8009/20950I got to spend a couple of hours in the company of an Olympian this afternoon, as I interviewed Sir Chris Hoy for my Book Club podcast, then him and his friend Matt interviewed me for theirs. I don't have many celebrity fans but Chris has followed me on Twitter for a while and said he likes my stuff, so before talking to him about his moving and positive cancer memoir I had to witness him doing Peter Dibdin impressions to me, which was pretty surreal.

JAKARTA — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he would "always safeguard our sovereignty" when asked about the issue of the South China Sea, adding partnerships are better than conflicts and that "we respect all powers". Prabowo's comments, made while he was in Washington on Wednesday (Nov 13), came after his foreign ministry stressed that Indonesia does not recognise China's claims over the South China Sea despite signing a maritime deal with Beijing last weekend. Beijing has long clashed with Southeast Asian nations over the South China Sea, which it claims almost in its entirety, based on a "nine-dash line" on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of several countries. "We respect all powers, but we will always safeguard our sovereignty. But I choose to always find possibilities of a partnership," said Prabowo, who has repeatedly said he will pursue a non-aligned foreign policy. "Partnerships are better than conflicts," he told reporters.

When former TV actor Zhang Shuifa appeared in a sales livestream with some local celebs in July, it sparked nostalgia among netizens who hadn't seen him on screens for years. The 57-year-old's appearance then led to his gradual return to showbiz. Besides turning up in the occasional sales livestreams, the Malaysian is also currently filming local director Jack Neo's upcoming movie I Want To Be Boss, which is expected to be released during Chinese New Year next year. In an Instagram Reel today (Nov 14), Shuifa, who debuted in 1988 with Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC, now Mediacorp), reminisced about the time he filmed a drama with local actor Collin Chee. "I remembered it was over 30 years ago, though I can't remember the name of the drama now," he said. Collin, 57, shared that it was his first drama in 1993.

A woman was sent flying after she was hit by a car on Wednesday (Nov 13) morning. The incident occurred at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road. In a video posted to the SG Kaypoh Facebook group, the woman is seen crossing the road while the traffic light was not in her favour.   She appears to be looking down at her phone. The driver involved in the accident did not notice her till it was too late and collided with her head-on. In the video, the woman is sent flying and lands several metres in front of the car upon impact. She manages to sit up after landing, and looks stunned from the impact.   The driver and his passenger also rush out of the vehicle to assist.  Speaking to AsiaOne, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said that the female pedestrian was conveyed conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. When contacted, the police said they were alerted to an accident involving a taxi and a pedestrian at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road on Nov 13 at about 3.15am.

A property agent was shocked to discover a leased home in a filthy condition, left behind by tenants who moved out several months earlier, according to a TikTok video uploaded by user HomesWithHaziq on Saturday (Nov 9). "For my future landlords, beware," Haziq wrote in the video description. Introducing the video, he also stated: "If you're planning to rent out your whole unit, watch this video first." According to Haziq, the home had been tenanted out for less than two years to a group of foreigners who had little interaction with one another, keeping to their own rooms. The location of the property was not disclosed, but Haziq shared with AsiaOne that it is located in the west. Starting with the living room, things appear to be clean at first glance - if a little cluttered - but Haziq soon points out in the video visible spots of black dirt hidden behind the couch. "The condition of the house will speak for itself," he added. The first toilet certainly proved his point - the toilet seat was yellowed, with the bottom of the bowl stained black.

Parliament voted in favour of an amended version of a motion put forth by Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Non-Constituency MPs Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa on Wednesday (Nov 13) after a debate that lasted five-and-a-half hours. This motion called for the Government to "review its policies relating to hawkers and the management of hawker centres to provide better support for hawkers to sustain and grow Singapore hawker culture, so that Singaporeans can continue to enjoy good and affordable hawker food". During his speech, Leong highlighted that high operational costs, harsh working conditions, and the expectation to provide cheap food are pressing issues faced by hawkers here. The PSP secretary-general then proposed that social enterprise hawker centres be phased out as contracts expire, replacing them with centralised management under a new government agency called Hawker Singapore. This new agency would oversee the management of all hawker centres in Singapore and the promotion of hawker culture domestically and internationally, working together with other relevant agencies, he added.

SINGAPORE — A law was amended on Wednesday (Nov 13) to implement more government-paid parental leave and mandatory paternity leave, which had been announced earlier in August. Under the amendments to the Child Development Co-Savings Act, parents-to-be will get another 10 weeks of shared leave on top of their current leave entitlement, bringing the total amount of government-paid parental leave to 30 weeks by April 1, 2026. From April 1, 2025, eligible fathers of Singaporean children will also be entitled to four weeks of mandatory government-paid paternity leave.  The new shared parental leave scheme will be rolled out in two phases, starting with six weeks from April 1, 2025, and increasing to 10 weeks from April 1, 2026. This shared leave is to be taken within 12 months of the child's birth, and employees must inform employers at least four weeks before going on leave in a continuous block.

BRASILIA — A man killed himself with a bomb outside Brazil’s Supreme Court after trying to enter the building on Wednesday (Nov 13), officials said, stirring security concerns before the country hosts global leaders from the Group of 20 major economies. The blasts come five days before the G20 heads of state meet in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a state visit to the capital Brasilia by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The first of two explosions went off on Wednesday evening in a parking lot near the court building and a second blast came seconds later in front of the court, where the man’s body was found. Federal District Vice Governor Celina Leao said preliminary information suggested the man had killed himself with explosives after trying to enter the Supreme Court. She said he owned a nearby car in which another explosion blew open the trunk. Leao said she hoped it was the crime of a “lone wolf,” but she could not be sure. Police said they had not made a final identification of the dead man as they were confronting the risk of additional explosives on the body.

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for likely the final time on Saturday (Nov 16), senior administration officials said, as Beijing prepares for a potentially more confrontational period with Washington under Donald Trump. The two leaders are expected to hold talks spanning a range of global hot spots, including heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. He did not confirm the date of the meeting. It will be Biden and Xi's first known interaction since an April phone call. The two leaders have tried to keep tensions at bay over issues ranging from Taiwan to the South China Sea and Russia, and American demands for more Chinese help to stem the flow of the ingredients for fentanyl, the leading cause of US drug overdoses. Biden will raise concerns over a Chinese-linked group that recently hacked into private telecommunications of prominent US officials, Sullivan said.

PARIS — Israeli officials are insisting on maintaining a capacity to strike Lebanon at any moment as part of conditions to secure a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday (Nov 13). Speaking to a parliamentary hearing after holding talks in Israel last week in Jerusalem, Jean-Noel Barrot said it was a condition increasingly voiced among Israeli officials. "Today we hear in Israel voices calling for it to keep a capacity to strike at any moment or even enter Lebanon, as is the case with its neighbour Syria," said Barrot, who held talks with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and new Defence Minister Israel Katz last week. "That is not compatible with the sovereignty of a strong country," Barrot said, referring to broader efforts to help strengthen Lebanon's governance. Several diplomats said that it would be all but impossible to get Hezbollah or Lebanon to accept any proposal that included this demand.

LONDON — The Church of England faced pressure on Wednesday (Nov 13) to ensure people are held to account for systematically covering up allegations of abuse, one day after the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned over a church abuse scandal. Justin Welby quit on Tuesday as spiritual leader of the global Anglican Church, saying he had failed to ensure a proper investigation into allegations of abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago. Welby resigned after coming under pressure over a report that found failings in the handling of the case of John Smyth, a barrister who abused at least 115 children and young men before his death. The report has increased pressure on others to be held accountable for safeguarding failures. "We... know that some people pretty systematically covered this up, and that those people do need to be brought to account," Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the second-most senior bishop in the Church of England, told BBC Radio. Cottrell said there were lessons to be learned from the review, but that he was not referring to bishops.

PARIS/VIENNA — European powers are pushing for a new resolution against Iran by the United Nations atomic watchdog's board next week to pressure Tehran over its poor co-operation, as the world awaits the return of US President-elect Donald Trump, diplomats say. Such resolutions risk further diplomatic tension with Iran. It has retaliated to previous ones and other criticism at the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors by stepping up its nuclear activities and barring top IAEA inspectors, heightening Western concerns about its aims. The resolution would task the IAEA with issuing a so-called "comprehensive report" on Iran's nuclear activities in addition to its regular quarterly ones, which would describe in more detail and put further focus on problem areas like Iran's continued failure to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

LONDON — UK's King Charles will celebrate his 76th birthday on Thursday (Nov 14) by opening two food distribution hubs which are part of his project designed to cut waste and support charities that help those who are hungry. Last year, the king, an outspoken campaigner on environmental issues and supporter of a sustainable economy, launched the 'Coronation Food Project', his mission to 'bridge the gap between food waste and food need'. On Thursday, the monarch will open the initiative's first two food hubs — distribution centres which are designed to save and circulate tonnes of surplus food. He will visit one of the hubs in south London which will host a 'surplus food festival' making meals created from food which would have gone to waste, as well as virtually opening the other site in northern England. Their aim is to make it easier for food charities such as FareShare and the Felix Project to provide support for those in need, Buckingham palace said. It said since the launch of the scheme, the project had helped save an additional 940 tonnes of surplus food which was to the equivalent of more than 2.2 million meal portions.

UNITED NATIONS — An entire generation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would "be denied the right to education" if the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA collapses in the enclave under new Israeli legislation, the head of UNRWA warned on Wednesday (Nov 13). Israel's parliament passed a law last month that will ban UNRWA from operating in the country when it takes effect in late January. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said its implementation "will have catastrophic consequences." "In Gaza, dismantling UNRWA will collapse the United Nations humanitarian response, which relies heavily on the agency's infrastructure," he told a UN General Assembly committee. "Glaringly absent from discussions about Gaza without UNRWA, is education." "In the absence of a capable public administration or state, only UNRWA can deliver education to more than 660,000 girls and boys across Gaza. In the absence of UNRWA, an entire generation will be denied the right to education," he said, warning that this would sow "the seeds for marginalisation and extremism."

US President-elect Donald Trump chose loyalists with little experience for several key cabinet positions on Wednesday (Nov 13), stunning some allies and making clear that he is serious about reshaping — and in some cases testing — America's institutions. Trump's choice of congressman Matt Gaetz, 42, for US attorney general, America's top law enforcement officer, was a surprising pick. The former attorney has never worked in the Justice Department, or as a prosecutor, and was investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations. His office said in 2023 that he had been told by prosecutors he would not face criminal charges. Trump tapped Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. The former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Trump-ally has in the past spoken out against military intervention in the civil war in Syria under former President Barack Obama and implied that Russian President Vladimir Putin had valid grounds for invading Ukraine, America's ally.

WASHINGTON — Tesla said on Wednesday (Nov 13) it was recalling 2,400 Cybertruck pickups in the US because a faulty part could lead to a loss of power and increase the risk of a crash, in its sixth callback of Cybertrucks this year. A fault in the driver inverter in Cybertrucks manufactured through July 30 could cause the vehicle to stop producing torque when the driver uses the accelerator pedal, resulting in a loss of propulsion and increasing the risk of a crash, Tesla said in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tesla will replace the recalled drive inverter with one equipped with a functioning component. The automaker said it was aware of five warranty claims tied to the issue but knew of no crashes or injuries. Beginning around Dec 9, Tesla will replace the recalled drive inverter with a new component. Tesla said it has been using the updated component in production since July 30. Last month, the EV maker said it was recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks due to delayed rear-view camera images that could impair driver visibility and increase crash risks.

WASHINGTON — Members of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team are drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, potentially to include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two sources said, in what would be an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon. The planning for the firings is at an early stage after Trump's Nov 5 election victory and could change as Trump's administration takes shape, said the sources, who are familiar with the Trump transition and requested anonymity to speak candidly about the plans. One of the sources questioned the feasibility of a mass firing at the Pentagon. It was also unclear if Trump himself would endorse the plan, although in the past he has railed extensively against defence leaders who have criticised him. Trump has also spoken during the campaign of firing "woke" generals and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Permanent tent cities are another idea Trump has for dealing with people who are unhoused. Sequestering people with mental illness or substance abuse in one place has been tried, an expert says, and "it turns into hell on earth."

The government in Lahore has closed schools and public spaces and shut down factories. Environmental lawyer Ahmad Rafay Alam shares his perspective: "frustrated" but still fighting.

Among the names being floated to head the Department of Health and Human Services are RFK Jr. and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. Both are vaccine skeptics, which worries pediatricians.

The mystery mollusc has been identified

North Korea and Russia each ratified a mutual defense treaty within days of each other. The pact means the countries will defend one another if attacked. And some say it may mean more involvement by North Korea in the war between Russia and Ukraine. We hear about the ramifications from our correspondent in Seoul.

President Biden plans to tell China's Xi Jinping that communication channels between the two governments need to remain open — no matter who is in the White House.

With wars raging around the world and high tariffs looming, Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes says Trump's agenda may be chaotic — but she remains optimistic about possible good elements.

The USS Edsall was overpowered by a Japanese fleet in the Indian Ocean but fought valiantly to the end, the U.S. Navy said. It was found in deep waters south of Australia's Christmas Island.

A neighborhood watch group in a Christian Beirut neighborhood is on the lookout for militant operatives, which could make the area a target for Israeli airstrikes.

The Nintendo Music app lets you listen to dozens of hours of music from games like Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong.

Republicans have officially won a full trifecta of power in Washington, D.C., following GOP victories in several key U.S. House contests.

Since Donald Trump won the presidency last week, Democrats have been pointing fingers, laying blame and second-guessing themselves.

All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro talked with three democratic strategists who are looking ahead and asking: Where does the party go from here?

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Ted Olson, the Bush-era solicitor general, has died at age 84. He was a towering figure in the legal profession who argued 65 cases at the Supreme Court as solicitor general and as a private lawyer.

Trump intends to nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, surprising many lawmakers who will have to confirm them.

The posters, which appeared across campus, accuse university faculty of being complicit in war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. The university president condemned the posters as antisemitic.

President-elect Trump has tapped Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to lead what he's calling the "Department of Government Efficiency," or DOGE. Still, only Congress can create a new federal agency.

More than a thousand kids taken from their parents at the border still have not been reunited. The man Trump has named his next border czar has been described as the family separation architect.

President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick for one of the biggest jobs in his new administration: attorney general. And for that job, Trump has chosen Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.

The former Democratic congresswoman has shifted her political allegiance in recent years, going from a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 to a stalwart Trump supporter.

In a post on Truth Social announcing the nomination of Gaetz, Trump said: "Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System." Gaetz said he would resign from the U.S. House of Representatives, effective immediately.

After back-to-back hurricanes triggered millions of power outages in Florida, power companies are trying to make the grid more resilient while also elastic enough to handle all the solar power flowing into the system.

A similar hearing last year brought extraordinary moments, including a retired intelligence officer alleging that the U.S. government has recovered nonhuman "biologics" from crash sites.

Live bidding will be private, and the future owner of Jones' company will be public once court papers are filed. The proceeds will go to pay Sandy Hook families who won defamation cases against Jones.

Mexico has been criticized for being a backdoor for cheap Chinese imports to the U.S. market

Interest rate policy divergence is a re-emerging threat for the Canadian dollar

'Hopeful that we will kind of hold our nose and get through it'

Smith: Media and telecoms to benefit from a weaker dollar