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THE BIG STORY
Biden meets Asean leaders at White House
The United States stepped up its courtship of Asean as President Joe Biden welcomed leaders of the South-east Asian grouping to the White House and announced more than US$150 million (S$209 million) of programmes with the bloc. The sum will go towards programmes for clean energy, maritime security, education and public health.
Some employees of AXA Singapore were asked by the authorities to provide information on two motor insurance contracts the insurer had signed with ComfortDelGro and Trans-Cab. The Straits Times understands that the Monetary Authority of Singapore was alerted to a potential accounting-related issue.
Protesters in the United States rallying against the Supreme Court's intention to remove federal protection for abortion rights have found support in China, a country the US has repeatedly accused of human rights violations. Chinese netizens are baffled by the row over whether women have the right to choose to be mothers, given that abortion is widely available in China.
Russia has warned that it will take "retaliatory steps" after Finland announced it is applying to join Nato. The warning is reminiscent of the threats Moscow made early this year as a prelude to its invasion of Ukraine, but there is no chance that such ominous noises will deflect Finland from its aim of joining the security alliance in Europe.
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have found a way to transform urine and industrial waste into a renewable type of cement. Producing biocement made entirely from waste paves the way for more sustainable and cost-efficient construction projects, the NTU team said.
Bearish sentiments and investor jitters continued to wash over the crypto market as prices swung to the red yesterday morning. Some respite came as the market bounced back later in the day, but prices have fallen for many cryptocurrencies in the past week. Still, some market players are optimistic that the bear market will taper.
