Singapore Morning News For December 12

Car dealers to remove warranty restrictions on use of independent workshops
Major car dealers have agreed to remove restrictions on warranties and related documents, announced the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) on Monday (Dec 11).
— Channel NewsAsia

Is Singapore ready as the GDPR deadline draws near?
AS Singapore works towards becoming a Smart Nation, it is important to strike a balance between leveraging Big Data to transform the economy and data privacy.
— The Business Times

Singtel Jumps on Phubbing To Preserve Ah Ma’s Christmas Joy (HD video) *Updated
Around the world Christians are preparing to celebrate Christmas. While for many people the event is one of happiness and an opportunity for strengthening family bonds, for others it’s a time of sadness and loneliness, with the modern-day neologism of phubbing (snubbing someone in favour of a mobile phone) often to blame.
— AEC News Today

30,000 workers in cleaning, waste management sectors to be trained in higher-skilled jobs by 2025
As demand for cleaning services continues to increase, the Government is putting place plans to help the industry adopt technology and cope with the manpower crunch.
— Channel NewsAsia

The fall and rise of legal education in Singapore
The 60th anniversary of legal education in Singapore offers a chance to look back on the history of the rule of law in Singapore – and forward to how the practice of law is changing.
— The Straits Times (paywall)

Singapore Taxis’ Night at the Museum
Miniatures of ComfortDelgro Corp. taxis are popular children’s toys in Singapore. Not for long, though. The ubiquitous blue and yellow Toyota Crown cabs are leaving the realm of kids’ imagination and heading for grownup nostalgia. One day soon, they’ll belong in a museum.
— Bloomberg

Licence for St James’ Rupee club suspended over vice-related activities
Bollywood Gentlemens Club along Sentosa Gateway has had its public entertainment licence suspended over suspected vice-related activities.
— Asia One

Higher tuition fees for students joining polytechnics and ITE in 2018
Students planning to enrol in the polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) next year will see tuition fees go up.
— Channel NewsAsia

Uber deal offers little succour to Singapore’s fading taxis
Miniatures of ComfortDelgro Corp. taxis are popular children’s toys in Singapore. Not for long, though. The ubiquitous blue and yellow Toyota Crown cabs are leaving the realm of kids’ imagination and heading for grownup nostalgia.
— DealStreetAsia

Three Singapore firms in Deloitte’s 2017 ranking of fastest-growing Asia-Pac tech firms
THREE homegrown companies have made it to Deloitte’s 2017 Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500 – an annual ranking that tracks the fastest-growing Asia-Pacific companies based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth over a three-year period.
— The Business Times

HPB launches S$2m health programme to give SMEs more support
SME Health Plus aims to engage 60,000 workers over 18 months and is part of a nationwide push to get Singaporeans to lead healthier lifestyles.
— Channel NewsAsia (video)

HNA to acquire Singapore’s CWT shares from dissenting shareholders
Chinese conglomerate HNA Group has exercised its legal rights to acquire all shares from “dissenting shareholders” of Singaporean logistics firm CWT Ltd, as it moves to close the $1 billion acquisition.
— DealStreetAsia

Singapore aids Malaysia, Indonesia in search for duo in sampan capsize
SINGAPORE is coordinating search-and-rescue (SAR) operations with Malaysian and Indonesian authorities to locate two men after their sampan capsized on Sunday.
— The Malaysian Insight

Coffee waste to help produce biodegradable plastics
One day, the waste generated from the cup of coffee you are drinking from the hawker centre could be used to make more eco-friendly plastic bags, thanks to a team of Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) scientists.
— Today Online

S’pore in search and rescue mission for 2 missing men near Pedra Branca
Singapore authorities have begun a search and rescue operation for two men who went missing after their sampan capsized on Sunday (Dec 10) near the waters off Pedra Branca and Middle Rocks.
— Today Online

NEA inks deals with organisations to pilot new tech
These are examples of technology trials the National Environment Agency (NEA) is considering piloting at seven organisations – Changi General Hospital (CGH), Changi Airport Group, property giant City Developments, NTUC Club, the Robotics Automation Centre of Excellence, Singapore Sports Hub and the Esplanade.
— The New Paper

Teng bong! Minority languages on the rise in Singapore
Mr Kevin Martens Wong reels off sentences in Kristang, which is among several minority languages in Singapore enjoying a new lease of life after a decades-long drive to encourage the use of English and Mandarin.
— Today Online

Banks sing auld lang syne amid existential question: what is a bank?
THREE years ago, McKinsey took the view that while fintechs would hurt the margins of global banks, banks would be able to stand their ground in holding on to customers.
— The Business Times

Robotics, powered wearables set to improve cleaners’ jobs
To minimise the stench in toilets, floor tiles with coatings that can neutralise odours are being tested in the toilets at City Square Mall.
— Today Online

Car repairs may soon cost less
Drivers will soon be able to fix their cars at a workshop of their choice – sometimes at far lower prices – and not worry too much about losing their warranty, the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) said yesterday.
— The New Paper

Feature photo Wojtek Gurak

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Singapore morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Singapore news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Singapore Morning News For December 12 added by Leakhena Khat on December 12, 2017
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Leakhena Khat

Leakhena is a junior journalist at AEC News Today who is also currently studying International Relations, which she finds adds perspective to her work reporting on the Asean Community.

“I love what I am doing so much as it gives me a lot of great experience and provides challenges to my mind.