"Planet" sculpture. Photo by Anna Smirnova
New private home sales more than double in January
Sales of new private homes in Singapore more than doubled in the first month of 2023, amid new launches and the return of mainland Chinese buyers to the property market.
Excluding executive condominiums (ECs), developers sold 391 units in January, up from 170 the previous month, data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) showed on Wednesday (Feb 15). The number of units launched for sale shot up from 45 in December 2022 to 410.
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Food service workers to receive pay increases from Mar 1 under progressive wage model
Workers in the food services industry are set to receive annual pay increases over three years from Mar 1 under the progressive wage model (PWM).
It will cover about 41,000 full-time and part-time local food service workers such as cooks, kitchen assistants and waiters. Of these, 17,000 are lower-wage workers.
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Joint collaboration with Vietnam’s National Innovation Centre for research & innovation
NTU Singapore and Vietnam’s National Innovation Centre (NIC) are collaborating to build research translation and innovation capacity for start-ups, research institutions and companies in both countries.
The collaboration aims to promote research translation which will help research institutions and start-ups make the leap into commercialising technologies that will benefit industry and society.
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Uttar Pradesh govt, Singapore Trade Ministry sign MoU for economic cooperation
For the first time, the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for economic cooperation with the Uttar Pradesh government. The MoU is in addition to the deals signed at the UP Global Investors Summit, according to an official statement.
Under the agreement, the governments of Singapore and Uttar Pradesh will cooperate in areas of mutual interest, including urban development, sustainable development industry and skill development, the UP government said in the press release.
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Less wet weather expected in second half of February: Met Service
The second half of February is expected to be drier than the first half of the month, the Meteorological Service Singapore (Met Service) said on Thursday (Feb 16). During the second half of February, the daily temperature is expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 33 degrees Celsius on most days. Temperatures may reach around 34 degrees Celsius on days with little or no rain.
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