Singapore Morning News For March 28

Singapore revokes work permits of North Koreans
The Government has revoked the work permits of North Koreans in Singapore, according to a report it submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore Minister of Education on the importance of higher education reform for Industry 4.0
According to Singapore Minister for Education Mr Ong Ye Kung, a key function of education is to produce workers for the economy, as such Industry 4.0 naturally has a profound impact on how education is being delivered and how teaching is done.
— Open Gov Asia

Changi Airport sees 5.6% year-on-year rise in passenger traffic in Feb
Changi Airport handled 4.93 million passengers in February alone ― a 5.6 per cent year-on-year increase, the airport operator has revealed.
— Today Online

How new EU data protection law will impact Singapore firms
COLLECTION of individuals’ personal information, such as NRIC numbers, used to be a common commercial transaction for organisations for a range of reasons including issuing visitor badges for buildings, signing up for retail memberships or lucky draws. But not anymore.
— The Business Times

Singapore Sees Asia as a Growth Favorite Despite Trade War Fears
Asia remains a growth favorite for businesses and investors even if tensions between the U.S. and China escalate into a full-blown trade war, according to Singapore’s Economic Development Board.
— Bloomberg

Singtel Innov8 backs Australian satellite startup Myriota’s $15m Series A round
Singtel Innov8, the venture capital arm of Singaporean telecom firm Singtel, has participated in a $15-million Series A funding round for Australian satellite company Myriota, the startup has announced.
— DealStreetAsia

New “oppressive” laws are an indication that the PAP is “readying itself to crack down on dissent” – SDP
The Singapore Democratic Party has asserted that the ruling party is “readying itself to crack down on dissent as the people become wiser to its ways and see how its leadership and, hence, governance of Singapore have deteriorated in recent years” in a recent statement, criticising the amendment to the Films Act, the Public Order and Safety (Special Powers) Act and the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods.
— The Independent Singapore

Dr Janil Puthucheary on the importance of Investments, People and Ideas for Singapore’s Smart Nation vision
The inaugural Supercomputing Asia 2018 Conference organised by the National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore has a special focus on the intersection of high-performance computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the practical applications that come out of that.
— Open Gov Asia

Invitation for Human Rights Watch to give evidence remains open: Select Committee
The invitation for Human Rights Watch (HRW) to give evidence remains open, said the Select Committee studying deliberate online falsehoods on Tuesday (March 27), hours after the organisation issued a response to the Singapore Government’s criticism of its no-show at a public hearing the previous week.
— Today Online

World’s first Tokidoki pop-up cafe to open in Singapore March 29
Listen up, Tokidoki fans. The world’s first Tokidoki pop-up cafe will be unveiled at local cafe Kumoya starting this Thursday (March 29).
— Asia One

Foreign demand returning to Singapore property
The surprisingly strong sales momentum witnessed at the recent launch of New Futura, in which foreigners accounted for close to 60 percent of the 48 units sold, indicates that foreign demand is returning to Singapore, reported Singapore Business Review citing DBS Equity Research.
— Property Guru

All Uber drivers will be given fair opportunity for employment: NTUC
NTUC assistant director-general Ang Hin Kee said that the labour movement has negotiated with Grab to ensure that Uber drivers who used to work for Grab will be given fair opportunities if they return to work under Grab after the Uber services ceases.
— Channel NewsAsia

A Facebook lesson for startups and data-driven firms
SINGAPORE’S data-driven companies and startups have to become more conscious of the need for proper data management practices following the reputational fallout from Facebook’s data breach scandal, said industry observers.
— The Business Times

Deepening national AI capabilities – What is AI Singapore and what does it do
The programme has three pillars: AI research, AI technology and AI innovation. The first is about fundamental research, the second seeks to identify and address grand challenges and the third is about industry innovations across sectors and building a talent pipeline.
— Open Gov Asia

Singapore needs spirit of innovation, creativity to reinvent itself
SINGAPORE’S economy rests on a razor’s edge – but technology can offer the solution. By any standard, Singapore stands out as an economic powerhouse.
— The Business Times

Singapore, Japan Associations Sign Agreement For Joint Fintech Development
The Singapore Fintech Association (SFA) and the Fintech Association of Japan (FAJ) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in order to collaborate on fintech development, according to a joint press release published on Monday, March 26.
— Cointelegraph

Close to 200 foreign motorcycles caught by NEA for excessive smoke and noise
Almost 200 motorcyclists were caught by officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA) at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints in an operation that targeted smoky and noisy foreign motorbikes.
— Today Online

SMRT blame “lower average fare” for decreased revenue as profits fall by whopping 68 per cent
SMRT reported that the after-tax profits it accumulated in 2017 dropped by a whopping 68 per cent from S$81 million in 2016 to just S$26 million in 2017. The transport operator also revealed that there was a fall in revenue of S$791 million for 2017 compared to S$811 million in 2016.
— The Independent Singapore

A*STAR to reorganise research units for more ‘clarity’ on funding
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is gearing up to make changes to its research units, as part of efforts to provide more clarity on funding.
— Channel NewsAsia

Akzo Nobel to sell chemicals business to Carlyle, Singapore’s GIC in $12.6b deal
Akzo Nobel has agreed to sell its specialty chemicals business to U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group and Singapore’s GIC for 10.1 billion euros ($12.6 billion), including debt.
— DealStreetAsia

NTU joins force with industry partner to develop cybersecurity solutions for automotive sector
Today, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner leading automotive electronics developer Desay SV Automotive (Desay SV) to develop innovative solutions for mitigating cyber security threats faced by the automotive industry.
— Open Gov Asia

Feature photo Walter Lim

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 28 added by Leakhena Khat on March 28, 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.