Almost half of Singapore residents say they'll never achieve financial freedom: Singapore live news
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Of the 3,000 respondents in a poll, 44 per cent of them believe they'll never achieve financial freedom. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
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Of the 3,000 respondents in a poll, 44 per cent of them believe they'll never achieve financial freedom. The poll was conducted by Singlife, and the respondents comprised of Singaporeans and permanent residents. For a fuller breakdown of the financial freedom poll, read here.
The number of petrol stations in Singapore have fallen over the last two decades following a greater adoption of electric vehicles. The remaining petrol stations have diversified their offerings and now sell a wider range of items – from sushi to bubble tea. For more on the 'disappearing' petrol stations, read here.
Securing a home loan in Singapore as a freelancer is a little tricker as the process seems to favour salaried employees. But, with freelancing on the rise, perhaps it's time to pay a little more attention. There are five factors to consider and you can read here for a detailed guide.
Qantas's sale of discounted first-class tickets, due to a coding mistake, has left many passengers with unexpected business-class bookings or refunds. More on the Australian airline's first-class ticket disaster here.
Singapore is launching a four-year study on how Asian skin ages. The study will cost $14 million and aims to develop preventive measures and treatments tailored for Asian skin.
Oasis is reuniting for a tour in UK and Ireland. It's been 15 years since they split but the feud between brothers Liam and Noah seems to have eased up. For more details on the reunion tour, read here.
Rescuers have stepped up efforts to locate the woman who disappeared down a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur. They're now using a ground-penetrating radar, the same device used during a landslide incident in Batang Kali in December 2022. For more on the rescue efforts, read here.
Singapore's prime minister, Lawrence Wong, visited army recruits at the Basic Training Military Centre on Thursday (27 Aug) morning. He said it has been "some time since my last visit" and he wanted to get an update on the training. Wong also joined them for a run.
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Bryan Lim
Singapore commits nearly $14 million for Asian skin ageing study
Singapore is launching a four-year study on how Asian skin ages. The study will cost $14 million and aims to develop preventive measures and treatments tailored for Asian skin. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
Asians don't 'raisin' – you might have heard of that saying before.
It's an open secret that Asians generally look youthful even as they age. However, the real secret lies in why, and even that might not be a secret for long.
Singapore is launching a four-year study on how Asian skin ages, and addressing age-related issues like skin thinning and persistent itching. It'll cost $14 million.
The study is led by professor Rachel Watson, an executive director at the Skin Research Institute of Singapore, and aims to develop preventive measures and treatments tailored for Asian skin.
Almost half of Singapore residents believe they won't achieve financial freedom
44 per cent of Singapore residents say they won't achieve financial freedom. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
A poll by Singlife revealed that 44 per cent of people in Singapore believe they won't achieve financial freedom.
The top three reasons cited were – insufficient income, unforeseen personal of health circumstances, and job insecurity.
The poll is a part of Singlife’s second financial freedom index and had 3,000 respondents comprising Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 18 to 65. The survey was conducted from April to June 2024.
This year's respondents scored 58 out of 100 on the index, a slight dip from 60 in 2023.
Inflation, insufficient retirement savings, and medical expenses are the top sources of financial stress among respondents.
Additionally, more than 44 per cent of respondents also believe that having children will hinder their path to financial freedom. They estimated that it'll delay their progress by 15 years.
This belief is more prevalent among three groups – those aged 55 to 64, people whose youngest child is above 16, and those with a high monthly household income.
Our Prime Minister going for a run? Well, that's normal.
Our Prime Minister going for a run with army recruits? That's quite ingenious, according to one netizen who exclaimed, "Who would have thought of that?"
In an Instagram on Thursday (27 Aug), Singapore's prime minister Lawrence Wong shared that he visited the Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) on Pulau Tekong that same morning. He was accompanied by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad.
Wong wrote, "It has been some time since my last visit. I wanted to get an update on BMT/NS training, and to engage our soldiers firsthand."
In the photos that Wong shared, he can be seen running with the army recruits and participating in other activities with them.
KL sinkhole: Rescuers turn to soil-penetrating radar to locate woman
Rescuers have stepped up efforts to locate the woman who disappeared down a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur. (PHOTO: Malay Mail)
Rescuers have stepped up efforts to locate the woman who disappeared down a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur.
They're now using a ground-penetrating radar which emits electromagnetic waves into the ground through a transmitter and detects the reflected waves using a receiver sensor.
The same device was used during a landslide incident in Batang Kali in December 2022.
It's been four days since the woman, an Indian tourist, fell into the sinkhole. There have been no signs of her except for a pair of slippers.
A Singapore waste management company has also volunteered to aid rescue efforts.
Oasis is reuniting for a tour in UK and Ireland. It's been 15 years since they split but the feud between brothers Liam and Noah seems to have eased up. (PHOTO: by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
They've taken shots at each other and had physical clashes, but after 15 years, Oasis is reuniting.
The feud between the brothers, Liam and Noel Gallagher, seems to have eased up. The band also said as much when announcing their reunion tour.
"The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised," they shared.
Oasis has announced a run of 14 shows in UK and Ireland next year and you can find more details here.
Qantas mistakenly sold first-class tickets at 85% off due to a coding error, leading to 300 bookings. The airline will rebook these passengers in business class or offer refunds. (Photo: Getty Images)
Qantas recently experienced a major mishap when a coding error on its website led to the sale of first-class tickets at a steep discount.
On a single day, approximately 300 passengers booked return flights between Australia and the US at up to 85 per cent off the usual fare, which typically costs over $18,000 (AU$20,000).
The discounted prices were available for only about eight hours before the error was corrected.
Qantas has announced that it will not honour these discounted first-class tickets but will instead rebook affected passengers in business class at no additional charge.
Alternatively, passengers can opt for a full refund.
Despite this adjustment, business class tickets will still be around 65 per cent cheaper than usual.
Qantas' action follows its terms and conditions, which allow it to cancel bookings with "reasonably obvious" pricing errors.
The airline has stated that this situation falls under such a category, thus leading to the decision to offer business class seats instead of first class.
This is not the first time airlines were left red-faced with mispriced tickets.
Similar incidents occurred with other airlines such as Cathay Pacific, which in 2019 honoured significantly discounted business-class tickets, and British Airways, which in 2018 canceled tickets sold for £1 due to a glitch.
The Qantas blunder comes amid recent scrutiny for the airline, which faced a substantial fine earlier this year for selling tickets for flights that had already been canceled.
Securing a home loan as a freelancer is a little tricker as the process seems to favour salaried employees. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
If you intend to freelance for the foreseeable future, getting an HDB flat and sourcing for a loan might be a bit trickier.
After all, the process does seem to favour salaried employees.
There are five factors to account for when you're looking at a home loan – income, total debt servicing ratio (TDSR), credit score check, CPF OA contributions, and paperwork and tax returns.
For a detailed guide to securing a home loan, read here.
Bryan Lim
Singapore's petrol stations dwindle amid EV surge
The number of petrol stations in Singapore have fallen over the last two decades. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
Following the global adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the number of petrol stations in Singapore has dwindled.
The number of petrol stations stands at 184, a drop from the peak of 222 stations in 2003.
The remaining petrol stations have diversified their offerings and now sell a wider range of items – from sushi to bubble tea. They have also started providing charging points for EVs.
Despite the drop over the last two decades, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said that the number of stations has remained "largely stable" in recent years.
Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world’s richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. After a brief farewell ceremony, Francis, the Vatican delegation and journalists traveling with him flew to Singapore aboard local carrier Aero Dili's only aircraft, an Airbus A320. It landed about three hours later in Singapore, where Francis had no public events scheduled for the rest of the day.
A personal assistant convicted of killing and dismembering his former tech entrepreneur boss after stealing about $400,000 from him was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison, Manhattan's district attorney said. Tyrese Haspil, 25, was found guilty in June of murder, grand larceny and other charges in the 2020 death of his former boss, Fahim Saleh. Prosecutors said Haspil had been hired as an assistant for Saleh, whose ventures included a ride-hailing motorcycle startup in Nigeria, but quickly began to siphon money from Saleh's businesses.
A Singaporean man has been ordered to repay more than 38 million Australian dollars ($25.7 million) after he lost big during a gambling spree at an Australian casino over the span of a few days.
The wife of a California inmate will receive $5.6 million after being sexually violated during a strip search when she tried to visit her husband in prison, her attorneys said Monday. After traveling four hours to see her husband at a correctional facility in Tehachapi, Calif. on Sept. 6, 2019, Christina Cardenas was subject to a strip search by prison officials, drug and pregnancy tests, X-ray and CT scans at a hospital, and another strip search by a male doctor who sexually violated her, a lawsuit said. “My motivation in pursuing this lawsuit was to ensure that others do not have to endure the same egregious offenses that I experienced,” Cardenas said.
When Pope Francis arrives Wednesday in Asia’s financial powerhouse Singapore for the last leg of a four-nation tour, he is expected to bring his message of unity and hope to one of the world’s richest nations. Francis will be the second pope to visit Singapore, after a five-hour stopover by the late John Paul II in 1986. Here’s what to know about Pope Francis' three-day stay in Singapore: Why is Francis visiting Singapore?
A GP has been accused of indecently assaulting seven female patients for "sexual gratification" - including some who were pregnant, a court has heard. Stephen Cox, 64, denies 16 counts of indecent assault while working at a surgery in Bracknell, Berkshire, between 1988 and 1997. A jury was sworn in at his trial at Reading Crown Court on Monday, with prosecutor Tahir Khan arguing Cox took "sexual gratification" in assaulting the women, some of whom were pregnant at the time.
“Friends star” Matt LeBlanc has been spotted in public for the first time since December — and the first time since five were arrested last month in connection with Matthew Perry’s death last fall. The eight-time Emmy nominee, 57, was looking casual in jeans, a black tee, sneakers and baseball cap as he hit up a car showroom in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley on Friday, according to photos ...
