Singapore

Singapore retailers have seen sales plunge between 30% to 70% since the start of Covid-19, says the executive director of the Singapore Retailers Association.

Separate sets of Covid restrictions in Singapore will kick in on July 19 as a new cluster linked to nightlife establishments continues to grow.

The spread of the more transmissible delta variant has pushed daily Covid-19 cases to record highs in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in recent weeks.

Current artificial intelligence systems can automate repetitive tasks, analyze large volumes of data, recommend content, translate languages and play games.

Southeast Asia is home to some 400 million internet users and 10% of them went online for the first time last year.

If macroeconomic momentum in Asia starts to stabilize, stocks in the region could move a lot higher, said Mixo Das, Asia equity strategist at JPMorgan.

The city-state will set up new communications testbeds in 5G and beyond-5G, support technology development and training, and build up a talent pool.

But compared with the previous quarter, the Singapore economy contracted by 2%, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Temasek’s one-year shareholder return jumped to 24.53%, the company said in its latest annual report.

Some 40 million people across Southeast Asia came online for the first time last year, according to a report from Google, Temasek Holdings and Bain & Company.

“We don’t have the luxury of waiting for Covid to be over,” said Singapore’s Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

The Australian city of Melbourne has been found to be the best city globally for remote working, according to a ranking by on-demand housing platform Nestpick. 

There are rising concerns about packaging waste as internet shopping takes off, but some retailers say they won’t let sustainability take a backseat.

The latest Mastercard new payments index survey conducted across 18 markets globally, showed a majority of consumers are willing to try new payment methods.

The Chinese Communist Party government in Beijing claims Taiwan as a runaway province that must be reunited with the mainland — using force if necessary.

Consumers are flocking to online shopping as they seek to avoid crowds due to Covid-19, but getting the goods into the hands of the buyer can be challenging.

Even small and medium sized companies, which were previously less inclined to operate online, had to rethink their strategies when the pandemic hit.

Singapore is working with global internet companies like Google to further transform itself into a leading e-commerce hub in the region.

Travelers often unknowingly violate local protocols. Experts say these are the worst tourist offenses they see on their home turfs.

Singapore said Thursday that some permanent residents and long-term pass holders can begin booking appointments on July 2.