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Shell to cut jobs and capacity at major Singapore refinery https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-shell-singapore/shell-to-cut-jobs-capacity-at-singapore-oil-refinery-its-largest-globally-idUKKBN27Q16H

Has retrenchment already taken place or is your company freezing headcount at the moment?

now DFS retrench 60 employees looks like the Brotherhood grows again...,

i was appalled when i saw this. This is just morally wrong. And they just wanted the money to pay for funeral expenses. This is like stealing from the dead. CPF, have you no moral sense of decency? Trusts, estates, probate & wills Sisters give up bid for grandma's CPF money Source Straits Times Date 09 Dec 2015 Author Olivia Ho They can't find documents proving their ties; authorities say CPF sum not covered by will They were hoping to use their late grandmother's Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings to pay her funeral expenses. But after waiting for more than a year, property agent Chan Jee May and her two sisters have decided to give up the fight. The sisters lack the documents to prove they are related to Madam Lau Pei Ling, who died last October aged 93. In a forum letter to The Straits Times published on Nov 30, Ms Chan lamented the "many hurdles" they faced in trying to prove their relationship to a woman who had left everything to them in her will. Ms Chan, 36, said: "It's not like anyone is disputing our claim. The rest of our family thinks the money should go to us. I think the claims procedure could be more flexible." A spokesman for the Public Trustee's Office (PTO), which disburses the CPF money of those who did not nominate beneficiaries before their death, said: "Under the CPF Act, CPF monies do not form part of the deceased member's estate and are not covered by a will." The spokesman added that the PTO "will hold onto the monies indefinitely until the beneficiaries come forward to claim (them)". Madam Lau had not nominated anyone to receive her CPF money, which Ms Chan estimated to be between $6,000 and $7,000, before she succumbed to colon cancer. Ms Chan and her sisters, who are civil servants aged 36 and 38, are not the biological grandchildren of Madam Lau, who married their grandfather after the death of his first wife. The couple wed in a last-minute arranged ceremony during World War II and did not have a marriage certificate. The sisters were orphaned as teenagers and were close to Madam Lau growing up. After she had a bad fall five or six years ago, they paid her hospital bill as well as for a helper to take care of her. And, until her death, the sisters would visit her almost every weekend, Ms Chan said. To prove their relationship, the sisters tried to submit to the PTO a 1978 grant of probate in which their grandfather left his Toa Payoh flat to Madam Lau after his death, but this was not accepted as valid. They then considered asking their grandmother's brother, who is in his 90s, to help them claim the CPF money. However, the PTO required his birth certificate, which was also lost in the war. Lawyers The Straits Times spoke to said the Chans could get their grand-uncle to make a statutory declaration about their kinship. WongPartnership lawyer Sim Bock Eng said: "Where there is no clear documentary evidence, in law, it is possible to persuade the CPF Board to accept other forms of evidence, such as a statutory declaration stating the relationship from one or more persons who would have the requisite knowledge of the relationship. "The person will then need to sign the statutory declaration in front of a Commissioner for Oaths as a witness." The PTO spokesman also said the office had advised Ms Chan to get Madam Lau's brother to make a statutory declaration on their relationship, either with a lawyer or at the PTO's premises. The sisters, however, have since decided it is not worth the effort. "If we are going to have to trouble an old man who is not really mobile to help us get the money, we would rather just let it go," said Ms Chan. "The money would probably end up going to the lawyer anyway." Man died before marriage could be annulled When Ms Caroline Edmund read about the Chan sisters' plight in Ms Chan Jee May's forum letter on Nov 30, she could sympathise. The accountant, in her 50s, told The Straits Times that her family has been waiting for four years now to collect nearly $50,000 from her late brother's CPF account. Her brother Ignatius Edmund, a 42-year-old boarding officer, had been trying to get his marriage to a Filipino woman annulled, after not hearing from her for seven years. But before the annulment could be finalised, he was killed in a traffic collision in India. Under Singapore's inheritance laws, Mr Edmund's parents can get only half his CPF money unless his wife comes forward to state that she does not want the money. Ms Edmund said they hired a lawyer to track down the woman, who was found to be living in the United States with another man. All their attempts to contact her have been ignored. Ms Edmund's mother last went to the Public Trustee's Office (PTO) in May to plead their case. She died last month. Ms Edmund's 83-year-old father is now living in India. Ms Edmund said: "If we had the rest of the money, my dad could afford to buy an apartment in Singapore and live here... We've tried to come at it from all angles, but they (the PTO) are so rigid. I'm so tired of this whole thing." Olivia Ho - See more at: http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/slw/headlinesnews/74348-sisters-give-up-bid-for-grandmas-cpf-money.html#sthash.vHNEml0i.ZHtRwR2W.dpuf

Need help on feedbacks and well as estimated legal cost involved. I am thinking of setting up a simple Trust (irrevocable) on a HDB flat held under tenancy in common on half share basis.. My aunty wants to will her half share to me (with no conditions), but I may not be eligible as I am an owner of a HDB flat. The other half share belongs to her son who is not capable of managing his money and life. However, I have in mind a Trust in lieu of a Will which can be revoked or changed due to influence from others and also to avoid probate when my aunty up lorry. In short, the intention is to realise the asset either before or after my aunty dies and distribute a certain sum of money to her son age 59 on a weekly basis from age 65 till the fund is exhausted. When the beneficiary dies, any balance fund will go to X in one lump sum, thereby terminating the Trust. No compensation for trustee. Now awaiting for HDB's response on whether such a Trust is acceptable before I go see a lawyer. Urgently need to settle this issue as my aunty has passed her 94th bd. TIA.

was in a multi storey carpark at shopping center over the weekend. because of the way the carpark is design, if you want to load and unload your shopping groceries, you have to drive to the end of the level to do so. then after you are done, you have to reverse from the end, bout 4 lots in order to make the right turn to get out of the level. i saw in my rearview mirror a red Lancer at the other end of the level, letting some passengers off. we are talking about at least 10 lots distance here. So i started to do my reverse. the next thing i know, he chiong down the lane and was right behind me, honking at me for reversing. i was like... duh? i was already reversing before your passengers got off your car. So i ended up have to move forward for the bugger to pass before i can do my reverse to get out of the level. i am sure reversing in a carpark to get out of the level is not unique to that one shopping center. if you see some one reversing in the distance, will you let the guy finish his reverse? or chiong in front and insist on right of way?

Attended and am still attending a uncle's wake these few days and in the midst of the grieving and mourning for my uncle, we started to worry about the well-being for the loved ones that he has left behind (his wife and two children) - whether they will be able to cope with his death, and most importantly, financially will they be able to tie through this period as he is the sole bread winner. He leaves behind an apartment, a car (only his wife whom is my aunt is able to drive in the family now that he has left), and she does not have a clue if he has any savings, she has never interfered with the financial part. As for herself, she does not have much savings. My uncle did not leave a will behind. In this case, everything will go to the wife am I right to say? My thoughts in this.. What happens if you do not have a will and there is a dispute? Who are the ones who are legally able to inherit all that is left behind? What happens to debts if any? Who needs a will? Is a will only for the rich or anyone with kids? Is making a will a taboo? Read a case study while researching for info. When John married Mary, he was 28 years old and owned an apartment (worth $600,000 that he bought with the help of $100,000 contributed by his father). His wife Mary also owned an apartment (worth $500,000 bought for her by her parents). One year after marriage, they had a daughter Susie. Last year, John, Mary and Susie went to Phuket in Thailand for a holiday. They rented a car to drive around. They were involved in an accident. Mary died on the spot. Susie died five hours later in the hospital. John died the next day. John and Mary did not have a will. Under the law, Mary’s apartment passed to John and Susie. When Susie died, the apartment passed to John. When John died, Mary's apartment and John's apartment plus all other assets/cash belonging to Mary and John went to John’s parents, brothers and sisters. Mary’s family received nothing. If John had died on the spot, Susie had died few hours later and Mary had died the next day, everything would have gone to Mary’s parents, brothers and sisters; John’s family would have received nothing. We should not leave important things to chance.

Saw this interesting article. The Koreans and the Japs can really invent. Female drivers can use this? Hahahaha. Source: http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2013-08/crazy-new-electric-car-folds-itself-half-parking

How come American Tourists will submit stories to TRS? http://therealsingapore.com/content/gay-tourists-america-shocked-be-openly-discriminated-singapore Dear The Real Singapore, This is a complaint over the ridiculous treatment me and my boyfriend Walter endured during our visit to Singapore. I am an American tourist who holiday-ed in Singapore last month together with my boyfriend of 5 years. We planned for this holiday for ages and finally booked our tickets to this world renown Garden City. After arrival, we took in the beautiful sights and was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness, diverse cultures and food until something happened. All that initial positivity went out of the window when me and my boyfriend were taking a leisurely stroll at the botanic gardens. Out of the blue, a young local boy accompanied by his mother pointed at us and shouted, "mummy... why are the two boys holding hands?" What came next shocked us beyond words. The lady knelt beside her son, hurriedly covered his eyes and exclaimed at the top of her voice "don't look at them, they are abnormal". After which she dragged the puzzled boy away as though we had the plague! We were both dumbfounded at this shockingly bigoted behavior. Apart from the Christian belt in the South, we would never be subject to such blatant discrimination in the USA. Even President Obama , the most influential man in the world has repeatedly called for universal love and equality. It is thus disappointing that despite being a democracy, Singaporeans are still backward in their mindsets and deny minorities the freedom to love. I write in now because our brush with Singaporean's narrow mindedness happened not only once but twice. Shortly after that episode, while Walter and I were cuddling by the riverside at Clarke Quay enjoying the river breeze, a group of rowdy brown skinned goons ran up to us and screamed "f**king faggots" and ran off laughing like hyenas. What's with this trashy behavior Singapore? Why are we being bullied and insulted for our sexuality? We are paying tourists in your country and this is how you treat your guests? For all your beautiful buildings and wonderful infrastructure, the people of Singapore are sorely lacking in common decency and woefully antagonistic towards us. Where is the love Singapore? How can you proclaim yourself a first world nation when such blatant discrimination against sexual minorities still exists?

Here's an ad for the new energy drink I'm looking at importing... Anybody wanna buy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyhoREeu3wA I'll be taking pre-orders.

Someone posted this article in yahoo and its kind of sad to see our locals asking themselves this qns, 'Is Singapore my home, daddy?' http://sg.news.yahoo.com/your-view---is-si...-074813814.html

this video was taken today. please ignore the time stamp. will you give way to this kind of idiots if you encounter them?

I accidentally hit the lower barrier when i went out of the car park. its on the right of the rear passenger door. Wondering how much will this cost to fix? Nissan car. Haiz.... thx for your replies in advance.

I am thinking to buy a car, but hesitate due the news. Really need one for my family.

Time to play some AV on this TV. lol!

If you're eagle eyed enough, you'll see disaster almost right from the start..

I really doubt... Its personal space, comfort and the control that will be very hard to get through our public transport system. On the contrary, it is the cost$ that will push drivers to give up driving altogether. Two in five basic bus services improved since BSEP launch The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said 248 new buses have been added on the road under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP). That is nearly half of the 550 buses that the government has pledged to add to the public transport system as part of the programme. Under BSEP, aimed at expanding public bus capacity and improving bus service levels, the government will foot the bill of over S$1.1 billion for these 550 buses while public transport operators will pay for another 250 buses. So far, more than S$90 million has been spent. Giving a one-year report on the programme, LTA and public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT said in total, 111 existing bus services - or two in every five basic bus services - have been enhanced and 14 new bus services introduced. In a joint statement on Monday morning, they indicated these improvements have enhanced the connectivity of Singapore's bus network. In addition, they have shortened waiting times by three to five minutes for some existing bus services. Based on the analysis of ticketing and GPS data, this has reduced the number of bus services with persistent crowding during peak period by about 40 per cent. LTA said the bulk of the remaining buses that the government has agreed to add will be rolled out by the end of 2014 instead of 2016. LTA also said it will be tapping private bus operators further to augment its resources. Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said: "(As a result of the BSEP,) what we have seen therefore, is that there has been a shorter waiting time for commuters, less crowded, and basically a better commuting experience for everybody. "Because we are accelerating the programme, we therefore expect that the expenditure is going to be a bit higher and faster than what we originally envisaged. When we originally put up the S$1.1 billion figure, we did not expect to involve the private operators in such a large way. "So, we've got to look at those figures and after a couple of years, we would be in a much better position to be able to see whether the S$1.1 billion is indeed sufficient to last us for the entire duration of the 10 years." Meanwhile bus service 651, which plies from Jurong West direct to the city and is operated by a private bus operator, was launched on Monday. LTA will also work with private bus operators to operate short services during peak hours. This includes localised routes in estates that take residents to nearby transport nodes. These services will complement the existing feeder bus services operated by the public transport operators. LTA will call a tender for these short services later this year. In addition, two more new services will be implemented to further improve connectivity in areas like Taman Jurong and Bukit Panjang by the end of this year. And nine more new City Direct bus services will be progressively rolled out from January next year. Even though there are more buses on the roads, reactions from commuters have been mixed. One commuter said: "The waiting time is actually quite fast -- it's between two and five minutes sometimes during peak hours. But if it's during non-peak hours, normally it's five to 10 minutes, which is quite reasonable." Another commuter disagreed, and said: "Sometimes you can't even get into the buses because it's jam packed, especially during peak hours." The government will review the Bus Service Enhancement Programme after 2014 to see what other improvements are needed.

Hi, Would like to know how many will consider buying a EuroIV diesel car instead of the normal petrol car? The first consideration is of coz diesel car gives better mileage and maybe cheaper daily running cost. While car uses petrol is kind of rather standard on the cost of daily running. Your comments and thoughts plzzzzz...

when u received this note on your car and you saw a scratch mark on your car?

After a bro got heavy summon after parking at J/Mas Puteh and the saga begins . . . Anyone still 'gungho' to challenge those owner/s ? Despite signages and wheel-clamp of $500/, still park @ own risk or Gang-up by fellow drivers to challenge those private pty owner/s Hence creating an awareness for all landed owner here that they can take law into their own hands Or kuai kuai give up parking in those estates ?

Instead of PRC and Pinoy, now these companies source their service staff from places like Korea and Taiwan, there is no cap of hiring these people at the moment. Very soon we will hearing a lot of "欢迎光临!" or "hwangyong-hamnida!" :D

I know there are many many rich people in Singapore but i am really curious what kind of job will give you more than 200k per annum. For the sake of discussion, let us just exclude 1) business man or self employed 2) MLM 3) insurance/ppty/car agents Easy guesses are inventment bankers, laywers, doctors, pilots, professors... but what else?

People, Looking at current property prices, will you cash out on your ONLY property to downgrade?? Let's say if one downgrade the property to a small leasehold 99yr condo, one can probably free up a lot of cash (1-2mil?) The point is what to do with the cash. Buy overseas property? London? Singapore is no1 foreign buying of London properties... Australia? I am seriously thinking about this route with the current property prices... Jurong hitting 1700 psf.... Is it a good idea? My previous neighbour sold his place together with me in 2009 and he went rental while I upgraded... needless to say, he is screwed...

LTA will not renew Smart's taxi service operator licence Taxi firm Smart will not get its operator license renewed when it expires on Sept 30 this year, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday. This reduces the number of taxi companies in Singapore to six. The LTA noted that Smart had multiple failures in its service standards over the past two years, such as consistently failing to meet the call booking cater rate. It also failed other standards such as accident rate and first inspection passing rate. In addition, the company failed to meet other regulations for its license to be renewed, including minimum fleet size. Its fleet shrunk from 701 in January last year to 268 last month, way below the minimum of 800. Smart's 268 taxis account for about 1 per cent of the total taxi population in Singapore. LTA chief executive Chew Hock Yong said its closure should not affect commuters much. The LTA will facilitate the sale of Smart's eligible taxi licenses to other operators, and to assist its drivers in finding another company. Smart customer service really quite poor. Complain about their taxi driver's reckless driving and they did not even get back to me about it.