Singapore Morning News For March 14

Singapore to Fight Fake News With Same Approach as Illicit Drugs
Singapore intends to treat fake news with the same comprehensive approach as it does illicit drugs while allowing space for a “robust” discourse, according to a cabinet minister involved in discussions on new regulations.
— Bloomberg

Singapore best performing ‘smart city’ globally: Study
Singapore was ranked the top performer in a global smart city ranking by Juniper Research.
— Channel NewsAsia

IE Singapore facilitates partnership to offer IoT Facilities Management Solution in overseas markets
International Enterprise (IE) Singapore has facilitated a partnership between Certis Group (Certis) and Eutech Cybernetic Pte Ltd (Eutech) to offer Singapore’s first IoT (Internet of Things) Facilities Management (iFM) solution in identified markets.
— Open Gov Asia

UN report accuses two Singapore firms of sending luxury goods to North Korea
Two Singaporean companies have been accused of supplying luxury goods to North Korea in violation of the United Nations sanctions, The Straits Times Online reported on Tuesday (March 13) quoting BBC report.
— Thai PBS

Graduate under-employment rises as more take to the gig economy
HALF a year before graduating from Yale-NUS College as an urban studies major, Reuben Su began applying for marketing jobs and positions in management associate programmes.
— The Business Times

NTU team develops new camera technology to take colour photos without lens
A lensless camera that is capable of capturing sharp, coloured images could soon become a reality, with a new imaging technology developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
— Channel NewsAsia

Why Singapore’s foreign manpower policy needs to focus on skills
During the recent Budget debate, Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say announced that the Government would be raising the S Pass salary criteria and extending the maximum period of employment for work permit holders from non-traditional sources, as part of ongoing efforts to boost the quality of foreign manpower here.
— Today Online

Singapore’s new Bill a threat to peaceful protest and free speech
SINGAPORE’S new public order law is an attempt to “scare” the public and will only “empower the government to repress freedom of assembly and speech,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday.
— Asian Correspondent

Singapore Beats London, New York, San Francisco As Best Smart City
Singapore tops the list of the world’s best performing smart cities ahead of London, New York, San Francisco and Chicago in a new study by UK-based market intelligence firm Juniper Research sponsored by IT giant Intel.
— Investvine

Where Are Singapore-New Zealand Defense Relations in 2018?
This week, Singapore and New Zealand held the second iteration of their new defense ministers’ meeting established last year. The meeting put the spotlight on the defense ties between the two countries amid recent government changes in New Zealand and regional uncertainties as Singapore chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.
— The Diplomat

What America Stands To Lose With Latest Blocked Deal Between Qualcomm And Singapore’s Broadcom
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has blocked Singapore chipmaker Broadcom’s $140 billion cash-and-shares hostile bid to take over its American rival Qualcomm.
— Forbes

Singapore PM tells ASEAN to adjust to new power balance
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations should adjust to a new power balance in Asia so that individual members and the group can benefit from increasingly influential China and India, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a lecture on Tuesday.
— Nikkei Asian Review (metered paywall)

Changi Airport, Singapore Tourism Board and Qantas ink S$5m deal to boost visitors to Singapore
Australia’s Qantas, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) announced a S$5 million partnership on Tuesday (Mar 13) to boost the number of visitors to Singapore.
— Channel NewsAsia

5 luxury residential areas in Singapore you need to know
Singapore’s luxury residential market is different from other major cities in Asia such as Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong. The Lion City has an active public housing market, and private housing in mass residential and luxury sectors is also robust. Hence, some of the top HDBs, as public housing is known, are priced as much as the private housing in the same area.
— South China Morning Post

Singapore reports record high marine fuel sales for month of February
Singapore sold a total of 4.136 million tonnes of marine fuels in February, the highest ever for the shortest month of the year, official data showed.
— Business Recorder

Png Eng Huat calls Charles Chong out after he tries to justify allegations that WP lost $22.5 million in town council funds
Hougang SMC MP Png Eng Huat has challenged Punggol East SMC Charles Chong once again over an accusation the latter had made during the 2015 General Election.
— The Independent Singapore

Grab to expand into SE Asian markets, offering loans and financial services
Months after launching its electronic payment platform GrabPay, Singapore-based ride-hailing firm Grab is making another foray into the financial technology (fintech) space to offer loans and other financial products and services.
— Today Online

Academics, religious groups to kickstart public hearings on deliberate online falsehoods
Academics from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU), as well as representatives from religious groups will kickstart the public hearings on deliberate online falsehoods on Wednesday (Mar 14).
— Channel NewsAsia

Feature photo Jakub Michankow

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 March 14 added by Leakhena Khat on March 14, 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.