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Top stories from The Straits Times on Tuesday, Feb 19

02/19/2019

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Tuesday, Feb 19.

Singapore Budget 2019: Something for everyone amid a challenging environment


Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat arriving at Parliament House to deliver his 2019 Budget statement yesterday. In his two-hour speech, Mr Heng called for Singaporeans to be united in the face of challenges. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Budget 2019 was not an easy one to deliver. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat presented it in an environment that was not the most congenial to the Government. Handouts aside, other measures also stand out for their foresight and compassion.

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Invincible, first of Singapore’s biggest and most advanced submarines, launches in Germany 


The new Type 218SG submarine will have 50 per cent longer endurance, more firepower, more capable sensors and advanced automation than the current fleet of submarines in the Republic of Singapore Navy. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

Singapore’s acquisition of four new Type 218SG submarines, which offer more firepower and combat options, is a timely move as maritime security challenges evolve and countries beef up their submarine fleets, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

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Singapore Budget 2019: $6.1b Merdeka package, $1.1b Bicentennial Bonus among key measures announced


Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat unveiled a $6.1 billion fund that will subsidise healthcare for Singaporeans born in the 1950s. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat delivered a generous Budget that will help Singaporeans with healthcare costs and other expenses, and provide support for businesses and workers.

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Singapore Budget 2019: Expansionary Budget, but what about demographic challenge?


Budget 2019 provides for expenditures of $80.3 billion, 1.6 per cent higher than last year. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

While Budget 2019 does an admirable job in building enterprise capabilities and strengthening the pillars of Singapore’s now-quite-impressive social security system, there remains much unfinished business to be addressed in future budgets.

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Football: Fulham player Ben Davis defaults on national service commitments


Mindef said that Ben Davis is a national service defaulter who is staying overseas without a valid Exit Permit. PHOTO: FULHAM FC

The Phuket-born 18-year-old had signed professional terms with English Premier League club Fulham in July last year, the first Singaporean footballer to do so with a top-tier English club.

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Mahathir’s new friends leave old ones fuming

Tensions are rising in the Pakatan Harapan coalition as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad continues to welcome opposition members to his camp while saying that he will not hesitate to abandon his current partners if “they are not loyal to the country”.

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China unveils timeline to further integrate HK, Macau under Greater Bay Area plan


The scallop-shaped Zhuhai Grand Theatre. It is designed in the shape of two shells – one at 90 metres high and one at 60 metres high. They imply the scallop gives birth to a pearl while the sea gives birth to a scallop, which leads to the name Zhuhai – “Pearl and Sea” in Chinese. PHOTO: www.bayarea.gov.hk

The plan involves linking 11 cities in the Pearl River delta area within a two-hour radius of Hong Kong. It comprises Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhongshan, Foshan, Zhaoqing and Jiangmen.

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Attire check incident at Nanyang Girls’ High School sparks debate on school rule


Nanyang Girls’ High School did not respond to further queries on how the undergarment rule was communicated to students or enforced, or whether it will be revoked in the near future. PHOTO: ST FILE

The incident has raised questions over whether the rule that bans coloured undergarments should be relooked.

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Opposition politician Lim Tean avoids bankruptcy over $200k loan


Lim Tean was secretary-general of the National Solidarity Party between 2015 and 2017 before founding People’s Voice, which is Singapore’s 11th political party. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/PEOPLESVOICESINGAPORE

A bankruptcy application brought against opposition politician Lim Tean by Shanghai businessman Huang Min over a US$150,000 ($203,000) loan was formally withdrawn in the High Court on Monday, after the submission of two cheques by Mr Lim last month to repay the debt.

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Culture Vulture: Darkness lurks in children’s literature


Matilda and The Twits by author Roald Dahl. PHOTOS: PUFFIN CLASSICS, PENGUIN BOOKS

Revisiting the stories written by Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton, one finds cruelty, spite, racism and sexism in the tales.

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