Singapore Local News, 2012-02-15

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38% jump in REACH feedback for Budget The Government's feedback channel received 38 per cent more feedback for its Pre-Budget 2012 Feedback Exercise, compared with the feedback for the previous Budget. Over 1,800 feedback inputs were sent during the exercise conducted........     Yaw Shin Leong expelled from Workers' Party CPF interest rate for Ordinary Account stays at 2.5% All Central Provident Fund (CPF) members will continue to receive a risk-free interest rate of 2.5 per cent on their Ordinary Account (OA) savings from April to June 30 this year. The CPF Board and Housing and Development Board........ Retail sales up last December from a year ago Retail sales fell 2.4 per cent in December last year from the preceding month, weighed down by the drop in sales of motor vehicles. Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales increased 1.3 per cent, according to data released today by........ Budget statement to be delivered this Friday Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam will deliver the 2012 Budget Statement in Parliament at 3.30pm on Friday. His speech will be broadcast "live" over Channel NewsAsia, with Chinese translation on........ Four schools join hands with SAF to mark Total Defence Day For the first time, four post-secondary education institutions joined hands with the Singapore Armed Forces to mark Total Defence Day, showcasing projects like student-designed video games based on World War II, and taking part in........ Demand for private property rose sharply last month: URA Demand for new private residential properties in Singapore rose sharply in January according to data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Last month, 1,872 units of new homes, excluding executive condominiums (EC) were sold -........ One in two motorcycle owners to benefit from NTUC Income's Special Cash Rebate NTUC Income, the leading insurer here, has announced that it will offer a one-off S$10 rebate to about one in two motorcycle owners, or 73,000 of its customers. The insurer also said it would repeat its rebate of the previous year........ A river runs through ... Bishan Park What used to be a concrete canal in Bishan Park has been transformed into a natural river that will make the community space more vibrant. The National Park Board (NParks) said today that the waterway flows right at the doorsteps........ ST Index breaks 3,000 mark Singapore's Straits Times Index (STI) breached the 3,000 level today for the first time since August 2011. The benchmark overcame a bout of early selling, setting a positive course after the first 35 minutes of trade. It........ Four men charged with Geylang Road murder Four men have been charged in court today with the murder of a 43-year-old man in Geylang. The accused are 37-year-old Rezuan Pupon, 43-year-old Goh Chye Huat Terence, 49-year-old Jamsari Yusuf and 53-year-old Kung Kwai Cheong...... Govt releases 4 residential sites for sale Four residential sites have been released for sale today, located at Punggol and Pasir Ris. Three of the land parcels are launched for sale under the Confirmed List, while one is under the Reserve List. Together, the four sites will........

Most compensation orders last year for causing hurt, mischief and theft Since the amended Criminal Procedure Code came into force on Jan 2 last year, there have been 82 compensation orders made as of Feb 7. Law Minister K Shanmugam provided the update in Parliament yesterday in response to a question from Aljunied.......     More students to head overseas for aerospace industrial training SINGAPORE : More Singapore students will head overseas for aerospace industrial training...... Schools commemorate Total Defence Day It is Total Defence Day and this year's campaign theme "It's My Turn" aims to inspire Singaporeans to do something meaningful for the community...... 38% jump in REACH feedback for Budget The government's feedback channel received 38 per cent more feedback for its Pre-Budget 2012 Feedback Exercise, compared with the feedback for the previous Budget...... Workers' Party expels Yaw Shin Leong SINGAPORE : The Workers' Party has expelled its Member of Parliament (MP) for Hougang, Yaw Shin Leong, with immediate effect...... Suggestions to enhance employability of PMETs The anticipated economic slowdown this year is expected to affect workers including Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs)...... Singapore's retail sales up 4.2% in December Singapore's December retail sales grew at a slower pace of 4.2 per cent from a year earlier...... Aline Wong to attend 4th ACWC meeting in Vientiane Dr Aline Wong, the official Representative of the Singapore on the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), will attend the 4th ACWC meeting in Vientiane, Laos...... Total Defence campaign wants S'poreans to contribute to community This year's Total Defence Day campaign theme "It's My Turn" aims to inspire Singaporeans to do something meaningful for the community...... CPF interest rate for Ordinary Account stays at 2.5% All Central Provident Fund (CPF) members will continue to receive a risk-free interest rate of 2.5 per cent on their Ordinary Account (OA) savings from April 1, 2012 to June 30 this year...... NATAS CEO confident of travel fair success despite economic slowdown Chief executive officer of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) Robert Khoo is upbeat about business for the travel industry, despite signs of an economic slowdown...... Budget Statement to be delivered from 3.30pm on Friday Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam will deliver Singapore's 2012 Budget Statement in Parliament at 3.30pm on February 17...... Defence ministers meet on sidelines of Singapore airshow French Minister for Defence and Veterans Affairs Gérard Longuet, who is here to attend Singapore Airshow 2012, held his first bilateral meeting with Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen...... A natural river in Bishan Park What used to be a concrete canal in Bishan Park has been transformed into a natural river that will make the community space more vibrant...... A*STAR to showcase cutting-edge technologies at airshow Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is showcasing 15 cutting-edge technologies to boost safety and productivity in the aerospace and aviation industry...... Four men charged with Geylang Road murder Four men have been charged in court on Wednesday with the murder of a 43-year-old man in Geylang...... Avoid last-minute rush for passport application ahead of school holidays The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has reminded Singaporeans to ensure that their passport is valid for travel, with the first school-term break of the year just weeks away...... Graciousness programme for public transport ride returns Commuters are helping to spread the word on ways to make travel on public transport more enjoyable and pleasant......