Singapore morning news for June 4

Hopes dim of growth recovery in H2 as May’s PMI falls below 50
SINGAPORE factories face an uphill slog, as a much-longed-for industry turnaround in the second half of the year could fail to materialise.
— The Business Times

Over 270 F&B outlets won’t give out plastic straws from July 1
More than 270 food and beverage outlets will stop providing plastic straws from July 1, in a major step to reduce plastic waste in the local F&B sector.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

S’pore PMI contracts for first time in over 2 1/2 years
Manufacturing growth fell again in May to log its first contraction in more than 21/2 years, as trade tensions between the United States and China intensified last month.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Disclosure with no transparency fails as fair dealing: MAS chief
IT IS transparency, not disclosure alone, that defines proper fair dealing from financial institutions, said Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) managing director Ravi Menon on Monday, as the regulator notes the uneven culture and conduct practices in the financial industry here.
— The Business Times

Acquittal of drug accused will set precedent: Law experts
The acquittal of a Nigerian man on death row here, who had claimed to have no knowledge that drugs were concealed in his suitcase, will set a precedent for similar cases in the future, according to lawyers and legal academics.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Man jailed for lying to police after pirates hijacked oil tanker
A company director lied to police after pirates hijacked a tanker his firm had chartered – because he did not want the authorities to know that it was carrying 2,000 tonnes of crude oil that had been purchased illegally.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

$26m fund for water-intensive firms to boost water efficiency
Firms in water-guzzling industries such as petrochemical and semiconductor that hope to cut down their water usage can now tap a $26 million fund to implement water management solutions.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Woman has heart failure after taking slimming drug
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) yesterday alerted people to four health products, including three marketed for weight loss, after five consumers reported adverse reactions to them.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

S’pore CEOs still bullish on firms’ growth prospects: Poll
Despite heightened global trade tensions and increasing disruption, 92 per cent of chief executive officers in Singapore remain confident about the growth prospects of their companies for the next three years, according to professional services firm KPMG’s global CEO outlook …
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

NGSC files police report over $1.1m in unauthorised payments
Catalist-listed NGSC has lodged a police report in relation to suspected unauthorised payments of about $1.1 million by two former directors of the company and is also seeking legal advice to recover the payments.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Call for banks to be fair in dealing with customers
Banks must ensure that they deal fairly with their customers and act in their best interests, to repair the damage caused during the global financial crisis of a decade ago, said Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) managing director Ravi Menon yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Flash floods reported in parts of Singapore after heavy rain
Flash floods were reported in various parts of Singapore after heavy rain on Monday (Jun 3), with some vehicles getting stuck in high water.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

DPM Heng says Singapore is not a currency manipulator
Heng Swee Keat, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister as well as its Finance Minister, said on May 31 (Friday) that manipulating currency would not be advantageous to Singapore. In his first comment concerning Singapore having been placed by the United States on its currency watchlist, along with …
— The Independent

2 Catholic churches in S’pore offer shelter, mattresses & pillows for homeless to sleep at night
The homeless are referred to them by a local charitable organisation.
— Mothership

MP defends govt saying help schemes available for elderly getting less than $1,379 a mth
A recent study by Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYPP) at National University of Singapore reveals that a minimum of $1,379 a month may be required for an elderly aged 65 and above to live decently in Singapore. Yesterday, the Sunday Times published an article to delve into the issue …
— The Online Citizen

The transformative nature of blockchain-based smart contracts
AS well as providing the backbone of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether, the emergence of blockchain technology has enabled a range of other lesser-known technological advances.
— The Business Times

Singapore Academy of Law launches legaltech accelerator
THE Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) has opened applications for Asia’s first legal technology (legaltech) accelerator, the Global Legal Innovation and Digital Entrepreneurship (GLIDE) accelerator programme, the agency announced on Monday.
— The Business Times

Missing lawyer linked to companies with troubled episodes
JLC Advisors LLP managing partner Jeffrey Ong Su Aun – who disappeared before news broke that S$33 million held in escrow by his firm had gone missing – had been linked professionally to several other companies, a handful of which have hit troubled patches in the past.
— The Business Times

Number of motorists who extend COEs soars
The number of motorists who chose to hang on to their old cars instead of buying new ones jumped to more than 17,000 in the first three months of this year, in what is likely to be a quarterly record.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

20 PMDs seized; police report filed after rider tries to flee
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has impounded about 20 personal mobility devices (PMDs) following a three-day sting operation that began last Friday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

New hub for social enterprises aims to spur ideas on sustainability
Foreword Coffee is a cafe with a social mission: to empower people with disabilities and special needs by providing them with skills training and employment in the food and beverage sector.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Chikungunya fever: What you need to know
Thirteen students and a teacher from the School of the Arts were diagnosed with chikungunya fever after being bitten by mosquitoes during an overseas service learning trip to Thailand’s Ratchaburi province.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

HSA issues alert on four products after reports of adverse reactions
At 47kg, Gillian (not her real name) was healthy but haunted by the image of herself as an overweight teenager. She wanted to be 45kg.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

No delay in granting permit for Progress Singapore Party launch: Police
There has been no delay in granting Progress Singapore Party (PSP) the necessary permits for its launch, said the police on Mon (3 Jun). TODAY reported the Police as saying in response to media queries that the authorities had also been actively engaging PSP regarding the permits prior to the …
— The Online Citizen

Netizens outraged as video of “begpackers” performing illegally on board MRT train goes viral
A video showing backpackers illegally performing for tips on board the MRT has drawn widespread backlash online. The video, which was published on Wednesday (29 May) has since gone viral with nearly half a million views. The video, uploaded online by Twitter user Carol, shows a Caucasian couple …
— The Independent

F&B entrepreneur Jun Low urges the government to stop landlords from increasing rent rates for tenants to promote healthy economy
Jun Low, the Director of JC Global Concepts, recently took to her Facebook to highlight that the Government should step in to prevent retail landlords from raising their rent rates during every renewal period for the tenants. The food and beverage (F&B) entrepreneur who is behind some of the …
— The Online Citizen

SaaS parcel tracking platform Parcel Perform lands in Europe
The Singapore-grown SaaS platform for parcel tracking also refreshed its brand and added new features Parcel Perform, a Singaporean SaaS platform for parcel tracking announced that it has expanded into Europe with its new office in Germany. The company partnered with Coureon Logistics, a digital …
— e27

60th anniversary of self-government: Singapore’s pre-independence ‘national day’
On this day in 1959, Singapore was first proclaimed as an internally self-governing state under the British Crown.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Trackable letterbox delivery, “Know Your Postman” initiative part of SingPost’s overhaul on services: Newly appointed CEO Vincent Phang
A trackable letterbox delivery tool and a “Know Your Postman” initiative are two of the upcoming changes featured in Singapore’s 200-year-old national postal service provider SingPost’s overhaul of its services. SingPost’s newly appointed Singapore chief executive …
— The Online Citizen

Tracing 200 key events in Singapore’s natural history
It may seem hard to imagine now, but turtle meat was very popular in 19th-century Singapore and the poor creatures were often kept alive and then slaughtered when they were needed for the dinner table.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Members of various faiths join in to break fast
More than 100 members of various faiths, mostly Muslims and Jews, gathered for an iftar, the evening meal during the month of Ramadan, at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue in Waterloo Street yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Clementi police’s handling of historic summit nets award
The police division which handled the first Trump-Kim summit in Singapore last June has picked up the Best Land Division award, beating out the other five land divisions.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Funan mall 92% leased ahead of June 28 reopening
Funan has achieved 92 per cent in commitments for retail leasing to date as well as 98 per cent in pre-leasing commitments for its twin office blocks, a joint media statement by CapitaLand Mall Trust’s (CMT) manager and CapitaLand said yesterday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Law firm Allen & Overy hires capital markets partner in S’pore
International law firm Allen & Overy has welcomed Ms Pallavi Gopinath Aney to its Singapore office as a capital markets partner, amid a string of movements within the legal profession in the Republic.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Blackstone bets on e-commerce with $26b GLP logistics deal
Blackstone Group is making a huge bet on the future of e-commerce, agreeing to buy US$18.7 billion (S$25.6 billion) worth of US logistics assets from Singapore-based GLP in what it says is the world’s biggest private equity real estate deal.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Netizens outraged by “shoddy” renovation at Teck Ghee Square hawker centre following elderly man’s injuries after falling from disintegrated chair
Only a couple of days after the Teck Ghee Square hawker centre was reopened following a two-month renovation, a photograph depicting a 70-year-old man sitting on the ground after falling from a chair made its rounds online on Sun (2 Jun). Blood can be seen next to the elderly man as a result of the …
— The Online Citizen

Suggestion of delay in granting permits for Progress Singapore Party launch ‘untrue’: Police
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Monday (Jun 3) said the suggestion that there was a delay in granting the relevant permits to the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) for its launch was untrue.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Netizens blast PM Lee after glue fails to hold stools at Teck Ghee market, causing elderly man to fall
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong faced the brunt of criticism from netizens after a stool at Teck Ghee Market & Food Centre, at the ward helmed by PM Lee, fell apart, injuring an elderly man. The stools at the market were reportedly glued together, and not bolted together. The top of the seat had …
— The Independent

25-year-old man arrested for allegedly using fake S$50 note
A 25-year-old man was arrested on Sunday (Jun 2) for allegedly using a counterfeit S$50 note at a convenience store in Ang Mo Kio.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

270 F&B outlets in S’pore to go straw-free by July 1, 2019
Businesses will not provide straws to customers unless requested or for medical reasons.
— Mothership

PUB aims to boost industrial water recycling in Singapore
SINGAPORE’S national water agency PUB hopes to boost industrial water recycling efforts to achieve additional savings of three million gallons per day (mgd) each year.
— The Business Times

Exposure at home key to kids picking up mother tongue
It pays to speak your mother tongue language around your children, new research shows.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Retiree punched SCDF medic who came to his aid
A man who had too much to drink punched a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedic repeatedly in the head as he was attending to him.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Animated e-books can help lift language skills: Study
Parents may fret over their children having too much screen time but reading electronic books, also known as e-books, has its benefits.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Man, 70, hurt after seat comes apart at upgraded food centre
A 70-year-old man fell and hurt his head after the stool he was sitting on at Teck Ghee Square hawker centre came apart.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Delayed flag-off and lack of water at multiple stations leave runners sorely disappointed during Sundown Marathon 2019
Singapore – Holding a marathon event calls for efficient organization and planning. This was not the case for this year’s Osim Sundown Marathon where runners waited nearly an hour for the event to begin, ran through dimly-lit routes and narrow paths and arrived at water stations without water. …
— The Independent

Feature photo MoveHappy

This week’s Singapore morning news feature photo acknowledges World Bicycle Day, June 3.

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 4 added by John Le Fevre on June 4, 2019
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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.