TOP OF THE NEWS
Singapore's population grew by 1.3 per cent in the 12 months to June this year, and reached 5.61 million, figures released yesterday showed. Citizen births last year were the highest in over a decade, while the non-resident population also grew by 2.5 per cent, with stronger growth in the number of maids as well as of dependants of citizens on long-term visit passes.
TOP OF THE NEWS
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife were hosted to a private lunch by Japan's royal couple at their home in the Imperial Palace yesterday, a rare occasion that signifies the robust ties between Singapore and Japan.
WORLD
Nine out of 10 people globally are breathing poor quality air, the World Health Organisation said yesterday. It called for dramatic action against pollution, which is blamed for more than six million deaths a year.
WORLD
Thailand is investigating four suspected cases of Zika-related microcephaly in three babies and a 36-week-old unborn baby. They could be the first such cases in South-east Asia. The results will be released on Friday, a Public Health Ministry official said.
OPINION
Low growth, low interest rates, low yields. Decent investment returns are hard to come by in this kind of climate. Business editor Lee Su Shyan examines the causes and the tough choice that is set before investors: higher risks or lower expectations.
HOME
Rats also found at high floors
About 20 per cent of rat cases needing the pestbusters occur above the 10th floor, said fumigation specialists. Vermin were spotted recently in homes on the 14th and 15th floors of an HDB block in Choa Chu Kang.
HOME
Shopping centres are increasingly targeting young families in a bid to beat the retail slump.
Malls such as Sengkang's Compass One and Punggol's Waterway Point are offering facilities for children such as playgrounds, nursing rooms and high chairs.
BUSINESS
NZ ruling in investors' favour
The Court of Appeal of New Zealand has ruled that a group of Singaporean and Malaysian investors, who are in a legal quagmire after funding a project that did not pan out, are entitled to the return of their NZ$10 million (S$10 million) in deposits. They also do not have to pay NZ$36 million sought as part of a counterclaim.
SPORTS
England manager Sam Allardyce is facing a probe by his employers at the English Football Association. He was caught on camera using his position to negotiate hoax deals to Singapore and Hong Kong, while advising undercover reporters posing as businessmen on ways around third-party player ownership rules outlawed in England.
LIFE
The new Netflix series, Luke Cage, features the first black superhero to headline a show or film in the Marvel or DC Comics universes. But the producers set out first to craft a slick superhero series - albeit one that has a subtle commentary on the African-American experience up its sleeve. The show is released here on Friday.
LIFE
Olsen's series a film fest pick
An episode of social entrepreneur Eunice Olsen's Web interview series, WomenTalk TV, has been chosen as an Official Selection at the ongoing Raindance Film Festival in London. The episode features Dr Maya Bhattachan, Nepal's first female neurosurgeon.
