Nine men and a woman, aged 18 to 58, have been detained for suspected involvement in loan-sharking activities. Simultaneous raids were conducted at various housing estates.
The suspects are believed to have handed their bank accounts and ATM cards to unlicensed moneylending syndicates in return for money. Four are also believed to be debtors-turned-runners. Investigations are ongoing.
This development comes as changes to the Moneylenders Act are set to be introduced in Parliament on Monday, with tougher penalties expected to be announced.
Maybank Singapore has become the first bank to, together with its unions, sign a policy on the re-employment of older workers based on the latest tripartite guidelines.
Maybank will provide pre-retirement counselling 12 months before employees turn 62, and give three months' notice about their re-employment status.
Should there be no match for them in the organisation, the bank will help them find work outside.
And if this fails, the bank will offer them a one-off Employment Assistance Payment. Maybank has also decided not to apply the discretionary wage cut of up to 10 per cent when staff turn 60.
The Singapore health authorities this past week joined their counterparts in 23 other countries and Interpol in cracking down on fake and illicit drugs sold online. Operation Pangea II, which ran from Monday to Friday, saw 107 discussion forums, blogs, auction sites, online ads and company websites screened in Singapore for possible infringements.
Four people are now under investigation for the illegal sale of medicines, such as slimming pills and oral contraceptives, according to the Health Sciences Authority.
Worldwide, regulators seized nearly 167,000 illicit and counterfeit pills as part of the coordinated action, according to Britain's Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, and 750 websites were screened.
This is the second time that the HSA has taken part in the global operation.
Findings from the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines Report 2008 reveal that 62 per cent of medicines purchased online are fake or substandard.
SINGAPORE - The Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) new-generation F15 fighter jets will start arriving here next April. The twin-seat fighters are currently at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, the United States, where RSAF pilots and ground crew are being trained.
Singapore has ordered 24 F15s, the most advanced fighter jets. And at the inauguration of the RSAF's Peace Carvin V F-15SG fighter detachment in Idaho on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said they represent a new capability that will enhance the SAF's ability to deal decisively with security challenges.
The detachment - of about 250 pilots, weapons system officers and ground crew - was set up in October last year, as part of the US Air Force's 428th Fighter Squadron, and will continue to train at the airbase for 25 years.
They are undergoing air-to-air and air-to-ground training and joining in USAF exercise to hone their combat-readiness.
"Countless friendships", said Mr Teo, who is also Defence Minister, have been forged between the airmen and crews of the Singapore and US Air Forces, reflecting the long-standing defence ties.
At Friday's opening of the $12-million building of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he was confident the Buddhist community here will help maintain a harmonious, cohesive and compassionate society.
"You contribute to the basic tone of Singapore society and the general mood of tolerance and understanding amongst the different communities, and this has helped to maintain racial and religious harmony," said Mr Lee.
The Singapore Buddhist Federation runs classes, student care centres, clinics and rehabilitation centres, and raises funds for cultural organisations and relief causes.
Such efforts, Mr Lee said, have benefited Singaporeans regardless of race and religion. S Ramesh
In line with Singapore's vision to be a global media hub, Singapore Polytechnic will offer two new courses in digital media.
The first is the Diploma in Digital Animation, which centres on animation production. The second is the Diploma in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics, which focuses on computer-generated effects.
The polytechnic said the courses were launched in response to the growth in the digital media industry.
Dr Timothy Chan, the director of the School of Digital Media and Infocomm Technology at the polytechnic, said: "We see more and more animated films that require visual effects and many of these big digital media companies have the studios in Singapore and there'll be more job opportunities for students who are trained in these areas."
The three-year diploma courses will be available from April.
A Singaporean will take over as president of the Air Navigation Commission (ANC) at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) next year.
Mr Mervyn G Fernando is currently the official from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) serving in the ANC.
He will assume the post on Jan 1 for one year.
CAAS says Mr Fernando has over 30 years of experience in air traffic control and management.
The ANC president is elected by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The ANC comprises 19 technical experts and plays an important role in the advancement of the safety and efficiency of civil aviation.
Twenty SIM Global Education (SIM GE) students received their scholarship awards at the inaugural SIM Global Education Scholarship Award ceremony last night.
The awards were in recognition of their outstanding academic excellence and leadership and sports and artistic talent. Up to 35 scholarships worth $500,000 a year are offered to students at SIM GE.
At the ceremony, Mr Lee Kwok Cheong, CEO for SIM said: "The underlying philosophy of an SIM education is a holistic and broad-based approach to develop all rounded-individuals. We hope to inculcate in our students knowledge, skills and an unquenchable thirst to learn.
"Above all, they must be equipped to make a difference in the world, not just by giving lip service, but by having the courage to stand up and act for truths and for the good of mankind and society."
Among the recipients are national canoeist Jori Lim who represented SIM in the Asian University Canoeing Championships and Ms Annabel Woo, a female national rugby player, who played for SIM in the Singapore University Games.