TOP OF THE NEWS
The eruption of Bali's Mount Agung volcano has cast a shadow over the island's tourism sector. Hotels are already receiving a large number of cancellations at the start of the busy December-January holiday season, while airlines too face losses following the airport's closure over the past two days.
TOP OF THE NEWS
S'pore-India ties 'very strong'
Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday described defence ties between India and Singapore as "very strong and growing stronger". Dr Ng, who is on a three-day visit to India, made the comments as he visited a joint training exercise between both countries' air forces.
WORLD
Pope Francis yesterday called for respect for each ethnic group and its identity in Myanmar, amid the international scrutiny over the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from the country's troubled Rakhine state. The Pope was speaking in an address to officials and diplomats in Naypyitaw after meeting Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but refrained from mentioning the Rohingya.
WORLD
Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional is under pressure to show higher returns to boost government coffers, with senior state officials lobbying for changes to its investment strategy. The push for the strategy change comes as the fund's managing director gets set to leave in 2019.
OPINION
Singapore ranked 13th out of 63 in the latest IMD World Talent Report. It ranks abysmally on "investment and development", which includes public spending on education. This is an area for improvement, says associate editor Vikram Khanna.
HOME
Miss Tan Xing En, who is 23 years old and blind, received a new lease of life following a kidney transplant, 10 years after suffering kidney failure. Her long wait underscores the scarcity of kidney donations here amid an increase in the number of kidney patients.
HOME
Jailed for using forged passes
Three foreigners - two New Zealanders and a Briton - have been sentenced to four weeks' jail each for using forged passes to get into British singer Ed Sheeran's sold-out concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. All three pleaded guilty in court.
BUSINESS
Singapore investment company Temasek Holdings is exploring a sale of its stake in drug distributor Zuellig Pharma, according to sources.
Temasek is said to be seeking around US$1 billion (S$1.34 billion) for its 20 per cent stake in Zuellig Pharma, which commands vast pharmaceutical distribution networks in about a dozen Asian markets.
SPORT
Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino is unfazed at playing his former Barcelona teammate Pep Guardiola's side, runaway leaders Manchester City, away in the English Premier League today. Pellegrino says City's problems in the first half on Sunday before overcoming Huddersfield show they can be beaten. Guardiola, for his part, is also not taking the 10th-placed Saints lightly.
LIFE
Last Friday, Cathay Cineplexes, the second-largest cinema operator in Singapore, became part of mm2 Asia as part of a $230 million deal. mm2 Asia chief executive Melvin Ang (above) says that in the short term, there will be no major changes that will affect customers.
VIDEO
Shaming polluters
With the world drowning in PET bottles - 483 billion were made last year - the Break Free From Plastic movement is shaming firms behind the mess. str.sg/ok76
VIDEO
Quality care
At Bright Hill Evergreen Home, residents with dementia hold "jobs" to help them stay active and live a more purposeful life. str.sg/ok8e
