The Court of Appeal has asked the Parliament to consider giving the court enhanced powers to mete out tougher sentences until up to 1.5 times the maximum penalty prescribed in cases where the offender commits certain crimes against the vulnerable victims, especially children and young persons. In its written grounds of decision released on Wednesday (29 November), the apex court explained the …

Back for its fourth Singapore edition , the finals of the annual Migrant Worker Poetry Competition (MWPC) will showcase work from poets in 8 different languages representing 7 different countries. The Migrant Worker Poetry Competition Singapore is an annual competition that started in 2014 as a venue for migrant workers to share their stories. Since then, the competition has spread …

By Cassandra Yeo We travel to Singapore every couple of years to see family. While Singapore has been talking about island-wide connectivity and being a smart nation for a long time, our experience as visitors are anything but. Our last visit is very much a case in point. The following examples are experiences from our last visit. 1. Hospital can’t email …

Philip Morris Singapore Pte Ltd, an affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI) has just announced that approximately three million smokers have already switched to IQOS, its first heated tobacco product to be successfully commercialized, making a new step forward in the company’s ambition that all smokers switch to scientifically substantiated smoke-free products as soon as possible. The company noted that …

by SingSaver HDB continues to create new housing, despite worries of falling property prices. This is, of course, great for new home buyers. This May, Singaporeans can choose a flat from these four sites  – Woodlands, Geylang, Bidadari, and Yishun. But before you start choosing a BTO site, take a moment to consider why you’re after this location and the long-term …

  Over the past few weeks, discussion over the intrinsic value of an HDB flat has surfaced. The discussion started after a couple of posts made by Minister of National Development Lawrence Wong. You can read the posts on his Facebook page. Opinions are divided over what an HDB flat is, and more importantly, what it isn’t, from a financial standpoint. …

by ValuePenguin The rise of household debt has been a big issue in Singapore. Due to lackluster real income growth compared to the rate of inflation, consumers have been borrowing more to fund their consumptions. While this has been particularly case for expensive purchases like cars, it has also led to rise of personal loans. For instance, Google’s study of financial markets in Asia …

by ValuePenguin  Changi Airport is one of the biggest airports in SE Asia. In fact, it ranked as the 17th biggest airport in the world, with 60 million annual passengers passing through in 2016 compared to just 5.6 million people living in the country! While this is mostly because Singapore serves as a transfer hub for people travelling through Southeast …

by ValuePenguin How much will getting into a car accident cost you in Singapore? The answer could be more than you might think. Our team at ValuePenguin took a look at the various ways a car accident could affect your budget in the short and long term so that you can make sure you’re prepared if the worst happens. Upfront …

by ValuePenguin You’ve been working for quite a few years, saving money to buy your home one day. You are getting married, and now you’ve finally saved enough to make it happen. However, with homes easily costing close to a million dollars or more, you won’t be able to do it without the help of some bank financing. But, how …