What's News: July 24, 2018

A new United Nations treaty on mediation is to be named after Singapore. Called the Singapore Convention on Mediation, it will improve cross-border trade by making it easier to enforce the outcomes of such agreements. Experts say the move will boost the country's status as an international dispute resolution hub.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority has commissioned a more detailed survey of Singaporeans' views on short-term accommodation, after a public consultation earlier this year yielded mixed results. Currently, stays in private homes have to be for at least three months.

Malaysia's two-month-old Cabinet plans to ask the Attorney-General's Office to look into what laws need to be amended to reduce the voting age in the country to 18 before the next elections due in 2023. Lowering the voting age from 21 would add an additional 3.7 million voters, an increase of about 25 per cent from the last election in May.

A gunman shot dead at least two people and injured 12 others in a shooting in Toronto on Sunday. The motive is not yet known and terrorism has not been ruled out. The suspect also died, but it was not clear whether he was killed by the police or committed suicide.

Openness to talent is vital to Singapore's ambition to become a Smart Nation. That requires a more holistic view of immigration that recognises a shared patriotism between local and imported talent, says Dr Parag Khanna of strategic advisory firm FutureMap.

After getting progressively older in the last decade or so, Singapore's car population seems to have stopped greying. According to Land Transport Authority figures, just over half the cars here are below five years old - up from less than a quarter four years ago.

Four days after announcing changes to its rewards scheme, ride-hailing firm Grab has postponed one of them to Oct 1. This change would make members across all tiers of membership pay the same number of points for ride rewards.

Singtel and Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson are planning a 5G pilot network at one-north to test drone and autonomous vehicle services.

The pilot network is slated for launch by the fourth quarter of this year.

Francesco Molinari's first taste of big-stakes golf was caddying for his older brother at the Masters - but that was 12 years ago. On Sunday, he became the first Italian Major golf champion when he won The Open, outplaying a field that included defending champion Jordan Spieth, a resurgent Tiger Woods and the leading European players of Molinari's generation: Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy.

The Aliwal Arts Night Crawl is back for its sixth edition on Saturday, showcasing artists and arts groups housed at the Aliwal Arts Centre and paying tribute to Kampong Glam's heritage. It also includes a visit to the only surviving basket and rattan shop in the area.

The power couple behind JobsCentral are adding buzz to Singapore's angel investing scene by training almost 200 angels. http://str.sg/oAmB

In Lunch With Sumiko, meet Lucence Diagnostics founder and medical oncologist Tan Min-Han, who talks about better diagnostics for cancer patients. http://str.sg/oAmF