While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 25
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Most motorists that The Straits Times spoke to had reservations about the next-generation ERP system, or ERP 2.0.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Installing next-gen ERP on-board units: Workshops are ready, some motorists less so
Authorised car distributors said they will be ready to install on-board units (OBUs) for the satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing system on vehicles, although most motorists that The Straits Times spoke to had reservations about the change.
The Land Transport Authority announced on Monday that it will start fitting the OBUs for the next-generation ERP system, or ERP 2.0, on fleet vehicles from November, with the exercise for privately owned vehicles to start in batches after that. The exercise is expected to be completed by end-2025.
The three-piece OBU for vehicles will be provided free to motorists during the installation period.
US House speaker crisis deepens as third Republican nominee quits
The third Republican nominee for US House speaker in two weeks dropped out Tuesday after failing to find enough support to win the gavel, plunging the paralysed lower chamber of Congress deeper into crisis.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer had narrowly won an internal Republican ballot to replace ousted speaker Kevin McCarthy – but quit hours later amid a backlash from the right wing of the party led by former president Donald Trump.
Congress has been at a standstill and unable to address multiple global crises, as well as the fast approaching threat of a government shutdown, since Mr McCarthy’s historic dismissal in a far-right rebellion on Oct 3.
Apple announces ‘Scary Fast’ Oct 30 event to roll out new Macs
Apple is poised to roll out new Macs on Oct 30 in what will likely be the iPhone maker’s last launch event of 2023.
On Tuesday, the company announced plans for a presentation next week, dubbing the showcase “Scary Fast”. The event will take place at 5pm California time (8am on Oct 31 Singapore time), airing on Apple’s website and online video services such as YouTube.
The logo for the event morphs into the icon for the Mac’s Finder – the application for managing files – in an clear indicator that new Mac computers will be the main introduction next week.
Trump inflated asset values ‘arbitrarily’, former lawyer Michael Cohen says on stand
Donald Trump “arbitrarily” inflated the value of his real estate assets in order to secure favourable insurance premiums, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testified at the former president’s civil fraud trial on Tuesday.
Cohen, who cut ties with the former US president five years ago, is now a key witness in a case brought by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James alleging Trump inflated the value of his family companies’ properties. The lawsuit could break up Trump’s business empire.
Cohen testified that Trump tasked him with increasing the value of his company’s assets “based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected”.
PM Anwar joins thousands in Malaysia at rally in show of support for Palestinians
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joined 16,000 pro-Palestinian supporters to condemn “barbaric” acts in the Gaza Strip, where thousands are estimated to have been killed.
The gathering in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday was the largest in a series of demonstrations held in Muslim-majority Malaysia in recent weeks.
More than 700 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli air strikes, Gaza’s health ministry said on Tuesday, the highest 24-hour death toll since Israel began a bombing campaign to crush Hamas militants who stunned the country with a deadly Oct 7 attack.
