Daily Briefing: Changi Airport tops airport rankings for 6th year; Facebook and Google slam Singapore's fake news law

And here’s where GIC is scouting for its next tech bet.

From AFP Relax via Yahoo! Finance:

Singapore’s Changi Airport retained its position and marked its sixth year of dominance as the best airport in the world, according to Skytrax World Airport Awards.

“The six-year winning streak marks a first for the Skytrax World Airport Awards, and cements the reputation of Changi Airport as the gold standard in airport design and travel experience.

According to the ranking, the best airport experiences are mostly found in Asia, as half of the top 10-ranked airports are from the East. Other notable performers include Japan, which landed two spots on the top 10 list, as did Germany.”

Read more here.

From DealStreetAsia:

Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC is now eyeing China the same way it does with Silicon Valley for its next bet for technology after it hit big with investments in Alibaba Group Holding and Xiaomi Corp.

“Valuations for some tech companies globally may be too high but the ability to discern that differentiates a good investor from an average one, Chief Executive Officer Lim Chow Kiat said in an interview. GIC invested in Alibaba before its 2014 IPO — the stock has since almost tripled — and also backs smartphone maker Xiaomi, which plans to go public this year with a valuation of as much as $100b.

‘It’s so impressive in China that we give it equal attention in terms of our team,’ Jeremy Kranz, head of the technology investment group at GIC, said in the same interview on Tuesday. In recent years, GIC’s investment in growth-stage tech startups range from ‘on one extreme single-digit millions and on the other extreme, single-digit billions,’ he said.”

Read more here.

From AFP News via Yahoo! Finance:

Internet giants Facebook and Google expressed their concern over Singapore’s proposed law to combat “fake news,” and said in a parliamentary hearing, that existing laws are enough to address the problem.

“Their warnings were made to a parliamentary committee which is examining possible measures, including legislation, to tackle false online information which the government says could threaten national security.

Executives from Facebook, Google and Twitter appeared before the committee Thursday, and are among scores of experts, academics and activists called to testify over eight days. The financial hub is among several countries looking at legislation to rein in fake news but critics have cautioned this could be used to curb free speech. The Singapore government has denied it is trying to restrict free speech.”

Read more here.

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