Singapore morning news for August 31

Court rules Britain free to extradite Singapore bank robbery suspect
A British court has ruled that a fugitive wanted by Singapore for a rare bank robbery could be extradited after the wealthy city-state agreed to waive corporal punishment if he is found guilty.
— Reuters

Healthcare spending is shifting from hospital-building to maintenance
Globally hailed as one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world, Singapore’s healthcare sector is rapidly maturing on the back of steady and proactive investments to address the city state’s medical infrastructure gaps, giving it room to set its sights towards the provision and delivery of quality care.
— Singapore Business Review

Philips & Temasek Joins 2018 Asia-Pacific In2Summit Lineup
Philips Personal Health VP Nicholas Lee and Temasek Public Affairs Director Lena Goh have joined the lineup for the Holmes Report’s Asia-Pacific In2 Innovation Summit in Singapore on 11 September, which will focus on the transformation required of the region’s public relations industry.
— AEC News Today PR Newswire (media release)

Singapore rolls out AI initiatives for 12,000 people
To gear up for the rising tide of Artifical Intelligence (AI) innovations sweeping across all industries, the Singapore government has launched two initiatives to strengthen the public’s knowledge of the technology.
— Singapore Business Review

Google, Microsoft and Alibaba legal experts among members of S’pore’s AI advisory council
Legal experts from tech giants Google, Microsoft and Alibaba have been appointed to sit on Singapore’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) advisory council, alongside leaders of local companies such as Temasek International.
— TodayOnline

Former political dissident, S’pore civil activists meet Dr Mahathir
The Singaporeans present at the meeting, which took place at Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya, included historian Thum Ping Tjin, freelance journalist Kirsten Han, civil rights activist Jolovan Wham and award-winning graphic novelist Sonny Liew.
— TodayOnline

World Bank Advisory Council Member Dr. Muhamad Chatib Basri Joins Funding Societies as Advisor
Funding Societies, the leading peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform in Southeast Asia, has announced that Dr. Muhamad Chatib Basri, a highly regarded economist and member of the World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development, has been officially appointed as company advisor.
— AEC Today PR Newswire (media release)

StarHub launches innovative new media box
Singapore’s StarHub has launched a new all-in-one media streaming set top box that combines content from its own catalog as well as that from the Google Play store.
— Telecomasia

Check out the largest co-working spaces in Singapore
Despite having one of the more mature co-working landscapes in Asia Pacific, flexible workspace operators are not letting up in Singapore’s office market with expectations that they could snap as much as 1.4 million sqft by the end of 2018, according to Edmund Tie & Company.
— Singapore Business Review

Lawyers say proposed new training regime could raise competency, but might not address shortage of training contracts
On Thursday (Aug 30), the Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers published its report of recommendations to revamp the professional training regime for lawyers in a bid to increase the quality and competency of the legal fraternity.
— TodayOnline

How Singapore Helped 90% of Households to Own Their Homes
Singapore had a severe housing shortage decades ago.
— Bloomberg

Private home sales jumped 49.7% in Q2
Residential home sales in Q2 ballooned 49.7% QoQ to 2,366 units whilst the resale market sales rose 28.6% to 4,820 units, Savills Research reported.
— Singapore Business Review

Singapore trade expo to showcase innovative technological solutions by industrial automation giants
The inaugural Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific (ITAP), a trade fair that will be jointly organised by Singapore’s SingEx Exhibitions Pte Ltd and Germany’s Deutsche Messe AG, will be held at Singapore Expo from 16 to 18 Oct this year.
— TOC

Firms in Singapore and China to Benefit from Blockchain Innovation Fund
Chinese and Singaporean companies operating within the fields of ICT and media have received a boost with the launch of a new fund to support collaborations among them.
— CCN

Singapore aims to become e-FX hub for Asia, says Loh
Singapore is bidding to attract more foreign exchange players in an effort to become the largest electronic price-discovery hub in Asia, Jacqueline Loh, deputy managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), told delegates at the 14th annual FX Week Asia conference.
— FX Week

Malaysia floats plan for third link to Singapore
Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said on Thursday there is “some” plan to build a third link with Singapore, amid reports that Malaysia’s southern state of Johor was in talks to build a bridge that could be completed in three or four years.
— The Edge Markets

Woman fined $2,500 for failure in duty of care to pet dog
In a press release on Wednesday, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) stated that it received a feedback on an emaciated dog in July 2017.
— TOC

A joint decision on the Singapore-Malaysia high-speed rail and rapid transit system will be made soon
A decision on both the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) and the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) will be made soon, said Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan on Thursday (Aug 30) on his Facebook page.
— Business Insider

Dubai, Singapore Financial Regulators Agree Collaboration on Fintech
The financial regulators of Dubai and Singapore have partnered to support each other in implementing innovative financial technologies.
— Cryptovest

Singapore shares fell Thursday as trade, currency risks loom
Singapore shares feel broadly Thursday amid concerns over rising trade risks and capital outflow from emerging markets while Malaysia was a tad lower ahead of the extended weekend.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Commerce Minister Prabhu meets Japanese counterpart in Singapore
Singapore, Aug 30 Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu held a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Seko Hiroshige here today.
— Outlook

Lack of knowledge key reason why plastic recycling lags in Singapore
Non-polystyrene takeaway containers can be recycled after being emptied and rinsed, but styrofoam ones should not be thrown into the blue recycling bins in Singapore.
— The New Paper

Colt places its bets into Singapore and APAC with new services
Colt Technology Services has revealed its intent with expansion of its services in Singapore and throughout Asia Pacific (APAC).
— DataCenterNews

5 more infants may have taken contaminated Dumex milk formula: KKH
Five more babies might have been fed infant formula milk potentially contaminated with bacteria, the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) said on Thursday evening (Aug 30).
— The Straits Times

‘Donate and stand to win a Mercedes’
Donate, and you could win such prizes as a Mercedes-Benz car and perhaps even a condominium unit in a lucky draw.
— The New Paper

Train door sensors may cut delays at MRT stations
More than half of MRT delays that last less than five minutes are due to train door faults, causing trains to stay longer at stations before moving off.
— The Straits Times

SG Advisory Council formed to create ethical AI and data guidelines
Leaders from Google, Microsoft and Alibaba and many others have been chosen as members for the Singapore’s Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data
— Marketing

Singaporeans are owners of HDB flats as they profit from it: Minister
Singaporeans have been able to make profits from the sale of Housing Board flats, and that proves they are owners, not mere tenants, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah yesterday.
— The New Paper

10,000 in Singapore to be taught AI basics for free
The AI for Everyone programme is one of two initiatives unveiled by AI Singapore to give a boost to the local tech scene.
— Channel NewsAsia

Getting a kick from collecting kicks at Sole Superior, Singapore’s annual sneaker convention
Singapore’s annual sneaker convention, Sole Superior, has been attandance grow since it started in 2013, and is now holding its biggest event to date.
— The Straits Times

Vocus to launch Australia-Singapore Cable on 14 September
Vocus Communications’ AUD 170 million Australia-Singapore Cable was today connected to the company’s terrestrial network, providing the country with an increase in capacity into the Asian region.
— Telecompaper

Made in Singapore: The smell of memories
Her love of scents led her to the south of France, where she learnt scent creation. Inspired by how smells transport people to another time, Ms Daphne Tan quit her job and founded Candles of Light to make naturally scented candles full time.
— The Straits Times

Mixed reactions to DBS’ handling of ‘ripped Singapore flag’ incident
DBS Bank’s move to part ways with an employee who sparked controversy with a social media post has ignited debate about whether bosses are overreacting to pressure generated by online vigilantes.
— The Straits Times

Ex-bank officer who misappropriated S$520,000 gets 12-year prohibition orders
A FORMER bank officer who was jailed in 2017 for misappropriating clients’ money has now been slapped with multiple 12-year prohibition orders by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which cited his “fraudulent and dishonest conduct”.
— The Business Times

Singapore Bar exams to be more stringent, practice training period extended to a year
Singapore Bar exams to be more stringent, practice training period extended to a year
— Channel NewsAsia

Feature photo Suanpa

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 August 31 added by Maria Mirasol Rasonable on August 31, 2018
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Maria Mirasol Rasonable

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Maria Mirasol Rasonable graduated with a Bachelors Degree in journalism from Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Santa Mesa, Manila, Philippines.

She previously covered police rounds for Philippine Daily Inquirer as a trainee before becoming editorial staff at Gospel Komiks under the Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA-MG), Santa Mesa, Manila where she wrote lifestyle and trending fashion and styles articles.