Everyone is looking forward to the annual budget due to be presented in Singapore's Parliament on February 21. Especially, the pioneer generation which has been promised a special package by the Prime Minister recently. But more on that in our next issue.

In Newzzit's 14th issue, we focus on a feature story about the brothels of colonial Singapore. Moving around in today's Chinatown, it's impossible to imagine that the area was once plagued by brothels, secret societies, opium addicts and gambling dens.

The credit of this sea-change must go to the early nation-builders and law authorities of Singapore.

Its successor, the Singapore Police Force (SPF), has not done bad either. The ever-declining crime statistics in the country is a testimony to that. So much so, the SPF needs to keep reminding its citizens to be vigilant and that “low crime doesn't mean no crime”.

Venturing abroad, we focus on the rampant air pollution plaguing two of the fastest growing cities in the world – Beijing and Delhi. Its high time that policy-makers responsible for both the cities realise the importance of sustainable growth, and refrain from mindless expansion of industries and vehicular population. Singapore presents a great lesson for them and has already put a very successful model in place.

In our 1st World section, we report on the recently released stunning statistics of rapes in the US. If the most advanced and powerful country on the planet is unable to prevent sexual crimes within it's territory, the approach of dealing with such crimes must be questioned.

Newzzit will be publishing a special issue discussing crimes against women in detail at a later date.

Till then!

Gaurav