Top stories from The Straits Times on Thursday, June 20

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Thursday, June 20.

Singapore tops in life expectancy at 84.8 years

The average Singaporean enjoys the longest span of living in good health - 74.2 years. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

Average Singaporean enjoys longest span of good health, but years spent in poor health also up.

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Unauthorised drones around Changi Airport delay 37 flights, affects operations of one runway

Changi Airport continued to operate with one of its two runways, while operations on the other were suspended. PHOTO: ST FILE

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said the operations of one runway were suspended for short periods of time between 11pm on June 18 and 9am on June 19.

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Xi Jinping's Pyongyang visit may help revive denuclearisation talks

Commuters in a Pyongyang subway station, ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit today to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and North Korea. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Commuters in a Pyongyang subway station, ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit today to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and North Korea. PHOTO: AFP

The Korean peninsula and North Korea's denuclearisation progress are expected to figure large during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to North Korea on Thursday, Chinese experts said.

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Singapore Airlines beaten to world's best airline award by Qatar Airways

While Singapore Airlines missed out on being named best airline, it won several key awards including best cabin crew, best first class, best airline in Asia, and best first-class seat. PHOTO: ST FILE

While SIA missed out on being named best airline, it won several key awards including best cabin crew, best first class, best airline in Asia, and best first-class seat.

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Singapore teachers work fewer hours than before, but teach more: Global survey

Teachers here spent most of their time on actual teaching, reporting 18 hours per week, but also reported a drop in the time spent on administrative work. PHOTO: ST FILE

They still clock longer hours on average than many elsewhere, OECD survey shows.

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175 households served legal notices for not allowing NEA's dengue checks

A house in Lorong Pisang Emas, a neighbourhood identified as a dengue cluster previously, that appears to have been left vacant. It was one of at least six vacant houses seen in the estate yesterday - some of which had overgrown weeds and empty flowe
A house in Lorong Pisang Emas, a neighbourhood identified as a dengue cluster previously, that appears to have been left vacant. It was one of at least six vacant houses seen in the estate yesterday - some of which had overgrown weeds and empty flower pots. It is unclear if legal notices had been sent to these houses. ST PHOTO: VANESSA LIU

At least 175 households were served with legal notices for failing to allow National Environment Agency (NEA) officers into their homes for dengue-related inspection purposes between 2017 and May this year.

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Three Russians, one Ukrainian to face charges over 2014 downing of flight MH17

The Dutch-led international team tasked with assigning criminal responsibility for the plane's destruction named the four suspects as Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

The suspects are likely to be tried in absentia, however, as the Netherlands has said Russia has not cooperated with the investigation.

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Gojek steps up fraud prevention measures to clamp down on 'middlemen'

At least two dozen "middlemen" have been approaching passengers in a private chat on Telegram, offering fares up to 75 per cent cheaper than those stated on the official Gojek app. PHOTO: ST FILE

The ride-hailing firm said that police have been investigating the issue since a report was made last month.

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Hong Kong protesters threaten more unrest if leader Carrie Lam ignores their demands

Asked if the group would join in the "escalation" and "civil disobedience" threatened by students, Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) convenor Jimmy Sham (left) replied that CHRF would need to find out more before making any commitments. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Students protesting against Hong Kong's extradition Bill have threatened civil disobedience and a siege of government offices if Mrs Lam does not respond to their demands by 5pm on Thursday.

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Swimming: Joseph Schooling is disqualified for first time in his career after false start in 50m butterfly final

Joseph Schooling committing a false start during the men's 50m butterfly final of the 15th Singapore National Swimming Championships at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on June 19, 2019. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Too excited for the race was how Schooling jokingly described his surprise disqualification at the Neo Garden Singapore National Swimming Championship.

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