Today's Singapore News

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

-Hand foot and mouth disease rife in Singapore: There have been 553 people now affected by the virus in the current outbreak, a rise of over a hundred from last week, which only just falls short of the Health Ministry's official "epidemic level".
-Gao Ning blames manager and coach for Olympics fiasco: Singaporean men's table-tennis player Gao Ning let fly at the two men he felt were responsible for his sour Beijing Olympics experience. He is also frustrated with what he perceived as preferential treatment accorded to the women's team.
-S'poreans speak better English: Singaporeans are generally speaking better English but they find the standard of spoken English among service staff poor.
-Burmese Protesters Not Allowed in Singapore: Myo Tun, one of three Burmese activists who took part in political activities in Singapore, says “Now I have no future.” He is among three activists who were ordered to leave Singapore for demonstrating against the junta.
-New e-payment system for public transport: All EZ-Link cards, the stored-value cards used to pay for train and bus rides, will be phased out starting next year.
-Singapore's young and frisky: A check with three school counsellors and five teachers revealed that teenagers are not only having sex earlier but, more alarmingly, they are not practising safe sex.
-F1 has 'safety concerns' over Singapore GP: Formula 1 drivers are ‘concerned' about the sport's inaugural night race to be held in Singapore at the end of next month. The event may be ‘not exactly what you really want from a safety point-of-view'.
-Bonus to retain cops: To make sure more police officers stay in the force for at least eight years, junior police officers will be paid a retention bonus of up to $30,000.
-HDB Lease Buyback Scheme could be implemented soon: The Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS) to help low-income households monetise their flats for their retirement needs could be implemented as early as January next year.
-Singapore searches for new Sling in cocktail boom: There's a new drink in town and it's called the Tiffin Punch, The Champ or the Dark Angel -- and its out to get the Singapore Sling.
-Single intake for JCs: From next year, all junior colleges will have a single intake of students in Year 1, with students starting school on Feb 2.