Top stories from The Straits Times on Monday, Dec 10

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Monday, Dec 10.


Singapore, KL leaders seek talks to resolve maritime dispute

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat urged Malaysia to cease the intrusions to avoid escalating tensions, making clear Singapore would defend its sovereignty and territory. PHOTO: ST FILE

Weighing in for the first time, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday that the intrusions by Malaysian government vessels into Singapore territorial waters are a "serious matter of national interest".

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Beijing summons US ambassador over Huawei arrest

Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's top executive, attends a session of the VTB Capital Investment Forum "Russia Calling!" in Moscow. PHOTO: REUTERS

Beijing has summoned US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad and demanded that the US withdraw the arrest warrant against a Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou who is detained in Canada.

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RSAF conducts mobilisation exercise for five fighter squadrons

NSmen from the 142 and 149 squadrons, being called back as part of the ongoing regular mobilisation exercise at the Paya Lebar Airbase on Dec 9, 2018. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Fighter squadron servicemen, including pilots and ground crew, reported to their air bases on Sunday, as part of a regular mobilisation exercise held to validate the units' operational readiness.

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Marsiling family opens flat to Vietnamese families with kids seeking medical help here

Mount Elizabeth Hospital staff cheering Ton Nu Hoang Dung before she was put under general anaesthesia for an operation last month. Her mother, Madam Hoang Thi Thuy Linh, is carrying her on her lap. Above left: Madam Mai Thi Thien Thanh, 35, and her
Three-year-old Ton Nu Hoang Dung playing with her mother, Madam Hoang Thi Thuy Linh, during a visit with neurosurgeon Keith Goh at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital last week, along with Madam Mai Thi Thien Thanh. The child was born with a rare deformity where a part of her brain protrudes from a gap in her skull into her face, pushing down her eyes. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Madam Mai Thi Thien Thanh and her husband Kang Eng Hiang - who run a stall at Geylang Serai Market - have opened up their flat for free to at least 60 Vietnamese families.

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Bilahari rebuts criticisms of Singapore by Mahathir's party strategist Rais Hussin

Retired diplomat Bilahari Kausikan shared an article on Facebook in which Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Supreme Council member Rais Hussin said Singapore will gain nothing by hardening its stance against Malaysia in the ongoing maritime dispute. PHOTO: ST FILE

Criticisms of Singapore's stance on the maritime border dispute from Dr Rais Hussin are "very typical", reflecting how Malaysia expects a "subordination of our interests to their interests", retired diplomat Bilahari Kausikan said.

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Singapore has vested interest in strong result at climate talks, says Masagos

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli will deliver Singapore's national statement, attend various high-level events and hold meetings with other key personalities at the ongoing United Nations climate change talks in Poland. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Singapore's emissions make up just 0.11 per cent of the global total, but as a small island city-state, it faces disproportionate risks from the negative impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels.

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Unconventional path: Harvard-trained engineer turns fitness studio owner

Ms Victoria Martin-Tay has a master's degree from Harvard University, but she quit the engineering field to start fitness and boxing studio bo0m with her husband Bryan Tay, a Princeton University graduate and former Singapore national swimmer, in Feb
Ms Victoria Martin-Tay has a master's degree from Harvard University, but she quit the engineering field to start fitness and boxing studio bo0m with her husband Bryan Tay, a Princeton University graduate and former Singapore national swimmer, in February this year. The studio has served almost 5,000 people since its opening. ST PHOTO: JASMINE CHOONG

Studying engineering at Harvard looks like a great way to get your career on the fast track, but the only fast track Ms Victoria Martin-Tay is interested in now is the one in her fitness centre.

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Dialogue of the deaf led to Brexit

ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO

The process of Brexit highlights what happens when there is a meltdown of institutional politics, a failure of an entire generation of politicians.

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US says March 1 'hard deadline' for trade deal with China

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer speaks during a Cabinet meeting held by US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, US, on Oct 17, 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he considers March 1 "a hard deadline" to reach a deal on trade with China, and that new tariffs will be imposed otherwise.

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How to lose weight the healthy way

According to doctors, losing weight is a complex process with many stumbling blocks. PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

Doctors say that losing weight is a complex process with many stumbling blocks.

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