Our website use cookies to improve and personalize your experience and to display advertisements (if any). Our website may also include cookies from third parties like Google Adsense, Google Analytics, and Youtube. By using the website, you consent to the use of cookies.

Singapore and Zurich world’s most expensive cities

Singapore and Zurich world’s most expensive cities

SINGAPORE and Zurich tied for the world's most expensive city this year, followed by Geneva, New York and Hong Kong, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said as it cautioned that the global cost-of-living crisis was not yet over. On average, prices have risen by 7.4% year on year in local currency terms for over 200 commonly used goods and services, a drop from the record 8.1% increase last year but still "significantly higher than the trend in 2017-2021," it said in a report. Singapore regained the top of the rankings for the ninth time in the past eleven years due…
Read More
Singapore says $2 billion in assets seized in money laundering case

Singapore says $2 billion in assets seized in money laundering case

SINGAPORE said it was expecting more arrests and seizures as the Asian financial hub investigates one of its biggest cases of suspected money laundering, in which the value of assets seized now stands at S$2.8 billion ($2 billion). Simultaneous raids in mid-August by authorities of the city-state known for its low crime rate led to the arrest of 10 foreigners and the seizure of luxury properties, cars, gold bars, designer handbags and jewellery worth S$1 billion. "This case is a reminder that even the most stringent preventive measures can be circumvented by determined criminals," Josephine Teo, the second minister for home…
Read More
Assets seized in Singapore’s money laundering case swell to S$2.4 billion

Assets seized in Singapore’s money laundering case swell to S$2.4 billion

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. The assets now include cash amounting to more than S$76 million, 68 gold bars, cryptocurrencies of more than S$38 million, more than 110 properties and 62 vehicles worth more than S$1.2 million. Police did not give details of the fresh seizures and how they were found. 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…
Read More
Sri Lankan president sends resignation letter after fleeing to Singapore

Sri Lankan president sends resignation letter after fleeing to Singapore

UDITHA JAYASINGHE, ALASDAIR PAL and CHEN LIN SRI Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has submitted a letter of resignation, two government sources said, after he fled to Singapore following mass protests over his country's economic meltdown. Rajapaksa emailed a letter of resignation to the speaker of the country's parliament late on Thursday, two sources said. It was not immediately clear if the letter, sent shortly after Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore, would be accepted in email form, the sources added. In commercial capital Colombo, troops patrolled the streets to enforce a curfew. Rajapaksa, who fled to the Maldives on Wednesday to escape…
Read More
Singapore to block entry to visitors from South Africa

Singapore to block entry to visitors from South Africa

SINGAPORE says it will stop allowing entry to visitors with a recent travel history to South Africa, citing reports of a potentially more contagious strain of the novel coronavirus circulating in the country. All long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with travel history to South Africa within the last 14 days will not be allowed entry into the city-state, or transit through it, the health ministry said. Returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents will be required to undergo a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival at the start of a 14-day quarantine. "While the strain has been suggested…
Read More
Singapore’s use of facial verification in ID scheme stirs privacy fears

Singapore’s use of facial verification in ID scheme stirs privacy fears

RINA CHANDRAN SINGAPORE’S more than four million residents will have to use facial verification technology to access government services through the national identity scheme, a move criticised as intrusive and heavy-handed by privacy advocates. Facial verification, which works by scanning someone's face and matching it with a database image, is already used widely to unlock smartphones and access bank accounts, but Singapore is the first state to use it in a national ID scheme. "Unlike the use of biometrics for surveillance, it ensures that the user is aware and that their explicit consent is sought before proceeding with the verification…
Read More
World’s smartest cities index, African capitals struggle

World’s smartest cities index, African capitals struggle

EMMA BATHA SINGAPORE, Helsinki and Zurich are the world's smartest cities, according to an index published, amid a growing debate on the future of urban design for a post-COVID era. From smart traffic cameras and car sharing apps to pollution monitoring and free wifi for all, cities around the world are racing to embrace technology, but researchers said the real test was whether citizens felt the benefits. "The world's 'smart' cities don't simply adopt new technology, they make sure it truly improves citizens' lives," said Arturo Bris of the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD), which published the index.…
Read More