TOP OF THE NEWS
Higher fines for safety breach
The High Court will hand out stiffer penalties in the future for breaches of the Workplace Safety and Health Act. Sentences prescribed by Parliament set the maximum fine at $500,000, but the High Court said fines imposed in previous cases have been too low.
TOP OF THE NEWS
Singapore's non-oil domestic exports posted an 11.5 per cent rise in November over the same month last year, beating economists' expectations of a 2.7 per cent contraction. Still, they warned that it is still too early to tell if the data signals a sustained improvement in trade or is a one-off, given the uncertainties facing the world economy in the coming year.
WORLD
Schools have suspended classes and half of the private car population has been ordered off the roads - these were among the measures that kicked in yesterday in more than 20 cities in northern China as the country issued its first smog red alert this year.
WORLD
Facebook Inc is changing its news feed in a bid to stamp out fake stories following a firestorm over its role in spreading false information. Rolled out to select users in the US on Thursday, the new features add options for readers and third-party fact checkers to flag articles.
OPINION
A year of looking to the future
Six events this year shaped Singaporeans' thinking about the future, writes Professor David Chan. And while uncertainty abounds, the future is not necessarily bleak, he argues.
In fact, the future is for Singaporeans to make.
HOME
Healthier bak kwa is being developed by Nanyang Polytechnic students in partnership with bak kwa maker Lim Chee Guan. The traditional snack uses a by-product of soya bean to make it crispy - and it is packed with healthy fibre.
HOME
The Workers' Party held its final meeting at its Syed Alwi Road headquarters on Thursday.
It will be buying a property to set up its future base, after members voted to amend the party's Constitution to allow the purchase. It is eyeing the north-east, where it is most active, as a possible site.
BUSINESS
Yvonne Seah Yew Foong, a former private banker at Swiss bank BSI, has become the second person to be convicted in Singapore's probe into alleged money laundering linked to the scandal-hit 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Seah was sentenced to two weeks in jail and given a fine of $10,000 yesterday.
SPORT
Three-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said that once Mercedes have shortlisted contenders to replace Nico Rosberg, the team have a contractual obligation to discuss it with him. "But I don't have a say (in) who it is," he conceded. Finland's Valtteri Bottas is the favourite for the Mercedes job.
LIFE
Newlyweds Lee Jia Yong and Jean Ho enjoy visiting cafes to enjoy a cup of coffee and brunch. In fact, the couple, both 27, love cafes so much that they designed their four-room Housing Board flat in Punggol to look like one.
High-speed travel to KL Things to see and do at stops along the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail slated to start by Dec 31, 2026.
http://str.sg/HSRstops
Alook back at Havelock In 1974, one of Singapore's first NTUC supermarkets opened at Block 50, Havelock Road. http://str.sg/havelock50
