10 must-reads for today

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida greeting royalists at the Grand Palace in Bangkok yesterday. PHOTO: REUTERS
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida greeting royalists at the Grand Palace in Bangkok yesterday. PHOTO: REUTERS

1 Royalists show support

Hundreds of Thai royalists waited outside the Grand Palace yesterday to receive the King, on a holiday marking the anniversary of the 1910 death of King Chulalongkorn. The gathering came as prominent Thai protest leader Jatupat "Pai" Boonpattararaksa, who is calling for widespread reforms, was freed on bail yesterday.

2 Muhyiddin meets King

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday met Malaysia's King to discuss imposing emergency measures, sources said, in a move to ensure the upcoming Budget vote in Parliament does not result in snap elections if it fails to pass.

3 Fans to return to stadium

One Championship's Inside the Matrix fight event next Friday will be the first live sporting event in Singapore with fans during the coronavirus era. The 250 spectators at the 12,000-seat Singapore Indoor Stadium will be part of a pilot scheme, where participants in mass events have to take an antigen rapid test for Covid-19 and obtain a negative result before admission.

4 Covid-19 surge in Europe

Covid-19 cases in Europe have more than doubled in 10 days, crossing 200,000 daily infections for the first time on Thursday. France passed one million cases yesterday, and its Prime Minister said tougher measures beyond curfews might be needed.

5 US policy rethink on Asia

After the dust settles on the United States presidential election, America will need to take stock of its policies in Asia, no matter who wins. To continue to assert its presence in the region, Professor Joseph Chinyong Liow says, the US should rethink its approach on at least three areas.

6 Church's stance unchanged

Responding to reports that Pope Francis had endorsed same-sex civil unions in the new documentary Francesco, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said the Catholic Church's stance on marriage remains unchanged.

7 Cyber-security literacy

Singapore has placed second in an international study that examined the cyber-security literacy of the population in 49 countries and the European Union. Switzerland came out tops, and Britain followed the Republic. Singapore was lauded in particular for integrating cyber security thoroughly into its formal education system. It came out tops in this category.

8 HDB deficit grows to $2.66b

The Housing Board's deficit climbed to $2.66 billion in the financial year ended March 31, from about $1.98 billion the year before. This is the statutory board's highest deficit figure so far, and comes on the back of a gross loss on the sale of flats.

9 United turn to Tuanzebe

Axel Tuanzebe is set to retain his place in the Manchester United side when they host Chelsea in the Premier League today. The Red Devils, who have been struggling defensively, did not sign a centre-back during the summer transfer window. But Tuanzebe had a good performance against Paris Saint-Germain midweek and could fill in again as Eric Bailly is out and there are fitness doubts over Harry Maguire.

10 Mark Lee sparkles

Local actor Mark Lee's turn as a white-collar worker who becomes a drag performer in Number 1 is deserving of his Golden Horse nomination, says John Lui.

VIDEO

Bellwether state

Florida is "a must-win for Trump", says political scientist Charles Zelden, a professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. "Florida isn't the tipping point state, but it is the bellwether state." str.sg/blurb649

PODCAST

Game Of Two Halves

Defender Lionel Tan of Hougang United, which recently played against Tampines Rovers at Our Tampines Hub, talks about what is different about the Singapore Premier League as it resumes after the coronavirus-induced break. str.sg/blurb650​

  • What it should have been

    Yesterday's report, "Minimum wage, gender equality top issues in online forum", said the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) is against the Workers' Party proposal for a minimum wage. What PSP assistant secretary-general Francis Yuen said was that wages are just one part of overall business costs, and the key is to raise productivity and reduce over-reliance on foreign workers. We are sorry for the error.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 24, 2020, with the headline 10 must-reads for today. Subscribe