Today's Singapore News

The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.

-Non-emergency calls to 995 down: The number of non-emergency calls to the 995 emergency hotline plunged by 47 per cent in the first half, from the same period last year
-Singapore GP 95 per cent sold out: The Singapore Grand Prix has already sold more than 95 per cent of the tickets for Formula One's first ever night race next month
-Chute fires on the rise: In the first six months of this year, there were almost 1,100 blazes in rubbish chutes, garbage bins and common areas such as lift lobbies and void decks.
-Singapore Poly's Love Class is more than just about birds and bees: Singapore Polytechnic student Toh Jun Biao admits to being clueless about the female pysche. He realised only after taking the 'love' elective in his school that when it comes to romance, stereotypes do not always work.
-More places in International schools: The Government is making available public buildings and vacant land for up to four more foreign schools.
-StarHub ups the on-demand ante: A month after SingTel gave television viewers here the good news that it was bringing in hit series such as Prison Break and Desperate Housewives within 24 hours of airing in the United States, StarHub has revealed it will do the same with hits such as the CSI franchise and Numb3rs.
-S'poreans happy with enhanced baby bonus: Many Singaporeans said they are happy with the extras being given to encourage higher birth rates, such as financial support for In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment.
-Michael Phelps could have been 8 million dollars richer if he was a Singaporean: Had Phelps been born 9,000 miles away in Singapore, he might have pocketed S$8 million ($5.6 million) from the most bonus-friendly national sports body.
-Many eagerly await outcome of relaxed new media rules: Many are anxious to see how rules on new media such as podcasting will be relaxed.
-Singapore PM says ban on outdoor protests should ease: Singapore should ease its ban on political videos and outdoor demonstrations as part of a gradual liberalisation of society.
-Singapore to ease bans on political films: Singapore, which currently bans political films and demonstrations, may ease curbs on both to keep up with the spread of video and other free expression on the Internet.