Singapore morning news for July 11

Foreign unicorns here juicing up market for high-tech skills
THE growing pool of foreign unicorns in Singapore is adding magic to the local market for highly-skilled jobs.
— The Business Times

Lee Hsien Yang questions: Why is Ho Ching’s salary such a big secret?
After the announcement yesterday (July 9) that Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s state investment firm, reported a record net portfolio value for the last financial year, many, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s younger brother, have been asking about why its chief executive officer (CEO), Ho Ching’s salary remains shrouded in secrecy.
— The Independent

Singapore’s 5G network to get expert security team as cyberthreats widen
SINGAPORE will get a cybersecurity crack team for its telecom industry ahead of next year’s 5G network rollout, in a bid to have the new mobile technology secure from the outset.
— The Business Times

VTC Pay joins hands with DOCOMO to boost Vietnam’s mobile commerce
VTC Pay has announced a partnership with DOCOMO Digital to scale the mobile commerce ecosystem in the country.
— e27

Tutor says he hired Ler Teck Siang to inject drugs before group sex
Before having group sex with other men, tutor Sim Eng Chee would often hire Ler Teck Siang – the doctor at the centre of the HIV registry data leak – to inject drugs into him and occasionally his sex buddies, a district court heard yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

S’pore Reits seen as too expensive after 18% surge this year
Analysts and investors are questioning whether the rally in Singapore’s real estate investment trusts (Reits) has room to run.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coding classes for primary school pupils to be rolled out next year
The government is taking steps to make sure that Singaporeans, both young and old, will have the fundamental skills and attributes to thrive in the digital age.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Amy Khor wants more elderly Singaporeans to continue working to offset low birth rates
Speaking at the opening of the High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy in Helsinki yesterday (9 Jul), Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor said that Singaporeans, who are living longer, can help to offset the low birth rates if more of them continue working for longer.
— The Online Citizen

Singapore’s logtech startup Ezyhaul closes US$16M Series B funding
Singapore-headquartered logistics tech startup Ezyhaul today announced that it has raised US$16 million in Series B funding from an undisclosed set of investors.
— e27

Deutsche Bank employees in Singapore face looming threat of retrenchment as German firm carries massive overhaul globally
Deutsche Bank’s employees in Singapore are currently on edge as the German multinational investment bank and financial services company embarks on its sweeping restructuring plan, which will impact around 18,000 jobs globally in its first round of retrenchments.
— The Online Citizen

Police slam ‘untrue, baseless’ allegations that checks at MRT stations target Malays
Allegations that police officers target Malays during security checks at MRT stations are baseless and untrue, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Wednesday (Jul 10).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Netizens fume after Transport Minister hinted that public transportation fares may increase following large losses incurred by the Government
While speaking in Parliament on Monday (8 July), Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed that the Government is currently subsidising more than 30% of public transport operations, and it would not be sustainable to continue this practice of relying on government subsidies to fund public transport infrastructure.
— The Online Citizen

Singapore firms not doing enough to upskill workers: Skillsoft poll
MANY Singapore workers are keen to learn new skills to remain employable, but say they lack opportunities to do so within their companies, according to survey results published on Tuesday by global corporate learning provider Skillsoft.
— The Business Times

MOE spends at least S$340 million each year on scholarships and tuition grants for foreign students in tertiary institutions
The Ministry of Education (MOM) announced that it spent about S$130 million annually on scholarships for international students studying in local schools and autonomous universities in the last five years.
— The Online Citizen

3 Shares That Have Beaten the Straits Times Index Hands Down
Though the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) has risen around 8.5% year-to-date, there have been many companies which have beaten this performance hands down. I showcase three of these companies here.
— The Motley Fool

Scale-up SG to groom promising local firms to be world powerhouses
A NEW initiative to turbo-charge the growth of promising local enterprises to become international names was launched on Wednesday, as part of the government’s efforts to grow more companies that can compete on the world stage.
— The Business Times

Singapore-sponsored 8i enters into share exchange agreement with Diginex
8i Enterprises Acquisition Corp, the first Singapore-sponsored blank cheque company listed on Nasdaq, has entered into a share exchange agreement with a Hong Kong-based global blockchain financial services and technology company, Diginex Ltd.
— The Business Times

Group of Myanmar nationals held here for backing armed violence
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has arrested a group of Myanmar nationals working here for using Singapore to mobilise support for armed violence against their government.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Bacteria in 2015 blood poisoning cases still a threat: Study
A highly infectious bacterial strain which caused blood poisoning in more than 160 people here in 2015 – after they ate raw freshwater fish – is far more aggressive and more entrenched in the region than previously thought.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Buildings begin fire-safety upgrades
From as early as December 2017, International Plaza in Anson Road had begun reviewing its fire-safety measures which had not been extensively upgraded since the building was constructed in 1976.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

P1 registration: 3 schools may hold ballot for next phase
Parents hoping to enrol their children in three popular schools may have to face a ballot in the third phase of Primary 1 (P1) registration – Phase 2A2 – starting next Monday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Call a private ambulance with the tap of an app
Patients can now tap house-call doctor app Speedoc for on-demand private ambulance services in non-emergency cases, much like how one would call a private-hire car.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

JustCo to open Manulife Centre co-working space later this year
Co-working space provider JustCo will open an outlet at Manulife Centre later this year, it said yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Condo rents dip again, but those for HDB flats inch up 1,878 4,622
Rents for non-landed private homes dipped last month for the second straight month but those for Housing Board (HDB) flats edged up again, according to flash data yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Programme launched to help promising Singapore firms scale up quickly
A new programme aimed at grooming high-growth businesses here was launched by Enterprise Singapore on Wednesday (Jul 10), with 25 companies, including household names Jumbo Group and Koufu, making the cut for the pioneer batch.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Drink water from a public toilet? Singapore’s taps put to the test
Talking Point looks at why Singaporeans resist drinking directly from the tap, especially public taps, and how well founded their fears are.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

MHA to review process of notifying clemency outcome, execution date for prisoners
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is reviewing the procedure which notifies death row inmates of their clemency outcome and execution date, following a decision by the Court of Appeal in May to grant a Malaysian prisoner a stay of execution.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Binance Singapore partners with Vertex Ventures to set up fiat-to-crypto gateway
Binance today announced the public launch of Binance Singapore, a fiat-to-crypto platform for the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies with the country’s official currency.
— e27

SDP set to launch transformative education policy while PAP continues to follow its lead in education reform
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) will be launching its new transformative education policy titled ‘Educating for Creativity and Equality:
— The Online Citizen

Course on “cockroaches” by Govt-run SkillsFuture
SkillsFuture, a Government statutory board under the Ministry of Education (MOE), is advertising a course on the “fundamentals of cockroach management” which will teach participants how to “identify and inspect cockroaches.”
— The Independent

Lawyer M Ravi files case in High Court on behalf of husband seeking to use his CPF savings to fund his cancer-stricken wife’s medical treatment
International human rights lawyer M Ravi took to his Facebook page on Wednesday (10 July) to announce that he has filed a case in the High Court for Suriia Das to allow him to use his CPF savings from his Ordinary and Special accounts for his wife’s medical treatment.
— The Online Citizen

Allegations of racial profiling during spot checks ‘untrue’
Allegations that police officers conducting checks at MRT stations target Malays are untrue and irresponsible, the police said in a Facebook post yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Drunk man jailed for starting fire that damaged six vehicles
A jobless man, intoxicated after drinking several cans of beer, felt the urge to set something on fire, a court heard.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Shorter jail term for charity crime after accused submits new proof
A man who used his company to collect donations without a licence and failed to provide documents required by the Commissioner of Charities (COC) had six weeks shaved off his original jail sentence of 16 weeks yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Post-terror attack support network ropes in hospitals, polyclinics
Hospitals and polyclinics will pool resources, as well as share knowledge and expertise, to provide psychological aid in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, as part of the new Human Emergency Assistance and Response Teams (Heart) Network.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Home Briefs: Six arrested for allegedly selling fake luxury goods
Six people were arrested for allegedly selling fake luxury goods and apparel after police raided retail outlets at Far East Plaza.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

3 jailed over ‘front-running’ trading scheme
Three men who ran an illegal share trading scheme that netted them $8.07 million have been jailed for terms ranging from 20 months to three years.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Building sector to grow 3.2%, but risks abound: Fitch
The residential and non-residential building sectors will expand by 3.2 per cent this year and 2.3 per cent next year, thanks to a strong pipeline of planned projects, said a report yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Pinterest opens 1st S-E Asian office in S’pore
Tech firm Pinterest has opened an office here as part of its regional expansion, it said yesterday. The move comes about three months after its debut on the New York Stock Exchange.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Lots of trial and error as Jumbo expanded seafood chain overseas, says chief
Seafood restaurant chain Jumbo Group spent more than six months setting up its first outlet in China in November 2013.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Billionaire inventor James Dyson likely paid $73.8m in cash for S’pore penthouse
Billionaire inventor James Dyson likely paid cash for the $73.8 million ultra-luxe super penthouse he has bought in Tanjong Pagar, according to documents obtained by The Straits Times.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

MIT plans $263m redevelopment project – its largest
Mapletree Industrial Trust (MIT) plans to redevelop a flatted factory cluster in Kallang Way into a high-tech industrial precinct at a total project cost of about $263 million.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

3 traders jailed after making more than S$8 million from insider trading
Three men were jailed on Wednesday (Jul 10) after making more than S$8 million from insider trading over seven years, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a media release.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Court reserves judgment in death-row inmate’s appeal against attempted drug trafficking charge
Can the contents of a cautioned statement, made in response to an initial charge, be relied on to discredit an accused’s defence against a subsequent and different amended charge?
— The Online Citizen

SDP heavyweight announces that he is a GRAB driver
Singapore Democratic Party heavyweight Damanhuri bin Abas announced on Facebook yesterday (9 July) that he is working as a private-hire driver for GRAB.
— The Independent

Iswaran calls on SMEs in domestic sector to get help going digital
SINGAPORE’S small businesses may be held back by limited resources amid the push to digitalise, Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran noted on Wednesday.
— The Business Times

Pinterest opens Singapore office, aims to increase growth in Asia
Pinterest today announced the official opening of its Singapore office. The office is the second one that the company has opened in the Asia Pacific region, following the Tokyo office that it opened in 2013.
— e27

Majority of Singaporeans support the protests in Hong Kong, according to survey
Over 75% of 1,000 Singaporeans polled in June support the Hong Kong protest against the extradition bill, according to a survey by independent pollsters Blackbox Research.
— The Online Citizen

Get patriotic on board NDP-themed trains
Commuters can now get into the spirit of National Day during their journey, with the launch of four red-and-white themed MRT trains yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Porn app used to doctor photos of S’pore women
She posted an innocuous selfie on social media more than a year ago. Last week, her photo appeared on a sex forum with a startling difference – she is naked.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Female Indonesian arrested for smuggling 109 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes
A 39-year-old female Indonesian was arrested for smuggling 109 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (9 July), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that its officer at Singapore Cruise Centre had noticed anomalies in the scanned images of a hand-carried baggage on 5 July.
— The Online Citizen

Man arrested, suspected of running hotel room booking scams on Carousell
A 31-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday (Jul 9) after he is believed to have been involved in more than 100 e-commerce scams amounting to more than S$40,000, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Is Singtel Cheap at Its Share Price of S$3.50?
Is Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SGX: Z74) cheap at its current share price? Find out here.
— The Motley Fool

Feature photo Possy’s Pics

This week’s Singapore morning news feature photo focuses on Asean’s endangered species, here, the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)

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 July 11 added by John Le Fevre on July 11, 2019
View all posts by John Le Fevre →

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John Le Fevre

Thailand editor at AEC News Today

John is an Australian national with more than 40 years experience as a journalist, photographer, videographer, and copy editor.

He has spent extensive periods of time working in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia, with stints in the Middle East, the USA, and England.

He has covered major world events including Operation Desert Shield/ Storm, the 1991 pillage in Zaire, the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 1999 East Timor independence unrest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the 2009, 2010, and 2014 Bangkok political protests.

In 1995 he was a Walkley Award finalist, the highest awards in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the 1995 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola outbreak.

Prior to AEC News Today he was the deputy editor and Thailand and Greater Mekong Sub-region editor for The Establishment Post, predecessor of Asean Today.

In the mid-80s and early 90s he owned JLF Promotions, the largest above and below the line marketing and PR firm servicing the high-technology industry in Australia. It was sold in 1995.