Thursday #sgroundup: Singapore Archbishop apologises for any *insensitivity* to gay Catholics

By Jeanette Tan | What's buzzing? – 

Here are the top trending stories for today in case you missed them:

Singapore Archbishop apologises for any 'insensitivity' to gay Catholics

Archbishop William Goh, the head of the Catholic Church here, at his episcopal ordination earlier this year. (Photo …

Archbishop William Goh addressed homosexual Catholics in a letter on Thursday, apologising for any "insensitivity" conveyed in his statement last month on same-sex relationships.
 
He stressed that he is "not at liberty to change" the stance of the universal church, which he continues to answer to, and that "a sexual relationship between same-sex individuals… is not in accordance with the divine plan of God".
 
He did say, though, that the Catholic Church "does not disapprove of a loving relationship between same-sex individuals that is chaste and faithful".

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-archbishop-writes-letter-to-gay-catholics--says-no-disapproval-of-chaste-same-sex-relationships-050522421.html

Will Singapore relax housing curbs soon?

Private housing in Singapore. (Yahoo file photo)

As the slowdown in Singapore's housing market deepens, investors are questioning when the government may relax its anti-speculation curbs.

Private residential prices in the city-state dipped 1.1 percent on quarter in the April-to-June period, according to a flash estimate released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Tuesday, marking three consecutive quarters of falling prices. Prices fell 1.3 percent and 0.9 percent in the previous two quarters.

And a host of factors including increased supply, rising mortgage rates and a weak rental market are expected to push property prices lower over the course of 2014-2015.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore-relax-housing-curbs-soon-232351301.html

Singapore says more overseas criminals seek bank accounts

As someone who's been fortunate enough to have a foot in two rather different worlds – the local startup ecosystem …

Singapore prosecuted a record number of money laundering cases and seized more than S$115 million ($92 million) of suspected criminal proceeds in 2013 as more overseas offenders seek out bank accounts in the city.

"Singapore's openness as an international transport hub and financial center exposes it to cross-border money-laundering and terrorist financing risks," Tan Boon Gin, director of the Commercial Affairs Department, said in the agency's annual report posted on its website. "We are seeing a trend of overseas criminals seeking to launder money through Singapore bank accounts."

The city's white-collar police has tripled its financial investigation resources with an increase in suspicious transaction reports and aid requests from overseas enforcement agencies. Organized crime groups are getting more sophisticated and taking advantage of opportunities as Singapore's financial industry expands, the agency said.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore-says-more-overseas-criminals-031613689.html

Washington to tighten security for US-bound flights

US authorities plan to bolster security at some airports in Europe and the Middle East with direct flights to the …

US authorities plan to bolster security at some airports in Europe and the Middle East with direct flights to the United States, officials said.

Amid concern terror groups are developing new explosives to circumvent airport security, US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced unspecified steps that would be carried out in "the coming days," without saying which airports would be affected.

"We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are consulting the aviation industry," Johnson said in a statement.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/washington-tighten-security-us-bound-flights-025827775.html

Analysis: Purge displays Chinese leader's ambition

In this photo taken, Friday, June 27, 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping walks near a guard of honor at a welcome …

The ouster of one of China's top military figures reflects Communist Party leader Xi Jinping's determination to impose his personal authority far more ambitiously than his recent predecessors.

Since being appointed party leader in late 2012, Xi has moved aggressively to make his personal stamp with campaigns against graft and official waste and by waging an offensive against liberal, Western ideas. Party and government officials and managers of state companies have fallen. Advocates for official transparency and a fairer society have been jailed.

In possibly his boldest move so far, Xi struck Monday at the core of the military elite when the ruling party expelled Xu Caihou (Shoo Tseye-hoh) a retired general who had been deputy chairman of its Central Military Commission, which controls the Chinese military. He will face charges of taking money and property in exchange for promotions and other favors.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/analysis-purge-displays-chinese-leaders-ambition-025307664.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/thursday--sgroundup--singapore-archbishop-apologises-for-any--insensitivity--to-gay-catholics-094925909.html

Singapore Archbishop apologises for any *insensitivity* to gay Catholics

By Jeanette Tan | Yahoo Newsroom – 

Archbishop William Goh addressed homosexual Catholics in a letter on Thursday, apologising for any "insensitivity" conveyed in his statement last month on same-sex relationships.
 
He stressed that he is "not at liberty to change" the stance of the universal church, which he continues to answer to, and that "a sexual relationship between same-sex individuals… is not in accordance with the divine plan of God".
 
He did say, though, that the Catholic Church "does not disapprove of a loving relationship between same-sex individuals that is chaste and faithful".
 
His letter comes days after a tension-filled weekend where thousands gathered in opposing movements — one pro-gay and the other pro-marriage and family — at the height of a rekindled homosexuality debate in Singapore.
 
Goh's first statement issued on 21 June was met with criticism from some gay Catholics. These included former opposition politician Vincent Wijeysingha, who penned a diatribe on Facebook questioning the Church's moral authority and launching a 30-year-belated accusation against a priest who allegedly made sexual moves on him when he was younger.
 
Prefacing his letter on Thursday with the understanding that many Catholics in the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual and queer) community "have expressed hurt, anger and disappointment" in response to it, he said he is "not indifferent" to the "pain and frustration" that many LGBTQ Catholics experience.
 
"I apologise if my initial statement conveyed insensitivity as from your feedback, I have come to realise that there is much variation in thought and lifestyle within this community," he wrote in the letter, posted on the church's Catholic News website. "I know many of you truly love Christ and His Church, and seek to be faithful to the Gospel. Furthermore, many of you strive to live loving, faithful and chaste lives."
 
In his letter, the archbishop also addressed the argument that same-sex individuals are born with their inclinations, noting that science has yet to prove this conclusively.
 
"In contrary, we find that upbringing, culture or education may play a part in nurturing persons with same-sex attraction," he wrote, adding that inner wounds inflicted on a person in childhood through sexual abuse or otherwise can also nurture it.
 
"Though the verdict on nature or nurture is yet to be defined, it is clear according to scripture (Rom 1:24-28) that a sexual relationship between those of the same gender is not acceptable, as it contradicts the natural laws of God," he wrote.
 
At the same time, Archbishop Goh followed up on his prior announcement of establishing a pastoral group for LGBTQ Catholics to "journey together in faith, in support of one another, so as to live out God's call to chastity". He also said he has appointed two organisations, which the Church has purview over, to form it.
 
"Indeed, with God's grace, we will all be able to live the Gospel faithfully and authentically, regardless of our sexual orientation," he concluded.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-archbishop-writes-letter-to-gay-catholics--says-no-disapproval-of-chaste-same-sex-relationships-050522421.html

Singapore to get new Navy chief in August

Yahoo Newsroom – 

The Singapore Armed Forces will get a new Chief of Navy in August.

Rear-Admiral (RADM) Lai Chung Han, 41, will take over the post from RADM Ng Chee Peng as Chief of Navy on 1 August 2014.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence said that the change is "part of the continuing process of leadership renewal in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)".

RADM Ng, 44, has held the post of Chief of Navy since March 2011.

Currently the Deputy Secretary (Policy) MINDEF, RADM Lai joined the SAF in 1992. A SAF (Overseas) and President's Scholar, he holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree from the University of Cambridge, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University. He was previously the Commanding Officer of RSS Valiant and 188 Squadron, as well as the navy's Fleet Commander.

He has held his current position as Deputy Secretary (Policy) at MINDEF since September 2012.

MINDEF also paid tribute to outgoing chief RADM Ng, who has been with the SAF for 26 years.

In his tenure as Navy chief, RADM Ng was responsible for establishing and operationalising the National Maritime Security System and the ARCHER-Class submarines. Under his leadership, the Navy contributed to international counter-piracy efforts, and played a key role in the command of Combined Task Force 151 in the Gulf of Aden.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-to-get-new-navy-chief-in-august--013109201.html

Wednesday #sgroundup: Malaysian MPs, lorry group disturbed over Singapore’s entry fees

By Jeanette Tan | What's buzzing? – 

Here are the top trending stories for today in case you missed them:

Malaysian MPs, lorry group disturbed over Singapore's entry fee hikes

The Pan-Malaysia Lorry Owners' Association said lorry operators would suffer the most as they had to bear the cost …

The drastic increase in the entry permit fees for cars and goods vehicles by the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has caused an outcry among Malaysians.

Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong said the increase would greatly impact Malaysians who travel to and work in Singapore saying the poor public transport system did not help matters because people would rather drive their own vehicles than use public transport for short distances.

The Pan-Malaysia Lorry Owners' Association also said lorry operators would suffer the most as they had to bear the cost of increase directly.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/mps-lorry-group-disturbed-over-singapore-entry-fees-224400943.html

Pinewood Studios boost Malaysian investment zone

The main building of Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Nusajaya, Malaysia, June 26, 2014

The movie production company responsible for the James Bond and Harry Potter films has opened a US$170 million complex in Malaysia's Iskandar investment zone.

The 20-hectare facility is the studio's first in Asia and marks its expansion East in search of lower production costs.

Government officials predict the complex, a licensee of Pinewood and owned by Malaysia's sovereign wealth firm Khazanah Nasional, will contribute around $560 million to the country's economy over the next eight years and 1,700 jobs annually.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pinewood-studios-boost-malaysian-investment-zone-041234707.html

Police arrest 500 after huge Hong Kong protest

Protesters are taken away by police officers after hundreds of protesters staged a peaceful sit-ins overnight on …

Hong Kong police arrested more than 500 protesters at a sit-in early Wednesday following a huge pro-democracy rally that organisers said mobilised half a million people demanding the right to choose their next leader.

The arrests came at the end of a largely peaceful rally on Tuesday that protest leaders said brought the biggest crowds onto the streets since the city was handed over from Britain to China in 1997.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/police-arrest-500-huge-hong-kong-protest-034024934.html

France's Sarkozy faces corruption probe in blow to comeback hopes

FILE - This Monday, March 10, 2014, file photo shows former French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Foundation …

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was placed under formal investigation on Wednesday on suspicions he tried to use his influence to thwart an investigation of his 2007 election campaign, the prosecutor's office said.

The step, which often but not always leads to trial, is a major setback to Sarkozy's hopes of a comeback after his 2012 defeat by Socialist rival Francois Hollande.

The conservative politician denies all wrongdoing in a string of investigations in which he is either directly or indirectly implicated.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/french-court-places-ex-president-sarkozy-under-formal-014036964--finance.html

US Navy gets its first four-star female admiral

In a Photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Adm. Michelle Howard, right, smiles as Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and …

The US Navy has promoted a woman to the rank of a four-star admiral for the first time in its 238-year history, a milestone for females in the American military.

In a ceremony on Tuesday, Michelle Howard was promoted to vice chief of naval operations, the number two job in the service, after having already shattered barriers in previous posts in the navy.

Howard, 54, is known for commanding a counter-piracy task force in the Gulf of Aden that oversaw the 2009 rescue of a commercial cargo ship skipper, Captain Richard Phillips, who was abducted by Somali pirates.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-navy-gets-first-four-star-female-admiral-034822104.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/wednesday--sgroundup--malaysian-mps--lorry-group-disturbed-over-singapore-s-entry-fees-093304637.html

Take a peek at the upcoming Changi Airport Terminal 4

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | What's buzzing? – 

A sprawling duty free haven, Peranakan-styled shopfronts and a rock garden at the baggage claim area — these are some of the things you can expect at the upcoming Changi Airport Terminal 4, according to a YouTube video unveiled on its FansofChangi channel on Tuesday.
 
The 2.5 minute clip shows an artist's impression of how the terminal, set to open in 2017, will look like.
 
Other facilities for the new terminal include easy way-finding, green sanctuaries, and self-service and automated options offered at check-in, bag drop, immigration clearance and departure gate boarding.
 
According to Changi Airport Group (CAG), this is the first time that it is rolling out such an "extensive roll-out of a suite of fast and seamless travel initiatives.
 
This terminal will provide service to both regional full-service and low-cost carriers.
 
According to the Straits Times, Cathay Pacific is the first carrier to confirm interest to use the facilities in the upcoming terminal.  

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/take-a-peek-at-the-upcoming-changi-airport-terminal-4-141931376.html

Tuesday #sgroundup: LTA raises permit fees for foreign vehicles entering Singapore

By Jeanette Tan | What's buzzing? – 

Here are the top trending stories for today in case you might have missed them:

LTA raises permit fees for foreign vehicles entering Singapore

New cars are seen at a manufacturer's open air car park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. Malaysia's …

From the start of August, it will cost 75 per cent more to drive into Singapore with a car registered overseas.
 
Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) is raising the vehicle entry permit fees for foreign-registered cars from $20 to $35 per day.
 
For goods vehicles, the fee will be hiked fourfold to $40 per month.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/foreign-registered-vehicles-will-have-to-pay-more-to-enter-singapore-032558889.html

Jennifer Lopez rounds up concert headliners at Singapore F1 Grand Prix

Jennifer Lopez performs at the iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party at Fontainebleau's BleauLive at Fontainebleau …

Heads-up, J-Lo fans: the pop diva will be gracing our shores once again to join the star-studded performance line up for this year's Singapore Grand Prix.

Her concert will happen after John Legend's on Sunday, 21 September, closing the loop on the major headliners of the Grand Prix entertainment segment. Access to her show is included with any three-day pass, Sunday single-day Pit Grandstand special ticket or the Sunday single-day Zone 4 Walkabout ticket.

She will join Robbie Williams, John Legend, the Pet Shop Boys and Ziggy Marley on various concert dates in September, when the race takes place here.

https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/john-legend--ziggy-marley--pet-shop-boys-to-perform-at-singapore-f1-grand-prix-080311321.html

New Zealand names Malaysian diplomat in sex assault case

A New Zealand court has now confirmed the envoy was from Malaysia

A New Zealand high court judge has lifted the suppression order protecting the Malaysian diplomat at the centre of a sex assault case in Wellington.

The diplomat is Muhammad Rizalman Ismail, a staff assistant with a defence portfolio at the Malaysian high commission, NZ news portal Stuff.co.nz said today.

According to the portal, Rizalman holds the military rank of warrant officer and may face a military board of inquiry in Malaysia.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/zealand-lifts-suppression-order-names-malaysian-diplomat-033852522.html

Thousands gather for pro-Hong Kong democracy march

Pro-democracy activists display placards before a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong on July 1, 2014 as frustration …

Carrying banners and chanting slogans, thousands of protesters gathered Tuesday for a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong that organisers say could be the largest since the city was handed back to China.

The rally reflects surging discontent over Beijing's insistence that it vet candidates before a vote in 2017 for the semi-autonomous city's next leader.

The march comes after nearly 800,000 people voted in an informal referendum demanding an electoral mechanism that allows voters to nominate candidates.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-braces-huge-democracy-protest-215515221.html

Japan approves larger military role

Monks protest outside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office in anticipation his government will reinterpret …

Japan took a step away Tuesday from an American-drafted constitution that has long kept its military shackled, approving a plan to allow greater use of a force that was vanquished at the end of World War II.

In one of the biggest changes to Japanese security policy since the war, the ruling coalition gave approval to reinterpret the constitution on military affairs. It now awaits endorsement — a formality — by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has made raising the country's military profile a cornerstone of his nationalist policies.

The move will allow the military to defend other nations in what is known as "collective self-defense."

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/japan-approves-larger-military-role-064252285.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/tuesday--sgroundup--lta-raises-permit-fees-for-foreign-vehicles-entering-singapore-084632522.html

LTA raises permit fees for foreign vehicles entering Singapore

By Jeanette Tan | Yahoo Newsroom – 

From the start of August, it will cost 75 per cent more to drive into Singapore with a car registered overseas.
 
Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) is raising the vehicle entry permit fees for foreign-registered cars from $20 to $35 per day.
 
For goods vehicles, the fee will be hiked fourfold to $40 per month.
 
Both revised fees will kick in from 1 August, said LTA in a statement, but buses, taxis and motorcycles will not be affected by the hike.
 
Also, all vehicles still do not have to pay fees to enter Singapore on weekends, public holidays and between 5pm and 2am on other days, with these hours extended to between 12 noon and 2am during the June and December school holidays in Singapore.
 
Further, while owners of foreign-registered goods vehicles can still purchase permits at the existing $10 monthly fee this month, any permit that holds validity beyond July will be charged at $40 per calendar month.
 
"The cost difference (between owning and using a foreign-registered vehicle as opposed to a Singapore-registered one) has widened in recent years, giving rise to the need to revise the (fees)," the agency said.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/foreign-registered-vehicles-will-have-to-pay-more-to-enter-singapore-032558889.html