Singapore releases first survey on death attitudes

A recent survey showed that Singaporeans' top three fears about death are being a burden to one's family, medical cost and pain, local media reported on Friday. According to TV broadcaster Channel Newsasia, the above results were revealed in Singapore's first ever survey on death attitudes, which was commissioned by the Lien Foundation and polled 800 people island wide between the ages of 25 and 59 from October 2008 to January 2009.

The survey also showed that eight in 10 respondents said they knew that hospices provide care for the terminally ill, but only two in 10 are open to the idea of being in a hospice so that they can receive adequate care. Six in 10 respondents said they are comfortable talking about their own death, but they are not comfortable talking about death or dying to someone who is terminally ill, the report added.

AP

Female Singaporean teacher jailed for teen sex

A female Singaporean teacher who had sex with a minor student was sentenced for ten months in jail on Monday, local media reported.

According to Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, the 32-year-old woman had sex with a 15-year-old foreign boy during Marchand May last year. The women, married and the mother of two daughters, pleaded guilty in May 2008 after the boy threatened to kill her and her family when she tried to end their relationship.

Local judge said in a report that the teacher lacks the ability of introspection, and she breached the trust from students and parents.

Violation of this kind to the Singapore law could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

Google phones open Asian market in Singapore

Singapore's SingTel telecommunication began on Saturday selling the Google phone to local consumers, according to local media.

The Google phone, or the HTC Dream mobile, is the first gadget in Asia running on Google-based Android operating system, which integrates well with Google's online search, email and map applications, TV broadcaster Channelnewsasia said.

CEO of SingTel Mobile, Yuen Kuan Moon said the Google phone, with a full Qwerty-based keyboard, is opposed to going full touch immediately, and it serves a different segment of the market which the company does not want to ignore.

The Google phone, which must be bought with a two-year contract from SingTel, cost between 238 to 438 Singapore dollars (about 155to 286 U.S. dollars), depending on the subscription contract.

Brunei's DPMM Join Singapore League

DPMM FC were in limbo at the end of last year when the Brunei Amateur Football Association (BAFA) were deregistered by the Brunei’s Registrar of Societies (RoS). However, DPMM FC have earned a reprieve this week when team manager Pengiran Waslimin Momin confirmed the club’s entry into the Singapore top flight.

Apart from DPMM FC, the other foreign teams in the S-League are Albirex Niigata from Japan and the Super Reds from Korea Republic. Divided into three rounds, the 33-match 2009 S-League campaign will kick off this Monday with DPMM playing their first game only on 27 Feb 2009. They will be taking on the Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore with their first home game at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium against the Super Reds on 5 March 2009. “We are delighted to welcome DPMM FC to the S League,” said Winston Lee, the chief executive officer of the S-League.

Naked couple greeted with applause

A COUPLE treated open air diners to a 15-minute naked parade in Singapore, triggering both embarrassment and applause for a scene almost unheard of in the conservative city-state.

Pub manager Terence Chia told the Straits Times newspaper he saw the couple taking off their clothes on Saturday night at a staircase in a block of flats in Holland Village, known for its popular nightspots.

"Then, clothes in hand, they coolly walked in their flip-flops towards the market," he said, adding when the couple did a U-turn a sea of spectators was ready and poised with cameras.

"There were more than 200 people and everyone was taking pictures," the newspaper today quoted Chia as saying.

"Even women were busy clicking and people were cheering, whistling and applauding like crazy."

Police said the couple, a Caucasian man and an ethnic Chinese woman in their 20s, had been arrested and released on bail. If convicted under Singapore law, they could face a fine of maximum fine of S$2000 ($1995), up to 3 months in jail, or both.

Protests are rare in Singapore and only made legal last year in a designated area called "Speakers' Corner", modelled on London's Hyde Park.

"They looked really comfortable walking down the street, which led to many curious stares," wrote blogger Leonard Tan.

"Singapore is getting more and more exciting."

Source: Straits Times