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Lai liao, lai liao. LTA chut new pattern. Brace for impact! 'Ineffective' car emission scheme being reviewed Christopher Tan | The Straits Times | Saturday, Oct 11, 2014 THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) is reviewing a scheme that rewards or penalises motorists based on the amount of carbon dioxide their cars emit. The carbon emissions-based vehicle scheme (CEVS), which was introduced on Jan 1 last year and is slated to run till June 30 next year, has been criticised for being lax, biased and ineffective. Cars with low carbon emissions receive rebates of between $5,000 and $20,000, which are offset against the vehicle's Additional Registration Fee (ARF). But motorists have complained this lowers the residual cost of the car. Cars with high carbon emissions pay a registration surcharge of between $5,000 and $20,000. Motor traders said the main beneficiaries have been sellers of European makes with small-capacity turbocharged direct-injection engines. Experts have also questioned the effectiveness of CEVS in reducing air pollution. Asian Clean Fuels Association executive director Clarence Woo said: "You can lower CO2 and yet not lower pollutants such as particulate matter." Since Singapore plans to adopt the Euro 6 emission standard, which specifies a big reduction in pollutants such as fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, the CEVS could be refined towards meeting this objective, he said. LTA met motor industry representatives on Tuesday to inform them of the review and gather feedback. The Straits Times understands several industry players have suggested rewards be delinked from ARF. One dealer, who did not want to be named, said: "Often, dealers use the CEVS rebate to fatten their own margin." LTA would not comment on what changes it is considering. "We will share more details once the review is completed," a spokesman said. Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport chairman Cedric Foo said road tax is based on engine size, which is a proxy for the amount of pollution a car causes. "It would be good if we can extract the pollution element and build it into the CEVS," he said, adding that pollution should not be confined to CO2. National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng agreed: "The current CEVS may send a wrong message that the higher the rebate, the more environmentally-friendly a car is." Motorist Leslie Chia, 49, said the CEVS in its current format is an "oxymoron". "You give a rebate, but you also reduce the scrap value of the car," the businessman said. "So actual savings as a percentage of car cost are insignificant." Motorists suggest tying rebates and penalties to road tax or income tax. Observers said the current scheme is not stringent enough as nearly two-thirds of new cars qualify for it. According to LTA, the CEVS has cost the Government about $62 million to date - nearly double the amount originally expected. http://transport.asiaone.com/news/general/story/ineffective-car-emission-scheme-being-reviewed?page=0%2C0

SINGAPORE: Health Minister Gan Kim Yong has said his ministry is currently undertaking a review of salaries for nurses in Singapore. He said this is to make sure salaries remain competitive and to attract more locals to the profession. Mr Gan was speaking to reporters as he celebrated Nurses Day with nurses from Jurong Health Services on Monday. He said: "We will have to review the nurses' remuneration as well as the terms of employment, conditions of employment in workplaces. "We need to take a more comprehensive review - not just about salary - to see how we can lighten their workload, to make sure their workload is more rewarding, and provide more career opportunities. "As I have mentioned, we already have three career pathways - we will have to see how we can enhance them." Mr Gan said he hopes that when more locals join the profession, they will be able to take on more important roles and functions in the hospitals. Stakeholders say any adjustments in salaries are expected to help address the current manpower crunch, even though the sector's attrition rate has gone down from 12 per cent in 2005 to 9 per cent in 2010. The Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in Jurong, for example, requires about 1,400 nurses when it opens its doors in 2014. But its management has only recruited about 640 nurses so far. One-in-two of the hospital's nurses are foreigners, while the national average is currently 1-in-5 of some 30,000 nurses here. However, the hospital is optimistic it will be able to make up the shortage and welcomes the salaries review. Ms Kuttiammal Sundarasan, director of nursing for Alexandra Hospital and Jurong Health Services, said: "These days, our nurses' role (has) expanded and I think it is timely that our nurses' (pay) is being reviewed. "They want more training opportunities - our locals actually want to be better educated now, they just don't want to stop at diploma, they want to have degrees and masters. So we need to actually publicise and tell them there are plenty of those opportunities." To address the shortage of nurses, the hospital is also looking into re-employing more older nurses who have reached the age of 62. Mr Gan said with the re-employment law kicking in next year, hospitals should also further explore how they can retain nurses who retire at 62. Separately, he said the ministry is also assessing whether some projects need to be brought forward to address the hospital bed crunch. He said one possibility is to bring forward the completion of Sengkang General Hospital, which is currently slated to open in 2020. - CNA/al Finally, after so many years. If you go to any government hospital, you will see many FT nurses. Not many sporean wanna work as a nurse. Lowly paid, long hours, high responsibilities, no recognition,..etc. Only good thing is job security..

Here we go again... S'pore water deal to be reviewed Sim Bak Heng New Straits Times Monday, Feb 17, 2014 JOHOR BARU - For the first time in 53 years, the raw water agreement between Johor and its neighbour across the Causeway, Singapore, is set to undergo a review. The Attorney-General's Chambers has given the Johor government the green light to reassess the rate charged for the raw water it supplies to Singapore, which has been in place since 1961. Following the move, Johor is expected to raise the rate sometime this year. It will also embark on a "zero water dependency" programme so that it would no longer need to purchase treated water from Singapore in the future. Although the rate has yet to be announced, it is believed that the state will stick to the rate proposed during the tenure of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, which was 60 sen per 1,000 gallons of raw water. Currently, under the terms of the Malaysia-Singapore Agreement in 1961 and 1962, Singapore's Public Utilities Board (PUB) purchases raw water from Johor at 3 sen per 1,000 gallons (4,546.09 litres) and sells the treated water at 50 sen per 1,000 gallons to Johor. Johor sells 250 million litres of raw water to Singapore daily, and buys two per cent of the total back from them in the form of treated water, equivalent to five million litres daily. State Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the state executive council had discussed and raised the matter with the Federal Government last August. Since then, the Attorney-General's Chambers has been studying the legal aspects of the raw water agreement inked between the two countries more than five decades ago. "Early last month, we received a favourable reply from the A-G's Chambers, with regards to the legal aspects of the revised rates," he said. Photo Gallery: From seawater to drinking water Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: PUB, HyFlUx, The New Paper "The A-G's Chambers met a Johor legal advisory team in Kuala Lumpur in early January and told them that we have the right to review the rate. With the green light, it is just a matter of time before we come up with the new rate." Hasni said the state government was anticipating that when the rate of raw water rate is increased to 60 sen per 1,000 gallons, Singapore would also hike the rate of treated water sold to Johor. In view of this, he said Johor would launch a "zero water dependency" programme by June this year. Under the programme, the state government will lay more pipes and improve the capacity of water treatment plants. "We hope to accomplish the programme within a year, which is by June next year. Once we have accomplished the programme, Johor will be self-sufficient and does not have to buy treated water from Singapore," said Hasni. He said raising the price of raw water was long overdue and Malaysia had been doing a social service by selling raw water to Singapore at a low rate for too many years. He said the new rate will reflect the actual price of raw water. (source: http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/spore-water-deal-be-reviewed )

http://autospeed.com/cms/A_111112/article.html

THINK it is time for the Land Transport Authority to review the speed limit on our expressways and increase it to 110kmh. The present 90kmh is just too slow on our roads, which are better lit and in better condition than those in neighbouring countries. I totally agree with Street Talk columnist Reggie J (The New Paper, 2 Oct) that the LTA should do more to educate our drivers on road manners and cultivate good driving habits. I have come across stalled cars and trucks left on the road without any signal to indicate their presence. I have also come across accident vehicles in the middle of the road without their hazard lights on, or any other warning to approaching motorists. And less dangerous perhaps, but no less annoying: how some drivers block left-turning lanes by waiting too far behind other cars at junctions. My suggestion is that the LTA should engage Jack Neo to do a short film to educate the public. [nod]

The All New Skoda Superb reviewed by WhatCar? Definitely my next ride. 1. All New Skoda Superb Review - 2. Skoda Superb Assisted parking - I thought all along assisted parking was just the sensors beeping away but it is actually better than that, what a nice feature. 3. Skoda Superb 2009 - crash test NCAP - 4. Skoda Superb review for India - more detailed review - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elj7cb7zMwg Overall I am even more impressed with the ride.

Its taken by my digital camera. The writeup isnt that clear to read but most importantly are the pictures that counts right if im infringing any copyright issues or etc, mods can kindly remove the pics. thanks

At $180K, its not that gorgeous to me. I could get a Merc SLK or an Audi TT for a little extra. Review here: http://www.sgcarmart.com/news/review.php?AID=8 [inline 8_1_l.jpg]