Photo by Anna Smirnova
Wealthy Chinese nationals snap up luxury homes in Singapore despite tax hikes
Wealthy Chinese nationals have been the top foreign buyers of expensive private properties in Singapore this year as the country reaps the benefits of post-pandemic reopening and a relatively strong currency, despite tax increases.
Singapore has long been a magnet for the mega-rich, wooed by the country's stable politics, strong currency, and reputation as a safe haven to park assets, analysts said. Singapore's property prices have also tended to accelerate gradually, with few booms and wild busts seen in other popular markets.
The data, from the Urban Redevelopment Authority and property consultancy OrangeTee & Tie, show that Singapore property remains popular among foreigners despite the Government raising taxes for purchases last December.
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Rhinoceros horns worth S$1.2 million seized at Changi Airport, largest such haul in Singapore
The National Parks Board (NParks) on Tuesday (Oct 4) seized 20 pieces of rhinoceros horns that were being smuggled through Singapore Changi Airport.
“The owner of the bags, who was travelling from South Africa to the Lao People's Democratic Republic through Singapore, was immediately arrested and the rhinoceros horns were seized by NParks.”
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Singapore women’s football league kicks off expansion after record prize money
The league is adding two more teams to its upcoming season as it seeks to elevate players’ standards and build on growing global interest in women’s football.
The nation’s top-flight women’s football league clinched its first title sponsorship this year since its launch in 2000, with a prize money of S$25,000 for the champions – five times more than last season’s.
The title sponsor, consulting firm Deloitte, will boost the local women’s football scene with more than S$300,000 in a three-year deal.
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Singapore’s Jigger & Pony named Best Bar in Asia, ranks 12th on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list
Only two Singapore bars made it to this year’s World’s 50 Best Bars list – Jigger & Pony at Amara Singapore and Manhattan at Regent Singapore.
The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list was unveiled at an awards ceremony in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday (Oct 4) and Singapore's Jigger & Pony emerged 12th on the coveted list, while also claiming the title of Best Bar In Asia.
The second Singapore bar to make the list is Manhattan at Regent Singapore, which slipped to 33rd from its 15th spot last year.
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Scientists in Singapore have invented a device that converts the slightest breeze into electricity
Scientists from NTU Singapore, led by Professor Yang Yaowen, Associate Chair of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, have developed a low-cost device that can harness energy from wind as gentle as a light breeze and store it as electricity.
When exposed to winds with a velocity as low as two metres per second (m/s), the device can produce a voltage of three volts and generate electricity power of up to 290 microwatts, which is sufficient to power a commercial sensor device and for it to also send the data to a mobile phone or a computer.
Measuring only 15 centimetres by 20 centimetres, the device can easily be mounted on the sides of buildings, and would be ideal for urban environments, such as Singaporean suburbs, where average wind speeds are less than 2.5 m/s, outside of thunderstorms