistics executive Selvarani Raja's liver which led to her death from liver failure on 1 June 2002. This is the first time the drug has been blamed directly for causing her death. (Straits Times 1 Apr 2003)(H1)

  Citibank will start offering no-frills bank accounts to the public from 1 April 2003. For a monthly fee of S$2, customers will get an account where no minimum balance is required to enjoy unlimited transactions in branches, by Giro, via the Internet or over the phone. Depositors start earning interest with just S$1 in the account. (Straits Times 31 Mar 2003)(A20)

  StarHub is extending its free incoming calls system for another 13 months till April 2004. It has been absorbing the cost of incoming calls for its subscribers since it started operations in April 2000. (Straits Times 31 Mar 2003)(H7)

  82 home offices in restored conservation shophouses in China Square Central have been granted the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) live/work permits. The permit allows people to conduct small-scale businesses that do not involve a lot of traffic, and which are not noisy or pollutive, from their homes if these are within zones that allow for mixed use. (Straits Times 31 Mar 2003)(H5)

  Figures from World Prison List, released last month by Britain's Home Office, shows that Singapore has 16,310 in its jails, or 359 people in prison for every 100,000 people. The rate is above the sum total of Cambodia (46), Malaysia (121), Brunei (120) and Indonesia (29). The Prison Department here believes the high rate here is because of the nature of the country - a city-state with a dense population. The study of 100 countries was topped by the US which has 686 inmates per 100,000 people. (Straits Times 31 Mar 2003)(H2)

  The 75,000-strong Nanyang Technological University (NTU) alumni's management committee has endorsed the change in the name of the university to Nanyang University. The alumni has set the target year as 2005. (Straits Times 29 Mar 2003)(H3)

  A new S$1 billion mega-prison complex will replace Changi Prison. The Prisons Department wants to demolish the old prison and erect the new prisons which will be ready for use in early 2004. The Preservation of Monuments Board is now talking with the Prisons Department and the URA about the possibility of saving the prison which was built in 1936 and housed about 76,000 prisoners of war between 1942 and 1945 during World War II. The number included about 15,000 local, 39,000 British and 19,000 Australian soldiers. About 50,000 Japanese were imprisoned there after the Japanese surrender. (Straits Times 29 Mar 2003)(H9)

  An immigration officer was jailed for a month yesterday for sending a hoax bomb e-mail message to SBS Transit on 1 June 2002. Nor Arsid Mohamad Isiah, 31, admitted sending a "hoax e-mail", which contained a reference to a bomb, to SBS Transit's corporate communications department. (Straits Times 28 Mar 2003)(H3)

  A new study whose findings were released by the Department of Statistics found that falling property prices and stocks erased S$26 billion off Singaporeans' wealth in 2001. Singaporeans' net wealth stood at S$565 billion at the end of December 2001. The average Singaporean was worth S$170,000 at the end of 2001, down from S$175,000 in 2000. The net wealth of the average household amounted to S$612,000 at end-2001, down from S$618,000 at the end of 2000. (Straits Times 28 Mar 2003)(A17)

  From 1 April 2003, importers of all processed food brought into Singapore are required to register with the Agri-Food and veterinary Authority (AVA). Currently, only importers of fresh produce such as vegetables, meat and fish need to be registered. (Straits Times 27 Mar 2003)(H9)

  Results of a survey of 5,853 students, aged 13 to 17, from nine schools polled by the Northeast Community Development Council (CDC) and Fei Yue Counselling Centre, showed that five out of every 100 secondary school students said they had been "forced" to have sex. 259 students said someone had tried to get them to have sex in the past 12 months, and 83 gave in. (Straits Times 27 Mar 2003)(H9)

  The recently released results of surveys conducted by NUS and NTU showed that only 64 per cent of the arts graduates from the class of 2002 had a job by the end of the year. The employment rate was 67 per cent for science graduates. Employment rates for engineering, accountancy, architecture and building graduates were in the 70 to 80 per cent range despite the recession. The employment rate for BA honours graduates was 82 per cent, while for BSc honours, it was 87.9 per cent. Honours graduates also made about S$5,000 more a year than basic degree holders. (Straits Times 27 Mar 2003)(H3)

  A new blueprint named "Connected Singapore" launched yesterday by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) aims to create 3,000 new jobs and S$100 million of new projects. IDA said yesterday it wants to grow the contribution of the infocomm industry to Singapore's GDP from about 7 per cent in 2001 to 10 per cent in 2012 - the target set by the ERC's services sub-committee. The industry has been expanding at an average rate of 13 per cent since 1986, with total revenue for 2001 hitting S$28 billion. (Straits Times 27 Mar 2003)(A20)

  The Housing Board is creating three more shopping centres - in Punggol, Jurong West and Dawson Road - by early 2004. HDB said that the average occupancy rate at its 15 shopping centres is "about 98 per cent". (Straits Times 26 Mar 2003)(H10)

  The number of motorcyclists and pillion riders who died on the roads here increased to 101 in 2002 from 88 in 2001. In 2002, an average of one motorcyclist died in a road accident every four days. About 60 per cent of those who died were below 30 years old. Twelve of the 75 motorcyclists involved in fatal accidents in 2002 had less than a year of riding experience and 10 of the probationary riders were below 24 years old. (Straits Times 26 Mar 2003)(H8)

  A maid pleaded guilty to seven charges of child abuse in a district court yesterday. Aan Andriyani, 24, was caught on camera abusing her employer's four-month-old daughter in December 2002 and January 2003. (Straits Times 25 Mar 2003) (H4)

  The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said yesterday it is delaying, by three months to July 1, the start date of the "cooling off" or cancellation period for unit trusts so that fund managers can comply with it. (Straits Times 21 Mar 2003) (A19)

  Insurance giant AIA says it will honour the terms and obligations of its so-called "critical year" policies and has set up a special hotline at (65) 6248 8211 and a Web site, www.aia.com.sg, where customers can get information and register their questions. (Straits Times 21 Mar 2003) (A20)

  The new S$200 million National Library building in Victoria Street will house a new Drama Centre. The centre will have a 642-seat theatre and a 120-seat black box, said Mr David LIM, Acting Minister for Information, Communications, and the Arts in Parliament yesterday. The centre is scheduled to be completed in late 2005 while the library will open next year. (Straits Times 21 Mar 2003) (H8)

  The 20-km underground North-East MRT line may start in May or June, instead of April 2003. Transport Minister YEO Cheow Tong told journalists yesterday "From the look of things, I don't think the mid-April target will be achievable." The North-East line has 16 stations along its route from Punggol to the Harbourfront (formerly World Trade Centre). (Straits Times 21 Mar 2003) (H7)

  A computer programmer was jailed for three years and nine months after he pleaded guilty on Tuesday to three charges of having sex with a minor. Rickson Chua Chin Gee met the 15-year-old girl through an Internet chatroom sometime in April 2002. (Straits Times 20 Mar 2003) (H4)

  A serial lift robber was nabbed in a police ambush at Pearl Centre on Tuesday morning. The 45-year-old unemployed man preyed on the elderly in lifts and is believed to have been involved in about 50 cases islandwide. About 50 pawn receipts, totalling S$24,000, were recovered from the shops he had done business with. (Straits Times 20 Mar 2003)(H4)

  American high-tech giant Sun Microsystems said yesterday that it is investing well over S$200 million in Singapore over the next five years in a move that will create about 500 jobs. It is also donating S$200 million of its software to educational centres here. (Straits Times 20 Mar 2003) (A20)

  Class sizes for Primary 1 and 2 will be shrunk from 40 to 30, beginning with the Primary 1 cohort in 2005, said Education Minister TEO Chee Hean in Parliament yesterday. About 700 teachers will be hired to add to the current pool of 12,300 primary school teachers so that all 178 primary schools can have smaller classes at the lower primary levels. By 2014, all Primary 3 to Primary 6 pupils will go single session. They will go for formal classes in the morning and use the afternoons for enrichment and co-curricular activities. (Straits Times 20 Mar 2003) (H1)

  Car owners who want to sell their vehicles overseas can now use the rebates of two levies paid on them as soon as the vehicle is stored in an Export Processing Zone under a new Land Transport Authority (LTA) scheme. Forward Motors, Prime Leasing and Sembawang Kimtrans have been appointed to operate the zones. (Straits Times 19 Mar 2003) (H2)

  American customs officers yesterday started observation work at the port here to identify high-risk containers bound for the United States. Five US Customs officers stationed here are based at the Pasir Panjang terminal. In 2002, about 330,000 containers entered the US from Singapore, said the American Embassy in a press release yesterday. (Straits Times 18 Mar 2003) (H2)

  The death rate from stroke, the fourth biggest killer here, has fallen from 77 per 100,000 in 1991 to 45 per 100,000 in 2001, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH). However, the number of those who end up in hospital each year after a stroke has gone up from 168 per 100,000 in 1992 to 282 per 100,000 in 2001. Stroke caused 9.2 per cent of deaths here in 2001, down from 10.3 per cent in 2000. One in 10 stroke victims dies immediately or within days of getting it. Those who survive have a 15 to 25 per cent chance of getting another, every year for the rest of their lives. (Straits Times 18 Mar 2003) (H1)

  Singaporean TAN Chee Kiang, 31, and a Malaysian, 30, died instantly when the unused ammunition they were handling exploded on Pulau Senang on Sunday night. Three others were injured in the blast. All five were employed by Explomo Technical Services, a firm set up in 1988 to manage the handling and disposal of explosives and ammunition. (Straits Times 18 Mar 2003)(3)

  The Economic Development Board (EDB) yesterday launched the Singapore Quality Class for Private Education Organisations to raise the standards of the more than 300 private schools here. These schools take in about 110,000 local and foreign students. At least 20 schools are expected to get the public trust mark by the end of the year. (Straits Times 25 Feb 2003)(H6)

  A doctor turned consultant for a firm producing medical software was jailed for four months yesterday after she admitted to burning her Indonesian maid's arm with an iron. LIM May Ling, 42, initially faced eight other charges of abusing her maid, Miss Lilis Suryani, 20, but these accusations were withdrawn yesterday. (Straits Times 25 Feb 2003) (H5)

  A 35-year-old lawyer, who is being sued by five people who said they had handed him about S$4.5 million, has gone missing. Mr TAN Cheng Yew is a former partner at a local law firm. (Straits Times 25 Feb 2003)(3)

  PSA Corporation yesterday gave 496 employees pink slips. It will shed 800 employees this year. No further cuts are being planned. (Straits Times 25 Feb 2003)(1)

  In 2002, the Central Narcotics Bureau's (CNB) haul of 13,000 Ecstasy pills was just a little over half the 24,000 pills seized in 2001. In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the number of known Ecstasy abusers here plunged from 661 to 151. (Straits Times 24 Feb 2003)(H3)

  Only nine shop units out of the 34 shop units in the Ten Mile Junction shopping centre are occupied. Its landlord, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is planning to reposition the centre, which opened in 1999, as a one-stop learning centre. (Straits Times 24 Feb 2003) (4)

  Last year, 167 parents filed beyond parental control complaints - a 44 per cent increase on the previous year - and the problem coincides with rising juvenile crime. Statistics released by the police last week show that the number of youngsters 15 years old and under arrested in 2002 shot up by 55 per cent, compared to 2001. In 2002, 45 youngsters were sent to institutions, such as the Toa Payoh Girls' Home and the Singapore Boys' Home. (Straits Times Monday 24 Feb 2003)(1)

  The latest civil defence emergency handbook is being distributed free to over one million households here. It is a joint project by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the National Fire Prevention Council and the Civil Defence executive committees. (Straits Times Sunday 23 Feb 2003) (25)

  The National Environment Agency (NEA) said yesterday it is investigating allegations that some butchers at wet markets here are passing off beef as mutton to unsuspecting customers, who may include Hindus and Buddhists who don't eat beef for religious reasons. The investigations come after the Tamil-language daily Tamil Murasu reported the result of its own investigation. (Straits Times 23 Feb 2003) (24)

  Since 1999, when the Economic Development Board (EDB) launched its Technopreneur Home Office Plan, 574 people have signed up. Most live in HDB flats. They can operate from home, use it as a business address and put up a sign with their business name - all taboo under the Housing and Development Board Act before. (Straits Times 23 Feb 2003) (H1)

  PSA Corp yesterday released details of the severance package for the 496 workers getting the axe on Monday 24 Feb 2003. The deal provides for a month's salary for every year of service, grants for older workers to retrain for possible second careers, and medical coverage until the end of the year. The package deal was struck after marathon talks between PSA, the Singapore Port Workers Union (SPWU) and the Port Officers Union (POU). (Straits Times Sunday 23 Feb 2003) (1)

  Japanese retailer Best Denki is taking over Safe's third-floor space in Junction 8 mall in Bishan. Daimaru shuttered its supermarket in the basement of the mall last week and NTUC Fairprice will occupy the space there. Daimaru's space from the first to third levels will be taken over by fellow Japanese store operator Seiyu. Daimaru is exiting the Singapore market in March after 19 years. In all, it chalked up S$53 million in losses. (Straits Times Saturday 22 Feb 2003) (A33)

  Since 1996, six million CashCards have been bought. The Network for Electronic Transfers (Singapore), or Nets, expects 1.4 million CashCards to expire this year. CashCards have a five-year validity period. To help users, cards produced this year have the date of issue stamped on the back. Users of older cards can log on to www.nets.com.sg and type in their card number to see when it expires. (Straits Times Saturday 22 Feb 2003) (H16)

  Two new features have been introduced to the Inland Revenue Authority's (IRA) Web site from today to allow for corrections and to inform the taxpayer what rebates and claims he is eligible for. The e-filing service at https://efile.iras.gov.sg is available until the 15 Apr 2003 deadline for income tax returns. (Straits Times Saturday 22 Feb 2003) (H4)

  The controversial new road cutting across Portsdown Road is needed to cut travel times for Queensway, Commonwealth and Tanglin Halt residents, the Land Transport Authority says. The new 1.1 km link between Queensway and Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) will reduce travelling time from 10 minutes to three minutes for Jurong-bound motorists moving from Queenstown to AYE via either Alexandra Road or North Buona Vista Road. (Straits Times Saturday 22 Feb 2003) (H2)

  The Institute of Technical Education's (ITE) employment survey released yesterday reports that 82 per cent of its graduates - 8,000 in all from the 10 institutes - had found jobs within three months, down from 86 per cent for the class of 2001. The average starting salary of last year's ITE graduate is S$50 more than that of the class of 2001. (Straits Times Saturday 22 Feb 2003) (3)

  Newater started flowing into the reservoirs yesterday and could reach homes in three to six months' time. As of yesterday, two million gallons a day, or 1 per cent of consumption, will be blended with raw water in the Bedok, Kranji and Upper Seletar Reservoirs. By 2011, it will be 10 million gallons a day, or 2.5 per cent of consumption. By then, 55 million gallons will be made daily at Bedok, Kranji, Seletar and Ulu Pandan. At the launch of the Bedok Newater Plant yesterday, PM GOH Chok Tong said that by 2011, when the 1961 Water Agreement expires, Singapore will not need to renew it. By 2061, when the 1962 Agreement expires, we will be totally self-sufficient, if there's no new water agreement with Malaysia. (Straits Times Saturday 22 Feb 2003) (1)

  A youth-oriented L2 "concept floor" will open in March 2003 inside the Cathay Cineleisure retail and entertainment complex. The upgraded second-level retail floor will have 25 shop-units carved out of 15,000 sq ft of space vacated by former tenants, which included Chinois Chinois Bar and Viva Music Hub. L2's space is bigger than that of Parco Bugis Junction's Edge (10,000 sq ft) but smaller than the spaces of The Heeren's Annex (20,000 sq ft) and Far East Plaza's Level One (45,000 sq ft). The complex's two-storey mock gorilla has been removed to accommodate L2's gold and blue logo. (Straits Times Wednesday 5 Feb 2003) (A14)

  Printing assistant QUAK Yik Yin, 48 was yesterday sentenced to six years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to three counts of molesting and wrongfully restraining his 21-year-old Indonesian maid at his flat in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3. (Straits Times 5 Feb 2003)

  The Colbar restaurant and two adjoining shops in Portsdown Road estate will be torn down to make way for a new road linking Queensway to the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE). Aside from the three shops, the Gloucester Archery Range and Field, and the Temasek Club's driving range will also have to go. (Straits Times 5 Feb 2003) (H1)

  A man who used an Internet chatroom to find young girls to rape was yesterday sentenced to 23 years' jail and the maximum 24 strokes of the cane. Raymond POK, 26, posed as a teenager and lured three girls, two aged 14, and one aged 13, into his trap. (Straits Times Wednesday 5 Feb 2003) (4)

  London-based Medical Protection Society (MPS), which insures almost all of the 6,000 doctors here, has slapped hefty premium hikes of 45 to almost 100 per cent on everyone, from the most junior housemen to specialists, from last Saturday. In 1999, insurance payouts totalled less than S$1 million. In 2000, the figure tripled. In 2001, it soared to more than S$7 million. (Straits Times Wednesday 5 Feb 2003) (1)

  SPH MediaWorks is looking for an additional 12 employees to boost its current headcount of 300. Currently, it produces 350 hours' worth of local productions on a yearly basis, or an estimated 25 to 30 per cent of its total output. The balance is filled by acquired programmes. (Straits Times Wednesday 5 Feb 2003) (L12)

  Battery-powered bicycles which can move faster than 25 kmh or have a maximum power output of more than 200 watts are classed as motorcycles, which means they must be inspected for approval and licensed. Anyone caught using unregistered motorised bicycles with a maximum power output of 200 watts on the roads can be fined up to S$2,000 or jailed for three months for the first offence. Subsequently, he could be fined S$5,000 or jailed for six months. More than 10,000 motorised bikes have been sold here in the past two years. (Straits Times Tuesday 4 Feb 2003) (H1)

  Next year, Raffles Girls' Secondary, Raffles Institution, Chinese High, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and National Junior College will begin offering six-year programmes in which students will be able to start working towards their A levels as early as Secondary 3, skip O levels and take A levels or the International Baccalaureate. Nanyang Girls' said it has sent a proposal for a six-year programme to the Ministry of Education and could start offering it next year. St Joseph's and Methodist Girls' have yet to decide. (Straits Times Tuesday 4 Feb 2003) (3)

  Indonesian police on Sunday seized Mas Selamat bin Kastari, the man believed to be the head of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist cell in Singapore. He is being detained on charges of forging state documents. (Straits Times Tuesday 4 Feb 2003)(1)

  The Land and Transport Authority (LTA) is introducing eight new service standards for taxi operators in June 2003. Operators who do not meet the new standards will be fined up to S$100,000 for each contravention. They could even lose their licences. In 2002, LTA disciplined about 2,200 cabbies. NTUC Comfort sacked more than 200 drivers in 2002. There are already about 19,000 cabs on the roads providing a ratio of 4.8 taxis per 1,000 people. (Straits Times Monday 3 Feb 2003) (H9)

  The Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) ambulance crew received 3,123 false calls in 2002. Non-emergency calls for ambulance services accounted for 7,485 calls in 2002, compared to 8,260 calls in 2001. The number of false fire alarms was 3,691, a fall of 786 compared to 2001. The SCDF responded to 4,943 fires in 2002 - the lowest in 14 years. This compares with a high of 6,705 incidents in 1997. (Straits Times Friday 31 Jan 2003)(H1)

  A 15-year-old schoolboy who raped his cousin, 6, at her home while her mother was watching television in another room is now in remand and will appear before the Juvenile Court again on 25 Feb 2003. (Straits Times 21 Jan 2003)(H3) 

  Two youths, who were earlier acquitted by the High Court of setting fire to two wet markets in Ang Mo Kio, were convicted of arson yesterday by the Court of Appeal. HUANG Rong Tai, 21, who is mildly retarded, was jailed for 10 years. His friend, who turns 17 next month and will be sentenced later, cannot be named as he was 13 years old when the first market was set on fire on 8 Feb 2000. (Straits Times 21 Jan 2003)(H3)

  There has been a spate of intrusions by Malaysian government vessels into Singapore's waters around Pedra Branca, with five violations by its navy and marine police last week alone. Malaysia's actions were disclosed by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tony TAN in Parliament yesterday. (Straits Times 21 Jan 2003)(3)

  All pre-schoolers will soon be taught through play, activity, discovery and experiment - methods already in use at many private kindergartens here. The new programme is likely to turn out more confident children, eager to learn and able to communicate easily with teachers and children alike. It was tested over the last two years when 1,336 children in 32 PCF kindergartens were divided into two groups,  with one group trying out the new curriculum while the other stayed with the old. (Straits Times 21 Jan 2003)(1)

  Sengkang Light Rapid Transit (LRT) Line will officially start moving people tomorrow 18 Jan 2003, but only six of its 14 stations will open in the first phase. Adults will pay 64 cents per trip with the EZ-link card while schoolchildren pay 40 cents. (Straits Times 17 Jan 2003)(4)

  Thanks to the Economic Development Board (EDB), Singapore attracted S$9.01 billion in investment commitments for the manufacturing sector in 2002, just shy of the S$9.17 billion in 2001 and S$9.21 billion in the boom year of 2000. A total of 20,900 jobs are expected to be created from 2002's investments with 72 per cent for skilled labour or professional positions, down from the 24,400 jobs created in 2001.(Straits Times 17 Jan 2003)(1)

  London: The distinctive smell inside a new car comes from the same source of pollution that causes sick building syndrome, a study in Japan shows. It said the smell in a new car could contain up to 35 times the health limit set for volatile organic chemicals in cars in Japan, making its enjoyment akin to glue sniffing, The Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday. (Straits Times 16 Jan 2003) (1)

  After 30 years at the Seletar Camp, the Police Coast Guard is moving to a new S$16 million complex at Loyang Crescent by 2005. Its new home is being built over 1.33 ha and consists of a two-storey administrative building and a 3,500 sq m hangar, capable of servicing up to two boats at a time. (Straits Times 16 Jan 2003) (H7)

  Countdown timers will be introduced for traffic lights at the junction of Rochor and North Bridge Roads on Sunday 19 Jan 2003. These timers, costing between S$10,000 and S$20,000 to fix, will provide a nine-second warning that the traffic lights will be turning from green to amber. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is trying out the system for six months, after which it will decide whether to expand or scrap the idea. (Straits Times 16 Jan 2003) (H5)

  There was no sign of missing servicewoman Second Sergeant CHUA Bee Lin's body in the shorn-off portion of the RSS Courageous which was hauled up from the sea on Tuesday night and towed back to Changi Naval Base yesterday.(Straits Times 16 Jan 2003)(1)

  From July, the Housing and Development Board's Building and Development Division, which employs around 3,000 workers, will be turned into a company as part of a wider restructuring programme, the HDB told The Straits Times yesterday. The change could also mean job losses. HDB management is understood to be in talks with its employees' union about retrenchment packages for affected staff. (Straits Times 15 Jan 2003) (4)

  Complaints to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) against real estate agents climbed from 200 for the whole year of 2000, to 277 between January and October 2002. It received 213 such complaints in 2001. (Straits Times 14 Jan 2003)(H4) 

  The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will build studio flats for the elderly in the same blocks as 3-, 4- and 5-room units. The change follows a HDB survey which showed that people prefer not to have the studios built in separate blocks. Those polled comprised 193 already living in studio flats, 316 potential buyers aged 55 and older, and 290 singles aged between 35 and 54. (Straits Times 14 Jan 2003) (3)

  The Housing and Development Board (HDB) did not repossess a single flat last year although around 4 per cent of borrowers, with about 21,800 families, were considered to have defaulted on their loan instalments for three months or more. (Straits Times 14 Jan 2003) (3)

  MediaWorks' first televised fundraiser, Ren Ci Charity Show, on Sunday night netted over S$5.1 million, more than twice its targetted amount of S$2.5 million. According to Nielson Meida Research, the show attracted an average of 24.2 per cent of viewers aged 15 and above, compared to 14.3 per cent for Channel 8's PSC Nite Gala Special which was aired at the same time. (Straits Times 14 Jan 2003) (1)

  New laws are being proposed to allow Singapore doctors to transplant livers and corneas of people who die. With the proposed changes, almost 50 more people suffering from liver and kidney failure could be saved each year from an estimated 12 more donors. (Straits Times 14 Jan 2003) (1)

  The Government has decided to freeze tuition fees for university and polytechnic students at the 2001 level, said Education Minister TEO Chee Hean yesterday. This academic year, 1,729 out of 32,000 NUS students have asked for bursaries or loans, up from 1,598 in 2000. At NTU, 667 students are seeking aid this academic year, down from 701 students in 2000. (Straits Times 5 Jan 2003) (4)

  Chief Justice YONG Pung How noted that lawyers were still being indiscriminate about the number of documents they filed, despite his warning last year that substantial court costs would be imposed against them. He cited a recent example in which a lawyer whose firm filed more than 2,000 pages did not refer to a single page during his 75-minute submission in court. CJ YONG added that in future, the court would not hesitate to exercise its discretion in making errant lawyers pay for costs arising from any irresponsible conduct. (Straits Times 5 Jan 2003) (3)

  A woman naval specialist's body has been recovered and three others are missing after a collision between the 460-tonne RSS Courageous, a anti-submarine patrol ship, and 52,000-tonne Dutch-registered ANL Indonesia, a container vessel. The accident, the worst single accident in the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) history, happened late on Friday night in Singapore waters just 1.5km north of Pedra Blanca. The three missing crew are women specialists in weapons and communications. Eight male full-time navy personnel were injured slightly in the collision. (Straits Times 5 Jan 2003)(1)

  Singapore's newest Junior College opens today. Meridian Junior College, costing almost S$50 million, starts with 700 students, a quarter of whom scored 15 points or less, at a 6 ha site in Pasir Ris. It is the first school to have a library that is designed and managed by the National Library Board. (Straits Times 2 Jan 2003) (H1)

  School-bus drivers have been given the go-ahead to increase their charges by between S$5 and S$45 when the new school term starts tomorrow. Presently, they charge between S$35 and S$150 a month per student, depending on location, distance travelled, bus size and number of students ferried. (Straits Times 1 Jan 2003) (H1)

  Two Singapore top schools - The Chinese High and Hwa Chong Junior College - will merge into a single institution with a new name that has yet to be decided. Chinese studies, in which students will learn all about China's culture, history and modern developments, will form part of a new six-year curriculum that will let students skip the O levels and take the A levels in six years. (Straits Times 1 Jan 2003) (3)

  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong told the country yesterday that the economy grew by 2.2 per cent last year, with the prospect of it hitting 5 per cent by the end of this year. Mr GOH expects Singapore to be back on its feet in 2004. (Straits Times 1 Jan 2003) (1)