Why It Matters

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 signing of a military logistics pact during US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to New Delhi shows that India is open to greater military engagement with the United States, in the wake of China's growing presence in its neighbourhood. The pact will give India's military greater reach, said India bureau chief Nirmala Ganapathy. http://str.sg/4ctm


More companies, faced with manpower shortages, are seeing the benefits of keeping their older workers on for longer. While redesigning jobs for these workers, employers should consider placing them as mentors to younger colleagues, said manpower reporter Olivia Ho. Older workers, meanwhile, must earn their place at the table like any other employee. http://str.sg/4cRx


What's up with WhatsApp's recent change to its privacy policy, asked Tech editor Irene Tham. The move, which allowed the chat app to start sharing user data with parent Facebook, raised questions on whether it has done enough to seek consumers' explicit consent. http://str.sg/4c2d


Planning to study law? If you are lured by financial motives, you may want to look elsewhere, said senior law correspondent K.C. Vijayan, pointing to an oversupply of law graduates in Singapore. Calling for this problem to be addressed at source, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon had suggested that those who choose to study law should examine their reasons for doing so. http://str.sg/4c7h


Game changer or double trouble? Moves by the Singapore Exchange to allow dual-class shares are dividing the investing community, business correspondent Grace Leong wrote. Advocates say the change can help invigorate the initial public offering market. Some, however, fear that Singapore may end up attracting questionable firms. http://str.sg/4cjW

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 03, 2016, with the headline Why It Matters. Subscribe