Top stories from The Straits Times on Tuesday, Jan 8

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Tuesday, Jan 8.


A Singapore Police Coast Guard vessel (centre) passes a Malaysian government vessel (left) in the waters between Singapore and Malaysia on Dec 6, 2018. PHOTO: ST FILE

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will meet his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Singapore today to discuss recent bilateral disputes.

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A woman who is understood to be Platinium Dogs Club's owner at the pet boarding house site on Jan 3, 2019. PHOTO: ST FILE

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and National Development Sun Xueling said in a Facebook post on Monday said that the operator is assisting with AVA's investigations on alleged animal welfare offences.

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Only six of the nine Sultans were present at the meeting at the Istana Negara on Monday (Jan 7). PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Malaysia's Conference of Rulers will meet in about two weeks' time to elect the country's new constitutional monarch and his deputy after the King, Sultan Muhammad V, stepped down on Sunday in an unprecedented move.

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The Ministry of Health said that the Government will operate the ElderShield scheme on a not-for-profit basis. With the change, the ministry said ElderShield policyholders will be able to make the switch to CareShield Life more smoothly. PHOTO: ST FILE

The Government will run ElderShield from 2021 after reaching an agreement with Aviva, Great Eastern and NTUC Income, the private insurers currently administering the insurance scheme for people with severe disabilities.

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The TMJC flag and state flag being raised. Students will get to shape the college's new culture, with the school song yet to be written. Tampines Meridian Junior College students watching as the old flags of Tampines JC and Meridian JC were lowered o
Tampines Meridian Junior College students watching as the old flags of Tampines JC and Meridian JC were lowered on the first day of school yesterday. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

The first day of school can be filled with a spectrum of emotions, from apprehension to anticipation.

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A strong resilient people with the right values and sense of community may be a better bet for the future than one overly dependent on good leaders, given the stage of Singapore's development, says the writer. Leaders can come and go, but if a people
A strong resilient people with the right values and sense of community may be a better bet for the future than one overly dependent on good leaders, given the stage of Singapore's development, says the writer. Leaders can come and go, but if a people develop the instincts for survival, the benefits will be longer lasting, he adds. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Will Singaporeans be given space and freedom to be exceptional?

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Mr Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, speaks at the Milken Institute 21st Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, US, on May 1, 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announced Monday he would step down next month, more than three years before his current term was due to expire.

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Mr Zhu Rai Mi took three videos - two showing the bugs crawling on the benches and one in which security guards were examining the benches. PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM YOUTUBE

Raffles Hospital has removed benches from the public area of its premises after a passer-by was bitten by bugs on Friday.

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(From left) Cellist Wang Zihao, violinist Chikako Sasaki and trumpeter Lau Wen Rong will be performing as part of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra at its 40th anniversary gala concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Jan 18, 2019. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

As the home-grown orchestra celebrates its remarkable achievements, music lovers say it can do more to expand its repertoire and support Singaporean composers.

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Mr David VanderWaal (left), LG US' senior vice-president of marketing, and Mr Tim Alessi, LG US' senior director of home entertainment product marketing, showing off the Signature Oled TV R rollable TV during a press conference at Las Vegas on Jan 7, 2019. ST PHOTO: TREVOR TAN

The rollable TV called Signature Oled TV R looks like a huge sound bar that has the TV rolled out on its top. It offers users three modes - Full View, Line View and Zero View.

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