ST Explainers: US polls, good eats, pay and play

International headlines in the past fortnight were dominated by the US presidential race, with the televised debates between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton fuelling plenty of social media chatter as well as ST Explainers.

On the home front, singer Nathan Hartono's stellar performance in the reality TV show Sing! China stirred up fan fervour, while the humble parking coupon got some airtime from STTV as new parking coupons went on sale on Wednesday.


Highlights of US election debates

Compared to Round 1 of the debate between presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the United States vice-presidential debate seemed positively tepid.

But Democratic senator Tim Kaine and Republican governor Mike Pence gave it their best shot and you can read a round-up of their best quotes at http://str.sg/4xJa.

Round 2 of the presidential debate was a tad more sedate than the first one. If you missed it, watch our round-up of eight key moments (http://str.sg/4x7A) and read our fact-check of the session (http://str.sg/4x7M).


Innovative ways to pay bills

Early this month, Mastercard introduced a new way of paying with a selfie or fingerprint.

There are plenty more ways to pay your bills nowadays, beyond using cold hard cash or plastic cards.

We look at the methods, from using your phone to voice identification. http://str.sg/4x37


Tastes of Singapore abroad

Singapore brand Bee Cheng Hiang has opened an outlet selling its famous barbecued pork in Ginza, Tokyo.

The chain is not the only food-and-beverage success story that has gone international.

We look at six home-grown F&B brands that are taking Singapore favourites to the rest of the world. http://str.sg/4x7F


Fun facts about Nobel awards

The winners of the prestigious Nobel Prize awards were announced in the past week.

Discover the history and quirky facts about the awards in our listicle. http://str.sg/4xkN


Knuckle-dusters and other weapons

A man was charged with having knuckle-dusters without permission.

The item is considered a weapon in Singapore.

We look at what other devices are banned and/or restricted in Singapore under the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act. http://str.sg/4NaY


Sony's game-changer

Sony has launched its PlayStation VR headset.

The company is hoping to take virtual reality mainstream with its latest gaming gadget.

Find out what it is all about with our explainer. http://str.sg/4xzx

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 15, 2016, with the headline ST Explainers: US polls, good eats, pay and play. Subscribe