What's News: December 27, 2016

As some bacteria become more resistant to antibiotics, the Health Ministry is working with the Agri- Food and Veterinary Authority, the National Environment Agency and the National University of Singapore to develop a nationwide strategy to tackle the problem.

A group of Chinese warships led by the country's sole aircraft carrier entered the top half of the South China Sea yesterday after passing south of Taiwan, the island's Defence Ministry said of what China has termed a routine exercise. The move comes amid tension after US President-elect Donald Trump's telephone call with the island's president that upset Beijing.

Russian rescuers found yesterday the first parts of a Syria-bound military plane that plunged into the Black Sea on Sunday, as officials said they do not suspect terrorism as the reason for the crash that killed 92 people on board. Among the passengers were the army's choir singers, military officers and journalists.

Typhoon Nock-Ten weakened as it cut across the Philippines yesterday after bringing down trees and power lines and killing two people, with the authorities warning of flash floods and mudslides. More than 383,000 people have fled their homes and spent Christmas in shelters.

Mr Barack Obama's eight years in office are a sad record of the US' declining influence globally, says Professor Hugh White. The fault was not that he failed to do more, but that he did not explain plainly enough why the US could not.

When it comes to mandarin oranges, things may not be all that peachy this Chinese New Year. The fruit may cost up to 20 per cent more on a stronger US dollar and a smaller supply after a typhoon in Taiwan and frosty conditions in China.

About 15 workers from Swan Socks, Singapore's first socks factory which started in 1964 and closed in the 80s, met for a reunion recently. Mr Fong Ah Ngow and his pals meet up a few times a year to reminisce about days from a bygone age, when Singapore was undergoing labour-intensive industrialisation.

Singapore's economy may be limping through a slowdown, but the demand for fancy cars has not slipped.

Wearnes Automotive - the exclusive dealer here for luxury brands like Bentley, Jaguar and Aston Martin - has had a strong 2016, as it celebrated its 110th anniversary.

Amid emotional scenes that brought back memories of last season's NBA Finals Game 7, Kyrie Irving's late jump shot gave champions Cleveland Cavaliers a 109-108 win over Golden State Warriors in their Christmas Day showdown. While Warriors' Kevin Durant was superb, the Cavaliers proved they had the talent and mental toughness to beat their rivals for a fourth straight time.

Non-Malay artists Vertical Submarine and Mojoko have created artworks for the Malay Heritage Centre's latest special exhibition Mereka Utusan. It looks at Malay identity and modernity via the lens of old advertisements and editorial cartoons from the 1920s to 1960s.