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...
About Singapore
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...
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...
Singapore is the world's most preferred city for business meetings for the second year running. The city-state is named the "Top International Meeting City" in the Union of International Associations 2008 Global Rankings. Singapore edged out cities like Paris, London and Tokyo. The country also moved up one notch up from 2007 to third position as one of the top three preferred countries for...
EXPATRIATES in Singapore feel fairly secure about staying here despite the global economic downturn. A recent global survey by HSBC has shown that 91 per cent of 192 expatriates living in Singapore said that they have not considered returning home despite the downturn. This is higher than the global average of 85 per cent, said HSBC in its annual "Expat Explorer" survey released yesterday. More than...
Singapore and Hong Kong are the two most trade-conducive economies, the World Economic Forum said on Tuesday in a study that placed the United States in 16th place, its performance affected by fears of crime and terrorism. The WEF said in its Global Enabling Trade Report that Singapore and Hong Kong, in addition to offering a trade-friendly business environment, "are endowed with well-developed transport...
SINGAPORE is now the 10th most-expensive city in the world for expatriates, according to a survey conducted by human resource and financial consultant Mercer. The Republic climbed three places from last year, knocking Italy's Milan out of 10th place in this year's Worldwide Cost of Living survey. The most expensive city for expatriates is Tokyo, which overtook Moscow. Osaka moved to No 2 after the yen...
Singapore continues to face the long-term challenge of low fertility and an ageing population, according to its latest population report. But the record number of foreign residents in the country has helped grow the total population to 4.84 million in 2008 - an increase of 5.5 per cent over the previous year. Foreigners now make up about 25 per cent of the total population. The National Population...