SAF and US Marines conclude joint exercise

The Singapore Armed Forces and the United States Marine Corps concluded a bilateral exercise yesterday.

About 200 personnel took part in the exercise from Sept 7 to 23, which included a series of live-firing exercises.

The Ministry of Defence said yesterday that Singapore and the US share excellent and long-standing bilateral defence relations.

Less labour-intensive practices urged

The construction industry needs to move away from labour-intensive practices, said Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee yesterday, at the 78th annual dinner of the Singapore Contractors Association Limited.

He also highlighted the Government's aim to upgrade 10 per cent of construction workers with basic skills by 2017. More than half of the 5,600 firms required to send workers for skills upgrading this year have done so.

Sheep and lamb arrive safely for Korban rites

All 1,980 sheep from Australia and 1,855 lamb from Ireland have arrived safely for the Korban rituals, said the Singapore Mosques Korban Committee (JKMS).

"The safety and welfare of the animals remain paramount to (JKMS)," said the committee chairman, Ustaz Rashid Ramli. "This year, all mosques have reviewed their existing Korban processes to ensure good food hygiene and better animal handling practices."

The Korban rites will be conducted today after the Hari Raya Haji prayers.