In spite of having no resources of its own, Singapore relies heavily on the oil and gas sector. That is because much of the oil produced by neighbouring Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia is processed and refined in the city state. This week, Singapore unveiled a new technology to help safeguard the country’s oil refining sector. [...]

Mark Baker, photographer and acting bureau chief for The Associated Press in Kuala Lumpur, has been promoted to chief of bureau for Malaysia and Singapore. The appointment was announced Tuesday by Brian Carovillano, the AP’s Asia-Pacific news director. Baker joined the AP in 2003 in Sydney as chief photographer responsible for photo coverage for Australia, [...]

Singapore’s non-oil exports contracted more sharply than expected in May, continuing a regional trend, as demand within Asia and in key developed markets remains weak. Exports of goods made in Singapore dropped 4.6 percent in May compared with the same month a year earlier, according to figures released Monday by trade promotion-agency International Enterprise Singapore. [...]

Singapore’s home sales rose 5.4 percent in May as developers marketed new projects, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Home sales rose to 1,455 units last month from 1,380 units in April, the authority said. Sales dropped 51 percent in April as developers marketed fewer projects while residential prices posted the smallest gain in three [...]

Hong Kong and Singapore have seen a spate of initial public offerings by trusts playing on investors’ desire for two elements in recent months: yield and hard assets.But a recent selloff in real-estate investment trusts in both cities hints at the fading allure of dividend-paying stocks, as concerns that the US Federal Reserve may soon [...]

Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports (NODX) declined 4.6 per cent on-year in May due to a drop in electronics exports. This follows the 1.0 per cent decline in the previous month. On a seasonally-adjusted basis, the NODX was down 1.1 per cent in May, reversing a 1.1 per cent expansion in the previous month. Exports of [...]

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI), the Direktorat Jenderal Sumber Daya dan Perangkat Pos dan Informatika of Indonesia (DG SDPPI), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) have jointly announced a commitment to align with the Asia Pacific Telecommunity 700 MHz band plan. [...]

Lawyers for the Singapore government told a coroner’s inquest on Monday that an American scientist found hanged in the city-state last year killed himself and was not murdered as his family claims. Summing up state agencies’ findings on the death of electronics engineer Shane Todd in June 2012, they said “it is clear from the [...]

SPH Magazines Pte Ltd (SPH Magazines) is pleased to announce that following a tender, it has been reappointed as the publishing agent for SilverKris, the travel magazine of Singapore Airlines (SIA). SPH Magazines will continue to publish the two editions (English/Chinese and English/Chinese/Japanese) of SilverKris. The contract, inked for the third time between SPH Magazines [...]

On a normal day, it would have taken Shweta Chhabria Kriplani a little over five- and-a-half-hours to reach Changi airport in Singapore from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport. The Singapore-based banker, however, spent most of Saturday at the Mumbai airport, sleeping, sitting, walking and cursing her bad luck, till her Air India flight, scheduled for [...]

The Lion City has emerged champion again in UIA’s latest ranking of top international meeting cities and countries for having hosted 952 meetings in 2012, up from 919 in 2011. Japan has overtaken the US this year to claim second spot on the country chart with 731 meetings. Japan hosted 598 meetings in 2011 which [...]

The matte blue Koenigsegg Agera S which recently debuted in Singapore has been snapped up by Ms Angela Tan for an incredible $5.3 million. What that means is that the Koenigsegg Agera S is not only the fastest supercar on the island nation, but it is also the most expensive. The following Koenigsegg Agera S [...]

Singapore Changi is close to plugging the biggest hole in its network, East Africa, with a proposed new service from Ethiopian Airlines. As traffic growth at Changi slows significantly, the airport needs to identify new markets. Africa, particularly East Africa, opens the door to an array of traffic flows which currently bypass Singapore. Africa has [...]

Singapore’s central bank censured a record 20 banks on Friday after it found more than 100 traders in the city state tried to rig key borrowing and currency rates. The probe by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) marks the latest development in a global crackdown on rate-rigging and adds more banks, including ING (ING.AS) [...]

Singapore’s attorney-general on Friday issued a stern warning to an independent filmmaker over online videos in which two Chinese bus drivers accused police in the city-state of assaulting them. Lee Seng Lynn had released videos of her interviews with He Jun Ling, 32, and Liu Xiang Ying, 33, in January. The two were among four [...]

A British magazine editor has been fined $8,000 for spitting at a Singapore police officer after an alcohol-fuelled Christmas party last year, his lawyer said Friday. Forgan Duncan, the editor of Tiger Airways’ inflight magazine, was fined by a district judge on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to the offence, said lawyer Terence Tan. “He [...]

Singapore on Friday censured 20 banks, including top global lenders, over attempts to manipulate local benchmark rates — part of a widening rate-rigging scandal being investigated by financial regulators worldwide. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said a yearlong review found that 20 banks — including Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Standard Chartered [...]

Bigger earnings forecast than Courts Malaysia. According to CIMB, given Singapore’s better profitability, its stronger SSSG should outweigh that of Malaysia’s faster store expansion by a significant amount. Malaysia’s retail-store expansion should also deliver less profits because it takes time for new stores to reach maturity. Here’s more: We demonstrate this in our calculations below. [...]

All regions in Singapore were hazy on Friday, as the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading soared to 88 at 4pm. This is in the moderate range, according to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA’s) website. The three-hour PSI readings are calculated based on PM10 concentrations only. PM10 refers to particulate matter of 10 microns in [...]

The greater surfing speed and a subsidy are coaxing smartphone users to ditch their generous 3G data plans for new 4G handsets. Their move has put Singapore among the global leaders in 4G adoption, behind South Korea, the United States and Japan, in that order. With more than 881,000 4G customers as at end-March, Singapore’s [...]

A facility to cope with oil spill incidents in the Asia Pacific region has been set up in Singapore. Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), a global cooperative funded by more than 160 oil and energy companies, opened the site at Loyang on Thursday, hailing its close proximity to airports and a wharf for emergency responses [...]

Metalor Technologies SA, based in Switzerland, expects to complete its gold refinery in Singapore by the end of this year as the country seeks to expand its share of global bullion trading. The precious-metals processor cast its first one-kilogram gold bar in Singapore this week, Chair Scott Morrison said. The $15 million refinery will have [...]

For the first time, the World Cities Summit (WCS) Mayors Forum is being held outside Singapore in Bilbao, Spain. The forum is a flagship event under the World Cities Summit, co-organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities and Urban Redevelopment Authority, and has become one of the most important and biggest platforms in the world [...]

The island republic will do what it takes to preserve its sovereignty Malaysian politics spilled over into Singapore immediately after the 13th general Election and as expected, the Singapore government came down hard on those involved. With its swift action, Singapore left no doubt where it stood: leave Malaysian politics on the other side of [...]

Singapore is still the most expensive Asian city to spend a night in, according to a new survey. An evening for two is said to cost $495.79 in the Republic, which took 14th spot globally – just edging out Tokyo in 15th place, where an overnight stay will cost travellers the equivalent of $495.64. Travel [...]

South Korea’s Foreign minister Yun Byung-se will make an official visit to Singapore on 14 and 15 June. The Foreign Ministry said this will be Yun’s first visit to Singapore in his current capacity. Singapore’s minister for Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam will meet and host a welcome dinner for Yun during the visit. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/s-korea-s-foreign/709570.html

Spring Singapore, an agency responsible for growing local enterprises, has inked a memorandum of understanding with Dutch medical institution Maastricht University Medical Centre Holding (MUMCH). This will create further opportunities for the development of local healthcare, life sciences and medical industries, said deputy Chief Executive of SPRING Singapore Ted Tan. MUMCH is the holding firm [...]

Next, we resume our weeklong look at food security and how climate change is affecting what we produce and how we eat. Tonight, special correspondent Sam Eaton reports from Singapore, where the challenge of feeding a growing population is pushing the concept of urban farming to new heights. It’s part of our series “Food for [...]

Singapore’s central bank plans to reprimand banks in the city-state as early as Friday following an 11-month review into how benchmark interest rates are set, five people with knowledge of the matter said. The Singapore Foreign Exchange Market Committee, which includes the Monetary Authority of Singapore and banks, plans to separately announce changes to the [...]

Singapore bonds fell for a fourth day, making their loss for the past three months the second-biggest in the world, as investors gird for the possibility that the US Federal Reserve could slow bond purchases. The price of Singapore’s 3.125 percent note due in September 2022 tumbled to S$107.30 as of 3:27 p.m. local time [...]

It’s 69 percent of group profits. According to CIMB, Courts Singapore contributed S$43m to earnings before interest, tax and other income vs. just S$19m from Malaysia. This represented 69 percent of group profits. They estimated previously that Singapore could contribute 55-65 percent. Here’s more from CIMB: The difference lies in their cost structures. Singapore’s SGA [...]

An odd-job worker from Singapore who came here in 2000 and overstayed, can finally return home without any fear of being caught by the Immigration authorities there, thanks to the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA). Chan Keng Mun, 58, came to take care of his sickly father and decided to stay on. His stepmother lived with [...]

Twin brothers from India have been sentenced for three and half months for managing a brothel and helping their accomplices live on the earnings of six prostitutes. Raman and Lakashmanan Selvaraj, aged 26, were shocked on being jailed yesterday for they had expected a fine after pleading guilty on June 3, reported The Straits Times. [...]

The smaller-than-expected expansion in Singapore’s economy in the first three months of this year has led economists to downgrade their growth projections for the full year. They now believe the Singapore economy will grow by 2.3 per cent this year, according to the median forecast of 22 private sector economists polled by the Monetary Authority [...]

A Singapore court jailed a Lebanese referee for six months on Tuesday for accepting sexual favours to fix a soccer game, a day after two fellow countrymen were jailed for the same offence amid an international investigation into soccer corruption. Ali Sabbagh, a Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)-accredited referee, had admitted having sex with [...]

The founder of developer Dragon Land has signed a $12 billion deal to develop a vast township site in China – one of the biggest property deals in recent years. Peh Chin Hua, who was elected MP for Jalan Besar GRC in 1988 and served for 13 years, told The Straits Times yesterday that he [...]

The new Singapore Third Series coins will be available at retail banks from June 25. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said all past and current series coins will remain legal tender and valid, and the public can continue to use them for payment alongside the new coins. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-singapore-third/705544.html

As part of its destination campaign titled “Hong Kong Style,” Cathay Pacific has launched two summer specials. This campaign is in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board for the purpose of boosting travel to Hong Kong under the concept of “vacation for adults with fun & treat.” Through July 12, people can get a [...]

Many of us have probably wondered about this – if I could work anywhere in the world, where would I choose? Of course, there are many factors to consider. In recent times, Singapore has emerged as a preferred destination among companies as well as foreigners looking to work in Asia. But beyond the city-state’s clean [...]

Deutsche Bank is opening a gold storage vault in Singapore that can hold up to 200 tonnes of the metal as it looks to capture surging demand for bullion in Asia. Gold prices are near a two-year low and down 17 percent for the year, after 12 straight years of annual gains. A sell-off in [...]

Singapore Airlines has selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine to power 30 Boeing 787-10Xs for delivery from the 2018/19 financial year. The engine was selected from among two competing models available for the aircraft, following a detailed evaluation of offers. Singapore Airlines has also signed a letter of intent with Rolls-Royce for a TotalCare services [...]

About 1,000 Singaporeans joined a weekend protest against a new government policy that requires some news Web sites to obtain licenses and possibly to remove offensive content. The policy, which took effect this month, has set off criticism that the authorities in the city-state are trying to enforce online media censorship. Newspapers and television have [...]

The skeletal remains of a man found near a pond in Sungai Tiram here are believed to be those of a Singaporean reported missing on May 3. A passer-by stumbled upon the remains, which were under some leaves, at around 2.45pm on Satur-day. It is learnt that the two sons of 82-year-old Chew Khoon had [...]

The husband of former Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri died at a Singapore hospital on Saturday, Indonesian embassy officials said. Taufik Kiemas, 70, speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly, Indonesia’s legislative branch, died at 7:30pm (1130 GMT) at the Singapore general Hospital, two embassy officials contacted by AFP said. “He passed away at 7:30pm. He has [...]

An international human rights group has joined calls for the Singapore government to drop a new licensing regime to regulate online news sites. In a statement posted on its website on Friday, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that “the new rules will further discourage independent commentary and reporting on the Internet in Singapore”. Announced [...]

Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) selected Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (RR/) engines to power the 30 Boeing Co. (BA) 787-10X jets it ordered last week as the first buyer of the new Dreamliner model and for planes at discount subsidiary Scoot. Southeast Asia’s biggest carrier chose the Trent 1000 engines over a general Electric Corp. engine available [...]

Human Rights Watch said on Friday that Singapore is undercutting its status as a financial centre by expanding media censorship to the web and urged the city-state’s government to withdraw the new licensing requirement for online news sites. Singapore is a major banking and trading hub and many companies have set up their regional headquarters [...]

Singapore’s government is setting up a vocational training institute in Myanmar in an effort to prepare that country’s workforce for an expected surge in demand for local talent.Goh Chok Tong, Singapore’s second prime minister from 1990 to 2004 and now a senior adviser to the city state’s central bank, said the government has found a [...]

More than 12,270 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized last Friday – the third largest haul by Singapore Customs this year. The total street value of the cigarettes and the total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded amounted to more than $1.2 million and close to $1 million respectively. Six men were also [...]

For many years, Singapore’s ruling People Action’s Party (PAP) has advocated a liberal immigration policy to offset the country’s falling birth rates and support its booming economy. But with the influx of immigrants coinciding with strains on infrastructure, inflation, and rising income inequality, public opinion turned against this policy. Many citizens took to the ballots [...]