Top stories from The Straits Times on Friday, Oct 19

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Friday, Oct 19.


Power-related issue behind Singtel mobile service disruption that hit users islandwide

Customers took to Singtel's Facebook page to complain about service disruptions in areas such as Jurong, Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah, Woodlands, Sengkang and Potong Pasir. PHOTO: ST FILE

Customers took to Singtel's Facebook page to complain about service disruptions in areas such as Jurong, Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah, Woodlands, Sengkang and Potong Pasir.

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AHTC trial: WP chairman Sylvia Lim lied to town councillors, Parliament, court, says Davinder

Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim arriving at the Supreme Court on Oct 18, 2018. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Ms Lim gave the false impression that the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) was forced to upscale a computer system because a software company terminated its contract with AHTC, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh charged.

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Hyflux gets $530m lifeline from Indonesia's Salim, Medco consortium

SM Investments will subscribe for ordinary shares representing 60 per cent of the enlarged issued share capital in Hyflux for $400 million.

The consortium, SM Investments, will own 60 per cent of the company upon completion of the deal.

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Turkish police search forest, coastal city for journalist's remains: Sources

Turkish forensic officers searching for evidence at the garage of Saudi Arabia's Consul-General Mohammad al-Otaibi on Oct 17, 2018 in Istanbul. PHOTO: AFP

Authorities widened the geographic focus of the search after tracking the routes and stops of cars that left the Saudi consulate and the consul's residence on Oct 2, the day Khashoggi was last seen.

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Lower COE prices: Are Singaporeans falling out of love with the car?

Question is, if far fewer people want to own cars, what happens to the COE system? Can it be modified or scrapped? ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

If indeed, young Singaporeans are weaning themselves off cars, they join people in several developed cities around the world.

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Top Trump aides John Kelly and John Bolton get into heated exchange outside Oval Office: Sources

Kelly (right) speaking to Bolton in the Oval Office at the White House on Oct 10, 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS

One source described the argument as a "tense exchange" but said that it had blown over, and that it involved the job performance of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, a former deputy to Mr Kelly.

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There are 183,737 millionaires in Singapore, and 1,000 who are 'crazy rich': Credit Suisse

Financial assets make up 55 per cent of gross household wealth in Singapore, a ratio similar to that of Switzerland, the richest per capita economy. PHOTO: ST FILE

Credit Suisse forecast that the number of millionaires here will grow by 5.5 per cent per annum in the next five years to reach 239,640.

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Doctors reminded to give injured workers the rest they need

Foreign workers rest on a park connector along Geylang River on Oct 12, 2018. ST PHOTO: JASMINE CHOONG

MOM has received feedback that some errant employers influence medical practitioners to downplay the severity of the injuries by issuing fewer number of days of MC or by issuing light duties in lieu of an MC against the interest of the injured worker.

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New property rules: Analysts say ongoing collective sales attempts will be hit hard

Analysts concur that the new rules, coupled with hefty additional buyer's stamp duties charges, will likely result in developers' submitting less aggressive bids for future land tenders. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Unless developers have already bought land and obtained planning approvals, Wednesday's more stringent guidelines requiring them to build fewer and bigger units will likely eat into developers' profit margins.

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Woman robbed and beaten up outside her Punggol flat; 20-year-old man arrested

The Straits Times understands that a neighbour had heard her shouting and arrived to find the victim injured. PHOTOS: ST READER

Only a set of keys were stolen in the incident, which left the middle-aged victim with bruises on her face.

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