Top stories from The Straits Times on Thursday, April 19

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kickstart your Thursday, April 19.


O-level exam cheating case: Student received help from tutors for 5 papers

Fiona Poh Min (left) and Feng Riwen allegedly worked out the answers and read them out to the students. ST PHOTOS: WONG KWAI CHOW

The answers were read to Chinese student Zhou Zice through a small earphone. His cheating went undetected but another Chinese student was caught.

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Helping Kai Kai and Jia Jia become Papa and Mama

Panda Jia Jia is ready to be taken back to her enclosure after the artificial insemination. ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN

It is notoriously difficult to get pandas in captivity to conceive, but the Singapore Zoo is hoping that - with a little help from science - it will be fourth time lucky.

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Hwa Chong teachers won't have to pay for parking from own pockets

The Singapore Chinese High School - the parent company of HCI - owns 29ha in Bukit Timah Road, where private institutions such as its international school and its alumni association are also sited. The case sets a precedent for other schools that own part of or all of their land, said one property expert. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

The school, which owns its own land and directly hires most of its teachers, has reached a compromise with MOE on whether its teachers have to pay parking fees.

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Tight foreign manpower policies to stay for now: Heng Swee Keat

Mr Heng Swee Keat stressed the importance of continuing to develop Singaporeans, adding that "a well-calibrated inflow of foreign manpower" can complement the workforce. ST PHOTO: YEN MENG JIN

While the Government is sticking to its stance in the short term to signal the importance of raising productivity, Mr Heng said there is room for review in the longer term.

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Wider 4G coverage in Malaysia paves way for a 'WhatsApp election'

Malaysia topped 36 countries in the use of WhatsApp as a news channel, said the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2017. The messaging app has drawn many users, including older Malaysians who have smartphones but do not consider themselves to be Internet-literate. Greater mobile broadband coverage has also opened up previously impenetrable areas, bringing them into play. PHOTO: REUTERS

Across the country, mobile broadband coverage has expanded from urban centres to practically everywhere, enabling voters to download their daily diet of political fare.

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Donald Trump hails 'great' CIA chief talks with Kim Jong Un, boosting summit odds

PHOTO: NYTIMES

"He just left North Korea. Had a great meeting with Kim Jong Un, and got along with him really well, really great," Mr Trump said of CIA chief Mike Pompeo.

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New York nanny convicted in stabbing deaths of 2 young children

Yoselyn Ortega during the second day of her murder trial in New York, March 2, 2018. PHOTO: NYTIMES

A jury unanimously rejected the insanity defense of Yoselyn Ortega, whose lawyer said she hallucinated a devil's order "to kill the children and herself".

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Yong tau foo shop goes to court to stop Mr Bean from using its trade secrets

Super Bean operates the Mr Bean chain while Bean United was set up by the company which owns the Mr Bean chain to facilitate the joint venture. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

The ingredients and cooking methods are at the heart of a legal food fight between a Tiong Bahru yong tau foo food shop and operators of the Mr Bean chain.

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Get set for wonton mee wars as two Eng's open doors from each other in Tanjong Katong

The new Eng's Char Siew Wantan Mee, still unopened, just down the road from Eng's Wantan Noodle at 287 Tanjong Katong Road. ST PHOTO: JOSE HONG

A business feud that got too hot to handle is allegedly the reason that two eateries bearing the famed Eng wonton noodle name will soon face off.

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Football: VAR incidents to be shown on stadium screens at World Cup

The International Football Association Board approved the use of the VAR system in March and Fifa confirmed that it would be used at the World Cup. PHOTO: REUTERS

Spectators at World Cup matches will be able to see replays of incidents which are reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR) on the stadium screen once a decision has been made, Fifa said on Wednesday.

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