Singapore Morning News For February 15

Singapore’s productivity push still a ‘work in progress’ despite 2017 growth spurt
Labour productivity growth in 2017 may have risen to its highest in seven years, but the consensus appears to be that Singapore’s goal to boost productivity remains a “work in progress”.
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore is replacing an abandoned parking lot with a stunning skyscraper containing thousands of plants — take a look inside
In an effort to raise employee productivity and happiness, a growing number of companies are incorporating greenery into their workplace designs.
— Business Insider

Singapore takes 9th spot in global intellectual property index
Singapore came in at 9th place on global intellectual property (IP) index, Create, released by the US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC).
— Open Gov Asia

Singapore-Indonesia ties in excellent state, says Vivian Balakrishnan
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Wednesday (Feb14) referred to these when he spoke about how the Indonesia-Singapore leaders’ retreats in recent years had helped enhance bilateral cooperation.
— The Straits Times (paywall)

Singapore’s Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map aims to grow value-add by S$4.5 billion by 2025
Innovation will continue to be a key area of focus as Singapore develops future capabilities built on emerging technologies such as autonomous systems, robotics, data analytics and artificial intelligence.
— Open Gov Asia

Singapore risks losing independence without strong military defence: Ng Eng Hen
Without a strong military defence, Singapore might lose its independence, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in his Total Defence Day message on Wednesday (Feb 14).
— Channel NewsAsia

KKR Pursues $700 Million Sale of Singapore’s MMI to Chinese Fund
KKR & Co. is in advanced talks to sell Singapore’s MMI Holdings Ltd. to a Chinese investor group, people with knowledge of the matter said, as it pursues an exit more than a decade after buying the hard-drive component maker.
— Bloomberg

Gap, Banana Republic stores to shut in Singapore
American clothing brands Gap and Banana Republic are shutting their outlets in Singapore, according to FJ Benjamin which manages the stores here.
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore takes lead in getting citizens active
Singapore was yesterday announced as one of three “Founding Cities”, along with London and Auckland, of a new global initiative designed to get millions of people active.
— The New Paper

Singapore banks still wary over oil and gas sector
Singaporean banks remain concerned over the oil and gas sector, the city-state’s key industry and their major borrowers, despite an earnings turnaround last year and optimistic economic outlook for 2018.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Singapore MINDEF launches Cyber NSF Scheme to bolster cyber defence capabilities
MINDEF is launching the Cyber NSF scheme to tap on cyber talents from the NSF pool. The scheme aims to develop committed and skilled Cyber NSFs to defend Singapore’s military networks.
— Open Gov Asia

Total Defence campaign to focus on strengthening social cohesion
Terrorism, fake news campaigns and cyber attacks all “exploit the fault lines in our increasingly diverse multi-ethnic, multi-religious society”, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said yesterday.
— The New Paper

Commentary: Singapore must do more to guard against ‘slavery of the poor’
Singapore must do more to ensure retirement adequacy for our vulnerable low-wage workers – and there are three ways to help achieve this, says NTUC’s Assistant Secretary-General Zainal Sapari.
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore’s Land Transport ITM outlines vision for a technology-enabled land transport system
Under the latest ITM, up to 8,000 new public transport jobs will be created by 2030. LTA will set aside S$25 million over 5 years for the Land Transport Innovation Fund for mobility-related research and technology trials.
— Open Gov Asia

Why India’s Singapore ban is an own goal of sorts
A national disaster has been averted, we are told. Liquidity was migrating from India’s equity markets to offshore centres such as Singapore, and nothing short of a coordinated ban by all Indian exchanges was needed to stem the tide. Whatever the underlying reasons for this extreme step, the move will deal a body blow to India’s equity markets. It’s an own goal of sorts.
— Livemint

Help future generations prosper and flourish: PM Lee in CNY message
As Singapore grapples with an ageing population, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday (Feb 15) urged Singaporeans to uphold “time-tested Asian values of thrift, self-reliance, and leaving something more for our children, instead of burdening them with their parents’ debts”.
— Today Online

Innovation call launched by NEA and SPRING Singapore for cleaning and waste management industry
The objective is to evaluate and test-bed suitable technologies that can improve the efficiency of both NEA and industry operations related to cleaning and waste management and support local SMEs and startups in developing competitive technologies for application in the Environmental Services sector.
— Open Gov Asia

Singapore second most expensive city to date on Valentine’s day
With Valentine’s day over, the Human Resources Online website said Singapore is among the second most expensive city for a ‘date’ in Asia.
— The Independent Singapore

Enhanced SMRT app provides real-time information on train arrivals and frequency
The updated version enables commuters to check train arrival time before they arrive at the station, get an indication of how long they will have to wait to board a train upon arrival through a train frequency indicator, or even check for bus service information for any bus stop in Singapore.
— Open Gov Asia

Feature photo Karen

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Singapore morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Singapore news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Singapore Morning News For February 15 added by Leakhena Khat on February 15, 2018
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Leakhena Khat

Leakhena is a junior journalist at AEC News Today who is also currently studying International Relations, which she finds adds perspective to her work reporting on the Asean Community.

“I love what I am doing so much as it gives me a lot of great experience and provides challenges to my mind.