1 Asia needs partners

Asia's growing importance in the world economy should not be a cause for concern as the region will need partners and access to global markets in order to prosper, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at a dialogue with 250 Mexican business leaders on Tuesday during his visit to Mexico.

2 Big push into food research

The upcoming Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation will look into areas such as alternative proteins to meats and even the way food is grown, tastes or is absorbed by the body. It is tipped to play a key role in food and nutrition here.

3 Engineer pleads guilty

The engineer who prepared the plans of the building works for the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) viaduct that collapsed in July 2017 pleaded guilty yesterday to three of five charges. Arianto Tjandra failed to guide his team or check the designs.

4 Rajapaksa's brother is PM

Newly elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday named his brother Mahinda as prime minister, cementing the grip on power of a clan credited with crushing the separatist militant Tamil Tigers a decade ago.

5 SingPost's challenge

A surge in postal volume during the festive season will coincide with Singapore Post's (SingPost) plans to streamline deliveries. But in the longer term, investments in postal infrastructure upgrades are needed, says journalist Tiffany Fumiko Tay.

6 Coroner's advice to SCDF

The State Coroner has recommended that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) implement ways to better deal with mental health issues among its servicemen. This comes after a coroner's inquiry into the death of an SCDF full-time national serviceman who committed suicide in April last year. He had exhibited signs of depression.

7 Judge clears air on ruling

The judge who sentenced a National University of Singapore student to 21 months' probation for molesting a woman on an MRT station escalator has made clear that probation should not be seen as a "soft option". Many netizens had questioned the adequacy of the sentence.

8 EU-S'pore FTA now in effect

The landmark trade agreement between the European Union and Singapore, which removes nearly all Customs duties between the two jurisdictions, comes into force today. This comes almost a decade since negotiations began.

9 Ace paddler in S'pore

Teenage Chinese Taipei table tennis sensation Lin Yun-ju is among the favourites for the T2 Diamond Singapore event starting today - after a superb season in which he beat two top Chinese paddlers to win the T2 Diamond Malaysia in July and his first Tour title at the Czech Open the following month.