Every day on Page 2 of The Straits Times, reporters write about why certain news reports matter to readers.This is a weekly round-up of the columns.
The Ministry of Manpower's figures on employment released on Thursday are not as rosy as might first appear, said Manpower Correspondent Toh Yong Chuan. He cited the fact that the proportion of vacancies in PMET posts is less than the proportion of Singaporeans employed in them. He also noted that PMET vacancies are shrinking. Read more of his analysis at http://str.sg/Z9Sv
British Prime Minister David Cameron is due to tour European Union capitals in an effort to persuade leaders to approve concessions to keep Britain in the EU. But while the continent may resent British demands, Europe Correspondent Jonathan Eyal said it is likely to concede as Britain's membership in the EU is critical to the alliance's survival. Read more at http://str.sg/Z9Jd
Senior Transport Correspondent Christopher Tan noticed that the word "car-lite" has been bandied about a lot in the past 14 months. He pointed out that despite one of the lowest car ownership figures in the world, the percentage of land used for roads here is among the highest. He concluded that in order to be car-lite, Singapore also has to be "road-lite" and "parking-lite". http://str.sg/Z9kG
The tiny agricultural state of Iowa is America's political bellwether in the long-drawn process of picking party nominees for the presidential race. US Bureau Chief Jeremy Au Yong said the choices for voters are stark this year, with both the Republican and Democratic parties offering the choice between an insider and an outsider. http://str.sg/ZjHa
Indochina Bureau Chief Nirmal Ghosh noted that Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) faced its first real test when Myanmar's first democratic Parliament convened in Naypyitaw on Monday. Besides the anomaly that NLD leader Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency, the party also has to manage ethnic strife in the country and the military's power. http://str.sg/Zjai
