Riots in Little India inexcusable: Singapore PM

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has described the December 8 outbreak of violence by the South Asian foreign workers here as inexcusable, but he assured that Singapore will treat its guest workers fairly as long as they abide by the city state's laws.

'We will continue to treat foreign workers fairly, but we expect them to obey our laws and social norms,' said Mr. Lee on Tuesday night in his New Year message.

'The riot in Little India was inexcusable. We have taken firm action against the culprits. Several have been charged, others warned and repatriated, and still others advised to abide strictly by our laws,' he said.

'The Committee of Inquiry (COI) will establish how the riot happened, and how we can prevent such incidents in future. The riot reminds us that we can never take good order, peace and stability for granted,' said Mr. Lee.

The Committee of Inquiry (COI) was set up after the riots in Singapore which was the worst outbreak of violence in over 40 years.

During his speech Mr. Lee also underlined the importance of foreign workers to Singapore.

'We are taking a balanced approach, reducing but not cutting off the inflow of foreign workers. This is why (Singapore) companies are finding it harder to hire the workers they need, especially SMEs (the small and medium enterprises)', Mr. Lee said.

'We are helping companies adapt by exploiting technology and becoming more productive. At the same time, we are encouraging firms to develop their Singaporean workforce and adopt fair employment practises.

'But we still need foreign workers to keep our economy running and to build critical infrastructure for Singaporeans,' added Mr. Lee.

Around 400 South Asian migrant workers were involved in the rampage in Little India on December 8, a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most South Asian workers take their Sunday break. An accident in which an Indian was killed triggered the riots.

25 Indians are facing court charges for rioting and 56 Indians and one Bangladeshi were deported. The Singapore government has also issued police warning to 200 other South Asian workers.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lee said Singapore economy grew by 3.7 per cent last year and he expected an economic growth of between 2 per cent and 4 per cent this year.

Singapore's first baby of 2014 born at the stroke of midnight

Singapore's first baby of 2014, a boy, was born at the stroke of midnight at Thomson Medical Centre. His name is Averett Sim.

'We chose the name because it stands for bravery and courage,' said his father Dr Adrian Sim, 35, a general practitioner at Healthway Medical Group.

At least 10 excited family members were gathered in the waiting room to welcome Averett into the world. 'The grandparents are very happy, especially my husband's parents because he is their first grandchild,' said mother Jacqueline Tan, 28, a housewife.

She said that they had expected Averett to be delivered at about 2 am but were surprised that he came early.

Singapore riot: Indian to seek judicial review on bail conditions

SINGAPORE: An Indian, part of 25 alleged rioters who participated in Singapore's worst outbreak of violence in over 40 years, plans to seek judicial review on the conditions that the authorities have imposed on him.

Arun Kaliamurthy, 28, was in Singapore on tourist social visit pass when the riot took place in Little India on December 8.

Kaliamurthy, currently out on bail, had last week asked the court to change the 'unilateral decision' of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) - to report to them on a daily basis to get his special pass - to a weekly one, in line with court-ordered bail conditions.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor John Lu today told the court that as Controller of Immigration, 'ICA has the power to impose whatever conditions they want when they issue an 'S' Pass'.

'That's an executive decision, and unfortunately this court has no power to review that decision,' said Lu.

Responding to Lu's statement, Kaliamurthy's lawyer M Ravi said that his client was being 'unequally treated', given that the other accused continue to enjoy the benefits of their work permits, and only he had his social visit pass cancelled.

Ravi indicated that he will seek a judicial review in the High Court on the matter, The Straits Times reported.

The case has been fixed for a pre-trial conference on January 29.

It was 'extremely oppressive and unreasonable' to be required to report to the ICA daily, Kaliamurthy said.

He is among 25 Indian nationals being charged for rioting in Little India, a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most South Asian workers take their Sunday break.

The trouble started after a private bus fatally knocked down an Indian pedestrian in Little India on December 8. Some 400 migrant workers were involved in the rampage that left 39 police and civil defence staff injured and 25 vehicles -- including 16 police cars -- damaged.

Singapore previously witnessed violence of such scale during race riots in 1969. 56 Indians and a Bangladeshi have been deported from Singapore for alleged involvement in the riot.

Singapore Leads Surge in Airport Construction Across Asia

SINGAPORE - Travelers passing through the gigantic Changi International Airport here rarely have to wait long for bags or boarding. Unlike many other airports in this fast-growing region, Singapore's airport can handle far more than the 53 million travelers that embarked and departed there this year.

And even if they are delayed, the airport environment is relaxed, efficient and, with such over-the-top amenities as a free movie theater, a butterfly garden and a children's play areas, even fun.

Despite all this, Singapore has big plans to expand the airport still further.

By the middle of the next decade, if all goes according to plan, Singapore's airport will have a third runway and two more terminals. The first new terminal, which is scheduled to open in 2017, will have a 300-meter-long, or 328-yard-long, shopping mall and greenery galore. A large bubble-shaped glass complex will sprout in a space between the existing terminals, providing extra space for travel facilities and still more shops, as well as gardens and a waterfall.

Singapore is unusually forward-looking in its approach to expanding what is a lifeline for its economy. But the city-state's ambitious plans are just the most extreme example of the huge surge in airport construction across Asia. Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Jakarta and Delhi are adding or expanding terminals. Hong Kong is planning an additional runway. Beijing is building an entirely new airport. All are racing to stay ahead of demand that seems only to soar.

Altogether, about $115 billion has been committed to airport construction and development across the Asia-Pacific region, according to estimates from the Centre for Aviation, a research firm based in Sydney, Australia. That is about 45 percent more than either North America or Europe is spending.

'There really is a lot going on - and there will be a lot more happening in the coming years,' said Angela Gittens, director general of the Airports Council International, a trade group for airports.

Airport authorities are reacting to the region's sharp rise in traffic in recent years.

Just seven years ago, airlines in the Asia-Pacific region carried 510 million people and flew 3,270 aircraft, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. Last year, 5,600 aircraft carried nearly 950 million passengers.

Beijing, whose airport 10 years ago was not even among the world's top 30, now has the second-busiest airport in the world, after Atlanta's.

The growth is unlikely to fizzle any time soon. The rising affluence among the region's four billion inhabitants and economic growth rates that, despite a slowdown in the last year or two, remain well above those seen in the United States and Europe will keep airports busy.

'You have a large population that is close to entering the middle class and that has an increasing propensity to fly,' Ms. Gittens said. 'It's sheer arithmetic; that's what's playing out.'

Visit any airport in Asia these days, and you will see a far different type of Asian traveler. The business travelers in suits are still there, but they are joined by Malaysian women in head scarves, Indonesian men wearing colorful batik shirts and Chinese, Indians or Thais heading into a weekend of shopping.

Asians travel only one-tenth as much as people in Western Europe or the United States, said Corrine Png, head of Asia transportation research at JPMorgan Chase, based in Singapore. Ms. Png forecasts that air traffic in the Asia-Pacific region will grow 6 to 7 percent a year for the next three to five years. Beyond that, the expansion is likely to moderate as the market begins to mature, to about 5 percent annually. But even that is well above the 2 percent seen in the United States and the 3.5 percent in Europe.

Low-priced airlines, modeled on Southwest Airlines in the United States and EasyJet in Europe, have mushroomed in Asia, spurring air travel. Carriers like Cebu Pacific in the Philippines, Lion Air in Indonesia, VietJet Air in Vietnam, and AirAsia, which has headquarters in Malaysia and operates several subsidiaries elsewhere, now carry about one-quarter of air travelers in the region and fly to dozens of destinations that few Westerners will ever have heard of.

The travel rush has generated congestion at many Asian airports, as airlines vie not just for passengers but also for landing slots, aircraft engineers, baggage handlers and check-in clerks. Unlike in Europe, where 45 percent of the routes are served by just one or two airlines, three-quarters of the routes in the region are served by at least three airlines, and more than a quarter are served by at least five, said Andrew Herdman, the director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

A result, said Ms. Png, the JPMorgan analyst, is that 'air traffic has surpassed what planners originally anticipated. There are severe bottlenecks in some places.'

The airport in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, is one of the most stressed. It handled nearly 58 million air passengers last year, 36 million more than it was built for. With air passenger numbers in Indonesia growing at more than 10 percent a year, even the work being done now to lift capacity to 62 million by 2015 is unlikely to suffice for long, airline executives warn.

Garuda Indonesia, one of the country's largest carriers, for example, needs to move six to eight aircraft to its hangars every day, because there are not enough bridges to leave the planes parked at the gates, said Emirsyah Satar, the airline's chief executive. Several other Indonesian airports, including Surabaya and Makassar, are also getting full, Mr. Satar said.

The strain may start to abate in a few years because the region's carriers, after several years of aggressive expansion of their fleets, will not be taking as many deliveries of new planes.

But any predicted slowing is of little concern to Singapore. Once its current expansion burst is complete, in 2025, the city's airport will be able to handle 135 million passengers a year - about 40 percent more than the number of people who traveled through Atlanta last year.

The final terminal to be built will alone provide room for an extra 50 million travelers - effectively adding, in one go, the equivalent of New York's Kennedy Airport or Schiphol in Amsterdam.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: December 30, 2013

An earlier version of this article misstated the population of China. China has about 1.3 billion people, not four billion, which is roughly the population of Asia as a whole.

Singapore Leads Pack as Cities Prepare for an Influx of Fliers

SINGAPORE - Travelers passing through the gigantic Changi International Airport here rarely have to wait long for bags or boarding. Unlike many other airports in this fast-growing region, Singapore's airport can handle far more than the 53 million travelers that embarked and departed there this year.

And even if they are delayed, the airport environment is relaxed, efficient and, with such over-the-top amenities as a free movie theater, a butterfly garden and a children's play areas, even fun.

Despite all this, Singapore has big plans to expand the airport still further.

By the middle of the next decade, if all goes according to plan, Singapore's airport will have a third runway and two more terminals. The first new terminal, which is scheduled to open in 2017, will have a 300-meter-long, or 328-yard-long, shopping mall and greenery galore. A large bubble-shaped glass complex will sprout in a space between the existing terminals, providing extra space for travel facilities and still more shops, as well as gardens and a waterfall.

Singapore is unusually forward-looking in its approach to expanding what is a lifeline for its economy. But the city-state's ambitious plans are just the most extreme example of the huge surge in airport construction across Asia. Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Jakarta and Delhi are adding or expanding terminals. Hong Kong is planning an additional runway. Beijing is building an entirely new airport. All are racing to stay ahead of demand that seems only to soar.

Altogether, about $115 billion has been committed to airport construction and development across the Asia-Pacific region, according to estimates from the Centre for Aviation, a research firm based in Sydney, Australia. That is about 45 percent more than either North America or Europe is spending.

'There really is a lot going on - and there will be a lot more happening in the coming years,' said Angela Gittens, director general of the Airports Council International, a trade group for airports.

Airport authorities are reacting to the region's sharp rise in traffic in recent years.

Just seven years ago, airlines in the Asia-Pacific region carried 510 million people and flew 3,270 aircraft, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. Last year, 5,600 aircraft carried nearly 950 million passengers.

Beijing, whose airport 10 years ago was not even among the world's top 30, now has the second-busiest airport in the world, after Atlanta's.

The growth is unlikely to fizzle any time soon. The rising affluence among the region's four billion inhabitants and economic growth rates that, despite a slowdown in the last year or two, remain well above those seen in the United States and Europe will keep airports busy.

'You have a large population that is close to entering the middle class and that has an increasing propensity to fly,' Ms. Gittens said. 'It's sheer arithmetic; that's what's playing out.'

Visit any airport in Asia these days, and you will see a far different type of Asian traveler. The business travelers in suits are still there, but they are joined by Malaysian women in head scarves, Indonesian men wearing colorful batik shirts and Chinese, Indians or Thais heading into a weekend of shopping.

Asians travel only one-tenth as much as people in Western Europe or the United States, said Corrine Png, head of Asia transportation research at JPMorgan Chase, based in Singapore. Ms. Png forecasts that air traffic in the Asia-Pacific region will grow 6 to 7 percent a year for the next three to five years. Beyond that, the expansion is likely to moderate as the market begins to mature, to about 5 percent annually. But even that is well above the 2 percent seen in the United States and the 3.5 percent in Europe.

Low-priced airlines, modeled on Southwest Airlines in the United States and EasyJet in Europe, have mushroomed in Asia, spurring air travel. Carriers like Cebu Pacific in the Philippines, Lion Air in Indonesia, VietJet Air in Vietnam, and AirAsia, which has headquarters in Malaysia and operates several subsidiaries elsewhere, now carry about one-quarter of air travelers in the region and fly to dozens of destinations that few Westerners will ever have heard of.

The travel rush has generated congestion at many Asian airports, as airlines vie not just for passengers but also for landing slots, aircraft engineers, baggage handlers and check-in clerks. Unlike in Europe, where 45 percent of the routes are served by just one or two airlines, three-quarters of the routes in the region are served by at least three airlines, and more than a quarter are served by at least five, said Andrew Herdman, the director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

A result, said Ms. Png, the JPMorgan analyst, is that 'air traffic has surpassed what planners originally anticipated. There are severe bottlenecks in some places.'

The airport in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, is one of the most stressed. It handled nearly 58 million air passengers last year, 36 million more than it was built for. With air passenger numbers in Indonesia growing at more than 10 percent a year, even the work being done now to lift capacity to 62 million by 2015 is unlikely to suffice for long, airline executives warn.

Garuda Indonesia, one of the country's largest carriers, for example, needs to move six to eight aircraft to its hangars every day, because there are not enough bridges to leave the planes parked at the gates, said Emirsyah Satar, the airline's chief executive. Several other Indonesian airports, including Surabaya and Makassar, are also getting full, Mr. Satar said.

The strain may start to abate in a few years because the region's carriers, after several years of aggressive expansion of their fleets, will not be taking as many deliveries of new planes.

But any predicted slowing is of little concern to Singapore. Once its current expansion burst is complete, in 2025, the city's airport will be able to handle 135 million passengers a year - about 40 percent more than the number of people who traveled through Atlanta last year.

The final terminal to be built will alone provide room for an extra 50 million travelers - effectively adding, in one go, the equivalent of New York's Kennedy Airport or Schiphol in Amsterdam.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: December 30, 2013

An earlier version of this article misstated the population of China. China has about 1.3 billion people, not four billion, which is roughly the population of Asia as a whole.

US audits Singapore institute over spy claims

Singapore: Singapore on December 30 said that US officials invited to inspect the work of a local research institute allegedly linked to a Chinese telecom firm which Washington suspects of espionage were 'satisfied' with the audit findings.

The state-linked Institute of Microelectronics (IME) was first thrust into the spotlight in February when the London-based Financial Times cast doubt on the apparent suicide of one of its former researchers - US electronics engineer Shane Todd, who was found hanged in his Singapore flat in June 2012.

It said his family suspected he was murdered because of his work on a joint IME project with Huawei Technologies involving gallium nitride, a semiconductor material with military and commercial applications.

Singapore's foreign ministry said in a statement today that US officials had completed a 'process audit' at the IME, after being invited to do so following allegations it was involved in an improper transfer of technology with Huawei.

'The US officials who came for the audit were satisfied with the audit,' the ministry said in the short statement.

Huawei - accused by US officials of involvement in espionage - and IME said they had only held preliminary talks on a potential project with commercial applications, but had not gone further.

A state coroner subsequently ruled in July that 31-year- old Todd committed suicide during a bout of depression, debunking his family's conspiracy theory.

The family attended the coroner's inquest in May but angrily walked out after six days and flew home, saying they had 'lost faith' in the proceedings.

The US government said in July the two-week enquiry was 'comprehensive, fair and transparent'.

The foreign ministry said the audit had been offered to US officials by IME on a 'voluntary basis'.

It said the offer had been conveyed to Secretary of State John Kerry by Foreign Minister K Shanmugam during a visit to Washington in March.

The offer was made 'in the spirit of cooperation and openness to satisfy the US that allegations of illegal transfers of US technology from IME to the Chinese company Huawei were completely untrue and without basis', the ministry said.

Singapore is a longstanding military partner of the United States. The US military operates a post in the city-state that assists in logistics and exercises for its forces in Southeast Asia.

Story First Published:

Road closures for Marina Bay Singapore Countdown on New Year's Eve

Police, auxiliary police and security officers will be deployed for crowd and traffic control duties at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2014.

Bags and personal items may be checked, and the public should cooperate and follow the instructions of officers, said the police.

They are also reminded to stay vigilant against crime, such as molestation or theft.

There will be full or partial road closures between 6pm and 2am the following day.

Train services

TRAIN services will be extended, while some bus routes will be changed.

On the Downtown Line, the last train towards Bugis station will leave Chinatown station at 2.13am on New Year's Day. The last train towards Chinatown station will leave Bugis station at 2.14am. On the Circle Line, the last trains towards HarbourFront and Dhoby Ghaut stations will leave their terminals at 1.38am. On the East-West and North-South lines, the last trains towards Joo Koon, Pasir Ris and Jurong East stations will leave City Hall station at 2.15am, while the last train towards Marina Bay station will leave City Hall station at 2.01am. Bus services

DUE to road closures for the Marina Bay Countdown, eight SMRT bus services - 75, 77, 106, 167, 171, 700A, 857 and 960 - will bypass some stops in the Marina Bay area from 11pm to 1am.

Sixteen SBS Transit bus services - 10, 36, 56, 57, 70M, 97, 100, 111, 130, 131, 133, 162M, 195, 196, 502 and 518 - will be similarly diverted.

110 hotspots around Asia causes drop in Singapore's air quality

Singapore - A total of 110 hotspots detected around Asia has caused a deterioration in Singapore's air quality, the National Environmental Agency said in an update to the media on Monday.

The 24-hr PSI at 6pm today remains in the 'Good' range, hovering at 44 to 49, while the 3-hr PSI stands at 38.

NEA added that the PM2.5 is the range of 25 to 30μg/m3.

Northern ASEAN and parts of East Asia have been experiencing dry weather conditions over the past several weeks, contributing to the increase in hotspots.

Winds blowing from the north or northeast are pushing the dust particles and haze towards Singapore.

In a Facebook update on Monday, Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said that the latest haze is 'a reminder that we can never take the environment for granted.'

NEA has forecasted showers over Singapore for the next few days, and expects the air quality to improve and remain in the 'Good' range.

For weather updates from AsiaOne, click here: grongloh@sph.com.sg

Show Luo to perform in Singapore in May

Published on Dec 29, 2013 5:28 PM

Fans of Taiwanese singer Show Luo rejoice. The Dancing King of Asia will be performing here in May next year.

However, they should not expect him to do as other Asian performers do and take off his shirt during the concert.

The 34-year-old says: 'I'm holding a concert, not a striptease. I'll hold a separate striptease showcase, but it'll only be two minutes long. There will be no refunds.'

He was speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon to promote his 10th album Lion Roar. It is the first album which includes songs that he wrote himself.

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Singapore riot: Four Indians face fresh charges

Singapore: Fresh charges were today slapped on four Indians, part of 25 alleged rioters who participated in Singapore's worst outbreak of violence in over 40 years.

Earlier, all 25 Indians faced one rioting charge each, punishable by up to seven years in prison and caning.

But, additional charges were filed against Chinnappa Prabakaran, 23, for instigating a group of Indians to set fire to an ambulance while Bose Prabakar, 29, was accused of assaulting an auxiliary police officer by kicking him.

Moorthy Kabildev, 24, also faced an additional charge of punching a woman coordinator of the bus which ran over 33-year-old Indian pedestrian Sakthivel Kumaravelu.

Arumugam Karthik, 24, now faces two new charges: one of setting fire to a police car with one other person; and another of throwing pieces of concrete and flipping over a police car with some others.

The prosecution is looking to revoke their bail, or increase their bail amount to 40,000-60,000 Singapore dollars, The Straits Times reported.

Since the court offered bail to all 25 accused on Tuesday after submitting sureties of 20,000 Singapore dollars, only two are out on bail, Channel News Asia reported.

Chinnathambi Malesan, 22, was today released on bail besides Arun Kaliamurthy, a 28-year-old tourist in Singapore on a social visit pass.

The court allowed Malesan's employer to post bail, even though his employer is a Malaysian of Chinese-origin.

Meanwhile, one of the accused, 32-year-old Chinnappa Vijayaragunatha Poopathi, has indicated to the court that he might plead guilty, Channel News Asia reported.

The cases of 24 accused would be mentioned again on January 29 while Kaliamurthy's case would be heard on December 30.

Fifty-six Indians and a Bangladeshi have been deported from Singapore for alleged involvement in the riot in Little India, a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most South Asian workers take their Sunday break.

The trouble started after a private bus fatally knocked down Kumaravelu in Little India on December 8. Some 400 migrant workers were involved in the rampage that left 39 police and civil defence staff injured and 25 vehicles - including 16 police cars - damaged.

Singapore previously witnessed violence of such scale during race riots in 1969.

Singapore authorities will implement new traffic arrangements in Little India on Sunday to smoothen operations for private bus services plying in the Little India area and 'facilitate safe passenger activities along the road', The Straits Times reported.

Western Digital's HGST cuts 500 Singapore jobs, shifts production to Thailand

Summary: The hard drive maker will be moving production work to Thailand to take advantage of lower costs, and downsize Singapore's operations to focus on engineering, and research and development.

Western Digital has retrenched nearly 500 Singapore employees at its enterprise hard drive subsidiary HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies), in a bid to enhance cost competitiveness.

Western Digital's HGST cuts 500 Singapore jobs, production to Thailand.

The Singapore facility currently supports about 40 percent of HGST's perfomance enterprise hard drive volume production, which will now be mostly shifted to its Thailand plant in Prachinburi province to 'take advantage of cost competitiveness', said HGST in a note to staff.

The move is part of a 'facility transformation' where Singapore operations will be repositioned from a mass volume manufacturing site to a Pilot Production, Engineering and Shared Service Center, according to HGST. The Singapore Pilot Production lines will receive new hard drive disk or solid state disk products for further development, quality assurance and testing before passing them on to Thailand for larger scale manufacturing.

HGST presence in Singapore goes back to 1994, when the entity was first a part of IBM Singapore's Storage Systems Division before its merger with Hitachi in 2003.

In 2011, Western Digital acquired HGST in a cash and stock deal valued at US$4.3 billion in a move to strengthen its foothold in the enterprise market. Corporate restructuring and operating expense cuts have since been on the cards, with Hitachi itself struggling with restructuring.

For Valencia, Help May Come via Singapore

LONDON - Before Spanish soccer began its annual holiday break this week, the big (and leading) teams of Barcelona, Atletico and Real Madrid all dug in to win tumultuous contests in La Liga.

Barça's was the great escape of the season. The Catalan giant was rocking in Getafe. It was two goals down Sunday inside a quarter of an hour, and it had no Messi or Neymar to conjure up goals, no Xavi to control the midfield and no Puyol or Victor Valdés to steady the defense.

No stars, no problem. The solution lay, as it so often does, with products of Barcelona's academy. First Pedro stepped up to strike three goals in nine minutes, goals comparable to many that Lionel Messi has fired in the past. Then Cesc Fàbregas scored twice, both with input from the irrepressible Pedro.

At 5-2, Barça called a truce and stopped punishing Getafe's temerity in exposing its defensive frailty. It will be interesting to see whether Barcelona, backed by money from Qatar and Nike, shops in January to buy some defensive backbone, because the rest of the team isn't doing badly.

It stands atop the league by virtue of having scored more goals than the second-place team. That, for the moment, is Atlético Madrid, whose greater defensive grit, together with 19 goals from Diego Costa, has allowed it to match Barcelona's record of 15 wins, one draw and one defeat so far.

Real Madrid? Five points off the pace, and perhaps distracted by Real's obsession with attempting to bring home the Champions League trophy for an unprecedented 10th time. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to accumulate goals, scoring 27 times in 19 league and cup matches this season.

Gareth Bale, not yet at peak fitness, has nine goals. Karim Benzema, Isco and Ángel Di Maria also contribute goals.

Nevertheless, Real had a bit of luck Sunday in winning, 3-2, at Valencia, where Ronaldo's goal should have been ruled offside.

But Valencia might reflect the true situation in Spanish soccer. It is mired in debt. It plays in a stadium that has long been considered unfit for modern times, yet it cannot afford to finish the new one that stands half-built nearby.

Such are its liabilities to the bank and to the autonomous Valencia regional authority that it has had to sell off its finest players. One by one, David Villa, David Silva, Jordi Alba and others have departed, and the fees barely cover the interest on debts that rise rather than fall each year.

Even the European Commission is pushing to outlaw government aid to Spanish clubs. The commission claims that seven clubs - including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia and the Basque clubs Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao - contravene European regulations by being propped up with regional government loans, bank guarantees or favorable taxation.

It seems the European Union is all for foreign investment pumped into top English clubs, but it wants to stop Spain's regional assistance to soccer.

And in that light, Valencia made an announcement before Sunday's game at the old Mestalla Stadium. The club president, Amadeo Salvo, told reporters that the Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim had made an offer that would wipe out the 300 million euros in debt it owes, inject immediate cash for the team to buy players in January and give €130 million, or about $175 million, to finish building the Nou Mestalla stadium.

Salvo said he and his fellow directors had trawled Asia and the Middle East trying to find a backer. The president stopped short - just - of suggesting that Valencia has found its Santa Claus in Singapore.

'Mr. Lim called us and came to Valencia to meet with the board, the vice president, and the foundation,' Salvo said, referring to the Valencia Foundation, which owns 70 percent of the club's shares.

'He promises,' Salvo continued, 'to get rid of the debt and build a competitive team by investing an important amount. Before we accept the offer, which is among the biggest two or three in the world of club football, we need to hear from the bank.'

Bankia, the club's main creditor, asked for four to six weeks to evaluate the bid. Lim, who is estimated to be worth about $1.6 billion, asked for a decision by Jan. 15.

His haste is soccer related. Lim bid in the past to buy Liverpool and showed interest in Glasgow Rangers, and he understands that Europe's soccer allows trading of top players only in the summer months or in the January window.

'Peter Lim's aim is to build a competitive team to fight for titles in Spain and Europe,' Salvo said to reporters in Spain on Sunday. 'He wants Valencia to play in the Champions League. It's a historic opportunity. It will solve all of Valencia's problems.'

The clock is ticking. The Singaporean, 60, said he was ready to commit between €30 million and €50 million for new players in the final two weeks of January if the takeover is finished by the middle of the month.

By then, the league will be back up and running after the Christmas and New Year break. Oh, and Valencia will have a new coach and new technical director responsible for hiring new players.

Valencia hired a Serbian coach, Miroslav Djukic, last June and fired him Dec. 16. Another short-term appointment. Another couple of million euros added to the debt once he is paid off. Another ramification in the downward spiral of a club that 10 years ago was the last outsider to break the hegemony of Barcelona and Real in the league.

The prospective new coach, Juan Antonio Pizzi, and the new technical director, Roberto Ayala - both Argentines who once played for Valencia - should be introduced later this week, once they agree to contracts.

Pizzi first has to extricate himself from his current employment. He had just managed San Lorenzo, the Buenos Aires team supported by Pope Francis, to win the Argentine league. There presumably is a buyout clause that will enable Pizzi, the former striker, to take his leave, and he was in Valencia on Sunday, watching, no doubt already aware of what awaits him in 2014.

Singapore Looks for Innovative, Affordable Transport Solutions

In Singapore, it's hard to find a taxi when you need it. Taxi fares are rising and waiting times are getting longer.

Residents have started looking for cheaper alternatives to get from one place to another. The newest one is Lompang - a social media app that connects passengers to riders. Each ride costs just five Singapore dollars ($4).

Three out of six taxis in Singapore are not available during peak hours, according to the Land Transport Authority. As if the long wait wasn't enough, fares are also on the rise.

Last week, SMRT, a company that operates underground trains, buses and taxis in Singapore, raised fares for some taxis by 30 percent.

The basic fare for taxis starts from S$3 ($2.40), but surcharges are added. There are additional charges for peak hours, driving into the city and taking a ride after midnight.

Residents are becoming frustrated by the daily commute to and from work.

'The MRT is extremely crowded during office hours,' says Asim Saeed, who works for a foreign bank in Singapore. 'Buses are too infrequent and booking a taxi always fails.'

As of this year, there are 27,516 taxis on the island state, catering to 5.4 million people. Other forms of transportation include underground trains and buses.

So why do taxis still fail to meet demand?

Statistics show that it's not a numbers issue. The problem lies in managing taxis. Taxis are doing fewer trips and changing shifts at the same time. Drivers are also choosy and refuse passengers going to certain locations.

Lompang, which became available on December 21st, helps people get to work on a scooter. People identify where they want to be picked up from and their destination using their handset's Global Positioning System (GPS). Then they check for and choose riders they want to hitch a ride with. Passengers get to rate their riding experience at the end of the journey.

Initially the app will only work for commuters in the Central Business District of Singapore, which is the most crowded area during peak hours. This will encourage people working for banks and financial institutions to hitch a ride during rush hours.

All rides, regardless of distance or traffic, have a fixed S$5 ($4) cost. For every ride, the driver gets S$4 ($3.20) and the rest is deducted as a service fee. The transactions are cashless and work on a credit system.

Lompang - derived from the Malay word tumpang, which means to piggyback - is the brainchild of Erfi Azhar, a student at the National University of Singapore, and his friend Aaron Fu, who works for a foreign bank.

The two men, who are in their twenties, told the Straits Times that their app is not for commercial purposes. The charge is to cover insurance and petrol costs.

Although Lompang is the first of its kind in Singapore, ride sharing apps have been making waves in the U.S. for a while. What sets Lompang apart from its U.S. counterparts is that it uses scooter sharing rather than car-pooling.

A popular one called Uber that lets you car pool is putting taxis out of business. In Los Angeles, 200 taxi drivers protested against the apps in June this year, labeling them as illegal.

Founders of Lompang held networking events before the launch to introduce drivers to passengers. They have also used social media to market their app and spread awareness.

However, not everyone is excited about ride sharing. Some people are uncomfortable about sharing a ride with a stranger. Others think that scooter rides won't work in a tropical country.

'I would prefer to car pool,' says Pia Anthony, who works as an Accounts Manager at Hewlett Packard in Singapore. 'It's either too hot or is raining, so a scooter ride doesn't seem like a practical option.'

Singapore lawyer applies to quash deportation of Indians

Singapore: Singapore's activist lawyer M Ravi has applied to the High Court to quash the deportation order of one of the 57 foreign workers sent home for their alleged involvement in the December 8 riot in the city-state.

Ravi is also asking for Rajendran Ranjan's work permit to be reinstated, so that the 22-year-old Indian can continue working in Singapore, The Straits Times reported today.

Ranjan had initially been accused of being part of a group of seven men who used a wooden stick, a dustbin and a metal drain cover to smash the windscreen of a private bus which had knocked down an Indian, leading to his death in Little India area in the city.

After the prosecution withdrew the charges, District Judge Lim Tse Haw ruled that the seven men had been given a discharge amounting to an acquittal.

Four of the men were later issued police warnings, before being deported last Friday.

Ravi said that he had written to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority twice last Friday, after his client was taken into custody for repatriation later that day.

He had stated his intention to file a judicial review challenging the deportation order, and had also requested access to his client.

However, Ranjan was not allowed to be briefed by a lawyer, and was still sent home despite having been acquitted, said Ravi.

The lawyer claimed this meant that his client was denied his right of appeal under Section 33(2) of the Immigration Act.

Singapore has deported 57 foreign workers, including 56 Indians, and warned some 200 others for rioting, the city state's worst street violence in 40 years.

Twenty-five Indian nationals would be charged in court this Friday for rioting.

Story First Published:

Singapore's GIC buys stake in London office complex, in deal worth over $3.5b

Published on Dec 24, 2013 3:02 PM

Singapore investment firm GIC is buying a multibillion dollar stake in a mega-office complex in London's main financial district, adding to its portfolio of prominent properties globally.

It is acquiring private equity firm Blackstone's 50 per cent interest in Broadgate, in a deal said to be worth over £1.7 billion (S$3.5 billion).

This transaction is believed to be GIC's largest-ever property foray in Europe, and is also its biggest-known investment this year, based on public announcements. Analysts said it is also one of Europe's biggest-ever office deals.

Broadgate is located near Liverpool Street station and is touted as a 'world-class' office complex with a cluster of 17 buildings, shops and restaurants. The development spans 4.7 million sq ft on 12ha of land.

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Why Singapore developers are heading overseas

Posted at 12/25/2013 8:26 AM | Updated as of 12/25/2013 11:46 AM

SINGAPORE - Singapore's mid-tier property developers are laying the first stones of their overseas business as domestic sales plunge, land prices climb, and foreign rivals bet high stakes on the city-state's long-term prosperity.

Hiap Hoe Ltd and Oxley Holdings Ltd followed sector leader CapitaLand Ltd this year by going abroad. At home, government action to slow the rise of record-high prices led to a 50 percent drop in third-quarter private home sales.

Official plans for a significant supply of new homes over the next decade make the price outlook even dimmer. Yet land prices have rallied, pushed up by foreign developers drawn by political and economic stability.

'The Singapore market is now very tough,' said Teo Ho Beng, Hiap Hoe's chief executive officer. 'Getting new land is a challenge, because there is so much competition.'

Hiap Hoe made its first foray abroad by buying three properties in Australia in the past four months. In coming years, most of its revenue will likely come from outside the island-state, Teo said.

Oxley Holdings bought property and invested in developers in Britain, Cambodia, China and Malaysia. Sim Lian Group Ltd added to its overseas portfolio by buying property in Australia.

SingHaiyi Group Ltd SIHL.SI, which earns 98 percent of revenue in Singapore, bought two properties in the United States this year and appointed Neil Bush, brother of former U.S. President George W. Bush, as non-executive chairman. The company shifted focus to Singapore two years ago in response to property-price cooling measures in its native Hong Kong.

CHALLENGED ON HOME TURF

Seventy-two developers participated in this year's nine private residential-use land auctions, including at least eight from abroad. That made 2013 the most competitive year since at least 2008 in terms of average number of bidders per auction, showed data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore.

Local developers outbid foreign rivals and their partners in five of the nine auctions, their lowest win ratio in at least five years.

Kingsford Development Pte Ltd, from China, bid at four of the auctions and won two. In one of the auctions it offered as much as 16 percent above the bid of the closest competitor, despite soft home sales at its maiden Singapore project on a site purchased last year.

'We have confidence in the Singapore market,' said Victor Yao, Kingsford's senior business development manager and architect. 'Singapore's government is very good at maintaining property market stability.'

Strong rule of law, a steady economic outlook and cultural similarity made Singapore ideal for Kingsford's first sally abroad, Yao said.

China's property market has been shaken in recent years by government measures to curb runaway prices, leaving developers wary of further intervention.

'The profit margins here aren't as good as in China, but the market is more stable,' Yao said.

The other two foreign winners were subsidiaries of Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd and Malaysia's Sunway Bhd.

GROWING LAND MASS

The URA's Private Residential Property Price Index has climbed over 30 percent since the end of 2009, rising 3.9 percent in July-September from a year earlier.

Sales, however, nearly halved to 2,430 units after the government in June curbed personal housing loans. That compared with 4,538 in April-June and 5,916 a year earlier, URA data showed.

'Developers are beginning to cut their prices in existing and new projects,' City Developments Ltd CTDM.SI said in its quarterly results.

Yet land prices have risen on an island smaller than New York City. Singapore has grown over 20 percent in the past 50 years and the government projects an extra 8 percent growth by 2030 to accommodate economic activity.

OVERSUPPLY

Every five years, the URA issues a land-use plan for the next 10 to 15 years. A draft last month showed land reserved for up to half a million mostly public homes, enough to house 2 million people. Public homes can be sold in the open market after varying years of occupancy.

This has exacerbated concern of oversupply as the government projects population growth of up to 1.6 million people, or 30 percent, to 6.9 million by 2030 from 2013.

The government regards current supply as 'adequate' while the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore said it supported the government's 'calibrated approach'. (Full Story) (Full Story)

'For the next five years, everyone is feeling concern whether our residential supply will be too much,' said Alice Tan, head of consultancy and research at Frank Knight.

Sponsored Links

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick visits MIT's SMART Centre in Singapore

On Dec. 16, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick visited the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT's largest international research endeavor, to discuss how Massachusetts, SMART, and Singapore can collaborate in the areas of transportation, Big Data, and energy and water management.

Patrick was joined in his visit to Singapore by Massachusetts' secretaries of transportation, of energy and environmental affairs, and of housing and economic development, as well as by other senior government officials and industry leaders.

'From life sciences and clean tech to water management and 'Big Data,' Massachusetts is working on many of the same innovations as Singapore,' Patrick said. 'We are connecting with innovators, inventors, and investors here to show that the doors of Massachusetts open to the world, and we have identified a number of fronts on which to collaborate.'

During his visit, Patrick saw innovative research projects carried out by MIT's Future Urban Mobility (FM) research group, including driverless vehicles, a congestion-aware routing system, and visualization of real-time data. FM is led by SMART lead investigator Professor Emilio Frazzoli from MIT's department of aeronautics and astronautics.

Patrick received an overview of SMART from outgoing director Rohan Abeyaratne, the Quentin Berg Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, as well as a presentation about FM from Daniela Rus, an MIT professor of computer science and engineering and a principal investigator at SMART.

Patrick had an up-close view of the Live Singapore platform, which collects and distributes visualization of real-time data from different sources in Singapore so as to facilitate the management of the city. He also had the opportunity to ride on a driverless golf cart, which seeks to resolve transportation challenges such as the 'first and last mile' problem.

Prior to this event, on Dec. 12, members of a Massachusetts delegation on water visited the SMART Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling, where they were introduced to projects on the management of water-distribution systems, dynamic water-quality monitoring, marine robotics, biomimetic aqua robots, and imaging in turbid water.

'The SMART research projects taking place in Singapore use the analytics and computing expertise of both regions to develop innovative solutions to major transportation challenges,' said Pamela Goldberg, CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. 'Exposure to the technologies created through the Future Urban Mobility project will help to better inform the commonwealth's ongoing dialogue about how 'Big Data' analytics play a role in improving our transportation future.'

Singapore's GIC buys 50 percent stake in London office complex

Singapore (AFP) - One of Singapore's sovereign wealth funds confirmed Tuesday it had acquired a 50 percent stake in a major City of London office complex from global investment giant Blackstone.

GIC Pte Ltd said in a statement the partial acquisition of the Broadgate complex, a cluster of 17 office buildings, shops and restaurants, includes a new 710,000 square feet (66,000-square-metre) office building which has been pre-let to Swiss banking behemoth UBS.

The remaining stake in the 30-acre(12-hectare) office complex as well as the upcoming 5 Broadgate building will be owned by property giant British Land.

GIC, previously known as the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, did not reveal the value of the deal. The Straits Times estimated it to be worth more than £1.7 billion ($2.79 billion).

GIC said the office complex, which has a total floor space of four million square feet, 'is well positioned to capitalise on the improving demand for prime office space in London as the UK economy recovers and the City maintains its prominence as a global financial centre'.

GIC, which manages more than $100 billion of Singapore's foreign reserves, said in August it was adopting a new investment approach which would give it the ability to take short-term risks in order to achieve better long-term gains.

GIC is one of two Singapore sovereign wealth funds, the other one being Temasek Holdings.

The net investment returns from GIC, the central bank, and Temasek account for about 15 percent of the total government budget in Singapore.

Singapore Government Decides Not to Interfere With Bitcoin

for Tech in Asia

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country's central bank, has decided not to intervene on whether businesses can accept Bitcoin as a means of transacting goods and services.

'Whether or not businesses accept bitcoins in exchange for their goods and services is a commercial decision in which MAS does not intervene,' it told Singapore-based Bitcoin trading platform Coin Republic in an email.

The Singapore government has long maintained that the MAS does not regulate virtual currencies, so this latest statement is consistent with its stand. Depending on who you ask, this could be good or bad, since some Bitcoin proponents argue that the right regulations could give the currency legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

The last time MAS issued a statement on Bitcoin was in September, when it warned speculators about the risks of trading the cryptocurrency.

'If bitcoin ceases to operate, there may not be an identifiable party responsible for refunding their monies or for them to seek recourse,' said a spokesperson.

MAS' announcement follows China's recent crackdown on Bitcoin and revelations that BTC China, the world's largest Bitcoin exchange by transaction volume, has ceased trading in RMB. These developments have sent prices tumbling down to below $500 before recovering to above $600. However, some observers believe that the resilience is an indication that Bitcoin is no flash in the pan.

Countries around the world have reacted to Bitcoin in a variety of ways. According to David Moskowitz, founder of Coin Republic, Germany is very open to Bitcoin and has ruled that the currency is private money, Norway has deemed it not a currency but taxable, while the United Kingdom has chosen not to regulate it although tax rules apply (that policy might be reversed however).

Meanwhile, Japan is also leaving it unregulated, Canada maintains a low regulatory environment and open posture, and the United States is open to the currency but has issued exchange and tax guidance and wants strict regulations in place.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

This article originally published at Tech in Asia here

Tech in Asia brings Asia tech and startup news to the world.

COMMENT: What it truly means to win for Singapore

Singapore's winning table tennis teams at the SEA Games. The only homegrown Singaporeans, Isabelle Li (bottom left) ...

COMMENT'The impenetrable great wall of Singapore'.

So read the headline of an article in the Myanmar press last Thursday, after Singapore swept all the table tennis team gold medals on offer at the Southeast Asian Games.

And it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

While the story never elaborated on its subtle but snarky headline, the insinuation was obvious.

Singapore's gold medal-winning men's and women's teams comprised entirely of China-born paddlers and we had, once again, 'bought' our achievements through the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme (FST).

But rewind to just a few days earlier, and you will find no such snide remarks over two gold medal wins in particular.Rower Saiyidah Aisyah won gold in the lightweight single sculls. Her achievement is unique in the sense that she ...

Last Monday, Singapore crowned its first SEA Games men's marathon champion, Mok Ying Ren. A day later, Saiyidah Aisyah rose above the odds to clinch Singapore's first individual rowing gold at the Games.

In each instance, the celebrations in Singapore were immediate and suddenly, midway through, the Games finally caught fire for those watching back at home.

Singapore was unanimous and united in its applause for Mok and Aisyah - made all the more vociferous because they were 'true-blue Singaporeans'.

Mok took to Facebook after his win, saying: 'It has been an honour representing all of you in Singapore. It was surreal to watch the national flag raised and national anthem played... Thank you.'

The post garnered over 2,000 likes, and Facebook user Ricky Chee best summed up general online sentiment when he replied: 'It's a real medal won by a true blue Singaporean, not foreign imports. That's what makes us proud!'

Singapore's Mok Ying Ren, jubilant after winning SEA Games marathon gold. (Singapore Sports Council Photo)

Inspiring

The massive outpouring of emotion had much to do with the adversity faced by each athlete.

Mok, 25, was nursing a cough and a strained thigh on the day of his race, on top of arriving in Myanmar just a day earlier because of his National Service commitments.

And as Singapore's only competitive female rower, Aisyah, 25, has walked a lonely road, funding her own training and competition expenses for most of her ten-year career.

Hers was a tale that even Minister Teo Ser Luck recognised in a Facebook post: 'Saiyidah Aisyah is an inspiring role model. She did it on her own for the love of rowing. She didn't give up. She has to juggle training and competition with a full-time job and the challenge of getting support... We should support her and the sport of rowing!'

On Yahoo Singapore, the most replied to comment on Aisyah's stunning gold medal charge was by user 'Nancy Drew', who said: 'She is an excellent example of what it means to be a true Singaporean! To pay your own expenses, conduct your own training, sacrifice your own time, and win gold for the glory of Singapore, that is the Singaporean way!'

There it is again: reference to a 'true' Singaporean victory.

Singapore's Saiyidah Aisyah celebrates her historic gold medal in rowing at the SEA Games. (Singapore Sports Council ...

Pride

Now think back to the last major sporting tournament where Singapore won something: Feng Tianwei's table tennis bronze at the 2012 Olympics in London.

It was no small feat, being our first individual Olympic podium finish in over half a century, but - to quote the Yahoo comment piece then - for too many, the win meant nothing.

Thousands flocked to the Web, dismissing the Chinese import's achievement as not belonging to Singapore.

Hold that up against the reaction to Mok and Aisyah's golds - even though the SEA Games present a far, far lower level of competition - and the contrast is stark for all to see.

'I'm swelling with pride over the grit and determination of a fellow child of Singapore... It puts to bed the shame I felt when the ping pong foreigners won medals at the Olympics!' said Facebook user YanHou Cedric in a comment on the

Nation-building

It is at times like these the entire point of the foreign talent scheme must be questioned - perhaps even abandoned and dismantled.

Because instead of rallying the people like sports should, a win by a non-'true-blue' Singaporean has so far served only to divide the nation, and even foster a loss of faith in the sport itself.

As always, none of this is any individual's fault: all athletes, regardless of nationality, deserve respect for their toil. Rather, it is the National Sports Associations that should take responsibility - at least according to Annabel Pennefather, Singapore's Chef de Mission for this year's SEA Games.

She suggested that the successful integration of foreign talents into Singapore society was heavily dependent on how NSAs implement the FST.

'When I had my hockey women from China, they became so Singaporean and they behaved just like our girls,' said the 63-year-old ex-national hockey captain.

'They took English names, I had a Holly and an Anne (Qi Hui, now a national marathoner), if you listen to her now you wouldn't think she was an FT,' Pennefather added.

Silver lining

While maintaining she was 'against those (foreign talents) who buy in and 'fly by night',' Pennefather also noted that homegrown stars like Mok and Aisyah would not have emerged if not for the region's biggest sports meet.

'The SEA Games are important, because there are a bigger number of our own athletes who get a chance to participate, and people feel much closer (to them),' said the lawyer.

'Foreign talent only comes in when it's on the very highest level, (which is) beyond the reach of the bulk of (athletes).'

Still, one feels that no matter the level, sport, colour or creed, the average man on the street will be proud of a standout Singaporean victory in sport - so long as it belongs to a born-and-bred fellow countryman.

The hugely negative sentiment online over Feng's bronze last year was already staggering and divisive in nature. But imagine how quickly this seething mass of opinion can be just as moved to unify and celebrate a win for Singapore on its own terms.

If there is to be one big takeaway from the 11-day Games that just ended, it is this: the best way to build our young nation through sports is to focus on and fund the present and future home-grown athletes of Singapore.

With the next SEA Games on home ground and barely 18 months away, the powers-that-be must surely appreciate and act on that simple fact.

And also because headlines like 'the impenetrable durian of Singapore'-no matter how cheesy - would be made sweeter any time, any day and at any level.

Recap the highlights of the 2013 SEA Games here on Yahoo Sports

Singapore awaits for a song

The West Australian

Scoot Airlines has a Boxing Day sale with fares from Perth to Singapore for just $99 including taxes and charges.

The sale starts at 9am on Thursday and finishes at midnight on January 1.

If you want to travel in comfort, Scootbiz costs $299 from Perth to Singapore.

Travel is from January 15 to October 25 and blackout periods may apply over school holidays. There are also special fares to other destinations.

The airline operates to destinations including Bangkok, Taipei, Tokyo, Tianjin, Shenyang, Nanjing, Qingdao, Seoul and Hong Kong.

Scoot's flights to Singapore leave Perth at 7.30pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Return flights leave Singapore at 12.50pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Prosperous Singapore Struggling To Provide Affordable Healthcare

Singapore, whose per-capita GDP exceeds that of the US and Germany, wants to provide affordable healthcare to its citizens.

Earlier in the month, the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) promised to improve living standards for everybody, create quality jobs, and provide affordable medical care to those living on the fringes of society.

The PAP resolution comes amid concerns that a number of poor people are increasingly finding it difficult to pay for healthcare in the world's sixth most expensive city.

Singapore, home to 5.4 million people, has more millionaires per capita than any other nation.

The city-state runs a compulsory savings scheme, matched by employer contributions, for retirement and healthcare through its Central Provident Fund (CPF). Private insurance is also available.

However a Mindshare survey last year found that 72% of all Singaporeans felt they 'cannot afford to get sick due to high medical costs.'

Peter, a 54-year-old shopping mall security guard is part of Singapore's unseen problem.

He is worried he cannot afford to treat his glaucoma, an ailment that could damage sight, in spite of being eligible for subsidised surgery and other state benefits.

While treatment costs over S$4,000 (£1,932, €2311, $3161), the condition allows him to take a maximum of S$1,700 from his healthcare savings, reported Reuters.

'We have no savings,' he told the news agency, describing how he had borrowed S$20,000 from 18 moneylenders to treat his wife's ankle fracture two years ago.

Poverty Rising

CPF data shows the proportion of Singaporeans taking home less than half the median income - an international benchmark for calculating the number of poor people -- jumped to 26% in 2011 from 16% in 2002.

The country paid for less than a third of all healthcare expenses between 2002 and 2011.

By comparison, the average healthcare payout for developed countries in the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) during the same period was between 60-70%.

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Singaporean student second victim of gyrocopter crash

Reg Thaggard, gyocopter pilot, was killed when his plane crashed in the Kinglake National Park. Photo: Facebook

An 18-year-old Singaporean student was the second person killed in a gyrocopter crash in Kinglake National Park on Saturday evening, along with 51-year-old Croydon pilot Reg Thaggard.

Mr Thaggard, founder of Yarra Valley Microlights and Yarra Valley Flightsports, was well regarded as an expert pilot of microlight aircraft. The teenager is believed to have been his passenger.

Yarra Valley Conference Centre general manager Louise Ward said Mr Thaggard was a 'very accomplished pilot' and that 'it was a very unusual thing to have happened ... I mean, I would send my kids flying with him'.

Ms Ward said Mr Thaggard, a married father of three, would often rent space at the centre and take off from there.

A Facebook post shows a beaming Mr Thaggard holding up his pilot licence with an 'unrestricted gyrocopter instructor rating'.

Southern Microlight Club president Chris Bullen said he could not imagine there was 'any pilot error at all' in the crash, due to Mr Thaggard's expertise as a pilot.

'It was obviously something mechanical, but we'll just have to wait and see what the investigators have to say,' Mr Bullen told Fairfax Media.

Mr Thaggard, who had been flying microlights for more than 15 years, was a club member for about six years.

'Apart from being an excellent club member and a bit of a mentor to people in the club as far as flying was concerned, he was just an all-round nice guy who would help anybody, and bend over backwards to help,' Mr Bullen said.

Mr Bullen said a gyrocopter had blades like a helicopter, but they were not powered. 'What makes them spin is the motor behind you that's pushing you along, and that's what makes them spin and gives you a lift.'

Acting Senior Sergeant Colin Anderson said police were called to the scene of the crash at 7.20pm on Saturday.

Because the crash happened in a remote and densely vegetated area, police would need SES crews to help retrieve the bodies.

'It's a tragedy for all concerned,' he said.

Police have launched an investigation into the crash, and will prepare a report for the Coroner. Aviation experts will also view the crash site.

There have been at least two other crashes involving gyrocopters in Australia this year. In September, a gyrocopter was hit by a wallaby during takeoff in Townsville and crashed into a fence. The aircraft was significantly damaged but the pilot escaped unharmed. In another Queensland incident, a 30-year-old pilot was left fighting for his life after his gyrocopter clipped power lines and crashed into a field.

Two people were killed in January 2012 near Seymour in Victoria when their gyrocopter crashed on landing. In June 2012 a 71-year-old man pulled himself out of his sinking gyrocopter after it crashed onto a muddy Phillip Island beach.

A look back at Singapore in the 1980s

SINGAPORE - Remember when soft drinks were sold in glass bottles and buses came without air conditioning? This video will remind you.

Shot in 1987 by a family of tourists, the video shows just how things have changed here in Singapore.

From the bumboats with painted eyes to the Singapore River clean up campaign, the video is full of little details only a child of the 80s will pick up.

Take a trip down memory lane and see just how many little differences you can spot in the video.

Visit STOMP for more stories.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:

Singapore Philatelic Museum, National Museum Of Singapore, Public Utilities Board, National Archives Of Singapore, National Library Board, National Parks Board, Housing And Development Board, The Straits Times

Singapore Website Goes Offline Due to Licensing Woes

Singapore adopts a so-called light touch approach to regulating online activity, which means only 'minimum standards are set for the responsible use of the Internet.' But for media freedom advocates, this framework is no different from the policies of other countries that practice outright Internet censorship. The case of socio-political website Breakfast Network, which has recently gone offline, illustrates how media control is exercised in Singapore.

The Breakfast Network, founded by former journalist Bertha Henson, has decided to cease its website operations after it rejected the 'onerous' registration requirements of the government. It still has an online presence through its Facebook and Twitter accounts, but it was directed by the Media Development Authority (MDA) to stop publishing after it failed to register and acquire a license.

Under the Broadcasting (Class License) Act, a corporate entity providing political commentary must register with the MDA to ensure that it does not receive foreign funding. Aside from revealing its funding source, a political website must submit the personal details of its editors and staff.

The Breakfast Network, which was ordered to submit its registration documents on December 10, complained that the government's technical requirements and registration forms contained too many vague provisions. It sought clarification from the MDA and applied for a one month extension of the registration deadline. The MDA agreed to extend the registration procedure for only a week and insisted that the registration forms are ' straightforward.'

In the end, the Breakfast Network decided not to register.

'In our opinion, the proceedings have been farcical. It seems that MDA had expected Breakfast Network Pte Ltd to register and was caught off-balance when the company decided not to. Hence, the curiously vague nature of its replies,' the group said in a statement.

For its part, the MDA said the 'registration requirement is simply to ensure that Breakfast Network will not receive foreign funding.'

'MDA would like to reiterate that the content is not the issue. Rather, it is the mode of operation, i.e. via a corporate entity which means there is greater possibility for foreign influence,' the MDA added.

The agency also reminded the website editorial board not to publish stories via Facebook and Twitter.

'Should Breakfast Network Pte Ltd remain active as a company, it must not operate any iteration of www.breakfastnetwork.sg on other Internet platforms as doing so would contravene MDA's registration requirements. These other Internet platforms include Breakfast Network's Facebook page and Twitter Feed.'

Netizens and human rights groups quickly denounced the 'overly-intrusive requirements' imposed by the government and warned against excessive media regulation. Cherian George described the closure of the Breakfast Network as 'death by red tape.' Braema Mathi of the human rights group Maruah is worried that the 'registration requirement has chilled and reduced the space for free expression in Singapore.' Ng E-Jay accused the government of being 'a highly sophisticated oppressor' by 'forcing the removal via legislation' of a website that is known for advocating 'constructive and critical dialogue' in the country.

Blogger Andy Xian Wong questioned the provision prohibiting foreigners from funding political websites: 'Perhaps it is not so much a fear of foreign voices exactly, as it is a fear of critical voices, which coming from overseas are much harder for the government to manage and contain.'

Responding to criticisms, the MDA clarified that there is no new Internet regulation since it merely implemented an old policy that seeks to prevent foreign interests from manipulating the local media. It also defended the registration procedure as a necessary mechanism to protect the public welfare.

'Registration does not mean the promotion of political or religious causes is not allowed. It merely serves to emphasize the need for the content providers to be responsible in what they say. This is important, given the multi-racial, multi-religious nature of our society.'

On the other hand, the closure of the Breakfast Network website will certainly embolden press freedom advocacy groups to continue their campaign to press for an easing of media restrictions, which should include revising the government's 'light touch' Internet regulation framework.

Football: Singapore businessman Peter Lim lines up Valencia takeover

MADRID (AFP) - Singaporean businessman Peter Lim has made a bid to take over financially stricken La Liga side Valencia and wipe out its debts, the club's president Amadeo Salvo announced on Sunday, Dec 22, 2013.

The club's hierarchy has been looking for investors since principal creditor Bankia refused earlier this month to refinance the combined 306 million euro (S$530 million) debt the club and its foundation has with the bank.

Salvo said that Bankia had still to give the green light to Lim's proposal and had asked for more time to study other offers.

However, he insisted that given the 60-year-old's willingness to clear the club's debts and invest heavily in the playing squad, Lim's offer would be a difficult one to match.

200 foreign workers including Indians warned in Singapore

Singapore: Around 200 foreign workers, who were present at the scene of a riot in Singapore that broke out after an Indian worker was run over by a bus, were on Sunday formally warned by police.

The workers were issued formal police advisories as their involvement in the riot was passive and incidental, the Channel News Asia reported.

The workers were accompanied by representatives of the companies they work for.

The police advisory said the workers must abide by Singapore's laws and if they commit any criminal offence, their work permit may be revoked.

The report said many workers and their representatives did not know why they had to be there.

'I had already checked with my worker. But he wasn't involved in anything. That's why I asked the police officer. The police officer didn't say anything,' Suresh Babu, an administrative manager at a company in Singapore, was quoted as saying.

Heng Siak Hoe, owner of an outdoor spray painting unit, also accompanied his worker but said he did not know why police asked him to come.

The riots broke out after an Indian worker, Sakthivel Kumaravelu, died on December 8 after being run over by a bus in the Little India area in Singapore.

Mobs attacked police officers who responded to the accident call in what was termed the biggest riot in Singapore in 40 years.

Fifty-seven foreign workers have so far been deported, majority of them Indians.

Story First Published:

Singapore tycoon wants club

Amadeo Salvo © Gallo Images

Valencia president Amadeo Salvo says Singapore businessman Peter Lim is interested in buying the financially troubled club.

Salvo tells Spanish media 'Peter Lim's offer is amazing.'

Salvo says Lim's offer includes paying off Valencia's debt and money to spend on new players.

The 60-year-old Lim has a net worth of $2.05 billion, according to Forbes.

Valencia is one of seven Spanish clubs being investigated by the European Union for allegedly receiving illegal public aid.

Singapore's Little India riot: 200 foreign workers get police advisories

SINGAPORE: Two hundred foreign workers, including Indians, on Sunday received advisories from Singapore police for alleged involvement in the worst street violence here in 40 years.

The workers started arriving at the Police Cantonment Complex at 10am to receive police advisories at the Criminal Investigation Department.

The development came two days after 56 Indians and a Bangladeshi were deported from Singapore for alleged involvement in the riot in Little India, a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most South Asian workers take their Sunday break.

While a police warning is usually issued 'in place of prosecution' and indicates that an offence may have been committed, an advisory is given to those who have not committed offences, and face no further action, The Straits Times quoted Commissioner of Police Ng Joo Hee as saying.

He had earlier said those set to receive the advisories had played 'a passive and incidental' role during the riot, compared with the ones who have been deported.

Three other Indian nationals, who had charges against them dropped, will be given advisories together with the 200-odd other workers. All of them will be allowed to stay and work in Singapore, Ng said last week, adding that their employers will have to be present with the workers during the process.

'We want the employer to be present as a witness. 'The advice is given to the guest worker, so he has to acknowledge that he has received it,' Ng said, adding that the advisory will be given both orally and in written form.

Meanwhile, the 28 Indians charged with rioting are set to make an appearance in court tomorrow after being remanded for investigations.

The trouble started after a private bus fatally knocked down an Indian pedestrian, 33-year-old Sakthivel Kuaravelu, in Little India. Some 400 migrant workers were involved in the rampage that left 39 police and civil defence staff injured and 25 vehicles - including 16 police cars - damaged.

Singapore previously witnessed violence on such a scale during race riots in 1969.

Singapore Is Green: Southeast Asian City

International Business TimesSingapore Is Green: Southeast Asian City-State Uses Environmental ...International Business TimesSINGAPORE -- From the moment you step off the plane at Changi International Airport, this Southeast Asian island city-state reveals its penchant for being green. In stunning contrast to most airports around the world, Changi's park-like passenger ...

SEA Games: Ho Han Boon lands Singapore's first judo gold in 24 years

Singapore's Ho Han Boon with his gold in the judo over-100kg event at the SEA Games. (Singapore Sports Council ...

Singapore judoka Ho Han Boon fought his way to a long-awaited gold medal in the over-100kg category at the Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar on Saturday afternoon.

The last time Singapore won gold in judo was at the 1989 SEA Games, through Edmund Tan and Tang Soon Onn.

Ho, a Games debutant, edged past Kaewpakdee Saknarin of Thailand in the first bout of the round-robin tournament before overcoming Malaysia's Abdul Razak in the final held at Zayar Thiri Stadium.

His medal is Singapore's 34th and last gold of the 2013 SEA Games.

But the 24-year-old almost missed out on a shot at gold when he found himself in trouble during the contest with Saknarin.

Ho and his Thai opponent were sprawled on the mat with just 10 seconds to go and little left in their tanks.

But the Singaporean found enough in his reserves to overturn his foe and force a submission.

'We were both tired, but he was more tired than me,' said Ho, who stands at a hulking 1.9m and weighs 195kg. 'So I gave everything I had to flip him over.'He later won his gold medal by the same means in a match that lasted just two minutes. The Malaysian was in fact leading by a point after starting off on an attacking front foot but Ho was able to counter and eventually land a submission.

Heading into the Games, his strategy was to avoid being thrown too easily, an aspect he worked on extensively while on a month-long training camp in Mongolia.

The overseas stint improved his skills and gave him confidence, said Ho. But the full-time judo coach also added that he already had a solid foundation to fall back on, even if he only joined the national set-up two years ago.

'I have been training for quite a long time (10 years), and this is a result of my years of training,' he said. 'And my coaches have given me good guidance over the years.'

What's next for the big man? The 2015 SEA Games, of course.

'I want to win another medal for Singapore,' he declared.

More SEA Games content on Yahoo Sports

SEA Games: Singapore earn football bronze after 2

Published on Dec 21, 2013 7:31 PM

Singapore's men's football team clinched the bronze medal at the South-east Asia (SEA) Games in Myanmar, after beating rivals Malaysia 2-1 in their third-place play-off match on Saturday.

A quickfire first-half double by Singapore captain Hariss Harun gave the Young Lions a perfect start, before Malaysia pulled one back through Thamil Arasu.

With this football bronze, Team Singapore's tally for this SEA Games stands at 34 golds, 29 silvers and 43 bronzes.

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Malaysia Under 23 vs Singapore Under

After their heart-breaking 1-0 loss to Thailand in the semi-finals, Singapore now have to bounce back from disappointment when they take on Malaysia tonight for the SEA Games bronze medal.A defensive error led to a penalty conceded by right-back Madhu Mohana, which was dispatched coolly by Praweenwat Boonyong on 24 minutes. That proved to be the winner for the War Elephants, thus ending the Young Lions' hopes of a first-ever gold in the tournament.Now, they face Causeway rivals Malaysia in the third/fourth-placing game, in a bid for some sort of redemption. Ong Kim Swee's defending champions - who had won the previous two editions - were bundled out on penalties by a spirited Indonesia side after a 1-1 draw at full time, with neither side finding the net in extra time. The Young Tigers will be similarly out to reclaim some pride themselves, which should set us up for a good clash.Both teams battled it out to a 1-1 draw earlier in the group stages, with Afiq Yunos's tap-in cancelled out by a late free-kick from Rozaimi Rahman. In truth, the Malaysians were the better side and they will be keen to prove it with victory in this encounter.Coach Aide Iskandar is not expected to make too many changes to his usual starting line-up, although it would be somewhat of a letdown if fleet-footed winger Gabriel Quak does not feature more prominently. Sahil Suhaimi and Shahfiq Ghani will lead the front-line and they have to be much more clinical, with the latter having not lived up to his promise so far.The Singapore defence has to be careful not to give away set-pieces, which they have looked susceptible from given two of the three goals they have conceded in this tournament were from free-kicks. A big performance from captain Hariss Harun will be needed in order for the team to avoid being overrun in the middle of the park.For Malaysia, Irfan Fazail remains their key man with his ability to split open any defence with his through balls if given the slightest opportunity. Rozaimi will be an obvious threat from set-pieces as well, while wonderkid Nazmi Faiz can always make an impact off the bench.While it's only the bronze and not gold at stake, both sides should not be holding back in their last chance to salvage something from this SEA Games.

SEA Games heartbreak for Singapore

Praweenwat Boonyong's 23rd minute penalty proved to be enough to send Thailand through to the SEA Games final and keep the War Elephants in the hunt for a Gold medal, as they overcame Singapore 1-0.The Young Lions started off the strongest with Hafiz Sujad passing on a very good opportunity in the third minute. Played through on goal by Zulfahmi Ariffin, with no one near to challenge, Hafiz dragged his shot wide despite having time and space. Seven minutes later Afiq Yunos headed over from a corner-kick as he rose the highest and unmarked.With Thailand still nowhere near to even challenge Singapore in the final third, a poor defensive lapse from Izwan Mahbud proved costly. Safuwan Baharudin waited for Izwan to claim a loose ball in the penalty box but with the goalkeeper hesitating the ball broke free for Charyl Chappuis who was brought down by Madhu Mohana.Praweenwat stood up and easily slotted home to make it 1-0 for Thailand.Singapore started the second-half with no real sense of haste or panic, and opted for a slow possession game to bring themselves back into the game.But the solitary goal proved to be game changer as the match tilted in favour of the Thais who had no difficulty keeping Singapore at bay for the remainder of the game. Afiq Yunos and Sahil Suhaimi both came close in the second period of play but neither were able to really trouble Kawin Thamsatchanan in goal for Thailand. The introduction of Izzdin Shahfiq to push Hariss Harun upfront in a more attacking role also failed to conjure up anything noteworthy. Iqbal Hussain and Gabriel Quak both were sent on as late substitutes in the dying minutes of the game and were also unable to make a dent in the game.Singapore failed to trouble Thailand any further and Izwan Mahbud had only one easy gather from a long range effort to account for for the rest of the game, as the Thais too failed to trouble offensively. But the penalty goal was more than enough to send the young side to the Gold medal match against Indonesia, whom they had trashed 4-0 in the group stages. Singapore meanwhile will contend for a Bronze medal against Malaysia.