Singapore News
H5N1 virus claims first casualty in China
Chinese health department officials have confirmed that the death of a 39-year-old man in Guangdong Province was due to bird flu.
Govt. to revise IRH scheme to better help needy families
The Interim Rental Housing (IRH) scheme will be revised to better assist Singaporean families that fall hardships and need urgent housing, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced.
Making the announcement via a blog post, Mr. Khaw said that the National Development Ministry and the Housing & Development Board (HDB) would enhance the scheme in several ways.
China’s food quality regulator finds no more excess toxins in milk
China's food quality regulator has confirmed that it didn't find more excessive levels of cancer-causing substance aflatoxin in milk.
Milk products price hikes are regular adjustments: Mengniu says
Mengniu, China's leading dairy products manufacturer, has announced that it would increase the prices of some of its products to adjust them to rising costs.
Speaking to China Daily, Mengniu's assistant spokesman Ji Xiaodong said that the decision to increase prices wasn't astonishing as the company regularly adjusts prices.
Fortune REIT to acquire two HK retail properties for HK$1.9bn
Fortune Real Estate Investment Trust (Fortune REIT) has announced its plans to buy Hong Kong-based two retail properties, viz. Belvedere Garden Property and Provident Centre Property, for HK$1.9 billion.
650 HDB flat owners in Boon Lay to get new homes under SERS
A total of 650 Housing & Development Board (HDB) flats owners in Boon Lay Drive will get new homes, thanks to the government's Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).
Apple fined by Italy over misleading product guarantees
Apple has been penalized by the Italian Anti-trust Authority for allegedly selling two-year AppleCare warranties to customers who were, according to the Italian laws, eligible for `free' two-year warranties.
SOPA debate puts GoDaddy in trouble over domain transfers
According to theverge. com report, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) debate has put domain registrar GoDaddy in the thick of trouble over domain transfers, with the company facing accusations that it had, during the past few days, deliberately blocked domain transfers as it had embarked on its supposed SOPA opposition.
LCD manufacturers settle price-fixing lawsuit for $553 million
In a settlement that Samsung Electronics, Sharp, and five other liquid crystal display (LCD) manufacturers have worked out in a multi-class action lawsuit, approximately $553 million will be paid by the companies to consumers and eight states - Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New York, West Virginia, and Wisconsin - that accused the LCD-makers of price fixing.
Christmas Day online sales jump 16.4% from last year
Online sales jumped 16.4 per cent on Christmas Day this year over the same day last year, with the iPad emerging as the leading mobile device for purchases, online retail figure compiled by IBM revealed.
Tepco wants extra aid to cover compensation payments to Fukushima disaster victims
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) has requested the Japanese government to grant extra aid of 690 billion yen ($8.8 billion) so that it could cover compensation payments to victims of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant disaster.
HDB to build additional 1,600 car parking lots next year
The Housing Development Board (HDB) will construct 1,600 new car park lots during 2012, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has announced.
The new parking lots to be constructed next year will be in addition to the 3,400 parking lots constructed during the past two years.The construction of parking lots will cost to the tune of $66 million.
Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab reportedly on “won’t see Android 4.0” list
According to the Verge, a recent post on the Samsung tomorrow blog has revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S handset - which is the second best-selling smartphone ever for Samsung - will not be officially upgraded to the latest Android iteration, the Android version 4.0 `Ice Cream Sandwich' (ICS).
IDC: Apple iPad dominated Q3 tablet sales; but Kindle Fire and Nook growing
According to the December figures released recently by the research company IDC, even though the Apple iPad continued to dominate the tablet arena during the 2011 third quarter, the sales of the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes and Noble (B&N) Nook tablets are witnessing a notable growth in the current quarter.
Google recruits the Muppets for promoting Google+ Hangouts
After having recruited Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber to promote its Chrome browser, Google has now plunged headlong into the TV advertising arena by recruiting the Muppets for promoting Google+ Hangouts on the TV.
Two midwives arrested for practicing without license
Charlotte police arrested two midwives for practicing without a license after a newborn following a home birth last week.
Authorities said 43year-old Mary Stewart Barhite and 45-year-old Jacqueline Lynn Proffit were assisting a mother deliver the baby when something went horribly wrong and the mother gave birth to an unresponsive infant.
City of Los Angeles shelves plans to move LAPD to Google's cloud apps
In a move which implies that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will not be "going Google" even after attempts spanning more than two years, the City of Los Angeles has shelved its plans, pertaining to the LAPD's shift to Google's hosted email and office application platform, on the grounds that the service fails to meet some specified FBI security requirements.
Sony releases impressive list of Vita US launch titles
Close on the heels of its release of the new PlayStation Vita handheld in Japan, Sony has shifted its focus on the US launch of the console, and has recently shared information about the entire US debut of the device and its launch window lineup.
Samsung shares details about ICS-upgradeable devices
With the 4.0 `Ice Cream Sandwich' (ICS) version of Google's increasingly popular Android operating system having come aboard the Samsung Galaxy Nexus handset, it has been revealed in a recent announcement by Samsung that its Galaxy SII and Galaxy Tab will also be upgraded to the latest Android iteration.
Tepco to increase power bills
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) has said that increase in electricity bills has become indispensable to cover costs of switching to other sources of power.
Tepco, the leading power utility in Japan, faces huge compensation payments and clean up costs at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which was wrecked in March 11 earthquake and tsunami.