TOP OF THE NEWS
US President Barack Obama used a rare televised address to urge Americans to stay united following the terror attack in San Bernardino, as he vowed to destroy the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group. He laid out his administration's multi-pronged strategy to defeat ISIS, while making it clear there was no change in his policy not to send US troops to the front line.
TOP OF THE NEWS
The Straits Times is the No. 1 news outlet in Singapore on Twitter for the second year running. @STcom, which has some 567,000 followers, has seen a 54 per cent jump in the number of followers since the start of the year.
WORLD
The National Front's electoral breakthrough in the first round of French regional elections is astonishing: the party led by Ms Marine Le Pen (photo) has now more than doubled its traditional voter base. The Front, which has never previously governed a region, is now the favourite to win no fewer than six out of 13 regions.
WORLD
Expats can't take Delhi's pollution any more
A growing number of expatriates and their families are fleeing New Delhi over health concerns amid choking smog that has engulfed the Indian capital. Many are opting to return home or move to other cities with better air. Even personnel attached to the different embassies are keen to leave and multinational companies are struggling to retain their expats.
OPINION
Economic growth has reduced poverty but inequality and pollution have risen. There is an urgent need for a vision beyond GDP-ism, especially in Asia, where the greatest environmental and human calamities are taking place, writes Jean-Pierre Lehmann.
HOME
Check-in, bag tagging and aircraft boarding can all be done by travellers themselves as part of an automation push at Changi Airport. Now, seven in 10 travellers have at least one of those self-service options, with more airlines adopting such initiatives.
HOME
Divorced women may soon have to pay maintenance to their former husbands, if incapacitated. The Government is going ahead with a proposed amendment to Women's Charter to provide maintenance based on need, not gender.
BUSINESS
Oil prices hit by Opec inaction
Oil prices fell yesterday as investors reacted bearishly to the news that major Middle East producers could not agree on a much-needed production ceiling to address the oversupply of crude. The downbeat session followed last Friday's unsuccessful Opec meeting in Vienna.
SPORT
Malaysian swimmer Yeo Yi Lin may have finished last in three of four events at the Asean Para Games, but her fighting spirit has drawn praise and made waves online. A cancer survivor with her left leg amputated below the knee, she battled to finish the 400m freestyle S9 despite feeling dizzy, having a stiff back and seeing double.
SPORT
A bad game in a 2-0 league defeat by relegation candidates Newcastle was a timely reminder that Liverpool still have some way to go, said manager Jurgen Klopp. Certain media had tipped the Reds as title chasers and Champions League contenders after seven wins in eight matches.
LIFE
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra has to raise $500,000 for the orchestra's tour of Europe starting in May next year, says Mr Chng Hak-Peng (photo), the new chief executive officer of the Singapore Symphonia Company. The orchestra also faces a shortage of musicians here and will do more to groom young talents.
