Singapore

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Taylor Swift, Singapore Cut Deal and Neighbors Aren't Happy

Enter the growing industry of event tourism

(Newser) - We know Taylor Swift concerts generate billions in consumer spending . And now we know countries are willing to pay big for the advantage, at the cost of their neighbors missing out. Earlier this week, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed the country's tourism board paid an undisclosed sum—...

10 Most Expensive Cities in the World

Three US cities—NYC, San Francisco, LA—make EIU ranking

(Newser) - With inflation now seeing a steady downward trend , economists are cautiously optimistic, but even that bit of positive news might not help much if you're in one of three US cities that have just earned a dubious distinction. Per the Hill , the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual "Worldwide...

The Right to Own a Car Now Costs $106K in Singapore
In Singapore, Owning
a Car Costs $106K—
Before You Buy It
in case you missed it
Oct 8, 2023 11:25 AM CDT

In Singapore, Owning a Car Costs $106K— Before You Buy It

Cost of certificate is putting the 'Singaporean Dream' out of reach

(Newser) - Singapore is the world's most expensive place to own a car—and the biggest cost involved has more than quadrupled in recent years. Under a quota system introduced in 1990 to cut traffic congestion, the city-state sells 10-year "certificates of entitlement" allowing the holder to own a car,...

This Is the Most Innovative Nation on Earth

Switzerland is No. 1, again, while the US falls one spot

(Newser) - Monday has already proven a banner day for innovation, with the Nobel Prize in medicine bestowed on Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their work that helped develop the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Now, certain nations around the world can crow about their placement on the World Intellectual Property Organization's...

Singapore Set to Hit a Grim Milestone on Friday
Singapore Executes
First Woman Since 2004
UPDATED
Jul 28, 2023 4:26 AM CDT

Singapore Executes First Woman Since 2004

Saridewi Djamani was convicted of trafficking just over an ounce of heroin

(Newser) - Singapore executed a woman Friday for the first time since 2004. Saridewi Djamani, 45, was convicted five years ago of trafficking just over an ounce of heroin, though she testified that she had been stocking up for personal use, the BBC reports. The hanging was the 15th drug-related execution in...

Singapore Executes Man Over 2.2 Lbs. of Pot

Tangaraju Suppiah had maintained his innocence

(Newser) - Despite protests that spread far beyond its borders, Singapore on Wednesday executed a man who was convicted in 2018 of aiding an attempt to smuggle 2.2 pounds of cannabis into the country. British billionaire Richard Branson was among those urging Singapore to give Tangaraju Suppiah clemency, warning, "Singapore...

Singapore to Decriminalize Sex Between Men

At the same time, prime minister worries activists with proposed amendment on marriage

(Newser) - In what LGBTQ activists called "a win for humanity" after a yearslong struggle, Singapore will repeal its law prohibiting sex between consenting men. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made the announcement Sunday in an annual policy speech on national TV, per the BBC . "The government will repeal Section...

Cultured Meat Industry Just Got a Boost

It's like other meat, only without the dead animal

(Newser) - Marketing departments still haven’t decided what to call it yet, but there is increasing demand for cultivated (aka cultured, cell-grown, or no-kill) meat, at least in Singapore. That’s where US-based Good Meat has teamed up with food-processing behemoth ADM to build “the world’s largest bioreactors to...

'Zero to Singapore on This': Disabled Man Is Hanged

Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, 34, had been on death row for over a decade

(Newser) - Singapore on Wednesday executed a mentally disabled Malaysian man condemned for a drug offense after a court dismissed a last-minute challenge from his mother and international pleas to spare him. Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, 34, had been on death row for over a decade after he was convicted of trafficking about...

Singapore Decides This Disabled Man Must Hang

Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, whose IQ is 69, loses final appeal over drug smuggling

(Newser) - A Malaysian man with a mental disability lost a final legal appeal Tuesday against his death sentence in Singapore and faces execution soon, a lawyer and rights activists said. Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam has been on death row for more than a decade for trying to smuggle less than 1.5...

Parkgoer Says He Was Nearly Killed in Otter Attack

Graham George Spencer says he sustained 26 bites in just seconds

(Newser) - A British man saw a pack of about 20 otters on a nearby path in the Singapore Botanic Gardens in late November. What happened next nearly killed him. Graham George Spencer says the group "went crazy" after a runner using the same path as the animals approached them. He...

This Is the World's Most Expensive City

Israel's Tel Aviv tops the Economist Intelligence Unit's list

(Newser) - Looking to bust out of this joint and set down roots elsewhere in the world? If you're planning an expat move to one of the cities on the Economist Intelligence Unit's most recent list, you'd better bring some extra cash. Per the BBC , the Economist Group's...

Man to Be Hanged for Bringing Bundles of Pot Into Singapore

Appeal that centered on claiming confession was coerced was dismissed Tuesday

(Newser) - A man in Singapore is going to be hanged for bringing three bundles of cannabis into the country. Omar Yacob Bamadhaj, 41, lost an appeal Tuesday of a sentence handed down in February. In July 2018, Bamadhaj had hopped across the border from the tiny city-state into Malaysia to run...

During Pandemic, This Nation's Economy Takes Top Billing

Switzerland is No. 1 on WIPO's Global Innovation Index for 132 economies around the world

(Newser) - To get through something like a pandemic, countries have had to innovate—especially when it comes to keeping their economies humming. And there are "reasons to be optimistic" on that front, according to one of the editors of the World Intellectual Property Organization's annual Global Innovation Index , which...

Kamala Harris Has a Warning for China Over 'Intimidation'

Vice president delivered rebuke from Singapore on Tuesday on nation's actions in South China Sea

(Newser) - Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a sharp rebuke to China for its incursions in the South China Sea, warning its actions there amount to "coercion" and "intimidation" and affirming that the US will support its allies in the region against Beijing's advances. "We know that Beijing...

'Ray of Hope': World's Smallest Baby at Birth Goes Home

Kwek Yu Xuan was just 7.47 oz. when born. A year later, she's a healthy 14 pounds.

(Newser) - When Kwek Yu Xuan was born in early June 2020, four months early, the tiny newborn was about 9.5 inches long and weighed just 7.47 ounces—about how much an apple weighs, making her the smallest baby ever born, per the BBC . Yu Xuan's mother, who had...

Woman Who Tortured, Killed Maid Gets 30 Years

Singaporean woman's employee weighed just 53 pounds when she died

(Newser) - A Singapore woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison in what authorities say was one of the worst cases of "maid abuse" imaginable. Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 40, pleaded guilty earlier this year to dozens of charges, including culpable homicide, in the 2016 death of live-in domestic worker Piang...

He Allegedly Lied About COVID to an Expert on Lying

In Singapore, that could result in jail time

(Newser) - Never lie. But if it can't be avoided, never lie to a researcher who specializes in "the cognitive neuroscience of deception." A Singapore man learned this lesson the hard way and faces actual jail time over his alleged fib, reports Channel Asia News . Authorities say 40-year-old Paul...

This Is Not the 2am Wakeup Call You Want on a Cruise Ship

Passengers on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas are stuck in Singapore port after COVID case

(Newser) - Passengers on a Royal Caribbean "cruise to nowhere" really can't go anywhere—they're not even allowed to leave their rooms after a fellow shipmate tested positive for COVID-19, the Straits Times reports. In a Wednesday statement, Singapore Tourism Board rep Annie Chang says the 83-year-old Singaporean man...

Infected Mom Gives Birth to Baby With Antibodies

Celine Ng-Chan's child appears to have extra protection from COVID-19

(Newser) - Welcome to the world, Aldrin: Looks like you came with extra protection. Born in Singapore from a mother who'd been infected with COVID-19, the baby has antibodies against the virus, Sky News reports. "It's very interesting," the mother, Celine Ng-Chan, told the Straits Times after the...

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