8 Friday 30 October 2009 ●

THE NEW PAPER

Local
DEATH ON A BUS: Undertakers removing the body of a
68-year-old woman who suddenly collapsed on bus service
192. The bus was on Pioneer Road heading towards Boon Lay
Way at about 6.30am yesterday.

News
watch
Fewer school drop-outs,
target hit early
LAST year, fewer than 1,000 stu-
dents dropped out of school.
This means the drop-out rate
has fallen to 1.5 per cent.
That was the target rate set by
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in
2006. At that time, the school drop-out rate was
twice as high.
The target rate was achieved two years ahead of
schedule.
PICTURE: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS Programmes like the School Within a School
System (Swiss), which introduced electives such as
hairstyling, beauty therapy and hospitality for stu-
dents who were not doing well academically,
S’PORE’S ECONOMIC HEALTH helped to cut the drop-out rate.

MAS says recovery Special group to manage

trust fund for disabled
will be gradual THE Minister of Community Devel-
opment, Youth and Sports Vivian
Balakrishnan yesterday launched a

S
INGAPORE is expected to weak this year, is expected to ben- non-profit group that manages
see more gradual growth efit from a recovery in the infor- trust funds for the disabled .
next year, mainly driven by mation technology sector global- Singaporeans with disabled rela-
the services sector, the Monetary ly, while buoyant pharmaceuti- tives can set up trust accounts for them with the
Authority of Singapore (MAS) cals output may be boosted fur- government-backed Special Needs Trust Company
said yesterday in its semi-annual ther by a “wave of expansion” in for as little as $5,000.
review. new biotech plants.
They can pump in any sum they want into their
MAS maintained a govern- Financial services were also ex-
ment forecast of a contraction of trust funds and the money will be invested and held
pected to see further signs of re-
between 2.5 per cent and 2 per covery, with demand for wealth by the Public Trustee’s Office.
cent for this year, citing a chal- services in particular, set to rise. Upon their death or if they become incapacitat-
lenging external environment. The International Monetary ed, the money will be disbursed to their designated
“Significant uncertainties re- Fund (IMF) has upgraded its beneficiary.
main in the transition to private LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE PICTURE growth forecast for Singapore.
sector-driven growth as govern- Its regional economic outlook
ments prepare to exit from their expansionary poli- report expects Singapore’s gross domestic product Inquiry on man killed
cies,” MAS said in its report. to expand by 4.3 per cent in 2010 after contracting
It expected the manufacturing sector to recover by 1.7 per cent this year. It had predicted earlier this by white tigers begins
at a moderate pace, while it said the services sector month that Singapore’s economy would grow 4.1 JUST moments before he was
would account for the bulk of growth next year. per cent in 2010 after shrinking by 3.3 per cent this mauled to death by two white ti-
Electronics manufacturing, which has remained year. gers, cleaner Nordin Montong told
colleagues at the zoo that they
CALVIN AND HOBBES BILL WATTERSON would not see him again.
Carrying a broom and a pail, the
SINGAPORE 32-year-old Malaysian then leapt into the tiger en-
closure.
WEATHER Details of his tragic death were revealed in the
coroner’s inquiry yesterday. Two videos filmed by
■ Thunderstorms zoo visitors were also shown.
■ High 31˚ State Coroner Victor Yeo heard earlier from sen-
ior investigation officer of the police Yusry Muha-
■ Low 24˚ mad that Mr Nordin had started work at the chim-
panzee enclosure in June last year. He was a good
worker but was often homesick, it was revealed.