TOP OF THE NEWS
Half-month civil service bonus
Civil servants will get a smaller year-end bonus of half a month. Along with a mid-year bonus of 0.45 month and traditional 13th-month bonus, they will get a total bonus of 1.95 months this year.
This is lower than the bonus of 2.15 months last year, and the third drop in a row. In 2014, civil servants received a total bonus of 2.3 months and, in 2013, 2.5 months.
TOP OF THE NEWS
New rule on laying off workers
From Jan 1 next year, companies must inform the Manpower Ministry within five days of laying off workers and give their details. The new rule applies to all firms with at least 10 employees that retrench five or more workers in any six-month period.
WORLD
Malaysian police arrested 12 people yesterday to assist in a probe into an attack on opposition MP Khalid Samad outside the Parliament building on Thursday.
Mr Khalid had described Deputy Agriculture Minister Tajuddin Abdul Rahman as a "damned minister" a day earlier in the House.
WORLD
Freshwater fish like carp have disappeared from tanks at supermarkets in Beijing. The capital's food administration agency denied there was any outbreak of pollution that tainted fish, but consumers remained sceptical.
OPINION
Singapore fares well on three dimensions of an innovation hub, such as infrastructure, talent and legal framework. It can do better in three others: Risk-takers to support start-ups, a society that rewards creativity and access to markets, says Professor Arnoud De Meyer.
HOME
The Ministry of Health has extended The Good Shepherd Loft's licence by three months after an appeal. The nursing home in Bukit Timah was facing closure for letting nursing aides administer insulin injections to residents.
HOME
The Belrex Protected Combat Support Vehicle was launched yesterday as part of the SAF's transformation into a third- generation fighting force. The army combat support vehicle features a 7.62mm Remote Machine Gun and is equipped with systems linked to the Army Battlefield Internet.
BUSINESS
Singapore's factory output expanded 1.2 per cent in October over the same month a year ago, lifted by strong showings in electronics and biomedical manufacturing. While this was markedly lower than September's 7.7 per cent growth rate, it was slightly higher than economists' forecasts of a 1 per cent uptick.
SPORT
Racked by suspensions, injuries and poor form, Tottenham Hotspur's unbeaten English Premier League run is likely to be ended today by Chelsea, who are seeking a seventh straight victory.
Spurs have just one win in nine games, and their humiliating midweek Champions League exit will no doubt affect morale.
LIFE
Singapore projects win architecture prizes
Singapore-based architects and designers have won awards at major international competitions, including this year's World Architecture Festival and the Architecture and Design Awards Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong. The Beach Hut by Spark Architects, in particular, impressed the judges with its pine-cone-shaped structure made of plastic waste from the ocean.
LIFE
A six-day design extravaganza in Dubai last month unveiled creative designs, including several from Singapore. Dubai Design Week drew 40,000 visitors, a 75 per cent rise in attendance from its first edition last year. Inventions included a wind turbine to charge devices and a torchlight that purifies water.