Germany passes Japan to have lowest birth rate

Analysts project that drastic slump will hurt growth in Europe's economic powerhouse
The Sunday Times, 31 May 2015

Berlin - Move over Japan. Germany now has the world's lowest birth rate, and its economy is poised to suffer as a result.

Germany recorded about 8.3 births per 1,000 citizens in the five years until 2013, less than Japan's 8.4, according to a study released on Friday by consultants BDO AG and the Hamburg Institute for International Economics.

In Europe, Portugal and Italy came in second and third, with an average of 9 and 9.3 children, respectively. They were followed by France and Britain, both averaging at 12.7 births per 1,000 inhabitants, BBC reported, citing the study.

While other Western nations are also experiencing declining birth rates, nowhere has the change been as drastic as in the country that carries the crown of Europe's economic powerhouse. The tally has shrunk by half in the past 50 years, according to the findings.

"This results in significantly negative consequences for Germany's economic attractiveness and performance in the global competitive landscape," Mr Henning Voepel, head of the Hamburg institute, said in a statement. The kinds of impact may include rising non-wage labour costs and an increased urgency to attract skilled workers from abroad, BDO said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has singled out Germany's ageing population as one of the biggest challenges the country faces in the decades to come.

The number of people of working age for every pensioner may shrink to two by 2033 from four in January 2013, projections by Eurostat, which provides statistical information for European Union institutions, show.

"Without strong labour markets, Germany cannot maintain its economic edge in the long run," Mr Arno Probst, a BDO board member, told the BBC.

While no solution has been reached to deal with the crisis, Mr Probst suggested the country employ young immigrant workers and more women to avoid economic problems.

Germany has one of the highest migration rates in the world, but has also seen growing support for anti-immigration party Alternative fur Deutschland, the BBC said.

Less odour with Yuhua's automated waste collection system

Go high-tech and trash the stinky chute woes
By Yeo Sam Jo, The Straits Times, 2 Jun 2015

FOUL-SMELLING rubbish chutes will soon be a whiff of the past at Jurong's Yuhua estate, as blocks there get retrofitted with high-tech waste-collection infrastructure.

Since early last month, six blocks in Yuhua have been using the pneumatic waste-conveyance system. It uses vacuum-type underground pipes to automatically gather household garbage, doing away with the usual manual collection, and the accompanying pests and smell.

Residents throw waste down the chute as normal but underground, it is sucked away to a central bin centre.

A total of 38 blocks in the estate, or about 3,200 households, will have it by the third quarter of this year, as part of the Housing Board's Greenprint programme.

If deemed feasible, the same system will be rolled out in other housing estates.

As waste collectors need to retrieve garbage from only one point and less frequently, it is estimated to reduce manpower needs by 70 per cent, said HDB's deputy director of technology research Tan Chek Sim.

He added that this method gives residents a cleaner and greener environment: "The entire time, rubbish is not exposed. There is no spillage so there is less smell."

Beijing stubs out smoking with new rules

Heavier fines, shaming on govt website for violating ban
The Straits Times, 2 Jun 2015

BEIJING - China's capital was sprinkled with red-uniformed volunteers, propaganda banners and no-smoking signs yesterday as Beijing rolled out ambitious new curbs on a popular habit that has taken a serious toll on the country's health.

Health activists have pushed for years for stronger restrictions on smoking in China, the world's largest tobacco consumer, which is considering further anti-smoking curbs nationwide.

Under the new rules, anyone in the capital who violates the ban, which includes smoking in restaurants, hotels, schools and hospitals, as well as in certain outdoor public places, must pay a 200-yuan (S$44) fine.

That is 20 times the current, albeit seldom enforced, penalty.

Anyone who breaks the law three times will also be named and shamed on a government website.

Businesses can be fined up to 10,000 yuan for failing to stub out smoking on their premises.

Some 1,100 health inspectors will enforce the law, carrying out spot checks and acting on tip-offs from the public.

Smoking is a major health crisis in China, where more than 300 million smokers have made cigarettes part of the social fabric, and millions more are exposed to second-hand smoke.

More than half of Chinese smokers buy cigarettes at less than 5 yuan a pack.

Jurong Town Hall gazetted a national monument

By Amelia Tan, The Straits Times, 2 Jun 2015

JURONG Town Hall has become the first conserved building to be gazetted a national monument.

The National Heritage Board (NHB) said in a statement yesterday that Jurong Town Hall's national monument status ensures its historical features will be accorded the highest level of legal protection.

In 2005, the hall was awarded conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in recognition of the historical significance that it had played in Singapore's economic and industrial progress.

Share the good news as we welcome our 69th National Monument!Gazetted today, Jurong Town Hall is an iconic testimony...
Posted by National Heritage Board on Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Located in Jurong East, it was once the headquarters for Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), which was formed in 1968 to develop Jurong.

JTC played a leading role in developing Singapore's first industrial estate and spearheaded Singapore's industrialisation drive.

Built based on the winning entry submitted by local firm Architects Team 3 in an architectural design competition, the futuristic building consists of two elongated parallel blocks of unequal length connected by bridges, reminiscent of a ship, with a 50m-high digital clock tower serving as the "mast". It was completed in 1974.

There are more than 7,000 conserved buildings here chosen for their historical and architectural value, but Jurong Town Hall is the first to be elevated to the ranks of national monuments, and in the same league as the Cathay Building, MacDonald House and City Hall.

Donate Your Hair: 'Hair-raising' plan to help boost cancer patients' self-esteem

By Linette Lai, The Straits Times, 2 Jun 2015

MR HO Yang Chuw's workplace is full of hair.

The wigmaker has been commissioned by Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) to make around 40 wigs from donated hair as part of a scheme to help breast cancer patients regain their self-esteem.

Nearly 120 people - including 60 hospital staff - have come forward to pledge their tresses.

"We've had to reject people, because it was getting a bit overwhelming," said Dr Juliana Chen, who is director of TTSH's breast clinic.

The hospital started its hair donation drive in February to help breast cancer patients deal with the emotional blow of losing their hair while undergoing treatment.

"One of the reasons why a lot of patients don't want chemotherapy is that their hair falls out," said Dr Chen.

"It helps me treat them better if I can offer them this to help boost their self-esteem."

Unlike events such as the Children's Cancer Foundation's Hair for Hope, participants do not have to shave their heads.

However, said Mr Ho, they must each pledge at least 20cm of hair, which will be sorted and made into wigs.

NTUC voucher schemes to benefit 11,000 more

More low-wage union workers to benefit from revised criteria to two voucher schemes
Qualifying income cap raised for both U Stretch and U Care Back to School
By Audrey Tan, The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2015

ABOUT 11,000 more people from low-income families will be able to benefit from two existing National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) voucher schemes this year, after the qualifying income cap was raised.

The U Stretch and U Care Back to School schemes are part of NTUC's U-Care Fund and help to offset the cost of living for its low-income members.

Posted by U Care on Sunday, May 31, 2015

With the revision, NTUC members who have dependants in the same household and a gross monthly household income of not more than $3,000 can apply for the schemes. This is up from $2,800 previously.

For households where gross household income exceeds $3,000, members can apply if the per capita income does not exceed $750, up from the previous $725.

For NTUC members without dependants in the same household, the gross personal income ceiling has been adjusted to $1,450 from $1,400. Applications for both schemes open on June 15.

The revisions were announced yesterday by labour chief Chan Chun Sing in Pasir Ris during the first of five NTUC Family Recreation and Fun Carnivals to be held this year.

"If we were able to help four people with the U Stretch programme in the past, we now want to help five. For the Back to School programme, if we used to help six, we now want to help seven.

"We have revised upwards the criteria, so more families can qualify. It's our way of progressively helping more people with the funds that are available to us," Mr Chan told reporters.

Start-ups get a leg-up with small-loan plan

1,700 loans disbursed under Enhanced Micro Loan Programme in about a year
By Joyce Lim, The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2015

MORE than 1,700 loans have been disbursed under the Enhanced Micro Loan Programme in just over a year since it was introduced, a boon to start-ups that often struggled to get initial bank loans.

The loans of up to $100,000 are taken up by companies that are less than three years old, said SPRING Singapore, an agency responsible for helping Singapore enterprises grow.

"We are hoping to see more young enterprises take the opportunity to tap the Enhanced Micro Loan Programme to grow their business," Ms Chew Mok Lee, assistant chief executive (capabilities and partnership) of SPRING Singapore, told The Straits Times.

She said OCBC Bank has made significant headway in helping these new companies,contributing more than 50 per cent of the number of loans under the programme.

More than 10 financial institutions participate in the scheme.

5,000 gather to highlight community bonding

By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2015

MADAM Wong Choi Ow has had to use a wheelchair to get around since a pelvic operation last year, but this did not stop the sprightly 81-year-old from joining a community event in Marina Bay yesterday with 5,000 Singaporeans of all races and from all walks of life.

She was assisted by South East Community Development Council (CDC) volunteer Monica Ma, 66. The duo had become fast friends through its Neighbours For Active Living programme, which matches volunteers with elderly residents to build a close-knit community.

50 years ago, the Marina Bay area was just water. There was no Marina Bay Sands, no Barrage, not even the Merlion!...
Posted by Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday, May 31, 2015

The event yesterday morning was organised by all five CDCs and aimed to highlight the strength of such community bonds as Singapore celebrates its golden jubilee. It was attended by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the mayors of all five districts and MPs, who also joined in a 2.5km walk around the bay.

South East District Mayor Maliki Osman said a cohesive community has been important to Singapore, adding: "It is even more critical today, given recent developments of terrorist threats."

Such cohesion includes a level of trust and understanding in a multiracial society, added Dr Maliki, who is also Minister of State for Defence and National Development.

"We may be different in some respects but we are the same, we are all Singaporeans," he told reporters. "CDCs have a more critical role to bring people together, deepen that understanding and enhance appreciation (of one another) so that we can move forward and weather any possible storm that may come."

Keeping the birds away with... gel?

Odorous product being tested in housing estates facing bird menace
By Samantha Boh, The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2015

A GEL that deters birds with its smell is the new weapon being tried out against the bird nuisance in two housing estates in the west.

The herb-based product from Japan is being tested in Bukit Batok and Choa Chu Kang by the authorities here.

Along a path in Bukit Batok Avenue 1, containers of the gel have been placed above five lamp posts, which are common roosting places for birds because of their broad and flat tops.

Not too far away, another trial is being conducted at Block 755 in Choa Chu Kang North 5. Rows of containers with the gel line the ledges on the sides of the block.

The trial in Bukit Batok began in December 2013 and the one in Choa Chu Kang started in February. Both are still ongoing.

Residents of the Choa Chu Kang block have endured years of disturbance from flocks of mynahs, said Madam Audrey Hoy, 56, a counsellor. "The droppings were all over, and the birds would fly into my bedroom," she said.

The situation worsens during sunset at about 7pm each day, when the birds fly back to the blocks or neighbouring trees to roost for the night, Madam Hoy said. "Sometimes, I still have clothes out and they fly all over them and soil them."

Another resident, student Nurul Ain Azhar, 23, said it can get quite disgusting as the droppings are splashed all over the walls of the building's facade.

Shangri-La shooting 2015: Terrorism ruled out

Police identify man shot dead and two arrested

The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2015

Police have identified the man shot dead in the incident at the Shangri-la Hotel as Mohamed Taufik Zahar.

The 34-year-old Singaporean was the driver of the car that crashed through barriers near the hotel early on Sunday where a high-level security summit was taking place, the Singapore Police Force said in a statement early on Monday morning.

The two passengers in the car who were arrested were identified as Mohamed Ismail, 31, and Muhammad Syahid Mohamed Yasin, 26, police said. Both are also Singaporeans.

The former sustained injuries during the incident but was conscious when taken to hospital. Substances believed to be controlled drugs and an item, believed to be a drug-taking utensil, were found on the two men who were arrested, police said. They found no weapons on the three subjects.

CONSOLIDATED UPDATE TO INCIDENT ALONG ORANGE GROVE ROADA dash through incident was reported at 4.36am on 31 May 2015...
Posted by Singapore Police Force on Sunday, May 31, 2015

At around 4.30am on Sunday at a highly secured checkpoint along Ardmore Park, the three men in a red Subaru Impreza defied orders to allow police to check the boot of the car.

Instead, the 34-year-old driver tried to make a run for it and crashed the car through the barricades. "Despite police warnings to stop, the driver continued to crash through police barricades, endangering the lives of the officers. Police opened fire at the vehicle to stop further danger," a police spokesman said.

The car, which had a single bullet hole in the front windscreen, came to a stop on a grass patch barely 250m from the entrance of the Shangri-La Hotel. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. It was the first time in seven years that police have had to open fire, with the last incident - involving a knife-wielding man who continued to advance on an officer at Outram Park MRT station - occurring in 2008.

Police said the deceased man was wanted for failing to attend court for an offence of criminal intimidation, involvement in drugs and has other criminal records.

Build a winning football team... and national spirit

Make a strong commitment to take care of careers and lives of those selected for national duty
By Han Fook Kwang, Editor At Large, The Straits Times, 31 May 2015

The last time I saw a Singapore team play a football final in Kuala Lumpur was almost 40 years ago in 1976 when they lost 3-0 to Selangor at the Merdeka stadium.

It was a forgettable match, an off day on the pitch for captain Samad Allapitchay and his boys in the one-sided match.

I remember the overnight coach trip back home with sullen-faced fans deflated from the heavy defeat.

Two Saturdays ago at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, I was mentally prepared to relive that spirit-sagging day, so heavily stacked were the odds against a LionsXII victory.

This time, I had gone to the Malaysian capital to watch the match as a council member of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

When we entered the stadium two hours before kick-off, it was already filled to the brim and rocking from the sound of 80,000 Kelantan fans singing their hearts out.

Many had been there overnight after making the five-hour drive from their home state in the north.

It was an intimidating sight, especially for a Singapore team that had not beaten their opponents in the last eight encounters.

When the match started, none of us could hear the referee's whistle, so deafening was the noise inside.

But football has a funny way of producing the unexpected, and our boys found the net three times to Kelantan's solitary goal.

The 6,000 Singapore fans who had been out-sung and out-cheered throughout the game found their strongest voice when they sang Majulah Singapura after the final whistle.

At that moment, when the National Anthem rang through the by then fast-emptying stadium, we were all Lions.

So, where does Singapore football go from here?

It is tempting to say: the gold medal at the forthcoming SEA Games and South-east Asian champions.

But after that, if indeed it happens, what?

Singapore sports stars of the SEA Games

A tribute to stars past and present
By Marc Lim, Sports Editor, The Sunday Times, 10 May 2015

In life, and perhaps especially so in sport, one cannot truly appreciate the present without acknowledging the deeds of the past.

We now cheer swimmer Joseph Schooling and his gold-medal exploits. But before him, Pat Chan, who would retire with 39 SEA Games titles, was the original golden one.

High jumper Michelle Sng may be aiming for SEA Games gold now but her path to success was aided by the 61 Asean track and field champions before her.

It is why, with the SEA Games returning to our shores for a fourth time next month, we collected SEA Games champions, icons from four different generations, to discuss the journey their sport has taken.

Here was footballer Seak Poh Leong, 62, telling Irfan Fandi, 17, what it was like to play before a packed National Stadium four decades ago, when Singapore had hosted its maiden regional games in 1973.

Here was Joscelin Yeo, 36, winner of 40 SEA Games swimming golds, discussing what it takes to be a champion with Quah Zheng Wen, 18, who is aiming for titles of his own next month.

Here was experience and youth, wisdom and ambition, legends and rising stars all in one place.

In this tracing of sporting journeys, we chose four sports:

Swimming, sailing and athletics because they have been successful, winning 1,020 medals, including 377 golds, between them since 1959.

The fourth sport was football, which has not won a gold, yet remains a sport that is tightly connected to our sporting culture.

And so these athletes, from various generations, met on a track and by the sea, by the pool and on a field.

Youngers ones were teased for "having it good" by the old-timers from the era when running spikes were actually nails hammered into a shoe.

There were fierce debates and laughter. But always, no matter young or old, there was passion and a genuine love for the game.

In a year when Singapore celebrates its Golden Jubilee, there will be many tributes paid to the country's pioneers.

But the best ones will probably be heard in sporting arenas across the island next month, when we roar on the present.

It is the perfect way to honour those who have left their footprints on the Games, ones that have helped the present generation take bigger, bolder strides.