SINGAPORE - Catch up on the hottest topics on The Straits Times' weekday talk show.

The Big Story, broadcast every weekday at 5.30pm on Facebook and YouTube, has reporters and senior editors discussing the top stories of the day.

The show is helmed by multimedia correspondent Hairianto Diman and assistant video editor Olivia Quay, and airs live from ST's digital studio.

The King has set a Wednesday (Aug 18) 4pm deadline for Malaysia's 220 MPs to declare their choice to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

This comes as Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah summoned all major party leaders to the Palace at the same time on Tuesday afternoon.

Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh shares more.

In Afghanistan, military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan restarted early on Tuesday. This comes after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to flee after the Taleban seized the capital.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said he "stood squarely behind" his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. He also rejected broad criticism that the chaotic withdrawal is posing a crisis for him.

And in Singapore, an Internal Security Department spokesman said that while there is currently no specific terrorist threat to the Republic, the ongoing developments in Afghanistan are still of concern.

Mr Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies' Centre of Excellence for National Security, discusses how the events in Afghanistan could affect Singapore.