Singapore is now one of the top 10 most expensive Asian cities for expatriates to live in due to the strengthening of the Singdollar. A survey by human resource consultancy ECA International showed that Singapore now has the ninth highest cost of living in the region. Last year, the city-state was in the twelfth place. ECA International said the cost of living for visitors to Singapore is also catching...
All Singapore
Singapore is the most integrated of the 21 economies which make up the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), according to an index released by the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) on Wednesday as part of its annual State of the Region report. In fact, the Asia Pacific region, as a whole, has become more integrated since APEC was founded 20 years ago. The PECC index of economic integration...
Singapore's economic growth for next year could be as high as six per cent, say some industry experts. They say the three per cent outlook given by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday may be on the cautious side, but it is still news they welcome as this means better times are ahead - more so in industries such as the finance sector. "There will be a pay revision. Estimates in general range from about...
Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday said the country's economy may grow by three per cent next year, and added that this year's fourth quarter looks healthy after Singapore's economy bounced back in the second and third quarters. Speaking at the annual tree planting ceremony at his constituency of Tanjong Pagar, Mr Lee said Singapore has emerged out of the recession with minimum damage. He...
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said Singapore needs to be one of the most liveable cities - not just in Asia, but globally - and one that goes beyond being clean, green and safe. Mr Goh shared this new vision of Singapore over the next 25 years at the 50th anniversary of the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (REDAS) on Thursday. Singapore has come a long way. But as other new cities erode...
Singapore overtook London as the investors' preferred place for doing business in a Bloomberg Global survey. Singapore was chosen by 17 per cent of respondents who said it was the second best place for financial services two years from now. New York, despite being battered by the financial crisis, remained the world's leading financial centre with 29 per cent of the votes. London was in third place,...
Singapore's fourth public-funded university, which is scheduled to open its doors in 2011, has been named the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SU). Its founding president is Thomas Magnanti, who is an institute professor with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was also the former dean of the Engineering School there. Prof Magnanti's appointment was announced by the new...
The tourism stakes are high and Singapore is trying to woo more visitors. It is betting on the two integrated resorts due to open next year, and also spinning for a more diverse crowd. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said that it is on track to meeting its target of attracting 9 to 9.5 million visitors to the city this year. Despite the economic downturn, 6.2 million tourists visited Singapore in the...
Singapore, under pressure from the G20 to improve banking transparency, passed a bill in Parliament today amending its income tax law to comply with OECD standards to fight cross border tax evasion. The new bill enables the Singapore government to ask banks for client information in potential cases of foreign tax evasion, and not just for domestic tax cases as allowed by the previous law. “This enhanced...
Singapore has been ranked the second most expensive city in Asia, after Tokyo, with Hong Kong taking the third position. In UBS' Prices and Earnings 2009 study released on Thursday, Singapore is ranked 24th globally, in a comparison of living costs in 73 cities around the world. The study was based on data collected between March and April this year. It found Oslo, Zurich, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and...