Singapore - Malaysians overtook Indonesians as the top foreign buyers of private homes in Singapore in the second quarter, a property consultancy said Thursday.

According to DTZ, Malaysians accounted for 19 per cent of the overall purchases by foreigners, who bought a total of 913 private homes, up 3 per cent from the previous quarter.

Indonesia followed with a 17-per-cent share. Chinese and Indian citizens each accounted for 11 per cent of the foreign buyers while purchases from UK nationals accounted for 9 per cent.

The Indonesians were found to favour the prime districts, DTZ senior director Chua Chor Hoon said.

Singapore - Singapore is to become the first country to mark every cigarette sold in a drive to distinguish duty-paid cigarettes from their contraband counterparts, news reports said Thursday.

By January 1, each cigarette will have the letters SDPC - standing for Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarettes - printed near the filter end, The Straits Times said. The new, marked packs are to make their debut next month.

The city-state's Tobacco Association estimates that contraband cigarettes make up 20 per cent of the market.

Singapore - A private Singapore school has to stop offering degree courses from the University of Northern Virginia after the US institution lost its accreditation, news reports said Thursday.

Shines College has been offering the courses on its premises in Singapore.

The US university lost its accreditation, a confirmation of academic quality, with the US Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools on August 6.

Singapore  - Seven major charities have passed a governance review, but were still found wanting in several areas, Singapore's Commissioner of Charities (COC) said on Wednesday.

Among them were Campus Crusade Asia: City Harvest Church, Faith Community Baptist Church, Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, New Creation Church and Trinity Christian Centre.

Some of the charities still have paid staff chairing their boards, the COC said, raising the possibility of compromising the board's objectivity.

Singapore - The Qatar National Bank has upgraded its Singapore operations from a representative office to a branch offering a range of commercial services and products, the bank said Wednesday.

Qatar's biggest bank and the first from the country to operate in Singapore said in a statement that it would offer such services as project finance, trade finance, fixed deposits, current accounts and corporate loans.

The branch was established as "emerging opportunities will boost the business trade between Qatar, Singapore and other Asian countries," the statement said.

Singapore - A Singapore shipyard explosion ripped off part of a barge and sent an Indian worker hurtling into the sea, news reports said Wednesday.

The man was able to swim ashore and was hospitalized with cuts on his back and head, the Manpower Ministry told The Straits Times.

He was working Tuesday aboard the 46-metre-long Orion 1505.

Sparks from welding were believed to have ignited flammable vapours, setting off the blast, the report said.

Four other workers including a safety supervisor were present at the time. They were not hurt, though one of the two cranes onboard the vessel was damaged and part of its stern blown off.