Evening Update: Today's headlines from The Straits Times on Dec 18

Good evening! Catch up on some of the main headlines on Wednesday, Dec 18.


US House of Representatives to hold debate for 6 hours before voting on Trump impeachment

The House Rules Committee has scheduled six hours of House floor debate before members will vote on the two articles to impeach United States President Donald Trump. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

The adoption of the measures would make Trump the third president in US history to be impeached and would set up a Senate trial in January.

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Mystery investor offers to buy out $1.8b of Hyflux's debts to noteholders, unsecured creditors

According to the invitation notice sent to Hyflux, Aqua Munda has estimated that these debts together come up to about $1.8 billion. PHOTO: ST FILE

The company, named Aqua Munda, made its offer to holders of Hyflux's 4.25 per cent notes due in 2018, its 4.6 per cent notes and 4.2 per cent notes due in 2019, as well as to the unsecured creditors and three of the company's subsidiaries.

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NTU student jailed for taking upskirt videos at MRT stations, on campus

Student Chong Yen Bin took videos of women by positioning the camera of his smartphone below their shorts or skirts to capture glimpses of their bare buttocks. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER

Third-year student Chong Yen Bin took videos to capture glimpses of women's bare buttocks - which he said he was "addicted" to seeing.

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Tower Transit disciplines bus driver caught on camera running red light in Telok Blangah Road

The incident was caught on video by the dashboard camera of a car driving behind the bus and uploaded onto social media. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM NORMAN CHENG/FACEBOOK

In a dashcam video, the 97 double-deck bus is seen speeding up and swerving into the right lane without signalling to overtake a taxi in front of it which had stopped for the red light.

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Man was flying drone without permit when it landed on LRT tracks and was hit by a train

Full-time national serviceman Homen Wong pleaded guilty to operating the drone in a manner that could endanger the safety of persons and property. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Fortunately, the incident on Feb 8 last year did not cause any damage to the train and services were not disrupted.

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Indonesia arrests 6 foreigners, including Singaporean, for trying to smuggle drugs

Indonesian custom officers escort foreign suspects, including a Singaporean woman, for drug smuggling charges in Bali, Indonesia, on Dec 18, 2019. PHOTO: AP

The Singaporean woman was captured on Nov 14 after an immigration officer found a small plastic with 0.35g of cocaine inside her passport, a customs spokesman said.

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Singapore private home prices to rise by about 2% in 2020 and 2021: Fitch Ratings

Prices rebounded slightly in the second quarter of 2019, and Fitch Ratings projects minor growth for the rest of this year. PHOTO: ST FILE

The agency said improving borrower affordability, as household incomes grow faster than home prices, and lower interest rates will contribute to rising home prices.

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COE prices tumble the week before Christmas

Certificate of entitlement prices ended lower across the board in the last tender of the year on Dec 18, 2019. PHOTO: ST FILE

The gap between the premiums for Category A and B is now less than $4,000 - down from the usual $10,000 or more.

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J.J. Abrams: Saga finale Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker will have 'surprises and some shocks'

The Rise Of Skywalker will see the plucky band of resistance fighters once again try to defeat the sinister military dictatorship known as the First Order. PHOTO: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES

Abrams reveals it will be a conclusion to all nine Star Wars films in the George Lucas-created space opera - from the original trilogy, to the prequels and to the trio of sequels launched in 2015.

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ST year-end round-up: 10 of our best interactive graphics for 2019

An immersive guide to the Istana, a data-driven look at the colourful history of Singapore's street names and an interactive quiz on artificial intelligence were among the interactive graphics produced by ST in 2019.

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