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US debt crosses $50 trillion threshold after doubling under Trump and Biden

Fresh warnings are sounding that a fiscal crisis is brewing.

A man passing by the National Debt Clock in New York City on Aug 19. The US Treasury’s daily cash and debt balances statement showed total public debt outstanding at US$40.047 trillion on Aug 18.

Field Notes from Negeri Sembilan

Unearthing gold bargains in two small Malaysian towns

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US Fed policymakers’ inflation concerns increased at July meeting, minutes show

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The rich world is afraid of AI. The poor world is not. Why?

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Prince Harry and Meghan to move back to Britain, media reports say

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America’s insurgent far-left is not as naive as you think

Trump says he will meet North Korean leader Kim later this year

ST Live: News as it happens

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Shorts
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Colombia’s president gets flak for distributing footballs to earthquake victims

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Bus driver and 2 motorists hospitalised after accident across both sides of BKE

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Man in Chucky-style mask wanted by police for assaulting female runner in Philadelphia

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Tourists taking photos at Mae Sa waterfall in Chiang Mai swept away by flash flood

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Police nab suspect who falls asleep after 48-hour stand-off in England

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Robotics firms prepare to compete in second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

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Cinemas in China get creative with DIY movie posters for viral hit Niu Lai

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Car falls off ledge and flips over in Hattiesburg, Mississippi despite help from passers-by

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Singapore

New moves tackling social media ads long overdue; will stem scam scourge: Experts

But experts cautioned that the new measures are not foolproof and urged consumers to stay vigilant.

Among a raft of anti-scam measures that the police announced on Aug 18, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have to verify the identities of advertisers on their platforms against government-issued records.

Cross-border Causeway Link buses from Newton, Queen Street to go cashless from Aug 20

Four primary schools scrap parent volunteer scheme for entry into P1

Parent volunteer scheme for Primary 1 registration: How does it work?

Asia
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Russia’s ‘pivot to Asia’ takes a turn as it prioritises ties with isolated regimes over bigger economies

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Unearthing gold bargains in two small Malaysian towns

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Pontian dumping: NEA says S’pore does not allow construction waste to be exported for disposal

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South Korean container ship will test Arctic route to Europe amid Western concern

Opinion

The rich world is afraid of AI. The poor world is not. Why?

Vikram Khanna

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America’s insurgent far-left is not as naive as you think

Bhavan Jaipragas

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Balancing stakes in en bloc deals: Should we raise or lower the bar?

Christopher Gee

The world’s biggest fast-food chain is moving into pubs

The Economist

Visual stories

Chrome, craft, character: Inside Singapore’s world of classic cars

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Rumbling trucks, busy border crossing: How China feeds Vietnam’s factory boom

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Mapping the 7.7-magnitude quake in Indonesia

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Mapping the Colombia quake

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‘I study them, then strike’: This ex-soldier now wages war on pests

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Singapore sketched: An illustrated tour of the sunny island

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Marks of a nation: 61 years of design in Singapore

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Thailand school shooting: What we know so far

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Fake news spreads like an epidemic. Here’s how to stop it

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Beyond the glass: Inside the Singapore Oceanarium

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Podcasts
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In Your Opinion Podcast

Can you change Lee Kuan Yew’s mind? ‘He will listen,’ says S. Jayakumar
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Headstart On Record Podcast

Pay transparency: What to do after finding out a colleague’s salary is higher than yours
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Asian Insider Podcast

China’s economy has a big problem: Who will keep buying?
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In Your Opinion Podcast

Dinesh Vasu Dash on Singapore’s dependence on migrant workers
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Pay transparency: What to do after finding out a colleague’s salary is higher than yours

Would you reveal your salary to your colleagues? What to do if you are underpaid?

My second crib: They own homes in Singapore. So why are they renting abroad?

Me & My Money

He saved $8k as a teen, but lost it in bad investments. Now he champions Islamic finance

‘A pinch-me moment happens every day’: S’porean woman on 10-month campervan adventure in Australia

askST Jobs: My colleague and I are up for the same promotion. Can we still work well together?

The key is to compete for the opportunity, not against the person, said Tan Weixi, managing partner at Workplace Asia.

‘They don’t simply open doors and earn five figures’: How much do property agents really earn?

Property agents Mervyn Ong from PropNex (left) and Semantha Soon from ERA like the entrepreneurial side of property sales, among other things.

How Singapore investors are using brokerage AI tools to analyse portfolios, gain insights

Brokerage firms such as Moomoo, Tiger Brokers (pictured) and Longbridge are offering AI-powered features to help investors digest news and headlines, analyse earnings data and gain insights into their portfolios.

‘I study them, then strike’: This ex-soldier now wages war on pests

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.