A man befriended a 13-year-old boy who had disciplinary issues and promised the latter’s father that he would “guide and advise” the teenager. Instead, the 25-year-old man molested the boy on two occasions in March. The Singaporean offender was yesterday sentenced to two years’ jail with five strokes of the cane and a fine of […]

Live performances can be held at performing arts venues and the premises of orchestras, choirs, dance groups, and other arts and culture organisations come Sunday. Art galleries and some museums, as well as community centres and hotel ballrooms and function rooms are among venues permitted to resume live performances, according to the update by the […]

A portable robotic device that can help stroke patients with their recovery at home was unveiled at a media event at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) yesterday. Aided by the robot, patients can do the repetitive exercises needed to regain control in their arms and build up their strength, without always having to visit a […]

A series of unresolved cable faults which had beset the Tuas West Extension since it opened in 2017 led to the massive three-line MRT breakdown on Oct 14. All the power cables on the extension will now be replaced. In all, French engineering group Alstom – which installed the power lines – will replace 150km […]

A Chinook helicopter from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has made its first landing on an Australian ship, a move which demonstrates the trust and interoperability between the two sides and could lead to better cooperation in times of crisis. The landing of the CH-47D Chinook, from the RSAF’s Oakey Detachment in Queensland, […]

SINGAPORE – Leaders of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) here will learn how to drive change and growth in their companies as part of a new initiative. The Enterprise Leadership Transformation programme, which was announced at Budget 2020, was launched on Wednesday (Oct 28). The inaugural run will see 60 participants from 38 local SMEs […]

SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) – Beauty and wellness firm Mary Chia Holdings has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to buy an 80 per cent stake in five companies under the Monsoon Hairdressing group for about $3 million. The seller is Lee Eng Tat, or Addy Lee, a celebrity hair stylist and the founder […]

SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) – SIA Engineering will recognise a non-cash impairment provision against its base maintenance unit’s assets, and is working on finalising the quantum. This is expected to have a material impact on the group’s financial results for the first half of its fiscal year, said the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) […]

BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) – China’s economic recovery displayed mixed signals while remaining broadly steady in October, with small businesses turning more cautious and the property market weakening even as car sales soar. The aggregate index combining eight early indicators tracked by Bloomberg was unchanged from the previous month. Small business confidence eased in October, with sub-indices […]

NEW YORK (REUTERS) – Home-rental startup Airbnb plans to list its shares on the Nasdaq, setting the stage for one of 2020’s most high-profile stock market debuts. Earlier this month, Reuters reported the company was aiming to raise US$3 billion (S$4.1 billion) in its initial public offering ( IPO), which could give it a valuation […]

The current pandemic will be recorded in our history books as an unprecedented event, challenging our norms, habits and lifestyles. This project seeks to archive the details of today and the heroes of the present battling this Covid-19 pandemic.  To record this momentous period for Singaporeans and our future generations, NLB is compiling photographs, videos, […]

SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) – The issuing of loans and securities linked to the Swap Offer Rate (SOR) that mature after end-2021 will need to cease by April next year, in a push by a financial industry-led committee to shift away from the use of SOR to the Singapore Overnight Rate Average (Sora) in financial […]

SINGAPORE – Singapore has strengthened its status as a global logistics hub amid the Covid-19 pandemic, riding on its competitive advantages such as the efficiency, reliability and resilience of its network, said Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday (Oct 27). Speaking to the media after a visit to German logistics firm DB […]

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) – Jack Ma, the former English teacher who co-founded Alibaba Group Holding with US$60,000 (S$81,600), is poised to become the world’s 11th richest person after Ant Group priced shares for a record initial public offering (IPO). Mr Ma’s 8.8 per cent stake is worth US$27.4 billion based on the stock pricing in […]

HONG KONG (REUTERS) – Ant Group will close its Hong Kong institutional book building one day early as it aims to raise about US$17.2 billion (S$23.4 billion) in the city, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The book was due to close on Thursday (Oct 29), but that deadline will be […]

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) – Japan’s largest airline has signed up for jet fuel made from renewable materials in Singapore in a small step towards more environmentally friendly travel that will add costs for an industry crushed by the coronavirus. All Nippon Airways (ANA) signed a preliminary agreement to start buying so-called sustainable aviation fuel from a Singapore […]

Although Singapore has managed to reduce new infection cases to zero or just a few in the past few weeks, this does not mean that the country has successfully eliminated Covid-19 from the community, experts cautioned. Complacency could set in if people start letting their guard down, in the belief that the country has triumphed […]

The criminal defamation trial of The Online Citizen (TOC) website’s chief editor Terry Xu, 38, and TOC contributor Daniel De Costa, 37, began yesterday, over an e-mail letter penned by De Costa that allegedly defamed Cabinet members. De Costa is said to have sent that and other inflammatory material from the e-mail account of his […]

Solar panels installed on unused land and rooftops, or floating on bodies of water, may soon be a common sight as the country accelerates its use of solar energy. Singapore is aiming to harness 1.5 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar energy by 2025, almost four times the current solar usage of 390 megawatt-peak (MWp). The 2025 […]

More than 1,400 cartons of contraband cigarettes were found hidden under the floorboard of a Malaysian-registered lorry at Woodlands Checkpoint last week. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that its officers pried open the floorboard of the lorry, which was transporting granite, and uncovered 1,492 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes last Tuesday. ICA said in […]