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http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileser.../0103CAP018.pdf Is raising foreign worker levy the answer? The Government has decided to make it more expensive for companies to hire foreign workers by raising the levy for bringing them in. Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced in his Budget speech that unless this was done,

Quote taken from Petrolwatch: I am new to Singapore and I find this website is very useful. Thank you for providing such good service free of charge! Btw, I hope anyone can advise me whether is it against the law to change lane while driving on the road? I frequently get honed when I try to switch lane while driving. Most of the time the car at the back will speed up once I on my turning signal. I need to move from the left to the right lane as I need to exit to another road and the exit is at the right lane. I am confused as this does not happen in my home country in Switzerland. Appreciate you sincere advice. Cheers Alfred """ End of Quote""" Perhaps it is against the law... Here in Singapore, many people got hurt when drivers change lane or turn... why can't everyone give way and earn some good karma...

New Zealand wants Singaporeans as foreign talent! Would you go? - Today, 11:12 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- from The New Paper: THE land of the Maoris has set its sights on Singapore. and the hunt is on

Is it possible for me to do a wire transfer to a foreign account using USD, in my case, transferring to a thailand guy who gave me a US Bank account. He want me to transfer the money via USD wire transfer. I googled awhile and still quite confuse about it. Lets say I just have a savings account, how to I go about transferring the money? I can't use iBanking right? Also there are wire transfer fees to be paid right? Sorry for asking such a noob question! TIA!

Hi all, Overheard from 93.3 radio annoucement this morning that MY govt is going to annouce review on policies regarding foreign car entry to Malaysia today. Did anyone receive any winds on this matter? Regards,

RIP sir Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Balaji Sadasivan dies Posted: 27 September 2010 1038 hrs Photos 1 of 1 SINGAPORE: Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Balaji Sadasivan died early Monday morning. Dr Sadasivan was 55 years old. The former neurosurgeon entered politics in 2001 and was among seven new promising new candidates slated for office soon after being elected. Late in 2008, Dr Sadasivan had surgery to have a cancerous tumour removed from his colon. His friend and former MP Chandra Das said Dr Sadasivan had not been well since, but continued working till about a week ago. Dr Sadasivan was married, with two children.

Just to share what we're facing or going to face in future. This chap is applying for a job with me & i've deleted key info. As below: St.Catharine

Foreigners allowed to use foreign licences temporarily 05:55 AM Aug 17, 2010 Foreigners who become Singapore citizens or permanent residents could be allowed to temporarily use their foreign driving licences to drive here, according to proposed changes to the Road Traffic Act. But the Deputy Commissioner of Police could also make a prohibition order for such drivers if needed. Enhanced powers for the Deputy Commissioner of Police are also in store under the Road Traffic (Amendment Bill). For example, he could suspend a driver's licence if he was being investigated for any traffic incident resulting in serious injury or death, or serious damage to any building or structure. In addition to a police station, the police could also conduct breath tests either at or near the place where a suspected drink driver is arrested. LEONG WEE KEAT URL http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC10...ces-temporarily Copyright 2010 MediaCorp Pte Ltd | All Rights Reserved OMG!!! I was shocked to read the above, their country license may be "Kopi" license. I fear for our drivers, our children & old folks using/ crossing the road.

Seems like these fellows got no sense of shame and keep treating us like 5 year olds. Looks like their mentality not changing at all. Just makes me sick to the stomach to have to listen to these demonic propaganda being spewed out. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on Singaporeans to welcome foreign talent with

100,000 more foreign workers By Chua Chin Hon, US Bureau Chief Singapore can expect the number of foreign workers to increase by at least 100,000 this year. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM HOUSTON (Texas)- SINGAPORE can expect the number of foreign workers to increase by at least 100,000 this year in response to the demands of the booming economy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Speaking to the Singapore media here on Tuesday as he wrapped up a six-day visit to the United States, Mr Lee said the government had taken steps to moderate the number of foreign workers, but a rise was inevitable given the strong growth. He added: 'It cannot be helped because with the market so tight, if we don't allow the foreign workers in, you are going to have overheating. 'But we are managing the number of foreign workers. Their levies are being calibrated to moderate the inflow. 'But even with that, I would imagine there would be more than 100,000 extra foreign workers this year. I cannot see it otherwise. We have to accept that.' The Ministry of Trade and Industry released fresh economic data and estimates on Wednesday morning showing that Singapore's economy could grow by 13 to 15 per cent this year, up sharply from the earlier forecast of 7 to 9 per cent.

Understand from MOM website that for service sector, foreign worker dependency ceiling is 50% of total workforce. Just wondering if employer himself is counted as part of this "total workforce".

So I'm interested in picking up a foreign language. Its a one to one session because its Portuguese and not so popular. Quoted $60 per hour. Have never done this so I wanna know if this rate is reasonable.

http://forums.asiaone.com/showthread.php?t=27754

Wah... This year I received a few wedding invitations from some buddies of mine.... SO LL, go for the weddings with my Ang Baos.... But instead of marrying to local girls... The brides are Viets.... I heard from some that local girls very demanding one, this cannot that cannot... but the trend seems to be true loh. The percentage of sg men marrying to foreign girls are on the rise... Are our local girls that bad? During my time when I am married, things are still under controlled and most sg men seems to look for local girls rather than foreign girls... Think this will get worse....

FIERCE RESTAURANT MANAGER http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vO_n76zBE0...player_embedded flood morer useless foreign talent, they are good!

The Straits Times Nov 30, 2009 Falling productivity an issue Matter likely to be a key issue tackled by growth panel, say economists By Fiona Chan THE declining productivity of Singapore's workers is likely to be a key issue tackled by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) when it releases its recommendations in January. This is a problem the government-led panel - set up to find new ways for Singapore to grow over the medium term - should address, say economists. Over the last few years, Singapore's rapid growth has been mostly driven by a massive increase in the workforce, said Citigroup economist Kit Wei Zheng. But it is clear that growth powered by importing foreign labour is simply not sustainable, he said. Between 2006 and last year, the number of workers in Singapore jumped an average 6.5per cent a year, largely due to liberal immigration policies, said Mr Kit. By last year, foreigners accounted for a third of the three-million-strong labour force, up from only a quarter in 2004.Singapore's economy boomed correspondingly with average growth of 8.2per cent a year between 2004 and 2007. Read the full report in Monday's edition of The Straits Times. [email protected]

Life in hardscrabble North Korea gets harder, as authorities crack down on a key segment of the unofficial economy. AFP/Kim Jae-Myoung PAJU, South Korea: Vehicles head to the North Korean Kaesong joint industrial zone, Nov. 24, 2008. SEOUL—Authorities in North Korea have begun enforcing a ban on the use of foreign cars in the isolated Stalinist state, putting further pressure on a population already struggling to survive. Beginning in early February, Pyongyang's National Defense Commission began enforcing a directive banning imported cars and ordered a crackdown. According to a cross-border Chinese merchant, those targeted by the crackdown are primarily officials who take bribes to fraudulently register cars to state-owned enterprises or military bases. We’re pretty much done for." Source http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nkor...2009112654.html North Korean car owner Authorities also want to stop North Korean mechanics from rebuilding and modifying imported cars by changing them from right-hand-drive Japanese vehicles—the Japanese drive on the left—to left-hand-drive vehicles for use on North Korean roads. "The National Defense Commission regards failure to enforce its directive banning imported cars as a provocative act," said the Chinese merchant, who is a frequent traveler to North Korea. "Various officials have been instructed to let go of the imported used cars, and many of those who failed to comply with that directive are in trouble now. In particular, officials working for the Forestry Department appear to have been reprimanded," he added. Deadlines expire In February 2007, the National Defense Commission issued a nationwide directive to eliminate imported cars. Foreign passenger cars were to be removed within three months, while foreign freight vehicles were to be phased out within two years. National Defense Commission officials were clamping down in particular on right-hand-drive used cars imported from Japan, ordering that they all be scrapped. Sources said this could be because supreme leader Kim Jong Il dislikes the sight of Japanese cars, most of which are smuggled into the country and given fake military license plates, on North Korean roads. But they also note that the North Korean military is experiencing shortages both of fuel and of the hard currency needed to buy it. One expert suggested that the National Defense Commission may want to prevent imported cars from burning the fuel that keeps military vehicles on the road. Conversion of used cars The order to scrap right-hand-drive Japanese cars prompted a rush by the owners of imported cars to convert their vehicles to left-hand drive, a complicated and expensive process. In Songpyong, a district of Chungjin city in Northern Hamgyong province, mechanics at the Soosong Tractor Plant and bus factories are switching steering wheels from right to left, sources said. Owners of the modified cars then have them registered to military bases or factories that are authorized to operate the cars, paying their officials about 300,000 North Korean won (U.S. $100) monthly for the favor. But even converted vehicles are no longer slipping through the net, North Korean car owners say. "We’re pretty much done for," one such car owner said. "From here on, the only vehicles allowed on the roads of North Korea are military vehicles." "Life is already very hard, but if our cars are taken away and scrapped, the situation will be terrible, and our very survival in jeopardy," the car owner said. Currently, Japanese cars make up around 80 percent of imported vehicles in North Korea.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/...ory_161950.html ok... that doesnt sound too promising for the locals here.

abit bo liao yesterday when I traveling at thomson road and spotted tis comfort citycab taxi with a "的士" character on the top of the taxi. Wonder is the driver a FT

THE Government is looking at introducing programmes tailored for marriages between Singaporeans and foreigners. These programmes would involve counsellors and educators trained to address cross-cultural issues. Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan disclosed this in a reply on Tuesday to a parliamentary question from Nominated MP Paulin Straughan, who had asked how resilient were the marriages of couples brought together by agencies that match Singaporean men with foreign brides. There are no figures of such matchmade couples, but marriages between Singaporean men and foreign women were on the rise, said Dr Balakrishnan. Last year, there were 6,360 marriages between Singaporean men and foreign brides, up from 5,414 in 2004. But their divorce rate was not significantly different from other marriages, he said. For instance, 4 per cent of these 2004 marriages ended five years later while the divorce rate for all marriages in the same period was 6 per cent. http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_444343.html --- got catalogs to choose one not heheee...

Looney better watch this and fix his stupid FT policy..... People are treating our country like a cheap hooker. Legs open wide, wide for all to "enter". http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/05/si...china-publicly/

From the kopitiam: Just discovered this - another way to skirt around the Singaporean/PR requirement for certain job postings. With the in-principle approval from ICA, FTs can apply for jobs that purportedly are meant for Singaporean/PRs only. Oh, and I heard FTs pay $1,500 for this service. So I guess ICA also takes a cut from this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Landed Permanent Residence (LPR) Scheme If you have acceptable professional or tertiary qualifications and are interested in relocating to Singapore but are not yet working in Singapore, you can apply for LPR under this scheme. Successful applicants have ONE (1) year to find a job or relocate their families to Singapore, upon which permanent residence will be granted. How should I apply? You may approach any of the following centres for an application form. SMC offices: SMC Management Consultants Pte Ltd 51 Cuppage Road #04-06 Starhub Centre Singapore 229469 Tel: 65 - 6722 1766 Fax: 65 - 6737 6341 Email: [email protected] Website: www.smcmc.com SMC Consultants"

http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/Drivers/St...611-147737.html Browse through the asiaone forum and read that most of the comments are negative towards these drivers. Yes, LTA have cracked down on such drivers but we are still encountering these insane drivers especially when we are heading towards jurong or tuas, be it AYE,ECP or West coast HWY. What should the Authority do-- with drastic action to ensure road users safety......your comments..

at 5am in the morning, was heading down JTH road. Travelling at 70-80. This lorry just came up from behind me and sped past. At least going 100kmh. And there was a truckload of workers inside..

hi all, i was task by my uncle to help him draw out all his CPF monies.He is a malaysian and staying in thailand,he has terminal illness and wont be living long,he hope to withdraw all his CPF monies to pay for his medical expense. how am i going to do about it?