Singapore Local News, 2013-03-07

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Four candidates in Punggol East by-election submit their expenses The four candidates who contested in the recent Punggol East by-election have submitted their expenses to the Elections Department as provided for in the Parliamentary Elections Act......     Making Singapore roads safer A slew of measures has been announced to make Singapore roads safer, among them a stiffer penalty for traffic offences near schools...... 10,000 HDB blocks, multi-storey car parks to be fitted with cameras by end-2016 All 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks will be fitted with police cameras by the end of 2016...... Prisons Act to be amended to introduce new Conditional Remission System The Home Affairs Ministry will be amending the Prisons Act this year to help repeat offenders break the cycle of re-offending, and transit from imprisonment to reintegration within the community...... Voluntary safe driving course for motorists with high demerit points The Traffic Police will introduce a new voluntary Safe Driving Course for motorists who have accumulated half or more of their maximum allowable demerit points...... Home Ministry details release of three detainees under ISA The Ministry of Home Affairs has given details of the release of three individuals from detention under the Internal Security Act and the detention of a self-radicalised Singaporean...... MHA to introduce more measures to enhance road safety Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean touched on several priorities for his ministry for the year, namely crime, drugs and road safety...... Government to study proposal on evaluation of PR, citizenship applications The government has said it is prepared to consider the suggestion by several MPs of giving Singaporeans a role in evaluating applications for Permanent Residency and Citizenship...... Budget 2013 focused on helping SMEs & middle-income S'poreans: Tharman Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has wrapped up the Budget debate in Parliament sketching out how the government is helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as they restructure over the next three years......

10-year-old 5-room flat sold for S$945,000 More five-room resale flats have been sold above the S$900,000-mark, especially in estates like Redhill, Queenstown, Toa Payoh and Marine Parade......     Locker thief jailed for stealing items from True Yoga A locker thief who hit two yoga fitness outlets was on Thursday sentenced to 12 weeks' jail...... More babies born in 2012, TFR improves slightly over previous year Singapore welcomed 33,205 new babies in 2012 and the country's total fertility rate (TFR) is 1.29...... SMRT to roll out revised wage system for non-executive staff Public Transport Operator SMRT has unveiled its wage review for all non-executive staff of its trains and bus operations and corporate office staff...... Medical & dental benefits for civil servants enhanced from 1 April The government has completed a review of medical and dental benefits for civil servants and will enhance them from 1 April...... Give Singaporeans a role in evaluating PR, citizenship applications: MP An MP has come up with a suggestion that Singaporeans be given a role in the process of evaluating applications for Permanent Resident and Citizenship and create some meaningful roles for the community in the naturalisation of citizens...... Physically disabled, caregivers will be exempted from car loan curbs Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has said that the physically disabled or their caregivers will be exempted from the new loan restrictions for one car...... ICA to help with continued stay of widowed foreign spouses with children The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) will help facilitate the continued stay of foreign spouses who are widowed with children in Singapore...... Pedestrian killed in accident at Buangkok Green A female pedestrian in her 30s died on Thursday morning in an accident involving a lorry...... Woman caught for trying to enter Singapore illegally A Chinese female national who tried to enter Singapore illegally was caught at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Wednesday...... 80% accept PSC scholarship offers: DPM Teo The average acceptance rate for Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarships was about 80 per cent over the last five years...... S'pore not prepared to allow dual citizenship: DPM Teo Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said Singapore is not prepared to allow dual citizenship, as it would not strengthen the nation...... NIC's integration efforts for PRs & foreigners in S'pore The National Integration Council (NIC) has supported more than 280 ground up initiatives and engaged more than 160 organisations since 2009...... Lim Hng Kiang to attend AEM Retreat in Vietnam Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang, will be in Hanoi, Vietnam from Friday to Saturday to attend the 19th ASEAN Economic Ministers' (AEM) Retreat...... IKEA to resume sale of meatballs in S'pore IKEA Singapore will resume selling their signature meatballs at the IKEA Restaurant and Swedish Food Market at its two stores from Friday...... Doctors fined for practising medicine without valid certificates Two doctors were on Thursday fined for practising without valid certificates...... Most feel there should be gender balance in workplace leadership: poll Nine in 10 Singaporean employees believe that there should be a gender balance in workplace leadership teams......