Page 18 - Singapore

Saudi Arabia's fund outpaces Singapore's GIC with $31.6 billion splurge

Overall, sovereign wealth funds controlled by the hydrocarbon-rich governments of Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Qatar took five spots on a list of the top 10 most active funds last year

Credit Suisse penalised $3 mn after probe by Singapore authorities

The action on Credit Suisse follows its review of pricing and disclosure practices in the private banking industry, according to the MAS

Covid possibly peaked in Singapore, says minister but experts cautious

The latest wave of COVID-19 cases in Singapore has possibly peaked, and there is no need for additional measures, like wearing a face mask mandate, to be implemented, said Minister for Health (MOH) Ong Ye Kung. We might have a slight surge, but I think more or less, we are seeing the peak of this wave, Channel News Asia quoted Ong as saying on Friday at the soft opening of a health campus at Woodlands in northern Singapore. However, having about 600 to 700 hospital beds taken up by COVID-19 patients is quite a strain on the system, the minister noted. We are a 10,000 bed-strong system. To take up 600 or 700 beds, it's six-seven per cent, which is not small. It's a significant workload on our healthcare workers and our system." "Nevertheless, I think our assessment remains ... that we can withstand this without additional SMMs (safe management measures)," said Ong. Noting that the estimated infection numbers have come down over the past few days, he said, "The indications are that

Will Covid sub-variant JN.1 bring mask mandates? Here's what experts say

Health experts suggest that people should consider wearing masks, especially in public places, to contain the spread of the new variant of Covid-19, JN.1

Number of fresh Covid cases in Singapore jumped to 965 in past week

The number of fresh COVID-19 cases in Singapore jumped to 965 in the past week, up from 763 the previous week. The number of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) went up from 23 to 32 in the same period. These are the highest numbers of new weekly hospitalisation and ICU admission for COVID-19 patients in 2023, TODAY newspaper reported on Thursday. Most COVID-19 patients here are infected by JN.1, a sublineage of the coronavirus' Omicron subvariant BA.2.86. With the JN.1 variant, winter conditions in the northern hemisphere and more people choosing not to wear masks have fueled the increase in COVID-19 cases, TODAY, citing experts, reported. Based on the available international and domestic data, there is no clear indication now that BA.2.86 or JN.1 are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other circulating variants, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH). The estimated number of COVID-19 cases from December 10 to 16 was also the highest recorded for

Covid infections down in Singapore but experts call for precaution

The number of COVID-19 infections in Singapore appear to have plateaued over the past week, but experts have urged people to be cautious and mask up in crowded enclosed places as a precaution. Last week, Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a 75 per cent jump with 56,043 cases, compared with 32,035 cases in the previous week. The seven-day moving average of the infection was 7,870 on December 12 and decreased slightly to 7,730 on December 17, The Straits Times newspaper reported. Experts have urged people to be socially responsible and mask up in crowded, enclosed places, even if they feel well, since the transmission of the virus occurs a day or two before symptoms appear. "It'll be a bell curve confounded by Christmas parties," Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the National University Hospital (NUH), said. "You don't know if it's peaked until after it's peaked," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper on Tuesday. While the numbers remai

Masks return as Singapore sees Covid-19 uptick, rise in hospitalisations

Covid-19 cases: The Singapore government stated that the dominant strain causing these infections has been identified as JN.1, a sublineage of BA.2.86

Covid-19 variant JN.1 in Kerala: 4 deaths reported, Karnataka on alert

Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao ruled out the need to restrict movement on the border at present amid the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in neighbouring Kerala

Singaporeans encouraged to wear face mask following spike in Covid cases

As Singapore's COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said it "strongly encourages" people to wear a face mask in crowded places even if they are not ill, especially indoors or when visiting vulnerable people. The ministry said on Friday that the estimated number of COVID-19 cases from December 3 to 9 increased to 56,043, a 75 per cent jump compared with 32,035 cases in the previous week. The average daily COVID-19 hospitalisations rose from 225 to 350. The average daily cases in the intensive care unit rose from four to nine, Channel News Asia reported. The vast majority of cases are infected by the JN.1 variant, a sublineage of BA.2.86. "Based on the available international and local data, there is currently no clear indication that BA.2.86 or JN.1 are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other circulating variants," MOH said in a media release. Urging the public to exercise personal and social responsibility, the ministry said people who a

S'pore committed to foster world where dialogue a path to resolve conflicts

Singapore is deeply committed to fostering a world where the rule of law is upheld and where dialogue and negotiation are the chosen pathways to resolving conflicts and disputes, the country's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has said. The prosperous city-state also supports stronger international cooperation to prevent crises from occurring, and to be prepared in advance for any shocks to the system when they do occur, the president on Saturday told 460 newly minted officers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). In a speech at the officer cadet commissioning parade, the president noted that the foundations of the international order were under strain, just when the need for global cooperation and the rule of law was greatest. "On its part, Singapore continues to be deeply committed to fostering a world where the rule of law is upheld, and where dialogue and negotiation are the chosen pathways to resolving conflicts and disputes," he said. However, this ability to engage with other

Adani, Wilmar may sell part of their stake in AWL to private equity firms

AWL stake sale to be one of the largest in recent times

Singapore, Zurich surpass New York to become world's most expensive cities

Chinese cities were among the biggest movers down the rankings, mainly due to the country's slow post-pandemic recovery and subdued consumer demand

Temasek plan to sell stake in Tata Play delayed over firm's valuation

Tata Sons is offering a lower valuation than $1 billion made for Tata Play

Rahul Gandhi to visit Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam from December 9

According to the sources, Rahul Gandhi will meet the Indian diaspora in Singapore and Malaysia while in Indonesia he will be meeting the diplomats

Rajnath Singh pays brief visit to Singapore on his way back from Indonesia

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid a brief visit to Singapore on Saturday on his way back from Indonesia. In Singapore, Singh paid tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by laying a wreath at the Indian National Army (INA) marker, the defence ministry said. The defence minister paid a two-day visit to Indonesian capital Jakarta to attend a meeting of the 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and some of its dialogue partners. "After completing his tour to Indonesia, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on his way back home, paid a brief visit to Singapore on November 18," the ministry said. It said the construction of a monument to commemorate the "Unknown Warriors" of the Indian National Army (INA) was proposed by Netaji himself and he had laid the foundation stone in July 1945. "Paid homage at the INA Memorial marker in Singapore. My heartfelt tributes to the 'Unknown Warriors' of the INA," Singh posted on X. In 1995, the National Heritage Board of Singapore erec

SBI to soon launch Yono Global app in Singapore and US, says official

State Bank of India (SBI) will soon launch its banking mobile app Yono Global' in Singapore and the US, offering digitalized remittance and other services to its customers, Vidya Krishnan, Deputy MD (IT), said. We are continuing to invest in Yono Global to offer the best services available as we want to give superior experience to our customers, Krishnan told PTI at the three-day Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF), which ends on November 17. Krishnan held talks with Singapore-based digital platform enablers as well as the local regulator and central bank, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). We are constantly working on the remittance story between India and Singapore, given the large number of Indian diaspora in the city state. Currently, SBI offers Yono Global services in 9 countries, starting with the UK operations in September 2019. SBI's foreign operations have a total balance sheet size of USD 78 billion. In Singapore, SBI is integrating its Yono Global app with PayNow a

Singapore's CapitaLand secures $155 mn loan for data center in India

"Securing this onshore loan in India would diversify our funding sources and help us to optimise our funding costs," said Sanjeev Dasgupta, CEO of CLINT

Tanishq opens jewellery boutique in Singapore, plans 50 stores globally

Tanishq, a jewellery brand from the Tata Group, plans to have 50 boutiques globally over the long term, said Kuruvilla Markose, the CEO of Titan Company which manages the brand business, as it opened a boutique here on Saturday. Currently, Titan has 13 boutiques in the international market and is constantly scouting for new sites to serve some 32 million global Indian diasporas, he said. Long-term plan is to have 50 boutiques globally, and the company is planning such retail outlets in the United Kingdom, Australia and Malaysia, Markose said at the inauguration of the brand's first boutique in Singapore. Indian High Commissioner to Singapore Dr. Shilpak Ambule inaugurated the boutique in Singapore's Little India precinct, welcoming one of the renowned brands which will be entering the South East Asian markets through the city-state. As a true Tata brand, it lives the values of giving back, by protecting and promoting the ageless craftsmanship of Indian jewellery making, said K V Ra

Singapore may review past takeovers on grounds of national security

Under the new law, where an entity has acted against Singapore's national security interests, any change in ownership or control of the entity within 2-yrs prior to the act may be reviewed

6 Indian banks win UK HC challenge over unpaid loans by Singapore's GVK

Six Indian banks pursuing unpaid loans amounting to an estimated USD 2 billion, including interest accrued, from GVK Coal Developers (Singapore) Pte Ltd and associated companies have won their legal challenge in the London High Court. Judge Dame Clare Moulder presided over the trial last month at the Commercial Court division to hear the case brought by the Bank of Baroda and others and in an approved judgment dated October 19 concluded the banks made out their case to the requisite standard. The banks were represented by international law firm Reed Smith, who instructed barrister Karishma Vora of 39 Essex Chambers London to argue the matter. We are delighted to have secured such a resounding and landmark victory for our Indian banking clients in a matter of such commercial significance, said Vora and Reed Smith's Gautam Bhattacharyya in a joint statement. It is an honour to be representing a syndicate of Indian banks that are synonymous with credibility and faith for the people of