Singapore Morning News For June 29

Singapore opens its third desalination plant in Tuas
Singapore on Thursday (Jun 28) opened its third desalination plant, boosting the country’s desalination capacity from 100 to 130 million gallons a day (mgd).
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore inks MOUs with UK to strengthen air force and boosting national security
A STRONGER air force, better counter-terrorism measures and a more efficient military logistics system are on the cards, as Singapore seeks deeper collaboration with Britain and two aviation firms.
— The Business Times (paywall)

1.6 million Singaporeans to receive S$1 billion in GST Vouchers and MediSave top-ups
A total of 1.6 million Singaporeans will receive notifications by Jul 6 on their 2018 GST Voucher (GSTV) benefits and MediSave top-ups, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday (Jun 28).
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore joins hands with aviation giants in exploiting digital technologies
Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) on Thursday announced it signed agreements with Boeing and Airbus respectively to jointly develop digital technologies.
— Xinhua Net

Commvault strikes sole distribution agreement with Innovix in Singapore
Commvault has appointed Innovix Distribution as sole distributor for Singapore, as the back-up and recovery specialists streamline local operations.
— Channel Asia Singapore

Singapore ranks 12th in global real estate transparency index
SINGAPORE ranks 12th in JLL’s Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI) 2018, which scores countries based on their investment performance, market fundamentals, governance of listed vehicles, regulatory and legal frameworks, transaction process and environmental
— The Business Times (paywall)

Singapore goes after hearts of families and children with baby Merlion
Singapore’s iconic Merlion has spawned a cute cartoon-style baby, which the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) hopes will appeal to a key target segment – families with young children.
— TTG Asia

How Singapore should buy from tech startups
The Singapore government awarded about two-thirds of its tech contracts to start-ups and small companies last financial year, and wants to continue creating more opportunities for them.
— Gov Insider

Proposed changes to GST Act: Finance ministry invites public to give feedback
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is seeking feedback from the public on proposed changes to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, including the introduction of a levy on imported services and enhanced powers for officers investigating serious tax crimes.
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore sovereign fund Temasek takes stake in tech events firm Unbound
Media exits happen, but typically you don’t hear of tech events companies being sold. Well, that’s the case in Singapore where SingEx — a subsidiary of the country’s Temasek sovereign wealth fund — has forked out to buy a majority share in Unbound Innovations, a five-year-old UK-based business that runs technology events worldwide.
— Tech Crunch

Kadence Singapore wins Market Research Agency of the Year Award 2018
Kadence Singapore, a leading global boutique research agency in the APAC region, has successfully clinched Market Research Agency of the Year 2018 (Bronze) for the second year in a row, making it the only global boutique agency to have won the awards back-to-back.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Tech, tools to assist differently-abled in Singapore
Many Singapore companies are still reluctant to hire persons with disabilities (PwDs). To help them overcome this, the Singapore government – working through SG Enable – provides technical and funding support to encourage the hiring of people with special needs.
— The Daily Star

Line Is Opening a Cryptocurrency Exchange in Singapore
Line Corp., Japan’s biggest messaging service, is opening a cryptocurrency exchange next month even amid Bitcoin selloff that’s fueled pessimism over the future of virtual currencies.
— Bloomberg

Manpower Ministry to increase construction sector inspections by 50% | Video
In the last week, five people died from fatal workplace accidents, making it 19 deaths arising from such mishaps so far this year.
— Channel NewsAsia (video)

Singapore, Japan to be France’s Bastille Day honorees
Japan and Singapore will be guests of honour at this year’s Bastille Day parade in Paris, France announced on Thursday (June 28), a year after United States Donald President Trump enjoyed a front seat at the military display.
— The Straits Times

Singapore-UK Defense Relations in Focus With New Pact
A recent step is testament to ongoing efforts by both sides to further develop ties in this domain.
— The Diplomat (paywall)

National servicemen to get discounts at 300 hawker stalls, shops from July
National servicemen will receive discounts at 300 hawker stalls and retail shops from July, the People’s Association (PA) announced on Thursday (Jun 28).
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore good gateway for Indian business to Asean: Minister
Singapore is a “good gateway” for Indian companies to do business with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Singaporean Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Thursday.
— The Quint

Codes of practice need to be established for new technologies: DPM Teo | Video
Even as new technologies help to address gaps in a country’s security and defence capabilities, they can create new vulnerabilities too, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. Lee Li Ying reports.
— Channel NewsAsia (video)

Eight new members join Singapore Business Federation Council
EIGHT fresh faces have joined the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) Council at its annual general meeting on June 28.
— The Business Times (paywall)

Singapore, China can break new ground through Belt and Road: DPM Teo
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has said that Singapore and China can break new ground through cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative.
— Channel NewsAsia

AxiomSL Announces Successful Completion of Industry-wide Open Taxonomy Initiative
AxiomSL, the global leader in regulatory reporting, data and risk management solutions has successfully completed the launch of the MAS 610/1003[1] Open Taxonomy project, which is now available to all financial institutions in Singapore.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Commentary: Singapore’s water story underscores the value of preparedness
Singapore’s water supply has come under the spotlight this week, following comments from Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad that his government needs to discuss with Singapore the price at which water is being sold.
— Channel NewsAsia

Feature photo Michael Coghlan

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 June 29 added by Leakhena Khat on June 29, 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.