TOP OF THE NEWS
Madam Halimah Yacob relinquished her political and party posts yesterday in preparation for her presidential bid.
Her resignation as MP and People's Action Party member was accepted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who expressed support for her candidacy. It also prompted calls for a by-election by some opposition parties.
TOP OF THE NEWS
Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday that Singapore had to focus on soft skills in aviation while it expanded its infrastructure.
Aviation continues to be a bright spark in the global economy and Singapore must anticipate demand and plan ahead, he added, as thousands showed up for a glimpse of Terminal 4 at Changi Airport.
WORLD
409 arrested in KL terror raid
A huge operation by the Malaysian authorities to weed out potential terror threats in Kuala Lumpur ahead of this month's SEA Games has yielded hundreds of illegal migrants, as well as a suspected leader of a passport forgery syndicate. A total of 409 arrests was made during Sunday's raids.
WORLD
Aussies to vote on gay marriage
Australia's ruling Liberal party voted last night to hold a national vote on legalising same-sex marriage following an urgent meeting over a divisive issue that threatens to undermine the leadership of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The Australian leader has struggled to control the conservative wing of his party.
OPINION
The empires continue to strike back as the international order continues to collapse. The best check is a return to a liberal rules-based multilateral order, says Jean-Pierre Lehmann.
HOME
Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, 42, was fined $6,000 for contempt of court yesterday for posting a 22-line poem on Facebook scandalising the judiciary. He said he was "demoralised" when he posted it on the day of his client's execution for drug trafficking.
HOME
Condo can remove cooling tower
Leonie Towers condo may go ahead and demolish the cooling tower for its 35-year-old air-conditioning system. The High Court ruled the objection raised by a resident was a technicality and the management corporation had the right to go ahead with improvements.
BUSINESS
ESR in talks to buy Sabana Reit
Warburg Pincus-backed e-Shang Redwood (ESR) is in advanced talks to buy struggling Sabana Shariah Compliant Industrial Reit, in a likely first consolidation step in Singapore's mid-cap industrial trusts sector. ESR, an Asian logistics developer, has been conducting due diligence on Sabana Reit and is set to complete its talks in a few months, sources said.
SPORT
Paralympics champion Yip Pin Xiu has set her sights on a podium finish at next month's World Para Swimming Championships, and will use the preceding Asean Para Games as a final tune-up for the top-level meet. In a ceremony yesterday at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, she and Joseph Schooling became the first local athletes to have orchids named after them.
LIFE
The faces of some of Singapore's most brutal murderers leer at readers from the grungy cover of Guilty As Charged, a collection of 25 true-crime stories that have shaken Singapore since 1965. Straits Times associate news editor Abdul Hafiz Abdul Samad worked with the police to narrow down a list of crimes that have left their impact on the minds of Singaporeans.
Straits Times Digital
VIDEO
Dear departed
The Fong family gets the help of an yi fengshui practitioner to exhume the grave of an ancestor at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery. str.sg/grave
VIDEO
Sleight of hand
Australian illusionist Cosentino shows Straits Times Life journalist Benson Ang how to perform a few magic tricks. str.sg/magicman