HDB's BTO flats for singles continue to see strong demand

SINGAPORE: Demand from singles for the Housing and Development Board's two-room flats continues to climb ahead of the close of the latest sales launch at midnight on Wednesday.

There are about 60 two-room Build-To-Order flats set aside for singles in Punggol.

As of 5pm Monday, there were about 21 singles applying for each available unit.

There are also 1,137 balance two-room flats from previous BTO exercises on offer in various estates. About a third of them are set aside for singles.

As of 5pm, the most heavily subscribed units are in Hougang, where there are more than 100 singles applying for each unit on offer.

Private resale home prices up 0.1% in August: SRPI

SINGAPORE: Prices of private resale homes rose just 0.1 per cent in August from July -- this is according to the latest Singapore Residential Price Index (SRPI), which tracks prices of completed private apartments and condominiums.

The SRPI data is published by the Institute of Real Estate Studies at National University of Singapore (NUS).

Resale prices of private homes in the central area saw the biggest decline, down 1.1 per cent last month.

However, prices of units in the non-central region went up by 1.0 per cent. The index covering small units of 506 square feet and below also increased 1.0 per cent.

Trust in public service crucial to success of govt policies: PM Lee

SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has emphasised that a major determinant of success in implementing government policies that improve the lives of people is trust in the government, and in particular, the public service.

He said it is important that Singaporeans trust that the government understands their needs, is committed to the people, and will remain a steward of the public good.

One way the public service can strengthen this trust is to work together as one, with Singaporeans at the centre, and upholding the highest standards of integrity.

He said: "Ultimately, integrity is not about systems and processes but values. The government must have a culture that doesn't tolerate any wrongdoing or dishonesty and the public officers must have the right values -- service, integrity, excellence -- and each officer and the service as a whole must take pride in being clean, incorrupt.

Govt to conduct major review of CET Masterplan

SINGAPORE: Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said the government will embark on a major review of its Continuing Education and Training (CET) Masterplan.

This is to ensure workers are better equipped to handle future challenges.

Mr Tan said further consultations will be carried out in the coming months and more details can be expected towards the end of next year.

The overall aim of the current CET Masterplan - launched in 2008 - was to encourage workers to embrace lifelong learning, stay relevant and seize opportunities in new growth sectors.

However, as the world changes, Singapore must adapt and a review of Singapore's CET plans is needed.

Singapore ready to assist other countries, Shanmugam tells UN

SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam has told the United Nations General Assembly that Singapore is ready and able to help other countries. 

He shared Singapore's development experience, saying its journey over the last 50 years had put it in a strong position to assist other countries.

However, he insisted any development had to be sustainable.

Measures to boost safety regime in SAF

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces has enforced a compulsory temperature-taking regime for soldiers.

Introduced from June 2012, the measure's aimed at stemming heat injuries, by keeping those with body temperatures above 37.5 degrees celsius out of training. It added to a suite of measures to keep soldiers fighting-fit.

"Safety" was formally added to military's list of core values in April 2013.

Singapore's citizen-soldiers often push their limits during National Service -- when the mercury rises, dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke may result.

To prevent such heat injuries, a safety regime requires troopers' body temperatures to be measured and recorded before they tackle high-intensity activities like fitness tests or obstacle courses.

Additionally, temperatures are also taken at the start of the day and before it ends.

Singapore signs Open Skies Agreements with 3 countries

MONTREAL: Singapore has signed Open Skies Agreements with Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Tanzania.

The signing took place on the sidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organisation Assembly in Montreal, Canada.

The agreements were signed by Tranport Minister Lui Tuck Yew and his counterparts.

A statement from the Transport Ministry said under each of the agreements, designated airlines will be able to fly between Singapore and the other country, as well as via and beyond to any third country, without restrictions in capacity, frequency or aircraft type.

S'pore water polo ladies eye SEA games 2015

A beast in the water the captain of Team Singapore’s Women Water Polo team, Neo Ser Han, immediately flusters when asked to recount an embarrassing incident in the course of being an athlete.

It turns out that the embarrassing incident she recalls with much mortification is that one time she went on a training trip with the rest of the team, where the punishment for mistakes made was to wear a handmade cap cut out of a polo ball.

“I had to wear it around for the whole day,” she recalls with agony. It is anecdotes like these that serve as a reminder that Ser Han, although actively representing Singapore in the water polo arena, is but a young woman.

The responsibility of leading a group of youths to shine for Singapore rests on her shoulders. Gesturing to the pool at Toa Payoh Swimming Complex where the team just faced off with India’s women water polo team in the first day of the 3rd Asian Youth Water Polo Championship, Ser Han says of the 'rough and quite violent game': “Like just now, when we weren't playing that well, my role is to help to bring up the morale and spirit of the team.”

Singapore divers set sights on SEA games 2013

As the Singapore diving team gears up for the upcoming SEA games, the 5th AASF Asian Diving Cup served as a platform for them to gauge their standard against tough regional competitors.

Held at the Toa Payoh Swimming Complex from 13-15 September, the professional diving event is held for the first time in Singapore. Apart from our local divers, regional participation included divers from Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong, China. The competition featured a total of eight categories, such as the Synchronized 10m Platform, Synchronized 3m Platform, Individual 10m Platform and Individual 10m Platform for both men’s and women’s.

Adding to Medal Tally

The Singapore diving team sent a total of six divers to take part in the event, including twin brothers Mark and Timothy Lee, Kimberly Chan, Arizir Fong, Myra Lee, Jonathan Chan and Fong Kay Yian. Sharing a combined haul of three bronze and three silver medals at the 1st SEA Swimming Championships 2012, these student athletes were looking to add to their tally.

RSAF's F-15SG declared fully operational

The eagle is finally ready to dominate the skies.

Joining the ranks of the F-16s and other advanced Republic of Singapore Airforce (RSAF) systems like the G550 airborne early warning aircraft, the F-15SG multi-role fighter aircraft has attained Full Operational Capability (FOC) after three and a half years.

Marking this significant milestone, a ceremony was held at Paya Lebar Airbase on 18 Sep. At the ceremony, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen emphasised the importance of having a strong RSAF.

S'pore, Indonesian navies provide socio-civic help in Labuan Bajo

About 250 personnel from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) worked with their counterparts from the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) to provide social assistance, primary health and dental care to residents of Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia from 10 to 14 Sep.

Commonly known as Surya Bhaskara Jaya (SBJ), the socio-civic programme saw surgeries being performed on board the RSN's Landing Ship Tank, RSS Endeavour, as well as the TNI-AL's hospital ship, KRI Dr Suharso.

"It was an enriching experience, because in Singapore, we do not often have a scenario where people lack the basic necessities for healthcare. We also do not carry out such work on a ship often, so I benefitted a lot from this experience," said medic Corporal First Class (CFC) Jeremy Karfar.

Sports 101: Intro to compression wear

The fitness scene has take taken over Singapore by storm. Singapore has been taking up an active role in hosting all kinds of international marathons and sporting events for the fitness enthusiasts to indulge in. 2012 saw Singapore hold 61 marathons and this year sees 67 marathons. 

How does one prepare him or herself to participate in these running events? With new technologies comes a new form of attire. Compression wear is all the rage this season.

Compression material allows your muscles to keep breathing and helps to maximise performance levels. This technology focuses the muscles’ energy to generate maximum explosive acceleration and long-term endurance. This material dispels the sweat to prevent rashes and chafing.

Innovations in MINDEF, SAF save more than $200million

A whopping $222.9 million. That is how much the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) saved through innovations and work improvement ideas from its people. An all-time record high, this achievement is a 36% increase from the previous year.

Speaking at the MINDEF PRIDE (PRoductivity and Innovation in Daily Efforts) Day 2013 awards presentation ceremony held at SAFRA Toa Payoh on 5 Sep, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen highlighted the importance of continuous innovation in MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He said: "As Singapore progressively develops and our organisations mature, the next phase of improvements, generally, must come from innovation-led productivity."

Dr Ng also reaffirmed the importance of the individual’s commitment to the PRIDE movement, as "to improve further, we will need (the individual's) creative ideas and new approaches…to sharpen our processes because there are always possibilities, there are always avenues to achieve our goals in better ways".