TOP OF THE NEWS
Poor infection control led to the outbreak of hepatitis C in two wards at the Singapore General Hospital this year. An independent review committee also found that SGH was tardy in recognising the outbreak, incomplete in its investigations, and took too long to report it to the authorities.
TOP OF THE NEWS
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak kicked off Umno's annual congress yesterday by addressing the two controversies that have been dogging him. Trying to clear the air around a scandal involving a RM2.6 billion (S$850 million) donation, he said the money came without strings attached. He also asserted that the debt crisis at 1Malaysia Development Berhad was being resolved.
WORLD
Singapore is hosting US P-8 Poseidon spy planes at Paya Lebar Air Base for the first time, with the deployment set to last one week. The announcement came as visiting Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter signed an enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement.
WORLD
A new report by a consulting firm estimates that between 27,000 and 31,000 people from at least 86 countries have travelled to Syria or Iraq to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). An estimated 2,778 ISIS recruits have returned home, raising the spectre of them carrying out terror attacks at home.
OPINION
The Asean Economic Community will give banks a boost by opening up the 600 million-strong regional market. Experts say competition will benefit consumers, such as rural folk who are underserved. For companies, banking services can "follow" them as they expand in the region, says Assistant Business Editor Yasmine Yahya.
HOME
ITE, poly tuition fees going up
Tuition fees at polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) have been raised for the next academic year by between 1.2 per cent and about 8 per cent. A spokesman said the fees are "adjusted if necessary to meet the rising cost of quality education".
HOME
Three sisters have decided to give up their battle to claim their late grandmother's Central Provident Fund savings. Property agent Chan Jee May said that she and her siblings face "many hurdles", such as lacking the documents to prove that they are the next of kin. They have called for the claims procedure to be made "more flexible".
BUSINESS
The property resale market has started to show signs of life again, with latest figures showing buyers returning to the negotiating table. There were 5,510 private property resales in the first 11 months of this year, up 20.8 per cent from last year. Public housing resales are up too, with about 19,000 transactions expected for the whole year, or a 10 per cent hike from last year.
SPORT
NBA star to pocket at least $560m in lifetime deal with Nike
LeBron James will Just Do It for the rest of his basketball career - and beyond. Sports goods giant Nike has signed the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player to an unprecedented lifetime contract estimated at between US$400 million (S$563 million) and US$500 million.
LIFE
It is business as usual for now at the seven-month-old Singapore outpost of private museum Pinacotheque de Paris. Its French counterpart has gone into receivership due to high rents and flagging attendance.
