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Singapore

Singapore rejects calls to scrap tough security law

Singapore has rejected a call by former political prisoners to scrap a British colonial law allowing detention without trial, saying it allows the government to fight serious security threats.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the former detainees were held under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for “subversive” activities and not for their political beliefs.
The ministry’s [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 24, 2011

Vettel fastest in Singapore GP practice

SINGAPORE (AP) — Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel signaled he is on course to clinch the title this weekend by setting the fastest time in Friday’s practice sessions for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver was two tenths of a second quicker than Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in the second session, with McLaren’s Lewis [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 24, 2011

UBS chief under scrutiny at bank’s board meeting

SINGAPORE (AP) — UBS chief executive Oswald Gruebel prepared to face the bank’s board in Asia as Swiss media reported Wednesday that pressure was mounting for the 67-year-old to step down following a $2.3 billion rogue trading loss. UBS denied the report.
French-language business journal Bilan claimed on its website that the search for someone to [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 22, 2011

Bangkok attracting fashionistas

Bangkok is becoming a leading venue attracting global fashion brands, helped by increasing affluence of local consumers and rising foreign tourist arrivals, while the traditional role of regional markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong has diminished.
After the political unrest of the past few years, the capital has witnessed a parade of the world’s most [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 9, 2011

Temasek unit sells off partial holding

A unit of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings has sold off a 7.9% stake in telecom giant Shin Corp.
Shin, which rebranded earlier this year as In Touch, told the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) that Cedar Holdings had sold 60% of its stake to Thai investors and the rest to Thai NVDR Co. The sale resulted in [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 19, 2011

‘More foreign talent equal to better society growth’

Foreign talent is vital to the growth of Singapore’s society and in ensuring its economic progress, said former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
He was speaking at a dialogue session at the South Asia Diaspora Convention on Friday afternoon at Resorts World Sentosa to more than 300 members of the audience, comprising [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 23, 2011

Hong Kong Finance Chief Warns on Property Prices

HONG KONG – HONG Kong’s finance chief warned on Sunday that the government may take further measures to curb rising property prices if necessary, local radio said.
Financial Secretary John Tsang said he was very concerned with the risk of an asset bubble forming, since property prices have surged past the record levels seen in 1997 [...]

Read More » No commentJune 29, 2011

Asian Banks Raise Their Game

Asian banks are becoming increasingly strong transaction services providers, but how are they viewed by their international peers?
Few would disagree that Asia’s burgeoning trade flows are one of the key factors driving the region’s booming transaction banking business, and nor would they dispute that local banks are in many ways in [...]

Read More » No commentJune 22, 2011

Shayne Heffernan Best Buys in Singapore

Singapore Exchange Limited SIN:S68 is growing fast on many fronts, expansion through acquisition is just part of the plan.
The Singapore Stock Exchange is also attracting high profile IPO’s like Suzlon and Hutchinson Ports.
Now The Singapore Exchange (SGX) will expand their Securities Lending and Borrowing program to help boost liquidity and activity in the [...]

Read More » No commentJune 21, 2011

Oil rises to above $99 amid weaker US dollar

SINGAPORE – Oil prices rose to above $99 a barrel Friday in Asia as a weaker U.S. dollar made commodities cheaper for investors with other currencies.
Benchmark crude for June delivery was up 87 cents to $99.31 a barrel in late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile [...]

Read More » No commentMay 22, 2011