Singapore's inflation up slightly in May
By Yvonne Chan
POSTED: 24 Jun 2013 1:48 PM
Singapore's headline inflation inched up slightly to 1.6 per cent on-year in May from 1.5 per cent in April.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's headline inflation inched up slightly to 1.6 per cent on-year in May from 1.5 per cent in April.
While car prices declined, it was more than offset by higher contributions from all other major categories.
According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), accommodation costs increased 5.1 per cent in May, up from 2.4 per cent in April as the one-off rebates for Housing & Development Board service and conservancy charges was available in April only.
Meanwhile, imputed rentals on owner-occupied accommodation continued to increase, contributing 0.9 percentage point to overall inflation in May.
On the other hand, the cost of private road transport fell for the first time since 2009, declining by 3.7 per cent in May, compared to the 0.5 per cent rise in April.
MAS said this was due to lower Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums in April and price adjustments by car dealers following the implementation of motor vehicle related policy measures.
Meanwhile, services inflation rose 2.5 per cent in May from 2.2 per cent in April. This was due mainly to costlier medical treatment and medical insurance as well as a smaller fall in holiday travel cost.
Food prices were up 2.0 per cent in May, slightly stronger than the 1.8 per cent in the preceding month.
MAS said this reflects steeper price increases for both non-cooked food and prepared meals.
In addition, MAS said core inflation, which excludes the costs of accommodation and private road transport, rose to 1.7 per cent in May from 1.4 per cent in April, largely due to steeper increases in services fees and food prices.
Looking ahead, MAS said imported inflation will likely remain subdued this year, given ample supply buffers in the commodity markets.
However, MAS warned that domestic cost pressures are expected to persist amid a tight labour market and cost pass-through to prices of consumer services could also pick up slightly.
As such, MAS said core inflation is expected to rise moderately in the second half of the year and average 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent in 2013.
Imputed rentals on owner occupied accommodation will continue to add significantly to CPI-All Items inflation although MAS believes the pace of increase will be slower in the second half of this year, with more private housing units coming on stream.
While COE premiums are expected to fluctuate, its contribution to CPI-All Items inflation is likely to be lower compared to last year.
For 2013, MAS expects CPI-All Items inflation to come in at three per cent to four per cent.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
Monday, June 24, 2013
Tenders called for government ICT infrastructure services
Tenders called for government ICT infrastructure services
POSTED: 24 Jun 2013 3:50 PM
The government is calling a series of tenders for the provision of government infrastructure services.
SINGAPORE: The government is calling a series of tenders for the provision of government infrastructure services.
This is to provide for a smooth transition before the end of the current Standard ICT Operating Environment (SOE) contract.
The objective of the SOE, launched in 2008, was to consolidate the government's infocomm services into a single environment.
A joint statement by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Communications and Information, and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, said the current SOE contract will expire in February 2016 and there is a need to put new contracts in place to ensure service continuity.
The government will continue to operate in a single environment to enhance Whole-of-Government security, inter-operability and resiliency.
The new tenders are structured to allow greater flexibility so that government agencies have more options to manage their IT infrastructure for optimal efficiency.
The first set of tenders will cover central core infrastructure services, messaging and collaboration services, desktops, notebooks and printers, and agency facilities management.
The remaining tenders will be issued in the months ahead.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
POSTED: 24 Jun 2013 3:50 PM
The government is calling a series of tenders for the provision of government infrastructure services.
SINGAPORE: The government is calling a series of tenders for the provision of government infrastructure services.
This is to provide for a smooth transition before the end of the current Standard ICT Operating Environment (SOE) contract.
The objective of the SOE, launched in 2008, was to consolidate the government's infocomm services into a single environment.
A joint statement by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Communications and Information, and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, said the current SOE contract will expire in February 2016 and there is a need to put new contracts in place to ensure service continuity.
The government will continue to operate in a single environment to enhance Whole-of-Government security, inter-operability and resiliency.
The new tenders are structured to allow greater flexibility so that government agencies have more options to manage their IT infrastructure for optimal efficiency.
The first set of tenders will cover central core infrastructure services, messaging and collaboration services, desktops, notebooks and printers, and agency facilities management.
The remaining tenders will be issued in the months ahead.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
Work on three DTL2 stations delayed
Work on three DTL2 stations delayed
By Dylan Loh
POSTED: 24 Jun 2013 9:27 PM
Work has stopped on the King Albert Park, Sixth Avenue and Tan Kah Kee stations, after Alpine Bau GmbH, the main contractor, filed for insolvency on June 19.
SINGAPORE: It will take some three to six months for new contractors to resume work on three stations on the upcoming Downtown Line Stage 2 (DTL2).
This is according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Work has stopped on the King Albert Park, Sixth Avenue and Tan Kah Kee stations, after Alpine Bau GmbH, the previous main contractor, filed for insolvency on June 19.
LTA said there are legal and contractual matters to be resolved with the insolvency administrator before the newly-appointed completion contractors can start work.
Measures have been put in place to safeguard the station sites and equipment, which was the immediate priority for authorities.
About half of the total works required for the stations and tunnels has been completed.
LTA said it will work closely with relevant parties to minimise the impact on the completion timeline, and assess if any delays are expected.
Contracts to build the stations were awarded in September 2009, when it was assessed, based on the available financial information then, that Alpine Bau had the financial resources to undertake the projects.
The contracts awarded to Alpine Bau have a total approximate value of S$670.74 million.
Authorities said the events that resulted in the firm's current financial difficulties could not have been anticipated then.
Furthermore, as recent as mid-June this year, just days before Alpine Bau filed for insolvency, the company had given authorities the assurance and underlined its commitment to completing the station and tunnelling works.
Authorities said there had also been no signs of any slowing down of works on site, with works on the three stations in full swing.
- CNA/ms
- wong chee tat :)
By Dylan Loh
POSTED: 24 Jun 2013 9:27 PM
Work has stopped on the King Albert Park, Sixth Avenue and Tan Kah Kee stations, after Alpine Bau GmbH, the main contractor, filed for insolvency on June 19.
SINGAPORE: It will take some three to six months for new contractors to resume work on three stations on the upcoming Downtown Line Stage 2 (DTL2).
This is according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Work has stopped on the King Albert Park, Sixth Avenue and Tan Kah Kee stations, after Alpine Bau GmbH, the previous main contractor, filed for insolvency on June 19.
LTA said there are legal and contractual matters to be resolved with the insolvency administrator before the newly-appointed completion contractors can start work.
Measures have been put in place to safeguard the station sites and equipment, which was the immediate priority for authorities.
About half of the total works required for the stations and tunnels has been completed.
LTA said it will work closely with relevant parties to minimise the impact on the completion timeline, and assess if any delays are expected.
Contracts to build the stations were awarded in September 2009, when it was assessed, based on the available financial information then, that Alpine Bau had the financial resources to undertake the projects.
The contracts awarded to Alpine Bau have a total approximate value of S$670.74 million.
Authorities said the events that resulted in the firm's current financial difficulties could not have been anticipated then.
Furthermore, as recent as mid-June this year, just days before Alpine Bau filed for insolvency, the company had given authorities the assurance and underlined its commitment to completing the station and tunnelling works.
Authorities said there had also been no signs of any slowing down of works on site, with works on the three stations in full swing.
- CNA/ms
- wong chee tat :)
iphone zommed in
Problem:
Encountered an iphone 4 with all the icons "zoomed in". Basically, the screen is zoomed in.
This is because the zoom option under Accessibility is accidentally turned on.
Solutions:
One way is completely shut down and restart and it will revert to its original settings and it will not zoomed in any more.
Triple tap with three fingers will fix the issue.
- wong chee tat :)
Server settings for email for android phones
Server settings for email for android phones
1) Enter domain\username
2) Enter password. This could be the same as your windows login password
3) Enter mail server (mail.something.com or similar)
4) Check Use secure connection (SSL)
5) Accept all SSL certificates
Select Done
It will take some time to verify with the mail server and you will see emails downloading to your phone.
- wong chee tat :)
1) Enter domain\username
2) Enter password. This could be the same as your windows login password
3) Enter mail server (mail.something.com or similar)
4) Check Use secure connection (SSL)
5) Accept all SSL certificates
Select Done
It will take some time to verify with the mail server and you will see emails downloading to your phone.
- wong chee tat :)
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