S'pore welcomes proposed Indo-Pacific economic plan
Singapore welcomes the United States' proposed economic plan for the Indo-Pacific and encourages greater Asean participation in it, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told top US officials and American business leaders in Washington on Thursday.
"It needs to be inclusive, and provide tangible benefits to encourage wider participation and it should cover cooperation in areas like digital and green economies and infrastructure because these issues will resonate strongly in the region," PM Lee said of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), America's upcoming strategy for economic engagement with the region.
"We encourage greater Asean participation in the IPEF and we hope the US will directly invite and engage Asean member states in this endeavour," he added.
The framework has not been formally launched yet, but is likely to be unveiled around President Joe Biden's visit to Japan and South Korea later this month, Tokyo's ambassador to the US said this week.
Anwar, Najib spar over stability, integrity in public debate
Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Najib Razak duked it out in a public debate on Thursday in a bid to shape voters' political views ahead of a general election that has to be called by September 2023.
The debate centred on whether beleaguered oil and gas company Sapura Energy should be bailed out.
The government-linked company recorded a loss of RM8.9 billion (S$2.8 billion) last year despite receiving large investments from state-owned investor Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PNB), which holds a 40 per cent stake.
Battle unit life: Diving for cover, waiting for weapons
Through binoculars, the Ukrainian soldiers can see the Russian position far in the distance. But the single artillery weapon they operate at a small, ragtag outpost on the southern steppe has insufficient range to strike it.
These circumstances have imposed a numbingly grim routine on the Ukrainians, who are pounded daily by Russian artillery salvos while having no means to fight back. Every few hours, they dive into trenches to escape shells that streak out of the sky.
"They have our position fixed, they know where we are," said Sergeant Anatoly Vykhovanets. "It's like we are in the palm of their hand."
Nadal knocked out of Italian Open by Shapovalov
Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Italian Open in the third round on Thursday after falling to a shock 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Denis Shapovalov.
Defeat in Rome for "King of Clay" Nadal casts doubt over his prospects at the upcoming French Open, where he has been crowned champion 13 times but faces a threat from teenage phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz.
The 35-year-old had been out for six weeks with a rib injury before returning for last week's tournament in Madrid, and he began limping in the third set.
Movie critics gush over Tom Cruise's Top Gun return
It took Tom Cruise 36 years to head back to the danger zone to bring a Top Gun sequel to the screen, and the first reviews from movie critics said it was well worth the wait.
Top Gun: Maverick earned a 96 per cent positive rating on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregation website among 57 reviews as of Thursday (May 12).
The movie debuts in theatres on May 27.
