Top stories from The Straits Times on Saturday, Feb 3

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kickstart your Saturday, Feb 3.


Nets disruption triggers system resilience worries

A sign at the FairPrice Finest in Bishan's Junction 8 informing customers of the Nets disruption. The e-payment provider put up a Facebook post informing customers of the problem shortly after the failure.
A sign at the FairPrice Finest in Bishan's Junction 8 informing customers of the Nets disruption. The e-payment provider put up a Facebook post informing customers of the problem shortly after the failure. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

A nearly two-hour-long outage yesterday, that disrupted critical cashless services provided by Nets, is raising questions about the resilience of such systems amid a nationwide e-payment push.

READ MORE HERE

Prices rise but parents still prefer familiar milk brands

The average price of a 900g tin of infant milk powder went up by 59 cents to $56.65 last year, according to the Consumer Price Index.
The average price of a 900g tin of infant milk powder went up by 59 cents to $56.65 last year, according to the Consumer Price Index. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Parents remained loyal to their chosen brands of milk powder even as the average price of formula continued to tick upwards, nearly a year after concerns about affordability prompted the formation of a government task force and a flurry of new products to appear on shelves.

READ MORE HERE

Security spending set to increase at Budget 2018 amid heightened terror threat: Heng Swee Keat

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat being briefed by officers from the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force during a visit to the Home Team Tactical Centre yesterday.
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat visiting the Home Team Tactical Centre on Feb 2, 2018. ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI

Singapore will boost its security spending to tackle the terror threat, which is at its highest level in recent years. Already, there are plans to introduce a facial recognition system to quickly identify suspects, and install 11,000 more cameras in public areas such as hawker centres and bus interchanges.

READ MORE HERE

Malaysia election: New electoral maps set to favour ruling coalition

PHOTO: REUTERS

Malaysia's electoral authorities are rushing through new maps that critics say will further tilt the bias in favour of the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) at a general election expected within the next few months.

READ MORE HERE

Flash floods may occur on Saturday as high tide may worsen drain levels in heavy rain: PUB

The aftermath of flash flooding at Seletar North Link on Jan 30, 2018. PHOTO: ST FILE

Should there be heavy rain at the same time as the high tide, flash floods may occur in low-lying coastal areas such as Jalan Seaview, Meyer Road, Fort Road and Tanjong Rhu.

READ MORE HERE

Prices rise for fish, abalone and scallops this Chinese New Year

Tam Kah Seafood at 62, Smith Street, sells items such as fish maw, abalone and dried scallops for Chinese New Year. ST PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR

Retailers and wholesalers singled out bad weather as the main culprit responsible for pushing down supply, and driving up prices as a result.

READ MORE HERE

commentary: With McFarland withdrawal, more delay in appointing a US ambassador to Singapore

PHOTO: NYTIMES

Ms K.T. McFarland, a former deputy national security adviser, has asked for her nomination as Ambassador to Singapore to be withdrawn. Ms McFarland's nomination ran into controversy last year when it emerged that she had not revealed all she knew about her former boss Michael Flynn's contacts with Russia's former Ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak.

READ MORE HERE

video: Donald Trump approves release of secret memo in fight over Russia probe

A memo alleging misconduct by senior FBI officials investigating Trump's 2016 campaign has been released. PHOTO: AFP

The US Congress released a Republican memo on Friday alleging abuse of power in investigations of Donald Trump's election campaign, after the president accused his own Justice Department and FBI of bias against him.

READ MORE HERE

Gillian Chung explains her engagement after a 6-month courtship: 'He's willing to tolerate my bad habits'

Gillian Chung at an ad hoc press conference at actress Kara Hui's birthday banquet on the evening of Feb 1, 2018.PHOTO: APPLE DAILY

A tired-looking Gillian Chung attended actress Kara Hui's birthday banquet, hours after the Cantopop star announced her engagement to Taiwanese doctor Michael Lai on social media. He had proposed to her on her 37th birthday on Jan 21.

READ MORE HERE

Singapore-based companies are going big on tiny houses

Big Tiny's eco-friendly, prefabricated houses can be yoked to a four-wheel-drive and come with solar panels, a rainwater collection system and a composting toilet.PHOTO: BIG TINY

In crowded cities where space is a premium, shoebox apartments are a reality for many people. But what about going further and living in a house that is barely larger than the size of a bedroom?

READ MORE HERE

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