Singapore Law Blog

The Singapore Management University (SMU) is pleased to announce the appointment of former Vice-Dean of Harvard Law School David N. Smith (史达伟) as the Dean of the new SMU School of Law. He will commence office on 1 August 2007, succeeding Interim Dean Associate Professor Low Kee Yang.

The Inaugural Biennial Lecture of the Law Society of Singapore will be held on 6 July 2007 at the Supreme Court Auditorium. The lecture by Professor Irwin Cotler is titled "Pursuing Justice and Confronting Injustice: Lawyers Can Make a Difference".

LawNet2, the new enhanced LawNet will be launched on 5 July 2007.

The President, acting in his discretion, and in concurrence with the advice of the Prime Minister, has appointed Solicitor-General, Mr Chan Seng Onn, age 53, as a Judge of the High Court of Singapore under Article 95 of the Constitution. The appointment takes effect from 2 July 2007.

The new merger regime, which came into force on 1 July 2007, will allow parties to notify their anticipated mergers to the Competition Commission of Singapore for a decision on whether their anticipated merger, if carried into effect, will infringe section 54 of the Competition Act. Completed mergers may also be notified to the CCS for this purpose.

Patrons and employees at nightspots can enjoy cleaner air when restrictions on smoking are extended to entertainment outlets from 1 July 2007. About 900 businesses, which include pubs, bars, KTV outlets, lounges, nightclubs and discotheques, will have to construct fully-enclosed smoking rooms inside their premises for their smoking patrons. The rooms can occupy up to 10% of the indoor refreshment area. In addition, outlets which have an outdoor refreshment area can set aside 20% of this outdoor area for patrons who smoke.

For a very long while, Singapore Law Blog had concerns about opening up its comments to users, even registered users. Much of the concerns arose because of our initial experience with blogs.

The coverage of persons eligible for legal aid has been extended to include approximately the 40th percentile of households in Singapore, up from the 30th percentile previously.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is looking at measures to make all buildings in Singapore barrier-free, and is looking to the public for feedback.

In his speech, Prof Ho talked about incentives to encourage growth of legal services in Singapore.

From 01 July 2007 - 31 July 2008, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that meet the eligibility criteria of the SME Rebate Scheme can apply for the rebates online at http://www.smerebate.gov.sg .

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) today issued a Notice on an enhanced framework relating to the governance and disclosure of participating (par) life insurance business.

The "myTax Portal" – IRAS' one-stop portal that provides round-the-clock e-services to taxpayers was officially launched by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister Of State For Finance And Transport on 28 June 2007 at the Revenue House.

It was reported that in response to inquiries by a local news channel, the Ministry of Law said that the government has no plans to relax the restrictions on foreigners buying landed properties here. The Ministry further said that such properties have to be treated as a special category in land-scarce Singapore.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) today released the findings from a study they had commissioned on the current state of corporate governance of SGX-listed companies in Singapore. This is the first comprehensive review of the state of corporate governance practices of SGX-listed companies based on key areas in the Singapore Code of Corporate Governance[1] since the Code was introduced in 2001.

Brunei Darussalam and Singapore today celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Currency Interchangeability Agreement. To mark the auspicious occasion, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and His Excellency Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore jointly launched the new $20 polymer notes issued by the two countries in a ceremony held at Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.

Mr Lim Seng Siew shared his knowledge on IPTV at a Digital Rights Seminar organised by LexisNexis. The presentation made during the seminar is found at this link.

A group of the world’s leading companies, led by Cisco, have developed an innovative networking website that will give them free access to major law firms’ precedents. Welcome to Legal OnRamp!

The Attorney-General's Chambers invites feedback on its review of the reservation made by Singapore under Article 95 of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ("CISG"). The issues are discussed in the consultation paper which can be downloaded from www.reach.gov.sg .

The Ministry of Finance invites members of the public to give their comments on proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act (ITA).

The Spam Control Act 2007 will come into effect on 15 June 2007. It aims to address the still-growing and global problem of spam.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued a consultation paper today setting out the proposed regulatory framework for insurance securitisation. Through securitisation, insurers can transfer insurance risk directly to the capital market. Recognising the merits of such risk mitigation techniques, especially for managing risks arising from pandemics and natural catastrophes, and the potential demand for insurance linked securities (ILS) in Asia, MAS is developing a regulatory framework for insurance securitisation.

The Charity Council is seeking views from the public and the charity sector on the draft Code of Governance for charities and Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs).

The Securities Industry Council (SIC) has decided to extend the ambit of the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers (Code) to property trusts structured as collective investment schemes (REITs). SIC’s decision is in line with the regimes in the UK and Australia, where property trusts are subject to take-over provisions.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would like to invite feedback from members of the public on the following 2 draft Regulations:
(a) Workplace Safety and Health (Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing) Regulations; and
(b) Workplace Safety and Health (Scaffolds) Regulations.