Top stories from The Straits Times on Friday, Oct 25

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Friday, Oct 25.

Over half of mixed-race kids learn Chinese as 2nd language

Mrs Honey Tan-Vreugdewater, 47, and her Dutch-Indonesian husband John Vreugdewater, 57, went with Chinese as a second language for their children Russell, 23, and Charlotte, 10. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

More than half of the children from married mixed-race couples are choosing to learn Chinese as their mother tongue in local schools, according to fresh data from the Ministry of Education (MOE).

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British PM Boris Johnson to seek Dec 12 election to break Brexit deadlock

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seen at the House of Commons in London, Britain Oct 22, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS

Labour said it could back an election only when the risk of Mr Johnson leading Britain out of the European Union without a deal was off the table.

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A journey to death in a container: What we know so far about the 39 Chinese victims found in a truck in UK

Police drive the lorry container along the road from the scene in Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, Britain, on Oct 23, 2019. A total of 39 bodies were discovered inside a lorry container in the early hours of this morning, and pronounced dead at the scene. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

At this stage, there are far more questions than answers in what has become a confounding international case.

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Testing of autonomous vehicles on public roads: Reaction time, speed among worries

The Shared Computer-Operated Transport, a self-driving electric vehicle by Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, being tested at the National University of Singapore's University Town. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

MPs in western Singapore said companies must do more to assure residents about the vehicles' safety features.

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Entrepreneur's out-of-the-box idea for shipping-container hotel in Singapore

Entrepreneur Seah Liang Chiang (above) dreams of having 50 container hotels spread across 20 locations islandwide. The containers are equipped with a toilet, kitchen and dining area TV, sofa, and a bedroom with a queen-size bed. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

The concept is to set up two to five containers in far-flung places in Singapore where there are no permanent built hotels, for about two to three years, and then move on to another destination.

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Court strikes out Aussie casino's $40m claim against high roller

The case involves the largest reported casino debt sum filed in a Singapore court, with Star Entertainment claiming A$43.2 million that Dr Wong Yew Choy purportedly lost at The Star Gold Coast casino in Queensland. PHOTO: THE STAR GOLD COAST/FACEBOOK

The judgment underlines the point that Singapore law does not enforce the recovery of monies won on a wager, other than gambling regulated by statute like the Casino Control Act.

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Will Chongqing party chief and Xi ally Chen Min'er be promoted at major Communist Party meeting?

Speculation is rife that one of the country's rising stars, Chongqing party secretary Chen Min'er, could be propelled into the apex Standing Committee, the nation's top decision-making body. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

The 59-year-old was passed over for promotion at the 19th Party Congress in 2017, and instead settled for a seat in the next most powerful body, the 25-member Politburo.

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NUS, NTU named in top 100 in Reuters' list of world's most innovative universities

The National University of Singapore climbed five spots to rank 58th, while Nanyang Technological University made its first appearance in the list to occupy the 67th position. PHOTOS: ST FILE

NUS climbed five spots to rank 58th, while NTU made its first appearance to occupy the 67th position.

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Jeff Bezos set to lose his crown as world's richest person to Bill Gates

Bezos (above) took the top spot from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in October 2017. PHOTO: AFP

Mr Bezos took the top spot from the Microsoft co-founder in October 2017.

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Man in Tanjong Pagar fight arrested for causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon

Ten people were involved in the fight at Tanjong Pagar Road at around 3am on Oct 18, 2019. PHOTOS: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS READER

Ten people were involved in the fight at Tanjong Pagar Road.

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