Local firms looking forward to approval of EU-Singapore FTA
A wider range of halal food products made in Singapore could find their way to stores in Europe for its growing Muslim population, should the upcoming European Union-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) be approved.
— Straits Times
Are Japanese universities losing their appeal to international students?
Revealed in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) University Rankings which cover more than 1,250 universities worldwide, only one Japanese university made it to the top 100 – Kyoto University (ranked 65th) – leaving behind the rest of Japanese institutions of higher education flagging in their prestige and appeal to domestic and international learners.
— The Independent
Singapore to tighten audit, valuation rules
AUDITORS are to come under greater scrutiny in one of the biggest overhauls of accountancy oversight in Singapore, which could see the Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) ordering second audit on listed companies with clean audits if something does not smell right.
— The Business Times
Initiatives for terror awareness to be scaled up
Recognising that Singaporeans have to be not just aware of the terror threat, but also committed to taking action and responsibility, the Government is upscaling its anti-terror outreach efforts.
— Straits Times
Hyflux says it remains committed to ‘fair’ restructuring plan as worries among retail investors grow
Beleaguered water treatment firm Hyflux told Channel NewsAsia that it stays committed to proposing a “fair” restructuring plan next month as its aggrieved mom-and-pop investors grow increasingly worried about how much money they can recover.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)
Automation: The leader of digital transformation
INDUSTRY 4.0 is impacting the world by storm. For Singapore to remain relevant in this highly globalised and competitive environment, businesses need to continuously innovate and use their resources more effectively.
— The Business Times
Commentary: Want to fight the sugar problem? Start counting calories
It’s easier to cut down on our sugar intake if we know how many calories each beverage we intend to consume has, says weight loss author Ian Tan.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)
To weather global headwinds, S’pore should stay united and think long term, says Heng Swee Keat
Singapore is not shielded from global headwinds and the best way to tackle this is to stay united, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on Friday (Jan 25) after a packed four days of meeting world and business leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF).
— Straits Times
Temporary power outage reported in Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh & Thomson
Singapore Power is investigating the cause.
— Mothership
Singapore, Australia and Japan nudge WTO one step nearer to coming up with e-commerce rules
Digital trade, including e-commerce, is one of the bright spots in the global economy and offers many opportunities including for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), said Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations S. Iswaran.
— Straits Times
Singapore private property market set to face demand tests in 2019
THE private residential property market here could face some demand tests ahead as higher interest rates and heftier duties from the authorities’ cooling measures weigh on buyers’ wallets.
— The Business Times
250,000 trees and shrubs to be planted in NParks’ 10-year forest restoration plan
To protect and restore Singapore’s forest landscape, the National Parks Board (NParks) will plant 250,000 trees and shrubs in nature parks and reserves here over the next 10 years.
— Straits Times
Q4 numbers fail to lift hopes; muted outlook for local firms
EXPECTATIONS are not running high as the earnings season for the fourth quarter kicks in. Analysts note that weaker economic growth and investment sentiment, having taken a hit from escalating trade tensions in the second half of last year, will continue to weigh on bottom lines.
— The Business Times
Explore the East’s brightest new star… How to spend 48 hours in Singapore
Singapore has a reputation for being a super-safe and super-clean city. But visitors should also be aware there is zero tolerance on crime – a 29-year-old Briton hit the headlines recently after being sentenced to 24 lashes for drug offences.
— Daily Mail
11/2-hour power outage hits parts of Singapore
Some areas of Singapore were hit by a power outage, lasting about 11/2 hours, yesterday afternoon.
— Straits Times
Social and cultural heritage hub Wisma Geylang Serai officially opens
A one-stop service centre bringing together eight different Malay-Muslim organisations offering a gamut of services such as childcare and senior care, was launched on Saturday (Jan 26).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)
IPPT for NSmen temporarily cancelled by Singapore Army
Operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) received text messages regarding the cancellation of their IPPT, IPT, and RT. On January 25, Friday, text messages were received by NSmen informing them of the cancellation of their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), IPPT Preparatory Training (IPT) and Remedial Training (RT).
— The Independent
Private home prices dip 0.1% in Q4, first decline in 6 quarters; up 7.9% for whole of 2018
Government data on Friday (Jan 25) confirmed the first quarterly decline in Singapore’s private home prices since the second quarter of 2017, as the July 6 cooling measures ended a price recovery that lasted only five quarters, the shortest on record.
— Straits Times
Singapore can still do well amid global headwinds: DPM Tharman
Singapore can still do well amid global headwinds, by educating its young, developing deeper skills in helping those who lose their jobs, and strengthening the innovative capabilities of our enterprises, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)
Office rents in Singapore cool to 0.5% rise in Q4 as vacancy rate climbs to 12.1%
Rents of office space in the central region of Singapore rose by 0.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018 over the previous three months – a slower pace of gain compared with the 2.5 per cent rise in the third quarter, figures from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) showed on Friday (Jan 25).
— Straits Times
Micro-Mechanics net profit down 20% in Q2 amid global semiconductor slowdown
AMID moderation in the global semiconductor industry, Micro-Mechanics (Holdings) posted a 20 per cent fall in net profit to S$3.1 million in the second quarter ended Dec 31, 2018, down from S$3.9 million in the year-ago period.
— Business Times
Managing funds with a risk budget in mind
Mr Michael Fredericks and his team are responsible for portfolio management, risk monitoring and tactical asset allocation across global income strategies.
— Straits Times
Suspension of Seletar landing system, Malaysia’s Restricted Area over Pasir Gudang to end in March: Khaw
Singapore has accepted Malaysia’s counter-proposal to extend until the end of March the mutual suspension of Seletar Airport’s Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Malaysia’s Restricted Area over Pasir Gudang town in Johor.
— Today Online
MAS warns coin offering issuer over Securities Act breach
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has warned an initial coin offering (ICO) issuer it should not proceed with its securities token offering in Singapore until it can fully comply with regulatory requirements under the Securities and Futures Act (SFA).
— Straits Times
Young migrant worker falls to his death after rope holding him snaps in freak accident
A young migrant worker fell to his death this Tuesday when a rope attached to him at a construction site snapped in a freak accident.
— The Independent
Fewer COEs available from February to April
The Certificate of Entitlement (COE) quota between February and April this year will fall by about 12.9 per cent from the previous quarter.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)
Why I Think A Stock Market Crash Could Be An Opportunity To Make A Million
Falling stock prices could be good news for investors.
— The Motley Fool
Indian expo kicks off with lion dance
The ninth edition of the Singapore International Indian Expo (Siiexpo) opened yesterday to the beats of Chinese drums and a lion dance performance, a surprising and unlikely occurrence at an Indian-centric event.
— Straits Times
SAF to lower training tempo to review safety, processes
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will, for the first time, lower its training tempo across all services, with the aim of giving commanders and troops the time and space to review the safety of its systems and processes.
— Straits Times
New initiatives to target malls, condos on terror emergency preparedness
How prepared will you be when a terror attack strikes? The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is beefing up efforts to prepare the community amid ongoing terror threats, which it calls the new normal.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)
First phase of Cross Island MRT line finalised; will have 12 stations
The alignment of Phase 1 of the MRT Cross Island Line (CRL) has been finalised.
— Straits Times
5 renovation and furnishing loan mistakes to avoid this Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is almost upon us, and Singaporeans love a well-renovated, well-furnished home just for the occasion.
— Channel News Asia (very annoying popups)
Telcos here likely to consolidate over next 3 years, say analysts
Competitive pressures from an increasingly crowded market will force local telcos to consolidate over the next three years, said analysts this week.
— Straits Times
Tax, tech and electric cars: why is Dyson going to Singapore?
The decision by technology giant Dyson to relocate its headquarters to Singapore could see the company enjoy significant tax benefits, depending on where it registers the intellectual property for its next generation of products, a leading tax expert has claimed.
— The Guardian
Nature parks and reserves to receive boost against climate change
When Rifle Range Nature Park reopens to the public next year, visitors will return to a forest that is more resilient to climate change and caters better to native animals such as the Sunda Pangolin.
— Today Online
Hundreds of people at wake of Aloysius Pang to pay their respects
Hundreds of people turned up at home-grown actor Aloysius Pang’s wake on Friday night (Jan 25), hoping to pay their respects even before the public memorial was due to start on Saturday.
— Straits Times
Indian tourist flow to Singapore to surge in coming yrs: One Faber Group
Singapore can expect a rise in tourist arrivals from India with the Indian government focussing on improving airport infrastructure in tier II cities, which will lead to increased flight frequencies between the two nations, said One Faber Group.
— Business Standard
STI up on stronger sentiment, Wall St gains
Local stocks finally found positive territory this week with local investors cheered by overnight gains on Wall Street.
— Straits Times
Olam unveils 6-year plan to refresh portfolio
It plans to reap US$1.6 billion by exiting four sectors and ploughing US$3.5 billion into 12 key sectors where it has an edge
— Business Times
Seven members of S$40m SkillsFuture claims scam to face additional charges
Seven members of an alleged criminal syndicate that defrauded statutory board SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) of almost S$40 million will be slapped with additional charges on Monday (Jan 28).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)
Unshredded confidential papers trashed in CBD a gold mine for data thieves
Firms are shoring up their defences against cyber attacks and digital data theft, but how they handle hard-copy documents has not received as much attention, said observers.
— Straits Times
Singapore prez & PM congratulate Indians on Republic Day
The longstanding friendship between Singapore and India continues to expand with each passing year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a congratulatory letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 70th Republic Day.
— Business Standard
Feature photo Weekend Notes
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 January 28 added by Piseth Pov on
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