Asia Singapore The Association of Banks Singapore and major lenders are developing new guidelines to protect elderly clients from financial abuse by family members; Frontline staff will be trained to spot warning signs and offer appropriate support
Asia Singapore Singapore announced it will host the World Bank’s ICSID Investment Disputes Centre first office outside the United States; the new hub will handle investor-state arbitration cases in the region and provide related training
Asia Singapore Bulan Bahasa, Malay Language Month, has been launched; PM Wong, who attended, underlined it ‘holds a special place in Singapore as a bridge to our shared history and culture’ and will continue to ensure that all mother tongue languages continue to thrive
Asia Singapore Digital banks serving retail customers are trimming deposit interest rates in line with traditional lenders; cuts reflect the ongoing global decline of interest rates and could push customers to look for alternative investments with more attractive yields
Asia Singapore To strengthen protection of citizens’ genetic and genomic data a new law has been proposed by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung: it will define hereditary information clearly and regulate its use in jobs, insurance, research to ensure privacy and prevent misuse
Asia Singapore From 1 July 2025 cyclists and non-motorised PMD users are banned from pedestrian-only paths; offenders face fines up to S\$2.000, €1.300, or three months’ jail and the implementation of the rule was announced with the “Stay on Track” campaign
Asia Singapore First national seagrass restoration project has started, transplanting seagrass to Sisters’ Islands to safeguard marine biodiversity and study tropical seagrass reproduction; 80% of seagrass meadows have been lost to coastal development since the 1950s
Asia Singapore Music therapy is widely adopted across hospitals, schools and elder-care facilities, with certified clinicians using clinically tested music interventions to enhance patients’ physical, emotional, cognitive, social well-being
Asia Singapore At the ATxSummit in Singapore, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam emphasized the need to harness AI for public good, preserving jobs, enhancing healthcare, and combating climate change; He warned against leaving AI development unregulated
Asia Singapore Ancient Asians who migrated 20.000 km to South America have been traced by a study by Nanyang Technological University; using ancient DNA, researchers showed how this journey reshaped the genetic makeup of indigenous populations across the Americas
Asia Singapore 137 km from the equator, Singapore is ideal for efficient rocket launches and aims to become a space hub; through national space agency OSTIn it is investing over €40 million in R&D, satellites and commercialization, exploring future offshore spaceports
Asia Singapore The CleanHood initiative has been launched: it promotes shared responsibility for neighborhood cleanliness engaging schools, community groups, and businesses to foster collective ownership and encourage active participation in maintaining public spaces
Asia Singapore A new cancer treatment using ultrasound and microbubbles to destroy tumors will be trialled at NCCS and the National University Cancer Institute; The non-invasive method is expected to precisely target tumors while sparing surrounding healthy tissue