What's News: September 10 2015

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang meeting the people attending the PAP and WP rallies in Boon Keng Road and Bedok Stadium respectively, on the final day of campaigning last night. ST PHOTOS: CAROLINE CHIA, ONG WEE JIN

TOP OF THE NEWS

Bigwigs make final GE pitches

Top politicians made a final push to get their message out to voters last night in GE2015's last rallies.

PM Lee Hsien Loong said the PAP Government is handing its report card to the electorate with a clear conscience, while DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnamsaid a "changed PAP" is ready to lead Singapore into the future. WP chief Low Thia Khiang said the Government would not take the people seriously unless there is political competition.


TOP OF THE NEWS

10 firms probed over fires

Ten plantation companies are being probed by Indonesian investigators over whether they contributed to raging fires causing thick haze, which has affected Singapore and Malaysia as well. The companies are suspected of having cleared their land ahead of planting season through intentional burning, a criminal offence.


WORLD

Thein Sein in peace talks

Making his first public appearance since the start of a campaign for elections in Myanmar, President Thein Sein met the leaders of ethnic minority guerilla groups for ceasefire talks in Naypyitaw. Clinching a deal would be a political win, boosting the chances of his Union Solidarity and Development Party in the Nov 8 polls.


Police officers watching over migrants near a collection point in Roszke village in Hungary yesterday. PHOTO: REUTERS

WORLD

Mandatory system to share refugee burden unveiled

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has unveiled a mandatory system for the sharing of refugees between EU member states, while also promising to improve frontier defences and deport more illegal migrants. While defending his proposal for burden sharing, he also suggested an alternative for opponents such as the Czech Republic.


OPINION

System to assess eldercare

Given Singapore's rapidly ageing population, the use of a common assessment system across eldercare services here could be invaluable, writes reporter Janice Tai. Such a system is already in use in the United States, Britain, Germany and Israel.


OPINION

PAS still an opposition force

Parti Islam SeMalaysia's absence from the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat was keenly felt at the recent Bersih rally. The Islamic party may be out of the alliance, but it is still a force to be reckoned with, writes Malaysia Correspondent Shannon Teoh.


HOME

COE prices for most cars dip

Certificate of entitlement prices for most cars dropped slightly in yesterday's tender, as a larger quota eased buying interest. Experts said prices would have fallen more if not for a longer-than-usual break between tenders that allowed dealers to collect orders.


BUSINESS

SME owners more downbeat

Owners of small and medium-sized enterprises are feeling gloomier, according to the latest quarterly SBF-DP SME Index, amid weak export demand and fears of a slowdown. The index asks business owners for their outlook over the next six months.


SPORT

Malaysian football's shame

Malaysia's interim national football coach Ong Kim Swee said the fans who caused Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia to be abandoned have damaged Malaysian football. Football Association of Malaysia deputy president Mokhtar Ahmad called it the "most embarrassing" incident in the country's football history.


LIFE

Netflix: Concern over content

Amid the excitement over content streaming service Netflix finally launching in Singapore early next year, there is a question mark over whether local viewers would pay for potentially censored content when they are able to access the full original versions of the same shows via a VPN service.


LIFE

Bon Jovi's China gigs cancelled

Bon Jovi's concerts in Shanghai and Beijing this month have been cancelled, promoter AEG China announced on Tuesday. The Financial Times reported that China's Ministry of Culture axed the performances after discovering that a video backdrop for the band's concert in Taiwan in 2010 featured an image of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 10, 2015, with the headline What's News: September 10 2015. Subscribe