Top Story of the Week: New U.S. Ambassador to Singapore nominated
LOOKING AHEAD
- The US Embassy in Singapore has become the first US Embassy in the world to be able to carry out interviews for the Global Entry Program. For those of you who don’t know about the program, Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. The email address to commence the process is: GlobalEntrySingapore@state.gov and the website for the program is: http://www.globalentry.gov/
- Note: This program is open to all US citizens
- President Barack Obama has nominated Kirk Wagar as the next U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. His confirmation hearing took place on Tuesday and the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is expected to confirm his ambassadorship shortly. Prior to his nomination as ambassador, Kirk Wagar has been a Miami lawyer and Democratic Party fundraiser.
- In his recent visit to Singapore, Vice President Joe Biden made security and trade the central themes of the bi-lateral relationship between the U.S. and Singapore. The Vice President made a special detour to Changi Naval Base to visit the USS Freedom (LCS1), highlighting the strong security relations between the two countries. The USS Freedom, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, is the first of three ships to arrive in Singapore and has been the flagship vessel in the "re-balance" to Asia. Its capabilities have come under intense scrutiny at home and abroad, most recently when it was forced to return to port in Singapore on July 20. This latest incident was caused when the USS Freedom suffered electronic problems at sea while on the way to the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise.
- Singapore's controversial online licensing laws came under intense scrutiny again this week when the Media Development Authority (MDA) moved to stop an upcoming news and current affairs website from receiving foreign funding. In a recent statement, the MDA voiced its concerns that the promoters of The Independent could come under the influence of overseas interests that might undermine local politics.
National Affairs
Singapore appoints new diplomats to India, UN, ASEAN, Cambodia CNA 21 Jul 2013
Singapore has appointed Mr Lim Thuan Kuan as High Commissioner to India, Ms Karen Tan as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Mr Tan Hung Seng as Permanent Representative to ASEAN in Jakarta, and Mr Kevin Cheok as Ambassador to Cambodia.
Singaporeans among world’s top 10 pessimists: survey Yahoo! 22 Jul 2013
Singapore ranks among the 10 countries with the most pessimistic people in the world, according to a survey done by Gallup. In a report released last week, the international pollster said 24 per cent of the respondents in Singapore rated their future lives lower than their current lives. The survey was based on telephone and face-to-face-interviews with about 1,000 adults in each of 141 countries and areas last year. It asked respondents to indicate which level they feel best represents the life they have currently and about five years from now. Greece topped the list of pessimistic countries with 38 per cent of respondents pessimistic about the direction of their lives. The European nation has been hit hard by recession, and official data shows that it’s jobless rate hit 27.4 per cent in the first quarter of this year.
Fewer Indonesian maids in Singapore running away Straits Times 22 Jul 2013
Indonesian Embassy counsellor Sukmo Yuwono cannot help but grin when he sees the rows of empty beds in the embassy's shelter for runaway maids. For the first time in years, the shelter, which has space for about 150 women, is not full. The reason, says Mr Sukmo, is pay. In the past, maids got as little $10 a month during the first year of work - their salaries cut to repay employers who had to shell out over $3,000 to cover fees that the maids owed agents in Indonesian and Singapore.
Miami lawyer tapped to be ambassador to Singapore Miami Herald 30 Jul 2013
A Miami lawyer and Democratic Party fundraiser soon will be off to Singapore as a State Department ambassador, pending Senate confirmation this week. Kirk Wagar, 44, accepted President Barack Obama’s nomination this month and appeared at a hearing Tuesday afternoon in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which could confirm his ambassadorship Thursday. “I am a true believer in this country, so this is easily the most humbling experience of my life and I am going to work my butt off,” Wagar said Tuesday. Wagar has practiced insurance law at his Wagar Law Firm since 1998, after earning a law degree from the University of Miami. A native of Ontario, Canada, and son of a ship-captain father and schoolteacher mother, Wagar became a U.S. citizen in 2004, during a ceremony at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
My Day in Singapore White House 26 Jul 2013
Today was our first full day in Singapore and there could not have been a more beautiful introduction than our tour of the Botanic Gardens. Singapore Botanic Gardens are known for their orchids and in 1957 the country began to name selected orchid hybrids after State Visitors to foster closer ties between nations. As an avid gardener, I am honored that they chose to name a deep purple Dendrobium orchid the “Joe and Jill Biden” during our visit today. We’ll bring some “Joe and Jill Biden” orchids back to DC to display at the Vice President’s Residence. After leaving the Gardens, we drove to Singapore’s new Green Children’s Library, which is made entirely out of recycled materials. Singapore boasts some of the most sophisticated libraries in the world and our partnership with the National Library Board (NLB) has proved to be a wonderful relationship for the U.S. Embassy. Earlier this year the Embassy partnered with the NLB on an e-reader program, allowing library visitors to check out electronic tablets that have access to thousands of book titles. The Embassy has donated over 400 e-readers, emphasizing the importance of education to both of our countries.
Singapore jobless rate rises to 2.1% CNA 31 Jul 2013
Singapore's overall unemployment rate was 2.1 per cent in June 2013. It was 1.9 per cent in March 2013 and 1.8 per cent in December 2012. This is according to the Manpower Ministry (MOM) in its report on the employment situation for the second quarter of 2013. MOM said the tight labour market showed signs of easing as layoffs rose amid business restructuring and consolidation. The resident unemployment rate rose to 3.0 per cent in June 2013 from 2.9 per cent in March 2013 and 2.7 per cent in December 2012. The unemployment rate for citizens increased to 3.1 per cent from 2.9 per cent in the preceding two quarters. David Ang, associate director at Renumeration Data Specialists, said: "For those who are retrenched, I think it's important to get back into the job which they're good at. And if there are jobs that they can take it quickly, go ahead and take the jobs.
Defense & Security
Vice President Visits USS Freedom in Singapore navy.mil 28 Jul 2013
Vice President Joe Biden visited the littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1), currently on a rotational deployment to Southeast Asia, July 27. The visit to Freedom was part of a six-day trip to India and Singapore in which the Vice President met with military, civilian and business leaders to strengthen partnerships within the region and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the Asia-Pacific rebalance. The Vice President made a special detour to Changi Naval Base, where Freedom is moored, to visit the Navy's first littoral combat ship and express support for the military men and women currently deployed to the Asia-Pacific region. After touring the ship, Vice President Biden conducted an all-hands call with Freedom's crew and Sailors from the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), which was also docked at Changi Naval Base where both ships participated in the recently concluded Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy.
U.S. warship returns to Singapore after generator problems at sea Reuters 22 Jul 2013
The USS Freedom, one of the U.S. Navy's new coastal warships, returned to port in Singapore on July 20 after suffering electrical problems at sea as it was preparing for a bilateral naval exercise with Singapore, a Navy spokesman said. The ship, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, may be able to return to sea for the at-sea portion of the exercise if repairs are done quickly, said Lieutenant Commander Clay Doss. It is the latest in a series of problems faced by the new warship on its first major overseas deployment. Freedom left San Diego on March 1 and arrived on April 18 in Singapore, where it is due to participate in a Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise with the Singaporean Navy this week. The latest incident occurred just days before a July 25 hearing by the House Armed Services Committee about the Navy's new class of Littoral Combat Ships, including Freedom, a steel monohull design, and a second model built by Austal, based on an aluminum trimaran design.
Singapore armed forces to recruit more women Straits Times 22 Jul 2013
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is looking for more women to join as career soldiers as the pool of qualified male enlistees shrinks. For a start, it wants at least 500 more women by 2018. When that happens, one in 10 career soldiers will be a women. Beyond that, the military hopes to double its current female population to at least 3,000, said the SAF's chief recruiter Gan Siow Huang. Latest statistics revealed to The Sunday Times show that 1,500 women now hold combat jobs, with 60 young women signing on every year as officers, specialists and warrant officers, and military experts. These female combatants, who serve as artillery gunners, pilots and intelligence analysts, among others, account for 7.5 per cent of the SAF's pool of regulars. By comparison, women make up 14 per cent of the United States military and more than 10 per cent of the Australian Defence Force.
Troubled Littoral Combat Ship program takes another hit during Singapore exercise Stars & Stripes 22 Jul 2013
The U.S. Navy’s beleaguered littoral combat ship program took another hit Saturday when the USS Freedom was forced back to its base in Singapore for maintenance while participating in international exercises. The Freedom “briefly” lost propulsion as it prepared for a vertical replenishment in support of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Singapore 2013 exercises, Navy officials said Monday. The ship never lost complete power, however, and the crew was able to restore propulsion so the ship could complete the replenishment. There were no injuries and no damage to the ship.
Singapore Navy conducts successful Harpoon live firing test AMR 24 Jul 2013
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) conducted a live-firing of a Harpoon missile in the South China Sea earlier today, as part of the 19th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise which Singapore is conducting with the United States. The missile, fired by an RSN Maritime Patrol Aircraft against a surface target, successfully hit the target. This year’s exercise also involves participation from the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the United States Marine Corps. The exercise was witnessed by Senior Minister of State for Defence Chan Chun Sing, who noted the value of the CARAT series of bilateral maritime exercises, which the SAF and the United States Navy (USN) have conducted annually since 1995. “Not only has the exercise strengthened the overall defence relationship between Singapore and the US, it has also significantly enhanced the level of interoperability between both navies,” said Mr Chan. USN Commander Logistics Group Western Pacific Rear Admiral Thomas F. Carney added, “Though our navies work together regularly, we look forward to the opportunity to participate in more complex maritime operations each year during the at-sea phase of CARAT Singapore.”
Commander of the US Pacific Air Forces makes first visit to Singapore AMR 23 Jul 2013
The Commander of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) General (GEN) Herbert Carlisle visited Singapore Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence. As part of his introductory visit from 22 to 24 July 2013, GEN Carlisle also called on Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Ng Chee Meng and Chief of Air Force Major-General Hoo Cher Mou earlier after inspecting a Guard of Honour. Both sides reaffirmed the close professional cooperation between the two air forces and reiterated their mutual commitment to continue to strengthen defence ties. As part of his programme, GEN Carlisle visited Sembawang Air Base this morning and will visit Paya Lebar Air Base later this afternoon.
US, Republic of Singapore Navies Conclude 19th CARAT Singapore PACOM 29 Jul 2013
The 19th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Singapore exercise concluded with a closing ceremony at Changi Naval Base, July 26. Beginning nearly two weeks ago, the annual exercise with the Republic of Singapore consisted of shore-based and at-sea training events designed to address shared maritime security priorities, develop relationships, and enhance interoperability among the participating forces. CARAT Singapore is part of a series of bilateral naval exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of nine partner nations in South and Southeast Asia. Training events in each CARAT phase are tailored based on available assets and mutual exercise goals. As one of the original exercise partners, CARAT Singapore is among the most complex in the series and features a highly sophisticated sequence of training events across the spectrum of naval capabilities.
Financial Service
Evercore targets Asian dealmaking with new Singapore office FT 21 Jul 2013
Evercore Partners, the US independent investment bank, is set to open an office in Singapore as it seeks to take advantage of growing opportunities in the merger advisory and capital-raising business across southeast Asia. Evercore has poached Keith Magnus, former head of investment banking for Singapore and Malaysia at UBS, to head the business, which will officially launch when the office opens in October, the firm said.
StarHub launches Singapore's fastest network to support financial firms ZDNet 31 Jul 2013
Telco StarHub has launched Singapore's fastest network connection, up to four times faster than existing networks supporting financial firms and their latency-sensitive trading applications. Called the Ethernet Low Latency Network, it will especially be a boost for high frequency trading and obtaining market data updates from trading venues. The platform offers a guaranteed low latency of under 1 millisecond round trip delay for the connection from their facilities to their equipment in the Singapore Exchange (SGX) co-location data centre.
Health & Life Sciences Infrastructure
Israel, Singapore launch joint PhD program ynet 22 Jul 2013
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem are launching a Joint Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree program in biomedical science beginning in August. Prof. Tan Eng Chye, deputy president (academic affairs) and provost at the National University of Singapore, and Hebrew University Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson signed the joint degree agreement at NUS, in the presence of Ambassador of Israel to Singapore Amira Arnon and 30 invited guests.
ICT
Singapore concerned about foreign influence on new website Yahoo! 29 Jul 2013
Singapore’s government moved to bar an upcoming news and current affairs website from receiving foreign funding over fears the site could be a platform for overseas interests to influence local politics. In a statement Monday, the Media Development Authority said it asked the promoters of The Independent to register the site under a class licence and, as part of the registration, to undertake not to receive foreign funding. The media watchdog said the government "has received specific information which gives it cause for concern over foreign interest to fund The Independent", without elaborating further what that was.
New mobile app by TransitLink to provide all-in-one services for commuters Straits Times 30 Jul 2013
A new smartphone app will make it more convenient for commuters in Singapore to apply for concession card replacements. Users can snap their photos using their camera phones and upload them using the free TransitLink Mobile Services app, which was launched officially on Wednesday. Payment can be made through eNets using credit or debit cards.
Singapore plots economic lift-off with satellites, spacecraft Reuters 24 Jul 2013
Singapore's foray into the $300 billion-a-year space industry may seem like a lucrative venture, but the path is lined with risks, especially in satellite manufacturing where Western firms have long dominated and entry barriers are high. The push into space technology, announced earlier this year, will initially focus on satellites to meet growing demand for top-speed Internet connections as well as high-resolution images commonly used in surveillance, forestry and energy exploration. The venture may also help rekindle Singapore's electronics sector by creating high-paying jobs in the satellites and components segment to replace jobs lost with the decline of disc media and computer parts manufacturing.
Seagate invests $79M to expand R&D in Singapore with 'The Shugart' ZDNet 30 Jul 2013
Seagate Technology has opened a new design and R&D center in Singapore, which will focus developing storage products for computing devices. The facility named "The Shugart", will provide R&D facilities for the mobile storage R&D team in Singapore, and focus on the development of 2.5-inch small form-factor products for notebooks, ultrabooks, convertibles and tablets, the storage giant said in a statement released Tuesday. The Shugart is named after the company’s founder, Alan Shugart. Applications for 2.5-inch HDDs include the mobile compute market, thin and light devices, such as tablets and slim external storage products, DVRs, hybrid technology, and new opportunities such as network attached storage solutions.
Seagate Technology has opened a new design and R&D center in Singapore ABT 30 Jul 2013
Singapore has once again topped the list as the world's most popular city for international meetings, conventions and other assorted gabfests. According to the Union of International Associations – yes, it's an association for associations – Singapore beat out Euro-faves Brussels, Vienna, Paris and London, along with Asian pow-wow powerhouses Seoul and and Tokyo, as the number one destination for international meetings in 2012. Of just under 10,500 meetings recognised and reported by the UIA through the Yearbook of International Organisations and in the International Congress Calendar, 9.5 percent took place in the Lion City. It's the sixth year in a row that Singapore has taken the conference and congress crown, due to the city's "international appeal, strategic location and access to key Asian markets" according to the Singapore Tourism Board.
Infrastructure
New Johor terminal for Singapore-Malaysia express buses ready by year end CNA 22 Jul 2013
The possibility of a centralised bus terminal here for Singapore-Malaysia express bus services is looking slim, even though some progress has been made across the Causeway. Express Bus Agencies Association (EBAA), which represents 30 companies, told TODAY that a new centralised bus terminal, which it has invested in, is near completion at Gelang Patah in Johor. The new terminal, GP Sentral, situated along Jalan Gelang Patah-Kampong Ulu Choh, on the outskirts of Gelang Patah, is slated to open by the end of the year. There is no traction yet for such a terminal in Singapore.
Manufacturing & Retail
Borders bookstore to make comeback in Singapore CNA 31 Jul 2013
Book retailer Popular Holdings is bringing Borders back to Singapore. Popular CEO Chou Cheng Ngok announced Wednesday morning the company acquired the Borders brand for Singapore last year. The new Borders store would open in Jurong by the end of the year. Mr Chou also confirmed that the company will be closing its lifestyle concept bookstore Prologue in ION Orchard on 25 August. Borders closed its flagship store in Wheelock Place in August 2011, and its Singapore outlet in Parkway Parade shut its doors the following month. Mr Chou said: "People may say that the book industry is a sunset industry. Well sure, you know the sun rises, the sun sets. But for us, we feel that there is still a lot of life left in the book business. "In Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, I think everybody knows Popular. But Borders is an international brand. To us, it's a new challenge."