3,400 speeders caught in 6 days

We like to speed. I mean why have a fast car if you can’t drive it to it’s maximum capabilities? How about putting the onus on the manufacturers. Stop enticing us with sports cars. Just make minivans and sedans don’t bother with the Ferrari’s. Cap the vehicle speed and speeding won’t be a problem or just raise the speed limit and let everyone risk their lives. It’s a personal choice to speed and social consequence when you screw up.

“3,400 vehicles were caught exceeding the 70kmh speed limit in the underground Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) in the first six days of its opening.Of the lot, 45 cases exceeded 110kmh, and one vehicle – a sedan – was clocked crossing 140kmh.

The number of speedsters caught works out to a daily average of 563 – double the number of speeding cases island wide per day.” (story)

Mail sentenced to 3 weeks in jail for dog smuggling

Man who smuggled a puppy into Singapore in a hand-carry paper bag was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Friday.Mechanic Tan Chai Teck, 29, who will start his sentence at the end of the month, pleaded guilty to importing the two-month-old puppy on Aug 20, with a friend.

A warrant of arrest was issued against Tan’s friend, Ching Mee Ling, 32, a Malaysian masseuse, who failed to turn up in court for the summons.

Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan said the couple arrived at the Woodlands checkpoint in a Singapore registered taxi.

On checking the woman’s belongings, a police officer found the brown puppy – a shih tzu – in a hand-carry paper bag. Tan could not produce any import document for the puppy he had bought from a pet shop in Malacca. (story)

Leaders gather to share global opinions

Bilateral issues aside, that was the essence of the meetings Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had on Friday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Both Indian leaders listened carefully as they probed Mr Lee’s thoughts on recent happenings within Asean, the rest of Asia and other issues of global interest.

At a half-hour call on PM Singh on Friday, Mr Lee was received as an old friend of India, according to officials who attended the meeting. Both described the relationship as “excellent.”

Dr Singh, who as finance minister started the economic reforms that are now yielding close to double-digit economic growth, noted with satisfaction the rapid growth in investment and trade ties between the two countries.

Singapore is currently the seventh largest trade partner to India, a nation of more than a billion people. (story)

Singaporeans not likely to marry outside race/religion

Singaporeans are more accepting of co-workers, political leaders, policemen and teachers from another race or religion. But race gets in Cupid’s way when it comes to matters of the heart. Many are less enamoured of themselves or their siblings marrying someone of another race.

This picture of a distinct difference in preferred attitudes between relationships in the private sphere and those in the public sphere emerged in a poll of 1,824 citizens aged 15 and older.

The survey looked at whether race and religion shape how Singaporeans prefer to interact with each other.

One key takeaway: It depends on the situation – and whether it has to do with private life or public interaction.

In politics, for example, all Chinese and all the minority respondents would not mind a Chinese PM. And 94 per cent of Chinese said they would not mind an Indian for a Prime Minister while 91 per cent would not mind a Malay as PM.

In the social sphere, some 82 per cent of Chinese said they would celebrate special events with Indian friends.

But only 31 per cent said they were willing to tie the knot with someone of that race. (story)