What's News: August 24, 2016

What's News

TOP OF THE NEWS

Tributes to S R Nathan

Singaporeans of all ages and walks of life streamed to the Istana yesterday to pen their memories and tributes to Singapore's sixth and longest-serving president, Mr S R Nathan. Friends and family members also paid their last respects at his private wake at his home.

TOP OF THE NEWS

Negative inflation again

Cheaper cars, lower utility bills and steep Great Singapore Sale discounts resulted in yet another negative inflation reading in July, with overall consumer prices falling 0.7 per cent last month from a year earlier. However, core inflation ticked up 1 per cent.

PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

WORLD

Shanghai's ambitious plans

Shanghai will become more liveable even as it aims to be one of the world's leading economic, innovation and cultural centres by 2040, according to a draft master plan. It will expand its capacity in sea, air and land transport, while leaving very little room for population growth.

WORLD

Security stepped up in Bali

The Indonesian authorities have tightened security in Bali, a police official said, after reports at the weekend of a suspected militant plot to attack the resort island. In 2002, a nightclub bombing on the island killed 202 people.

OPINION

US Congress must pass TPP

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is right - the US Congress must pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Not doing so deals a blow to US credibility. If the United States bows out of the region, China, the European Union and Australia will step in, say Steven Okun and Deborah Elms.

HOME

Singapore still a liveable city

Singapore is still among the world's more liveable cities, even though it ranked just 46th out of 140 cities and its score has stagnated since 2011. It scored 88.7 out of 100 in the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Liveability Ranking.

HOME

SAF disposes of war relic

A bomb uncovered last month in sand sent from Vietnam to Singapore was disposed of last Saturday. Singapore Armed Forces bomb experts transported the 2m-long, 227kg war relic from a sand barge to the southern island of Pulau Senang - a military live-firing area - and detonated it there.

BUSINESS

SGX refines watch-list rules

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has proposed changes to its minimum trading price rules that will allow companies with larger market capitalisation to stay off the watch list even when their shares fall below the 20-cent threshold. The SGX yesterday added an extra criterion.

Lochte falsely claimed that he and three teammates had been held up by armed robbers at a petrol station in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

SPORT

Sponsors flee, but Lochte says he will swim on

Despite being dropped by all four of his sponsors, controversial US swimmer Ryan Lochte said he will keep swimming. The 12-time Olympic medallist claimed he will continue, even if sanctioned by the US Olympic Committee for his lack of honesty. "We are human, we learn from our mistakes," he said.

PHOTO: TIFFANY GOH FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

LIFE

S'pore rapper finds his voice

Singapore rapper The Lion City Boy has finally released his first full-length work, Paradise, in which he uses local lingo such as "yaya" (proud) or "start already" liberally, and references local events like the City Harvest case. A song on the album is titled HRLY (Harry Lee), after founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 24, 2016, with the headline What's News: August 24, 2016. Subscribe