PRESS DIGEST - Singapore newspapers - Sept 10
SINGAPORE, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The following are stories from Singapore newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories.
THE STRAITS TIMES
- Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who is turning 85 next Tuesday, said in an interview that Singapore's political system must evolve and the country must stand up to external stresses.
Lee said his wife Kwa Geok Choo, 87, is in stable condition after suffering two recent strokes. "My wife has been weakened after two strokes in May and in June. She is stable at present," he said.
- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged the United States to regard investments from overseas as a positive factor and not a threat. The U.S. should resist adopting the kind of xenophobic attitudes that could scare off foreign investors, he said, when asked about the actions of sovereign wealth funds at business conference.
- High-end home prices have dropped by about 15 percent to 20 percent, but will stablise at this level, said Edmund Cheng, Wing Tai Holdings' (WTHS.SI) deputy chairman. Prices will not crash as long as developers and home sellers hold on to their properties, Cheng said.
- Laurentia Tan clinched Singapore's first ever Paralympic medal at the Shatin equestrian venue in Hong Kong when the 29-year-old, who was born with cerebral palsy and profound deafness, captured the bronze in a individual event.
BUSINESS TIMES
- Singapore Press Holdings (SPRM.SI) will buy online financial portal Shareinvestor.com for up to S$18 million ($12.6 million) as part of its efforts to broaden its Internet-based financial services, the publishing company said.
- Airports operator the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said passenger service charges will be raised from S$15 to S$20 at the Changi Airport's main terminals, to cover rising operating costs due to factors such as inflation and increased security requirements.
The International Air Transport Association, an airlines industry group, has slammed the move as untimely as carriers suffer from falling demand.
