Top stories from The Straits Times on Sunday, Oct 21

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Oct 21.

Does it pay to have 24-hour hawker centres?

2.50am Hawker centre workers resting in the quiet night. There are now 16 stalls open 24 hours a day out of 42, down from 36 in 2016.ST PHOTO: KHALID BABA

It is 3am at Hawker Centre @ Our Tampines Hub.About 20 of the 42 stalls at this 24-hour centre are open, serving assorted dishes including economy bee hoon, roast meat, chicken rice and satay. There are only four customers in the whole hawker centre.

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Interactive: ST Climate of Change: Reefs as a great climate warning

The threats are devastating to marine life and worrying to the 500 million people - many in South-east Asia - who depend on reefs for food, income and coastal protection.

After having survived for millions of years, coral reefs may soon die from the threats posed by humans.

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Trump says not satisfied with Saudi handling of Khashoggi death

A frame grab from a police CCTV video made available through Turkish Newspaper Sabah allegedly shows suspects in the case of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (unseen) at Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Oct 2, 2018.PHOTO: AFP/SABAH NEWSPAPER

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he is not satisfied with Saudi Arabia's handling of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, and said questions remain unanswered.

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Asean states and regional powers pledge to strengthen counter-terrorism, support air code

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said he is confident the Plus eight countries will adopt the air guidelines.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Major countries like the United States, China and Japan gave their in-principle support for the world's first multilateral air guidelines following the conclusion of a regional defence summit on Saturday.

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Live, work, play: Life by the water calls

With Singapore's two cruise facilities - Marina Bay Cruise Centre (pictured) and the Singapore Cruise Centre in HarbourFront - located in the south, there is potential too for the Republic to draw more visitors by sea as it positions itself as a regional cruise hub.ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

A lush island with housing complexes, served by driverless electric vehicles only. Linked to it, an island for play and a high-tech waterfront city that is both an extension to the central business district and a link for Singapore's green pathways.

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TransferWise aims to be next Skype of money transfers

In 2011, Mr Kristo Kaarmann (above) teamed up with Skype's first employee, Mr Taavet Hinrikus, to start money transfer firm TransferWise after he realised that for international money transfers, banks were using different levels of margin in the exchange rate which was resulting in money lost for customers. The company, which now has 4 million customers, services 1,300 currency routes, connecting 49 currencies, including the Singdollar. ST PHOTO: JASMINE CHOONG

What's with these Estonians, the young nation whose 1.3 million thrive off the Baltic Sea in Europe's north?

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Woman gets letter 31 years after mum's death to claim $2 in accrued interest left in CPF

Housewife Rahayu Mazlan, 51, received a letter from the Central Provident Fund Board on an outstanding balance in her late mother's account - 31 years after the death.PHOTO: RAHAYU MAZLAN

Thirty-one years after Rahayu Mazlan received payouts from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) following the death of her mother, the outstanding balance - under $2 - finally found its way to her.

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Native trees to replace alien species and footpaths upgraded on Rail Corridor

By 2021 the entire 21km length of the railway corridor will be cleared of alien trees and be filled instead with native plants.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Only four Magnolia singapurensis trees are known to exist in Singapore's forests, but on Saturday (Oct 20) the critically endangered plant's numbers received a boost when two young trees were planted along a disused rail corridor converted to recreational use.

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Man shown in viral video living at bin centre was offered rental flat but turned it down: HDB, MP

The man's living area, a room inside a bin centre, was captured in a video. It is a small and cluttered space with a bed and his belongings.PHOTO: FACEBOOK/ALL SINGAPORE STUFF

A recent video of a man living at a refuse collection centre here has sparked plenty of reaction online, prompting the Housing Board and an MP to step in to quell speculation about his situation.

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K-pop girl group Red Velvet's Joy injures right arm during concert

Red Velvet perform at their first Singapore concert at The Star Theatre, on Oct 20, 2018.ST PHOTO: REI KUROHI

A member of popular K-pop girl group Red Velvet had to leave for the hospital an hour into their concert here on Saturday evening.

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