Home

Emergency

Postal

Utilities

Flights

Police

Singapore Law

Immigration

Airport

Customs

Accommodation

Business Directory

Permits & Passes

Pets

Schools

Vehicles

Bank ATMs

Banks

24-hour Outlets

Hospitals

Getting Around

Embassies

4D/Toto/Score

  Armed air marshals will be deployed on Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir flights next year. The air marshals, selected from a unit set up within the Home Affairs Ministry, are likely to be used only on selected flights. Together, SIA and SilkAir operate over 100 aircraft that fly to more than 90 destinations. (Straits Times 21 Dec 2002) (6)

  Sengkang LRT's opening will be delayed to January 2003. Operator SBS Transit said it is still tweaking the LRT communication and radio system. Transport Minister YEO Cheow Tong yesterday said that the driverless train system for the North-East MRT line was handed over to SBS Transit on Monday 16 Dec 2002. The new line is to open for public use in April 2003. (Straits Times 21 Dec 2002) (4)

  A man was yesterday charged with sending 18 false e-mail messages - attacking former Fateha head Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff - to newspapers between 2 Jan and 24 May this year. The sender, Jerome CHOK Kok Onn, 38, a former bank officer, allegedly signed off as LEE Chay Pian, 60, a former colleague. This is believed to be the first such case here under the Telecommunication Act. (Straits Times 21 Dec 2002) (H2)

  Newton Hawker Centre has become the third public place marked for greater security after Holland Village and Boat Quay. Barricades went up at the popular tourist haunt yesterday, preventing vehicles from entering the area between the carpark and the food stalls. In three weeks' time, the metal railing that currently goes around part of the hawker centre will be extended to encircle the entire area. Double yellow zig-zag lines will also be painted along the roads bordering the hawker centre to prevent vehicles from stopping there. (Straits Times 21 Dec 2002) (3)

  MediaCorp may not participate in or produce next year's Asian Television Awards, which is co-funded by MediaCorp and the Singapore Broadcasting Authority, because it says it is not profitable to do so. Its response comes after articles in newspapers like Streats and Lianhe Zaobao questioned why the broadcaster had not aired the awards on the day it had previously announced. On whether MediaWorks would pick up the gauntlet and produce the show, MediaWorks chief operating officer MAN Shu Sum told The Straits Times "We don't mind considering it at all." (Straits Times 18 Dec 2002) (H3)

  The Ministry of Community Development and Sports (MCDS) yesterday announced it has set aside S$1.5 million in subsidy grants for parents of 2,500 children. These parents will get between S$25 and S$150 a month for putting the children in childcare for at least 12 hours a week, and a minimum of three hours each time. The size of the grant parents receive depends on whether the mother is working and the number of hours the child is taken care of. (Straits Times 18 Dec 2002)(4) 

  An Indonesian maid jumped to her death from a 19th-storey Queenstown flat on 4 Oct 2001 after she was slapped twice in two days by her employer's wife. CHAN Jin Mun, 32, who admitted slapping the maid, Madam Kesi Rusik, 28, was sentenced to two weeks' jail yesterday. (Straits Times 18 Dec 2002) (H8)

  Armed sky marshals will soon patrol flights between Singapore and Australia, following the signing of an in-principle agreement designed to guard against terrorist hijackings. Qantas will be the first regional airline to launch the security programme, announced by Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison. Qantas and Singapore Airlines (SIA) operate 12,000 flights a year between the two countries. (Straits Times 18 Dec 2002) (1)

  A man who molested his Indonesian maid was sentenced to five years in jail and eight strokes of the cane on two counts of aggravated molestation. Hassan Kalok, 39, molested the 19-year-old maid on the eve of Hari Raya last year when she was changing the curtains in the bedroom of his Yishun flat. (Straits Times 17 Dec 2002) (H5)

  A Chinese national was yesterday charged with murdering a 62-year-old woman from China. HUANG Hong Si, 33, allegedly killed Madam WEI Mei Mei in Block 306, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4. (Straits Times 17 Dec 2002) (H2)

  The new photocard driving licence was introduced yesterday. The existing paper-based driving licence system will be phased out in three years. (Straits Times 17 Dec 2002) (4)

  Giving his reasons for using a rarely invoked legal clause to jail Gilbert Louis, 51, for 10 years, Chief Justice YONG Pung How said, "We are dealing with a man whose contemptuous conduct had outraged the dignity of our courts. He was lucky to escape caning only because of his age." Gilbert repeatedly punched his wife's lawyer, Madam Halijah Mohamad, in a family court judge's chamber on 1 Feb 2002. (Straits Times 17 Dec 2002) (3)

  October retail sales totalled S$1.82 billion, up from S$1.77 billion in September, according to statistics released by the Department of Statistics yesterday. Sales of telecommunications equipment and computers registered the biggest jump of 27.6 per cent, while furniture and household equipment sales went up by about 13 per cent compared with the previous month's sales. (Straits Times 17 Dec 2002) (1)

  Hat Yai, Thailand: High school and college students in Hat Yai are becoming "rented wives" for foreign men, especially from Singapore and Malaysia, who are seeking to avoid being infected with Aids. These men pay a monthly allowance of about 40,000 baht (S$1,600) and rent an apartment for their partner. (Straits Times 16 Dec 2002) (A7)

  The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) held its first open mobilisation exercise between 2pm and 8pm yesterday. (Straits Times 16 Dec 2002) (H6)

  An Australian national charged on Saturday with possession of 762 g of heroin for trafficking could face the death penalty if convicted. Salesman Nguyen Tuong Van, 22, who is of Vietnamese origin, was caught four days ago while in transit at Changi Airport on his way to Australia. (Straits Times 16 Dec 2002)(H5)

  During a period when the motorcycle population had gone down from 131,869 motorcycles in 2001 to 131,092 motorcycles in October this year, 72 riders and nine in the pillion seat died in bike accidents. This was an increase against 2001's corresponding figures of 68 and eight. (Straits Times 16 Dec 2002) (H5) 

  The new Build-To-Order (BTO) programme in which flats are built only when there is demand for them replaces the five-year-old queueing system at the HDB. The HDB launched the new scheme yesterday with the sale of 1,466 four-room HDB units in Punggol 21 and Sengkang. No deposit is required under the new BTO system, but applicants who have cancelled a previous booking must pay up the registration deposit still owed before trying again. (Straits Times 16 Dec 2002) (H5)

  A Filipino maid has been jailed for six months for ill-treating a five-year-old boy under her care. Glory Aragon Ganiban, 28, pleaded guilty to slapping and pinching the boy at a flat in Clementi between July 1 and 12 this year. (Straits Times 10 Dec 2002) (H6)

  Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terroists had intended to deploy suicide bombers in their attacks on foreign embassies in Singapore, according to The Australian daily in Sydney yesterday. The plan was for the bombers to blow up powerful truck bombs in their attacks on the diplomatic missions but the plot was uncovered late last year before it could be carried out, The Australian said. (Straits Times 10 Dec 2002) (1)

  In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Finance said that all commercial and industrial properties will continue to receive a fixed rebate of S$4,000 for the first half of next year, after getting a S$8,000 fixed rebate last year. Tax still payable after the fixed rebate will also continue to get a 30-per-cent rebate. Businesses would save another S$280 million, on top of the S$880 million already saved since the rebate's introduction last July. (Straits Times 10 Dec 2002) (1) 

  LevelOne, a collection of 106 small retail space modelled after Japan's fashionable Shinjuku and Harajuku fashion districts, has opened in Far East Plaza. The S$8 million project, started by the building's landlord Far East Organisation (FEO), occupies some 45,000 sq ft ground-floor space vacated by department store Metro in June. (Straits Times 9 Dec 2002) (A15)

  ABN Amro Bank's newest branch, its first in the heartland, has opened on the second level atrium of HDB Hub in Toa Payoh. (Straits Times 9 Dec 2002) (H3)

  Singapore currently uses 1.4 billion litres of water a day and this amount is expected to increase by a third in 10 years. The Singapore Green Plan 2012 aims to meet at least a quarter of this demand through non-conventional sources, such as desalination, Newater and water-reclamation plants, by 2012. (Straits Times 9 Dec 2002) (3)

  The Education Ministry received 15,000 applications from would-be teachers between August 2001 and July this year, more than double the number it received in its previous recruitment cycle. Only 2,650 were chosen, 200 more than the previous year. With the addition, the teaching force is now 24,500 strong. (Straits Times 7 Dec 2002) (1)

  "The next Prime Minister would have been well-tested by 2007...and I would have discharged my duty to Singapore, said PM GOH Chok Tong in a speech released to the media yesterday. The next General Election in 2007 "is a watershed because it will pave the way for a complete changeover in the political leadership by 2012," he added. (Straits Times 3 Dec 2002) (1)

  A man was killed when he was hit by an MRT train near Marsiling station at about 11.40pm on Saturday night. Mr TAN Ngak Yam, 70, a Malaysian, was walking along the MRT tracks when he was hit by a northbound train about 500 m from the station. (Straits Times 2 Dec 2002) (H5)

  Twelve members were elected into the People's Action Party's (PAP) central executive committee (CEC) at the biennial party conference yesterday. They are: Mr GOH Chok Tong, Mr LEE Kuan Yew, Mr LEE Hsien Loong, Dr Tony TAN, Professor S. Jayakumar, Mr WONG Kan Seng, Mr LIM Boon Heng, Mr LIM Hng Kiang, Mr LIM Swee Say, Rear-Admiral (NS) TEO Chee Hean, Brigadier-General (NS) George YEO and Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. Two others, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr KHAW Boon Wan were co-opted into the cec. (Straits Times 2 Dec 2002) (6) 

  Five nightclub operators have banded together to form the Pub and Club Industry Panel (PCIP) to facilitate better communication between the industry and the authorities, such as the police and the Ministry of Manpower. Together, the five operators run close to 20 establishments. (Straits Times 29 Nov 2002)

  The Customs & Excise Department has pumped in S$8.8 million for the installation of new equipment to boost border security. The equipment includes two high-tech gamma-ray scanners which allow officers to "see" the contents of cargo containers without opening them physically. The scanners will be used at Tanjong Pagar Gate, where 90 per cent of cargo containers pass through, and Pasir Panjang Terminal Gate. (Straits Times 29 Nov 2002) (H2)

  A message spread via text messages on mobile phones asking people to avoid Holland Village because a bomb was found there is a hoax, police said yesterday. The police warned that those found guilty of transmitting false messages, under the Telecommunication Act, can be fined up to S$50,000 or jailed up to seven years, or both. (Straits Times 29 Nov 2002) (6) 

  A new S$257-million medical centre, the Novena Medical Centre, will be built directly over the Novena MRT station and across the road from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). It will be linked to TTSH by a tunnel and an air-conditioned overhead bridge that will be wide enough for trolley beds to be pushed across. The new medical centre, which will open in 2005, will have 136 medical suites occupying 13,000 sq m. It will be allowed to use all the hospital's facilities at market rates. (Straits Times 29 Nov 2002) (4)

  Six China-born pupils were among the 17 top 2002 PSLE scorers. They scored between 282 and 285, the highest score. One of them, Zou Long, was among the top three 2002 PSLE pupils.(Straits Times 29 Nov 2002) (1) 2002 PSLE results

  Singapore's New Electricity Market (NEM) comes online on 1 Jan 2003. NEM allows power generation companies to bid competitively on prices every half hour, compared with once-daily offers under the current Singapore Electricity Pool Administered by the Energy Market Company (EMC). Currently, only users of more than two megawatts of electricity - mainly the petrolchemical and electronics plants - can choose to buy electricity from any of the seven licensed retailers. The scheme may be extended to consumers as well as households at the end of 2003 or in early 2004. (Straits Times 28 Nov 2002) (A20) 

  Lecturers at the National University of Singapore's political science department registered the new Political Science Association of Singapore last month and want to open it to all with an interest in local politics. The association will be launched officially on 14 Dec 2002 at the first Singapore Forum on Politics, also organised by the department. The half-day conference will take place at the Kent Ridge Guild House. (Straits Times 28 Nov 2002) (H6)

  A physical education teacher is being investigated for allegedly molesting at least seven primary six school boys in the school as well as in outdoor camps. Some are alleged to have taken place at the teacher's home where he is believed to have taken the victims on the pretext of giving them extra lessons. The school's principal told The Straits Times that a police report had been lodged less than two weeks ago. He added that the teacher is still with the school. (Straits Times 28 Nov 2002) (H2) 

  The mystery woman whose body was found in an abandoned car at Orchard Towers was Madam LAN Ya Ming, a 30-year-old teacher from Fujian province. Madam LAN's husband, Mr LIN Jiasong, 32, was at the mortuary at Singapore General Hospital yesterday morning to claim her body. She was later cremated at Bright Hill crematorium. (Straits Times 28 Nov 2002) (3)

  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong yesterday turned history teacher to express his concern about the morale of young Singaporeans. He said that the Al-Qaeda attacks in the United States and plans for Singapore, the Bali bomb blasts, the economic slowdown and 4.8 per cent unemployment, were "a rude awakening for younger Singaporeans". "They grew up assuming that the stability and growth of the 1980s and early 1990s were the natural order of things. Therefore, when faced with the current adversity, some of them lose heart easily, believing Singapore's situation has never been worse". PM GOH said, "We have acquired the strength and skills to ride out the worst storms... We are not sitting idly by. We are remaking ourselves, to keep ahead of changes in our external environment." (Straits Times 28 Nov 2002) (1)

  A record 123,400 ducks were entered for the Singapore Million Dollar Duck Race held yesterday at the banks of the Singapore River. The event raised more than S$1.23 million for charity. Mr LEE Chen Cher's duck won him a cool S$10,000 when it was the first to cross the finishing line. (Straits Times 25 Nov 2002) (H2)

  From 25 Nov 2002, some roads in Holland Village will be closed to traffic at certain times. Parts of Lorong Mambong and Lorong Liput, which are frequented by Westerners, will be closed to motorists from 6.30pm to 4am. Also, 32 parking spaces in the area have been removed and replaced with single zig-zag lines. This means loading and unloading, or dropping off passengers, is allowed before the road closures, but no parking is allowed. Police said the moves were part of ongoing efforts to enhance security there. (Straits Times 25 Nov 2002) (4)

  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong yesterday said that while the Government could not afford to defer the GST hike completely, it could "probably do with less revenue for half a year". The second option is to raise the GST to 5 per cent at one go but soften the impact with more relief measures for the poor. A decision will be made in two weeks, he said. "The third-quarter results are no good, so there's an air of uncertainty, but I myself think that a double-dip recession is not quite likely," PM GOH said. (Straits Times 25 Nov 2002) (1)

  The total amount spent on advertisements here grew 5.3 per cent to S$1.2 billion in the first nine months of this year. Advertising expenditure (Adex) for the full year is expected to register single-digit growth, said Nielsen Media Research in a report released yesterday. It said newspapers accounted for some 41.7 per cent, or S$500 million, of total Adex in the first nine months. Total spending in television was S$490.4 million of which a third, or S$168.8 million, went to Channel 8, Nielsen said. Channel U surpassed Channel 5 as Singapore's second-most popular advertising destination on television by grabbing a quarter of total television Adex or S$126.1 million. (Straits Times 21 Nov 2002) (A18)

  The Manpower Ministry's wage report for 2001 revealed that profit-making companies were less generous with bonuses in 2001 than in 2000. About one in 10 did not pay a single cent in bonus though it was still making as much or even more money in 2001 compared to 2000. Among the profitable companies which saw their earnings dip, two in 10 failed to reward workers with a bonus. The companies which gave out bonuses mostly paid out less than a month's salary. The survey also found that the more profitable companies gave an average total wage increase of about 3.2 per cent. (Straits Times 21 Nov 2002) (H6)

  A 14-year-old boy was knocked down by a taxi on Tuesday in Jurong. CHEN Wei Liang, who celebrated his birthday the previous day, is in critical condition with brain injuries, said a spokesman for National University Hospital (NUH) where he is in intensive care. (Straits Times 21 Nov 2002) (H4)

  The Government has accepted the pay guidelines made by the National Wages Council (NWC), saying it "strongly agrees" that the lid on manpower costs needs to be kept for another six months to save jobs. (Straits Times 21 Nov 2002) (4)

  Ponggol Marina was placed under receivership yesterday by Hitachi Leasing. The marina, built at a cost of S$50 million, opened in mid-1996 and now has about 3,000 members. (Straits Times 19 Nov 2002) (A18)

  Chew's Agricultural Farm, a 20-ha farm in Lim Chu Kang, yesterday announced its hen eggs contain selenium, a mineral that can help prevent prostate, colon and breast cancer. The selenium-rich eggs will be on supermarket shelves in one to two weeks' time. Singaporeans scramble, boil or fry 100 million eggs a month, according to figures from the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore. Currently two-thirds of that number are imported from Malaysia. (Straits Times 19 Nov 2002) (H1) 

  The Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is exporting its brand of education by setting up schools in Jakarta, Shanghai and Bangkok. ACS teachers here have become advisors to a private school in Jakarta called Sekolah Tiara Bangsa which will eventually take on the ACS brand name. (Straits Times 19 Nov 2002) (3)

  Singapore's economy will grow by a slower 2 to 2.5 per cent this year and may even face its second recession in two years. The Ministry of Trade and Industry yesterday cut the full-year growth forecast from its previous 3 to 4 per cent. (Straits Times 19 Nov 2002) (1)

  Opposition MP CHIAM See Tong, 67, has closed his law firm to give full-time attention to his Potong Pasir ward. "The constituents deserve my full attention," he said yesterday at the launch of the Web site and new logo of his Singapore People's Party (SPP). The new Web site is at www.spp.org.sg. (Straits Times 18 Nov 2002) (H4)

  The Singapore Medical Association (SMA) has declared that it has no ethical problems with private companies paying doctors to draw blood from an infant's umbilical cord for storage in cord-blood banks. This removes all ethical hurdles for such cord-blood banks to operate here. There are two commercial cord-blood banks in operation here now: CordLife and StemCord. (Straits Times 18 Nov 2002) (H2)

  Singapore's largest motor insurer, NTUC Income, every month cancels 20 policies of clients who repeatedly make what it suspects are inflated or false repair claims. NTUC Income alone loses about S$12 million a year to fraudulent and inflated claims for the 220,000 vehicles that it insures. For the industry as a whole, with more than 900 accidents a day, the total is likely to be millions more. (Straits Times 18 Nov 2002) (4)

  A study involving 133 men and 326 women aged between 30 and 70 found that on average, Singaporean men and women below 40 have sex a dismal six times a month, compared to three times a week in most other countries. Singaporeans between the ages of 41 and 55 have sex about four times a month. Once they pass 55, sex happens about three times a month. National University of Singapore (NUS) professor Victor GOH said that the study found that stress was the single most damaging factor. Most confessed wanting more intercourse, but at the end of the day, were just too stressed to actually do it. (Straits Times 18 Nov 2002) (3)

  The first of a six-ship fleet of the Singapore navy's new class of stealth warships is expected to be delivered in 2005, and all of them will be fully operational by 2009, when they will replace the navy's six missile gunboats which have been in service for over 25 years. (Straits Times 15 Nov 2002) (H4)

  Magnetic farecards will no longer be sold or revalued from 16 Nov 2002, Transitlink said yesterday. So far, it has refunded 3.3 million out of more than 8.7 million farecards in circulation before the contactless smart-card system was launched in April 2002. There are about 3.2 million ez-link cards in circulation now. Farecards which are issued, revalued or replaced on or after 1 Aug 2000 are valid for refund for up to four years from the date of issue or last revaluation. (Straits Times 15 Nov 2002) (H4)

  Bizcorp Consultants' director-cum-shareholder Shawna LOY Li Sean and her right-hand man and human resources manager, Francis LOH Weng Liang, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to seven charges of conspiring to deceive people and were each sentenced to 3½ years jail. Bizcorp Consultants duped at least 27 people, lured by the promise of a steady job and a decent salary, into depositing money with it to secure a post with the firm. But they never got their jobs or deposits - totalling S$23,150 - back from the duo who ran the scam from June to October 2001. (Straits Times 15 Nov 2002) (H1)

  The Government will still go ahead with the new 5-per-cent GST rate from 1 Jan 2003 as scheduled, notwithstanding the weak economy, DPM LEE Hsien Loong said in Washington on Wednesday 13 Nov 2002 at a breakfast meeting with Singapore journalists. (Straits Times 15 Nov 2002) (1)

  Companies specialising in selling e-mail lists with hundreds of thousands of Singapore addresses have cropped up here recently, worsening the problem of spam, or unsolicited e-mail. These companies usually hawk their databases via e-mail. The three ISPs here, SingNet, Pacific Internet and StarHub Internet, said that they received complaints in the "thousands" every month. SingNet has 300,000 subscribers, Pacific Internet 200,000 and StarHub 400,000. Spamming in itself is not illegal in Singapore, unless it contains banned content like pornography or it chokes up computer systems or telecommunications networks, said spokesman HO Hwei Ling of the InfoComm Development Authority (IDA), the regulating agency here. (Straits Times 14 Nov 2002) (H3)

  Elderly sick people who need to stay at private nursing homes will pay less in 2003 as about S$3 million in subsidies will be set aside for private homes. Health Minister LIM Hng Kiang yesterday said, "As the VWOs are focused on providing care for those in the lower-income groups, the private sector can be the provider of step-down care to the more affluent." The subsidy programme is currently confined to nursing homes run by volunteer welfare organisations (VWOs) for the poor. Average occupancy at VWO homes is 92 per cent and at private homes 80 per cent. There are now 27 VWOs and 24 private homes with 4,800 beds and 1,600 beds respectively. (Straits Times 14 Nov 2002) (3)

  Singaporean director Jack NEO begins filming today for his new S$1.2 million Mandarin movie - Home Run - set in Singapore but to be shot entirely in Malaysia. The film, produced by MediaCorp Studio's film production arm - Raintree Pictures, is inspired by the critically acclaimed movie Children of Heaven by Iranian director Majid Majidi. (Straits Times 14 Nov 2002) (1)

  The new Consumer Credit Bureau will be launched on Friday 15 Nov 2002. It will pool the borrowing and repayment histories of bank customers with a view to giving lenders a better idea of the credit risk posed by borrowers. All nine retail banks have agreed to take part. According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), banks wrote off nearly S$90 million in credit-card bad debts in the first nine months of this year. This compares with less than S$80 million for the whole of 2001. (Straits Times 13 Nov 2002) (A20)

  Criminals appear to be targeting the elderly as there were 45 cheating cases involving senior citizens from January to September this year, up from 29 in the same period in 2001. During the same period, robbery cases increased by 16 per cent, from 61 to 71 cases. (Straits Times 13 Nov 2002) (H1)

  Singapore continues to be the world's fourth-most-competitive economy despite last year's recession, the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) said yesterday. WEF said that "Singapore's strengths are found especially in the macroeconomic area". (Straits Times 13 Nov 2002) (4)

  The boy who was dragged by an MRT train along the platform at Bishan MRT station on Thursday was not pushed by anyone. Moses TAN, 10, confirmed he was not pushed when police investigators interviewed him in the presence of his parents, the police said in a statement yesterday. The police also said that the Primary 4 pupil from Anglo Chinese (Junior) School was playing a game of catching while taking the train from Novena station to Toa Payoh station. They would run out of the train whenever it arrived at a station, chase one another and then run back in before the door closed. (Straits Times 13 Nov 2002) (4)

  Singaporean Audrey ONG Pei Ling, 23, arrested after she was extradited here from Australia, was yesterday charged in a district court with helping an alleged killer erase murder evidence. The secretary's boss, Briton Michael McCrae, is accused of killing his chauffeur, KHO Nai Guan, 46, and a woman, identified as Chinese national LAN Ya Ming, 30. ONG faces one charge of helping McCrae to clean up KHO's bloodstains on the floor of McCrae's flat in Pinewood Gardens condominium in Balmoral Park. (Straits Times 13 Nov 2002) (1) 

  Singapore's most expensive and complex road project to date - the 12km-long Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway which includes a 9km tunnel - will be completed by 2007. The new S$1.8 billion expressway will start from the East Coast Parkway (ECP), cross under the Geylang River and run through areas like Mountbatten Road, Geylang Road, Paya Lebar Road and Airport Road, before linking up with the Tampines Expressway (TPE). (Straits Times 12 Nov 2002) (H3)

  A slowing economy in the United States - the biggest market for Singapore's export- extensive industries - may see Singapore sliding into another recession, just months after the country emerged from its worst recession in four decades last year. "So our strategy is, yes, there may be a double dip. If there's a double dip, then we've got to do some necessary things. If there's no double dip, that is very good," said Trade and Industry Minister George YEO yesterday. (Straits Times 12 Nov 2002) (4) 

  Singapore Airlines (SIA) has just put its staff on notice for a possible airline-industry shake-up involving budget carriers. SIA's regional airline SilkAir could be turned into a discount carrier to compete with such "no-frills" airlines should they set up shop here. (Straits Times 12 Nov 2002) (1)

  Minister in the Prime Minister's Office LIM Boon Heng yesterday said that Singapore's executive condominium (EC) scheme should not be scrapped, but work could perhaps be slowed down in view of present market conditions. (Straits Times 11 Nov 2002) (3) 

  A new CD compilation of songs by four popular local bands of the 1960s - The Thunderbirds, The Cyclones, Naomi & The Boys and The Crescendoes - will go on sale for about S$22 in stores here on 13 Nov 2002. The compilation is a 4-CD box set called Treasures From The Past. (Straits Times 8 Nov 2002) (L4)

  The old Goods & Services Tax (GST) of 3 per cent will be charged until 7am on 1 Jan 2003 when the new 5-per-cent rate comes into effect. The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) said yesterday it was making this concession to businesses that operate after midnight. (Straits Times 8 Nov 2002) (H14)

  Between January 2001 and 13 Oct this year, 1,341 persons aged 16 and below were reported missing. All but 14 have now returned home. In 1999, 610 youngsters were reported missing. In 2000, there were 582. Most of them were between 13 and 16 years old and six out of 10 were girls. (Straits Times 8 Nov 2002) (H9) 

  At the close of the fortnightly bidding exercise, cars above 1,600 cc saw the biggest decrease in COE prices, from S$30,811 to S$27,667. Open category COEs fell from S$30,801 to S$27,999. COEs for cars below 1,600 cc cost S$29,113, down from S$30,758. COEs for commercial vehicles are now S$14,995, down from S$16,819. Motorcycle COEs are now S$10, down from S$22. (Straits Times 8 Nov 2002) (H3)

  NTUC Income policy-holders must take their damaged vehicles to Independent Damage Assessment Centres (Idac) with immediate effect. If they do not , they risk their policies being cancelled. NTUC Income currently insures 250,000 vehicles, or a third of the market. (Straits Times 8 Nov 2002) (3)

  A 10-year-old boy was taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital yesterday evening, after being dragged by an MRT train along the platform at Bishan MRT station. Moses TAN had a fractured right leg, a fractured right shoulder, bruises on his limbs and chest, and lacerations on his head after the incident. It is not known how the incident happened. (Straits Times 8 Nov 2002) (3)

  Singapore actress Irin GAN has passed a blood test for drink driving. The police are still investigating her case to see if she has committed any offence. The MediaWorks artiste was driving along the Ayer Rajah Expressway towards Jurong on 11 Oct 2002 when her car skidded and overturned near the exit to Lower Delta Road. (Straits Times 7 Nov 2002) (H12)

  The Singapore Management University (SMU) will set up its fourth school - the school of information systems management - which will take in between 50 and 100 students from August 2003 for its four-year Bachelor of Science degree. The new school will have about 10 staff members for a start but the number is expected to go up to about 70 by 2006. (Straits Times 7 Nov 2002) (H6)

  The 11-member Land Working Group panel has called for a review of the immensely popular Executive Condominium (EC) Housing scheme - an upmarket hybrid of the Housing Board flat but more affordable than private condos - saying "its continued relevance" has come into question given the falling prices of private residential properties. (Straits Times 7 Nov 2002) (H2)

  14 of the 18 hawkers from the demolished Taman Serasi Food Centre are relocating to the newly upgraded Serangoon Garden Market, which opens on 19 Nov 2002. (Straits Times 6 Nov 2002) (H10)

  18 students from Raffles Junior College (RJC) will embark on a three-week internship at five government ministries and five selected agencies on 18 Nov 2002. The ministries are Health, Transport, Information and the Arts, Foreign Affairs and Manpower. The Prime Minister's Office, Northeast Community Development Council, National Youth Council, Land Transport Authority and the Maritime Port Authority will also play host to these students. (Straits Times 6 Nov 2002) (H8)

  From Friday, 15 Nov 2002, visitors to Sentosa will pay only S$2 to enter the island. Visitors driving in will pay S$2 for individual entry and S$2 for parking. Golfers who drive to Sentosa need not pay the present S$10 for admission, just S$2 for parking. Taxis which presently pay a S$3 toll will be allowed in for free. The changes are in line with Sentosa's S$3-billion 10-year redevelopment plan to remake the island and attract eight million people each year by 2012.  Sentosa attracted 1.7 million people in the first half of this year. (Straits Times 6 Nov 2002) (H1)

  The man who repeatedly punched his former wife's lawyer in a family court judge's chamber on 1 Feb 2002 had his jail sentence increased from six years to 10 years by Chief Justice YONG Pung How in the Court of Appeals yesterday. Former acting-school owner Gilbert Louis, 51, has no further avenues of appeal. (Straits Times 6 Nov 2002) (6)

  Teenage girls outnumber boys in the use of ketamine, a synthetic drug. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) arrested 15 girls aged 15 - 19 in 2001, compared to 13 boys in that age group. At least three young ketamine users have committed suicide this year. In statistics released by the CNB yesterday, the number of first-time ketamine abusers arrested in the first half of this year was 52 per cent higher than the same period last year. The number held for Ecstasy dipped by 6 per cent. The number of people arrested for abusing methamphetamine in the first half of this year has tripled, compared to the same period last year. The number jumped from 83 to 255. (Straits Times 6 Nov 2002) (3)

  The army moved in to protect Jurong Island - home to petrochemical businesses - last week to allow the police force to focus their efforts elsewhere in Singapore. Soldiers were last deployed there in October 2001 for two months. (Straits Times 6 Nov 2002) (1)

  The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has received complaints from 28 prospective second-hand car buyers so far this year about dealers persuading them to sign sales agreements when they agree to buy second-hand cars advertised at bargain prices. These people subsequently lost their deposits when the deal fell through as the big bank loan which the dealers said they could get did not materialise. Case said such complaints had been increasing. It received five in 1999, six in 2000 and 37 last year. (Straits Times 5 Nov 2002) (3) 

  People who bought CashCards in 1998 or before that year should check the expiry dates of the cards as these cards are valid for five years only. Card owners can log on to nets.com.sg or call NETS at 65-6274 1322 to check when their cards expire. They will be able to get a full refund on the remaining balance, plus deposit, for up to two years after the card expires. From 2003, all new CashCards will have the date of issue printed on them to make it easier for users to keep track. (Straits Times 4 Nov 2002) (H3)

  All 31 Singaporean tourists, their tour leader and the bus driver, fled the tour bus they were in when it burst into flames in a tunnel near New Zealand's famous Milford Sound yesterday. The group, although shaken, is continuing with its itinerary. (Straits Times 4 Nov 2002) (1)

  Senior Minister LEE Kuan Yew yesterday said that Singapore has the resources and the plans to tide over this difficult period. He added that whether we succeed or fail depends on how fast we are able to restructure the economy and how quickly our workers accept the new situation. His message to workers was to retrain wherever possible, and take up jobs which may be less than ideal. Mr LEE was speaking at the Bukit Merah Centre's upgrading completion ceremony. (Straits Times 4 Nov 2002) (1)

  From 1 Nov 2002, foreign students enrolling in full-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses can now keep their passes for one year, instead of six months. If they maintain a good disciplinary record, they have to renew their passs only once after their first year, after which they can keep it for the rest of their course. There will also be no need for security deposits, which range from S$1,000 to S$5,000. Students from China can now submit their applications for a pass directly to Singapore Immigration and Registration (SIR) instead of doing it back home. (Straits Times 1 Nov 2002) (H8)

  A new media competition code to ensure that media groups here compete fairly will be released by the first half of 2003. The code will be enforced by a new statutory board called the Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore, which will merge the present Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), Films and Publications Department and the Singapore Film Commission. (Straits Times 1 Nov 2002) (H5)

  From January 2003, a person who wishes to sell his flat bought with bank loans and without a Central provident Fund (CPF) housing grant must have lived in it for at least one year, instead of the present 2½ years. This will also apply to those who had bought resale flats without housing grants, and who choose to refinance their mortgages with a bank loan. These owners will also be allowed to sublet their entire flats, if they have occupied the flats for 10 years or more. (Straits Times 1 Nov 2002) (H3)

  Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar yesterday quoted extensively from recent correspondence between the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore to show Singapore had been willing to make concessions in water talks, but that Malaysia was not prepared to compromise. He added that if the two sides could not agree, Singapore was prepared to have the matter referred to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. (Straits Times 1 Nov 2002) (6)

  Some tankers, container vessels and cruise ships are being escorted through the waters south of Singapore by navy patrol craft, to guard against terrorist attacks. The Singapore Straits is one of the world's busiest sea lanes, with about 140,000 vessels a year passing through. (Straits Times 1 Nov 2002) (1)

  About 84,300 people could not find a job last month, bringing the unemployment rate to 4.8 per cent, up from 4.1 per cent in June 2002. This is even higher than the 4.3 per cent experienced in the last Asian crisis in 1997. Employment in the months from July to September 2002 contracted by 15,000, hitting first-time job seekers, including this year's crop of graduates. According to the Manpower Ministry, 4,100 people, mainly in manufacturing, were retrenched in the third quarter, about the same number as the second quarter. (Straits Times 1 Nov 2002) (1)

  From 2003, Primary 6 pupils will be allowed to pick their secondary schools after their Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) results are out. Those sitting for the PSLE next year will get their results soon after the last day of the school year, typically in mid-November. They then have four working days, instead of five, to make their decision. Pupils can still list six choices of schools and will know where they will be posted to before Christmas. (Straits Times 31 Oct 2002) (H4)

  The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday announced that accredited maid agencies now have to renew their licence only once every three years, instead of annually. MOM and the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), which handles the CaseTrust accreditation scheme launched in May 2002, will also put the names of accredited agents on their Web sites. (Straits Times 31 Oct 2002) (H2)

  Warring Joo Chiat neighbours who went to court yesterday to bring a decade-long dispute to an end were told to go home and spend the next month cooling off. Madam CHEUNG Siew Ying's family, along with the occupants of six other free-hold terrace houses in Everitt Road, accuse the CHAN family of being a neighourhood nuisance. They say Mr CHAN Cheng Koon, 67, his wife, CHUA Gek Eng and daughter of 130B Everitt Road, harass and taunt them constantly. (Straits Times 31 Oct 2002) (H1)

  A new US$45 million (S$80 million) baggage screening system is being installed at Changi Airpot to detect explosives. The scanners use x-ray techniques, such as computer tomography, widely used in hospitals for diagnostics,  to scan bags. Changi Airport, which serves about 28 million international passengers and hosts 180,000 flights annually, was voted the safest airport in a poll by the International Air Transport Association in 2001. (Straits Times 31 Oct 2002) (1)

  13 aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will practise road landings along Lim Chu Kang Road on 7 & 11 Nov 2002. The stretch of road being used is located between Ama Keng Road and Old Lim Chu Kang Road. (Straits Times 28 Oct 2002) (H5)

  Visitors to the Underwater World on Sentosa will be invited to stay overnight at least once a month at the aquarium from January 2003. Visitors get to lie on the floor of the 83-m-long underwater tube-tunnel which winds around the whole aquarium. They have to bring their own sleeping bags, but camping beds will be provided on request. Underwater World draws more than 1.4 million visitors annually. (Straits Times 28 Oct 2002) (H3)

  Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has plans for a new short-stay ward to ease the congestion in its packed accident and emergency (A&E) department. Close to 400 patients turn up at its A&E every day. At other hospitals, numbers range from about 270 a day at the National University Hospital to 360 at Changi General Hospital. The new short-stay wards will have between 12 and 20 beds and take in patients admitted through A&E for stays of up to 23 hours. They would be treated and discharged within a day. (Straits Times 28 Oct 2002) (6) 

  Many private-sector economists have already cut their growth forecasts for Singapore and expect the Government to follow suit after Singapore's third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) shrank an estimated 10.3 per cent, quarter on quarter. Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong yesterday said, "I think if you look forward, it's a very uncertain outlook. I think it's very unlikely you'll have a strong recovery in America. There's no prospect of a strong pickup in Japan and the Europeans are also going down rather than going up in the business cycle...Our exports are not so strong, therefore our growth will be affected too" (Straits Times 28 Oct 2002) (1)

  Barricades went up on Monday at the back alley near popular Boat Quay pubs to block access to cars and delivery trucks at night following a meeting last Friday between the Boat Quay Business Association, the police and the Land Transport Authority.  The security measure at Boat Quay, a popular entertainment strip for Western tourists and expatriates, comes in the wake of the Oct 12 Bali bomb blasts. (Straits Times 25 Oct 2002) (H7) 

  Two 16-year-old students of Gan Eng Seng school were charged yesterday with setting fire to school property. LEE Kok Leong and TAN Peng Lai are accused of using a lighter to burn newspapers and a computer mouse, with the intention of damaging three classroom desks on which the mouse was placed. Police are currently investigating their cases. (Straits Times 25 Oct 2002) (H4)

  US Ambassador to Singapore Franklin Lavin yesterday said that Singapore is as safe now as it was before the Oct 12 attack in Bali, which killed nearly 200 people. Mr Lavin said America reviewed security risks following the attack and concluded there was no need for a travel warning on the republic. (Straits Times 25 Oct 2002) (3)

  National University of Singapore (NUS) plans to open its own secondary school specialising in mathematics and science in January 2004 or, at the latest January, 2005. It is an idea the lecturers, tired of students who expect to be spoonfed with notes, have been toying with for some years, said NUS provost and deputy president CHONG Chi Tat yesterday. NUS was given the green light by the Ministry of Education recently to set up such an experimental school. The university has not decided if the school's students will be given preference for admission but quite a number are expected to feed into NUS. (Straits Times 24 Oct 2002) (3)

  At least two hospitals have run out of the highly-subsidised C-class beds as patients opt for the cheapest beds because of the economic downturn. Two hospitals have also closed down their less popular B2-plus wards to convert them to B2- or C-class bed wards. (Straits Times 24 Oct 2002) (1)

  Anti-corruption officers prosecuted 62 bunker surveyors involved in underhand dealings in the shipping fuel-supply industry. The men took a total of S$160,000 in bribes from bunker suppliers to falsely certify that the correct quantity of fuel had been supplied to ships. Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) spokesman LEW Nam Mun said all 62 bunker surveyors pleaded guilty and were fined. They also paid penalties equivalent to the bribes they received. He confirmed that four companies - Navi Marine Services, Coastal Bunkering Services, Tyson Marine, and Grandeur Trading and Services - had also been implicated in the scandal. (Straits Times 23 Oct 2002) (H8) 

  Local actress Irin GAN, 31, a television artiste with MediaWorks' Channel U, was detained by the police on the suspicion of drink driving after being involved in a traffic accident about two weeks ago. She has since been released on police bail of S$5,000 pending the outcome of a blood test. (Straits Times 23 Oct 2002) (H8)

  FairPrice, Singapore's No. 1 supermarket chain, runs 36 Cheers outlets, a 24-hour convenience- store store concept it launched in 1999. It aims to have 100 outlets in the next few years and will farm out franchises for 80 per cent of them. The chain recently signed its first franchisee to run a Cheers outlet in Hougang Street 91. (Straits Times 23 Oct 2002) (4)

  The entire Bukit Panjang LRT service was shut down at 6.40am yesterday after a disruption caused by a dislodged train wheel, which led to the power system being crippled between Bukit Panjang and Senja stations. Resumption of service is likely this evening. (Straits Times 22 Oct 2002) (H7)

  Singaporeans can cash in their New Singapore Shares (NSS) from 1 Nov 2002. The Central Provident Fund (CPF) said yesterday it will be mailing out letters with application forms to those eligible. (Straits Times 22 Oct 2002) (H4)

  Former national bowler Jansen CHAN Wah Hin, 47, yesterday pleaded guilty to molesting a 13-year-old girl from a secondary school team he was coaching. CHAN had held the girl's hips and slipped his hands under her bowling skirts while she was in his shop at Cathay Bowl in SAFRA clubhouse in Yishun on 16 Jul 2002. (Straits Times 22 Oct 2002) (H4)

  The retiree who poisoned three people at a grassroots function had his nine-year jail term increased to 15 years by the Court of Appeal after an appeal by the prosecution, who had been pushing for a life sentence. (Straits Times 22 Oct 2002) (H1)

  Last year, there were 13,140 abortions to 41,775 births in Singapore, of which nearly 60 per cent were done on married women. Clinics which carry out abortions - which were made legal in 1970 when the Stop At Two policy was in force - have to make sure that pregnant women watch an abortion video. Last year, the birth rate fell to a historic low of 1.42 babies per woman. (Straits Times 22 Oct 2002) (3)

  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong yesterday announced that he had put Minister of State (Prime Minister's Office, Community Development and Sports) CHAN Soo Sen in charge of the new code on Religious Harmony which is expected to be finalised in "four to six months". The code is essentially a pledge affirming that groups will practise their respective religions bearing in mind Singapore's secular and multi-religious context. (Straits Times 21 Oct 2002) (1)

  An 18-year-old youth was yesterday sentenced to two months jail for having sex with an underaged girl. Muhammad Irwan Shah Chik Hassan had sex with the 13-year-old girl, his girlfriend, in February 2002 at his house. The girl had an abortion in July. (Straits Times 17 Oct 2002) (H4)

  There are now about 80,000 Singaporeans with heart failure. The number of people hospitalised for the condition here has doubled over the past 10 years. Last year, there were as many as 5,000. While most of the sufferers were above 65 years old, some were in their 20s and 30s. Symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling in the legs. Heart failure can be caused by a heart attack, high blood pressure, an enlarged heart, abnormal heart valves, diabetes and smoking. (Straits Times 17 Oct 2002) (H3)

  Imperial College is bestowing its highest honour - Fellow of the College - on Senior Minister LEE Kuan Yew. Mr LEE will be admitted formally to the Fellowship of Imperial College in a ceremony in London's Royal Albert Hall next Wednesday. (Straits Times 17 Oct 2002) (H2)

  The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CIAS) yesterday told the three men in the cockpit of the 747-400 which crashed and killed 83 people on 31 Oct 2000 that they had cleared the first phase of the re-licensing process. They need to undergo medical and psychological assessments as well as extensive flight re-training and flying tests before they can fly again. In a statement yesterday, CIAS said that the decision to go ahead with the medical and flying tests was based on the recommendations of a five-member panel, including two pilot licensing experts from the United Kingdom and France, who studied the crash investigation reports. (Straits Times 16 Oct 2002) (H4)

  Almost half of 485  National University of Singapore (NUS) students polled in a survey this year said it was getting very tough to find their dream job. One-third even felt their degrees would not be as useful in the new economy where the pace of change is swift and ruthless. More than half also said they would not rule out starting their own businesses, but felt the risk of failure was too high in Singapore. About two-thirds said they would be less picky and would be willing to settle for a less-than-ideal offer rather than go jobless. The students had taken part in a survey conducted by the NUS Students' Political Association online and at booths across the campus in February. (Straits Times 16 Oct 2002) (H1)

  The concessions that Singapore was willing to make to secure a new water deal are now off the table, as Malaysia has discarded the package approach used in negotiations since 1998. A Foreign Ministry spokesman yesterday said: "Malaysia has made all manner of public statements. And Malaysia has repeatedly kept changing its position on the water issue and other issues in the package." Singapore will deal with water and other issues individually and separately, on their stand-alone merits, no longer as a package, the spokesman said. (Straits Times 16 Oct 2002) (6)

  Under the new revised A-level curriculum coming into effect in 2006, students will study a minimum of seven subjects, two more than now, including a subject outside their area of specialisation. However, subjects will be "sized down", by as much as 20 per cent or 60 hours, to ensure that students do not spend more time in school. Knowledge and Inquiry - a new elective which develops the reasoning and analytical abilities of students at a higher level and require them to read widely from different disciplines - can be taken in lieu of General Paper (GP). This is the first time in 30 years that the A-level education system is being revamped. (Straits Times 16 Oct 2002) (1)

  Headhunters have been drafted in by local companies in industries as diverse as technology, telecommunciations and property development to find foreign non-executive directors to supplement the small pool of domestic names - and pave the way for overseas expansion. International executive search firms say they are casting their nets as far afield as Hongkong, Australia, and the United States for former chief executives and senior bankers to fill board positions at home. (Straits Times 15 Oct 2002) (A23)

  The SMRT yesterday started dispensing single-trip contactless smart cards - which replace the existing magnetic farecards - at its stations here. Those buying a single-trip ticket must now pay a S$1 deposit. To get it back, they have to return the used card to a ticketing machine within 30 days. According to SMRT, single-trip tickets account for about 74,000 out of the 1.1 million daily train trips made on weekdays and about 20,000 more on weekends, About 70 per cent of these journeys are done during off-peak hours. (Straits Times 15 Oct 2002) (H6)

  An Indonesian maid who jumped out of her employer's seventh-floor bedroom window and landed on her feet survived the fall. She then walked to a nearby bus-stop in Pasir Ris Drive 6 where she got a taxi-driver to call the police and ambulance service. A District Court heard yesterday that Ms Siti Nurkhasanah Muhidin, 20, had been locked inside the room for four days by her employer who had also hurt her physically. (Straits Times 15 Oct 2002) (H6) 

  Full-time NSman YEO Boon Shiong, 23, who is married, was sentenced to six years and nine months in jail after he pleaded guilty to two charges - of committing statutory rape and hurting a public servant. YEO had sex with a 13-year-old girl he had met on a telephone chatline in July 2002. The girl, who was afraid she might become pregnant, made a police report the next day to say she had been raped. (Straits Times 15 Oct 2002) (H5)

  Hazy skies are expected to continue over the next few days but the Pollutants and Standards Index (PSI) is not expected to rise to the unhealthy range of more than 100, as it did for 12 days in 1997. The National Environment Agency (NEA) said yesterday that the skies would continue to be hazy because of the prevailing south and south-easterly winds carrying smoke from forest fires in Indonesia towards Singapore. (Straits Times 15 Oct 2002) (H3)

  The flag of the Singapore Cricket Club outside its Padang premises flew at half-mast yesterday as the club mourned the deaths of those of its members killed in the Bali bomb blasts last Saturday. Three of the club's rugby players are among the dead. Five are missing. The Straits Times understands that team captain Chris Bradford and players Chris Redman, Chris Kays, Neil Bowler, Dave Kent, Tim Arnold and Peter Record are among the names that could be on the lists of those dead or missing. (Straits Times 15 Oct 2002) (H4) 

  A Malay businessman who has been pushing the Government to let Muslim girls wear the tudung in national schools has been appointed as the new secretary-general of the Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS). Mr Muhamad Ali Aman, 35, also holds the same position in the Singapore Democratic Alliance, an umbrella political group to which PKMS belongs. (Straits Times 14 Oct 2002) (H4)

  Seven members of a Singapore Cricket Club rugby team are unaccounted for in Bali, Indonesia, where a massive bomb blast killed 187 people and injured 300 others. Four of them are feared dead. The SCC team, comprising 17 players who are all expatriates working in Singapore, was in Bali for the Bali 10s, a regional 10-a-side annual tournament. The remaining 10 players have been accounted for and five of them were injured. (Straits Times 14 Oct 2002) (4)

  Last year, only 414 students from 88 secondary schools sat for the CLB O-level exams which are based on a simplified Chinese syllabus introduced to help students struggling with the language meet the requirement of passing their mother tongue exam to get into university or junior college. They make up only 2 per cent of the 25,000 students studying Chinese Language in secondary schools here. Only students who have obtained a C grade or worse in their Primary 6 Chinese Language paper are eligible to study CLB at Secondary 3. (Straits Times 10 Oct 2002) (H1)

  Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leaders CHEE Soon Juan and Gandhi Ambalam yesterday chose to go to jail rather than pay their fines after they were found guilty of breaking the law at the party's illegal Labour Day rally at the Istana. The two men will serve their sentences in Queenstown remand prison. (Straits Times 10 Oct 2002) (6)

  Bowler Remy ONG, 23, yesterday won his third gold medal in the Busan Asian Games when he took the Master's Title by beating Qatari Mubarak al-Muraikhi. Only swimmer NEO Chwee Kok, who won three gold medals and a team first in the relay at the inaugural Games in New Delhi, has won more medals. (Straits Times 10 Oct 2002) (1) 

  The Straits Times Consumer Confidence Index, compiled every three months, has slipped by a further eight points - from 187 in June 2002 to 179 in September. It has been on a downward slide since March. The index touched a high of 362 in December 1999. Its worst showing was in September 2001 at 86 points. 412 Singaporeans were polled last month on the economy, spending habits and the job market. 35 per cent of those polled feel that the economic situation in Singapore will worsen in the next three months, up from 28 per cent in June 2002. 56 per cent of those polled feel the job market will improve or remain the same in the next three months, up from 51 per cent in June. And 87 per cent are confident about keeping their jobs in the next three months, up from 81 per cent in June. (Straits Times 9 Oct 2002) (H3)

  Jazz pianist and vocalist Jeremy Monteirio, 42, has won this year's Cultural Medallion, Singapore's top honour in the arts. Five others received the Young Artist Award - for artists below the age of 35. They are artist TAY Bak Chiang, 29, choreographer/dancer Tammy LING Wong, 32, writer Daren SHIAU, 31, percussionist QUEK Ling Kiong, 35, and filmmaker Royston TAN, 25. (Straits Times 9 Oct 2002) (1)

  1,152 five-room and 608 executive flats in Jurong West will go on sale this week in the Housing and Development Board's latest walk-in selection exercise at an on-site sales office set up in an open space opposite Jurong Point. (Straits Times 8 Oct 2002) (H5)

  Local defence giant Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engg) retrenched 460 staff unexpectedly yesterday, as it restructured its land-systems division, ST Kinetics. (Straits Times 8 Oct 2002) (4)

  About 400,000 people or a third of the 1.2 million Singaporeans eligible for ElderShield have opted out of the national disability insurance scheme by the Sept 30 deadline. According to figures released by the Health Ministry yesterday, almost half (42 per cent) of those who opted out earned less than S$1,500 a month and they did so because they were worried about not being able to make premium payments over a long period. NTUC Income and Great Eastern Life Assurance are the two insurers in the scheme. (Straits Times 8 Oct 2002) (1)

  The Singapore National eye Centre (SNEC) has over 250,000 patients visiting it yearly and over 20,000 procedures being performed, which gives it 70 per cent of the public sector eye-care market. In addition to its 60 resident eye doctors, it has some 20 doctors from the private sector running at least one clinic lasting a few hours every week. The centre makes a profit of between S$1 million and S$4 million a year. (Straits Times 7 Oct 2002) (H2) 

  The Majullah Connection, a spin-off of discussions with an adhoc group set up to gather input from Singaporeans overseas for the Economic Review Committee (ERC), was launched in San Francisco yesterday by Senior Minister of State for Transport and Information, Communications and the Arts Mr KHAW Boon Wan. The private organisation aims at helping Singaporeans abroad and at home exploit global business and job opportunities. (Straits Times 7 Oct 2002) (H2)

  Bodybuilders Halim Haron and Simon CHUA struck gold in the bantamweight and welterweight titles respectively yesterday. Bowlers Remy ONG, LEE Yu-Wen and Sam GOH triumphed in the men's trios. It was bowler ONG's second gold in the Busan Asian Games. (Straits Times 7 Oct 2002) (3)

  A man was sentenced to 12 months' jail yesterday for secretly taping his 25-year-old Filipino maid changing her clothes by hiding a video camera in her room. TOO Tien Koh, 40, was also fined S$2,000 for possessing four video tapes of obscene films. (Straits Times 5 Oct 2002) (H8)

  Power prices will go up by an average 3.3. per cent from Monday because of the increase in the price of oil. Domestic users will be charged 16.51 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh) instead of 16.01 cents now. Power Supply said in a statement yesterday that the cost of electricity continued to go up as oil prices had increased by 54 per cent since the start of this year. (Straits Times 5 Oct 2002) (H2)

  Tourist arrivals here dropped for the fourth consecutive month in August to 671,154 visitors - down 3.3 per cent - over the same period last year, according to Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) latest monthly report. (Straits Times 5 Oct 2002) (H2)

  Comfort Group managing director GOH Chee Wee yesterday reversed his Sept 16 decision to bar Business Times (BT) journalist Christopher TAN from all events of his company. He also retracted his order to his staff "not to come into contact with him or answer any questions from him". Mr GOH said, "Let me stress that my instruction to staff is purely an administrative measure. It has never been the policy of Comfort Group to boycott any particular journalist in its dealings with the press." (Straits Times 5 Oct 2002) (4)

  A Straits Times survey of 674 parents with at least two children found that parents here spend 10 to 15 times the amount spent on school fees on tuition. Parents spend an average of S$134 a month on tuition for a primary-school child and S$165 a month for a secondary-school student. But most parents insist tuition is not a frill but an essential expense. The survey also found that the parents' annual expenditure on education, including extras such as tuition, assessment books and music lessons, ranged from S$1,561 for a pre-primary pupil to S$11,941 for a university student. When added up over 17 years - the time it takes to go from pre-primary to university - it totalled S$77,353. (Straits Times 5 Oct 2002) (3) 

  The Health Ministry will publicise costs of services and items in hospitals so that patients can judge which hospital, ward or service suits their pocket best. Hospital bills will now indicate the estimated total charges, including doctor's fees for a particular episode of care. The current practice of providing the average bill for a day will be refined to better reflect the different types of treatment and their complexity. Hospitals will also provide itemised charges so that patients know exactly what they are being charged for. (Straits Times 5 Oct 2002) (1)

  A six-member panel of experts brought together by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has recommended that women who are taking combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease should not continue with the medication. Those who are on HRT only to prevent osteoporosis might want to consider using the many non-HRT alternatives available, which can prevent and treat the disease. (Straits Times 4 Oct 2002) (H5)

  Car tycoon Peter KWEE, who owns motor distributor group Exklusiv, yesterday became the new owner of the Pinetree Town and Country Club with his winning bid of S$101 million. The 4,700 existing members have to pay a fee to rejoin the club. Pinetree membes lost S$87 million in deposits following the sale, as secured creditors OCBC Bank and Hong Leong Finance - which were owed S$110 million - ranked head of them in the pickings. (Straits Times 4 Oct 2002) (H2)

  EZ-Link card readers on board 180 buses island-wide crashed yesterday morning, causing delays of between 15 minutes and an hour for commuters on some services. Some 120 SBS Transit and 60 Trans Island Bus Services (Tibs) buses were affected when corrupted data was downloaded into the ez-link system. (Straits Times 4 Oct 2002) (4) 

  The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) yesterday offered company directors who have to pay tax for interest-free loans a 12-month interest-free instalment plan. Longer payment plans can be worked out for those facing financial difficulties. Iras also extended the deadline for voluntary disclosure from Oct 30 to Nov 30 so that businessmen will have more time to get the documents they need. It said that of the 250 directors who have declared such loans to Iras, 55 per cent had borrowed less than S$100,000. They have to pay a maximum of S$9,000 in tax and penalties. Another 30 per cent borrowed between S$100,000 and S$500,000, and will have to pay S$45,000 at most. (Straits Times 4 Oct 2002) (3)