Top stories from The Straits Times on Wednesday, Jan 3

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kickstart your Wednesday, Jan 3.


Stiffer penalties for errant PMD users timely, but experts also call for more education

Amid a rise in the number of offences, Singapore needs to step up public education and tighten regulations on the type of PMDs permitted for use.

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Privacy watchdog fines 22 in past two years over security breaches

The Personal Data Protection Commission fined 22 organisations - one of them twice - a total of $216,500 over the past two years for security breaches that exposed the personal details of Singaporeans.

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More play, lifestyle options to woo crowds at Orchard Road



Shoppers interviewed say Orchard Road lacks character and is no longer a draw as a shopping strip alone - and that the precinct should reposition itself as a lifestyle and entertainment destination.

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Generation Grit: Once a drug trafficker who did 'wicked things', now a social worker who wants to help others


Mr Thomas Liao, 30, now spends his days helping others - a path he could not have foreseen taking a decade ago when he was a gangster and drug trafficker.

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Ex-banker found liable for $6.5 million guarantee claimed by former client

Former private banker Karl Liew, who was paid a visit at his home by debt collectors hired by a former client, has been held by the High Court to be liable for the $6.5 million in investments he had guaranteed the businessman.

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US warns North Korea against new missile test, plays down talks


US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Washington would not take planned talks between North and South Korea seriously if Pyongyang did not take steps to give up its nuclear weapons.

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Electric cars the driving force to cut emissions


Electric and hybrid cars are the future of driving, with countries intensifying efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Straits Times looks at the progress made.

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Singapore CEOs more bullish about future than Asean peers

A new survey has found that Singapore bosses are more optimistic than their regional counterparts about the economic outlook in the coming years.

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Fewer people on waiting list for kidney transplant

This is in part due to many patients being too old or ill to undergo the procedure, with the number of people on the waiting list falling sharply from 563 in 2007 to just 253 as at June 30 last year.

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Wet, cool start to 2018 with north-east monsoon expected to continue for next 2 weeks

Rainy weather has been forecast for the first half of the month, with moderate to heavy thundery showers forecast in the afternoon on six to eight days.

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