Top stories from The Straits Times on Wednesday, Aug 21

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Wednesday, Aug 21.


Government aware of cost pressures from upcoming CPF contribution rate hike: Chan Chun Sing

Companies such as wholesale distributor Hai Sia Seafood, in redesigning jobs via automation and new machinery, have helped older workers stay employed and continue contributing to their employers.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Mr Chan said beyond trying to reduce costs, there is also a need to increase businesses' topline and revenue, developing the market beyond Singapore and remaining connected to the world.

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74-year-old delivery rider dies after being hit by falling glass bottle at condo party

Mr Nasiari Sunee died from injuries he suffered after being hit by a glass bottle at the Spottiswoode 18 condominium.PHOTO: COURTESY OF NAS SURIATI NASIARI

The victim had just sat down at a table at the condominium's barbecue pit area to eat when he was hit.

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Singapore beats expectations to attract $8.1b investment commitments in first half of 2019

The EDB forecast that Singapore would attract between $8 billion and $10 billion in fixed-asset investment commitments in 2019, in line with previous years.PHOTO: ST FILE

This is comfortably higher than the $5.3 billion worth of investment commitments it had drawn for the same period last year.

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Trump says US 'very far' from recession, calls for rate cut

Trump answers questions from reporters as he meets Romania's President at the White House.PHOTO: REUTERS

Mr Trump also blasted critics who said the trade war with China was going to cause pain for the US economy in the near future.

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Businessman suing mistress for $2m says he felt 'cheated' when she changed loan agreement

Businessman Toh Eng Tiah is suing his former mistress Angelina Jiang for the return of $2 million, which he says was a loan that had to be repaid. PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO

But he continued to send sexually intimate messages to his mistress even after he found out he had been misled, the court heard.

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Badminton: Yeo Jia Min eliminates women's world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi from world championships

Singapore's Yeo Jia Min in action against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi.PHOTO: REUTERS

Yeo took 39 minutes to clinch a 21-14, 21-18 victory over the 2018 world championships bronze medallist.

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Maid jailed for throwing five-year-old boy onto ground in Punggol while carrying him

An eyewitness recorded a video of the incident with her mobile phone and posted the clip on a WeChat group earlier this year.PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM LEGITSINGAPORE/FACEBOOK

The maid initially denied ill-treating him and claimed that the boy had rolled on the ground on his own. But two days later, his mother came across a video on Facebook posted by an eyewitness.

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More kids with autism, raising demand for school places

Pathlight School, for high-functioning children with autism, will be building a second campus in Tampines. Set to open in 2023, the new campus will provide 500 primary-level places. Year-on-year enrolment at Pathlight has risen by 10 per cent to 15 per cent in the past three years. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

The steady rise is due to parents, who are now better educated, being more aware of the condition and improvements in the diagnosis process, said experts.

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Jail for e-scooter rider who injured security officer after his device knocked into victim

PHOTO: FRASERS CENTREPOINT LIMITED

The rider was unhappy with the condominium security officer for causing him to almost lose his balance and rode his device at the maximum speed of 24kmh to confront the man.

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25th Bond movie gets a title: No Time To Die

No Time to Die returns Daniel Craig (above) to the role of 007.PHOTO: REUTERS

The movie is to be released in Britain on April 3, 2020, and in the United States on April 8.

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