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The first face-to-face meet between the United States and China under the Biden administration is a step in the right direction despite the tough rhetoric, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday. He added that the meeting showed a recognition from both sides on the need for dialogue and cooperation.

The Philippines is again shutting down all churches and prohibiting indoor dining and leisure travel out of Metro Manila and four nearby provinces, as it battles an even worse outbreak of Covid-19 compared with a year ago. What concerns data experts is that the number of active cases is also spiking. It now stands at 80,970.

A BBC journalist held in Myanmar has been freed, the broadcaster said yesterday, as demonstrators took to the streets for fresh anti-coup protests. Scores of people marched through the streets of Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, some carrying placards calling for United Nations intervention in the crisis.

Emissions and intermittent odour can be expected from ongoing soil treatment works at the former Kallang Gasworks, but they do not pose any health risks to the community, said the Singapore Land Authority. The authorities also described measures put in place to mitigate odours and noise caused by the treatment works.

Malaysian Lee Zii Jia was hailed as a national hero by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday after the shuttler's shock All-England Open victory, which drew cheers throughout the country. While many leading teams did not compete, the title still boosted Malaysia's hopes of success at the Tokyo Olympics.

With outbound travel off the cards for almost a year because of the pandemic, staycations that mark special occasion have become popular, said hotels such as One Farrer Hotel and The Barracks Hotel Sentosa. The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, has also seen a surge in such arrivals this year.