What's News: Feb 8, 2016

As Singapore goes on a drive to become a Smart Nation, it faces a massive shortage of infocomm technology talent. With 15,000 IT vacancies unfilled in 2014 and more openings on the cards in areas such as data analytics, Singapore could be short of nearly 30,000 IT professionals by next year.

An investigation has been launched into the collapse of a 16-storey building in Taiwan following an earthquake as rescuers raced against time to free more than 100 people buried beneath the rubble. Tainan's mayor said survivors have alleged that there were legal "violations" at the building.

China is emerging as a leading player in the drone business, in what is seen as a potential threat to American superiority in the technology. It has been supplying drones to both state and non-state actors globally, including in conflict zones in Iraq and Syria. The drones are resetting the terms of global competition and altering the rules of the game for many conflicts, such as in the South China Sea.

The journey of one of the "Jakarta Four" terrorists from a small-town boy into a killer for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria shows that the war on terror in Indonesia cannot just be fought in urban centres. Outsiders are radicalising youths in the country's villages by capitalising on poverty and the lack of job opportunities to propagate their extremist ideology.

Five years after the Arab Spring, Israel's bid to live in splendid isolation no longer seems viable. Its challenges include a Russia-backed Syrian government, a growing Hizbollah threat and the longer reach of ISIS that likely extends to Israel's Palestinian population, writes Jonathan Eyal.

Two "smart" bins that can store eight times more rubbish than a normal bin are being tested at the Hong Kah North Community Club in Bukit Batok. The bins can send an alert via e-mail or SMS when they are full.

Some 150 elderly residents of Bukit Merah View were treated to a nine-course meal featuring dishes like herbal chicken and prawns on Chinese New Year Eve yesterday. The annual festive lunch was started seven years ago.

For a long time, bank deposit interest rates were so low that many customers barely considered parking much money in a bank.

But after the US Federal Reserve lifted its benchmark rate from historic lows, fixed deposit rates here are inching up towards 2 per cent - a far more enticing figure.

First, it was Leicester who went from surprise packages to title contenders to title favourites.

Now the English Premier League leaders have been joined by perennial underachievers Tottenham, who are five points back. And after their sixth straight win, Mauricio Pochettino believes his side can win the top-flight title for the first time since 1961.

A machine that can make five cups of pourover coffee simultaneously promises coffee drinkers here an aromatic cuppa in a shorter time. Coffee roaster and wholesaler Liberty Coffee in Mactaggart Road is the first to bring the $20,000 machine from the United States to Singapore.

A new play by Singapore playwright-director Goh Boon Teck looks at the struggles gay people in Singapore face, from seeking acceptance to reconciling religion and homosexuality. The play, titled Grind, will run for nine days from March to April. It has received an R18 rating from the authorities for mature content.