Chinese leader Xi to meet Obama

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who started off his US trip in cosy talks with business leaders in Seattle, will meet US President Barack Obama in Washington today for what will likely be a more contentious summit.

Mr Obama has made clear that he will make few compromises on hot-button issues like alleged Chinese industrial espionage and commercial cybertheft, and China's expansion on contested islands in the South China Sea.

Haze keeps people indoors

The haze in Singapore spiked to the very unhealthy range yesterday, forcing people indoors and a slew of measures, including school closures today.

There might be some respite over the weekend, as winds are forecast to shift, blowing from the south-east or south.

However, hazy conditions might last for another month or so, as this is an El Nino year with seasonally dry weather.

New clues on Fed rate hike

Investors around the world will be closely analysing a speech by US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen at Singapore time about 5am today. They will be looking for fresh clues on the likely timing of the first US interest rate hike in nearly a decade. The speech, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, would be Dr Yellen's first public one since last Thursday when she held fire on a rate rise, citing concerns over the global economy's health.