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SINGAPORE - A slew of measures to deal with short-term challenges such as the coronavirus outbreak and long-term economic development were introduced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Tuesday (Feb 18). Immediate measures included a $4 billion package to help firms with cash flow and retain workers, and $1.6 billion for household expenses amid the coronavirus outbreak. More long-term help included $6 billion set aside to cushion the impact of a future goods and services tax (GST) increase, and $8.3 billion to be spent on growing and transforming the economy over three years. Here are 10 highlights: 1. GST not going up in 2021 The increase in the GST rate by two percentage points from 7 per cent to 9 per cent will not be implemented in 2021 . The hike was previously slated to come sometime between 2021 and 2025. Still, the broad-based consumption tax, levied on nearly all goods and services in Singapore, will need to be increased by 2025, said Mr Heng, ... » Learn More about Singapore Budget 2020: 10 things to know, from cash payout for S’poreans to GST not going up in 2021

There is no way that I belong in the front row. But that is where the meticulous planners behind Dior ’s spring/summer 2021 show have placed me, just seats away from the billionaire founder of LVMH Bernard Arnault and his family. The vibe in the French capital matches the rainy and foreboding weather. New coronavirus infections in France are rising again to about 12,000 per day now, prompting the government to impose new restrictions. The bars must close by 10pm and masks are required pretty much everywhere. Yet the show must go on. The four major fashion weeks that punctuate Paris life annually bring in €1.2 billion (S$1.9 billion) in economic activity to the city. The masked guests filtering into the Dior show have to walk over muddied sand to enter the white cube structure erected in the Tuileries garden. I chat to another journalist who has been attending for more than a decade. “Oh, this is all very weird,” he said. “It is too quiet. There are so few in-person shows ... » Learn More about In a pandemic, what does a COVID-19 edition of Paris Fashion Week look like?

SINGAPORE: More than 150,000 teachers and other workers in the education sector will be offered COVID-19 vaccinations from Wednesday (Mar 10). The exercise is in line with the Ministry of Health's (MOH) efforts to extend vaccination to workers who offer essential services, said the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). "It complements existing efforts to keep our educational institutions safe, as children and the majority of our students are not yet medically eligible for vaccination," they said in a joint news release. Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is approved for use only in individuals aged 16 and above. Meanwhile, the Moderna vaccine is only approved for use in individuals aged 18 years and older. READ: Singapore to vaccinate migrant workers against COVID-19, starting with 10,000 dormitory residents The vaccination exercise for the education sector will ... » Learn More about More than 150,000 workers in education sector to be offered COVID-19 vaccine from Mar 10

SINGAPORE - To spur the youth to talk constructively about climate change and help them understand the global developments on this front, Ms Melissa Low has been organising training workshops on such negotiations since 2018. The workshops include mock climate change conferences held yearly by the United Nations, known as the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP), which the research fellow at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Energy Studies Institute has been observing for a decade. "The purpose of this is to share that negotiation isn't easy, and one thing that I want them to learn is to think critically, ask informed questions, but most importantly, to come up with research-backed solutions to these problems," said the 34-year-old. "The goal is for them to step up and take interest in climate change on their own terms." For her contributions towards environmental sustainability, Ms Low was among 10 who received the annual ... » Learn More about 10 receive EcoFriend Awards for doing their part in environment sustainability

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said its customers saved P14 billion as the power company’s average electricity rate reached its lowest level in 2020, mainly because of the “significant decrease” in generation charges. The average retail rate stood at P7.96 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), representing a 10-percent decline from the P8.87 per kWh registered in 2019, Meralco First Vice President and Regulatory Management head Jose Ronald Valles said in a media briefing last week. The power distributor accounted last year’s lower overall charges to the 16.1 percent decrease in generation charges due to the implementation of new power supply agreements (PSA). Lower PSA charges provided P8.4 billion savings to consumers and slashed the average system loss charge by 12.6 percent. The reduction in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices and the peso appreciation, as well as the invocation of force majeure claims during the community quarantine that slashed fixed costs and charges ... » Learn More about Meralco customers save P14 billion

SINGAPORE - A new Matched Retirement Savings Scheme will be introduced to help those with less Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings. About 435,000 lower- to middle-income Singaporeans aged 55 to 70 who have not been able to set aside the prevailing Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) will be eligible for the scheme. It involves the Government matching every dollar of cash top-up made to a person's CPF Retirement Account, up to an annual cap of $600. CPF members can receive lifelong monthly payouts that can cover basic living expenses from the time they turn 65 after setting aside a BRS at 55. "This is a way of encouraging and augmenting family support for our seniors with fewer means in retirement," said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat. The BRS has been adjusted regularly in line with rising income levels. It is now $90,500 for the cohort turning 55 this year. The Government will continue to adjust the BRS by 3 per cent a year for the next two cohorts. It will be $93,000 for those ... » Learn More about Singapore Budget 2020: Dollar-for-dollar top-up matching for seniors with less CPF savings

PARIS: Novak Djokovic set a new landmark of 311 weeks as world number one on Monday (Mar 8), one week longer than Roger Federer whose tally of a record 20 Grand Slam titles is now firmly in the Serb's sights. Djokovic, 33, won his 18th major at the Australian Open in February. With Federer turning 40 in August, the Serb has time on his side. He is also a year younger than Rafael Nadal who also has 20 majors. "It really excites me to walk the path of legends and giants of this sport,? said Djokovic, in a statement released by the ATP. "To know that I earned my place among them by following my childhood dream is a beautiful confirmation that when you do things out of love and passion, everything is possible." He has spent 88 weeks at number one, across two different stints. Djokovic reclaimed the top ranking from Nadal in February 2020 and finished as year-end number one for the sixth time, tying the record set by Pete Sampras. ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: ... » Learn More about Tennis: Djokovic sets all-time record for weeks at No 1

It’s the first birthday of the Post ’s weekly Hong Kong martial arts cinema deep dive , and to celebrate, we’re taking a second look at some of the great movies we’ve had fond memories of writing about this year. A Touch of Zen (directed by King Hu, 1971) The greatest of wuxia director King Hu’s masterpieces, A Touch of Zen is a classic of world cinemas that transcends the martial arts genre. Inspired by a ghost story from Pu Sung Ling’s Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio – although it is actually a Buddhist film, not a ghost film – it deals with big themes such as the possibility of spiritual transcendence. The martial arts scenes, which involve the director’s characteristic use of trampolines to simulate “zen jumping”, show Hu’s innovative editing style and martial arts director Han Yingjie’s graceful choreography working together at their best. Read the full story . Golden Swallow (dir. Chang Cheh, 1968) Chang Cheh’s One Armed Swordsman is more famous, but Golden ... » Learn More about From Jackie Chan to Wong Kar Wai, 10 Hong Kong martial arts films that are must-sees

How far would you go to help someone? Jimmy Chan was recently left with a hefty bill of $165,000 after his Filipino domestic helper fell gravely ill in February, less than a month after she began working in Singapore. "Of course I'm willing to help with her medical treatment," 48-year-old Chan said in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao . "But my wife and I are just regular salarymen. We have two daughters aged 18 and 14, both of whom are still studying. This is not a small sum." His domestic helper Julie Ann Lucero, 34, was admitted into Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) in early February for multiple organ failure due to severe blood poisoning. She was later diagnosed with tuberculosis too. After a 27-day stay in the hospital, the bill came up to $120,000. Lucero was discharged and flew home on Mar 5, but her condition required her to take a private plane with a medical team on board. Her repatriation fee amounted to $45,000, Chan told AsiaOne. Though he ... » Learn More about ‘A day in the ICU is $3,000 to $4,000’: Employer faces $165,000 medical bill after new maid falls gravely ill

The MOE said that this is in line with the Ministry of Health's efforts to extend vaccination to personnel who offer essential services. "It complements existing efforts to keep our educational institutions safe, as children and the majority of our students are not yet medically eligible for vaccination," said the MOE. The exercise will cover all staff in primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute, as well as those in special education schools, the Institute of Technical Education and polytechnics. Vaccination will also be extended to staff at pre-schools licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and all MOE-registered kindergartens, as well as those at early intervention centres and programmes funded by or registered with ECDA for children with developmental needs, aged six and under. Staff of private schools registered with MOE that have full-time students below 18 years old, private education institutions - including ... » Learn More about Singapore: Over 150,000 staff in educational institutions to be offered Covid-19 vaccine from March 10; 13 new imported cases