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Activist Gilbert Goh investigated for holding up placard outside ICA building

aseanpr 3 5 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Police are investigating local activist Gilbert Goh for carrying out a public assembly without a permit. Last Saturday (May 1), Mr Goh posted a picture on his Facebook page showing him holding up a placard outside the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building. The placard had the words "Please ban all flights from India we are not racist! Just being cautious". The post has more than 400 comments and had been shared more than 1,400 times as at Monday morning. A police spokesman said it received a report last Saturday alleging that Mr Goh had taken part in a public assembly without a permit. "Mr Gilbert Goh did not have a police permit to carry out the public assembly," said the spokesman. "The police would like to remind the public that organising or participating in a public assembly without a police permit in Singapore is illegal and constitutes an offence under the Public Order Act." Investigations are ongoing. All long-term pass holders and short-term visitors who travelled to India within the last 14 days have been barred from entering or transiting through Singapore since April 23. The move was announced by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, foll...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on May 2

aseanpr 2 5 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, May 2. Patient in TTSH Covid-19 cluster dies; Edgefield Secondary School student among 7 community cases The 88-year-old S'porean woman had been warded in Ward 9D from April 14, and was confirmed to have Covid-19 on April 28. READ MORE HERE Lockdowns and tests: How Tan Tock Seng Hospital responded to a nurse getting Covid-19 It was through a message on their closed chat group that top administrators were informed that a nurse had Covid-19. READ MORE HERE When mum became Covid-19 patient 62,567 after being warded in Tan Tock Seng Hospital The first thing her mother expressed after receiving the positive test results was concern for those she might have inadvertently infected, says enterprise editor Li Xueying. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Anguish and anger as Covid-19 ravages India's health infrastructure WhatsApp and social media have become a roll call of desperate pleas for help. READ MORE HERE Her ex-boyfriend nearly killed her, now she wants to help women caught in violent relationships A victim of a violent relationship, Rachel Lim's face was bashe...

Little India F&B shops facing staff shortage with more foreign workers wanting to return home

aseanpr 2 5 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - The food and beverage sector has seen minimal impact in the wake of new travel curbs but shops in Little India are facing staff shortages, with more foreign workers wanting to return to their families. Junior Kuppanna Restaurant had 11 employees from India but seven are now stuck there as they had been visiting their families before the pandemic. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

May Day Rally: Protecting vulnerable groups in society a key priority, says PM Lee Hsien Loong

aseanpr 1 5 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Protecting vulnerable groups in society is a key priority for the Government, which has also been working with employers and the labour movement to expand the Progressive Wage Model, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday (May 1). It has been working with these tripartite partners to extend the model - a wage ladder tied to skills and career progression - to more sectors like food sectors and retail. "This is not just a theoretical exercise, but a practical, effective strategy to improve the lives of more lower wage workers. And we plan to more than double the number of workers covered under the Progressive Wage Model over the next few years," he said. "We are working on some other plans to support lower income workers too," added PM Lee, who said he intends to speak about these plans at the National Day Rally in August. Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad is coordinating this effort from the Manpower Ministry, and NTUC is also involved, said PM Lee. He was addressing unionists at Downtown East as well as virtually at the hybrid May Day Rally, where he also underlined how workers need the right skills to benefit from future opportunities. The Gov...

S’pore has to tighten Covid-19 measures promptly if needed to curb spread, avoid second circuit breaker: PM Lee

aseanpr 1 5 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Singapore will have to tighten measures against Covid-19 promptly where necessary to clamp down on the spread of new clusters, and avoid going into a second circuit breaker, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Speaking to unionists at the May Day Rally on Saturday (May 1), Mr Lee hoped Singaporeans would work together with the Government against the virus, and not let down their guard. He noted that with new strains of the virus emerging, Singapore's Covid-19 situation can deteriorate rapidly. "We are watching our own situation, and it can easily, quickly, turn bad again," he said. "If we have to do another lockdown like last year's circuit breaker, it would be a major setback for our people and for our economic recovery. Let's not make it happen." PM Lee's remarks come amid a spike in Covid-19 cases in the community in the past week, as new waves of infection spread around the world, fuelled by new and more infectious strains of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. There were 35 cases of community transmission here in the past week, from 10 cases in the week before, many of the cases coming from the first Covid-19 hospital cluster. The cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, discovered a...

Agilex Biolabs Congratulates Bionomics Limited on BNC210 PK Results

indie 30 4 月

5 minutes

ADELAIDE, AUS, Apr 30, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Agilex Biolabs, Australia's largest and most technologically advanced specialist bioanalytical laboratory for clinical trials, today congratulated client Bionomics Limited (Bionomics) on its positive pharmacokinetic (PK) results from a 7-day dosing study in healthy volunteers using the newly developed solid dose oral tablet formulation of BNC210.Liz Doolin, Bionomics' Vice President Clinical Development commented that "We greatly value our long-standing partnership with Agilex Biolabs who continue to be a partner of choice for Bionomics and have supported the development of BNC210 from the beginning. We look forward to continuing this partnership into the future."Bionomics (ASX: BNO, OTCQB: BNOEF, Germany: AU000000BNO5), is a global, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. Bionomics said in their announcement:"BNC210 is a novel, negative allosteric modulator of the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in development for the treatment of anxiety and stressor-related disorders, and in November 2019 was granted Fast Track designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Post-Traumatic S...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on April 30

aseanpr 30 4 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Friday, April 30. TTSH Covid-19 cluster grows to 9 people; 2 wards locked down to stem spread A doctor, a healthcare assistant trainee and six patients are linked to a nurse working there who tested positive. READ MORE HERE New Covid-19 cluster involves 7 family members of infected ICA officer who met over meal The cases include his wife, a TTSH nurse who does not work in wards affected by the hospital cluster. READ MORE HERE New Covid-19 clusters: Who's in the TTSH and ICA officer-linked clusters Among them is a three-year-old boy, who is the nephew of the ICA officer. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Vaccinated cleaner at care facility among Singapore's new community Covid-19 cases The Vietnamese national also helps out at a food stall at NUS. READ MORE HERE NUS foodcourt, City Harvest Church and popular malls among locations visited by Covid-19 patients Malls such as Junction 8, Ang Mo Kio Hub and VivoCity were also added to the list. READ MORE HERE India accepts oxygen supply from 40 countries, including Singapore, amid new Covid-19 wave Singapore sent 256 oxyg...

Grab’s Nasdaq debut to test its US$40 billion valuation, set roadmap for Spac hopefuls

elean 29 4 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE (REUTERS) - Singapore's Grab more than doubled its valuation to US$40 billion (S$53 billion) in about a year as part of the world's largest Spac deal, but maintaining that level after its US debut will be a test not only for investors but also for firms eyeing similar listings. Earlier this month, South-east Asia's biggest ride-hailing and delivery firm, agreed to merge with a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) backed by Silicon Valley investor Altimeter Capital Management. The backdoor Nasdaq listing will see nine-year-old Grab raise over US$4 billion, a record US offering from South-east Asia. Private fundraisings involve fewer investors who often bankroll big valuations. Analysts are now scrutinising whether Grab can justify its valuations by turbocharging growth in its existing businesses and successfully foraying into digital banking. Sumeet Singh, Aequitas Research partner, writing on the Smartkarma research platform, said Grab's listing was "high" on ambition and "very high" on valuation, citing Grab's enterprise value to revenue multiple of nine for 2022, a valuation similar to US food delivery firm DoorDash's. DoorDash, however, is expected by analysts to...

Over 800 sign up as volunteers in new programme to spread accurate CPF information

aseanpr 28 4 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - When scientist Chin Zan Xin received her very first salary slip about five years ago, she thought it must have been calculated wrongly as her take-home pay was 20 per cent less than the monthly salary she was offered. It was only after doing some research online that she realised the sum had been added to her Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts. The 28-year-old is now a volunteer with the CPF Board's Community Paying it Forward movement, which was officially launched on Wednesday (April 28) in conjunction with the global Pay It Forward Day. Like Ms Chin, more than 800 people have signed up as volunteers since January this year to share information with their networks about CPF, debunk misinformation and provide feedback to improve CPF services. They will be supported through a CPF Volunteering mobile application, said the CPF Board. CPF Board chief executive Augustin Lee said: "The idea for this movement came about because there are many fans of CPF out there who discovered the benefits of CPF later in life and wished that they had known about them much earlier." Ms Chin said that after learning more about the CPF system, she decided to use it as a tool to build the f...

Google ad sales surge 32% in Q1 as parent Alphabet’s profit more than doubles

elean 28 4 月

4 minutes

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) - Google's results, showing a surge in ad sales related to travel and retail, offered a glimpse of online spending in a post-pandemic world: Businesses are boosting digital marketing to capture a public eager to resume something resembling normal life again. Google ad sales surged 32 per cent per cent to nearly US$45 billion (S$59.7 billion) in the first quarter compared with a year ago, above expectations of analysts tracked by Refinitiv. It's the third consecutive quarter of accelerating ad growth for Google. During last year's April to June period, ad sales dropped 8 per cent, the first time Google's quarterly ad revenue had fallen from the previous year since the search company went public in 2004. Google parent Alphabet said first-quarter revenue, excluding payments to distribution partners, came in at US$45.6 billion, pummeling Wall Street estimates. Google's ad business, the global market leader as measured in sales, accounted for 81 per cent of the quarterly revenue. Alphabet overall generated US$17.9 billion of net income, or US$26.29 a share, in the most recent quarter, more than double the US$6.8 billion, or US$9.87 a share, a year earlier. ...

Hong Kongers moving to UK may sell $25.6 billion of homes in 2021

elean 27 4 月

2 minutes

HONGKONG (BLOOMBERG) - Hong Kong home owners may sell as much as HK$150 billion (S$25.6 billion) worth of property this year when residents emigrate to the UK. The city is expected to see about 13,100 to 16,300 households move to the UK via their British National (Overseas) visas in 2021, Bloomberg Intelligence said in a report on Tuesday (April 27). The number represents 0.9 per cent to 1.1 per cent of households living in privately-owned homes. If all of them sell their properties to fund their move and living costs, they could generate a maximum of HK$150 billion in 2021 alone, Bloomberg estimates show. The UK government's plan to make it easier for Hong Kong residents with BN(O) status to obtain citizenship is prompting a migration and rise in home offers. Property listings at Centaline, Hong Kong's largest real estate agency, surged by 44 per cent from a year earlier to more than 40,000 homes. That's not to say Hong Kong's property market will fall into an abyss anytime soon. Buyers are absorbing the increased supply in the market. As an indicator of robust market activities, used-home-sale value in April is on track to hit a 23-year high at HK$50 billion, according to Centali...

Elon Musk qualifies for US$11 billion payout as Tesla profit beats forecasts

elean 27 4 月

5 minutes

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Tesla's quarterly report on Monday (April 26) hit targets qualifying chief executive Elon Musk for two options payouts worth a combined US$11 billion (S$14.6 billion). The electric car maker beat Wall Street's expectations for first-quarter revenue and profit, boosted by record deliveries, robust demand from China and environmental credit sales. It reported quarterly revenue of US$10.39 billion and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) of US$1.84 billion, surpassing milestones that trigger the vesting of the fifth and sixth of 12 tranches of options granted to Mr Musk in his 2018 pay package to buy discounted Tesla shares. Mr Musk, who is also a major shareholder and CEO of rocket maker SpaceX, receives no salary at Tesla. His pay package requires Tesla's market capitalisation and financial growth to hit a series of rising targets. Adjusted profit of 93 cents per share topped Wall Street's consensus of 79 cents. Despite production that is a fraction of that of Toyota Motor, Volkswagen or General Motors, Tesla has become by far the world's most valuable car maker, with a market capitalization of US$700 billion, compared...

Shipping containers toppling overboard at alarming rate with pressure to speed up deliveries

elean 27 4 月

7 minutes

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) - Containers piled high on giant vessels carrying everything from car tyres to smartphones are toppling over at an alarming rate, sending millions of dollars of cargo sinking to the bottom of the ocean as pressure to speed up deliveries raises the risk of safety errors. The shipping industry is seeing the biggest spike in lost containers in seven years. More than 3,000 boxes dropped into the sea last year, and more than 1,000 have fallen overboard so far in 2021. The accidents are disrupting supply chains for hundreds of US retailers and manufacturers such as Amazon and Tesla. There are a host of reasons for the sudden rise in accidents. Weather is getting more unpredictable, while ships are growing bigger, allowing for containers to be stacked higher than ever before. But greatly exacerbating the situation is a surge in e-commerce after consumer demand exploded during the pandemic, increasing the urgency for shipping lines to deliver products as quickly as possible. "The increased movement of containers means that these very large containerships are much closer to full capacity than in the past," said Clive Reed, founder of Reed Marine Maritime Casualty Manag...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on April 25

aseanpr 25 4 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, April 25. Myanmar junta chief 'not opposed' to visit by Asean delegation, humanitarian aid: PM Lee The bloc leaders' consensus calls for violence to end immediately and for start of constructive dialogue. READ MORE HERE Asean cannot be indifferent to Myanmar situation, has collective duty to act: PM Lee "Silence and inaction would undermine Asean's centrality, credibility and relevance," he said at leaders' meeting. READ MORE HERE Rescuers find debris from missing Indonesian submarine, indicating it has sunk Preparations are being made to salvage the submarine from a depth of 850m. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news More top-notch tech talents set their sights on Singapore About 60 applications have been approved under Tech.Pass scheme to get top-tier foreigners. READ MORE HERE Search for new Singapore PM: Start with a rethink It could be time to focus less on the age of a candidate and more on how long he stays in office, says editor-at-large Han Fook Kwang. READ MORE HERE Pre-event Covid-19 testing: Logistics, cost among concerns for couples and event organ...

How to use money saved during the pandemic

elean 25 4 月

4 minutes

(NYTIMES) - For those lucky enough to have saved more money in the past year, the next question is: What should you do with it? The big secret to being good at money is that there are only a handful of things you really need to know. Here are some ideas on getting that financial education started if you were fortunate to have socked away a little extra money. Create an emergency fund First, fortify your finances to make sure you're prepared for a disaster. Even before paying down high-interest credit card debt or chipping away at loans, if you've been able to put away a little cash over the past year, your emergency fund should be your top priority, according to experts. "You have to have enough to keep your financial life out of the ditch," said Mr Brian Preston, a certified public accountant, who also recommends that people have enough money squirrelled away to cover a few months of living and healthcare expenses. Ms Tori Dunlap, founder of the financial advice blog Her First $100K, agrees. "One of the most common questions I receive: 'Should I save first, or pay off debt first?' If this year has taught us anything, it's the importance of saving an emergency fund. "So even if you...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on April 24

aseanpr 24 4 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, April 24. Singapore's Cabinet reshuffle: Field remains open for 4G leadership, say observers It is not where the 4G ministers are moved that is important, but who was moved, said one observer. READ MORE HERE PM Lee held off on major Cabinet changes last year as S'pore was in the thick of Covid-19 There were extensive consultations within the Cabinet before the line-up was decided, added PM Lee. READ MORE HERE Singapore's Cabinet reshuffle: Major changes but it's not time to read the tea leaves The one reality is that the latest appointments do not spell out the identity of PM Lee's successor. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Interactive: Who's helming S'pore's 15 ministries after PM Lee's Cabinet reshuffle? The reshuffle will see seven of the 15 ministries helmed by new ministers. READ MORE HERE Maid who stabbed S'pore employer more than 90 times gets life imprisonment for murder The victim sustained 94 knife wounds, most of which were on her head and neck. READ MORE HERE How Covid-19 has changed life in foreign workers' dorms in S'pore ST looks at how do...

More than 4 years’ jail for woman in scam to try to obtain over $1 million in loan

aseanpr 23 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE- A woman was sentenced on Friday (April 23) to four years and three months' jail after taking part in a scam where she and an alleged accomplice posed as property owners in a bid to obtain a loan of more than $1 million. Foo Wei Lee, then an accountant, also took part in another ruse - a corporate loan fraud - in which financial firms were duped into disbursing more than $230,000 in total. The 48-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty last month to nine charges for offences including cheating and forgery. Eighteen other charges were considered during sentencing. Foo's alleged accomplices include 25-year-old Khor Choon Kiat, who was her boyfriend at the time; his mother Sim Seok Kuan, 54; and his friend Yeo Hwa Piao, 48. Their cases are still pending. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei said during an earlier proceeding that some time around December 2018, Khor and Sim hatched a plan to earn quick cash by making fraudulent applications to financial firms that offer loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. Khor roped in Foo as she was familiar with loan processes. He also recruited Yeo as the latter was willing to be the director of a firm called Foosball Strikers, the co...

Anacle’s Tesseract Selected by the EMA to Develop and Testbed NB-IoT-enabled Advanced Electricity Meters

indie 21 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE, Apr 21, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Anacle Systems Limited ("Anacle") has been selected by the Singapore Energy Market Authority ("EMA") to develop and testbed Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) enabled advanced electricity meters. The future meters will be based on Anacle's leading edge Tesseract® series of hyper-smart meters. This initiative is a collaboration between the EMA, Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) and utilities provider SP Group. The testbed will eventually be rolled out across 1.4 million consumer accounts (mainly households) in Singapore by 2024, as part of the national drive towards digitalization and greater efficiency. Launched in 2017, the Tesseract® opens up a world of possibilities. An end product of many years of rigorous research and development, the Tesseract® is currently the world's most powerful edge device for electricity monitoring and analysis. It has more than 40 times more computing power than the next nearest device, FeRAM-based persistent memory that is more than 6 million times more durable than traditional EEPROM-based memory, 10GB in-device storage, built-in digital signal processing and data encryp...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on April 21

aseanpr 21 4 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Wednesday, April 21. Entry approvals for non-S'poreans, non-PRs travelling from India cut due to Covid-19 Travellers from India will also have to serve an additional 7-day SHN at their place of residence. READ MORE HERE New Covid-19 cluster in S'pore linked to man who was 'probably reinfected in India' MOH said it will review border measures for recovered travellers. READ MORE HERE Public servant and her husband to be charged under OSA over leaking of circuit breaker details last April The woman had illegally sent the information to her husband before it was officially released. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Fully vaccinated dormitory resident is S'pore's sole Covid-19 community case He showed symptoms despite getting his first dose on March 12 and the second dose on April 13. READ MORE HERE Ex-US police officer Derek Chauvin convicted of murder in George Floyd case Chauvin was caught on video kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes in May last year. READ MORE HERE Grab's path to success built on strong culture, unwavering focus on South-east Asia The f...

Bitcoin plunges 15% in biggest intraday drop since February

elean 19 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) - Bitcoin plunged the most in more than seven weeks, just days after reaching a record. The biggest crypto coin fell 8.5 per cent to US$55,810.32 (S$74,480) as of 2.52pm in Singapore on Sunday (April 18), after declining as much as 15.1 per cent to US$51,707.51. Ether, the second-largest token, fell almost 18 per cent before paring losses. Several online reports attributed the plunge to speculation the US Treasury may crack down on money laundering that's carried out through digital assets. Bitcoin hit a record high of US$64,869.78 last week ahead of the debut trade for the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global on the Nasdaq on Wednesday. The original crypto coin, bitcoin is valued at more than US$1 trillion after a more than 800 per cent surge in the past year. Growing mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrencies has spurred bitcoin's rally, as well as lifted other tokens to record highs. Interest in crypto went on the rise again after companies from PayPal to Square started enabling transactions in bitcoin on their systems, and Wall Street firms like Morgan Stanley began providing access to the tokens to some of the wealthiest clients. That's despite lingerin...

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