10 must-reads for today

The United Nations is assisting the Philippine authorities in the mandatory evacuation of residents living within 14km of the erupting Taal volcano. Residents of 12 towns and two cities near the volcano have been compelled to move to safer ground even as the intensity of the eruption has weakened.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said a high-quality public service must work closely with a "first-class political leadership" for Singapore to be successful. Speaking at the Public Service Leadership Dinner, he said leadership matters, and political leaders play a specific, vital role in any country, but especially in Singapore's system of government.

The Workers' Party will comply with an order to restrict the powers of MPs Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang because ignoring it would land the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council's secretary or chairman in jail, and the town council wants to focus its energies on running the estates.

China's economy grew at its slowest rate in nearly three decades, hit by sluggish domestic consumption and the trade war with the United States. Its gross domestic product grew by 6.1 per cent last year, its worst performance since 1990, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

Theories abound on why some men hate and fear women: From the psychoanalytic to the political. In the end, though, any attempt to shift attitudes has to start with the personal, says Professor Chong Siow Ann, a psychiatrist.

Since the smoking ban in Orchard kicked in on April 1 last year, more than 4,000 tickets have been issued by the National Environment Agency to those caught flouting the rule. Of the tickets issued, 26 per cent were to tourists, and the rest to residents, who had to pay a composition fine of $200.

An application has been filed by eight bus drivers, who had sued SBS Transit over their rest days and overtime pay, to quash an Industrial Arbitration Court decision that the company's contracts had not breached the Employment Act.

Singapore saw its worst year in a decade for exports, with shipments for last year falling 9.2 per cent. But a surprise rebound last month may set the stage for a tepid recovery this year.

Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond leads the Singapore Open by one stroke and could be the first golfer to retain the title since 2006.

Malaysian writer Joshua Kam, 23, has become the youngest winner of the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, which opened submissions to Asean writers for the first time.

Dr Mumtaz Mohamed Yusoff came from a broken family and grew up poor. Determined to succeed, she excelled in her studies and fulfilled her dream of becoming a doctor. str.sg/blurb165

In this episode, which is aimed at those wondering if they should exercise when they are sick, our hosts talk to Dr Dinesh Sirisena from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's sports medicine department. str.sg/blurb166