10 must-reads for today

Some 30,000 monks lining up for alms during the alms-giving ceremony yesterday morning next to an airport in Mandalay, Myanmar.
Some 30,000 monks lining up for alms during the alms-giving ceremony yesterday morning next to an airport in Mandalay, Myanmar. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A married couple (above) have both won the Golden Point Award. ST PHOTO: MARCELLIN LOPEZ

1 30,000 monks given alms

Thirty thousand Buddhist monks from Myanmar and Thailand gathered in Myanmar yesterday to collect alms during a spectacular event organised by a Thailand-based mega-temple. The event, which was held in Mandalay city, was meant to strengthen the relationship between monks and Buddhists from the two countries.

2 Fresh mass march in HK

Hundreds of thousands turned up for a massive and largely peaceful march in Hong Kong yesterday, hours after the police seized a gun and bullets which they believed were intended to be used during the demonstration. Tensions rose at night when petrol bombs were thrown at the entrance of a court building and protesters built barricades to slow down riot police nearby.

3 N. Korea runs rocket test

North Korea said it conducted a "very important test" at its rocket launch site, one that missile experts said was likely to be a static test of a rocket engine. Meanwhile, the country's senior diplomat said the US' demand for denuclearisation was now off the negotiating table.

4 Members jeer V-P of PKR

A Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president was jeered yesterday when he slammed party members for being "apple polishers" who risked becoming "obsessed" about making party president Anwar Ibrahim Malaysia's next prime minister.

5 Reminder from the past

A massive Canadian fossil trove reminds us how fleeting life on Earth can be - and how much peril we are in, says Washington Post science reporter Sarah Kaplan.

6 New tracks for arts students

To make its students more job-ready, the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences introduced five "industry tracks" to help students curate modules with job sectors in mind. Students will be paired with mentors, go for internships and attend an industry seminar to learn about work trends.

7 Scheme in need of review

Much of the work of legislative assistants (LAs), who have over the years helped to raise the standards of parliamentary debate, goes unseen. Three decades after the LA scheme was introduced, many LAs and parliamentarians think it is time for a relook.

8 HK accountants affected

With votes due today, the election for the council of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants has heated up amid the pro-democracy protests that have rocked the financial hub.

9 Shuttler's shot at glory

Singapore shuttler Loh Kean Yew is known to set lofty goals. Today, he has a chance for glory when he faces Malaysian favourite Lee Zii Jia in the Philippines - with the aim of becoming the second local SEA Games men's badminton champion.

10 Couple win writing awards

A married couple (below) have both won the Golden Point Award. Senthilkumar Natarajan took first place in the Tamil short story category, while his wife Subha Senthilkumar topped the Tamil poetry category at the biennial creative writing competition.


Straits Times Digital

VIDEO

Hit hard by US sanctions

Food prices have doubled and the healthcare sector is facing shortages in medicine and equipment after the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in November last year. We look at how Iranians are coping with the difficulties. str.sg/blurb95


VIDEO

Schooling's favourites

National swimmer Joseph Schooling retained his SEA Games men's 100m butterfly title last Friday. We ask him about his pre-race playlist, signature phrase and which athlete he would want to be for a day. str.sg/blurb96

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 09, 2019, with the headline 10 must-reads for today. Subscribe