While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 30
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PM Lee and President Biden at a press conference in the White House on March 29, 2022.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Singapore hopes United States will deepen ties with Asia-Pacific: PM Lee
Singapore hopes that the United States, amid its many preoccupations, will continue to deepen its relationship with countries in the Asia-Pacific, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (March 29) during his meeting with US President Joe Biden.
President Biden said that even as his administration addresses the ongoing Ukraine crisis, it is committed to implementing its Indo-Pacific strategy, and he is looking forward to hosting Asean leaders to Washington for a special summit soon.
"Singapore deeply appreciates President Biden's leadership in strengthening US engagement of the region," said PM Lee.
Biden, European leaders sceptical of Russian moves, mull aid
US President Joe Biden adopted a cautious attitude on Tuesday (March 29) to Russian promise to scale down military operations around Ukraine's capital Kyiv.
Speaking alongside Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Mr Biden said the economic sanctions that have hobbled the Russian economy would continue while the United States and its allies monitor what Moscow does with its forces.
"I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are," the President told reporters at the White House following his meeting with Mr Lee. "We'll see if they follow through on what they're suggesting."
France's Decathlon shuts Russian stores as others defy pressure
French sports retailer Decathlon said Tuesday (March 29) it was suspending sales at its stores in Russia following calls to boycott the group and other French companies for keeping their operations running.
Hundreds of Western firms have mothballed their subsidiaries in Russia or announced full pullouts since Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24, but others have defied mounting campaigns to withdraw, including several large French investors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky singled out bluechip French brands Renault, Auchan and Leroy Merlin in a speech to the national parliament in Paris on March 23, saying they "must stop sponsoring the Russian war machine."
Football: Eriksen scores on Parken return after Euro heart attack
Christian Eriksen scored a brilliant goal as he made his return to the Parken Stadium where he almost died of a heart attack at Euro 2020 last June, netting Denmark's third in a friendly clash with Serbia on Tuesday (March 29).
The 30-year-old playmaker cut onto his right foot and sent a fizzing drive in at the near post in the 57th minute at the opposite end of the pitch to where collapsed in a Euro 2020 group game against Finland.
Eriksen, who made his comeback in club football with Brentford in England's Premier League in February, scored with his first touch after coming on as a substitute against Netherlands in Amsterdam on Saturday.
Jada Pinkett Smith says it's a 'season for healing' after Oscars incident
Jada Pinkett Smith promoted healing in an Instagram post on Tuesday (March 29), her first public comment since her husband slapped comedian Chris Rock at this year's Academy Awards ceremony.
Will Smith unexpectedly strode onto the Oscars stage on Sunday and slapped Rock in the face in response to a joke about his wife's bald head. Pinkett Smith, an actor and talk show host, has a medical condition that causes hair loss.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Pinkett Smith said: "This is a season for healing. And I'm here for it." She did not mention Rock's joke or the slapping incident specifically.
