Singapore Morning News For January 30

Singapore Savings Bonds oversubscribed for the first time
For the first time since they were first issued in Oct 2015, the Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) have been oversubscribed.
— Today Online

Singapore outspends China on US property for first time in years
For the first time since 2012, Singapore outspent China to be the largest Asian investor in US commercial property, as deals by Chinese investors plummeted amid a regulatory pressure from Beijing.
— Asia Times

Singapore Launches Biggest Military Mobilization Drills in Decades
Latest MOBEX exercises directed at reinforcing city-state’s ability to tackle a full spectrum of threats including terrorism.
— The Diplomat

More hawker centres to charge deposit for food trays in productivity push
A system of charging customers a deposit that will be forfeited if they do not return their food trays could be rolled out at up to 25 hawker centres over the coming years, despite mixed reviews over its effectiveness.
— The Straits Times (paywall)

Singapore investors plough record amounts into real estate overseas
Around US$28.4 billion (S$37.2 billion) was outlaid – up 40 per cent on the US$20.4 billion spent. It also upended the old record of US$27.6 billion set in 2015.
— The New Paper

Ong Ye Kung sides with PM Lee; needs more time than 6-9 months to decide on new PM
Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and the Second Minister for Defence, Ong Ye Kung, was the first of the three frontrunners widely tipped to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to agree with his comments that it could take longer than 6-9 months to select the new head of government.
— The Independent Singapore

SIA aims to soar ahead; goal to become ‘leading digital airline in the world’
It ranks as one of the top airlines in the world, and now Singapore Airlines (SIA) is eyeing another accolade: that of “leading digital airline in the world”.
— Today Online

Singapore’s GIC buys Fitch’s 49% stake in China Lianhe Credit Rating
Singapore’s GIC has made a strategic investment in China Lianhe Credit Rating Co., Ltd (Lianhe Ratings) in a deal that saw credit rating agency Fitch Ratings offload its 49 per cent stake in the latter in favour of the city-state’s sovereign wealth fund, according to a media release.
— DealStreetAsia

AWS Opens Availability Zone in the Asia Pacific (Singapore) to Strengthen Cloud Functions
Amazon Web Services is gearing up to meet surging demands in the Asia Pacific – it will be unveiling a new Availability Zone in Singapore, the company’s third in the region.
— Read IT Quik

Singapore’s import and export price indices rose in 2017
Import prices increased 5.8%, whilst export prices were up by 2.9%.
Singapore’s National Statistics Office reported that Singapore’s import and export prices went up by 5.8% and 2.9% YoY, respectively, in 2017.
— Singapore Business Review

Uber Singapore is linking drivers to ad agencies to help enhance their earnings
Private-hire car drivers who are part of Uber’s driver-partner programme will now be able to earn extra income from advertising on or inside their vehicles.
— Business Insider

Restructuring: SMEs urged to seize the day while the going is good
PROSPECTS may be looking up, but SMEs need to push ahead with their restructuring efforts to be future-ready, instead of taking this opportunity to take their foot off the accelerator.
— The Business Times

More schools to help students get fit for National Service
The move came after a programme developed by Republic Polytechnic and advisory council for defence matters ACCORD showed promising results.
— Channel NewsAsia (video)

Couple fined S$9,000 for using fake address to get son into school in Bishan
A couple who faked their residential address to successfully bolster their son’s chances of getting into a popular primary school in Bishan during the 2015 Primary One registration exercise was fined S$9,000 in total on Monday (Jan 29).
— Today Online

Psychological defence vital during peacetime: Ong Ye Kung
This deep connection among the Finnish was cited by Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung yesterday when he spelt out what is the most crucial form of defence in peacetime: psychological defence.
— The New Paper

Singapore R&D tax perks could be among world’s weakest when PIC expires: KPMG
MORE targeted measures are needed for companies to drive innovation, with the expiry of the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) scheme this year, said small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and observers.
— The Business Times

New Singapore govt-backed fund could help plug growth financing gap: Inderjit Singh
Former Singapore parliamentarian and entrepreneur advocate Inderjit Singh is outspoken on the need for reforms to key elements of the city-state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, including government policies and regulations to foster and accommodate local innovations.
— DealStreetAsia

Feature photo Chuwa (Francis)

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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 January 30 added by Leakhena Khat on January 30, 2018
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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.