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☆ Singapore brokered a deal with Taylor Swift, so she wouldn't take the Eras Tour to other Southeast Asian countries. Now, a Philippines lawmaker is calling it out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThere's a feud between Singapore and neighboring government officials — and it's all down to Taylor Swift. "Some $3 million in grants were allegedly given by the Singapore government to AEG to host the concert in Singapore. AdvertisementFans of US singer Taylor Swift arrive for the first of the pop star's six sold-out Eras Tour concerts at the National Stadium in Singapore on March 2, 2024. Taylor Swift performs at the National Stadium on March 2, 2024 in Singapore. He claimed he was told the Singapore government offered $2 million to $3 million per show in exchange for exclusivity.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Joey Salceda, Swift, Salceda, Rosland Rahman, Ashok Kumar, Srettha Thavisin, Angel Zhong Organizations: Service, Business, Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, AEG, The Straits Times, Getty, GMA Network, Association of South East Asian Nations, Sky News, BBC News, CNA, Finance, RMIT University, Forbes Locations: Singapore, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangkok, Thailand

☆ A former flight attendant who said he slipped on a plane is suing Singapore Airlines for $1.3 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former flight attendant is suing Singapore Airlines, citing an injury from unsafe work conditions. Durairaj Santiran said he slipped on a grease patch on a flight, and is now suing for $1.3 million. Singapore Airlines, however, said no such grease patch existed and disputed his claims. AdvertisementA former flight attendant for Singapore Airlines is suing the carrier for $1.3 million, saying it failed to provide a safe working environment that led to a career-ending injury. Durairaj worked as a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines from April 2016 to April 2021, according to the paper.

Persons: Durairaj Santiran, —, Durairaj, Ramasamy Chettiar, Kasturibai Manickam, Durairaj's Organizations: Singapore Airlines, Service, The Straits Times, Airbus, CNA, Durairaj's, Straits Times Locations: Singapore's, San Francisco, Singapore

☆ Malaysia's new king has a $5.7B family fortune. Here's how he spends his money.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, 65, was declared king on Wednesday as part of the country's rotating monarchy. King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor is photographed with his sister, Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, after his accession was announced in October 2023. MOHD RASFAN/AP ImagesSultan Ibrahim is head of the Johor royal family and is considered one of the country's wealthiest men. In May 2023, a video posted to the Johor royal family's TikTok account showed them dining at Istanbul Turkish Cuisine, a reservations-only restaurant in Horizon Hills, Johor. King of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar (right) speaks with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) after the oath-taking ceremony.

Persons: Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Tunku Azizah Aminah, Iskandariah, MOHD RASFAN, Sultan Ibrahim, Sultan Ibrahim isn't, Ferrari Testarossa, HASNOOR HUSSAIN, Adolf Hitler, Hitler, Harley, Davidson, Tunku Ismail, Crown, Prince, of, of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Anwar Ibrahim, Abdullah Ahmad Shah, Mahathir Mohamad Organizations: Bloomberg, Facebook, Getty, Mercedes, YouTube, Boeing, Guardian, U Mobile, Maharani Energy, Johor Darul, The Straits Times, Malaysian, Malaysia's Locations: Malaysia, Malaysia's, Johor, Malaysian, Kuala Lumpur, India, Istanbul Turkish, Horizon Hills, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Singapore, Forest, Manhattan, of Malaysia Sultan

SINGAPORE (AP) — After a U.S. senator grilled Singaporean TikTok CEO about his nationality and affiliation with the Chinese Communist Party, Singaporeans are complaining about ignorant — or even racist — views of their country. During the hearing, Chew was repeatedly questioned about his nationality and possible affiliations to the Chinese Communist Party by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. Chinese companies are required to set up Communist Party cells. “No Senator, again, I’m Singaporean,” Chew responded, visibly perplexed. Prior to joining TikTok, Chew worked for five years at Xiaomi, a Chinese smartphone company.

Persons: Shou Chew, Chew, Chinese Communist Party by Sen, Tom Cotton, ” Cotton, Cotton, “, ” Chew, “ McCarthy, Jojo Choo, ”, ” Choo, Fian Fazlie, “ He’s, ” Fazlie, Biden, Vivian Kao, Goldman Sachs Organizations: SINGAPORE, Chinese Communist Party, Chinese Communist Party by, Communist Party, Washington Post, Singapore, Straits Times, Fox News, U.S, “, DST Global Locations: America ., Singapore, China, Chinese, “ Singapore, TikTok, Xiaomi

☆ I grew up always wanting to drive my own car. But I'm from the world's most expensive city to live in, and now I know I never will.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

AdvertisementFor car buyers, the COE is an extra cost that can easily eclipse the actual price of a car. These BMW family cars cost around $103,000 in 2017. COE prices went up to $67,000 that year for lower-end cars, despite more than 13,000 certificates being made available. On Thursday, COE prices for lower-end cars fell to about $48,000, a steep drop that shocked the market. Meanwhile, while unpopular, Singapore's COE prices are working for now.

Persons: —, Mikel Bilbao, Edgar Su, Reuters They've, EDGAR SU, Walter Theseira, Theseira, Singapore's, We've, ROSLAN RAHMAN, we've, Aditya Irawan, it's, they're, Benjamin Loo Organizations: Service, Volvo, Volkswagen, Hyundai, VW, Getty, COE, BMW, Reuters, Toyota Corolla, Singapore University of Social Sciences, ROSLAN RAHMAN Singapore, Yokohama JR Line, The New York Times, Uber, Temasek Holdings, CarTimes, Straits Times Locations: Singapore, European, New York City, Tokyo, Yokohama, New York, Asia, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur

☆ Take a look inside Singapore's public housing estates, where 80% of the resident population resides
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Singapore's public housing apartments are home to about 80% of the country's resident population. AdvertisementSingapore's skyline would not be complete without its candy-colored, high-rise public housing apartment blocks. In the US, public housing is intended for low-income families, seniors, or people with disabilities. AdvertisementIn Singapore, however, it's a different situation: Public housing units are where about 80% of the country's resident population lives. And in Singapore, public housing does not mean inexpensive housing.

Persons: —, I've, It's Organizations: Service, Housing Development Board, Straits Times Locations: Singapore, New York City

☆ A 20-year-old 'stay-at-home daughter' says 'girl math' means her $2,900 Cartier earrings are basically free
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A woman in Singapore claims "girl math" means her Cartier earrings are basically free. "Anything is possible with girl math," Liem told The Straits Times. In her video, Liem said she is a "stay-at-home daughter" and that her father is an investor. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Anything is possible with girl math," Liem said to The Straits Times. She added that girl math, to her, could mean buying extra things to get free shipping, adding that people often justify exorbitant purchases.

Persons: Cartier, Chloe Liem, Liem, I'd, Van, Lorna Tan Organizations: Straits Times, Service, TikTok, The Straits Times, DBS Bank Locations: Singapore, Wall, Silicon

The Straits Times Illustrations/Cel Gulapa via REUTERS/File Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSINGAPORE, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The total value of assets seized in Singapore's biggest money laundering case has swelled to S$2.4 billion ($1.76 billion), police said on Wednesday. Last month, 400 police officers ran simultaneous raids across Singapore and arrested 10 foreigners in an anti-money laundering swoop. Police have said the 10 suspects were allegedly "laundering the proceeds of their overseas organised crime activities, including scams and online gambling". During the raids, police seized S$1 billion worth of assets including bank accounts, S$23 million in cash, luxury homes, cars, bags, watches and two gold bars. The amount was updated to S$1.8 billion in early September as investigations led authorities to assets in Swiss banks.

Persons: Su Baolin, Su Haijin, Chen Qingyuan, Su Wenqiang, Lin Baoying, Zhang Ruijin, Wang Dehai, Su Jianfeng, Vang Shuiming, Wang Baosen, Xinghui Kok, Michael Perry Organizations: The Straits, REUTERS, Police, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Cyprus, Cambodia, Dominica, China, Turkey, Vanuatu

☆ Singapore seizes money launderer's assets in Swiss banks in S$1.8 billion case
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Chen Lin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Straits Times Illustrations/Cel Gulapa via REUTERS/File Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSINGAPORE, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Police in Singapore investigating a major money laundering operation have seized S$125 million ($91.79 million) from the bank accounts of one of ten foreign suspects accused in the case. The total value of assets seized by investigating authorities now stands at S$1.8 billion, according to prosecutors. The scale of the money laundering operation has shocked the wealthy Asian financial hub, and raised concerns over whether there are loopholes in its financial system. A state court denied bail for two of the accused foreigners, Wang Baosen and Su Baolin, on Wednesday. ($1 = 1.3618 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Chen Lin in Singapore; Additional Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Su Baolin, Su Haijin, Chen Qingyuan, Su Wenqiang, Lin Baoying, Zhang Ruijin, Wang Dehai, Su Jianfeng, Vang Shuiming, Wang Baosen, Bank Julius Baer, Julius Baer, Chen Lin, Yantoultra Ngui, Simon Cameron, Moore, Jan Harvey Organizations: The Straits, REUTERS, Police, Turkish, Credit Suisse Singapore, Bank, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Vang

☆ Singapore downgrades GDP outlook, avoids recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Chen Lin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Goss domestic product (GDP) expanded a seasonally-adjusted 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in April to June, slower than 0.3% growth seen in the government's advance estimate. Manufacturing will remain weak, dampened by a protracted downturn in electronics, while finance and insurance sectors will likely be subdued, MTI said. The ministry narrowed its GDP growth forecast to 0.5% to 1.5% this year from 0.5% to 2.5% previously. Analysts are expecting no change to monetary policy at MAS's October meeting, despite cooling momentum. MAS left its policy settings unchanged in April, after tightening five times in a row since October 2021, reflecting concerns over the city-state's growth outlook.

Persons: Feline, Goss, MTI, Yong Yik Wei, Brian Tan, Chen Lin, Tom Westbrook, Kanupriya Kapoor, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Port, REUTERS, MAS, Ministry of Trade and Industry, The Straits Times, Monetary Authority, Singapore's, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Port of Singapore, MTI, SINGAPORE, Singapore, Asia

☆ Bachelors in Asia are so desperate to attend Taylor Swift's concert that they are offering themselves up as dates to a bank's cardholders
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Singaporean bank's cardholders have exclusive access to presales for Taylor Swift concert tickets. Swiftie bachelors are going viral as they jokingly search for dates who happen to be cardholders. Over 300,000 fans are expected to attend the concert's Singapore dates, per The Straits Times. Dozens of other Taylor Swift fans are racking up thousands of likes with tweets in the same format. Over 300,000 fans are expected to attend the concert's Singapore dates, per the report.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift's, UOB, Keen, Swifties, that's, Swift, cardholders Organizations: Straits Times, Twitter, United Overeas Bank, Wall Street Locations: Singapore, Taylor Swift's Singapore, Japan, Malaysian, Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam

☆ Singapore kicks off the world's first Olympic Esports Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An athlete warms up before the cycling finals on the second day of Olympic Esports Week in Singapore. Yong Teck Lim | Getty ImagesSINGAPORE — Singapore is hosting the inaugural Olympic Esports Week where over 100 athletes from around the world are competing across 10 virtual sports. It builds on the success of the Olympic Virtual Series staged before the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021, which attracted 250,000 participants, the IOC added. Singapore is no stranger to esports competitions, launching the Singapore Games Association to develop the country's esports ecosystem. The Singapore Tourism Board said the country has the potential to become a "top-of-mind destination for esports fans globally," CNA reported.

Persons: Yong Teck Lim, Alvin Tan, Tan, Halimah Yacob, Newzoo Organizations: Getty, SINGAPORE —, Olympic, International Olympic, Olympic Games, Straits Times, International Olympic Committee, Tokyo Summer Games, IOC, Singapore Games Association, Singapore Tourism Board, CNA Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE — Singapore, Suntec City, Esports, Asia Southeast Asia, Statista

☆ Ticketmaster issued more than 1 million queue numbers for Coldplay's Singapore concert. Rumbles of fury at the platform are rolling through Twitter as people say they got frozen out of purchases.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Amanda Goh | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ticketmaster issued more than 1 million virtual queue numbers for Coldplay's "Music of the Spheres" concert in Singapore. This is not the first time Ticketmaster has fumbled the ticketing experience for a big concert. Pre-sales for the concert started on Monday at 10 a.m. SGT, per a tweet from the concert organizer, Live Nation Singapore. About 1 million virtual Ticketmaster queue numbers were issued in total, local newspaper The Straits Times reported. Coldplay and Ticketmaster Singapore did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

Persons: — bev ng, Taylor, Swift stans, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez Organizations: Ticketmaster, Twitter, Morning, Coldplay, National, of Singapore, Live Nation, The Straits Times, Nation Singapore, New York Rep, Eurovision, BTS Army, Ticketmaster Singapore Locations: Singapore, Live Nation Singapore, Alexandria

☆ Fact Check-Clip shows cows that died after eating poisonous plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A clip that shows sick and dead cows lying on a dried grass shows animals that were poisoned after eating certain plants during a prolonged drought in Italy in August 2022. The clip does not show cows that died after being vaccinated with a bovine “mRNA vaccine,” the veterinarian that was on the scene at the time said. One user shared the clip via Twitter with a caption that reads: “Northern Italy bovineM R N A vac.... According to reporting at the time, around 50 cows died after consuming sorghum plants (here). The clip shows sickened and dead cows lying on dried grass in a farm in northwestern Italy after being poisoned by certain plants in August 2022.

Persons: Stefano Giantin, Carlo Nebbia, Read Organizations: Rai, The Straits Times, Reuters, Toxicology, of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin Locations: Italy, del Piemonte, Liguria, Valle

☆ As global stocks fall, Asia-Pacific's benchmark index erases all of its gains for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

On Tuesday, bank stocks in Japan declined sharply, weighing on the wider Topix, which led the sell-off in Asia-Pacific. Tokyo-listed shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group fell 8.59%, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group shed 7.57% and Mizuho Financial Group dropped 7.14%. Yeap also noted indexes such as the Straits Times Index in Singapore has close to 45% of its weightage in bank stocks. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart iconNomura equity strategists including Chetan Seth reiterated their February call and still expect more gains for the index. "We are inclined to believe that these issues will not be systemic to the health of the banking sector," he said.

☆ A Thai drug lord evaded capture by having plastic surgery to make himself look like a 'handsome Korean man', police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Thai drug dealer sought to evade capture by extensive cosmetic surgery, police say. He altered his appearance to look like a "handsome Korean man," reports say. Saharat Sawangjaeng, 25, who used the Korean alias Jimin Seong, was arrested by police in Bangkok last week, The Bangkok Post reported. Police said they were able to track down Sawangjaeng by tracing the sale of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, on the streets of Bangkok, with witnesses describing him as a "handsome Korean man." Sawangjaeng was able to evade capture for 3 months because of extensive facial surgical procedures to alter his appearance, officials said.

☆ ChatGPT failed miserably in Singapore's 6th-grade tests, averaging 16% for math and 21% for science. Days later, it was getting answers right.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI's ChatGPT failed math and science tests that sixth-graders in Singapore take. It made errors in simple addition and could not comprehend any diagrams, per The Straits Times. It scored an average of 16 out of 100 marks for the three mathematics papers it took, per The Straits Times. ChatGPT fared a little better at the science papers, getting an average of 21 out of 100 marks. But on Monday, when Insider tested ChatGPT on two PSLE science questions — one from 2020 and another from 2022 — it got both questions right.

☆ Singapore posts worst non-oil domestic exports in a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Singapore's non-oil domestic exports plunged 25% year on year in January — their largest drop in 10 years. Government data showed Singapore's non-oil exports to its top markets led the wider decline, with exports to China falling by more than 41%, to the U.S. by 31.5% and to Hong Kong by more than 55% for the month. Non-oil retained exports also fell 10.4% in January, following the 7.2% decline in December. Total trade also fell by 10.4% year on year, with total exports dropping 9.6% and imports contracting by 11.3%. The Singapore dollar weakened slightly after the release and the Straits Times index traded marginally higher in Friday's morning trade.

☆ Onions are now so expensive in the Philippines that they've become a luxury item — and people have been trying to smuggle them across the border
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Onions are now a luxury item in the Philippines. The price of onions soared to $12.80 per kilogram in December, three times the price of chicken. Local authorities seized between $9 million and $11 million worth of smuggled onions in 2022. According to the country's Department of Agriculture, on January 9, onions were going for 600 pesos, or $11, per kilogram. Local authorities seized between $9 million and $11 million worth of smuggled onions in 2022, The Guardian reported.

☆ Singapore is set to hike its goods and services tax in January. Here's how it will work
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Natalie Tham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Singapore's goods and services tax will be raised to 8% in January 2023. Ore Huiying | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesCome Jan. 1, Singapore will raise its goods and services tax, otherwise known as the GST, from 7% to 8%. The GST is a consumption tax imposed on nearly all goods and services in Singapore. With the change, all goods and services imported into Singapore, including imported goods purchased online, will be subject to the tax. Economists who spoke to CNBC held conflicting views on whether the tax hike will hit the nation's lowest earners harder than others.

☆ Shopee, the Amazon of Asia, has laid off around 7,000 employees in the last 6 months, after latest cuts: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Britney Toh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shopee laid off around 100 employees on Monday, adding up to around 7,000 jobs cut in the last six months, per Bloomberg. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. On Monday, a number of Shopee employees in Singapore and China received marching orders via emails, Bloomberg said. Sources also told The Straits Times that the latest round of layoffs was more low-key compared to the layoffs that happened in September. Shopee parent Sea Limited — which employed more than 67,000 people at the end of 2021 — let go a low single-digit percentage of employees on September 19.

☆ An airline has scrapped a controversial policy that forced flight attendants to quit if they became pregnant
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Stephen Jones | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Singapore Airlines has ended a controversial policy that forced pregnant flight attendants to leave. Previously, pregnant cabin crew were put on no-pay leave but can now apply for a ground role. The airline changed the rules in July, according to a memo seen by The Straits Times. Under the policy, when a flight attendant informed the airline she was pregnant, she'd be placed on leave without pay. Over recent years, some airlines have come under pressure for the strict rules they have put in place for female flight attendants.

☆ New money is pouring into Singapore, but a series of recent multimillion-dollar real-estate transactions show the old status symbols are as popular as ever
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Good Class Bungalows, or GCBs, are powerful status symbols for old and new money alike in Singapore. With land this scarce, the most elite level of property on the island is the Good Class Bungalow, or GCB. New money, old status symbolWith new money pouring into Singapore, a series of recent multimillion-dollar real-estate transactions show these old status symbols are as popular as ever. And in 2019, British billionaire inventor James Dyson purchased an SG$50 million bungalow opposite Singapore's Botanic Gardens, per the Straits Times. Moreover, some prospective Good Class Bungalow renters are not even living in these properties.

☆ F1 is the biggest party weekend of the year in Singapore, but it'll easily set you back thousands of dollars. We broke down the prices.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The 2022 F1 Singapore Grand Prix is taking place from September 30 to October 2. Around 268,000 fans attended the 2019 F1 Singapore Grand Prix — the second-highest on record since the 2008 inaugural race, race organizer Singapore GP told local news outlet The Straits Times. Here's how much it'll cost you to party big during F1 weekend in Singapore. The Marina Bay skyline as viewed from Marina Bay Sands. 4FR/Getty ImagesLAVO, an Italian restaurant also on the MBS rooftop, is holding a Race Weekend Party Brunch.

☆ Систему тестирования на коронавирус через дыхание начнут использовать в Сингапуре
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-20 | by ( ) nokta.md time to read: +1 min

Власти Сингапура планируют разместить новые аппараты для проведения дыхательных тестов на коронавирус в аэропорту, а также использовать их во время крупных мероприятий. При этом стоимость каждого исследования составляет примерно $20, что дешевле существующих аналогов, и результат можно получить в течение двух минут. Как ожидается, в июне приборы будут запущены в массовое производство, на первом этапе в месяц будут выпускать около 200 тыс. С конца прошлого года власти Сингапура постепенно начали снимать ограничения на проведение крупных мероприятий, в том числе конференций, выставок, семинаров. При этом одним из главных условий участия стало проведение тестов на коронавирус непосредственно перед началом мероприятий.

Persons: nokta, Белт Organizations: The Straits Times, Белта Locations: Сингапур, Чанги

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