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Family
 News
Education News
2007
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More reported cases of tricksters impersonating
government officers |
|
Confidence tricksters continue to use the
"Kidnap Hoax Scam" with 9 cases reported between 1 and 29 November 07
and 19 cases reported between 1 and 6 Dec 07... |
|
Another ruse used by the cheats is to
impersonate themselves as police officers or staff from the Supreme
Court... |
|
This method of cheating surfaced in
September 07 which prompted police to alert members of public. As of 6
December 07, a total of 224 reports were received. The culprits were
unsuccessful in 195 cases, but in 29 cases the victims were cheated of
more than S$275,500 cash... |
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More..... |
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Guidance Programme has helped 6,000 young offenders
since 1997 |
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In his Opening Address, Dr Vivian
Balakrishnan announced the increase of up to 25 per cent in funding for
the 17 social service agencies that are running the Guidance Programme
(GP) - a six-month programme for first-time young offenders to divert
them away from being charged in Court... |
|
Towards the end of the 6-month
programme, the social worker will assess the youth’s overall
progress and make an appropriate recommendation to the Police
Investigation Officer. |
|
Depending on the risks and needs of the
youth, the programme may be extended for up to
six months. The youth, if he completes the programme successfully,
may be let off with a stern Police warning in lieu of prosecution... |
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More..... |
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HDB releases public housing data for 3Qtr 2007 |
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HDB’s Resale Price Index (RPI) rose by 6.6%
in 3rd Quarter 2007 over the previous quarter, with price increases
across most flat types and towns. |
|
The median Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) amount
among all resale transactions conducted in 3rd Quarter 2007 was $17,000
(see Annex C). Cases requiring COV constituted 80% of all resale
transactions in this quarter, with 20% of resale transactions done at or
below valuation... |
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More..... |
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Measures to help HDB retailers |
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Most older HDB shops were built with
electrical loads lower than current norms. Over time, the electrical
load requirements in shops have increased with the proliferation of
air-conditioning, more lighting and other electrical appliances. |
|
Currently, the charges for electrical
upgrading for shop tenants and shop owners are $45 per amp and $85
per amp respectively. From 14 Nov 2007, electrical upgrading up to
1 phase 60 amp will be free for tenants while shop owners will pay
the revised charge of $45 per amp... |
|
The lower charges/free upgrading will
benefit about 1,200 owners and 1,300 tenants of HDB shops with an
existing electrical supply of less than 1 phase 60 amps... |
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More..... |
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Regulation of cyber gaming cafes in HDB estates |
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Computer gaming establishments are only
allowed to be set up at shopping, recreational or commercial centres.
This includes HDB Town Centres, which are part commercial and part
residential. |
|
In addition, licensees of computer gaming
centres are required not to admit persons below 16 years of age before
6.30 pm on a school day. |
|
Further, the licensee has to ensure that
students wearing school uniforms are not admitted into the establishment
at any time, and is not allowed to provide a change of clothes to
students... |
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More..... |
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Singapore population in 1990, 2000 and 2006 |
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Total Population by
Residential Status for 1990, 2000 and 2006 (Mid-Year Estimates)[1]
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Year
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1990
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2000
|
2006
|
|
Total Population
|
3,047,100
(100.0%)
|
4,027,900
(100.0%)
|
4,483,900
(100.0%)
|
|
Singapore Citizens
|
2,623,700 (86.1%)
|
2,985,900 (74.1%)
|
3,145,800 (70.2%)
|
|
Permanent Residents
|
112,100 (3.7%)
|
287,500 (7.1%)
|
462,700 (10.3%)
|
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Non-Residents[2]
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311,300 (10.2%)
|
754,500 (18.7%)
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875,500 (19.5%)
|
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More..... |
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The Penal Code (Amendment) Bill passed |
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The new section 376C (Commercial sex
with minor under 18 outside Singapore) will have extra-territorial
effect so that it would be an offence for Singapore citizens and
Permanent Residents to solicit or engage in commercial sex with
minors under 18 in other countries...
|
|
Feedback received highlighted concerns over
female sexual abuse of male minors. On further consideration, we accept
that these younger male children could be exploited by older women.
Consequently, we have decided to make it an offence for a woman to
engage in penile penetrative sexual acts with a male minor under 16 and
to have commercial sex with a male minor under 18... |
|
Whilst prostitution per se is not an
offence, new section 376B (Commercial sex with minor under 18)
will make it an offence for a person to solicit, communicate or
obtain sexual services from a minor under 18 years of age... |
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More..... |
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Tricksters impersonating Supreme Court staff and
police officers |
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Police would like to alert the public of a
phone scam where callers impersonate themselves as police officers or
staff from the Supreme Court... |
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Over the past 3 weeks, Police have received
35 reports by victims who have received such calls, of which a victim
have parted with about S$10,000... |
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More..... |
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MOM revokes licences of three employment agencies |
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The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has revoked
the licences and forfeited the security deposits of three employment
agencies (EA) - Ms Bushra Employment Agency, CM Manpower Centre Pte Ltd
and Angel Maids Agency. |
|
These EAs have breached the Employment
Agencies Act by illegally deploying foreign domestic workers (FDWs)
to perform work at households when they have not obtained valid
work passes1... |
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More..... |
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Medisave lucky draws for self-employed and informal
workers |
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The Government is introducing the Medisave
Contribution Draw (MCD) to encourage low-income self-employed persons (SEPs)
and informal workers to contribute to their Medisave accounts... |
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The MCD will consist of four quarterly draws
for each year of work done... |
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The MCD will run for three years and will be
reviewed thereafter... |
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More..... |
|
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HDB introduces family season parking ticket from 1 Oct
2007 |
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The Family SPT is for HDB residents who
require SPT to two different car parks because of family arrangements... |
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For such residents, who have already bought
a regular SPT to park at their own residential car park, there is a need
for a second SPT to park at another car park for visiting their parents,
children, grandparents, siblings or their in-laws. |
|
The Family SPT will be sold at 50% of the
regular SPT price applicable to the car park where the Family SPT is to
be purchased. |
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More..... |
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Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes
(Confiscation of Benefits) Act passed |
|
Clause 11
of the Bill makes it mandatory for anyone physically
carrying currency and bearer negotiable instruments or
CBNI, above S$30,000, into or out of Singapore, to
declare this to the authorities at the checkpoints... |
|
The threshold amount of
S$30,000 is based on the recommendation by the FATF,
and includes not only currency in circulation, but
also bearer negotiable instruments such as travellers
cheques, money orders, cheques, bonds and promissory
notes... |
|
Hence, for clarity, a crossed cheque
made payable to a specific person with the word “bearer” deleted
is not considered a bearer negotiable instrument because only the
person named on the cheque can receive the amount stated on it. |
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The new measure would be
non-discriminatory and will be imposed on all travellers,
including citizens, residents and foreigners, entering and exiting
the country. |
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The penalties for non-declaration and false
declaration are a maximum fine of S$50,000 or a term of imprisonment of
up to 3 years or both... |
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More..... |
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Foreign domestic worker levy concession for disabled
persons |
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Employers may now apply for the FDW Levy
Concession (Persons with disability) from 15 September 2007. |
|
The FDW Levy Concession (Persons with
disability) will help families of persons with disability reduce costs
of caregiving where a full-time caregiver is needed... |
|
Employers applying for the levy concession
will need to obtain a medical assessment on the functional ability of
the person with disability in performing his/her activities of daily
living... |
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More..... |
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Employer-financed insurance for medical expenses of
foreign workers |
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The Ministry of Manpower will require
employers to purchase and maintain insurance for the medical expenses of
foreign workers from 1 January 2008. |
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This requirement is being implemented in
tandem with the withdrawal of healthcare subsidies for foreigners1,
which was previously announced by the Ministry of Health. The
requirement will apply to: |
- All new and existing foreign workers
on Work Permit or S Pass from 1 January 2008.
- All new foreign domestic workers, and
existing foreign domestic workers when employers renew their Work
Permits, from 1 January 2008.
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More..... |
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1 to 2 cents increase in bus fares and no increase in
rail fares |
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The PTC approved a 1 to 2 cent increase in
adult EZ-Link fares for buses. Senior citizen concessionary EZ-Link bus
fares, which are flat fares pegged to the lowest adult EZ-Link fare band
will also increase by 2 cents... |
|
There will be no increase to all rail
fares, some EZLink adult bus fares, as well as cash fares for
buses, child/student fares and the prices of monthly student/NS
men concession passes... |
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More..... |
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No plans to change minimum annual income requirement
for credit cards |
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"First, let me clarify that the minimum
annual income requirement to qualify for a credit card has not been
relaxed, and remains at $30,000. |
|
"There are no plans to change this. When Mr
Palmer mentioned the relaxation in the minimum annual income for credit
cards, I presume he was referring directly to payment instruments with a
maximum credit limit of $500. |
|
"MAS has exempted payment instruments with a
credit limit of less than $500 from MAS' rules to provide some leeway to
the market to innovate and develop convenient payment instruments..." |
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More..... |
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Singapore CPI for households in different income
groups in 1st half 2007 |
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"The difference in the inflation rates
between the lowest 20% and the higher income groups also narrowed. |
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"This was due primarily to lower electricity
tariffs and domestic refuse removal fees which have relatively larger
weights for the low income group. |
|
"The main items contributing to the price
increases during the first six months of 2007 for all income groups were
taxi fares, cooked food, holiday travel, accommodation, school & tuition
fees as well as hospitalization fees..." |
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More..... |
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Beware of kidnap scam calls |
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"Police want to alert the public about a
cheating ruse employed to induce people to part with money by alleging
their next-of-kin had been kidnapped... |
|
"The allegations were untrue and no one had
been kidnapped. Unfortunately, one person was cheated of nearly $50,000
before realising it was a ruse... |
|
"Another five kidnap scam calls were
reported today, bringing the total number of cases to over ten reported
since last Saturday..." |
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More..... |
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HDB releases public housing data |
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"30% of all resale cases in 2nd Quarter
2007 were transacted at or below valuation, with an overall median
Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) of about $7,000... |
|
"The number of resale transactions
increased by 38% from 6,300 cases in 1st Quarter 2007 to 8,700
cases in 2nd Quarter 2007 (see Annex D). |
|
"This is indicative of a more active
HDB resale market, and the availability of more resale flats to
meet the location and flat type preferences of flat buyers..." |
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More..... |
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Changes to childcare subsidies for PRs |
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"From 1 January 2008, PR children aged 2
months to below 7 years will only be eligible for half the current
amount of centre-based child care subsidy. |
|
"From January 2009, such children will not
be eligible for the subsidy..." |
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More..... |
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Police bust unlicensed moneylending syndicate |
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"Seventeen Chinese men aged between 17 to 38
years old believed to be members of an unlicensed moneylending (UML)
syndicate were arrested in an island-wide operation conducted on 12
April 07. More than $130,000 in cash was seized... |
|
"Fifteen premises in Woodlands, Sengkang, Ang
Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Hougang, Yishun, Sembawang, Serangoon and Changi were
raided during the operation, which lasted from 8pm on 12 April 07 to 1am
on 13 April 07..." |
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More..... |
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HDB further relaxes policy on subletting of whole flats |
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"With immediate effect, HDB will be
relaxing its policy on the subletting of whole flats through a
further reduction of the MOP and delinking it from the lessees’
HDB loan status. The revised MOP is: |
"5 years for owners of
subsidised flats, i.e. flats
purchased directly from HDB or from the open market with a CPF
Housing Grant; and
3 years for owners of non-subsidised flats, i.e.
flats purchased from the open market without a CPF Housing
Grant..." |
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More..... |
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A Statistical Profile of Older Workers |
|
"Older persons aged 50 &
over made up close to one-quarter (24%) of the
resident workforce in 2006. |
|
"Reflecting their
relatively less educated profile, the majority (68%)
of older workers were employed in lower-skilled jobs
such as cleaners, labourers & related workers (18%),
plant & machine operators & assemblers (16%) and
service & sales workers (15%). |
|
"These occupations also
registered an above-average incidence of older workers
especially for cleaners, labourers & related workers
where more than half (53%) were aged 50 & over...." |
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More..... |
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Prime Minister's Chinese New Year Message 2007 |
|
"At Meet-the-People sessions, old
residents often come to ask for a rental flat. They are living
with adult children, but want to move out because they cannot
get along with their children, or their sons- or
daughters-in-law. |
|
"I have seen many such cases myself. I
find them very sad. As their MP, I try to help them, but it
would really be much better if the family stayed together..." |
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More..... |
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Budget
Statement 2007 |
|
"I will give lower-income Singaporeans
larger GST Credits. |
|
"Those who live in one- to three-room
flats[4] and have annual assessable incomes of $24,000
or less will qualify for the largest quantum of $1,000, to be paid
out in instalments of $250 per year over four years... |
|
"Next, if you live in a larger home
with an AV of more than $10,000, but you earn less than $100,000 a
year, you will get $400 in GST Credits. |
|
"The top income group comprising those
earning over $100,000 a year will get $100. It is a small gesture,
but recognises that the GST increase affects everyone. |
|
"NSmen and NSFs, including those aged
below 21, will also get an additional $100 of GST Credits, to
recognise their contributions to national security... |
|
"The first instalment will be paid out
on 1 July this year, at the same time as the GST increase..." |
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More..... |
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Key
Household Income Trends 2006 |
|
"Among employed households (i.e.
households with at least one working person), average monthly
household income from work1 grew by 4.3 per cent in
2006 to reach $6,260. |
|
"After adjusting for inflation,
employed households enjoyed real income growth of 3.2 per cent in
2006..." |
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More..... |
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Turning Singapore into a city of gardens and waters |
|
 |
|
"Imagine looking out of your HDB
apartment window and instead of seeing a huge concrete canal, you
set your eyes on a sparkling river with landscaped banks, with
kayakers paddling in the stream, with lively play areas for
children, and with boardwalks and bridges for families to enjoy
outings together. |
|
"This is not a far-fetched scenario.
Singapore has an extensive water network that spans 14 reservoirs,
32 major rivers and more than 7,000 km of other waterways
including canals and drains. Few cities in the world have such a
pervasive and well-integrated network of waterways..." |
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More..... |
|
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10,221 reported cases of loan shark harassment
activities in 2006 |
|
"In 2006, 294 persons were arrested for UML
offences and related harassment activities. This is an increase of 11%
as compared to 2005. |
|
"In 2006, Police also dealt with 39
UML syndicate members under the CL(TP) Act, which is an increase
of 63% compared to 24 in 20053. In addition, Police
smashed 8 syndicates last year4 ..." |
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More..... |
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2006
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Central and northeast Singapore experience tremors
|
Revision of hospital subsidy for foreigners |
|
"From October 2007, PRs will
continue to be subsidised for hospital services, but at 5
percentage-points less than Singapore citizens. |
|
"From October 2008, another 5
percentage-point reduction will be applied. This way, Singapore
citizens will enjoy greater subsidy than PRs, by a total of 10
percentage- points. |
|
"As for the other foreigners, there
will be no more healthcare subsidy from October 2007. ..." |
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More..... |
|
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Genting International and Star Cruises wins Sentosa IR bid
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Rates for HDB rental flats to be pegged to household income |
|
"Starting from 1 Mar 07, HDB will align the
rental for its flats to the household income of the tenants. |
|
"Tenants whose monthly income is $800 and
below will continue to pay the 1st-tier rent. Similarly, tenants who
rented their flats after 1 Oct 2003 and whose monthly income is between
$801 and $1500 will continue to pay the current 2nd-tier rent. |
|
"However, tenants whose income has since
risen above these levels will be required to pay higher rent
based on their new income levels..." |
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More..... |
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Survey shows Singaporeans upbeat about the near future |
|
“Back home, Singaporeans registered an
increased level of optimism in this latest survey compared to the
previous period and a year ago. The Singapore Consumer Confidence Index
climbed 7 points to reach a high of 110—surpassing the regional average
of 94,” observed Mr Ashok Charan, Managing Director of ACNielsen
Research Singapore..." |
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More..... |
|
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SCV fined for showing footage of lesbian sex on Zone Reality Channel
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Record 15,000 household products registered with SAFETY mark
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AVA to implement grading scheme for pet shops
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Bus and train fares to increase by between 1 and 3 cents
Singapore needs 60,000 babies yearly but gets 35,500 only |
|
 |
|
"Our own population is ageing - current
projections show that one-in-five Singaporeans will be over the
age of 65 by 2030... |
|
"It has been two
years since we introduced the parenthood package. |
|
"Overall, we have
seen some positive results - there were about 240 more births
from January to June 2006 compared to the same period in 2005,
and about 400 more births in 2005 compared to 2004. This is a
positive reversal which comes after four consecutive years of
decline..." |
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More..... |
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New Singapore biometric passports from 15 Aug 2006 |
|
"To facilitate a smooth transition to the BioPass system, ICA will
have to close some of its passport application services counters
from 9 Aug 2006... |
|
"This will allow ICA to install and test the BioPass
systems before its actual launch. As such, only limited
passport application avenues will be available from 10 to 14
August 2006..." |
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More..... |
|
Foreign domestic maids get one-day off in new
standard contract |
|
"This contract is designed to help
smoothen employer/employee relationships from the onset, by
minimising any ambiguities on the employment terms. |
|
"For example, the contract will
include the stipulation of the minimum of one
day-off entitlement for the Foreign Domestic Workers
(FDWs).
However, if the day-off is not taken, the employer will have to
compensate the FDW in cash..." |
|
More..... |
|
Community Issues: Improving the teaching of English Language in
Singapore schools |
|
"It has
been suggested that native speakers of English be
hired. Proceed with care: Natives have come and gone
in the past. Just now, there are hardly any in the
schools. |
| "What has been MOE's
experience? Clear speech is fundamental when
communicating with Singaporean students. |
| "Few native speakers
are BBC-perfect in diction, understood in any
cultural context. There are British teachers (more
so Scots, Irish and Welsh) whose speech would not be
intelligible to Singaporean ears..." |
|
More..... |
|
Easier for returning Singaporean children to re-enter local
schools |
|
First, at the primary school
level, MOE will do away with the need for placement tests for
returning Singaporean children seeking placement... |
|
Instead MOE will identify a primary
school nearest to their home with vacancies and offer a place
to the child. We will implement this by the middle of this
year. |
|
Second, at the secondary school level,
MOE will also do away with the need for returning Singaporean
children to sit for multiple school-based tests. |
|
Instead, MOE will develop a Centralised
Placement Test (CPT) to provide a common yardstick... |
|
More..... |
|
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Survey shows more Singaporeans active in sports
|
Survey on Infocomm Usage in households & by individuals 2005 |
|
The
proportion of households with access to a computer at home was 74%. This proportion has remained unchanged since 2003. |
|
The proportion of households with two or more computers was
28%. |
|
Nine in ten households
in private housing had access to a computer at home; compared
to seven in ten households in public housing. |
|
About
two-thirds of the Singapore’s resident population aged 15
years and above were computer users. |
|
More..... |
|
More financial help for students from lower-income
families |
|
First, the income ceiling will be raised so as to
allow the lowest 20% of households to qualify. |
|
The income limits under the FAS
for Government and Government-Aided Schools will be increased from the current
$900 (Gross Monthly Household Income) to $1,500 for families with 1 or 2
children; and from $1,050 to $1,800 for families with 3 or more children. |
| Second, the benefits
granted to FAS recipients
will also be expanded. They will receive a full waiver of the standard
miscellaneous fees, compared to the 50% waiver under the current FAS. FAS
recipients will also get a 75% subsidy on national examination fees. |
|
More..... |
|
|
Is Class B2/C Hospitalisation Affordable? |
|
"As a result of direct Government subsidies,
the average Class B2/C bills are relatively modest. In 2004,
the average bill size for Class B2 and C wards were around
$1,050 and $800 respectively... |
|
"As at end-December 2004, the average
Medisave balance for all active accounts was $17,321. This is enough
to cover more than 20 times the average Class C hospital bill or 10
times the 90th percentile Class C bill..." |
|
More..... |
|
Proposed Workfare Bonus Scheme to help low-wage workers |
|
"The scheme primarily targets those within
the lowest 20% of income earners who earn $1,200 per month or less... |
|
"The Committee recommends that those in
the lowest 10% should be given more help. If surpluses allow, we
recommend for this group earning $900 or less a month, a Workfare
bonus capped at the equivalent of one month’s salary. |
|
"Correspondingly, those earning more than
$900 to $1200 (lowest 20% of income earners) per month could receive
a bonus capped at half a month’s salary..." |
|
More..... |
|
|
"Tailor-maid for the elderly" The Straits Times 11 Jan
2006 (4) |
|
"...According to the Ministry of Manpower, there are
150,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore. But it
was unable to say how many were hired specifically to
look after the elderly. |
|
"Maid
agencies interviewed estimate that 30 per cent of the
150,000 figure - or 45,000 - are engaged for that
purpose, with employers generally preferring
Indonesians..." |
|
|
Defence Minister comments on death of Special
Operations Force soldier |
|
 |
|
I am very grateful that there are people
like 2SG Ong, men like that in the unit, who come forward to take on
this demanding task. |
|
They know that at any moment, they may be
called, and their lives are on the line. So they take training very
seriously and they look after each other very seriously. If there are
any shortcomings, if there are any persons who have failed to perform
their duty properly, then of course, we will rectify this shortcoming.
And the persons who have not performed their duties properly, they will
have to be called to task. |
|
More..... |
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|
