Replying on ST Forum today (‘SC Journey programme helps new citizens integrate‘, 18 Sep), Senior Director of Resilience and Engagement Division in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Letchumanan Narayanan, assured the public that there are activities to help new citizens integrate with the locals. “New citizens would already have experienced our way of life and our norms, …

It has been reported that the CEO of Tiong Seng Holdings, Mr Pek Lian Guan, and its project director, Mr Pay Teow Heng, are under CPIB investigations for corruption. Both men are currently out on bail. Tiong Seng is a construction company public listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX). The offences were said to be connected to “certain staff …

It was reported that air quality in Singapore hit unhealthy levels on last Saturday (14 Sep) with the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) went beyond the 100 mark at 4pm. This is the first time since August 2016 that the 24-hour PSI reading has reached the unhealthy level. In the western part of Singapore, the PSI was reported to have even …

At the Viaduct collapse trial on yesterday (13 Sep), the court heard that soon after the collapse of a PIE viaduct in July 2017, professional engineer Dr Robert Arianto Tjandra texted a WhatsApp message to his then colleague, Liu Xiayu, that the incident had been a result of a “design mistake”. Dr Arianto Tjandra was then working for subcontractor CPG …

It was reported in the media today (13 Sep) that a global head at Standard Chartered Bank, Cristian Alexander Jonsson, 48, was caught for drink driving after midnight last Thu (5 Sep). Apparently, he had downed about seven glasses of wine at a restaurant in Dempsey Road before driving off. The Swede, who is a Singapore permanent resident, was fined …

Nearly 9 in 10 people said they are concerned about the cost of dental care in Singapore, according to a survey conducted by the Singapore Dental Association (SDA). Some 1,438 members of the public aged between 25 and 60 were interviewed for the survey. The results were released yesterday (11 Sep). One third of the respondents also said that they …

At the India-Singapore Business and Innovation Summit held in Mariner Bay Sands on Monday (9 Sep), Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore can help India in areas such as infrastructure planning, water conservation and business expansion. Dr Vivian said India aims to invest about US$13.9 billion in urban infrastructure and solutions over the next five years, as it …

Yesterday (10 Sep), at the India-Singapore Business and Innovation Summit held in Mariner Bay Sands, the new Andhra Pradesh state’s Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath told the media that the Amaravati capital project is a low priority for the new state government. He described it as something of a “damp squib” (i.e., something that fails to come up to expectations) that …

On Wed (4 Sep), during an hour-long ministerial forum with students of the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told the students that the value of a good university education is in learning how to learn and how to continue learning even after one has graduated. He added that the government tries “very hard” to …

ST Forum published a letter today (5 Sep) from a member of the public, Constance Jacob, saying that the government has served Singaporeans well. A pioneer citizen herself, Ms Jacob said, “Many of us are truly thankful for the careful and wise planning by the Government.” She went on to denounce the “dissenters” who cannot see the “good” the government …