Top stories from The Straits Times on Saturday, Oct 26

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, Oct 26.

Strong sales, prices point to stabilising property market

Private home prices also rose in tandem, climbing 1.3 per cent in the third quarter of this year, compared with the previous three months. PHOTO: ST FILE

Q3 figures show private housing market has come to terms with property curbs, say experts.

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Vietnamese may be among UK truck dead as police make three more arrests

British Police forensics officers work on a lorry, found to be containing 39 dead bodies, at Waterglade Industrial Park in London, on Oct 23, 2019. PHOTO: AFP

Police investigating the deaths of 39 people in a truck near London said they had arrested three more suspects amid signs that some of the dead may be Vietnamese.

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Harsher penalties for irresponsible motorists from November; driving bans take effect second half of 2020

In a photo taken on Oct 23, a Traffic Police officer uses a lasercam to monitor speeds on the SLE during a covert enforcement ops against errant drivers. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Penalties that result in motorists' licences being suspended or revoked will take effect in the second half of next year.

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Quick-thinking duo who put themselves at risk to help others nominated for ST Singaporean of the Year

The first pair of shortlisted candidates are food delivery rider Muhammad Riau Alfian (left), who rescued an elderly man trapped in a truck that had flipped on its side in Jurong, and education consultant Chalmers Chin, who stopped an unconscious cabby's taxi by cutting across and letting it hit his own car along the PIE. ST PHOTOS: ONG WEE JIN, GAVIN FOO

To nominate someone or find out more about The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award, go to str.sg/soty19nominate.

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Microsoft wins US$10 billion Pentagon cloud contract, beating Amazon

Microsoft shares rose 0.6 per cent to $140.73 at Friday's close. PHOTO: REUTERS

The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud contract is part of a broader digital modernisation of the Pentagon meant to make it more technologically agile.

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Parts of Subang Air Traffic Control's ceiling collapse, causing flight delays

A video showed parts of a ceiling falling on top of a worker in a room with computer terminals, with rainwater pouring into the area. VIDEO: ST READER

Malaysia Airports updated its Facebook page later to say that operations were back to normal as of 8.35pm on Friday.

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Seven good habits for Singapore bosses to emulate

ST ILLUSTRATION : MANNY FRANCISCO

Employee engagement in Singapore is weak. To do better, bosses can adopt positive habits to treat workers better, show care.

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Malaysia's Queen tweets about her sambal diplomacy with late Lee Kuan Yew

Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin (right) and Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Iskandar leave for Kuala Lumpur after being in Tokyo to attend the enthronement of Japanese Emperor Naruhito on Oct 22, 2019. PHOTO: BERNAMA

She uploaded a letter of appeciation from the late Singapore leader for her spicy gift.

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Birds sounding early alarm on climate change

A seabird colony in the Philippines Tubbataha Reefs, where Bird Islet has lost nearly a fifth of its area to coastal erosion, putting its large colonies of boobies and terns at risk. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LEE TIAK

Their decline is stern warning of earth's deteriorating life support systems.

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Netball: Singapore book M1 Nations Cup final spot against Namibia with 57-47 win over Papua New Guinea

Singapore's Toh Kai Wei and Papua New Guinea's Courtney Abel leap for the ball. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

The last time Singapore made it into the Nations Cup final was in 2014, where they lost 50-41 to Samoa.

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