Top stories from The Straits Times on Wednesday, Dec 4

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Wednesday, Dec 4.

MOH accepts proposed 'informed consent' guidelines on what doctors need to tell patients for treatments

The proposals include the creation of guidelines on what doctors need to tell patients for the more common procedures, and having a new committee dismiss frivolous complaints so they need not be dealt with by a Complaints Committee. PHOTO: UNSPLASH

Recommendations include dealing with complaints made against doctors within 18 months.

READ MORE HERE

House Democrats' impeachment report accuses Trump of abusing power

US President Donald Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused Democrats of using the impeachment process to overturn the results of the 2016 presidential election. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

The 300-page report by the Democratic-led House of Representatives Intelligence Committee will form the basis of any formal impeachment charges against Trump.

READ MORE HERE

Pisa: No. 2 in academics is OK but Singapore should aim to top student well-being

Singapore students had higher scores than the OECD average in higher-order reading processes like evaluating content, assessing credibility and differentiating between fact and opinion.
Singapore students had higher scores than the OECD average in higher-order reading processes like evaluating content, assessing credibility and differentiating between fact and opinion. ST PHOTO: JASMINE CHOONG

For one, the responses of students to the questions on anxiety and stress needs to be carefully studied, says Sandra Davie.

READ MORE HERE

Sasa's shop staff say management has yet to inform them of its move to quit Singapore; closure surprises customers

The Hong Kong cosmetics retailer had announced on Dec 2, 2019, that it would shut down all 22 outlets in Singapore. ST PHOTO: JEREMY KWAN

Meanwhile, the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union has contacted some of the staff who are general branch members of the union.

READ MORE HERE

Pisa 2018: Students from lower-income homes in Singapore do better than students overseas

Some 6,300 students from all 153 public secondary schools and 376 students from 13 private schools were randomly selected to take part. PHOTO: ST FILE

The study also measured three types of academic resilience among such students.

READ MORE HERE

Manila reopens airport as typhoon that killed 3 and displaced 500,000 heads seawards

Villagers work among damaged houses in the aftermath of Typhoon Kammuri in Legazpi, the Philippines, on Dec 3, 2019. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

The storm is forecast to leave Philippine waters and head to the South China Sea on Thursday.

READ MORE HERE

Fake bitcoin website strikes again - this time quoting Tharman

The fake website uses made-up quotes from Monetary Authority of Singapore chairman Tharman Shanmugaratnam. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE MONETARY AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE

The fake webpage, which pretends to be a news page from a local media organisation, asks for payments into a bitcoin trading scheme.

READ MORE HERE

Black Friday a bright spark for brick-and-mortar stores in Singapore

Over at Robinsons The Heeren, shoppers started queueing as early as 4am on Nov 28, 2019, more than 24 hours before the sale kicked off. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

With discounts as high as 90 per cent, the sale this year attracted eager shoppers and bargain hunters who were even up for queueing overnight.

READ MORE HERE

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon: Organiser pleased with overall response to night race but says it 'can do better'

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon organiser Ironman Asia said the overall response from stakeholders to the race's first evening flag-off has been positive. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

The annual event received flak from those affected by road closures in the downtown city area.

READ MORE HERE

SEA Games: Young Lions eliminated, with 1-0 defeat by Vietnam extending their goal drought to four games

Singapore's Jacob Mahler during the SEA Games match against Vietnam, on Dec 3, 2019. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

With just one game left, Singapore are fifth in their six-team group, with one point from four matches.

READ MORE HERE

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