Singapore Local News, 2011-03-09

---

Should fruits of gambling do some good? In 2009, before the casinos opened, the Government Budget forecast betting revenues of S$1.86 billion. That amount was about 5.5 per cent of operating revenue of S$33.43 billion, a nice contribution from the gaming industry in a difficult economic en.....

Maids, S'porean convicted of lending money illegally SINGAPORE - A group of Filipino maids and a Singaporean man who were involved in an illegal moneylending business were jailed between three months and two years yesterday......     Loanshark runners face tougher penalties The authorities will not rule out imposing community work orders on convicted loanshark runners...... Illegal soccer betting syndicate busted SINGAPORE : Police have busted an illegal online soccer betting syndicate which dealt with nearly S$1.5 million worth of bets...... Budget 2011: Next phase of developing content for CET will be sector-specific SINGAPORE : The next phase of CET content-building for the continuing education training framework will aim to develop sector-specific strategies to address productivity challenges and CET needs within each sector...... 'Soya sauce' loanshark runner suspect nabbed Police have arrested a 36-year-old loanshark runner who's believed to have used soya sauce to commit harassment...... Budget 2011: Low-wage workers to get more training Helping low-wage workers do better and earn more is a multi-faceted challenge, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi...... S'pore may ease rules on foreign law firms The government may further liberalise the Qualifying Foreign Law Practice or QFLP scheme to allow more foreign law firms to practise Singapore law, in permitted areas...... Budget 2011: S'pore mulls Organised Crime Act to target international syndicates SINGAPORE : Singapore is exploring introducing an Organised Crime Act as a pre-emptive strike against foreign groups hoping to penetrate the country's borders and sinking their roots here...... COE prices end mixed Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums ended mixed in the latest bidding exercise...... Budget 2011: S$150m training programme targeted at PMETs SINGAPORE : The Singapore government is investing S$150 million over three years to enhance the capabilities of professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs)...... Budget 2011: Salary threshold rise for work pass holders The Manpower Ministry has reviewed various salary benchmarks in the work pass framework...... Insurance cheat involved family in scam The court on Wednesday sent out a deterrent message to insurance cheats when it jailed the mastermind of an elaborate motor insurance racket for 32 months...... CAD's investigation against Profitable Plots reaches advanced stage The Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) is at an "advanced stage of investigation" into 229 complaints made against Profitable Plots Pte Limited (PPPL), a District Court heard Wednesday morning...... Budget 2011: S'pore can't let its guard down against terrorism, says Shanmugam Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said Singapore cannot afford to let down its guard even though it has been successful in preventing terrorist attacks in the past...... Hotel 81 licensee granted discharge not amounting to acquittal The licensee of the Hotel 81 chain - the biggest budget hotel chain here with more than 20 hotels spanning from Geylang to Chinatown - was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for five vice-related charges...... Budget 2011: SPF plans major developments in northern S'pore Singapore's Police Force is augmenting its resources on the ground......