Top stories from The Straits Times on Wednesday, June 19

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


Trump to have extended meeting with Xi at G-20

US President Donald Trump said he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit later this month. PHOTO: REUTERS

The US President also said trade talks will resume before he meets the Chinese leader in Osaka.

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Toddler allegedly murdered by dad on Father's Day was a bright and bubbly two-year-old

Johnboy John Teo, with his daughter Ashley Clare Teo, in a picture posted on social media.

Family members described her as a girl who could be cheeky at times while neighbours said she was very friendly and would often wave to those she recognised.

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Shanahan withdraws as US Defence Secretary nominee

Patrick M. Shanahan will not be the permanent Defense Secretary. PHOTO: REUTERS

Mr Shanahan announced his resignation as a routine FBI background investigation, conducted on all Cabinet nominees, was continuing because of his divorce.

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Problem with Carrie Lam's apology after Hong Kong extradition Bill protests is the unspoken words

PHOTO: NY TIMES

While Mrs Lam has delivered the content to ease tensions, the act itself is not taken as sincere by the very group that can be volatile, says ST Hong Kong correspondent Claire Huang.

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NUS and NTU tie as Asia's top university

With Nanyang Technological University's improvement, global higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds says the prospect of a Singapore university entering the world's top 10 has increased. ST FILE PHOTO

They are 11th in the world in an annual global ranking, while SMU climbs up to 477th place.

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Change in dengue virus strain poses risk to former patients

Male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes at a dengue exhibition booth in Kampung Admiralty Community Plaza, on April 7, 2019. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

This could explain the severity of the illness this year, said a health expert, as a higher number of people had the more serious dengue haemorrhagic fever.

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Why inequality matters

ST ILLUSTRATION : MIEL

It can be unfair and has a pernicious effect on society, worsening poverty and other problems, says ST associate editor Vikram Khanna.

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SCDF ragging incident: Commanders must be accountable for what happens on their watch, says division chief

The roles and responsibilities of high-ranking Singapore Civil Defence Force officers were set out during a testimony in court by Colonel Anthony Toh (above), commander of the 4th SCDF Division, on June 18, 2019. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

He said officers must walk the ground so that "the men would not have the opportunity to engage in horseplay because you could walk in on them anytime".

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Construction begins on Esplanade's $30 million waterfront theatre

The new Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade will occupy a 3,000 sq m area along the Esplanade Waterfront and is being designed by a team led by local firm architects61. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu said the new 550-seat theatre comes in response to feedback about a gap in the arts landscape in Singapore.

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Play video games anytime and anywhere with game streaming

Project xCloud is the codename given to Microsoft's upcoming cloud-gaming service, where players can stream Xbox games from a console that acts as a server. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM YOUTUBE

Google and Microsoft are launching streaming platforms that will allow people to play console-like games through the Web using any device, including smartphones.

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