Vivian who lives in colonial bungalow once asked if PA recipients want 3 meals in hawker centre, food court or restaurant

Vivian Balakrishnan’s past comments on public assistance resurface as he questions the needs of the poor. In a parliamentary debate, he engaged in a discussion about the living conditions and meal entitlements for public assistance recipients. Now residing in a spacious colonial bungalow, it remains uncertain if his perspective on PA entitlements has evolved since then.

Father and daughter jailed over S$400K bribe offers while Keppel’s officials given “stern warnings” over alleged US$55m bribe payments

A father and daughter who ran a family transport and logistics firm were sentenced to jail for offering bribes of S$400,000 to executives from DHL and Tetra Pak. The father, Tan Hook Beng, received a one-year jail sentence, while his daughter, Tan Pei Fung, was sentenced to eight months. In contrast, six former senior management staff of Keppel Offshore & Marine (KOM) received stern warnings instead of prosecution for alleged bribe payments of US$55 million to Brazilian officials. Minister Indranee Rajah explained that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them as CPIB had no admissions or confessions from the six former KOM executives and that there were difficulties securing cooperation from key witnesses abroad

Civil servant’s dream of owning car shattered; Iswaran says high COE prices due to rising household incomes

The escalating prices of the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) in Singapore have dashed the ownership dreams of many middle-class citizens. With costs surpassing $100,000 for a small car, aspiring owners are finding car ownership increasingly impossible. This, coupled with the challenges of climbing the property ladder, has left the new generation of Singaporeans questioning their priorities and rethinking their aspirations.

Russia rejects rupee settlement, deeming it undesirable: A blow to Indian importers as the rupee’s worth is questioned

India and Russia have halted efforts to settle bilateral trade in rupees, as Moscow is reluctant to hold the currency. Russian officials have expressed discomfort with accumulating rupees and prefer to be paid in Chinese yuan or other currencies. This setback affects Indian importers who sought to purchase Russian resources in rupees. The two countries had explored trade settlement in local currencies but failed to formalize guidelines.

Young Singaporeans fed-up with housing and want to vote for opposition in next GE

Bloomberg reports that young single Singaporeans, frustrated with housing policies, are considering voting against the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in the next election. Many, priced out of the market, are opting to rent, but soaring rental prices are causing further dissatisfaction.

Singtel offers job to foreigners with nursing degree?

A Filipino expat with a nursing degree, working at Singtel for ten years, seeks advice on a forum about applying for Singapore Permanent Residency (PR) alongside her 8-month-old son.

Price of 4-room HDB flats in new town sold at $27,000 and not $40,000 in 1980

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed public housing concerns at the May Day Rally 2023, claiming that new HDB flats are more affordable now than in 1980. However, historical data reveals a different story, suggesting that new flats were more affordable in the past. The Workers’ Party argues that the focus should be on first-time buyers’ median income, rather than national median income.

Chairman of Indian national accreditation body alleges ‘questionable’ accreditation grades awarded to its institutions

Bhushan Patwardhan, the chairman of India’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), resigned in March after publicly alleging that Indian colleges and institutes were obtaining ‘questionable’ accreditation grades through malpractice. Patwardhan called for an independent inquiry into the University Grants Commission’s decision to appoint an “additional chairman without any legal authority”. Since 2013, NAAC accreditation has been a mandatory requirement for all higher education institutions in India. However, the assessment process is highly complex and accusations of corruption and inefficiency have bogged down the agency.

Fake wheelchair users on flights to and from India

Screenshots of a post on the “Singapore Airlines Krisflyer/PPS Club Frequent Flyers” Facebook group went viral after a woman complained about the lack of wheelchair assistance for her mother. Responding users defended Singapore Airlines, citing the misuse of wheelchair services by “fake wheelchair users” from India to bypass immigration and security queues. This issue has been reported by Indian mainstream media, Times of India, in 2018. The misuse of wheelchair services at airports is quite rampant in India, where not all disabilities are visible.

President Halimah says Govt will help SGs enjoy golden years by enhancing retirement adequacy but reality shows otherwise

In her speech at the opening of the second session of the 14th Parliament, President Halimah Yacob emphasized the importance of strengthening Singapore’s social fabric to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential. One of the government’s priorities is to strengthen the social safety nets to enable Singaporeans to cope with uncertainties at every stage of life. However, many elderly Singaporeans still work after retirement as the CPF retirement saving scheme does not provide enough money for them to survive. Recently, a netizen shared a photo on Facebook showing an 86-year-old HDB block cleaner still working, sparking criticism fro