What's News: November 23, 2015

St James' Church Kindergarten outbid brand-name commercial pre-schools to win the tender for the Harding Road site.
St James' Church Kindergarten outbid brand-name commercial pre-schools to win the tender for the Harding Road site. ST PHOTO: YEO KAI WEN

TOP OF THE NEWS

Asean Community declared

Asean leaders yesterday put pen to paper to declare an Asean Community that seeks to further lift the well-being of its 625 million people. They also endorsed a road map to draw the grouping of 10 nations closer together over the next 10 years.


Brussels lockdown continues

Brussels was locked down for a second day yesterday, with police and troops patrolling the streets while a hunt for suspects linked to the Paris attacks continued. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian meanwhile said a chemical or biological attack "was among the risks" but that all possible precautions had been taken.


HOME

Popular pre-school to keep site near Dempsey Hill

St James' Church Kindergarten near Dempsey Hill, one of the largest pre-schools here with nearly 900 pupils, will stay put until 2022. The pre-school, which was due to move as the lease for its site was to expire next year, will stay on after winning a tender for a new lease.


WORLD

PHOTO: SIN CHEW DAILY

Plan for JB to be 'second KL'

The core of Johor Baru city centre (photo) will be transformed into an international business district, the state government announced. The plan will leverage on Johor Baru's proximity and lower costs compared to Singapore and aims to turn it into "the Second Kuala Lumpur".


Bangladesh tightens security

Bangladesh is bracing itself for more unrest after two opposition leaders were hanged yesterday for war crimes committed during the 1971 war to break away from Pakistan. Thousands of police have been deployed across the country to tighten security.


OPINION

War on terror's consequences

Europe is "at war" with terrorism. So says French President Francois Hollande, who has sent an aircraft carrier to "destroy" the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Much of this diplomatic noise can have grave consequences if not controlled, writes Jonathan Eyal.


HOME

Top speller in S'pore, Malaysia

Mayflower Primary School's Ryan Andrew A. Salao, 13, won in both the individual and team categories at the first spelling contest for pupils from Singapore and Malaysia. The RHB Spelling Masters was held over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur.


BUSINESS

NOL in buyout talks with CMA

Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) has entered exclusive talks with CMA CGM, the world's third-largest shipping company, over a potential buyout of the Singapore container liner from its majority owner, Temasek Holdings. CMA has until Dec 7 to complete due diligence and negotiate a conclusive deal.


SPORT

Leicester City top EPL

The unheralded Foxes of Leicester are the surprise leaders of the English Premier League (EPL) after the top two sides were shocked.

Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini slammed their 4-1 rout by Liverpool as "a complete disaster", while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger called the 2-1 reverse at West Brom "a perfect nightmare".


LIFE

Still not in Hall of Fame

Legendary disco band Chic, which will be playing at this weekend's Neon Lights music and arts festival, has been nominated 10 times for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. If the US band does not make it into the hall next year, it will become the most nominated act in the history of the hall not to be inducted.


PHOTO: UNIVERSAL

New Bieber album sets record

Justin Bieber's (photo) new album, Purpose, has smashed the record in the first week streaming on Spotify. The Canadian pop star's first album in three years was streamed 205 million times since its release a week earlier. The figure was far above the previous record set three months ago by another Canadian, R&B singer The Weeknd.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 23, 2015, with the headline What's News: November 23, 2015. Subscribe