Singapore

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): There were 18 new coronavirus cases confirmed at noon on Tuesday (June 22), taking Singapore's total to 62,448. Of these, 15 were community cases - five of which are currently unlinked. There were no cases from migrant workers' dormitories, and three imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notice on arrival in Singapore, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). On Monday night, MOH said a 44-year-old man died of complications from Covid-19 infection on Sunday. This brings Singapore's death toll from the coronavirus to 35. The man was admitted to Alexandra Hospital on May 25 and was confirmed to have the Covid-19 infection the next day. He had not been vaccinated against Covid-19, and had a history of diabetes, said MOH. Alexandra Hospital has contacted his family and is extending assistance to them, added the ministry. MOH said that special testing operations will be conducted for all staff at the FairPrice supermarket at 166 Bukit ... » Learn More about 18 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore, including 15 in community

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will implement a two-phase increase in port dues rates from January 2022, to fund the increase in costs and maintenance of the Port of Singapore. Under the new rates of Phase 1, which will take effect from January 1, 2022, vessels calling at the Port of Singapore to embark or disembark passengers or to load and unload cargo and with port stays of between two and four days will see port dues increase by around six percent. Vessels that stay in port for a day or less will not be impacted by the increase in port dues in this phase, to encourage quicker turnarounds and thus serve more vessels. However, they will be affected by Phase 2 of the hike, which will take effect from January 1, 2023. The Port of Singapore is strategically located at the crossroads of East-West trade channels and is connected to 600 ports in over 120 countries. It also handles over 37.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers and ... » Learn More about Singapore to Increase Port Dues Rates from 2022

Renting a room in Singapore can be tough, but for a Malaysian woman, her troubles began after she signed the tenancy agreement. Wong's unpleasant experience with a landlord in Hougang came to light after her younger sister made a post in Facebook group Let's Go, Singapore on June 19. The post has since garnered 1,200 reactions and over 600 shares. With her sister's help, Wong, 38, rented a room in a flat at Hougang Ave 10 she found on a Carousell listing on April 30. However, things started to go south after she signed on the dotted line. The landlord told her there were two CCTV cameras in the flat — one facing the bedrooms and another in the kitchen. He explained that he installed them for safety reasons as the oven nearly caught fire after a previous tenant forgot to turn it off. Although she wasn't comfortable with the cameras, the woman had no choice but to move in on May 2. Wong's sister claimed in her Facebook post that the landlord monitored her every move in the ... » Learn More about Landlord in Hougang evicts tenant saying she uses toilet, washes clothes too often

Singapore's High Court sentenced a woman to 30 years in prison on Tuesday, June 22, for killing her Myanmar maid after more than a year of abuse that included starving, torturing, and beating her. Singaporean Gaiyathiri Murugayan pleaded guilty in February to culpable homicide among 28 charges related to her abuse of Piang Ngaih Don, who was 24 and subjected to 14 months of beating that culminated in her death in 2016. Judge See Kee Oon said that though Murugayan, 40, suffered significant psychiatric problems, the offenses she committed were abhorrent and with purpose. "The extremely aggravated and horrific circumstances of the offenses are crucial considerations that tip the scales towards retribution and deterrence," the judge said in sentencing, according to a transcript provided by the court. "She was cognizant of her actions and purposeful in her conduct. She did not lack capacity to comprehend what she was doing." Murugayan's lawyer Joseph ... » Learn More about Singaporean jailed for 30 years for ‘horrific’ torture, killing of Myanmar maid

SINGAPORE: Choa Chu Kang Waterworks, one of Singapore’s oldest water treatment plants, will undergo reconstruction and be transformed into a “state-of-the-art” water treatment facility when completed in 2026, said the national water agency PUB on Monday (Jun 21). This new facility will boast the latest water treatment technologies and smart capabilities to “greatly enhance” its operations, maintenance, safety and security when completed in 2026. The announcement was made in conjunction with Singapore International Water Week 2021, a fully virtual event that runs from Jun 21 to Jul 2. PUB said in a press release that the tender to provide professional engineering services for the waterworks’ reconstruction has been awarded to engineering design and consultancy company Binnies Singapore for S$28.8 million. “Binnies Singapore is required to provide detailed design, construction supervision and commissioning of Choa Chu Kang Waterworks reconstruction project for the next five ... » Learn More about Choa Chua Kang waterworks to undergo major reconstruction; S$29 million tender awarded

Nokia Oyj plans to redesign its offices globally, adapting workplaces in 130 countries to a more flexible post-pandemic work environment. The Finnish company is seeking to capture the benefits of having had virtually all staff work remotely for the past 15 months. Starting next year, roughly 70% of office space will be dedicated to collaboration and team work and staff will have the flexibility to work as many as three days a week remotely, the Finnish supplier of 5G network equipment said on Tuesday. “The pandemic forced organisations to change. Technology gave people the tools to innovate. In many cases, the results have been too good to go back to the old way of doing things,” chief executive officer Pekka Lundmark said. “We are accelerating our transition to become a fully hybrid global workplace.” The new rules will apply to all staff – 92,000 globally last year – who will have a “smart-office app” for booking work spaces and office amenities. The policy follows a survey ... » Learn More about Nokia will redesign offices as it adapts to more flexible work

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed 18 new cases of Covid-19 infection in Singapore as of 12pm on Tuesday (June 22). This brings the total number of cases to 62,448. There are 15 cases in the community today, of whom 10 are linked to previous cases and five are currently unlinked. Five currently unlinked cases Case 64374 Case 64374 is a 26-year-old female Singapore Permanent Resident who works as an analyst at Deutsche Bank, and is a household contact of Case 64373. She developed a fever and sore throat on June 15, and subsequently a runny nose and cough on June 17. She sought medical treatment at a General Practitioner (GP) clinic on June 17 but declined to be tested for Covid-19. She was given five days’ medical leave and advised to self-isolate. After Case 64373 tested positive for Covid-19 infection on June 21, the bank analyst visited a GP clinic on the same day, where she underwent both an antigen rapid test (ART) and polymerase chain reaction ... » Learn More about 2 new clusters including Redhill Close, driver & Deutsche Bank analyst among 5 new unlinked Covid-19 cases

The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 18 new cases of Covid-19 infection in Singapore on June 22, 2021. The total number of Covid-19 cases reported in Singapore is now 62,448. 16 new locations added to list of places visited by infectious Covid-19 cases MOH regularly updates a list of public places visited by confirmed Covid-19 cases for more than 30 minutes while they were infectious. 16 new locations were added to the list on June 22: Those who had been identified as close contacts of confirmed cases would already have been notified by MOH. As a precautionary measure, visitors to these locations during the specified timings should monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit. They should see a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection (such as cough, sore throat and runny nose), as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, and inform the doctor of their exposure history. Individuals may also access ... » Learn More about Redhill Market & Tiong Bahru Plaza among 16 new locations visited by infectious Covid-19 cases

A 49-year-old Housing and Development Board terraced house in Whampoa was sold for a record S$1.268 million in June 2021. The 99-year leasehold unit is located at Block 39 Jalan Bahagia, which is also part of the greater Balestier and Toa Payoh precinct. The two-storey landed corner terrace unit is 210 sq m -- a rare unit that is extremely huge by public housing standards. It was only put up on the market for two weeks in May, according to The Straits Times . Interior of HDB terrace house Originally a three-room maisonette, the house was renovated and had its layout rearranged 10 years ago at a cost of S$250,000 to become a four-bedroom, two-toilet set-up. It currently resembles a fully-furnished chalet. The interior consists of a walk-in wardrobe, loft, side yard, side gate, spacious living room, and ample storage space. The house also has sufficient privacy, as the front gate opens to a huge green public field and is at a ... » Learn More about 49-year-old Whampoa HDB terraced house sold for record S$1.268 million

BOSTON/TOKYO: A former Japanese government adviser said he did not put pressure on Harvard University's endowment fund to influence its voting at Toshiba's contested shareholder meeting last year, and that the fund should "set the record straight". Hiromichi Mizuno, until recently an adviser to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, was identified by a shareholder-commissioned investigation this month as an important figure in what it said was management collusion with METI to block the influence of foreign shareholders. Mizuno told Reuters he had volunteered to METI officials to speak with Harvard Management Co as he was about to start a fellowship at the university last year. Mizuno, a member of the board of US electric vehicle maker Tesla, said he had discussed potential risks for the Harvard fund, known as HMC, over voting at Toshiba. The conglomerate's top shareholder, activist hedge fund Effissimo Capital Management, was pushing for board seats. HMC was also an ... » Learn More about Harvard wasn’t pressured over Toshiba, former Japan adviser says