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Om Mani Padme Hum

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Om Mani Padme Hum

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Om Mani Padme Hum

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六字真言頌. (中文含字幕)

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Singapore banks' loan growth pegged to hit 8-10% in 2014

Singapore banks' loan growth pegged to hit 8-10% in 2014

Housing loans seen to ease.

According to UOB Kay Hian, it expects Singapore banks to register loan growth of 8-10% in 2014.

Here's more from UOB Kay Hian:

Strong loan growth of about 15% in 2013 is partially driven by US$-denominated trade finance facilities for Chinese customers. Demand from these Chinese customers may moderate in 2015 as expectations of the US dollar depreciating against the renminbi will be reduced due to the eventual tapering of QE3.

We expect moderation in growth in housing loans in 2H14, which will be compensated by stronger growth in corporate loans. We expect stronger growth in corporate loans as global economy recovers and regional growth is sustained.

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Expect 5% annual transport fare hikes till 2016

Expect 5% annual transport fare hikes till 2016

Before slowing to 2.7% yearly increases.

"With an estimated 8% of accumulated fare revision not implemented in 2012/13, we expect significant fare hikes of 5% p.a. over the next three years, before reverting to a more normalised annual rise of 2.7%," said Maybank Kim Eng in its latest land transport sector report.

"Coupled with our long-term ridership forecasts of 2.3% p.a., we expect sector revenue to be 43% higher in 2018," it added.

The research firm further noted that the Downtown line (DTL) will open in three stages over the next four years.

The resulting traffic cannibalisation once DTL Stage 2 operates in 2016 would have a "significant" negative impact on SMRT, and Maybank believes the market has largely ignored this negative implication and expect growing concern in the years ahead.

"We see the current business models for the PTOs as unsustainable and expect imminent changes. We also expect a transition to the new rail financing (NRF) framework for all existing rail lines over the next few years," reckoned Maybank.

This led the research firm to prefer ComfortDelGro among land transport stocks, given the fact that it is "anchored by stable acquisition-led earnings growth from its overseas units" and that comfortDelGro's valuation remains more attractive than SMRT.


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3 biggest reasons why home prices are unlikely to crash next year

3 biggest reasons why home prices are unlikely to crash next year

No 'excessive' correction for headline prices.

According to OCBC Investment Research, barring a macro crisis, it does not believe headline prices will correct excessively (>20%) in 2014.

This is due to three reasons.

Here's more:

1) The direct impact of a physical oversupply (of homes which are already sold) is first on vacancy rates and subsequently on rental prices.

While falling rents will pressure home prices, we do not see many home-owners force-selling into a softening market given that a negative rental carry is the norm in Singapore historically and that the average individual balance sheet remains fairly benign.

2) The level of unsoldpipeline held by developers (which forms the primary supply) is currently at 36k units. This is lower than the 10-year historical average of 43k units and is not overly onerous.

While developers will likely ease prices ahead to move inventory, a fire-sale situation is unlikely to ensue given relatively strong balance sheets.

3) Finally, we believe the data currently point to a fairly high price elasticity of demand. That is, significant numbers of buyers will come into the market at every incremental price dip.

This is illustrated when CapitaLand introduced discounts at its 1715-unit d’Leedon in 1Q13 and subsequently saw 543 more units sold by 3Q13.

Similarly, developers which set lower prices at recent new launches (Sky Vue at Bishan and Thomson Three at Bright Hill Dr.) saw firm performances, despite the Jul-13 TDSR measures.


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Mass-market home prices predicted to slip 5-15% in 2014

Mass-market home prices predicted to slip 5-15% in 2014

Will there also be a drop in posh home prices?

According to OCBC Investment Research, while the Fed Fund rate is expected to stay at low levels until at least 2015, it expects increasing caution to set in as the overhang from government measures remains in play and the market grapple with an onerous pipeline of physical supply coming ahead.

Over FY14, OCBC's forecast for mass-market residential prices is a dip of 5%-15% and 0%-10% fall for high-end residential prices.

Here's more from OCBC:

In light of the subdued outlook for the domestic residential sector, we favor large-cap developers with strong balance sheets and diversified exposure across regional real estate markets. Our top picks in the space are CapitaLand, rated BUY with a fair value estimate of S$3.77 (30% RNAV disc.), and Keppel Land, rated BUY with a fair value estimate of S$4.09 (30% discount to RNAV).


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HDB unveils 8,952 build-to-order, balance flats in November

HDB unveils 8,952 build-to-order, balance flats in November

Its largest BTO, SBF exercise to date.

In a release, HDB launched 8,952 flats for sale in a mix of mature and non-mature towns/estates under the Nov 2013 joint Build-To-Order (BTO) and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise. This is HDB’s largest joint BTO and SBF exercise so far.

This launch brings the total BTO flat supply in 2013 to 25,139 units, in line with HDB’s commitment to launch 25,000 BTO flats for sale this year.

Together with the 7,074 balance flats offered under the May and Nov 2013 SBF exercises, as well as an additional 1,355 bonus 2-room flats in the Jul and Sep 2013 BTO exercises, HDB has offered a total of 33,568 flats for sale in 2013 to meet the housing demand of our people.


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HDB Rolls Out Record Number of Flats for Sale

HDB Rolls Out Record Number of Flats for Sale

Date issued : 26 Nov 2013

 Today, HDB launched 8,952 flats for sale in a mix of mature and non-mature towns/estates under the Nov 2013 joint Build-To-Order (BTO) and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise. This is HDB’s largest joint BTO and SBF exercise so far.

2This launch brings the total BTO flat supply in 2013 to 25,139 units, in line with HDB’s commitment to launch 25,000 BTO flats for sale this year. Together with the 7,074 balance flats offered under the May and Nov 2013 SBF exercises, as well as an additional 1,355 bonus 2-room flats in the Jul and Sep 2013 BTO exercises, HDB has offered a total of 33,568 flats for sale in 2013 to meet the housing demand of our people.

BTO Exercise Offering 4,978 Flats

3HDB will offer 4,978 BTO flats over six projects in five non-mature towns, namely Bukit Batok, Hougang, Jurong West, Sembawang and Woodlands. A wide range of flats, including Studio Apartments (SAs), 2-room to 5-room flats, as well as 3Gen flats, is offered to meet the diverse housing needs of first-timers, second-timers, multi-generation families, elderly and singles.

4First-timers will continue to enjoy priority flat allocation with at least 85% (for 4-room and 5-room) and 70% (for 2-room and 3-room) of the BTO flat supply in non-mature towns/estates set aside for them. Eligible singles can submit their applications to buy a 2-room flat in Admiralty Grove or West Ridges @ Bukit Batok. Applicants with a multi-generation family comprising at least a married/courting couple and their parent(s) listed in the application will also be eligible to purchase a 3Gen flat in Boon Lay View.

5The Multi-Generation Priority Scheme Under the MGPS, HDB will set aside up to 15% of the SAs, 2-room and 3-room flats in a BTO project (subject to a minimum of 20 units each) for parents applying under Multi-Generation Priority Scheme (MGPS). The same number of 2-room and bigger flats will be set aside in the same BTO project for their married children. (MGPS) for parents and married children to apply jointly for flats in the same BTO project will be available to those applying for flats at Admiralty Grove, Hougang Meadow, Boon Lay View and West Ridges @ Bukit Batok. In addition, 50% of the SA supply in Hougang Meadow will be reserved for eligible elderly applicants under the Studio Apartment Priority Scheme (SAPS).

6Eligible first-timer households can enjoy up to $60,000 of housing grants, comprising the Additional CPF Housing Grant (up to $40,000) and Special CPF Housing Grant (up to $20,000). With these grants, 2-room, 3-room, 4-room and 5-room flats will be priced from as low as $15,000, $106,000, $201,000 and $297,000 respectively (Table 1). Further details can be found in Annex A1 (PDF 924KB).

Table 1: Nov 2013 BTO Prices

Project	Flat Type #	Selling Price (Excluding Grants@)	Selling Price (Including Grants^)
BTO Projects in Non-Mature Estates
Admiralty Grove (JPG 469KB)	2-room*	From $75,000	From $15,000
	3-room	From $156,000	From $106,000
	4-room	From $238,000	From $203,000
	5-room	From $307,000	From $297,000
Boon Lay View (JPG 458KB)	3-room	From $160,000	From $110,000
Boon Lay View & Yung Kuang Court (JPG 492KB)	4-room	From $256,000	From $221,000
	5-room	From $320,000	From $310,000
Boon Lay View (JPG 129KB)	3Gen	From $321,000	From $311,000
EastLawn @ Canberra (JPG 453KB)	4-room	From $236,000	From $201,000
	5-room	From $315,000	From $305,000
Hougang Meadow (JPG 533KB)	Studio Apartment	From $84,000	-
	3-room	From $187,000	From $137,000
	4-room	From $306,000	From $271,000
West Ridges @ Bukit Batok (JPG 426KB)	2-room*	From $85,000	From $25,000
	3-room	From $169,000	From $119,000
	4-room	From $284,000	From $249,000
	5-room	From $373,000	From $363,000

Notes:
1) * Come in two sizes of 35 sqm (Type 1) and 45 sqm (Type 2).
2) ^ The assumed housing grants are meant for applicants applying as a family nucleus or two singles under the Joint Singles Scheme for a 2-room BTO flat. SHG is also applicable only to 2-room, 3-room and 4-room flats in the non-mature estates:
i) 2-room flat: $60,000 (comprising AHG of $40,000 and SHG of $20,000 where applicable)
ii) 3-room flat: $50,000 (comprising AHG of $30,000 and SHG of $20,000 where applicable)
iii) 4-room flat: $35,000 (comprising AHG of $15,000 and SHG of $20,000 where applicable)
iv) 5-room flat / 3Gen: $10,000 (AHG only)

The actual grant amounts vary based on income and choice of flat type. Read more on various CPF Housing Grants available.

3) ^# SAs are sold on a 30-year lease, beginning from the date of key collection. Prices are inclusive of the elderly-friendly fittings/finishes. 50% of the supply is set aside for the SA Priority Scheme under which eligible applicants can right-size to an SA in the same town as or within 2 km from their current flat/property, or apply for an SA to live near or with parents/married child.

4) ^@ Singles who apply under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme will pay $15,000 more than the married couples. Eligible singles can also apply for AHG and SHG. The actual grant amounts will vary based on income. Read more on the various CPF Housing Grants available.

SBF Exercise Offering 3,974 Flats

7HDB will offer another 3,974 balance flats in 11 non-mature and 13 mature towns/estates under the SBF Exercise. They comprise 502 SAs, 405 2-room, 818 3-room, 1,644 4-room, 595 5-room flats and 10 Executive flats.

8Flats offered under the SBF Exercise are reserved for families. At least 95% of the supply of balance flats (excluding SAs) will be set aside for first-timers. In addition, 50% of the SAs will be set aside for eligible elderly flat applicants under the SAPS.

9SBF flats come in a wide range of flat types, locations and selling prices (Table 2). About 14% are already completed, while the remaining 86% are under construction. Pricing details and applicable ethnic quotas of the SBF flats offered are in Annex A2 (PDF 231KB).

Table 2: Summary of Nov 2013 SBF Prices

Flat Type#	Selling Price (excluding Grants)	Selling Price (inclusive of Grants)^
Non-Mature Towns/Estates
Studio Apartment	From $73,000	-
3-Room	From $164,000	From $114,000
4-Room	From $234,000	From $199,000
5-Room	From $295,000	From $285,000
Executive Flat	From $485,000	-
Mature Towns/Estates
Studio Apartment	From $86,000	-
2-Room	From $141,000	From $101,000
3-Room	From $188,000	From $158,000
4-Room	From $302,000	From $287,000
5-Room	From $379,000	From $369,000
Executive Flat	From $510,000	-

Notes:
1) ^The assumed housing grants are meant for applicants applying as a family nucleus. SHG is also applicable only to 2-room, 3-room and 4-room flats in the non-mature estates:

i) 2-room flat: $60,000 (comprising AHG of $40,000, and SHG of $20,000 where applicable) ii) 3-room flat: $50,000 (comprising AHG of $30,000, and SHG of $20,000 where applicable) iii) 4-room flat: $35,000 (comprising AHG of $15,000, and SHG of $20,000 where applicable) iv) 5-room flat: $10,000 (AHG only) Actual Grant amount will vary based on income and choice of flat. Read more on various CPF Housing Grants available.

2) # SAs are sold on a 30-year lease, beginning from the date of key collection. Prices are inclusive of the elderly-friendly fittings/finishes. 50% of the supply is set aside for the SA Priority Scheme under which eligible applicants can right-size to an SA in the same town as or within 2 km from their current flat/property, or apply for an SA to live near or with parents/married child.
3) Please refer to esales.hdb.gov.sg to check the lease commencement date of each block.

Advice for Flat Buyers

10Applicants are strongly advised to apply for a BTO flat in non-mature towns/ estates to enjoy a higher chance of success in securing a flat. Though SBF flats have a shorter waiting time to completion, the number of units in each town is small and is likely to attract high application rates.

11Regular updates on the number of applications submitted for the various flat types/towns/estates will be published on the HDB InfoWEB. Applicants are advised to check for updates before submitting their application.

Application for Nov 2013 Sales Exercises

12Applications for new flats launched in the Nov 2013 BTO and SBF Exercises can be submitted online on the HDB InfoWEB from today, 26 Nov 2013 (Tuesday) to 2 Dec 2013 (Monday). Applicants can apply for only one flat type/category in one town/estate under either the BTO or SBF Exercise.

13More details on the application procedures can be found in Annex B (PDF 91KB).

14For enquiries, the public can:

- Log on to esales.hdb.gov.sg; or - E-mail hdbsales@hdb.gov.sg; or - Visit the HDB Sales Office to speak with our Customer Relations Executives during office hours (Mon to Fri 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 1 pm).

Next BTO Launch in Jan 2014

15In Jan 2014, HDB will offer about 3,150 BTO flats in Bukit Batok, Jurong West, Punggol, Serangoon and Woodlands. More information on the flats to be offered under the Jan 2014 BTO Exercise is available on the HDB InfoWEB.

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SGX hunting for 89,000 investors with $68.3m in unclaimed shares, dividends

SGX hunting for 89,000 investors with $68.3m in unclaimed shares, dividends

You could be richer than you think.

According to a release, Singapore Exchange (SGX) wants to locate 89,000 investors who own $68.3 million in unclaimed shares and dividends.

These unclaimed assets comprise $14.6 million of SingTel shares and dividends belonging to investors without Central Depository (CDP) accounts. The 15,000 individuals who own these shares bought them at $2.00 each in the company’s 1993 IPO. The shares have returned more than twice that amount since.

Also, the unclaimed assets account for $53.7 million of dividends belonging to investors who cannot be contacted. Each year, thousands of shareholders do not cash their dividend cheques.

Unclaimed dividends are returned to the relevant listed companies after six years. Currently, 74,000 investors have yet to claim $53.7 million in dividends which SGX is safe-keeping.

“This initiative highlights the benefits Singaporeans enjoy when they invest in shares over the long term. We hope to locate the rightful owners of these assets through this exercise while making Singaporeans more aware of the role share investing can play in their financial planning for their retirement and other needs,” said Chew Sutat, Executive Vice President at SGX.

“Many listed companies pay sizeable dividends. In the past 12 months, the 30 companies making up the Straits Times Index paid $15.5 billion in dividends, equivalent to a 3% yield.

We encourage investors to take advantage of SGX’s direct crediting service which automatically deposits their dividends into their bank accounts,” said Lynn Gaspar, Head of Retail Investors at SGX.

“It is always encouraging to hear real-life examples of investors who invested in shares for the long term and enjoyed healthy returns. There are two lessons here for all of us; first, share investing is a crucial part of financial planning and second, investors should monitor their company’s corporate actions and developments,” said David Gerald, President and CEO of the Securities Investors Association (Singapore).

To encourage investors to come forward during this initiative, SGX is waiving the administrative fee for the re-issuance of dividend cheques and dividend crediting until 26 January 2014.


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Blog Updates

Made minor changes to the blog:

- Fixed a scripting problem in a blog post which caused IE broswer not to load properly. However, Firefox, Safari and Chrome was fine.

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'Let's try and not have a human do it': How one Facebook techie can run 20,000 servers

'Let's try and not have a human do it': How one Facebook techie can run 20,000 servers

Summary: Facebook on how it has managed to ease the pain of running one of the world's largest fleet of servers.

By Nick Heath | November 25, 2013 -- 12:43 GMT (20:43 SGT)

How many people does it take to run 20,000 servers? In the case of Facebook just the one.

Facebook's low overhead is born of necessity. When you run a computing infrastructure supporting the Likes of more than one billion users worldwide – the less human input needed to keep it ticking over, the better.

The philosophy of the social media giant is if a job doesn't need to be carried out by a person, "let's try and not have a human do it", said Tom Furlong, Facebook's director of site operations.

Facebook cuts manual maintenance of its IT infrastructure wherever possible. Servers and drives can be replaced without tools thanks to their Open Compute Project (OCP) designs, a system called Cyborg fixes tracts of misbehaving servers automatically and tools like Chef help manage thousands of servers at a time.

One of the latest of these manual labour-saving tools is Cluster Planner. Facebook regularly deploys servers in their thousands to meet the constantly changing demands of its business. Cluster Planner helps the company find the best home for these clusters within its global datacentre estate.

"Cluster Planner helps us calculate where we're going to put machines, so we can best utilise the infrastructure that we have," said Furlong.

"It basically replaces an incredibly manual process," he said, adding it had reduced cluster deployment time from days to hours.

Cluster Planner takes a snapshot of what sits where in Facebook's estate. It aggregates data about Facebook's computer systems – such as server components, average CPU utilisation and number of IOPs – and details about the datacentres, including electrical capacity and available floor space.

"It's normally a very cumbersome process for engineers to do the math calculations. With Cluster Planner you can do that very quickly, so what took us days before now takes us hours."

A core challenge for Facebook when cataloguing infrastructure spread across its global datacentres is ensuring consistency in how the data is collected and labelled, so Facebook can properly aggregate data. For example ensuring that data derived from generators at its datacentre in Prineville, Oregon is labelled in the same way as that collected from generators at its Forest City installation, more than 2,500 miles away.

Cluster Planner is in beta, its tools are being worked on and Facebook is in the process of hooking it into all of its datacentres.

Keeping track of Swiss cheese clusters

The make-up of Facebook's datacentres is moulded by the ebb and flow of business demands, with its computing estate changing shape to support alterations to systems and the roll out of new software. Furlong believes Facebook's IT operations could become more efficient by using systems like Cluster Planner to capture information about the composition of server clusters as they change during their lifetime.

"You don't put a server in production and then have [it handling] exactly the same workload during its three year lifespan. It's a moving landscape," said Furlong.

"Over the lifespan of the cluster you start to see things disappearing from it. You get people saying 'Oh there are underutilised resources in that cluster, let's put them in that new cluster that we're bringing up'.

"After a while there's like this 'Swiss cheese' [cluster], which I know by looking at it doesn't have enough machines in it to be used efficiently.

"If we had something that allowed us to better calculate what that 'Swiss cheese' is, we could go back to capacity planning and say 'Hey send us some more stuff' or 'How about we compact this and use some free rows for other things'. Those are the types of things I want us to be able to do over the lifetime of the equipment, so we don't have this static view of the world."

Automating away the pain

Maintaining one of the world's largest fleet of servers could be a massive hassle.

Facebook eases that pain in several ways, such as by using OCP-designed servers, storage and datacentre equipments that have been stripped down to the core components needed to carry out specific computing workloads, an approach that the OCP refers to as 'vanity-free design'.

These designs not only remove unnecessary screws from servers and drives so they can be installed without tools, but also reduce the number of components that can go wrong. The company estimates that using OCP hardware has cut the time its staff spend on maintenance jobs by more than 50 percent.

Also cutting the number of manual repairs are automated software tools like the aforementioned Cyborg, which monitor Facebook's infrastructure and try to correct problems without manual intervention.

"We've said that one datacentre technician can basically handle about 20,000 machines," Furlong said.

"One of the reasons why we can operate as efficiently as we do in terms of server repairs is we have huge numbers of automated systems that collect and analyse data.

"Cyborg goes out and tries to do its own server repairs, like a soft reboot or something that is an easy way to fix a system that's hung up. Cyborg keeps literally thousands of potential tickets from ever hitting a human hand.

"The more stuff we can have a system do, the better. I don't want to employ armies of people to do the things I can automate out. I want the people who are there to do high value work, the more complex repairs, the installs and de-installs, and all the kind of things that you need people to do."

Furlong is also examining ways to cut the manual work needed to add new hardware to Facebook's inventory system, and is considering automated alternatives to its current system of adding items by manually scanning barcodes.

"Say we have a setup where you just snap the new thing in and the system recognises it then updates all of your inventory systems," he said.

While the scale of Facebook's IT operations can be difficult to manage, its size can be an asset when it comes to weeding out problems in the infrastructure. Furlong recalls the company spotting a recurring fault with a small number of motherboards in its OCP servers when they were installed in its Prineville datacentre.

"What we realised was we actually had the same failures in all of our legacy equipment, we just couldn't see it before because the sample sizes were small," he said.

"That's the beauty of having a large sample size to look at, you can knock things out that keep you from having to do a whole bunch of work [in the future]."

If Facebook is to continue to grow its 1.1 billion-strong user base it will need to continue work at sweating its datacentres, but Furlong believes there are plenty more efficiencies to wring out.

"To me that is the Holy Grail of this, to look at that server to datacentre ratio and be able to say 'I can get more servers into my datacentre'," he said.

"I think we do a good job of that today but I absolutely believe there is room for improvement."



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OUE seeks shareholders’ approval to sell OUE Bayfront into its REIT for at least $1 bil

OUE seeks shareholders’ approval to sell OUE Bayfront into its REIT for at least $1 bil

WRITTEN BY THE EDGE
WEDNESDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2013 13:06

OUE is seeking approval from its shareholders to sell OUE Bayfront into the commercial real-estate investment trust (OUE C-REIT) it is planning to list for a consideration least $1 billion.

An extraordinary general meeting (EGM) for shareholders to vote on the transaction will be held on December 4.

OUE Bayfront is an 18-storey premium office building with rooftop restaurant premises located at 50 Collyer Quay, which is complemented by retail facilities at its ancillary properties, namely OUE Tower, a conserved tower building located at 60 Collyer Quay with panoramic views of the Marina Bay landscape which is currently occupied by a fine-dining restaurant and OUE Link, a link bridge located at 62 Collyer Quay with retail units.

Based on the valuation of OUE Bayfront by Cushman & Wakefield VHS as at September 30, 2013, the property is valued at $1.01 billion and at $1.4 billion when income support is taken into account.

Assuming that the OUE Bayfront Property is sold for the minimum price of $1 billion, the sale consideration may comprise a cash component of $696.9 million and
a cash-equivalent component comprising units in the commercial REIT worth $308.1 million.

OUE intends to use the cash proceeds for the following purposes to pay down existing debt of US$376.6 million and for general corporate and working capital purposes.

The EGM will also see shareholders voting on OUE's proposal to distribute to shareholders about 25.6% of the company-held OUE H-Trust stapled securities to shareholders, on the basis of 1 company-held OUE H-Trust stapled security for every 6 shares held.

OUE “intends to retain approximately 33 to 35% of the total number of OUE H-Trust stapled securities in issue” after the distribution, it said.

LAST UPDATED ON WEDNESDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2013 13:12

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test

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McDonald's Ebi Burger

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Blog Update

Make minor changes to blog:
- Changes to Blog Archives: For some reason, it appears very weird when viewed with the following browsers recently: Internet Explorer 9, 10, Firefox, Safari and Chrome. 

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Henry 헨리_1-4-3 (I Love You)

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Government to release four residential sites estimated to yield 2,350 housing units in November 2013

Government to release four residential sites estimated to yield 2,350 housing units in November 2013

Date issued : 18 Nov 2013

To provide developers and home-buyers with more choices for private housing, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will be releasing four residential sites for sale in November 2013 under the Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme for the second half of 2013 (2H2013).

The residential site at Upper Paya Lebar Road and two Executive Condominium sites at Canberra Drive and Anchorvale Crescent are launched for sale today under the Confirmed List. The Executive Condominium site at Choa Chu Kang Drive is made available for application today on the Reserve List.

Together, these four sites can yield about 2,350 residential units.

More details on the land parcels can be found in Annex 1 (PDF 50KB). Location plans are attached in Annex 2 (PDF 508KB).

Other Details

The closing dates for the tender for the land parcels are as follows:


Upper Paya Lebar Road    : 14 January 2014
Canberra Drive     : 28 January 2014
Anchorvale Crescent    : 13 February 2014




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Plants 'do maths' to control overnight food supplies

Plants 'do maths' to control overnight food supplies

By Helen BriggsBBC News

Arabidopsis Arabidopsis thaliana: A model plant for scientific experiments

Plants have a built-in capacity to do maths, which helps them regulate food reserves at night, research suggests.

UK scientists say they were "amazed" to find an example of such a sophisticated arithmetic calculation in biology.

Mathematical models show that the amount of starch consumed overnight is calculated by division in a process involving leaf chemicals, a John Innes Centre team reports in e-Life journal.

Birds may use similar methods to preserve fat levels during migration.

The scientists studied the plant Arabidopsis, which is regarded as a model plant for experiments.

'Astonished'

Overnight, when the plant cannot use energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into sugars and starch, it must regulate its starch reserves to ensure they last until dawn.

Experiments by scientists at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, show that to adjust its starch consumption so precisely, the plant must be performing a mathematical calculation - arithmetic division.

Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

This is the first concrete example in biology of such a sophisticated arithmetic calculation”

Prof Martin HowardJohn Innes Centre, Norwich

"They're actually doing maths in a simple, chemical way - that's amazing, it astonished us as scientists to see that," study leader Prof Alison Smith told BBC News.

"This is pre-GCSE maths they're doing, but they're doing maths."

The scientists used mathematical modelling to investigate how a division calculation can be carried out inside a plant.

During the night, mechanisms inside the leaf measure the size of the starch store. Information about time comes from an internal clock, similar to the human body clock.

'Sophisticated'

The researchers proposed that the process is mediated by the concentrations of two kinds of molecules called "S" for starch and "T" for time.

If the S molecules stimulate starch breakdown, while the T molecules prevent this from happening, then the rate of starch consumption is set by the ratio of S molecules to T molecules. In other words, S divided by T.

"This is the first concrete example in biology of such a sophisticated arithmetic calculation," said mathematical modeller Prof Martin Howard, of the John Innes Centre.

The scientists think similar mechanisms may operate in animals such as birds to control fat reserves during migration over long distances, or when they are deprived of food when incubating eggs.

Commenting on the research, Dr Richard Buggs of Queen Mary, University of London, said: "This is not evidence for plant intelligence. It simply suggests that plants have a mechanism designed to automatically regulate how fast they burn carbohydrates at night. Plants don't do maths voluntarily and with a purpose in mind like we do."

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Singapore raises 2013 GDP growth forecast on manufacturing

Singapore raises 2013 GDP growth forecast on manufacturing
Thursday, 21 November 2013

© 2013 - The Edge Singapore

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Singapore ups 2013 GDP outlook to 3.5-4.0% as Q3 tops forecasts

Singapore ups 2013 GDP outlook to 3.5-4.0%  as Q3 tops forecasts
Thursday, 21 November 2013

© 2013 - The Edge Singapore

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Scheduled Maintenance - POSB

Scheduled Maintenance - POSB

Service	Scheduled Maintenance Date	Expected Downtime	Remarks
iBanking	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
	24 Nov 2013	0600hrs to 1200hrs	System Maintenance - iB VPP(Pay Other Banks’ Credit Card) Add Payee and Payment for Visa.
	24 Nov 2013	0030hrs to 0035hrs, 1920hrs to 1925hrs	System Maintenance - MCSA Funds Transfer, and Portfolio Enquiry
	24 Nov 2013	0030hrs to 1935hrs	System Maintenance - Online Equity Trading
	07 Dec 2013	1000hrs to 2359hrs	System Maintenance - Online Equity Trading
	08 Dec 2013	0000hrs to 1200hrs	System Maintenance - Online Equity Trading
	08 Dec 2013	0200hrs to 0245hrs	System Maintenance - Credit Cards Application (Document Upload)
	15 Dec 2013	0200hrs to 0245hrs	System Maintenance - Credit Cards Application (Document Upload)
mBanking	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
iB Application	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
iB - Trading Services	07 Dec 2013	1000hrs to 2359hrs	System Maintenance
	08 Dec 2013	0000hrs to 1200hrs	System Maintenance
D2Pay	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
	08 Dec 2013	0300hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
	15 Dec 2013	0300hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
Phone Banking	-	-	-
NETS	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	Intermittent transaction failure expected due to maintenance.
Passbook Update	-	-	-
Automated Teller Machine (ATM)	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	Intermittent transaction failure expected due to maintenance.
Cash Deposit Machine	-	-	-
Coin Deposit Machine	-	-	-
Cheque Deposit Machine	-	-	-
POSB Print	-	-	-
AXS D-Pay	-	-	-
Token Registration	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0830hrs	System Maintenance
e-Commerce on 3D Secure Websites	-	-	-

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MTI raises S'pore 2013 growth forecast to 3.5%-4%

MTI raises S'pore 2013 growth forecast to 3.5%-4%

By Linette Lim
POSTED: 21 Nov 2013 08:03
UPDATED: 22 Nov 2013 00:22

Singapore has upgraded its economic growth forecast for the year, boosted by growth in the services and manufacturing sectors. The economy is now expected to grow between 3.5 and 4 per cent, up from an earlier forecast of 2.5 to 3.5 per cent.

SINGAPORE: Singapore has upgraded its economic growth forecast for the year, boosted by growth in the services and manufacturing sectors.

The economy is now expected to grow between 3.5 and 4 per cent, up from an earlier forecast of 2.5 to 3.5 per cent.

Singapore's economic growth picked up pace between July and September.

Third quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose 5.8 per cent on-year. This is compared to the 4.4 per cent growth in the previous quarter, and higher than advance estimates of a 5.1 per cent growth.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said it expects the economy to maintain a similar pace of growth in the fourth quarter.

Ow Foong Pheng, Permanent Secretary at MTI, said: "Externally-oriented sectors such as manufacturing, transportation and storage are likely to provide support to growth, in line with the gradual pick-up in the global economy.

“Domestically-oriented sectors such as business services are also expected to remain resilient. However, tightness in labour market conditions may weigh on growth in some labour-intensive sectors."

Third quarter GDP growth was broad-based.

Manufacturing grew 5.5 per cent on-year, driven by electronics and transport engineering.

The construction sector expanded 5.3 per cent, while wholesale and retail trade grew 7.9 per cent, boosted by stronger trade flows.

The financial services sector saw growth ease to 10.5 per cent from 13.7 per cent in the previous quarter, while accommodation and food services grew 3 per cent.

The better-than-expected performance prompted an upgrade of Singapore's 2013 growth forecast.

For 2014, the economy is projected to grow by 2 to 4 per cent. But economists say with improving growth, comes higher inflation.

Irvin Seah, senior economist at DBS Bank, said: "COE premiums have already shot back up to pre-tightening levels.

“We expect inflation to cross the 3 per cent in December of this year, or maybe in early next year. And by April next year, there's a good chance that inflation may even challenge the 4 per cent level."

There are also external risks to consider.

Despite the upward revision of full-year GDP growth, MTI said the growth outlook for the Singapore economy remains modest.

This is partly due to ongoing reforms in China, and fiscal consolidation in some ASEAN economies like Indonesia and Malaysia.

- CNA/fa/nd

- wong chee tat :)

East Coast Rd hotel site up for sale by public tender

East Coast Rd hotel site up for sale by public tender

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has launched a hotel site at East Coast Road for sale by public tender.

SINGAPORE: The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has launched a hotel site at East Coast Road for sale by public tender.

The site, which is on the government's reserve list, was triggered for sale on November 6 after a developer had committed to bid at a price of not less than S$160 million for the site.

Under the Reserve List system, a site will only be put up for tender if the developer's minimum bid price is acceptable to the government.

With a gross floor area of about 24,716 square metres, the land parcel is located at the junction of East Coast Road and Joo Chiat Road.

The 99-year leasehold plot also contains the former Joo Chiat Police Station, which shall be restored as part of the future hotel development.

Nicholas Mak, executive director of SLP International Property Consultants, said the site is near Paya Lebar, which is expected to be developed into a commercial hub under the the new Draft Master Plan 2013. This could drive demand for hotel rooms in the area.

But developers will have to retain and restore the two-storey former Joo Chiat Police Station and the gross floor area of that conserved building has to be included as part of the maximum permissible gross floor area.

The government has also stipulated that up to 40 per cent of the maximum permissible gross floor area will be allowed for commercial use such as office and retail space.

Another challenge facing the developer of this hotel is that as the hotel could yield 600 rooms, it would have to provide sufficient parking space.

SLP International expects the site to draw five to 10 bids, which could range from S$250 million to S$266 million.

- CNA/xq/ms

- wong chee tat :)

97.5% of students pass PSLE

97.5% of students pass PSLE

By John Leong
POSTED: 22 Nov 2013 15:07
UPDATED: 22 Nov 2013 20:18

97.5 per cent of students who sat for the PSLE this year will be moving on to secondary school, marginally lower than last year's 97.6 per cent. This year is the first time MOE is not announcing the highest and lowest scores across the Primary Six cohort.

SINGAPORE: Students across Singapore received their PSLE results on Friday, and 97.5 per cent of those who sat for the PSLE this year will move on to secondary school.

That is marginally lower than last year’s 97.6 per cent.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said a total of 43,047 Primary 6 students sat for the PSLE in 2013. Of this number, 41,974 students passed.

In this year's cohort, 66.7 per cent are eligible for the Express stream, 19.9 per cent for the Normal (Academic) and 10.9 per cent for Normal (Technical) courses.

This year is the first time the MOE is not announcing the highest and lowest scores across the Primary Six cohort. That is because it wants the focus to be on the students' holistic development.

One student who received her results on Friday is Low Sieu Xin, who had never had tuition lessons until this year.

In September last year, the Bedok Green Primary School student picked up an eye condition which makes her see colours darker than they really are.

Her studies suffered as a result, and that is why her parents signed her up for a PSLE Preparatory Course.

Her excitement on results day is obvious. And her mother has been doing her best to calm her down.

Sieu Xin, who is also the school’s head prefect, said: "I think she (my mother) knows that I'm really nervous and excited, so I think she didn't want me to dwell on things anymore, so she left me alone to do what I want to do."

Low Gek Eng, Sieu Xin's mother, said: "All along she's quite ok, her standard is all right, up to what she wants, so normally I don't really press her."

And Sieu Xin is satisfied with her scores, like many of her friends.

Meanwhile, Sieu Xin's form teacher, Mrs Hsu Seow Yun is changing schools next year.

And the student wants to pay tribute to her mentor, who helped her cope despite her eye condition.

Mrs Hsu said: "The moment I realised that one of her eyes had hindered vision, I immediately shifted her to a position to enable her to see properly in the class."

Mazel Tan, a Primary Six student in Bedok Green Primary School, said: "Sometimes, because of her (Sieu Xin’s) eyesight, she cannot see the words on the board, so I'll lend her my notes to copy."

The Low family will not be celebrating straight away, due to other commitments. But Sieu Xin is looking forward to the coming days.

When asked what she looks forward to the most, Sieu Xin said: “The outings with my friends. I think it's going to be very fun, because everybody is mainly relaxed already after the results."

Sieu Xin has already been offered a place in Temasek Junior College's Integrated Programme, thanks to her preliminary results.

This means she will skip the GCE O-Level exams and go straight to the A-Levels after six years.

Students who are eligible to progress to secondary school can select their school and submit their forms by 3pm on November 28.

The Secondary One posting results will be released on December 20.

- CNA/xq/nd

- wong chee tat :)

PSLE questions crafted in way that lets students show what they've learnt

PSLE questions crafted in way that lets students show what they've learnt

POSTED: 22 Nov 2013 18:13

The more challenging questions in this year's PSLE were crafted in a way that lets students show what they have learnt while keeping the standard high, said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat.

SINGAPORE: This year's Primary Six Leaving Examinations (PSLE) had one small refinement.

The more challenging questions were crafted in a way that lets students show what they have learnt while keeping the standard high.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said the questions were structured to guide the student's thinking and give points for each of the steps he goes through, and not just for the final answer.

Writing in a Facebook post on Friday, Mr Heng added that the PSLE results also showed that the many programmes put in place by the ministry and schools to level up all students made a difference to many.

He said bringing everyone's focus back from chasing points to really learning is exactly what the ministry wants.

And the students themselves showed a lot of motivation to do well.

All this, he added, showed the ministry is on the right path and will continue on this path.

Mr Heng stressed that the PSLE questions are still of a high standard but the student finds them more accessible, and as he goes through the opening steps well, the student gains confidence to continue.

And even if the student does not get the right final answer, if he gets the first few parts right, the student has shown that he understands his material and gets the points for it.

Mr Heng shared the observation of exam invigilators who saw the Primary 6 students working on the questions right up to the last minute rather than give up on some.

And teachers said their students felt the papers gave them a chance to do well, and they felt confident about their learning.

Mr Heng said putting the focus on learning rather than chasing points is what the ministry wants.

He hopes parents agree that this is the right way to help children learn.

He noted that many more students did well this year, and parents should be very proud of them.

Mr Heng said he would share his thoughts on choosing a secondary school soon.


- CNA/ir

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Om Mani Padme Hum

Om Mani Padme Hum

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Om Mani Padme Hum

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Frozen movie

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This the season of flu bugs....

These couple of days saw some of my friends and fellow co-workers affected by the flu bugs. Unfortunately, I got surrendered by the flu bug and needed a weekend to rest. Lots of stuff pending .... =( 

- wong chee tat :)

System Status: File Server Maintenance

File Server under maintenance -1630- 2000

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Om Mani Padme Hum

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Singapore home sales fell 48% in October after loan curbs: update

Singapore home sales fell 48% in October after loan curbs: update

Written by Bloomberg  
Friday, 15 November 2013 15:15

Singapore home sales fell 48% in October after loan curbs: update
Shoebox units

Singapore’s home sales fell 48% in October from a year ago, signaling that the government’s efforts to cool the property market are working.

Home sales slid to 1,009 units last month compared with 1,949 in October 2012, according to data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority released today. From the previous month, sales decreased 19%, the data showed.

Home sales have been declining in the past four months compared with figures last year after the government imposed new rules in June governing how financial institutions grant property loans to individuals. Record home prices amid low interest rates raised concerns of a housing bubble and prompted the city-state to introduce new taxes and higher minimum down- payments since 2009 to curb speculation in Asia’s second-most expensive housing market.

“Developers have been a bit apprehensive about the sentiment so they seem to have marketed fewer projects,” said Nicholas Mak, an executive director at SLP International Property Consultants in Singapore. Home buying has “stabilized”, he said, citing the fact that 90% of the homes marketed were sold last month, based on today’s data.

Home prices in the island-state rose at the slowest pace in six quarters in the three months ended Sept. 30, according to figures released by the authority on Oct. 25.

SHOEBOX UNITS
Prices and transaction volumes of Singapore residential properties are expected to moderate for the rest of the year due to the cumulative impact of government property measures, CapitaLand, Southeast Asia’s biggest developer said on Oct. 31. Developers are beginning to cut prices in existing and new projects and take lower profit margins, City Developments, Singapore’s second-largest developer, said on Nov. 12.

Shoebox units, which measure 50 square meters (538 square feet) or less, accounted for 14% of total private- residential transactions in Singapore in the nine months to September, according to a report from Knight Frank LLP on Nov. 13. Shoebox units as a%age of total apartments sold has been rising every year since 2009, the data showed.

The island-state’s private residential property price index rose 0.4% to a record 216.2 points in the three months ended Sept. 30, after climbing 1% in the second quarter, URA data last month showed. That was the smallest gain since the first quarter of 2012, when the index dropped 0.1%.


© 2013 - The Edge Singapore

Last Updated on Friday, 15 November 2013 15:27


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Scheduled Maintenance -POSB

Scheduled Maintenance - POSB

Service	Scheduled Maintenance Date	Expected Downtime	Remarks
iBanking	17 Nov 2013	0600hrs to 1000hrs	System Maintenance iB VPP(Pay Other Banks’ Credit Card) Add Payee and Payment for Visa.
	17 Nov 2013	0050hrs to 0055hrs, 0410hrs to 0415hrs	System Maintenance MCSA Funds Transfer, and Portfolio Enquiry
	17 Nov 2013	0050hrs to 0450hrs	System Maintenance Online Equity Trading
	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
mBanking	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
iB Application	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
iB - Trading Services	09 Nov 2013	0700hrs to 2359hrs	System Maintenance
	10 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 2000hrs	System Maintenance
D2Pay	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	System Maintenance
Phone Banking	-	-	-
NETS	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	Intermittent transaction failure expected due to maintenance.
Passbook Update	-	-	-
Automated Teller Machine (ATM)	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0600hrs	Intermittent transaction failure expected due to maintenance.
Cash Deposit Machine	-	-	-
Coin Deposit Machine	-	-	-
Cheque Deposit Machine	-	-	-
POSB Print	-	-	-
AXS D-Pay	-	-	-
Token Registration	17 Nov 2013	0330hrs to 0430hrs	System Maintenance
	24 Nov 2013	0000hrs to 0830hrs	System Maintenance
e-Commerce on 3D Secure Websites	-	-	-

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Om Mani Padme Hum

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2013 自由發揮『GYM』官方mv, Cross too Over 鄭多燕 정다연

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HDB Issues Fixed Rate Notes

HDB Issues Fixed Rate Notes

Date issued : 13 Nov 2013

 The Housing and Development Board ("HDB") has issued S$1.5 billion, 4-year Fixed Rate Notes (the “Notes”) under its S$22 billion Multicurrency Medium Term Note ("MTN") Programme.

2The Notes have a coupon of 1.875% per annum payable semi-annually in arrear. The Notes were issued on 13 November 2013 and will mature on 13 November 2017.

3The Notes are in denominations of S$250,000 and were offered by way of placement to investors who fall within Sections 274 and/or 275 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore. Approval in principle for the listing of the Notes on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST) has been obtained. Admission of the Notes to the Official List of the SGX-ST is not to be taken as an indication of the merits of HDB, its subsidiaries or the Notes. The Notes are cleared through The Central Depository (Pte) Limited.

4The Joint Lead Managers are BNP Paribas, Singapore Branch, DBS Bank Ltd., Deutsche Bank AG, Singapore Branch, DMG & Partners Securities Pte Ltd, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, Standard Chartered Bank and United Overseas Bank Limited.

5Under HDB's MTN programme, HDB may from time to time, issue bonds (or notes) to finance its development programmes and working capital requirements as well as to refinance the existing borrowings.

6HDB was set up as a statutory board on 1 February 1960. Today, it houses more than 80% of Singapore's resident population and has enabled more than nine out of ten of them to be homeowners. This has made Singapore one of the highest home ownership nations in the world. The provision of quality housing and related services, and the renewal of the older HDB estates, will remain the focus for HDB.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS
This announcement is not an offer for sale of securities in the United States. The Notes have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (as amended), and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons absent registration under, or an applicable exemption from, the registration requirements of the U.S. securities laws. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such an offering is restricted or prohibited.

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Om Mani Padme Hum

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Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for November 2013

Published: Thursday, November 07, 2013

Version: 1.0

This is an advance notification of security bulletins that Microsoft is intending to release on November 12, 2013.
This bulletin advance notification will be replaced with the November bulletin summary on November 12, 2013. For more information about the bulletin advance notification service, see Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification.
To receive automatic notifications whenever Microsoft Security Bulletins are issued, subscribe to Microsoft Technical Security Notifications.
Microsoft will host a webcast to address customer questions on the security bulletins on November 13, 2013, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). Register now for the November Security Bulletin Webcast.
Microsoft also provides information to help customers prioritize monthly security updates with any non-security, high-priority updates that are being released on the same day as the monthly security updates. Please see the section, Other Information.

Bulletin Information

Executive Summaries

Affected Software

Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance

Other Information

Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool

Microsoft will release an updated version of the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool on Windows Update, Microsoft Update, Windows Server Update Services, and the Download Center.

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Non-Security Updates on MU, WU, and WSUS

For information about non-security releases on Windows Update and Microsoft Update, please see:

• Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 894199: Description of Software Update Services and Windows Server Update Services changes in content. Includes all Windows content.
• Updates from Past Months for Windows Server Update Services: Displays all new, revised, and rereleased updates for Microsoft products other than Microsoft Windows.

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Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP)

To improve security protections for customers, Microsoft provides vulnerability information to major security software providers in advance of each monthly security update release. Security software providers can then use this vulnerability information to provide updated protections to customers via their security software or devices, such as antivirus, network-based intrusion detection systems, or host-based intrusion prevention systems. To determine whether active protections are available from security software providers, please visit the active protections websites provided by program partners, listed in Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) Partners.

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Security Strategies and Community

Update Management Strategies
Security Guidance for Update Management provides additional information about Microsoft’s best-practice recommendations for applying security updates.
Obtaining Other Security Updates
Updates for other security issues are available from the following locations:

• Security updates are available from Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security update".
• Updates for consumer platforms are available from Microsoft Update.
• You can obtain the security updates offered this month on Windows Update, from Download Center on Security and Critical Releases ISO CD Image files. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 913086.

IT Pro Security Community
Learn to improve security and optimize your IT infrastructure, and participate with other IT Pros on security topics in IT Pro Security Community.

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Support

• The affected software listed has been tested to determine which versions are affected. Other versions are past their support life cycle. To determine the support life cycle for your software version, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.
• Security solutions for IT professionals: TechNet Security Troubleshooting and Support
• Help protect your computer that is running Windows from viruses and malware: Virus and Security Solution Center
• Local support according to your country: International Support

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Disclaimer

The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply.

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