What's News: May 25, 2017

TOP OF THE NEWS

3 more nabbed in blast probe

British police believe that the Manchester suicide bomber was merely a "mule" for a terror network that included a bombmaker. The police yesterday arrested three more men as part of their investigation into the attack that left 22 people dead.

TOP OF THE NEWS

S'pore, China share interests

Singapore and China share a common interest in building a peaceful and growing region, and this is much greater than any occasional differences of views between them.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said this yesterday at a forum marking the 20th anniversary of the National University of Singapore's East Asian Institute.

Evacuees from the Philippine city of Marawi stopping at a checkpoint in Pantar town. PHOTO: REUTERS

WORLD

Philippine militants run riot

Thousands have fled Marawi city in the Philippines after militants torched buildings and beheaded a police chief. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has imposed martial rule across Mindanao Island, and yesterday returned to the country after cutting short a visit to Russia. He said he is considering placing the whole of the Philippines under martial law.

WORLD

Warning on Korean peninsula

China said no one had the right to bring chaos to the Korean peninsula. It is North Korea's main trade partner and ally, and made clear that the push for diplomatic talks - not imposing more sanctions - was the priority. The US has for weeks been negotiating new UN Security Council sanctions in response to the North's nuclear and missile tests.

OPINION

Keep SIA flying high

Action on all fronts, from budget to premium travel, is needed to help ensure Singapore Airlines and its subsidiaries remain a great way to fly, says Karamjit Kaur.

HOME

Poly grads can earn and learn

Three agreements inked under the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme will give polytechnic graduates more options to continue learning. The options include using on-the-job training to count as credit units towards certain degree programmes.

HOME

Curbs on six from City Harvest

The six people convicted of misusing millions of City Harvest Church funds, including its founder Kong Hee, have been permanently barred from holding key positions that allow them to have administrative control of the church or any other charity.

BUSINESS

China's credit rating lowered

Moody's Investors Service downgraded China's credit rating for the first time since 1989, a move that is likely to lift borrowing costs for state-owned enterprises.

China dismissed the cut, saying Moody's was exaggerating the country's economic difficulties and underestimating reform efforts.

China grew 6.7 per cent last year - the slowest growth since 1990.

SPORT

Getting closer to the top

Two Singaporean mixed martial arts exponents hope to make their case for a One Championship title shot soon, with good performances on the undercard of two title fights in tomorrow's Dynasty of Heroes show. Amir Khan is looking for his fourth straight victory in the lightweight category, while Tiffany Teo puts her unbeaten record on the line in a strawweight bout.

PHOTO: OCEAN BUTTERFLIES MUSIC AND COMPASS

LIFE

Budding songwriters wanted

An inaugural festival aims to encourage young people to write Mandarin songs and to nurture a new generation of Chinese songwriters. It is organised by record label Ocean Butterflies Music and the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore.


INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS

Eye on COE

Need to buy a new car? Check the ups and downs of certificate of entitlement prices with this tracker. str.sg/coetracker


VIDEO

Wage against the machine

Google's AlphaGo game program beat the world's best Go board game player. Here are five other human-AI showdowns. str.sg/alphagogo

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 25, 2017, with the headline What's News: May 25, 2017. Subscribe