25/07/2012

Watz Online - 25 Jul 2012

NUS law professor alleged to be involved in sex—for—grades scandal

The National University of Singapore says it has not started its own inquiry into an alleged sex scandal involving a law professor and a student.

The university said it was waiting for the results of ongoing investigations conducted by the authorities.

When contacted, CPIB said that it was unable to confirm or deny that an investigation was taking place.


MND refers Brompton bicycles purchase to CPIB



The Ministry of National Development (MND) has referred the controversial purchase of 26 Brompton bicycles to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

MND was responding to media queries on Wednesday.

The ministry had previously issued a statement on Tuesday saying that it had suspended a National Parks Board (NParks) officer after an internal audit found discrepancies in the procurement process.

The officer suspended is Bernard Lim, the assistant director of the Park Connector Network

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MND suspends NParks officer in charge of buying foldable bikes

Internal investigation uncovers discrepancies that 'suggest possibility of bias'

The National Parks Board (NParks) officer in charge of the controversial purchase of 26 foldable bicycles - costing S$2,200 each - has been suspended, following an internal investigation.

The suspension - announced yesterday by NParks' parent ministry, the Ministry of National Development (MND) - is the latest in a string of public officers being investigated for lapses in the procurement process.

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Singapore's inflation rebounds to 5.3 pct in June

Singapore's consumer price index (CPI) rose by 5.3 percent in June, rebounding from the inflation rate of 5.0 percent of the previous month, the Department of Statistics said on Monday.

The higher increase was mainly due to higher accommodation cost.

The June housing costs rose by 9.7 percent on year, up from the previous month's inflation of 8.2 percent. Its sub-index named accommodation cost inflation also saw a rise of 10.8 percent from 9.0 percent in May, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a joint press release with the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

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Singapore's inflation rate expected to remain high

Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in.

It's predicted that figures set to be released on Monday will show that prices are continuing to rise.

The latest inflation number is expected to show that consumer prices grew by nearly 5% in June, at a time when the Singapore economy is slowing down.

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Real incomes expected to drop this year: survey

It might be time to tighten your purse strings.

Real income – income of individuals after adjusting for inflation – is expected to drop by 2.7 per cent due to a small 1.5 per cent increase in total wages compared to an expected increase of 4.2 per cent in the consumer price index, according to a wage and business prospects survey by the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) and wage consulting firm Remuneration Data Specialists (RDS).

The survey, which was conducted in June and covered 167 companies in Singapore, showed that the basic wage increase this year is likely to average 4.1 per cent, similar to that for last year.

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Unemployment looms in Q3

Only over a third or 34.7% of employers plan to increase headcount, says survey.

Hiring expectations in Singapore have dipped this quarter as more employers adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach; just over a third (34.7%) of respondents plan to increase headcount while more than half (57.8%) will maintain it for Q3 2012, according to the latest Hudson Report: Employment Trends published today.

These figures represent a decline on the previous three months - positive hiring intentions were 42.4% in Q2. The survey shows a slight increase - from 6.2% in Q2 – to 7.4% of employers planning to cut staff numbers in the coming quarter.

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‘Needed: More protection for Singaporean workers’


The huge influx of foreign workers and a changing political scenario are creating a new labour environment for

Who is ultimately responsible for protecting the rights and interests of Singapore's 2.5 million workers — the Manpower Ministry or the city's only trade union body?

A cynical reply could be: No difference, since they are like different arms of the same government.

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), a network of 61 trade unions and one taxi association, with 700,000 members is affiliated to the ruling People's Action Party. It is led by a cabinet minister attached to the Prime Minister's office.

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SOS email surge in Singapore continues

More young people who emailed the Samaritans of Singapore SOS are engaging in self-harming behaviour the SOS said yesterday.

It has seen a surge in emails to its befriending service in recent years with 774 people sending 3 690 emails during its last financial year ending March � 46 9 per cent more people compared to the previous financial year.

As in previous years more young people used this method of communication with seven in 10 of the clients who disclosed their age below 30.

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Singapore PM calls for social unity as immigrants continue to pour in

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong again talked about cultural and social stability in the country as new and old citizens struggle with the burgeoning rise of immigrants to the country.

Earlier this month, Lee spoke of the fear of new arrivals of Chinese workers to the country, saying that all Singaporeans must work together to develop an understanding that allows for the new Chinese to integrate into Singapore society easier.

Speaking at a Racial Harmony Day celebration on Saturday, the Prime Minister said that there is a rising unhappiness across the city-state, with Singaporeans becoming increasingly agitated by the new immigrants in the country.

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Myanmar agents send underage maids to Singapore

UNDERAGE girls in Myanmar are being recruited to work as maids in Singapore, said agents and recruiters.

The teenagers, some as young as 16, have gone through immigration checkpoints using passports with false ages.

Since 2005, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has required all foreign maids who work in Singapore to be at least 23 years old.

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Prospective Singapore students for new Yale campus angry at “contradictions”

These recent high school students were excited about potentially studying at Yale University’s new Singapore campus. Now, however, they are angry and frustrated at the American university’s decision to crackdown on protests on campus.

“I just feel we have been lied to,” said British-Singaporean Samantha H., who told Bikyamasr.com that her parents would rather see her study in the UK as a result. “They don’t want me at a university that seems to care more about the money involved than students’ rights and freedom of expression,” she added.

For many, the idea that students at Yale University would be barred from holding any sort of protest on campus, is a deal breaker. They argued that when the school announced it would open in the city, eagerness awaited. But now, that optimism has turned to antagonism, and calls for the school to remain away.

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M Ravi’s strange behaviour at Speakers’ Corner (Video)


Lawyer M Ravi’s strange actions yesterday at an event at the Speaker’s Corner to air his grievances against the Law Society of Singapore (LSS) seem to be the talk of the town.

The entire controversy began last week (16 July) at the High Court, when a representative from the LSS, Mr Wong Siew Hong, produced a medical letter questioning Ravi’s mental health.

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Spa owner let masseurs offer sexual services

Spa owner let masseurs offer sexual services
(Photo / Wikimedia)

The owner of a spa has been charged in court after police officers discovered that she let masseurs she hired offer sexual services on the side at work, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

The police found this out when they raided her spa. The spa owner pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $1,000.

Forty-four year-old Pa Gong Di, who lives in a HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, is the owner of Spring Spa on River Valley Road. The prosecution said that as the licence holder of Spring Spa, Ms Pa was violating the Massage Establishment Act when she did not stop her masseurs from offering sexual services to customers. They referred to an incident at 3:57pm on 22 May when this happened, according to the Chinese daily.

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Woman claims she lost her husband and job due to sex addiction

Woman claims she lost her husband and job due to sex addiction
(Photo / Wikimedia)

A woman has apparently done a tell-all on how her sex addiction cost her her marriage and more.

The New Paper carried out an interview with a woman named Connie Chew, 37, who reportedly said that she would spend her weekends looking for young men at nightclubs so that she may have one-night-stands with them. She claims to be suffering from sex addiction and therapy did not help to stem her urges.

She recalled that she once had sex with four men: She reportedly masturbated while watching a movie in a cinema in the morning, had sex with an ex-colleague in the afternoon, and then had sex with three men in a budget hotel until 4am the next morning.

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