Singapore morning news for February 12

Singapore morning news for February 12
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Singapore morning news

Get ready for pricier private hospital Shield plans and riders
IF you are Singaporean or a resident with a CPF account, you will surely have hospitalisation insurance in the form of MediShield Life, and most likely also a private Integrated Shield plan (IP).
— The Business Times

Singapore’s aged in line for pre-election budget bonus
Singapore’s elderly are primed to benefit from a generous budget unveiled next week, analysts say, as the government prioritizes the needs of a fast-ageing population ahead of an election expected as soon as this year.
— Reuters

Singapore: data leaks in a “Smart Nation”
Medical advances have turned HIV into a manageable condition, allowing people living with HIV (PLHIV) to live as long and healthy as anyone else.
— Lowy Institute

Singapore and New Zealand mutually extend automated immigration clearance facilities from Feb 12
Singapore and New Zealand nationals will be able to utilise automated immigration clearance facilities when travelling to each other’s country from Tuesday (Feb 12).
— The Strait Times (annoying popup)

SkillsFuture looks for new ways to measure outcomes of training
EFFORTS to measure the outcomes of training courses are being ramped up, in a bid to increase transparency and to enable more informed decisions to be made, said SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) chief executive Ng Cher Pong on Monday.
— The Business Times

Parliament: Standards may be set for parcel, registered mail delivery
The delivery of parcels and registered mail may soon have to meet regulatory standards, following recent complaints and a $100,000 fine handed to Singapore Post for service standard failures that covered only basic local letters.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore relaxes immigration clearance process for frequent Kiwi visitors
Singapore is making it easier for New Zealand passport holders to sign up for its Frequent Traveller Programme (FTP), which allows passengers to be fast-tracked through immigration at airports.
— Stuff

More skills training aid on the way for SMEs
MORE help is on the way to encourage firms to send workers for training, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon during a visit to Singapore medtech manufacturing firm Racer Technology on Monday morning.
— The Business Times

Wall Street wavers as investors eye trade talks, growth fears
Wall Street see-sawed on Monday (Feb 11), rarely straying far from opening levels as investors eyed ongoing US-China trade talks, potential congressional gridlock and a diminished 2019 earnings outlook.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore defends conscription after string of deaths
Singapore on Monday defended the city-state’s system of conscription after the recent deaths of four servicemen, including a popular young actor, sparked widespread criticism.
— The Sun Daily

SIA Engineering hit by target price cuts after 3Q’s negative surprise
Maybank Kim Eng is maintaining its “buy” call on SIA Engineering (SIA EC) with a lower price target of $2.85 compared to $3 previously after the group reported a 40% y-o-y decline in 3Q19 earnings due to one-off items.
— The Edge Singapore

ST Singaporean of the Year winner to be announced tomorrow
The award honours citizens who have put the country on the world map, persevered through incredible adversity or made the community a better place through selfless acts.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

About 3,500 rental tenants bought first home with housing grant help since 2013: HDB
With the help of various housing grants, about 3,500 rental tenants have bought their first home in the Build-to-Order or Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises since 2013, said the Housing and Development Board (HDB) on Sunday (Feb 10).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Retiree protests against local bank at Raffles Place after his wife invested $250,000 of his money only to be left with $11,200
A middle-aged retiree was recently spotted protesting at Raffles Place against a local bank for leaving him with less than $11,200 after his wife invested $250,000 of his savings through the bank.
— The Independent

ERP rates for 3 gantries to be removed during morning peak hour
Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges will be removed at two gantries along the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) as well as another gantry at Upper Bukit Timah Road, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Monday (Feb 11).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Singapore’s aged in line for pre-election budget bonus
Singapore’s elderly are primed to benefit from a generous budget unveiled next week, analysts say, as the government prioritises the needs of a fast-ageing population ahead of an election expected as soon as this year.
— The Edge Singapore

Budget 2019 to be delivered at 3.30pm next Monday
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will deliver Singapore’s 2019 Budget Statement in Parliament next Monday (Feb 18) at 3.30pm, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Long-service award for 19 pairs of foreign domestic workers and employers
When Ms Maria Aida Procall Somejo left her hometown in the Philippines in 1990 to become a foreign domestic worker in Singapore, she did not expect to end up with four daughters and spend almost half her life with another family.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

Vividthree reports 16% fall in 3Q earnings to $1.2 mil on higher admin expenses
Vividthree Holdings, the virtual reality (VR), visual effects and computer-generated imagery production studio, reported earnings decreased 16.1% to $1.2 million in 3Q19 ended Dec from $1.4 million in 3Q18.
— The Edge Singapore

Faulty latch led to open letterboxes in Bedok, SingPost to work with town council on upkeep of letterboxes
Several letterboxes were left open at Block 621 Bedok Reservoir Road for several hours on Feb 8 due to a faulty latch.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

Vicom posts FY18 profit rise, announces special dividend
VEHICLE inspection firm Vicom Ltd on Monday posted a 30.9 per cent rise in net profit to S$34.7 million for its full year ended Dec 31, 2018, while revenue inched up 3.1 per cent to S$100.1 million on higher business volumes.
— The Business Times

SIAS queries Hyflux on operations, valuation and accountability matters in open letter
he Securities Investors Association Singapore (SIAS) has sent Hyflux an open letter, containing some 23 questions concerning the group’s operations, valuation and accountability, which the association said had not been addressed by the water treatment company which is currently undergoing debt restructuring.
— The Edge Singapore

Bill to enforce plain packaging for tobacco products passed in Parliament
New restrictions on cigarette packaging will be introduced in Singapore, after amendments to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Bill were passed in Parliament on Monday (Feb 11).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Changes to Singapore Penal Code include repeal of marital immunity for rape and decriminalisation of attempted suicide
The Criminal Law Reform Bill was introduced in Parliament for First Reading today.
— The Independent

MRT network hits new reliability standard
The MRT network hit a new high in a measure of reliability last year, with trains clocking an average of 690,000km between delays – 3.8 times better than the year before.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

CapitaLand introduces eCapitaVoucher on CapitaStar app
CapitaLand is taking its shopping voucher, CapitaVoucher, digital. The eVouchers that are accepted in over 2,000 stores across 16 participating malls can now be purchased, stored and redeemed via the CapitaStar app.
— The Edge Singapore

About 20,000 Singaporean households avail housing grants since 2015
Since August 2015, the Housing Board recently reported that over 20,000 households have been the recipients of the government’s Proximity Housing Grant (PHG).
— The Independent

Upward trend in reports on child, elder abuse due to increased awareness: MSF
There has been an upward trend in the child and elder abuse cases in the past five years, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said in Parliament on Monday (Feb 11).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

F&N posts 48% jump in 1Q earnings to $37.9 mil on lower costs, share of associate Vinamilk
Fraser and Neave (F&N) saw its earnings rise 47.5% to $37.9 million for the 1Q19 ended December, from $25.7 million a year ago.
— The Edge Singapore

Hiring international academics serves to reinforce conservatism in Singapore, says scholar
The hiring of international academics at universities in Singapore could reinforce the country’s lack of academic freedom and “make the academy more conservative, said a scholar to Times higher Education (THE).
— The Online Citizen

31 China Airlines flights aborted, hundreds of SG passengers stranded due to pilots’ refusal to fly
Thousands of China Airlines’ (CAL) passengers went crazy over the recent cancellation of about 31 flights brought by the pilots’ strike on the issue of long working hours and related job conditions.
— The Independent

River Hongbao draws 1.35 million visitors over eight days
The curtain has come down on the River Hongbao celebrations, which drew 1.35 million visitors over eight nights of festivities.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

Toxic bacteria found on small pieces of plastic trash from S’pore beaches
The small pieces of plastic trash on Singapore’s shores are a hotbed for bacteria, some of which are toxic to humans, a study has found.
— Today Online

Regardless of age, citizens should not be limited from working – DPM Tharman
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam recently cited Singapore should never limit its citizens who desire to work as long they are capable to deliver and make new learning a lifelong norm in the country.
— The Independent

More help for SMEs to train workers, tap new technologies in Budget 2019
More initiatives will be introduced to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) tap new technologies to enhance the way they operate, but companies are also encouraged to send its employees for upskilling.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

King Wan Corp secures M&E contract worth $11.7 mil
King Wan Corporation announced that it has secured a new mechanical & electrical (M&E) project in Singapore worth $11.7 million.
— The Edge Singapore

Siemens lands $111m deal to supply power systems for 2 MRT extensions
German engineering group Siemens has clinched a $111 million contract to provide power supply systems for Circle Line Stage 6 and the North East Line extension.
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

Children to get more protection against sexual predators in Criminal Law Reform Bill
The Government introduces new offences relating to child abuse material depicting actual children, or materials featuring images that are indistinguishable from actual children.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

S-REITs poised to ride on wings of dovish Fed
DBS Group Research is keeping its “overweight” rating on Singapore REITs following more dovish comments from the US Federal Reserve.
— The Edge Singapore

Marital immunity for rape set to be repealed as part of changes to Singapore’s Penal Code
The Government agrees with the Penal Code Review Committee that “all women should be protected from sexual abuse regardless of whether they are married to the perpetrator.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Former Citibank Singapore CEO Han Kwee Juan moves to DBS as group head of strategy and planning
Former Citibank Singapore CEO Han Kwee Juan will be joining DBS Group Holdings as group head of strategy and planning in April, DBS announced on Monday (Feb 11).
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

The world economy’s 10-year challenge
If you use social media at all, you cannot have missed the rash of #10yearchallenge photos that consumed the internet for the better part of January.
— The Edge Singapore

Most trainees find SkillsFuture-funded courses helped their work: SkillsFuture Singapore
More than eight in 10 Singaporeans who attended SkillsFuture-funded courses last year found that their training helped them in their work, according to a surveyby SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).
— The Straits Times (annoying popups)

 

Feature photo USAID Asia

This week’s Singapore morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day of Women and Girls in Science February, 11.

 

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.

 

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Piseth Pov graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics Science from the Royal University of Law and Economics, Phnom Penh in 2017, and a Bachelor’s degree in English Communications from Western University, Phnom Penh, the same year.

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