Singapore morning news for July 16, 2020

News of Singapore’s record GDP drop after GE could mean that the PAP might have been asking for a mandate under false pretences
Hot on the heels of the recent general election which saw the Peoples’ Action Party (PAP) win a super majority in Parliament, Bloomberg has reported that Singapore has slumped into a recession with a record 41.2% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) plunge.
— The Online Citizen

Coronavirus: S’pore’s testing rate is tops in Asean, with over 1m swabs done
Singapore has conducted about 177,000 swabs per million population as at July 13.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

From July 15, households face fines of up to S$5,000 & jail term when found with multiple mosquito breeding sites
The number of dengue cases in Singapore in 2020 has surpassed the total number of cases for the whole of 2019.
— Mothership

Resorts World Sentosa lays off staff in cost-cutting move amid COVID-19 pandemic
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), one of Singapore’s biggest private-sector employers, said on Wednesday (Jul 15) it was laying off staff as part of cost-cutting measures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Singapore new home sales jump 105% in June as showflats reopen after COVID-19 circuit breaker
Sales of new private homes more than doubled in June after showflats reopened following an almost two-month long COVID-19 “circuit breaker” period, in what analysts said indicate firm underlying demand for affordable properties.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Flexible approach can yield agreement on tackling greenhouse gas emissions
LAST week, Singapore played a significant role at a five-day virtual meeting of International Maritime Organization (IMO) member states.
— The Business Times

Aug 10 target to restart Singapore-Malaysia travel
SINGAPORE and Malaysia are aiming to restart cross-border travel by Aug 10 for long-term pass holders and essential business and official travellers.
— The Business Times

MOH preliminarily confirms 249 new cases of COVID-19 infection; Total tally at 46,878
As of Wednesday noon (15 July), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed an additional 249 cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore.
— The Online Citizen

PM Lee dreaded the prospect of losing 10 or more seats to the opposition – now that it has happened, what’s his game plan?
The Workers’ Party now has 10 seats in Parliament – a scenario that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said he needed to be wary of.
— The Online Citizen

June 2019: SIA flies 1.9m passengers. June 2020: 13,900
SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) flew just 13,900 passengers in June 2020, down from nearly 1.9 million the same period a year ago – and the group is now expecting a material operating loss for the first quarter of its financial year.
— The Business Times

Pay cuts at SembMarine as yard shutdowns bring H1 net loss to $192 million
Sembcorp Marine (Sembmarine) has posted a net loss of $192.1 million in the half-year ended June 30, due to the shutdown of production activities at all its Singapore yards since April as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

SIA Group passenger carriage plunges 99.3% in June as COVID-19 continues to impact demand
The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group recorded a 99.3 per cent year-on-year decline in passenger carriage in June, according to its operating results published on Wednesday (Jul 15).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Shorter operating hours on Thomson-East Coast Line from July 20 to Aug 30 to prepare for Stage 2 opening
Operating hours of train services on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will be shortened from Jul 20 to Aug 30 as the new line gears up for the next stage of its opening, said rail operator SMRT on Wednesday (July 15).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Problem gambling under control: casino regulator
THE authorities have a close eye on Singapore’s problem-gambling situation, the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) has said, in response to queries from The Business Times.
— The Business Times

GE2020: 4,794 votes cast overseas, taking total voter turnout this election to 95.81%
A total of 4,794 registered overseas electors turned up to cast their votes at overseas polling stations this General Election, the Elections Department (ELD) said on Wednesday (Jul 15).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

In brief: Consumer spending recovers in Singapore, Walrus raises funding
Consumer spending recovers in Singapore: Revolut data The story: Financial super app Revolut has revealed data showing the recovery of consumer spending in Singapore as it enters Phase Two of its post-circuit breaker measures.
— e27

“Min wages is not unabashedly good policy. But it is a good start that is also evidence-based,” says WP’s Jamus Lim
Workers’ Party (WP) Jamus Lim took to his Facebook on Tuesday (14 July) to reiterate his point that implementing minimum wage in Singapore is “not unabashedly good policy”, but it’s rather a “good start that is also evidence-based”.
— The Online Citizen

Guidelines for medical disciplinary tribunals on when to be harsh, when to be less severe
The committee headed by Justice Judith Prakash issued sentencing guidelines on Wednesday (July 15) to help the medical profession arrive at fair and consistent sentencing decisions, said the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

PM Lee offers condolences after floods in Japan leave dozens dead
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote to Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday (Jul 15) to offer his deepest condolences, after floods and landslides in Japan caused by heavy torrential rain left dozens of people dead.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Restaurants making sure safety measures carried out to keep customers safe
From implementing digital menus to providing antiseptic wipes for utensils, eateries here are doing all they can for diners to avoid becoming the next Covid-19 weak link.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Woman did not get to vote on Polling Day due to ‘human error and miscommunication’: ELD
Miscommunication between two election officials led to a woman not being able to vote on Polling Day, the Elections Department (ELD) said on Wednesday (Jul 15).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

WP’s Yee Jenn Jong: Singaporeans are prepared for 9% GST but not an increase in wages for the lowest 100,000 of income earners in Singapore?
On Wednesday (15 July), Worker’s Party (WP) Yee Jenn Jong took to his Facebook to respond regarding the public criticism towards the WP’s Jamus Lim’s claim on the policy of minimum wages.
— The Online Citizen

Singapore scientists take major step in finding new therapies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Singapore scientists have taken a major step towards devising better therapies for liver diseases after creating human liver organoids that are able to replicate structural changes during liver injuries.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Ng Chee Meng says he’ll step down from Cabinet but avoids mentioning being voted out
Yesterday (14 Jul), the defeated People’s Action Party candidate in the recent General Election (GE), Ng Chee Meng, posted a message on his Facebook page saying that he will “soon be stepping down from the Cabinet”.
— The Online Citizen

National Day-themed fund-raiser launched to support President’s Challenge
To support the President’s Challenge, a National Day-themed fund-raising campaign titled Share The Care was launched on Wednesday (July 15).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Weak Q2 showing by DBS may be cycle’s bottom for bank: Citi
Citi Research expects DBS Bank to report a cycle-low return on equity (ROE) of 7.5 per cent in the second quarter, with the projected weak earnings likely the worst of it in a season that has been seriously rattled by a health crisis.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Commentary: How Singapore can thrive in a world past peak trade, with more regional blocs
As countries turn inward and trade takes a beating this coronavirus season, growing regionalisation may provide the spark to keep globalisation going, says SMU’s Yuan Mei.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Skyscanner cutting jobs and offices, reducing presence in Singapore after bookings collapse amid Covid-19
Skyscanner, the travel-booking service owned by China’s Trip.com Group, is preparing to cut as much as a fifth of its workforce and close several offices after revenues collapsed following the Covid-19 lockdown.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Rising percentage of listed firms fail to get ‘clean’ audit opinions
MORE Singapore-incorporated listed firms are receiving tainted audit opinions, a trend which the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) described as “unhealthy”.
— The Business Times

Company fined for illegally importing fresh vegetables, processed food from Malaysia
A company was fined S$3,600 on Wednesday (Jul 15) for illegally importing fresh vegetables and processed food from Malaysia.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

NTU-led study shows global sentiment on social media towards Covid-19 has shifted from fear to anger
People’s feelings about Covid-19 around the world have shifted from fear to anger and joy as the pandemic developed, according to a study led by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) that analysed 20 million tweets on Twitter from January to April.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Why were voting arrangements not made for COVID-19 patients and quarantined citizens amidst pandemic election?
A citizen asked the Elections Department (ELD) why special safety arrangements were not made for COVID-19 patients and Singaporeans on quarantine while these arrangements were set in place for those on stay-home notices (SHN).
— The Online Citizen

Student pleads guilty to spitting over Bugis Junction mall railing amid DORSCON orange
Egged on by his friend and feeling bored, a teenager spat over the railing on the fourth floor of a mall in Bugis towards diners in the basement.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Second suspect charged over Jurong West stabbing incident during COVID-19 circuit breaker
A second suspect in a stabbing incident in Jurong West during the COVID-19 circuit breaker period was charged in court on Wednesday (Jul 15).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

PSP’s Leong Mun Wai speaks in Japanese to media query on Singapore PMETs
The assistant secretary-general of Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Leong Mun Wai answered a question asked by the Japanese media in Japanese itself during a press conference held on Tuesday (14 July).
— The Online Citizen

Babysitter on trial for poisoning infants is lying, drugs found in her match those in babies: Prosecutor
A babysitter on trial for poisoning two infants in her care had drugs in her system that matched those found in the babies, a court heard on Wednesday (Jul 15).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

The Float @ Marina Bay will be revamped to include a water sports centre, waterfront promenade, NS-themed gallery
The Float @ Marina Bay will be redeveloped into a permanent space to host “different scales and types of events”, that require fit-for-purpose or flexible event venues.
— The Online Citizen

Ex-bank exec gets 12 weeks’ jail for possession of obscene films, child pornography
During a police raid at the home of a former senior bank executive, DVDs and electronic devices containing 245 obscene films were seized.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Feature photo WorldSkills Asean Singapore 2020
This week’s Singapore morning news feature photo focuses on World Youth Skills Day, July 15, with an emphasis on World Skills Asean Singapore 2020.

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).

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About Singapore morning news.

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Singapore morning news for July 16 added by Justhine De Guzman Uy on July 16, 2020
View all posts by Justhine De Guzman Uy →

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Justhine De Guzman Uy

Writer at AEC News Today

Justhine De Guzman Uy completed a Bachelor of Arts Major in Mass Communication at New Era University, Quezon City, the Philippines in 2016

After graduation she worked at the Philippine Broadcasting Service performing transcription and business news writing, before moving to Eagle Broadcasting Corporation where she worked as a news editor, translator and production assistant.