Singapore Local News, 2012-04-18

---

8 in 10 taxpayers have filed tax returns: IRAS With only a few hours left to the April 18 deadline, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said as of April 17, eight in 10 taxpayers have filed their tax returns. IRAS said nearly 97 per cent of these taxpayers have done........     MediaCorp wins record haul at New York Festivals Asia's leading media company, MediaCorp, has won a record haul of awards at this year's New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards. The documentary, "The End/Beginning - Cambodia", tells stories of harrowing escapes........ Lim Chong Yah clears up "fallacies" over wage restructuring proposal Former chairman of the National Wages Council Lim Chong Yah has issued another statement to clear up what he describes as "fallacies" over his wage restructuring proposal. He said the "Shock Therapy" between 1979 and 1981 in fact,........ More surveillance cameras installed to deter high-rise littering More surveillance cameras are being installed to deter high-rise littering. The National Environment Agency (NEA) said more than 40 locations have been selected for the second phase of the project. High-rise littering........ Big cars, Open COEs cross S$90,000-mark Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices for cars rose sharply in the latest bidding exercise on Wednesday. The Open and big car categories saw the biggest rise in premiums, rising S$7,420 and S$7,300 respectively. The Open category........ Train driver behind stalled train saw sparks on December before disruptions The train driver behind one of the stalled trains on December 15, last year - the day a major disruption hit parts of the North-South Line - had only started operating trains by himself on that day. Although he had joined SMRT some........ 18,000 commuters affected by Circle Line disruption this morning About 18,000 commuters were affected by the Circle Line disruption this morning, which hit eight stations in a 2.5 hour period during the morning peak hours - the third in consecutive days and the fourth in six days. SMRT's........ ICA to take over some investigative functions from the police The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will manage all immigration-related offences beginning later this year, after it takes over some functions currently handled by the Singapore Police Force (SPF). ICA's takeover of all........ Four more men charged in court for sex with underage girl Four more men were charged this afternoon for paying for sex with a minor belonging to an online prostitution ring, bringing the total number of men implicated to 48. Among the four charged today is former Singapore Environment........ Not all trains were checked after first disruption on Dec 15 SMRT's system of checks after the train disruptions last December were in the spotlight on the third day of the Committee of Inquiry hearing. Only visual checks were done on trains after the first incident on December 15, last........ Productivity and wages go hand in hand: Lim Swee Say Labour chief Lim Swee Say took issue with former National Wages Council chairman Lim Chong Yah's suggestion to drive up wages of workers to match productivity, saying that productivity and wages go hand in hand. Mr Lim said driving........ Circle Line breakdown caused by power supply failure: SMRT Even as a Committee of Inquiry attempts to discern the causes of the major disruptions on the oldest segments of the MRT network last December, the newest section of the Circle Line - some two decades newer than the other lines - suffered........ MOM will take firm action against employers who discriminate Over 1,900 companies have pledged their support for fair employment, Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said today at the Conference on Fair Employment Practices. And of the over 400 employers approached following........ Developers to provide more information to home-buyers under new rules Housing developers will have to provide more information to home-buyers when selling their properties, under new rules taking effect May 18. These requirements include providing information such as a drawn-to-scale location plan and........ Another four charged today for having paid sex with minor Another four will be charged today for allegedly having paid sex with a minor, after 44 men were charged on Monday. The police issued the statement this morning in response to media queries. The charges come after an........

NSman and former Sports School sprinter dies after training exercise A full-time National Serviceman died yesterday after experiencing breathing difficulties during training. Private Lee Rui Feng Dominique Sarron (picture), 21, a former sprinter at the Singapore Sports School, was participating in a........     MediaCorp wins record haul at New York Festivals Asia's leading media company, MediaCorp, has won a record haul of awards at this year's New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards...... LTA reiterates concerns over recent train disruptions Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) has reiterated its strong concerns over the recent train incidents on the North-South, East-West, and Circle Lines to the management of SMRT...... Lim Chong Yah clears up "fallacies" over wage restructuring proposal Former chairman of the National Wages Council Professor Lim Chong Yah has issued another statement to clear up what he describes as "fallacies" over his wage restructuring proposal...... More surveillance cameras installed to deter high-rise littering More surveillance cameras are being installed to deter high-rise littering...... CNB seizes S$290,000 worth of heroin The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has arrested four suspected drug traffickers, one suspected drug abuser and seized almost 2 kilogrammes of heroin estimated to be worth about S$290,000...... Big cars, Open COEs cross S$90,000-mark Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices for cars rose sharply in the latest bidding exercise on Wednesday...... Four more charged with having paid sex with minor Another four men have been charged with having paid sex with a minor...... DPM Tharman to visit US Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be in Washington DC from April 19 to 22 to chair the meetings of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC)...... ICA to take over some investigative functions from the police The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will manage all immigration-related offences beginning later this year, after it takes over some functions currently handled by the Singapore Police Force (SPF)...... Police looking for man to assist with outrage of modesty case Police are looking for a man to assist with investigations in a case of outrage of modesty in the vicinity of Toa Payoh North on April 9, 2012 at about 3pm...... Subsidised mammogram, Pap smear screenings now available The National Healthcare Group Diagnostics (NHGD) is collaborating with the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) to offer subsidised mammogram and Pap smear screening to women beginning Wednesday...... Plans for future of former Iluma mall revealed CapitaMalls Asia (CMA) has unveiled details about the S$38 million makeover for its mall Bugis+, which was formerly known as Iluma...... Fleet-wide train checks were not done after first disruption: COI hearings Thorough fleet-wide checks on trains were not executed after the first major train disruption on the North-South line last year on December 15...... Thousands affected by Circle Line disruption Thousands of commuters were stranded after a power supply failure disrupted train services on the Circle Line during the morning rush hour on Wednesday...... Two-storey tall chef jacket on display Singapore's oldest shirt maker CYC has custom-made the country's largest chef jacket...... Productivity and wages go hand in hand: Lim Swee Say NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say took issue with Professor Lim Chong Yah's suggestion to drive up wages of workers, saying that productivity and wages go hand in hand...... URA announces changes to Housing Developers Rules The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has announced changes to the Housing Developers Rules (HDR) that will take effect from 18 May 2012...... MOM to take firm action against employers who discriminate Over 1,900 companies have pledged their support for fair employment, Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said on Wednesday at the Conference on Fair Employment Practices...... Circle Line train service resumes Train services on the Circle Line have resumed after being suspended by more than two hours on Wednesday morning due to a track fault...... Track fault disrupts section of Circle Line train service A track fault caused train services to be suspended along part of the Circle Line during the morning peak-hour on Wednesday......