Singapore

At least two banks in Singapore have announced modifications to credit card interest rates and surcharges. One of them is HSBC, which is increasing the annual percentage rate on outstanding credit card balances from 25.9% to 26.6%. Late payment costs – an extra flat fee charged to credit cardholders who fail to pay the minimum amount by the due date …

A Singaporean billionaire who made headlines in 2020 for attempting to purchase an English Premier League football team but who fled Singapore weeks later amid suspicions of accounting irregularities has been apprehended in China. Saturday marked the return to Singapore of Novena Global Healthcare Group (HGHG) director Nelson Loh Ne-Loon and a business employee. Loh and his 43-year-old colleague Wong …

Donald Pang, a camping aficionado, had intended to go camping in Johor this month with three friends, but postponed the trip due to Malaysia’s continuing monsoon season, which has caused devastating floods and landslides in several regions. The 59-year-old marketing professional told CNA on Wednesday, “If you’re on high ground, you might not be flooded, but you might have landslides.” …

The flu season has returned to Singapore, and physicians are reporting a 20 percent increase in instances of respiratory illness. During the winter season, health officials overseas have warned of a “tripledemic” including concurrent epidemics of COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus. Clinics have been scrambling to guarantee sufficient drug availability during this period, as a COVID-19 outbreak looms and …

A former chief financial officer of Agritrade International deceived 16 financial institutions around the world into providing her company with millions of dollars in trade financing, resulting in losses of US$469 million (S$631 million). The losses were incurred by the financial institutions, which included major banks in Japan, South Korea, India, and Taiwan, between January 2016 and November 2019. This …

For decades, Singapore’s government upheld the controversial 377A statute, which prohibited intercourse between two men and was inherited from British control. Authorities stated that it demonstrated Singaporean society’s disapproval of homosexuality. However, its parliament revoked the rule this week, just months after Premier Lee Hsien Loong’s unexpected statement that the ban would be lifted due to changing opinions. The repeal …

Japanese football supporters in Singapore were elated by their national team’s World Cup performance on Thursday, when they recovered from behind to defeat former champion Spain (Dec 1). Hajime Moriyasu’s squad defeated Spain 2-1 in their final group stage encounter, clinching first place and a spot in the round of 16. The outcome also resulted in the elimination of former …

Nice news for the LGBT community, Singapore’s parliament decriminalized sex between men on Tuesday while also amending the constitution to prevent legal challenges that in other nations have resulted in the legalization of same-sex marriage. The actions come at a time when other Asian nations, such as Taiwan, Thailand, and India, are recognizing more rights for the LGBT community. Activists …

The third-ranked player in the world, Loh Kean Yew, is the first Singaporean to be nominated for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Player of the Year award for 2022. This is the first time that Loh, the 2021 world champion, has been nominated for the Male Player of the Year award, alongside reigning world champion and world No. 1 Viktor …

There has been an upsurge in the number of layoffs in the technology industry, with 1,270 locals losing their jobs between July and mid-November, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng told the Singaporean Parliament on Monday (Nov 28). Eight out of ten had non-technical positions such as sales, marketing, and corporate functions. Dr. Tan stated that around seven out of ten …