Rabu, 20 Agustus 2014

Not religious? Honour (Singapore) still has much to prove

By Kirsten Han | SingaporeScene – 

A screengrab of Honour Singapore's website.A screengrab of Honour Singapore's website.

Kirsten Han is a Singaporean blogger, journalist and filmmaker. She is also involved in the We Believe in Second Chances campaign for the abolishment of the death penalty. A social media junkie, she tweets at @kixes. The views expressed are her own.

Civil society actors and groups in Singapore are born from need: to draw attention to a particular cause, to educate the public, to change mindsets and/or to advocate for policy reform. They often start small, on limited funds, building up their capacity as they go. Civil society activists usually start as volunteers. Many of them stay that way; only a minority get full-time employment in their NGO. There are very rarely posh parties or the backing of a Cabinet Minister.

Not so for new NGO Honour (Singapore). Its launch party was at the pricey Fullerton Hotel, and even featured a speech from Education Minister Heng Swee Keat. As NGOs and civil society in Singapore go, Honour (Singapore) has had a charmed life from the get-go.

It didn't take long before Singaporeans – armed with curiosity and Google – decided to probe a little deeper into this new organisation. It was quickly pointed out that Honour (Singapore) had some interesting connections: four out of five of the members on Honour (Singapore)'s board are also on the board of Full Gospel Business (FGB) Singapore. The fifth member of the board is Jason Wong from Focus on the Family, the Singapore branch of a conservative evangelical Christian organisation from the United States.

Honour (Singapore) is also registered to the same address as FGB Singapore.

According to its website, FGB Singapore's goal is to "penetrate the marketplace" with the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. Its members, also known as "Gatekeepers", are described as being "called and chosen to make a difference in the culture of the marketplace they are in so that the gates of hell shall not prevail over them … the real life testimonies of our members provide encouragement to the people in the marketplace to choose to live a Spirit-directed life through Jesus Christ."

In the context of efforts by religious conservatives to steeplejack or dominate public discourse and civil society (and of the state often giving in to their pressure) – such as in the dramatic AWARE saga of 2009 and more recent efforts such as the protesting of HPB's FAQ on homosexuality and bisexuality and the banning of books by NLB – some Singaporeans became concerned that Honour (Singapore) would be yet another attempt by conservatives to extend their influence over a secular society.

Honour (Singapore) has responded to criticism, assuring Singaporeans that it is not a religious organisation.

"Honour (Singapore) is not a Christian organisation or a religious group. We have to be judged by what we do. Certainly we must not take any religious stand or do anything at odds with the national objective of supporting racial and religious harmony," said chairman Lim Siong Guan in response to questions I sent. He added that the organisation would only "engage on invitation", pointing out that the group is not an advocacy group on government policy, and that it has a panel of community advisors of different backgrounds.

As for using FGB Singapore's address, Lim said, "Honour (Singapore) has started where it is as it was premises conveniently available to help us get going quickly."

Lim is right in one thing: Honour (Singapore) will have to be judged by what they do. And reassurances aside, there is still much for it to prove.

In his President's Message for the 40th anniversary of FGB Singapore published on the group's website, Khoo Oon Theam (who is also a director of Honour) outlined the "Holy Spirit mandates for 2014 to 2015".

Screencapped from FGB's website

Screencapped from FGB's website

Under the second mandate – which says "we will go and make apostolic disciples of all nations" – Khoo states, "We will be promoting the Honouring and Peace Culture in conjunction with Singapore's Jubilee. A Foundation, honouring and seeking the welfare of Singapore will be established. … We belief [sic] that obeying the Holy Spirit's mandate to make Apostolic Disciples will fulfil the prophetic scriptures spoken over Singapore…"

Compare this to Lim's statement on the founding of Honour (Singapore): "So a group of us who have known each other for many years and who all think the same way about wanting Singapore to be a place of peace and stability, decided to set up Honour (Singapore) to promote a culture of honour and honouring as our contribution towards seeking the well-being of Singapore."

Based on the similarity of wording, it seems highly possible that Honour (Singapore) is the foundation Khoo is referring to. If that is the case, how can Honour (Singapore) remain secular while still serving the mandate of making "apostolic disciples of all nations"?

Honour (Singapore) might claim that it is not a religious group. Yet one wonders how its board members can juggle their two hats. How can the same group of people be committed to the mission of aggressive evangelising and the principle of secularism at the same time? Is it really possible for an organisation highlighted as part of the "Holy Spirit mandates" to be truly secular?

These are questions that Honour (Singapore) will now have to work hard to answer, not just through public reassurances, but through actions. And – for the good of civil society and public discourse – I sincerely hope that Singaporeans will keep watching.


https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/not-religious-honour-singapore-still-much-prove-151106270.html

Wednesday*s #sgroundup: COE prices close high

By Elizabeth Soh | Yahoo Newsroom – 

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

COE prices close higher across the board

The latest open bidding exercise for the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) ended with mix results on Wednesday.  (Getty Images)The latest open bidding exercise for the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) ended with mix results on Wednesday.  …

Certificate of entitlement (COE) prices ended higher across all categories in the bidding exercise on Wednesday.

The premiums for Category B, or larger cars above 1,600cc, saw the biggest rise from $65,001 to $72,990.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/coe-prices-for-august-up-across-all-categories-102838569.html

Domestic wholesale trade slips 6.1% in Q2 as construction material sales slide

  

Construction supplies trade fell by 14.9%.

Domestic wholesale trade contracted by 6.1% in the second quarter of 2014 compared to the same period last year, data released by the Department of Statistics revealed today.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/domestic-wholesale-trade-slips-6-063700927.html

Singapore bodybuilder triumphs over public scorn, image issues

Photo by Cheryl TayPhoto by Cheryl Tay

"Are you a man in a bikini?"

"What's your 'ladyboy' name?"

Bodybuilder Doreen Yeo doesn't feel angry when she receives such questions.

The 27-year-old does, however, get embarrassed, and can only bravely smile and walk away.

When she's with her husband Mohamad Haris, they've been mistaken for a gay couple, and are often subjected to looks of disgust. They are so used to it that they aren't bothered anymore, but Haris, 29, won't hesitate to defend his wife if he has to.

https://sg.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/fit-to-post-sports/singapore-bodybuilder-triumphs-over-public-scorn--image-issues-091034283.html

Shigga Shay blends Singapore flavour with gangster rap in 'Lion City Kia' video

Singapore rapper Shigga Shay in music video for hip hop track Lion City Kia. (YouTube Screengrab)Singapore rapper Shigga Shay in music video for hip hop track Lion City Kia. (YouTube Screengrab)

If Singapore ever needed a multi-racial National Day song that appeals to youths, this could be it.

"Welcome to Lion City where we grew up HDB/ Party on River Valley/ with all of my Karang Gunis," raps Singapore hip hopper Shigga Shay in his newly released track "Lion City Kia [Kid]".

The rapper, whose real name is Pek Jin Shen, connects Singaporean youths of all ethnicities – Ah Bengs, Mat Reps and Anjiks included – in one multilingual song, where he and two others rap about the common experiences local youths go through.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/singapore-rapper-shigga-shay-connects-all-of-singapore-s-ethnic-groups-in-new-track--lion-city-kia--084312362.html

Islamic State video purports to show beheading of U.S. journalist

A Kurdish peshmerga fighter guards a position on the front line of fighting with Islamic State (IS) militants, 20 kilometres east of Mosul, on August 18, 2014A Kurdish peshmerga fighter guards a position on the front line of fighting with Islamic State (IS) militants, …
Islamist militants fighting in Iraq released a video on Tuesday which purported to show the beheading of American journalist James Foley and U.S. officials said they were working to determine its authenticity.

The video, titled "A Message to America," was released a day after Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot that has overrun large parts of Iraq, threatened to attack Americans "in any place."

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/islamic-state-video-purports-show-beheading-u-journalist-235301541.html


https://sg.news.yahoo.com/wednesday-s--sgroundup--coe-prices-close-high-105003425.html

The 2014 National Day Rally: An impression of significance

SingaporeScene – 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong giving his National Day Rally 2014 speech on 17 August 2014. (Screenshot of broadcast)Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong giving his National Day Rally 2014 speech on 17 August 2014. (Screenshot of bro …

Devadas Krishnadas is the managing director of Future-Moves, a strategic risk consultancy. The views expressed below are his own.

According to the mainstream media, the 2014 National Day Rally was a big success and signals significant policy changes ahead. The theatrics of high definition graphics, the Prime Minister playing reporter and financial planner and displaying his singing skills was certainly crowd pleasing to the gathering of party faithful.

Announcements about changes to the policy on the Central Provident Fund (CPF) and a rethink on the relative merits of experience versus education played to the gallery of public opinion. But what was the real significance of the latest rally? What does it tell us about the today as a political age?

Age of Bling
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivers his National Day Rally speech at ITE College Central on 17 August 2014. (Screengrab)Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivers his National Day Rally speech at ITE College Central on 17 August 2014. …
The 2014 rally continued what is now a tradition over recent years to announce announcements to spruce up and make selected new towns more vibrant and exciting. The target of these "bling" efforts this time is
to be Jurong, one of the largest and fastest growing regions by population in Singapore. These large infrastructure expenditures send the signal that the government is prepared to invest in communities and
thereby improve the quality of life of residents.

It would not have escaped the notice of most home owners that such investments would have the indirect but positive impact on the value of their largest asset – their homes. It is a reasonable guess that we can
expect similar region wide expenditures on upgrading in the near future. After all they are seemingly "win-win" measures that do not come with the negative political connotations that came with HDB upgrading programmes.

However, the bill for such large expenditures will have to be passed on to the tax base and Singaporeans should bear in mind that they ultimately will carry the costs. Nevertheless, in net terms the expenditure is going to create public goods and therefore the trade-off is a fair one and generations to come will benefit from such "landscaping" initiatives.

Age of Romance

The Prime Minister carried on the theme of nostalgia about past achievements and public heroes. The focus for this rally was our first President, Mr Yusof Ishak. While it is gratifying for his family and a
long overdue recognition of his place in our history, such grand measures beg the questions – why now and why – given the national nature of his last position which was a national one – tie his legacy only to a
particular ethnicity?

In recent years much effort, belated but welcome, has been devoted to raising the public awareness of the role and contributions of giants in our sovereign history such as Dr Goh Keng Swee and Mr S. Rajaratnam. These efforts are laudable and would help our younger generations understand their history and recognise that, albeit a young nation still, we have our share of public heroes.

It would however, be regrettable if the reputations from the political past were used to burnish the reputations of those in political power in the present and future. The moral authority of the present and future political leadership could be eroded if they are perceived to be pushing the narrative that the public should support them because of what it owes to those who preceded them or that they are to be taken at face value as heirs of the stature of those who are great but gone. On the other hand, their moral authority will be raised if they are perceived to be altruistically doing the right thing for the legacy of these
pioneer leaders in the name of national heritage.

Age of Impressions
CPF building on Robinson Road. (Yahoo! file photo)CPF building on Robinson Road. (Yahoo! file photo)
The recent rally also featured announcements about changes to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) rules, the establishment of an organisation to manage municipal issues and a call for cultural change to give due credit to experience in place of an exclusive focus on educational qualifications. These statements were enthusiastically championed in the mainstream media as being substantial adjustments. But are they really?

On the changes to the CPF, the conditional permission to make lump sum withdrawals may only apply eventually to a small group of Singaporeans who meet the minimum sum hurdle rate. A rate which, it was also revealed, would be raised yet again for the next cohort of CPF members. Hence, the concession to the popular public clamour to have more control on retirement funds is marginal rather than substantial.

It also does not in any real way change the underlying maths on retirement adequacy or the structure of how the CPF manages and controls access to the funds of members. When the initial impression fades and members can see through the local media's veils of praise, they may be need to manage expectations.

The advent of the new municipal office is at root a matter of creating an impression of managing a less cheerful reality. The issue of bureaucratic turf guarding is not new. It would seem that the Prime Minister has finally given up on improving the values and quality of leadership of frontline public service agencies.

Instead of demanding the already well-endowed and outsized public service to work together, he has elected to expand his government even further with the entirely new bureaucratic entity. It is not difficult
to see little merit in the notion of dealing with a disease – bureaucratic obtuseness – by feeding it. So what seems like a resolve to deal with a long standing and thorny matter is in reality an admission that internal change on values has not been achievable.

This is a particular irony given the seeming boldness of the Prime Minister's call to balance out the merits and rewards to experience and education. It is comforting that a committee, chaired by no less than Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, will be looking at how to promote the advancement of non-graduates. But other than this specific focus it is unclear how the wider ramifications of the Prime Minister's call will be realised.

What is clear is that there was a curious lack of introspection on the part of the Prime Minister. His call for a cultural shift was presented in the frame of a moral leader steering a misguided public to a plain of higher virtue. However, any reasonable observer of Singaporean politics and bureaucracy would make the observation that the culture of academic elitism was not organic of society but imposed upon it by the policy and practice of the People's Action Party and the Civil Service.

It is an achingly clear contrast between the Prime Minister's message and how his political front ranks of his party and the top tiers of his government's bureaucracy have been hitherto populated. It remains to be
seen if the civil service can achieve the difficult feat of genuinely reforming its deep seated fundamental nature.

While few would dispute the wisdom of the Prime Minister's intent, it would have a higher moral standing if the role of his party's philosophy in establishing the current practice had been acknowledged. The total
lack of acceptance of any past responsibility for present reality is a recurring feature of the rhetoric of the leadership.

This is regrettable as Singaporeans, being reasonable people, are apt to be more understanding and hence more persuaded, if it had been otherwise. It is also something owed to the many of the past two
generations whose hopes were blighted and prospects limited by the orthodoxy of academic elitism and for whom this overdue shift comes too little too late.

Hence the impression of leading society or instituting change, for now, seems the greater emphasis than substantive change. It remains to be seen if the former translates over time into the latter. But any meaningful change should begin with a sense of self-awareness and concomitant humility to take responsibility rather than moral grand standing on a mound of ignorance made smooth by the moss of forgetfulness.

Legacy and Legitimacy
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a press conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on April 7, 2014
As a statement of legacy, the 2014 rally did not make a strong impression. Perhaps, this reflected a deliberate decision by the Prime Minister not to crow on successes but to focus on the future. If so, it speaks to his character and sense of political judgement that the people are not in a mood to deliver unto him accolades for the past road taken but are looking for assurances that he has a path forward that better matches their aspirations and needs.

As a claim to legitimacy for a new lease on leadership he also made, again perhaps deliberately, a weak case. Rather than anoint a successor or even indicate his preferences of attributes for a successor, he has
left the question open as to who specifically or what kind of person to whom he may choose to pass on the heavy baton of premiership.

In not using his 10th Rally speech to make a strong case for his legacy or the future legitimacy of the next leader, Mr Lee inadvertently provides a default testimony to his leadership style - well-intentioned but ambiguous, impassioned but diffident, well-articulated but often more form than substance.

This is a pity for it masks the real efforts he has made to be his own man, the willingness to respond, however belatedly, to public sentiment and the strength of character and of body to bear the load of leadership for a full decade under rapidly changing circumstances. He should hope that when the time eventually comes to make a full and fair evaluation of his premiership Singaporeans will make their assessment in the context of his time and not take his measure using only the dip stick of the moment. For now, he deserves credit for trying to shape his political shadow but it would be better if he instead shaped, while he still can, the political man.


https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/the-2014-national-day-rally--an-impression-of-significance-100544181.html

Selasa, 19 Agustus 2014

Viral ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ arrives in Singapore

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | What's buzzing? – Singapore's 987fm radio deejays doing the ice bucket challenge. (YouTube screengrab)Singapore's 987fm radio deejays doing the ice bucket challenge. (YouTube screengrab)

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has arrived in Singapore!

If you're wondering why local celebrities are posting videos pouring buckets of ice on themselves, it is all due to a former athlete wanting to raise awareness for a cause.

What is it?

The Ice Bucket Challenge, which has gone viral in the US, was initiated on 29 July by a former baseball team captain known as Pete Frates. The 29-year-old Boston native launched the challenge after he was diagnosed with ALS – Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – in a bid to spread awareness about the disease and challenge people to action.

ALS, also known as the Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It leads to muscle atrophy, difficulty in speaking and, eventually, complete paralysis.

The challenge requires participants to record themselves pouring a bucket of ice over their heads, then nominate three others to do the same. So far, several professional US athletes , global corporations and celebrities, including Justin Timberlake, Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel and Tom Hiddleston have responded to the icy dare.  

The ALS association in the US has received donations amounting to S$1.4 million as of 12 August as a result of this viral social campaign.

The Ice Bucket Challenge in Singapore

ALS is better known as Motor Neuron Disease (MND) in Singapore and celebrities who have done the challenge here are hoping to create awareness on the illness and generate donations for the MND support group.

Singapore celebrities George Young, Rebecca Lim, Jade Seah and popular 987FM radio deejays have already posted videos on social media of themselves being doused by buckets of ice to raise awareness about the disease.

Will this trend be effective in pursuing the cause in Singapore?

While it is too soon to tell, the trend is shaping up to become the next popular social movement as videos become increasingly popular among netizens here.

A video by radio personality Dee Kosh has garnered close to 7,000 views in over two days while the one posted by 987FM deejays quickly garnered over 16,000 views. Both were posted on 18 August.  

Who will be next?

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is among the popular figures who have been nominated for the challenge. Other personalities include radio deejay Rosalyn Lee and Fly Entertainment's Irene Ang.

We're waiting to see how they respond. In the meantime, will you take the challenge?  


https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/viral--ice-bucket-challenge--arrives-in-singapore-040845489.html

Tuesday #sgroundup *Ghosts* make a mess of squeaky clean Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore

By Yahoo! Singapore | What's buzzing? – 

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

'Ghosts' make a mess of squeaky clean Singapore
A performer walks past a traditional Chinese opera stage built next to the construction site in a public housing neighbourhood during the Hungry Ghost festival in Singapore August 7, 2014. The Hungry Ghost Festival, from July 27 to August 24 , is celebrated with traditional Chinese operas, puppet shows and concerts held by believers to appease roaming spirits. REUTERS/Edgar Su (SINGAPORE - Tags: SOCIETY RELIGION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)A performer walks past a traditional Chinese opera stage built next to the construction site in a public housing …

For one month every year, Singapore takes a hiatus from its reputation as a squeaky clean city to feed the hungry ghosts during the annual Chinese festival.

During Hungry Ghost Month, the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar, the gates of hell open, allowing the ancestors' ghosts wander the earth, according to Chinese tradition. The ghosts are either honored or appeased -- depending upon their character -- with offerings of food, incense and the burning of paper effigies of money or other gifts.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/ghosts-mess-squeaky-clean-singapore-222841441.html

Singapore Dollar's Losses to Ringgit Seen Widening: Asean Credit

A dealer displays Singapore dollar notes at a money changer in Singapor.A dealer displays Singapore dollar notes at a money changer in Singapor.
The diverging economic fortunes of two Southeast Asian neighbors are prompting PineBridge Investments to favor Malaysia's ringgit over Singapore's dollar.

The ringgit has gained 4 percent to 2.53 per Singapore dollar since reaching a 16-year low of 2.63 in February, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Malaysia's five-year government bonds offer investors a yield almost three times that available on the city-state's similar debt after Zeti Akhtar Aziz became Southeast Asia's first central bank governor to raise borrowing costs this year.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore-dollar-losses-ringgit-seen-091742636.html

I do it for my family: Singapore's first UFC fighter Royston Wee

SINGAPORE - JANUARY 04: Royston Wee reacts after defeating Dave Galera during their UFC Fight Night Singapore bantamweight bout at Marina Bay Sands on January 4, 2014 in Singapore. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)SINGAPORE - JANUARY 04: Royston Wee reacts after defeating Dave Galera during their UFC Fight Night Singapore bantamweight …
He may have made history on the global stage, but Royston Wee isn't allowing any room for complacency.
 
The professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter is too driven; too focused on pushing himself further and harder on the trail he blazes as Singapore's first-ever entry on global MMA stage Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
 
Despite already sealing his place in the record books with a victorious debut on home soil in January, Wee continues to plug away at his craft, for one purpose above all.

https://sg.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/fit-to-post-sports/i-do-it-for-my-family--singapore-s-first-ufc-fighter-royston-wee-090020333-mma.html

Police, protesters collide again in Ferguson

Police attempt to control demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri on August 18, 2014 protesting the killing of unarmed teenager Michael BrownPolice attempt to control demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri on August 18, 2014 protesting the killing of unarmed …
The National Guard arrived in Ferguson but kept its distance from the streets where protesters clashed again with police, as clouds of tear gas and smoke hung over the St. Louis suburb where Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer.

Protesters filled the streets after nightfall Monday, and officers trying to enforce tighter restrictions at times used bullhorns to order them to disperse. Police deployed noisemakers and armored vehicles to push demonstrators back. Officers fired tear gas and flash grenades.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/police-protesters-collide-again-ferguson-071214374.html

Israelis, Palestinians resume talks on Gaza deal

Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, foreground center, arrives for the talk with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovf in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. Erekat's visit to Moscow is part of an effort to gain international support as Palestinian negotiators in Cairo try to hammer out a deal with Israel on the future of the war-torn Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, foreground center, arrives for the talk with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey …
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators in Cairo resumed indirect talks on Tuesday, trying to hammer out a roadmap for the war-torn Gaza Strip after Egypt announced a 24-hour extension of the cease-fire to allow more time for negotiations.

The extension of the truce fanned hopes of an emerging deal, however vague, though wide gaps remain on key issues, including Israel's blockade of Gaza, its demands for disarmament of the Islamic militant group Hamas and Palestinian demands for a Gaza seaport and an airport.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/israelis-palestinians-resume-talks-gaza-deal-071240292.html


https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/tuesday--sgroundup--ghosts--make-a-mess-of-squeaky-clean-singapore-094853992.html

Senin, 18 Agustus 2014

Monday #sgroundup: Sun Ho*s success in Asia a *scam*: City Harvest ex-treasurer

By Jeanette Tan | What's buzzing? – 

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

Sun Ho's success in Asia a 'scam': City Harvest ex-treasurer

Former City Harvest investment manager Chew Eng Han (left) and church founder Kong Hee (right) arrive in court on Monday, 18 August for the ongoing funds misappropriation trial. (Yahoo photos)Former City Harvest investment manager Chew Eng Han (left) and church founder Kong Hee (right) arrive in court …

City Harvest's former treasurer Chew Eng Han said that City Harvest's claims of singer Sun Ho's success in Asia were not real.

In court on Monday (18 August), Chew also described one of the achievements as a "scam".

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sun-ho-s-success-in-asia-a--scam---city-harvest-ex-treasurer-100943832.html

Singapore's non-oil domestic exports slip 3.3 per cent in July

French climber Alain Robert, also known as "Spiderman", scales the 165-metre (541-feet) high Singapore Flyer observation wheel in Singapore in this November 5, 2010 file photo. Singapore reported a surprise fall in November non-oil domestic exports, indicating the strong recovery in October's electronics shipments was a Christmas blip while raising deep concerns about the city-state's pharmaceutical sector. Trade agency International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore) said on December 17, 2013 non-oil domestic exports fell 8.8 percent in November from a year ago, surprising economists whose median estimate was for a rise of 4.3 percent. REUTERS/Tim Chong/Files (SINGAPORE - Tags: SOCIETY CITYSCAPE BUSINESS)French climber Alain Robert, also known as "Spiderman", scales the 165-metre (541-feet) high Singapore …

Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) continued to contract in July, as the manufacturing sector continues to underform and struggle amidst restructuring and stricter foreign worker policies.

Non-oil re-exports, which is a good gauge of wholesale trade services, also reverted to a contraction.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/no-turnaround-sight-non-oil-041400488.html

OCBC Bank to raise $2.7 billion in rights issue

Office workers walk past an Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) branch in Singapore's financial district August 5, 2014. OCBC, Singapore's second-biggest lender, on Tuesday posted a 54 percent rise in quarterly profit, beating expectations thanks to brisk loan growth and a strong performance from its insurance unit. OCBC, which last week boosted its China exposure by gaining over 90 percent control of Hong Kong-lender Wing Hang Ltd , said it expected to take advantage of growing investment and trade flows between Greater China and Southeast Asia. REUTERS/Edgar Su (SINGAPORE - Tags: BUSINESS)Office workers walk past an Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) branch in Singapore's financial district August …

Singapore's Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) said Monday it plans to raise S$3.37 billion ($2.70 billion) in a rights issue to boost its balance sheet following its takeover of Hong Kong's Wing Hang Bank.

OCBC said in a statement it has received in-principle approval from the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd for its plan to issue 440.05 million new ordinary shares priced at S$7.65 each.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapores-ocbc-bank-raise-2-7-billion-rights-061653979--finance.html

Ebola health workers battle death, heat, rumours

In this photo taken on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014, a family sit near the body of their mother suspected of dying from the Ebola virus, as the father, right, tries to contact family members on his mobile phone, in Monrovia, Liberia. Liberian officials fear Ebola could soon spread through the capital's largest slum after residents raided a quarantine center for suspected patients and took items including blood-stained sheets and mattresses. The violence in the West Point slum occurred late Saturday and was led by residents angry that patients were brought from other parts of the capital to the holding center, Tolbert Nyenswah, assistant health minister, said Sunday. (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)In this photo taken on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014, a family sit near the body of their mother suspected of dying from …

Doctors and nurses fighting Ebola in West Africa are working 14-hour days, seven days a week, wearing head-to-toe gear in the heat of muddy clinics. Agonizing death is the norm. The hellish conditions aren't the only problem: Health workers struggle to convince patients they're trying to help them, not hurt them.

Rumors are rife that Western aid workers are importing Ebola, stealing bodies or even deliberately infecting patients. Winning trust is made harder by a full suit of hood, goggles, mask and gown that hides their faces.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ebola-health-workers-battle-death-heat-rumors-065519140.html

Assange says will leave Ecuador embassy in London 'soon'

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (R) speaks as Ecuador's Foreign Affairs Minister Ricardo Patino listens, during a news conference at the Ecuadorian embassy in central London August 18, 2014. REUTERS/John Stillwell/poolWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (R) speaks as Ecuador's Foreign Affairs Minister Ricardo Patino listens, during …

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Monday he would "soon" leave Ecuador's embassy in London, where he has sought asylum for over two years.

He told a press conference he "will be leaving the embassy soon" but not for reasons "reported by the Murdoch press", without elaborating further.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/assange-says-leave-ecuador-embassy-london-soon-090646073.html


https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/monday--sgroundup--sun-ho-s-success-in-asia-a--scam---city-harvest-ex-treasurer-101834020.html

Minggu, 17 Agustus 2014

Singaporeans react to various aspects of National Day Rally

By Jeanette Tan | Yahoo Newsroom – 
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singaporeans-react-to-various-aspects-of-national-day-rally-153359303.html