SeaPRwire

Singaporean businessman charged with funding terrorist attacks in Syria

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A Singaporean businessman has been charged in a district court with helping to fund terrorist attacks in Syria. Mohamed Kazali Salleh, 50, appeared in court via video link with a shaved head and a blank expression as three charges of terror financing were read out to him in Malay on Monday (July 19). The court heard that Kazali intends to plead guilty and is intending to get his own lawyer. He is currently detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). The prosecution asked that no bail be offered to Kazali as this would be "prejudicial to the security of Singapore" and "special arrangements" have been made to remand him. No bail was offered and Kazali’s case will next be heard on Aug 11. According to court documents, on three occasions between December 2013 and early 2014, Kazali allegedly provided money to a "Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin" intending for the money to be used to facilitate terrorist acts in Syria. On one occasion, he is accused of handing over RM1,000 to Wan Mohd Aquil at a bus terminal in Johor Bahru. The other two occasions involve Kazali allegedly remitting US$351.75 and RM500 through Western Union in Singapore and in Malaysia respectively. Under...

SeaPRwire

Churches in Singapore taking steps to fight right-wing extremism

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - The National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) has been in touch with church leaders here to keep watch over the youth in their congregations to combat far-right influence. Commenting on the 16-year-old Christian Singaporean detained under the Internal Security Act for plotting attacks against Muslims here last December, NCCS' general secretary, Reverend Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, said the council believes it was an isolated case. 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.

SeaPRwire

S’pore residents employed overseas but working here remotely must now pay tax

elean
1 minute

SINGAPORE - Singapore residents who are employed overseas but are working here remotely must now pay tax after a pandemic-related exemption ended on June 30. The exemption for such employees came into force last April due to Covid-19 and allowed workers to re-locate temporarily to Singapore, perhaps for family reasons or peace of mind, but without being hit with additional tax. 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.

ACN Newswire
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Tiger Brokers Singapore to Offer Singapore’s First Dividend-Paying China-Focused ETF through Lion Global Investors

indie
9 minutes

SINGAPORE, Jul 16, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Xiaomi-backed online brokerage Tiger Brokers Singapore (Tiger Brokers) today announced that they had been invited by Lion Global Investors, one of the largest asset managers in Southeast Asia, to be among the Authorised Participating Dealers (PDs) for the Lion-OCBC Securities China Leaders ETF, listed on Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST). Investors on Tiger Brokers' platform, Tiger Trade, will be able to access Singapore's first China-focused dividend-paying ETF. This ETF allows investors to partake in China's growth story as well as diversify their investment portfolio by including Chinese stocks in an easy and affordable way. Tiger Brokers' investors will be able to subscribe for units in the Lion-OCBC Securities China Leaders ETF via the trading platform between 15 to 27 July 2021, 12 noon before the listing date.Eng Thiam Choon, CEO of Tiger Brokers (Singapore), shared, "Tiger Brokers (Singapore) is always looking for ways to help our investors diversify their portfolio. We are honoured to be one of the first online brokerages to be appointed as the authorised participating dealer among other well...

SeaPRwire

NUS to partner two Indonesian universities to boost innovation and entrepreneurship

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) will work with two top Indonesian varsities to bolster innovation and entrepreneurship. Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on Friday (July 16), NUS - through entrepreneurial arm NUS Enterprise - will offer scholarships to students from the University of Indonesia (UI) and Gadjah Mada University (UGM) to attend the Master of Science in Venture Creation programme here starting next year. The universities will also roll out an initiative in Indonesia to build and scale up high-impact, deep-tech ventures. The MOU signing at innovation conference InnovFest, organised by NUS Enterprise, was broadcast live online. InnovFest is part of the four-day Asia Tech x Singapore event - organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority - which ends on Friday. Professor Freddy Boey, deputy president of innovation and enterprise at NUS, inked the agreement with Dr Nurtami, UI vice-rector of research and innovation; and UGM rector, Professor Panut Mulyono. The signing was witnessed by Professor Nizam, director-general of higher education in Indonesia's Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology. NUS Enterprise has be...

SeaPRwire

Youth who did a backflip in Singapore Zoo rhino enclosure charged with offences including vandalism

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A youth who was caught on video last December doing a backflip inside a white rhinoceros enclosure at the Singapore Zoo was charged in a district court on Monday (July 12) with offences including vandalism. Ralph Wee Yi Kai, 19, is also accused of two counts of mischief and one count of criminal trespass. The Singaporean teenager is accused of trespassing into the rhinoceros enclosure at around 2.40pm on Dec 17 last year. Separately, he allegedly committed an act of vandalism at around 2.40am on Oct 9 last year by hitting an information panel at a bus stop in Sixth Avenue off Bukit Timah Road, causing $900 in damage. He is also said to have caused damage to two cars at the nearby Sixth Crescent that morning by hitting their side mirrors. Wee is accused of causing nearly $2,800 in damage to a Mercedes Benz and more than $1,600 in damage to a BMW. In a statement on Sunday evening, the police said that officers were alerted to the case at the Singapore Zoo at around 5.40pm on Dec 17 last year. "Preliminary investigations revealed that the man's companion, an 18-year-old woman, allegedly filmed him before the man posted the video on his TikTok account, using the moniker @ra...

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ERA’s new CEO Marcus Chu: Cabby’s son rides real estate wave

elean
1 minute

Whoever thought Singaporeans lacked initiative and drive should meet Marcus Chu, the newly appointed chief executive officer of ERA Singapore and APAC Realty, the master franchisee for ERA in the Asia-Pacific. Committed to a career in sales, Mr Chu stumbled through a variety of jobs - forex trading, insurance and working at an engineering firm - before arriving at ERA Singapore in 1996. 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.

SeaPRwire

Singapore explores all options with nurses in short supply

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - Ms Nan Hnin Ei Phyu, 38, an assistant nurse clinician with the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), left Myanmar to come to Singapore in 2000 to study nursing. Her aunt, who was working here as a nurse, had encouraged her to do so, and Ms Nan, a Singapore permanent resident, was recently one of the 125 nurses presented with the Nurses' Merit Award. 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.

SeaPRwire

Singapore banks target region’s emerging affluent segment

elean
1 minute

SINGAPORE - Wealth managers are taking advantage of the Covid-induced consumer shift to digital by blending technology and human capabilities to expand their reach to the fast-growing emerging affluent segment across Asia. Growth of household wealth in Asia is likely to outpace the rest of the world with more people in Singapore expected to see their net worth cross the million dollar mark by 2025, studies show. 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.

SeaPRwire

Parliament: FTAs and globalisation critical to Singapore’s survival, says Ong Ye Kung

aseanpr
5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Embracing globalisation is critical to Singapore's survival and pursuing free trade agreements or FTAs are key to the country's existence, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Tuesday (July 6). Mr Ong, who said he is a former trade negotiator, was giving a ministerial statement in Parliament about the FTAs, which are trade pacts inked between two or more countries to ease the flow of goods and services. Singapore, Mr Ong said, is a country that is too small to live on its own, and which needs to tap into global markets to earn a living and be self-reliant. While it has no natural resources, Singapore does have its geographical location, which is its "one precious natural endowment", he added. He said: "It is a lasting advantage, but one which requires us to work very hard to realise and sustain. If we succeed, it helps compensate for our lack of size." The country's strategic spot has allowed it to capture trade flows through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore as well as connect many countries in the East and West. That, Mr Ong said, has enabled home-grown port operator PSA to become the largest container transhipment port in the world. Singapore's port now sustains ab...

SeaPRwire

Singapore Prisons: 75-years of peacetime rehabilitation and wartime horrors

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - The 75-year history of the Singapore Prison Service is more of a saga than a mere logbook of jails, jailbirds and jail craft, given its record of pre-1946 wartime horrors and the peacetime punishment and rehabilitation that followed. The 75th anniversary is an apt time, perhaps, to recall some of its finest hours as the department renews its efforts in the face of evolving challenges, different in form but similar in substance to its past. 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.

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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on July 4

aseanpr
2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, July 4. Business travel scheme suspension in S'pore stretches on The scheme was suspended on May 28 during phase two (heightened alert) of Covid-19 measures. READ MORE HERE Empty beaches, eager hotel staff: First 'Phuket Sandbox' tourists roam resort island Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for a fifth of Thailand's economy and more than 90 per cent of Phuket's. READ MORE HERE More Singapore firms set to cut office space in coming months amid Covid-19 Companies are looking at how they can reduce office space and save on rent - one of the main costs of running a business. READ MORE HERE Slow vaccination, fast reopening: How Asia and Europe are fuelling surge in Covid-19's Delta variant A surge in infections threatens to stall plans to gradually reopen Europe. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Malaysia are seeing record cases. READ MORE HERE Residents appeal for new redemption leaflets for Temasek Foundation's free oximeter They said they had thrown theirs out by mistake, and missed the instructions which say it must be used to claim the device. READ MORE HERE Covid-19 vaccine passport may boost leisure travel but other ch...

SeaPRwire

More firms in Singapore set to cut office space in coming months amid Covid-19

elean
1 minute

SINGAPORE - More office space is expected to be freed up or vacated in Singapore in the coming months as companies here review their workplace needs in light of changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past year, real estate consultancy firms have seen a significant uptick in the number of companies rethinking - many for the first time - their office work arrangements. 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.

SeaPRwire
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Opening up the S’pore economy: Just how far and fast to do so?

aseanpr
9 minutes

SINGAPORE - With its extensive flight links to 160 cities, cosmopolitan workforce and strategic position in Asia, Singapore has long banked on its connectivity and reputation for openness to attract investments, jobs and tourism dollars that have buttressed its economy. But this has been tested in Covid-19 times, with flight links, for instance, down to 70 as at end-May. While it still holds on to its standing as a premier business hub at the moment, the quicker pace of reopening in developed Western economies that have attained high vaccination rates has prompted some to question if Singapore's comparatively more cautious approach to reopening would risk eroding its competitiveness in the long run. Already, fatigue is starting to set in as firms here grapple with the long-term impact of tight border controls and other restrictions that have severely affected Singapore's links to the rest of the world. Foreign employees are unable to travel home as they fear not being allowed to return as a result of border controls, and this has taken a toll on their mental health. Disruptions to supply chains and business operations have also affected cash flow, leading to investments being put o...

SeaPRwire

Citi Singapore raises over $150,000 for ChildAid despite Covid-19 restrictions on physical events

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Despite Covid-19 restrictions on physical events, employees from Citi Singapore have raised more than $150,000 for the youth charity concert ChildAid. About 8,500 employees of the bank took part in the company fund-raiser Citi Supports ChildAid 2021, garnering donations through virtual events or physical activities held in line with safe management measures. These activities included health and wellness virtual workshops, online cooking classes, performances on social media platform TikTok and a 419km cycling tour, said the bank in a statement on Friday (July 2). ChildAid, an annual youth charity concert organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times since 2005, raises funds for needy children from The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BTBAF). Mr Amol Gupte, Citi's Asean head and country officer for Singapore, noted the bank has been supporting STSPMF and BTBAF since 2002. "We recognise the challenges brought upon by the ongoing pandemic and are committed to supporting our clients, staff and groups within our community who are most affected. "It's precisely for that reason that we also returned the Job Su...

SeaPRwire

Singapore’s resident unemployment rate falls for 7th straight month

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Singapore's labour market continued to recover in May, latest figures from the Ministry of Manpower showed on Thursday (July 1). The resident unemployment rate, which covers Singapore citizens and permanent residents, fell for the seventh consecutive month. It declined to 3.8 per cent, from 3.9 per cent in the preceding month. Meanwhile, unemployment among Singapore citizens also dropped to 4 per cent, from 4.1 per cent previously. The overall unemployment rate fell to 2.8 per cent, from 2.9 per cent in April. About 88,600 residents were unemployed in May, including 79,000 citizens. This is down from 92,100 unemployed residents, including 82,800 citizens, in April. Singapore's unemployment rates peaked in September last year and persisted through October before falling steadily since November. The downward trend of unemployment rates is a good sign that the labour market is steadily improving, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng. "However, we remain cautiously optimistic about the situation as we continue to see resurgence of the virus globally and have also yet to see the full impact of phase two (heightened alert) restrictions, which began in mid-May," said Dr Tan in ...

SeaPRwire

Man who smuggled cigarettes and hid them in excavator arms jailed 39 months, fined $16m

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - A man who repeatedly dealt with duty-unpaid cigarettes has been jailed 39 months and fined $16 million, and will serve an additional 25 months and a day of jail as he did not pay the fine. Singaporean Loh Hu Seong, 58, was found to have worked with a Malaysian man in 2018 to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore, in return for $1,000 to $2,000 for each shipment, going so far as to search for warehouses in Singapore for the operation, Singapore Customs said on Thursday (July 1). He and the Malaysian man sourced for excavator parts in Singapore to hide the cigarettes, using an industrial unit in Tuas South Street 1, which Loh rented, to dismantle the excavators and retrieve the cigarettes. Singapore Customs in November that year found 5,428 cartons and 25 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes during a raid on the unit, with many of the cigarettes concealed in recycled excavator arms. The total duty and goods and services tax (GST) evaded amounted to $552,410. Five men were arrested. Singapore Customs is also investigating the Malaysian man. Investigations showed that Loh, during the same period, also engaged in "a criminal conspiracy" with another Singaporean man when...

ACN Newswire
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MothersonSumi INfotech and Designs Ltd. (MIND) Announces the Opening of a New Office in Singapore, Expanding Global Operations

indie
3 minutes

Singapore, Jul 1, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Mothersonsumi INfotech and Designs Ltd. (MIND) a technology and Industrial solutions division of Motherson Group, today announced the official opening of its new office in Singapore. MIND's Singapore office will serve as the headquarters for the entire Southeast Asia region and will be an essential pillar in its geographic expansion strategy. MIND's Singapore business unit will offer a holistic gamut of IT service offerings, including digital transformation, Cloud Hosting and Migration, Next Gen IT Infrastructure, Smart Factory Automation and digital engineering services. With its Singapore base, MIND is looking to expand its best-in-class services to customers across Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia and to other countries in Far East."The launching of the MIND Singapore office is aligned with our commitment to drive clients' success in the region and worldwide. Given Singapore's position as the hub for economic activities in the Southeast Asia, it's a market we constantly evaluated and wanted to open an office to expand our presence in the market," said Rajesh Thakur, Chief Executive Officer, MIND. He further ad...

ACN Newswire
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Tribunal award ordering Nop Narongdej payment to Nopporn Suppipat reversed by Singapore Court of Appeal

indie
2 minutes

BANGKOK, Jun 30, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The Singapore Court of Appeal has rendered the final decision absolving Nop Narongdej of obligation to make compound payments for the purchase of shares in Wind Energy Holding (WEH), on the grounds that the ICC Tribunal award was made in excess of jurisdiction.Mr Pokpak Thongbhakdee, attorney-at-law for FBLP, the legal counsel for the case, reports that the Singapore Court of Appeal revoked the ICC's Arbitral Tribunal decision ordering Fullerton Bay Investment Limited (Fullerton) and KPN Energy Holding Co., Ltd. (KPNEH), both under Mr Nop, to pay 'Remaining Amounts' and 'Compound Interest' under an agreement to purchase shares in Wind Energy Holding Group (WEH), then held by Mr Nopporn Suppipat's companies. The Tribunal order amounted to USD525 million plus interest as well as the costs of the arbitration. The Singapore Court of Appeal ruling is binding. In a complex ruling, the Court of Appeal found the Tribunal without authority to deliberate matters of Compounded Payments and therefore the decision on the Remaining Amounts has no legal effect. The Tribunal decision ordering Fullerton and KPNEH to pay arbitration costs wa...

SeaPRwire

Singapore inks deal with GSK to purchase Covid-19 drug sotrovimab

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - Singapore has inked a deal with drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Singapore and clinical-stage immunology firm Vir Biotechnology for the supply of a medication for patients with mild to moderate Covid-19. The advance purchase agreement is for the supply of sotrovimab, an investigational single-dose monoclonal antibody administered through intravenous infusion, GSK Singapore said in a statement on Wednesday (June 29). It is used to treat Covid-19 patients who do not need supplemental oxygen but are at risk of progressing to severe disease. Sotrovimab is currently undergoing regulatory review by the Health Sciences Authority for interim authorisation under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR), GSK Singapore said. The medication was, on May 26, granted emergency-use authorisation by the United States Food and Drug Administration; the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has also issued a positive scientific opinion. The British drugmaker's PSAR application includes data from an interim analysis of efficacy and safety data from its phase three trial, which it said was stopped early by an independent data-monitoring comm...