Latest news with #COE
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Car review: BYD Seal, Hyundai Ioniq 6 battle for Cat A supremacy
The slightly sportier BYD Seal (left) versus the cushier and roomier Hyundai Ioniq 6. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM SINGAPORE – If you are among the minority of motorists who still prefer sedans for their sleeker, lower-slung design and the attendant superior driving dynamics, here are two mid-sized options. Both are electric rear-wheel-drive models that qualify for the slightly less punitive Category A certificate of entitlement (COE). Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Singapore bans Wild Rice's Homepar for depicting drug abuse, undermining CNB
IMDA bans Wild Rice's Homepar for violating anti-drug policy standards The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore has officially banned a revised version of the theatre production Homepar, produced by the local company Wild Rice. The authority, in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), determined that the updated script undermines Singapore's anti-drug policies and public trust in the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). According to a joint statement released Friday (June 20), IMDA stated that Wild Rice submitted the revised script for the dramatised reading on June 5. Upon review, authorities deemed it to be in breach of the Arts Entertainment Classification Code (AECC), noting that the script had 'substantially changed' from the original version submitted on April 21. Also read: Jeffrey Siow addresses COE system, private-hire cars, ERP 2.0 and EV plans in Singapore 'The new material depicts and glamorises drug abuse and portrays an undercover CNB officer shielding abusers from detection,' IMDA said. 'It undermines Singapore's anti-drug policy, our drug rehabilitation regime, and public confidence in the CNB. Performances that undermine Singapore's national interest are not permitted under the AECC.' Live Events Wild Rice declines to revert to approved script, leading to disallowance IMDA confirmed that the original script for Homepar had met the requirements for an R18 classification and was approved for staging. However, the theatre company did not revert to the approved version after being informed of the classification. 'However, Wild Rice has chosen not to revert to that version,' IMDA said. 'Consequently, IMDA has disallowed the performance in its current form.' The authority reiterated Singapore's strict anti-drug stance and emphasized the importance of the AECC in protecting national interests. 'Singapore's firm stance against drugs remains unchanged, and we will continue to uphold the AECC to protect national interest,' IMDA stated. Also read: Singapore warns of tariff cascade as worried Asia eyes Trump According to the show's synopsis on Wild Rice's official website, Homepar, a term referencing house parties within the gay party scene, centers on a protagonist hosting a party as a means of coping with a breakup and exploring their evolving gender identity. Ivan Heng, a prominent actor and theatre director, is the founding artistic director of Wild Rice, which operates a 20,000 sq ft arts facility at Funan Mall. Channel News Asia (CNA) has contacted Wild Rice for comment, but no official response has been issued as of publication. Historical context of Singapore's censorship in performing arts This is not the first time Singapore authorities have disallowed a performance. In 2013, the former Media Development Authority banned a play titled Stoma by Agni Kootthu (Theatre of Fire) for what it called 'sexually explicit, blasphemous and offensive references and language' deemed disrespectful to the Catholic and broader Christian communities. Also read: Singapore dissolves parliament, paving the way for general elections Singapore's IMDA has banned the theatre production Homepar by Wild Rice, citing depictions of drug abuse and an undercover CNB officer shielding drug users. Authorities say the revised script violates the Arts Entertainment Classification Code and undermines anti-drug policies and public confidence in the Central Narcotics Bureau Singapore bans Wild Rice's Homepar for depicting drug abuse, undermining CNB In 2016, IMDA also denied classification to two film screenings scheduled at a festival due to what it described as 'excessive nudity,' further reinforcing the government's ongoing control over media content considered inconsistent with national values.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
COE prices rise in Singapore, except for motorcycle premiums
SINGAPORE — Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums rose across all categories except for motorcycles in the latest round of bidding on Wednesday (18 June). Category A premiums, meant for smaller and less powerful cars and EVs (up to 1,600cc and 130 bhp and electric vehicles up to 110kW), the premium was $98,124, an increase of 1.2 per cent from $96,999 previously. The price of a Category B COE – meant for more powerful cars and electric vehicles (EVs) – rose by 3.2 per cent to $116,670, from $113,000 recorded at the previous tender on 4 June. Open Category (Category E) COEs, which can be used for all vehicle types except for motorcycles, rose to $116,889. That's some 2.6 per cent higher than the $113,900 at the previous bidding. Commercial vehicle COEs (Category C), which includes buses and goods vehicles, climbed 4.8 per cent to $65,000. The only category that saw a decrease was Category D, used for motorcycles — premiums fell 4.4 per cent to $8,600. The COE gives the owner the right to register and use a vehicle in Singapore for 10 years. It can be obtained through an online open auction conducted twice a month. Bidding exercises usually start at 12pm on the first and third Monday of the month, and last for three working days. Each bidding will end at 4pm on Wednesday, if there is no public holiday in between. The vehicle quota in each category will be announced before the start of each bidding exercise. After 10 years, when the COE expires, an owner can choose to de-register the vehicle or renew the COE. Since 1 February 2023, the number of COEs available for bidding in the corresponding vehicle category in each quarter is the rolling average of the number of vehicles deregistered over the previous four quarters. COE prices, of course, can drop – it is dependent on supply and demand. Since 2017, the Ministry of Transport has been freezing vehicle population growth for all categories except Category C for goods vehicles and buses. The current rates will be maintained until 31 January 2028. Singapore is one of the costliest places in the world to buy a car – in fact, in 2022, the Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report 2022, released by Swiss private bank Julius Baer, found Singapore cars were the most expensive globally.
Business Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Times
COE woes: When emotions get in the way of efficiency
SINGAPORE'S policymakers have always had an eye on efficiency. But efficiency may not be a convincing aim for citizens – as seen, for instance, with the perennial hot topic of Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices. In a recent interview with local media, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow disputed the popular narrative that demand from private-hire car (PHC) companies has pushed up COE prices. On the contrary, the PHC market helps to lower demand for private vehicles because it provides an alternative way to access private transport, he said. Without PHCs, there might be many more aspiring car owners competing for COEs. Crucially, the same single COE would serve many more commuters if it is allocated to a PHC, rather than to a privately-owned vehicle, he added. As with practically any politician's comments on COE prices, Siow's points drew impassioned responses online. Some argued that a COE given to a PHC results in greater congestion, as such drivers are on the road for much longer. Yet, this objection is arguably misaimed. It stems from a lack of clarity over the role of the COE system: as an allocation mechanism for vehicles, or a way to tackle congestion. In his interview, Siow made it clear that he sees the COE system as the former. Congestion, meanwhile, is being tackled by updates to Electronic Road Pricing. Indeed, the fact that a PHC is more active – and thus serves more Singaporeans – is precisely what Siow cited, in arguing for why it would better deserve a COE. Other objections, however, point to a more fundamental issue: the difficulty of applying cold hard logic in policy areas where decisions are influenced by emotion. Wants and needs Given Singapore's policy of zero vehicle population growth, it seems only logical to say that the best allocation of a COE is one that helps more people: that is, to a PHC. The problem is that logic is not the only foundation for policy, particularly in an area as fraught as private transport. Singapore's civil servants and politicians – not least politicians who used to be civil servants – are well-versed in fundamental concepts of behavioural economics, from nudge theory to moral hazard. Policies are crafted with a careful eye on what sort of behaviour they might incentivise, intended or otherwise. But beyond objective gain and loss, there are other forces that must be factored in, and which are far less measurable. There are, of course, many commuters who are concerned merely with the convenience of transport, and who will gladly choose not to own a car if there are better alternatives. However, someone who innately aspires to own a car – because of the image associated with this, the social status it conveys, or simply the joy of driving – will not be swayed. Transport, housing, education, jobs – all of these have been and will likely continue to be hot-button issues because they are tied closely to citizens' aspirations. In this irrational realm of hopes and dreams, objective efficiency is not the metric by which decisions are made. No amount of insisting that every school is a good school, for instance, will stop certain parents from moving house simply to be near brand-name schools. These impulses cannot be addressed by carefully crafted policies alone. Mindsets themselves must change – and policymakers may have to accept that some irrationality will always remain.
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- Automotive
- AsiaOne
COE prices for cars surge in second bidding exercise for June 2025, Lifestyle News
Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices for cars surged in the second bidding exercise for June 2025, reversing the downward trend seen earlier this month. Cat A COEs, which are used for cars with internal combustion engines (ICEs) of up to 1,600cc in capacity and have a power output of less than 130hp, as well as electric cars with a power output of up to 110kW, went up by $1,125 to end the bidding exercise at $98,124. Cat B COEs, which are used for ICE cars that exceed 1,600cc in capacity or have more than 130hp, and electric cars with over 110kW, saw premiums going up by $3,670 to end at $116,670. Cat C, which are for goods vehicles and buses, saw prices went up by $3,000 to end the bidding exercise at $65,000. Cat D, which are reserved for motorcycles, went down by $400 to close at $8,600. Finally, Cat E, which is open to all vehicles except motorcycles, saw premiums go up by $2,989 to finish the exercise at $116,889. Here's a summary of the second COE bidding exercise for June 2025: Category Current COE Previous COE Difference PQP* A $98,124 $96,999 +$1,125 $98,328 (June) $99,643 (July) B $116,670 $113,000 +$3,670 $116,945 (June) $116,909 (July) C $65,000 $62,000 +$3,000 $66,109 (June) $64,427 (July) D $8,600 $9,000 -$400 $9,221 (June) $9,036 (July) E $116,889 $113,900 +$2,989 Not applicable *PQP, or Prevailing Quota Premium, is the moving average of COE prices in the last 3 months, and denotes the amount payable in order to renew a car's COE at the end of its tenure. No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
