Greece, creditors struggle to avoid costly default

Greece, creditors struggle to avoid costly default
01:45 PM Jan 18, 2012
ATHENS - Greece goes head to head with its creditors today in a renewed attempt to break a deadlock in negotiations to slash the country's debt and stave off default.
International private sector creditors represented by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) are set to meet the government in the afternoon. Talks broke down on Friday over the interest rate Greece will offer on new bonds and a plan to enforce investor losses.

Bus hubs currently the priority and good progress made: Josephine Teo

Bus hubs currently the priority and good progress made: Josephine Teo
04:45 AM Jan 18, 2012
by Sumita Sreedharan
SINGAPORE - Bus speeds have decreased slightly because of an increase in ridership, Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo revealed in Parliament yesterday.

Subject: HYPERINFLATION IN ZIMBABWE..

Subject: HYPERINFLATION IN ZIMBABWE.. [pls click for source URL]
In this world, everybody is rushing and chasing for the money.... Some people fighting and killing each others just because of money... In Zimbabwe , all the peoples having a lot of money but they're poor.... WHY ??

500 million note, just printed in May 2008.....everybody can have it....maybe just nice for 1 breakfast/lunch (equal to about USD 2)

[TDY]: KY Gan: Ministerial Salaries NOT a matter of conscience.

KY Gan: Ministerial Salaries NOT a matter of conscience.
==========
 Whip to be in place for ministerial salaries debate
04:47 AM Jan 12, 2012
by Neo Chai Chin
SINGAPORE - The whip will be in place when Parliament debates a new formula for ministerial salaries on Monday, said Government Whip Gan Kim Yong in response to a query from Today.
"There is no intention to lift the whip. We would only do so if the subject is a matter of conscience," he wrote in an emailed reply yesterday.

Multi-property owner speaks up

The Straits Times, Published on Jan 5, 2012
Multi-property owner speaks up
I AM put off by the latest round of cooling measures ('Property curbs could hurt economy: Redas'; Dec 28).
I am a Singaporean and own three private properties. I studied hard. I work hard. I employ Singaporeans and contribute to the economy. I pay annual taxes that amount to what some earn in a year.

Property curbs could hurt economy: Redas

The Straits Times, Published on Dec 28, 2011
Property curbs could hurt economy: Redas
Volumes, prices will be hit, but economists say dose of medicine needed
By Esther Teo, PROPERTY REPORTER & Cheryl Lim

Greece: Clinch bailout or face euro exit

Greece: Clinch bailout or face euro exit
12:18 AM Jan 04, 2012
ATHENS - Greece will have to leave the euro zone if it fails to clinch a deal on a second, €130 billion (S$217.8 billion) bailout with its international lenders, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.
It was an unusually public stark warning from the embattled country, aimed at shoring up domestic support for tough measures and possibly also at the lenders themselves.

Pariahs and prophets

Pariahs and prophets
Republican Ron Paul has emerged as a teller of important truths - and US needs a fearless crank to do so
04:46 AM Jan 03, 2012
by Ross Douthat
In 1984, after serving three terms in the House of Representatives, Ron Paul (picture) was defeated by Phil Gramm in the Texas Republican Senate primary. Paul left Congress, and a few years later he left the Republican Party entirely to run for President on the Libertarian line. In the 1988 election, after a campaign that Texas Monthly compared to something "out of Robert Altman's movie Nashville", he took home just 0.47 per cent of the popular vote.

ST: North Korea's Kim Jong Il dies: State TV

The Straits Times; Published on Dec 19, 2011
North Korea's Kim Jong Il dies: State TV
SEOUL (AFP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has died aged 69 of a heart attack, state media announced on Monday, plunging the impoverished but nuclear-armed nation into uncertainty amid a second dynastic succession.

Cost-recovery fee levied when old IC is lost

The Straits Times; Published on Nov 18, 2011
Cost-recovery fee levied when old IC is lost 
THE identity card is an important document used primarily for identification purposes ('Hefty penalty for losing old IC' by Mr Alex Chan; Nov 8). It also facilitates personal transactions in the public and private sectors in Singapore.

China needs more than a 5-year charm offensive

China needs more than a 5-year charm offensive
It's now seeking to build 'soft power', but there are limits to its likely success
04:45 AM Nov 11, 2011
by David Pilling
In the past 30 years, China has created an economic machine that has lifted more people out of poverty in a short space of time than any nation in history. It has built world-class factories, vast modern cities and a continental highway system. Now it wants to build something less tangible: Soft power.

Hefty penalty for losing old IC

The Straits Times; Published on Nov 8, 2011
Hefty penalty for losing old IC
I WAS recently involved in an identity card (IC) re-registration exercise. Unfortunately, my wallet, which contained my old IC, was stolen while my new one was being processed.

Destruction of general election 2011 ballot papers and other documents

PRESS RELEASE
DESTRUCTION OF GENERAL ELECTION 2011
BALLOT PAPERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
In accordance with Section 49(9) of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218), ballot papers and other documents used in the election shall be sealed and retained in safe custody for a period of 6 months, after which they shall be destroyed unless otherwise directed by order of the President. This is to ensure secrecy of the vote.

Be more discerning in adopting latest medical tests

The Straits Times; Published on Nov 5, 2011
Be more discerning in adopting latest medical tests
THANK you, Professor Tommy Koh, for shedding light on the controversy surrounding prostate cancer tests ('Why prostate test is being peddled'; last Saturday) and Professor Feng Pao Hsii ('The public is being sold increasingly sophisticated tests, devices, machines and procedures that have little long-term scientific evidence'; Wednesday).

'The public is being sold increasingly sophisticated tests, devices, machines and procedures that have little long-term scientific evidence.'

The Straits Times; Published on Nov 2, 2011
My point: Medicine
'The public is being sold increasingly sophisticated tests, devices, machines and procedures that have little long-term scientific evidence.'

Why prostate test is being peddled

The Straits Times; Published on Oct 29, 2011
Why prostate test is being peddled
I WISH to draw attention to the following facts with reference to Singapore Urological Association president Dr Michael Wong Yuet Chen's letter yesterday ('Prostate cancer screening: Careful risk assessment vital').
First, the person credited with the discovery of prostate specific antigen (PSA), Professor Richard Ablin of the University of Arizona Medical School, has expressed remorse for his discovery.

Prostate cancer screening: Careful risk assessment vital

The Straits Times; Published on Oct 28, 2011
Prostate cancer screening: Careful risk assessment vital
I REFER to the article on the new United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendation about PSA screening ('Prostate cancer test 'does have benefits''; Oct 20).
The task force, a non-governmental panel comprising internists, nurses and health behaviour specialists, advised that PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) screening should not be performed for all age groups as it 'results in small or no reduction in prostate cancer-specific mortality'.

New NUS law school dean has uphill task

The Straits Times; Published on Nov 5, 2011
New NUS law school dean has uphill task
NEW National University of Singapore (NUS) law dean Simon Chesterman's effort to produce creative thinkers in addition to technically capable lawyers may be an uphill task, as his students are the products of schools obsessed with assessments and rankings ('Grads must be creative thinkers: New NUS law dean'; Tuesday).

New NUS law dean has big plans for school

The Straits Times; Published on Oct 31, 2011
New NUS law dean has big plans for school
By Amelia Tan
Professor Simon Chesterman has been named the new dean of the National University of Singapore (NUS) law school after more than 60 candidates were considered for the job.

Woman sues developer after she falls at show flat

The Straits Times; Published on Nov 8, 2011
Woman sues developer after she falls at show flat
By K. C. Vijayan
A prospective home buyer who fell and hurt her face after viewing a show flat is suing the developer.
Madam Tan Ah Lai, 59, claims she slipped as she was walking down a staircase, which was unlit and had sand on it.

FairPrice took the lead in reducing plastic bag usage

The Straits Times, Published on Oct 29, 2011
FairPrice took the lead in reducing plastic bag usage
WE THANK Ms Catherine Ho Shull for her concerns on the environment ('Time to say a firm 'no' to plastic bags'; Tuesday) and would like to share FairPrice's position on this issue.

Maid borrows but boss suffers loan-shark woes

The Straits Times; Published on Oct 31, 2011
Maid borrows but boss suffers loan-shark woes
MY FIRST maid, a Filipina who worked for me for five years, left Singapore in a hurry after she had used my name to borrow money from a loan shark.

The SHOCKING Truth About the U.S. Dollar: What The Media Never Told You

The SHOCKING Truth About the U.S. Dollar: What The Media Never Told You

Victim, rescuer and travesty of justice

The Straits Times, Published on Oct 25, 2011
Victim, rescuer and travesty of justice
MR PEH Shing Huei's retelling of the story of Peng Yu and Xu Shoulan shows that justice in China may sometimes be miscarried ('Help me up... so I can sue you'; last Friday).