TOP OF THE NEWS
New electoral maps for Malaysia's upcoming election were passed in Parliament yesterday, amid heavy criticism of gerrymandering from the opposition. The maps were bulldozed through, with the ruling coalition and opposition given an hour each for debates before the vote.
TOP OF THE NEWS
The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) has accepted voluntary commitments by two lift parts suppliers to sell spare parts to third-party lift contractors. The CCS had been investigating claims that some lift manufacturers would not supply vital spare parts to third-party contractors for lift maintenance in HDB estates.
WORLD
Indonesia's largest opposition party Gerindra will officially nominate former army general Prabowo Subianto as its candidate for the 2019 presidential polls. Gerindra, which is short for the Great Indonesia Movement, also hopes to unveil Mr Prabowo's running mate at the announcement, set for April 11.
WORLD
Australia's plan to curb Chinese interference in local affairs has led to divided opinions over whether the proposals and media coverage of the issue could lead to racism towards the Chinese Australian community. The laws were introduced late last year and require those lobbying for foreign countries to register their interests.
OPINION
Just as all parties - insurers, doctors, patients - played a part in raising healthcare costs, all can play a role in reining in spending, says senior health correspondent Salma Khalik.
HOME
Just as Uber exits the scene, a new ride is raring to go. Carpooling platform Ryde hopes to introduce its own private-hire service, RydeX. The firm, which will take only 10 per cent of each fare, expects to have 5,000 drivers when RydeX launches in the next few weeks.
HOME
Institute of Technical Education students will research and market recipes to come up with upgrades for food vending machines. The collaboration of ITE College East, vending-machine maker FastFlex and seven other industry partners is expected to involve 80 students.
BUSINESS
Optimism seems to be on the rise for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with expectations of strong sales and profit performance in the next two quarters. A quarterly index mapping business sentiment ticked up from 51.2 to 51.8, signalling an improved outlook for the second and third quarters. A score over 50 indicates growth expectations.
SPORT
The pressure on Lionel Messi to perform at football's World Cup has multiplied, after an Argentina side missing him crashed 1-6 to Spain in an international friendly on Tuesday, with Isco netting a hat-trick. The injured captain's actions said as much, as cameras caught him leaving his seat in the stands in Madrid with 10 minutes remaining.
LIFE
Siti Nurhaliza's tough delivery
Malaysian pop diva Siti Nurhaliza said she lost a lot of blood when she gave birth to her daughter on March 19. The singer said it might take up to six months before she can make a full recovery.
Straits Times Digital
VIDEO
Helping, with empathy
Dominique Dillon, 28, grew up without his father and was buiiled constantly. Today, he is helping at-risk young people deal with peer pressure and conflict.
VIDEO
Stronger and faster
Meet swimmer Roanne Ho as she prepares for next month's Commonwealth Games.
