What's News: Oct 16, 2017

Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who was a former Umno strongman, is now leading the new opposition Parti Warisan Sabah.
Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who was a former Umno strongman, is now leading the new opposition Parti Warisan Sabah. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

TOP OF THE NEWS

Spike in hospital admissions

Hospital admissions increased by 9 per cent last year compared with 2015, more than double the annual increases of up to 4 per cent seen in the past decade. Attendances at specialist outpatient clinics at public hospitals, and at polyclinics, also recorded significant jumps.


TOP OF THE NEWS

Turning pockets for junction

The Land Transport Authority is painting turning pockets at the junction of Punggol Central and Punggol East Road to remind motorists to pause and look out for pedestrians after an accident on Aug 26. The junction has motorists and pedestrians share the same green time, which some say causes confusion.


WORLD

Sabah's opposition hope

Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Umno's former strongman in Sabah who now leads a new opposition party, is emerging as the champion for Sabahans tired of the federal government and seeking to back an alternative Muslim-based party. It will not be a walk in the park though, as key players in Parti Warisan Sabah face graft probes.


WORLD

Final assault on Raqqa

US-backed militias said they had launched their final assault on Raqqa against some 300 extremists of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) who are mounting a last stand in the group's de facto Syrian capital. Raqqa was the first big Syrian city to fall to ISIS.


OPINION

Trump has a point on Iran

US President Donald Trump's decision on the Iran nuclear deal, taken in defiance of other parties, was badly done. But the deal has serious flaws and more must be done to rein in the threat Iran poses to global security, writes Europe correspondent Jonathan Eyal.


HOME

Teachers redeployed

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said 340 teachers moved this year from junior colleges and secondary schools to primary schools, fuelled by a shrinking student population. These teachers can help bridge the gap between one education level and the next, said MOE.


HOME

Some entering clubs illegally

A Straits Times check with several clubs here has revealed a trend among teenagers of forging entry stamps, tampering with identity cards and misusing another party's identity card to bypass age rules. Police are currently investigating 10 teenagers for forgery.


BUSINESS

Hopes dim on education firms

Education companies have largely fallen out of favour with investors as an investment as their revenues decline and a few have had their profits turned to losses. Their shares were chased up by investors to an all-time high a decade or so ago on the premise that Singapore will become an education hub in Asia. This has not panned out.


SPORT

Federer breezes past Nadal

Swiss legend Roger Federer took his second Shanghai Masters crown yesterday, after breezing to a fifth straight win over his great rival Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-3, in a meeting between the world's top two tennis stars. This was the 36-year-old veteran's sixth title of the season. The Spanish world No. 1, who leads 23-15 in their head-to-head clashes, is still awaiting his first title in the Chinese city.


LIFE

Buildings good enough to eat

A team from local firm DP Architects won the inaugural local edition of The Great Architectural Bake-Off, testing the baking skills of designers and architects, with a creation shaped like the Esplanade. Organised by global architectural firm WATG, it held its first edition in London in 2015.


WEB SPECIAL

Sex abuse in Hollywood

We recap six sexual harassment cases in Hollywood which have led to the suspension and/or firing of powerful male executives. http://str.sg/4CV9

WEB SPECIAL

Chefs opt out

Michelin stars? No, thank you. We look at eight chefs who returned their stars and why. http://str.sg/4C2f

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 16, 2017, with the headline What's News: Oct 16, 2017. Subscribe