What's News: Oct 20, 2017

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said a top Malaysian militant tipped to become the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) next South-east Asia leader has been killed in overnight skirmishes in Marawi city. The military was trying to locate the body of Mahmud Ahmad (above), 41, for confirmation. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

TOP OF THE NEWS

HDB revamping resale portal

The Housing Board is revamping its resale portal so that the time taken to buy or sell a resale flat will be halved from 16 weeks to about eight weeks from next year. The upgraded portal will also reduce the number of appointments needed to complete a deal from two to one, and will use data from resale transactions to do away with most professional valuations.


TOP OF THE NEWS

ISIS down, but threat remains

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been driven out of its de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria and its surviving leaders are on the run. But even though its territory has shrunk, many Western and Arab counter-terrorism officials are bracing themselves for future waves of suicide attacks against civilians in the region and abroad


WORLD

Top militant killed: Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said a top Malaysian militant tipped to become the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) next South-east Asia leader has been killed in overnight skirmishes in Marawi city. The military was trying to locate the body of Mahmud Ahmad, 41, for confirmation.


WORLD

Hokkaido honeymoon ordeal

A wintry honeymoon for Singaporean Amelda Lim and her Malaysian husband almost took a deadly turn after they were stranded along with a Japanese couple on Hokkaido's tallest peak. But their survival smarts led to all four being found.


OPINION

India enters election mode

India's slip into election mode is bad news for Asia, which must wait for the cycle's end in 2019 for meaningful market-opening reform, writes associate editor Ravi Velloor. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not expected to repeat his landslide win of 2014.


HOME

Pay by Nets using cellphone

Nets is launching its mobile wallet app that lets users digitise their ATM cards so payments can be made simply by tapping their cellphones on a contactless reader. It will work now for users of ATM cards issued by DBS Bank and POSB. The ATM cards of five other banks will be accepted in the coming weeks.


HOME

New problems v prosecution

Emerging problems such as fake news and offences against vulnerable elderly people will be met with robust prosecution, Attorney-General Lucien Wong said in his first major speech since taking the post in January.


BUSINESS

Keppel's urban solutions unit

Keppel Corporation is setting up a new business unit to develop high-tech and sustainable urban areas in the Asia-Pacific. The move comes as Keppel aims to capitalise on the mega trends of rapid urbanisation and the increasing global focus on sustainability.


SPORT

No magic, no secrets: Svitolina

Women's tennis player Elina Svitolina has five titles this season, the most for any WTA Tour player, and has broken into the top 10 rankings for the first time. The world No. 4, who is in Singapore for the WTA Finals starting on Sunday, says she got to where she is through hard work and perseverance. No magic, no secrets.


US singer-songwriter Bruno Mars performing at the BET Awards in Los Angeles in June. PHOTO: REUTERS

LIFE

Bruno Mars' shows sold out

All 22,000 tickets to both nights of Grammy winner Bruno Mars' (above) concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium next May sold out within 3-1/2 hours of being made available to the public. The addition of his second show, on May 7, was announced less than an hour after ticket sales started yesterday at 10am for the May 6 show.


Straits Times Digital

VIDEO

Super senior

Mr Ng Bee Kia can do 500 push-ups a day, perform a headstand for at least 30 seconds and execute a backward somersault while balancing on a set of parallel bars. He is 72. str.sg/4ydQ

VIDEO

Less is more

If you are above 60, follow these make-up tips for a simple, natural look. str.sg/4yAZ

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 20, 2017, with the headline What's News: Oct 20, 2017. Subscribe