Malaysia, Singapore Struggle With Maid Bans

Voice of America, 24 Oct 2011
In September 2011, the ministry of Manpower and Transmigration released a list of countries that Indonesians will send domestic helpers to. The countries are Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
While the ministry has claimed that the list is not conclusive, maid agencies in Singapore are surprised that it has not been named alongside the countries.
The Jakarta Globe quotes the director-general of the ministry's labor supervision and placement unit, Reyna Usman, as saying the government would only allow maids to work in destinations that are strongly committed to their protection. Full story

Singapore’s Production Growth Slows on Decline in Electronics

Bloomberg
Singapore’s industrial production growth slowed in September after sales of electronics slumped and the increase in pharmaceuticals output eased.
Manufacturing, which accounts for more than a fifth of the economy, climbed 12.8 percent from a year earlier after a revised 22.8 percent increase in August, the Economic Development Board said in a statement today. The median estimate of 17 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for an 8.2 percent gain. Full story

Related:
Singapore Industrial Production Declines Less Than Expected - RTTNews

Back-office jobs under threat at Singapore investment banks

eFinancialCareers.sg, 25 Oct 2011
We heard about redundancies in Hong Kong some time ago, but news of layoffs in Singapore’s financial sector have only hit headlines recently.
The Business Times reported that Bank of American Merrill Lynch (BoAML) and UBS have both fired i-bank staff. And other firms like HSBC have confirmed the restructuring of their Singapore business. Although Asian redundancies haven’t been large-scale so far, i-bankers are certainly getting the jitters. Full story

S'poreans unhappy with personal savings in last 6 months: study

Yahoo! Singapore News, 25 Oct 2011
Singaporeans have rated themselves to be unhappy with their personal savings in the last six months, according to a study titled "The Happiness Report".
The study conducted by global communications firm, Grey Group, found that almost one in two respondents were unhappy about the fact that they had insufficient personal savings, .......... 40.5 per cent of the 200 Singaporeans surveyed said they were unhappy with their personal expenditure while 27 per cent of the respondents were unhappy with their confidence in the economy. Full story

Related:
Personal savings chief cause of unhappiness in Singapore – report - Asian Correspondent

GIC holding talks to buy stake in another Swiss bank

BusinessWeek, 23 Oct 2011
Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Government of Singapore Investment Corp. is “holding talks” in connection with a possible sale of Bank Sarasin & Cie. AG, Der Sonntag reported, citing unidentified sources. Full story

Demand for foreign brides increasing across Asia

Asia Sentinel, 24 Oct 2011
Officially there is no such thing as a “bride price” in the societies of East Asia. But demographic, economic and educational forces are combining to increase cross-border trade in brides. Furthermore there are links between the bride “markets” in the region, according to Soohyung Lee in a paper for the Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI). It also appears very likely that demand for foreign brides will continue to increase while the supply – as least from within east Asia – will likely fall, forcing east Asians either to look to the darker-skinned ladies from southeast Asia or even south Asia to meet their needs. Full story

OPINION: Occupy Singapore Flop - Mong Palatino

The Diplomat, 25 Oct 2011
The ‘Occupy Raffles Place’ flop shouldn’t allow us to forget that Singapore has by some measures the highest rate of inequality among developed nations. It was the first city in Asia to experience recession in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008, and while its economy has already rebounded, ordinary Singaporeans continue to suffer from stagnant wages, job losses and the rising cost of living. In fact, last May’s election results saw the ruling party suffer its worst-ever electoral setback. Full story

OPINION: Occupy Singapore failed miserably because we're in Singapore - Alexis Ong

CNNGo.com, 25 Oct 2011
Facebook events may work in other countries where its citizens are taught from childhood about their right to a public voice. Singapore is not one of these countries.
Our education system is a number-crunching machine. Schools teach that our society prizes quantifiable achievements, while abstract qualities like social responsibility and political engagement are often glossed over. These are crucial factors in shaping a society’s voting culture. We are taught to be civic-minded, but passive. We are praised for being individualistic, but not as individuals. Most of us are well-educated, but not well-informed. Full story

Singapore Changi Airport Sept passenger traffic up 12.5 pct

Reuters, 24 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Passenger traffic at Singapore's Changi Airport grew 12.5 percent to 3.82 million in September compared to a year ago, but warned about the
possibility of weak travel demand to and from Europe and United States. Full story

Singapore's Health Promotion Board launches health app

TopNews United States, 23 Oct 2011
Singapore's Health Promotion Board (HPB) has announced the launch of a health app that aims to encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyle habits.
The free app, tailored particularly for Singaporeans, has been named the Interactive Diet & Activity Tracker or iDAT. Taking the Asian body types and working lifestyle in Singapore into account, the new app allows users to gauge their calories and manage their health. Full story

Singapore students give winning ideas for future livable cities

Glass On Web, 25 Oct 2011
Twenty Singaporean students stand a chance to win S$10,000 plus prizes for their creative solutions to future urban problems.
Based on public voting by over 12,000 individuals, the top 20 finalists were selected earlier this month from the nearly 150 students from local tertiary institutions who competed in the ‘Future Living Space’ contest held by electronics firm Philips Singapore. Full story

Gov’t needs to acknowledge those who feel left behind: Shanmugam

Yahoo! Singapore News, 24 Oct 2011
Even as the government continues to strive for growth, it needs to acknowledge there are groups of people who feel they have been left behind, said Law Minister K Shanmugam Sunday.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the opening of an upgraded Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) centre at Yishun, he emphasized that the government must do all it can to assist. Full story

450,000 Indians visited Singapore in first half of 2011

The Economic Times, 24 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE: India remained one of the biggest tourist generating market for Singapore, with 450,000 Indians visiting the city state in the first half of this year.
This was five per cent more than the number of Indian tourists who visited Singapore during the same period last year, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said today. Full story

Singapore Inflation Holds Above 5% as Transportation Costs Surge

Bloomberg, 24 Oct 2011
Singapore’s inflation rate held above 5 percent for a fourth month as housing and transportation costs surged.
The consumer price index rose 5.5 percent in September from a year earlier, the Department of Statistics said in a statement today. That compares with the 5.6 percent median estimate of 15 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Inflation was 5.7 percent in August, according to previously reported data. Full story

Related:
Singapore Inflation Eases In September - RTTNews
S’pore’s inflation rises by 5.5 per cent over one-year period - Yahoo! Singapore News
Singapore September inflation slows - Malaysia Star

Rice Jumps to One-Month High on Southeast Asia Crop Losses

BusinessWeek, 24 Oct 2011
Oct. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Rice jumped to the highest in more than a month after the United Nations said that flooding devastated crops in Southeast Asia, raising concerns of food shortages in affected areas.
Rough rice for January delivery jumped 50 cents, the most allowed by the Chicago Board of Trade, or 3 percent to $17.215 per 100 pounds as of 3:35 p.m. Singapore time. That’s the highest price for the most-active contract since Sept. 21. Full story

New Singapore police app second on iTunes store

FutureGov, 24 Oct 2011
The Police@SG iPhone app, launched by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on 21 October 2011, has been downloaded more than 6000 times on the first day and is now the second top free application on the iTunes Singapore Free Apps chart.
The 6000 people who have since downloaded the app can access nine services, amongst the nine are checking for latest crime news, police appeals for information and missing people information. Full story

Singapore govt reiterates value of social media

FutureGov, 24 Oct 2011
The Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts (MICA) is looking to facilitate whole-of-government efforts to leverage social media platforms in a bid to better inform, consult and engage with the Singapore public.
“The government recognises social media as a valuable platform that agencies can use to directly engage with individuals and interest groups and get more people connected on collaborative projects,” said Yaacob Ibrahim,.... Full story

Fajar Rd market stallholders fear rental hike by Sheng Siong

inSing.com, 22 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE: Stallholders at a wet market along Fajar Road, which is owned by supermarket chain Sheng Siong, have expressed concern that rent may rise if air-conditioning is installed at the market.
They claim that they rejected a proposal to turn the market into an air-conditioned one, two years ago. But they are now being asked by the owners to reconsider. " Full story

Low Thia Khiang: 'Cheaper, Better, Faster' Ministers

Yahoo! Singapore News, 22 Oct 2011
As the last speaker to speak from the opposition bench, Low -- the MP for Aljunied GRC -- took aim at Minister Lim Swee Say’s oft-repeated slogan of “cheaper, better, faster” and said that “perhaps we will start to see better, faster ministers at work and perhaps cheaper (ones) after the ministerial salary review is completed”.
He also urged the government to ask itself why Singaporeans commonly perceived the government to be "more concerned with paying its ministers well than about the welfare of the people." Full story

OPINION: Enter a new era of politics - Seah Chiang Nee

Malaysia Star, 22 Oct 2011
The departure from the Cabinet of the man who has had a hand in almost everything in Singapore for 46 years seems to have jolted people and politics into action.
SINGAPORE’S Parliament is meeting for the first time with Lee Kuan Yew no longer in the Cabinet and the mood reflects the historic occasion.
It points to a post-Kuan Yew era that ended recently with the former prime minister’s retirement from both the Cabinet and the People’s Action Party (PAP) leadership. Full story

Education Minister Heng, how many Singaporean students in 2011 local universities' intake?

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said that "locals" make up 82% of the undergraduate intake in Singapore universities in 2011. But what is the proportion of Singaporeans and PRs in the "locals" intake?


inSing.com, 21 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE: International students make up 18 per cent of the total undergraduate intake in Singapore's universities for the academic year 2011.
Their proportion varies by faculty, from around one per cent in the highly popular Medicine and Law courses to 27 per cent in Science and Engineering.
Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said this in a written reply to MP Ang Wei Neng's queries in Parliament on the foreign student intake in universities. Full story

Tan Chuan-Jin: Govt will not tighten foreign workers' quotas

Bernama.com, 21 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) says it has not tightened quotas on foreign workers, but has instead tightened the entry criteria for the various work passes to raise standards and quality of the workers.
In his response to a question in Parliament on Friday, Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said the government would periodically review the need for further adjustments while providing lead time for companies to adjust. Full story

OPINION: A promising start, but the hard work’s just started — Eugene K.B. Tan

The Malaysian Insider, 22 Oct 2011
OCT 22 — It is still early days yet but this past week, Singaporeans got a glimpse of what the 12th Parliament would be like. It augurs well. The debate on the President’s Address did not disappoint, but it also highlighted the realities, some harsh, that Singapore faces.
Coming on the back of the May general election (GE) and the August presidential election, expectations of the Class of 2011 MPs are naturally exuberant. Parliament now has the largest number of elected opposition MPs (six), with three Non-Constituency MPs, since the 1968 GE. Full story

Malaysia Has Become India's Biggest Tourist Market In Asean Region

Bernama.com, 22 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has emerged as the biggest tourism market in the Asean region for India-bound traffic.
This assessment was given by Rajesh Talwar, director of Singapore-based IndiaTourism, India's official tourism promotion agency, in an interview with Bernama at "ITB Asia" tourism fair, here. Full story

Soldiers in Singapore to get touchscreen devices

FutureGov, 22 Oct 2011
In 2012, hand-held touchscreen devices will be issued to soldiers who guard or patrol Singapore’s key installations such as the country’s petrochemical hub called Jurong Island and the airport.
Soldiers from an infrantry battalion will be given devices such as Apple iPads or Samsung Galaxy tablets for field trials, and will be among the first in the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) operational units to take this high-tech route. Full story

Australia patches gaps exposed by SGX bid for ASX

The Australian, 22 Oct 2011
WAYNE Swan has unveiled the biggest overhaul in regulation of financial market operators since the Wallis inquiry in the late 1990s. It is designed to overcome weaknesses exposed by the Singapore Stock Exchange bid for the Australian Securities Exchange early this year.
The new regime is intended to enable foreign exchanges to buy into the ASX or other financial market operators without jeopardising control of markets by Australian regulators. Full story

Singapore says nude squat case not closed

The Malaysian Insider, 21 Oct 2011
The Singapore government said today that it has not ended the probe into allegations that two Singaporean women were forced to perform nude squats by Malaysian immigration officers.
Singapore said it was told on September 9 by the Malaysian High Commission “that a thorough investigation of the case had been completed.” Full story

Singapore Students Shine in Global Critical Thinking Contest

Digital Journal, 21 Oct 2011
Organised by the Oracle Education Foundation, the competition challenged students to solve a problem using their critical thinking, communication and technology skills. More than 30,000 participants from 52 countries participated, showcasing the best of their young people’s expertise on a global platform.
The teams that came in tops were from Republic Polytechnic, Duman High School and Nanyang Girls’ High School. Full story

CapitaLand Q3 net profit falls 83 pct

The Malaysian Insider, 21 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE, Oct 21 — CapitaLand Ltd, Southeast Asia’s largest property developer, said today its third quarter net profit plunged 83 per cent from a year ago, due partly to lower revenue from fewer project completions in China and Australia.
CapitaLand, about 40 per cent owned by Singapore state investor Temasek, earned S$80.2 million (RM197.5 million) in net profit in the three months ended September, down from S$460.1 million a year ago. Full story

Flash floods hit many parts of Singapore on Friday morning

Yahoo! Singapore News, 21 Oct 2011
Flash floods hit parts of Singapore in the early afternoon of Friday after a torrential downpour in the morning.
In a Facebook post at about 1:30pm, PUB, Singapore's national water agency, said that due to heavy rain flash floods occurred at Upper Serangoon Road, making two lanes impassable to traffic.
Users on Twitter also reported flooding in Bishan, Selegie, Thomson and Bukit Timah. Full story

Malaysia tops the list of safest countries in South-East Asia

TruthDive, 21 Oct 2011
Survey carried out among 153 countries, by the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness, The Institute for Economics and Peace, shows Malaysia as the 19th safest country in the world and the safest in South-East Asia region. Pushing down Singapore (24th) and other neighbouring countries, Indonesia (68th) and Thailand (107th), Malaysia emerges the winner in terms of safety according to the latest Global Peace Index (GPI). It also showed that Malaysia had gradually risen up the ladder from 37th position in the year 2007 to 19th this year. Full story

Related:
The Global Peace Index - The Institute for Economics and Peace

Business association chief warns Singapore Govt against tightening foreign hiring rules

Borneo Post Online, 21 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE: A business association has said that the tightening of rules on hiring foreign workers is putting pressure on multinationals operating in Singapore, Xinhua News quoted local media.
“Nobody is packing up just yet, but they are waiting and running the numbers. If this continues, you would probably see some companies shrinking their Singapore operations over the next few years, and this would mean fewer jobs for Singaporeans,” said Phillip Overmyer, chief executive of SICC. Full story

Singapore's PM says annual GDP growth of 3% is good

Malaysia Star, 21 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE: An annual growth of 3 percent for the next 10 years should be considered a "good decade" due to changing global economic environment, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said as reported by Business Times.
Lee also said that the city state should expect tougher competition going forward, especially in the battle for the labour market. Full story

High Frequency Traders in Asia Seek Refuge From High Trading Fees

Your-story.org, 20 Oct 2011
High-frequency traders typically operate by pushing out a large number of tiny orders at extremely high speed to profit from price inefficiencies, with research showing that a high-frequency trader would not hold a position open for more than a few seconds. In a report for The Business Times, Jamie Lee says the pressure is on for Asian exchanges, including Singapore Exchange (SGX), to lower trading fees that currently would cost high- frequency traders more than a pretty penny. Full story

Video: Libya's Gaddafi is dead

Liveleak.com, 20 Oct 2011

Footage of Gaddafi being kicked on the ground


Dead Gaddafi on the back of a truck

Lee Hsien Loong vows a 'more open' government

AFP
SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong vowed Thursday a "more open" style of government following two elections this year that showed Singaporeans wanting a greater voice in government.
Speaking to the newly convened parliament following general elections in May, Lee said the government will share more information, welcome different views, reach out to diverse groups, and engage citizens more closely. Full story

Chinese foreign worker threatens suicide near Holland Village

inSing.com, 20 Oct 2011
A foreign worker created a commotion at a construction site near Holland Village yesterday.
The four-hour drama happened at Taman Warna at about noon, when a 35-year-old construction worker climbed to the top of construction scaffoldings and began shouting in the heavy rain.
According to a co-worker, the Chinese national worker had skipped lunch and gone to sit alone at the top of the scaffoldings. Full story

Morgan Stanley, GIC in talks for Mumbai property for $200 million

The Economic Times, 20 Oct 2011
MUMBAI: Investors including a fund managed by Morgan Stanley and the Government of Singapore Investment Corp are in separate talks to buy a Mumbai property from Indian textiles firm Alok Industries for about $200 million, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Both Morgan Stanley and GIC declined to comment. Other Mumbai textile firms including Bombay Dyeing, Century Textiles, Provogue India, and Arvind Ltd are also trying to sell or develop real estate assets in India's financial capital, where office towers have sprouted on the sites of former textile mills. Full story

Woman wins $410,000 at MBS but casino refuses payout

inSing.com, 20 Oct 2011
Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino is refusing to pay a woman her jackpot winnings of more than $410,000.
Mdm Zhu Yun Ping (50, hawker) had visited the casino with some foreign friends and her store helpers at about 5am on this Tuesday, 18 October.
She described what happened to reporters, "I was playing on this jackpot machine until 6am and my stored value card had already accumulated about $800 in winnings. Suddenly, I struck the Bonus Cash jackpot of $416,742.11." Full story

Related:
Singapore woman fights casino over huge jackpot win - Xinhua

OPINION: Singaporean First? Only One Singaporean PhD Student in NUS Economics Faculty!

Transitioning.org, 20 Oct 2011
Out of 36 students, ostensibly only ONE Singaporean.... Full story

PM Lee tells Singaporeans to get used to slower growth

Nasdaq
SINGAPORE -(Dow Jones)- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Thursday said the city-state will need to get used to slower economic growth over the next decade and that there are serious structural problems in the global economy.
"Over the next 10 years, we've set a target of 3% to 5% [annual economic growth], but I would say if we can make three-plus percent consistently over the next 10 years,.... Full story

Related:
Singapore Strives For Quality, Inclusive Growth - Bernama.com
Singapore must get used to slower growth, prime minister says - Monsters and Critics
Singapore must get used to slower growth: PM - MSN Malaysia News

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen claims Patrick Tan receive no preferential treatment during his NS

Yahoo! Singapore News, 20 Oct 2011
President Tony Tan’s son Dr Patrick Tan did not receive preferential treatment during his national service, said Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Thursday in Parliament.
"There was no preferential treatment given to Patrick Tan, or any other individual who has disrupted (their service), because of their 'connections',...Full story

Infosys to add 600 jobs in Singapore

The Times Of India, 20 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE: Indian IT major Infosys plans to add 600 employees to its Singapore operations to take advantage of the shift in investments from the United States and Europe to Asia,....Infosys, which currently has a headcount of 650 here, will also build a research and development lab in Singapore over the next six months, the first outside India, Full story

Related:
Infosys to add 600 jobs in Singapore - Rediff.com
Infosys to hire 600 people for Singapore R&D center - CIOL News Reports

YouTube launches localized service in Singapore

VR-Zone.com, 20 Oct 2011
The world’s most popular online video sharing site, YouTube, has made its official debut in Singapore. Singaporeans can now find their favourite local content easily, and share them across the globe. All you need to do is go to URL youtube.com.sg or select the location "Singapore" at the bottom of the YouTube website. Full story

Related:
YouTube continues SE Asia push with localised Singapore offering - thenextweb.com

Singapore To Continue "Moderate" Reliance On Foreign Workers

Bernama.com, 20 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- Singapore will continue to moderate the republic's reliance on foreign workers and ensure they continue to complement its local workforce.
Minister of State for Manpower and National Development Tan Chuan-Jin said the government was aware of the impact of the growing number and began calibrating to rein in the growth, sometime in June 2009. Full story

Foreigners happy at how easy it is to buy shelf companies in Singapore to enter the market

AddPR.com, 20 Oct 2011
Singapore—Buyers of shelf companies in Singapore have been reported to be overall happy with their decision to go via the shelf company route to enter the Singapore market. Singapore’s business friendly laws make it possible for a foreign entrepreneur to buy out a shelf company in the country and then get the shares transferred to their name within a matter of a few days. Full story

Iswaran: Impact From Shell Fire On Economy Likely 'Minimal'

FoxBusiness.com, 20 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE -(Dow Jones)- A refinery fire at Royal Dutch Shell PLC's (RDSB) Bukom refinery in Singapore will likely have a "minimal impact" on the city-state's overall economy, Second Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said Thursday.
"While the refinery accounts for a significant portion of the chemicals cluster, the cluster as a whole accounts for less than 3% of Singapore's gross domestic product" and Shell's downstream plants can find other sources of feedstock, Iswaran, who is also a minister in the Prime Minister's Office, told a parliamentary hearing. Full story

OPINION: Temasek Falls Short - NYT

The New York Times, 19 Oct 2011
Temasek, the Singapore investment fund, appears at first glance to have hit on an ingenious way of raising money cheaply. It has sold 650 million Singapore dollars ($512 million) of bonds, exchangeable into shares of Standard Chartered, the emerging market lender. If the bank’s shares rise more than 27 percent within three years, holders of the bond can convert at a profit. If not, bondholders get back exactly what they put in, with no interest.
But the deal probably isn’t so sweet. Full story

Singapore Air, pilots clash over flying allowance-report

Reuters, 20 Oct 2011
Oct 20 (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines Ltd and the union representing its pilots have referred a dispute over flying allowances to the city-state's Industrial Arbitration Court,.... The dispute will be heard in court on Friday, the paper added. Full story

China not seeking to top US: Lee Kuan Yew

AFP
WASHINGTON — China is in no rush to overtake the United States as the world's leading power but the two Pacific nations will need to find ways to work together, Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew said.
Lee, who built Singapore from a sleepy port into a global economic center, was visiting Washington where Tuesday he received an award named for Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, where the Civil War president was assassinated in 1865. Full story

Asia hiring outlook dips further

ZDNet Asia, 19 Oct 2011
Multinational corporations in Singapore, China and Hong Kong have all lowered their hiring expectations once again for the fourth quarter of this year, thanks to increased cautiousness amid a volatile global economy, but this uncertainty has not dampened optimism regarding their organization's business performance for the next six months.
Over in Singapore, fourth-quarter hiring expectations fell to 42 percent from 56 percent between July and September. Full story

MNCs in Singapore lower hiring expectations

ZDNet Asia, 19 Oct 2011
Multinational corporations in Singapore, China and Hong Kong have all lowered their hiring expectations once again for the fourth quarter of this year, thanks to increased cautiousness amid a volatile global economy, but this uncertainty has not dampened optimism regarding their organization's business performance for the next six months.
Over in Singapore, fourth-quarter hiring expectations fell to 42 percent from 56 percent between July and September. Full story

Singapore says not time to remove property cooling measures

Malaysia Star, 20 Oct 2011
SINGAPORE: Measures to cool Singapore's housing market will not be eased despite the slowing rate of increase in private home prices, local media reported on Thursday, quoting National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
"There have been some calls for their removal but I don't think it is time yet," Khaw told Parliament on Wednesday. Singapore has tightened borrowing requirements and released more land for housing in a bid to stem a sharp rise in home prices. Full story