Innovation city index 2018

The higher Buyer's Stamp Duty introduced in this year's Budget is unlikely to put a dent in any aspiring upgrader's dreams, observers said, but it will mean more for the government coffers to pay for rising expenditure in such areas as healthcare and infrastructure. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Monday that the stamp duty on the value or price of a home above $1 million would be raised from 3 per cent to 4 per cent . The hike took effect yesterday. JLL national research director Ong Teck Hui said that based on last year's transactions, the extra duties collected would have been around $200 million. But going forward, Cushman & Wakefield research head Christine Li estimates that with higher expected transaction values and land acquisitions, an extra $411 million could be raised. She said the higher stamp duty would not derail the recovering private property market, which rebounded in the second half of last year after three years of decline. While two-thirds of ... » Learn More about Singapore Budget 2018: Stamp duty hike unlikely to put off property upgraders, say experts

Last March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic, naming Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19, as the disease that’s responsible for the outbreak. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the majority of nations to go on emergency lockdowns, thereby bringing global economies at an almost standstill and severely disrupting many supply chains, businesses, and even lives. Because of the intense economic impact of COVID-19, it hastened many governments’ move to digital transformation, as well as spurred the incessant search for new technological tools and urban solutions that can address the current crisis and hopefully drive the next stage of economic growth. A common response among many governments across the world to the COVID-19 pandemic has been to fast-track the development of their smart cities with the technological and urban innovations associated with the smart city seen as powerful tools for crisis management and, perhaps more importantly, a ... » Learn More about Smart cities in ASEAN: Powering good amidst tough times

SINGAPORE - A $25 billion plan charting the country's research landscape was launched on Friday (Dec 11), a critical investment that will help the economy emerge stronger from the shadow of Covid-19, while ensuring the country shores up its defences against future threats. Among the plans is a national effort to help Singapore respond nimbly to future infectious diseases. The pandemic has accelerated technological trends and structural changes that will reshape the global economy, and throw up new challenges for societies, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat at a press conference to lay out the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan. "Science, technology and innovation will be critical to overcome Covid-19 and in enabling us to emerge stronger," said Mr Heng, who is also chairman of the National Research Foundation (NRF). The five-year blueprint will focus on four key areas - health, sustainability, the digital economy, and manufacturing; with firm support ... » Learn More about Record $25 billion for research and innovation over next 5 years to secure Singapore’s future

BAY VIEW A man lowers his bait into the waters of Manila Bay off the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay City in this Jan. 28, 2018, file photo. —GRIG C.MONTEGRANDE MANILA, Philippines— With Malacañang’s appro­val, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) has given the go-ahead for Manila Solar City, the 148-hectare Manila Bay reclamation project of Manila Goldcoast Development Corp. The PRA, which is overseen by the Office of the President, issued on Feb. 22 a notice to mobilize and a notice to commence actual reclamation works to the consortium of Manila Goldcoast and the City of Manila. In its board resolution No. 5265, the PRA said it issued the notices following the clearance from the Office of the President. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea Jr., in his Feb. 18 memorandum to PRA Chair Alberto Agra and General Manager Janilo Rubiato, said “[his] Office interposes no objection in [granting the notices] for the Manila Solar City Project.” Planned city ... » Learn More about Palace thumbs up Solar City

A Hong Kong taxi passenger has sued the ride-hailing giant Uber, saying she was injured in the city’s first fatal crash involving the service nearly three years ago. Plaintiff Leung Hoi-ni has also named the administrator of the estate of the Uber driver killed in the collision, Rusty Hui Ki-wai, as a defendant alongside Uber Hong Kong, Uber Asia and Rasier Operations BV in her claim for damages filed to the High Court last Friday. Leung was identified in the filing as the rear-seat passenger of a taxi that was involved in a “head-on collision” with Hui’s private car on April 19, 2018. But her lawyers did not state the sum of damages sought, except to say that they were for “personal injuries, loss, damage, expense and interest arising out of [Hui’s] negligent driving as an Uber driver”, for which the three companies are “vicariously liable”. Uber rides in Hong Kong are still unregulated by the government, and the service is considered illegal unless the driver has a hire car ... » Learn More about Hong Kong woman sues Uber over 2018 accident that left 1 dead and 4 injured

TORONTO - A man who plowed a rented van into dozens of people in Toronto in 2018 is guilty of murdering 10 people and attempting to murder 16, a judge ruled on Wednesday (March 3), dismissing a defense argument that a mental disorder left the driver unaware of how horrific his actions were. Alek Minassian, 28, told police he was motivated by a desire to punish society for his perceived status as an “incel” - short for involuntary celibate - because he believed women would not have sex with him. Minassian had pleaded that he was not criminally responsible. The defense failed to prove Minassian’s autism spectrum disorder deprived him of the capacity to know his actions were wrong, Judge Anne Molloy said in a verdict, live-streamed on YouTube following a trial held virtually due to the pandemic. Molloy referred to Minassian as “John Doe” to try to deny him the notoriety he said he desired. “Mr. Doe thought about committing these crimes over a considerable period of time and made a ... » Learn More about Man found guilty of murder in 2018 Toronto van attack, life in prison likely

Quezon Province 2nd District Representative David “JayJay” Suarez on Friday, January 15, led the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Lucena City General Hospital (LCGH) in Brgy, Mayao Parada, in Lucena City, Quezon Province. The LCGH multi-purpose building is a PHP 40, 000, 000 priority project of Rep. David Suarez and Alona Partylist Rep. Anna Suarez to decongest the Quezon Medical Center, and to buff up the healthcare programs not just of District 2, but of the entire province of Quezon. When fully operational, the 150-bed capacity of LCGH will greatly decongest the Quezon Medical Center – the only government hospital in the province, which has a 200-bed capacity and admits an average of 42, 269 patients yearly. In a speech during the groundbreaking event, Cong. Suarez emphasized the importance of focusing on health programs in light of the pandemic. “Sa matagal na pagseserbisyo natin sa ating lalawigan, isa po ang kalusugan sa pundasyon ng ating panunungkulan. Kasama ... » Learn More about Quezon’s Rep. Suarez leads groundbreaking of Lucena City General Hospital

SINGAPORE - Around $24 billion will be spent over the next three years to help firms and workers adapt to the changing global landscape brought on in part by the pandemic. The funds will go towards building a more vibrant business sector and innovation ecosystem, helping businesses to transform and scale up their operations, and creating opportunities for workers. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Tuesday (Feb 16) that Singapore must deepen its position as a global-Asia node to emerge stronger from the Covid-19 crisis. That will involve working to restore the country's physical connectivity with the rest of world, expand its digital connectivity and deepen its capacity to collaborate and innovate with global partners. Platforms to help firms in innovation efforts Singapore will invest in three platforms to help firms innovate and collaborate on a global scale, to help them remain competitive. The Corporate Venture Launchpad will be piloted this year to drive ... » Learn More about Budget 2021: $24b channelled to firms and workers to boost transformation efforts

In this first of a three-part series on design innovation, Senior Education Correspondent Sandra Davie talks to Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran on how design thinking has been used in formulating government policies and programmes Meet Mr Michael Hon, 63, who has persuaded scores of seniors - who once shunned e-payments - to use them on a daily basis. The semi-retired businessman, who signed on to become a digital ambassador during the circuit breaker period last year, has a special touch when teaching seniors how to use digital tools. He encourages them to take notes which they can refer to. To reinforce the teaching further, he gets them to practise in front of him. "Most of the time, they are worried about security issues when using e-payments, so I tell them how I had the same worries when I started, and what are the ways to protect oneself." He does not just tell the seniors and hawkers that they need to adopt technology. He also explains why they ... » Learn More about Singapore, a nation by design

SINGAPORE - A government crowdsourcing initiative to help the public and private sectors solve technology challenges is getting a $50 million boost over the next five years. The funds for the Open Innovation Platform (OIP) will be used to co-fund more projects under the platform and deliver new features aimed at speeding up the process to find and develop solutions for challenges organisations face. The OIP managed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) was launched in 2018 to match business challenges faced by organisations to companies that can provide info-communication tech solutions to these problems. Providing an update on the platform on Tuesday (March 2) during the debate on his ministry's budget, Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said that it has more than 10,000 companies that can offer tech solutions. More than 190 challenges have been launched on the platform with over 60 solutions successfully developed. Mr Iswaran said that the ... » Learn More about Budget debate: Government crowdsourcing platform to solve tech challenges gets $50m boost