Iskandar's challenges, 10 years on

As Iskandar enters its tenth year as a development region, some projects that were seen as catalysts for growth in the region appear to be taking a longer gestation period than expected, with many developers taking a wait and see approach.

Iskandar housing market struggles amid weak interest

The idea that property development in Iskandar would satisfy spill over demand from Singapore was tested to its limit last year.

Multiple headwinds for Chinese property developers in Malaysia

R&F’s Princess Cove, a 30,000 unit project, is in worst shape. According to two local agents, it has sold less than half of the 3,000 units that went on pre-sale since 2014. R&F has declined to comment.

Hong Kong Monetary Authority vows short sellers will not find it easy to mount assault on Hong Kong dollar

A more robust system for local banks to obtain liquidity and an enlarged monetary base make it near impossible for currency speculators to mount a successful attack on the Hong Kong currency, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, which said there’s few parallels with conditions today and those in 1997 to 1998 which saw authorities launch a shock and awe defence of the financial system at the height of the Asian financial crisis.

New F&B and clubbing options at Clarke Quay

Admittedly, the riverside nightlife stretch has seen its fair share of tenants come and go, but since November, at least six new restaurants and bars have moved in.

AXA Insurance offers cyclists non-financial benefits

Personal accident policies for cyclists may not be new, but one novel product takes it a step further by arranging non-financial services like a doctor's home visit and even housekeeping and meal services.

China rolling out initiatives to make it easier for foreigners to get green cards for residency

Seeking more foreign talent, China is rolling out new initiatives from March 1 that will make it easier for foreigners, especially ethnic Chinese, to obtain the elusive green card that will do away with work visas and provide access to public services.

NSA is world’s best hacker thief, says former director

“We steal other people’s stuff in the cyber domain,” retired General Michael Hayden said at a cybersecurity conference in Miami Beach.

Filipino Achilles Tomanpos Estremos hit cab and released handbrake fined $6k

An interior designer who refused to get out of a taxi after he was unable to pay the fare kicked the passenger door and hit its rear windshield and side window with an umbrella.

A morality tale about religion and fraud

An old schoolmate from Raffles Institution, with whom I have not cared to keep in touch, rang me out of the blue last week to make me an offer he said I could not possibly refuse.

Catherine Lim writes an open letter to PM Lee Hsien Loong

It was with much dismay that I read the report ‘Blogger ordered to pay PM 150k in damages’ in the Straits Times of 18 December 2015. I was less struck by the specifics of a court case that Singaporeans must have been following with great interest over the months – the standpoints taken by the contending parties, the various judicial processes, the assessment of damages to be paid to the plaintiff – than by one stark fact: once again, Sir, your powerful government is putting to use its most powerful instrument for silencing critics, namely, the defamation suit.

Amid tension in Philippines, a Chinese enclave of powerful, influential businessmen thrives

Despite the tension between China and the Philippines, many ethnic Chinese businesspeople continue to thrive in the Southeast Asian country, building unofficial ties between the nations.

Online database simplifies hunt for the right lawyer

Users can narrow search by category, and make instant request for quotation

With God on their side: Study shows children raised in religious homes tend to be ‘meaner’ than kids from non-religious ones

Children from religious families are less kind and more punitive than those from non-religious households, according to a new study.

10 Best Bak Kut Teh in Singapore

Sethlui

John Duncan Tasker fined $1,500 and ordered to compensate man he punched in carpark row

A 48-year-old ex-grassroots leader was on Monday (Nov 9) fined $1,500 for punching a 37-year-old man in an altercation over a carpark space earlier this year.

Wang Jianlin at Harvard Business School, Going Global the "Wanda" Way

George Bush Sr says 'iron-ass' Cheney and 'arrogant' Rumsfeld damaged America

Former president claims their reaction to 9/11 attacks were too hawkish, used excessive force and damaged his son, according to biography

Guardian

Former US Navy Seal, Ian Damery Fitzgerald gets four weeks’ jail for punching taxi driver

A former US Navy Seal convicted of punching a taxi driver and hurling the cabby’s walkie-talkie into Marina Bay was sentenced to four weeks’ jail and fined $800 on Monday (Nov 2).

Corked? Fine wines languish in China warehouses as consumers cool

The crates of Chateau Brehat wine from Bordeaux had gathered dust for three years in a bonded warehouse on the outskirts of Shanghai before the owners cut their losses in July, slashing three-quarters off the US$50 price tag.