Singapore Democratic Alliance Drops 11 Terms Laid Down By New Reform Party S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsiaA list of 11 conditions laid down by the newly formed Reform Party for the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) to consider before the Reform Party joins the alliance has been abandoned after a meeting of the SDA's central executive committee on Friday night.Tweet Mother-tongue Conservatives Voice Existential Fears Yawning BreadWhy can't we imagine a testing regime that is merely designed to find out a child's palette of talents and skills, and then point them to secondary schools that are designed to cater to different abilities?Tweet HDB’s Classic Non-answer Leong Sze Hian, The Online CitizenWith HDB new flats, resale flats’ prices and Cash Over Valuation (COV), all at record highs now, the eventual zero value HDB flat is like an increasing burden which leaves the HDB tenants (no longer owners?) at the mercy of their HDB landlord.Tweet Planning For Stable Staples Seah Chiang Nee, The StarSingapore is money rich but asset poor. The former was being pursued relentlessly so that it can pay for the resources that it needs. And oil and raw materials, as well as food, are getting more expensive by the decade.The trouble is that money is not always a solution in times of global resources crisis.Tweet Puzzled By Professor's Malay Argument Chen Junyi, Straits TimesI do not think any ethnic group is cleverer than another. But the cultural background of an ethnic group has a significant influence on the aspirations of its members.Tweet 电视台该考虑转型 颜毓添, 联合早报一直以盈利为考量的电视机构，再加上一台独大，只会眼睁睁看着创意被牺牲。Tweet Romanian Former Diplomat To Singapore Detained Over Allegation Of Hit And Run Death Associated PressTweet SingTel, StarHub Win World Cup Broadcast Rights Dow JonesBoth companies didn't mention how much they have paid for the broadcast rights.Tweet 8000余官员留学新加坡的荒唐和险恶用心 岳喜源, 巴渝圈国内的8000余官员到新加坡去学习什么？是学习资本主义的人压迫人人剥削人的资本主义私有化制度吗？还是去学习资本主义的吃喝玩乐的腐朽堕落思想？Tweet Singapore Visual Artist Revives Magic Of Cinema Sugita Katyal, ReutersVisual artist Ming Wong's exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum isn't just about cinema: it's also a peep into the unique hybrid culture of Singapore and its three main ethnic groups -- Chinese, Malay and Indian.Tweet S'pore & Johor Officials Discuss Expiry Of 1961 Water Agreement Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsiaTweet “干部培训”非要“出国走一遭”吗 武洁, 扬子晚报Tweet Romanian Court Rejects Ionescu Request To Cancel Arrest Warrant Mustafa Shafawi, Channel NewsAsiaFormer Romanian Charge d'Affaires to Singapore, Silviu Ionescu, has failed in his attempt to get the arrest warrant issued against him cancelled.Tweet Effects Of Recent Electoral Changes Yawning BreadTweet CPF Rate Hike Not Enough Zakir Hussain, Straits TimesWhile most Singaporeans welcome the move to raise the employers' Central Provident Fund (CPF) contribution rate, more than half feel the 1 percentage point increase is not enough. This is the finding of a poll of almost 200 people by government feedback unit Reach.Tweet Gastronomic Feast At Singapore's World Gourmet Summit-Burp! Maurice Arcache, Philippine Daily InquirerWorld-class creations by the world’s most acclaimed chefs -what more could we ask for?Tweet 'Potential Synergy Between Iskandar And Singapore' Rupa Damodaran, Business TimesMalaysia's Iskandar Development Region (IDR) can complement Singapore, said Citi, but the US investment bank has raised concerns on the speed of project implementation and their commercial potential. So far, Singapore investors have committed to invest RM2.68 billion in IDR, mostly in the manufacturing sector.Tweet A Free Day In Singapore Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, BusinessWeekWhere to find a taste of the old city-state, from Malay stalls to old-fashioned confectioneries.Tweet Lanes, Lots For Cyclists Ong Dai Lin, TodaySome of their suggestions echoed popular calls that have been rejected time and again by the Government; other proposals may be downright unpopular, admitted the focus group appointed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to review its Concept Plan 2011.Either way, green transport will have a key role in building a sustainable city, said the 30-member group.Tweet Ionescu Asks For Cancellation Of Arrest Warrant TodayThe former charge d'affaires at the Romanian Embassy in Singapore, Silviu Ionescu, asked the Bucharest Court of Appeal on Wednesday to cancel the arrest warrant against him.Tweet Are More Singaporeans Financially Stressed? Leong Sze Hian, The Online CitizenTweet Rebate Presents Win-win Situation Howard Shaw, Singapore Environment Council, TodayThe final decision was for a rebate because the BYOB originated as a voluntary scheme, so a natural progression to an incentive (of offering a rebate) would be more effective in winning the hearts of the public in changing their behaviour. Tweet Cab Levy At IRs Slammed Maria Almenoar, Straits TimesCommuters and transport experts are up in arms over what they say is the indiscriminate manner in which taxi companies are applying location surcharges.Their reactions follow an announcement by the six taxi companies that a $3 surcharge would be levied from next week on cab rides from the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) integrated resort. This follows a similar move in January at the other IR, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).LTA failed to ensure there is real competition when deregulating taxi fares.Tweet ST Wants Chee To Retract Comments, Witholds Publishing His Replies Singapore Democrat Party"You know as well as I do that if I did not consent to your editing, my replies would not be published as has been the case in the past (see here). I had no choice but to agree to your terms before your readers can read my replies. With no other newspaper companies to contend with, you have the monopoly on what you allow Singaporeans to read.""But I don't have to concur with your censorship. I retain the right to publish on the SDP's website the portions of my reply which you have taken out."Tweet NAC Cuts Wild Rice Funding Callan Tham, Trapper's SwampA society that refuses to be critical of itself will never have a thriving arts scene.Tweet Reform GIC And Temasek Callan Tham, Trapper's SwampTweet Early Glitches For Singapore's Casinos Ben Bland and Yeoh Siew Hoon, Asia Sentinelanalysts believe the local players are mostly gambling relatively small amounts. The casinos need to attract the likes of the big-betting Chinese officials and businessmen who flock to Macau, even if strict Singapore regulations have made it difficult for them to bring in these high rollers.It also points to a possible increase in social problems down the line. The government vision for the casinos was that they would service mostly foreign players in order to limit the damage on Singaporean society - hence the rather high entry levies for locals.Tweet 近万中国官员“受训”新加坡 七成为县处级干部 武汉综合新闻网Tweet Homeless In Singapore Stupid GeniusThere might be people who'll take advantage of your kindness, but should we stop helping people who are really in trouble just because of that?Tweet MND Proposes New Stat Board To Regulate Real Estate Agency Industry Channel NewsAsiaThe Ministry of National Development (MND) plans to set up a new statutory board to raise the professionalism of the real estate agency industry and to better safeguard consumer interest. The proposed statutory board - the Council for Estate Agencies or CEA - will implement a new framework to regulate the industry.Tweet