Submitted By:  Nathanielle Punay Case Study:  No The new concession will be provided from 1 March to 31 August. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will be giving a 50% port dues concession to passenger vessels as part of its relief efforts to vessel owners and operators who have seen a drop in passenger volumes due to the COVID-19 outbreak, an announcement revealed. The new concession, to be given from 1 March to 31 August, will be on top of all existing port dues concessions. read more

Submitted By:  Nathanielle Punay Case Study:  No The study will look into the most suitable cities and routes to deploy air taxis. Grab and German air taxi firm Volocopter will conduct a joint feasibility study on urban air mobility as part of its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), an announcement revealed. It aims to further explore the prospect of urban air mobility solutions in Southeast Asia’s megacities. Also read: Can air taxis take flight in Singapore's skies?  read more

Submitted By:  Clarist Zablan Case Study:  No It has not yet conducted trials for 5G use cases in Singapore. TPG may struggle to secure a 5G licence as it may likely lag in the needed technical architecture and security in order to win one of the two spectrums, according to a DBS Group Research report. Under this parameter, there is 40% weightage on network design and resilience, which includes security and minimisation of dependency on 4G technologies, and another 35% weightage on the speed of network rollout and ability to support use cases. read more

Submitted By:  Staff Reporter Case Study:  No DRC has been lowered to 15% for the construction, marine shipyard, and process sectors. Singapore continues to lessen its dependence on foreign workers, as a further reduction of the S-Pass-sub-dependency ratio ceiling has been announced for a number of sectors in the Singapore Budget 2020.  read more

February 19, 2020 1:11 PMSINGAPORE - Do not send employees to hospitals unless there is a medical emergency, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) has warned employers, after hospitals reported that employers were dropping off workers to have them tested for the coronavirus.

February 19, 2020 12:56 PMSINGAPORE - The Singapore Red Cross is sending $2,260,000 worth of aid to China over the next five months, the charity said on Wednesday (Feb 19), as it disclosed that it has raised more than $6 million in donations for relief efforts to contain the Covid-19 disease outbreak in China.

Submitted By:  Shaina Teope Case Study:  No Singapore has $20-$24b of building projects in the pipeline. Singapore construction firms are asking for advice on invoking force majeure clauses in building contracts as firms face staff shortages over the COVID-19 outbreak, said a report by Reuters. Singapore has an estimated $20-$24b of public and private sector building projects in the works in 2020, and any large impact on the sector, which is highly dependent on foreign labor, could help push the economy into recession. read more

Submitted By:  Clarist Zablan Case Study:  No Property tax rebates of 30% will be given to hotels, serviced apartments and MICE venues. Companies in the tourism sector will enjoy various tax rebates for 2020 in light of the economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, finance minister Heng Swee Keat said in the Budget 2020 speech. In particular, 30% property tax rebates will be granted for the accommodation and function room components of licenced hotels and serviced apartments, as well as prescribed meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibition (MICE) venues. read more

Submitted By:  Staff Reporter Case Study:  No Submission of entries is until 22 May, Friday. In its seventh straight year, the SBR International Business Awards is back to accept nominations for the most outstanding multinational companies who have established offices on this side of the region. The awards programme aims to recognise the most remarkable contributions of international companies which have created an impact in Singapore's vibrant economy. read more

Submitted By:  Clarist Zablan Case Study:  No This could cause prices of nearby older homes to stagnate. Newly completed private residential properties could likely contribute to rising vacancy rates in Q1, according to PropertyGuru’s Singapore Property Market Index. The report noted that recently completed condos with a significant number of unsold balance units could cause prices of older homes in the vicinity to stagnate, especially when the condo resale market is facing keen competition from new launches. read more

The conditions may be ripe for a resurgence. Will business-to-business ecommerce companies get it right this time around?

Korea-based SoCar were faced with allegations that its ride-hailing service Tada breaks local transportation laws.

It is the first time that SenseTime has made available a countrywide education program for free.

The move follows its seven-digit raise in 2018 in a round led by AccelerAsia Ventures and Aletra Capital Partners.

Phnom Penh-based VC fund Obor Capital led the funding round, which included participation from Singapore's Negocia Ventures.

As India’s government is under pressure to shore up its ailing balance sheet, it has identified a handful of state assets to sell. The Life Insurance Corporation of India offers the most lucrative opportunity, but how international investors respond when they look under the hood is key.

The funding round was co-led by Apis Partners, Gobi Partners, the Riyad Taqnia Fund, and MEC Ventures.

With the move, the government expects to attract over US$570 million of private funding over the next 10 years.

It plans to expand into annual maintenance contracts, home protection, and on-demand services, among others.

Arrive's Neil Sirni talks about the firm's pivot to the region, what it looks for in startups, and what the hip hop billionaire is like as a boss.

February 19, 2020 2:48 PMSANGUIL, SÉNÉGAL (AFP) - Large peanut orders from Chinese traders have cut Senegal's traditional selling season short this year, rewarding farmers with fat profits but leaving local buyers with slim pickings.

February 19, 2020 12:22 PMWASHINGTON - Mr John Chan, who owns a dim sum restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, is busy nowadays trying to get customers to come out and eat as usual at Chinese restaurants.

February 19, 2020 12:10 PMWASHINGTON (NYTIMES) - US President Donald Trump, citing what he said was advice from friends and business associates, granted clemency on Tuesday (Feb 18) to a who's who of white-collar criminals from politics, sports and business who were convicted on charges involving fraud, corruption and lies - including financier Michael Milken.

February 19, 2020 9:53 AMNEWYORK (AFP) - Boeing vowed on Tuesday (Feb 18) to tighten controls after potentially dangerous debris was found in fuel tanks of undelivered 737 Max aircraft, a plane that has been grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes.

February 19, 2020 10:01 AMGENEVA/SEOUL (REUTERS) - There are no indications that there are cases of the new coronavirus in North Korea, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said, despite South Korean media reports suggesting the outbreak had spread to the isolated country.

February 19, 2020 9:59 AMWASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg will sell Bloomberg LP, the financial information company that made him a billionaire, if he is elected to the White House in November, his campaign confirmed on Tuesday (Feb 18).

February 19, 2020 9:04 AMLONDON (NYTIMES) - A British man who tested positive for coronavirus was branded a "super spreader", his every movement detailed by the local media.

February 19, 2020 9:30 AMUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday (Feb 15) started a trip to Senegal, Angola and Ethiopia, his first to sub-Saharan Africa in his nearly two years in office.

February 19, 2020 7:22 AM(NYTIMES) - Yardley Wong, captive on the Japanese cruise ship grappling with the coronavirus, captured in a single image the essence of life under quarantine. From inside her tiny cabin, Wong took a picture of the closed doorway. She posted it to Twitter last week.

February 19, 2020 7:43 AMWASHINGTON (REUTERS) - A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday (Feb 18) rejected Chinese telecommunications equipment-maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's constitutional challenge to a US law that restricted its ability to do business with federal agencies and their contractors.