The Weekly Wrap-Up

Foreign-registered cars entering Malaysia to use VEP from October, big tech bolsters its presence in Malaysia and other major events happening in Singapore and the region.

On the Weekly Wrap, The Straits Times' Associate Foreign Editor Lim Ai-Leen discusses recent developments in Malaysia, the world's biggest election in India and the annual defence and security forum International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogu...

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has called on Singaporeans to join him in the ambitious goal of building a society where everyone matters “and a Singapore that matters to all Singaporeans”.

Some political analysts have said that PM Wong wants to set himself apart from his predecessors and be measured against his own words

So how will PM Wong be a different type of Prime Minister? And how will our foreign policies be re-shap...

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his last major political speech as head of government at the annual May Day Rally. 

This comes a fortnight before he is set to pass the baton to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who will be sworn in as the Republic’s fourth prime minister, at a ceremony to be held at the Istana on May 15.

Did PM Lee's last major speech in a way mark the start of DPM Lawrence Wong's tenure as PM?

Dr Felix...

The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) is looking for an anti-scam mascot to serve as a visual rallying call to bank customers to “stop and check before clicking”. It launched its anti-scam mascot design competition on April 16, offering $10,000 for the top entry, and $3,000 and $2,000 for the second- and third-placed designs, respectively.

But how will a mascot help in the fight against scams? 

Ong-Ang Ai Boon, Director, The ...

After nearly 20 years heading Singapore’s government, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is set to step down on May 15. And as part of a long-planned succession, Singapore will be ushering in a new era led by current Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as our fourth prime minister.

So what can we expect from DPM Wong when he takes over the reins of Prime Minister? Based on his leadership style, what have we learnt about him, how will h...

Unsold units at The Residences at W Singapore Sentosa Cove will be up for sale at more than 40 percent off their initial 2010 launch price. Cityview Place Holdings will be releasing 58 units for sale on April 15, with prices starting from $1,648 per square foot. 

But will this move however result in rapid sales for those vacant units? Is a unit there worth your investment? 

Nicholas Mak, Chief Research Officer, Mogul.sg shares his ...

No Signboard Holdings has resumed the trading of its shares on March 15 after obtaining concurrence from Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) on March 14. 

But shares of No Signboard Holdings slid after opening at 2.7 cents, the stock was down 1.6 cents, or 51.6 percent. 

Will such sentiments continue for No Signboard shares? Willie Keng, Founder, Dividend Titan shares his views. 

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For the first time ever, Singapore’s resident total fertility rate has dropped below 1.0. Preliminary estimates show that the total fertility rate fell to 0.97 in 2023, declining further from the previous record of 1.04 in 2022 and 1.12 in 2021.

What are the factors leading to the new low? And should we be worried? 

Dr Mathew Mathews, Head, Social Lab, and Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National Unive...

The Singapore Tourism Board and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth said on Feb 20 that Taylor Swift’s sold-out concerts in Singapore in March had received support from the authorities in the form of a grant. This comes after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's comments on Feb 16 that the Singapore Government offered subsidies in exchange for Swift agreeing not to perform elsewhere in South-east Asia.

Is paying f...

Retrenchments in Singapore more than doubled in 2023 from the previous year to 14,320, even as the overall unemployment rate fell slightly. Total employment growth for the full year of 2023 slowed amid weaker economic conditions, following a sharp post-pandemic rebound in 2022.

So should we expect this trend to stay?

Rahul Chawla, Partner & Head of Human Capital Solutions, Southeast Asia, Aon shares his views. 

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The move to discontinue the NETS FlashPay card and some adult EZ-Link cards for use on buses and trains was announced earlier in January. But in an intereting turn of events, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has U-turned its decision to phase out the old ticketing system in favour of SimplyGo. 

So could SimplyGo make a proper comeback after such a debacle? 

Terence Fan, Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Educ...

S Iswaran has resigned as Transport Minister and a member of the People's Action Party (PAP).He has been charged with 27 offences yesterday, two of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, one of obstructing justice and 24 of obtaining a valuable thing as a public servant.

So what happens next? Will it be hard to replace him at West Coast GRC? 

Dr Felix Tan, Independent Political Observer shares his analysis. 

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According to a bill submitted to parliament this week, Singapore is proposing to hold “dangerous offenders” indefinitely, even after they complete their jail sentences. 

Called the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (Sepp), it was introduced as part of the Criminal Procedure (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill. So why has such a sentencing regime been proposed only now? 

Stefanie Yuen Thio, Joint Managing Partner, TS...

Singapore's largest taxi operator ComfortDelGro has announced that it will increase its cab fares to help cabbies defray higher operating costs. The last time this was done was back in March 2022. A new peak hour surcharge will also be implemented from 10am to 1.59pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

But is there a real need for them to do so again? 

Walter Theseira, Associate Professor, Economics & Head, Master of Man...

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) advance report of how Singapore’s labour market fared in the whole of 2023, with high inflation this year eating into the spending power of Singapore residents, the real incomes for workers at the 20th percentile fell by 3 percent compared with the same period last year, while that for median workers dipped by 2.3 percent, even as nominal wages grew.

Rahul Chawla, Partner and Head of Tale...

Singapore’s Presidents will be able to accept appointments at international organisations in a “private capacity”, allowing them to act and express views independently under constitutional amendments that were passed in Parliament this week. 

But could any time spent serving private interests be time taken away from the President’s national duties and his constituents?

Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law, Singapore Management Un...

The 8th edition of the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) has wrapped up and this year’s theme centered around “The Application of AI in Financial Services”. Many talks were lined up from industry leaders and experts who shared the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities.

Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore gives us a roundup of SFF 2023 and the highlights from this year's festival. 

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