Current Affairs

The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019 (POFMA) is officially in effect as of 2 October 2019, according to the Government Gazette. The Act, which was introduced in April, passed in Parliament in May and subsequently published in the Gazette in June, has been hotly debated by various local and international organisations and individuals. Also published on the …

A large number of the companies being investigated by the Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) for their involvement in forest and land fires leading to haze are foreign ones, including those from Singapore. Indonesian daily Tempo reported Wed (2 Oct) that two of the 20 foreign companies that have been publicly identified by KLHK as suspects are Singapore-based …

Singapore is the ‘smartest’ city in the world in 2019, according to the new and uniquely “citizen-focused” ranking of global urban areas, which reveals the necessity of aligning policy with the lives and needs of citizens. Conducted by the IMD World Competitiveness Center’s Smart City Observatory in partnership with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Smart Nation Singapore, the …

Earlier today (3 Oct), Workers’ Party Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Dennis Tan Lip Fong took to Facebook to question the effectiveness of having a ‘Code of Conduct’ for pedestrians and personal mobility device (PMD) users. Citing an article by CNA on the proposal of the ‘Code of Conduct’, Mr Dennis, who is also a shipping lawyer, raised doubts on …

At the Singapore Bicentennial Conference held at Raffles City on Monday (30 Sep), Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat told the audience that the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) is independent and not politically motivated. To do the electoral boundaries properly, population, demographic and other changes have to be looked at, and this requires the views of independent experts, Heng …

Singaporean freediver Anqi Lim has set several new national records while competing in various tournaments in South and Central America. At the 2019 World Freediving Championships, Ms Lim set three Confederation Mondiale des Activites Subaquatiques (CMAS) just after setting three Aida (International Association for Development of Apnea) International record in the Caribbean Cup. CMAS and Aida are the two government …

On Wednesday (2 October), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced that about 930,000 Singaporean households staying in Housing Board (HDB) flats are all set to receive the next installment of the GST Voucher in October to offset part of their utility bills. In the statement, the Ministry noted that these households will benefit from the Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebate, and the …

On Tuesday (1 October), National University of Singapore Professor Dr Tommy Koh opined that Singapore is a first world country with third world citizens as many of them don’t have the civic-mindedness that is required out of people in an advanced country. “I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. Many of our people don’t give a damn …

Professor Tommy Koh echoed a common adage that Singapore is a first world country with third world citizens, noting that Singaporeans lack the civic-mindedness of citizens from an advanced country. In a dialogue session with Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Micklethwait at the Singapore Bicentennial Conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies, Prof Koh said, “I am more critical of …

For decades, friendly uncles selling ice-cream in their unique carts have been a common sight along Orchard Road. But this familiar sight may no longer be in existence in the near future. This is because after the current owners’ hang up their license, other individuals can’t take up their license as they hold one that is personal to the holder …