Pope Francis said the Vatican will increase interfaith dialogue to help counter extremism and intolerance. He delivered the first address of his Asia Pacific tour in Indonesia's Istana Merdeka, with President Joko Widodo, government officials and members of the diplomatic community in attendance. The pope's theme in the Indonesia leg of his visit is faith, fraternity and compassion -- a theme he linked to the country's laws and motto, which promote unity in diversity and social justice. Leong Wai Kit reports.

Singapore on Wednesday (Sep 4) announced public health measures to manage a possible outbreak of the deadlier clade 1 mpox strain. From whether or not we need to wear masks to whether you need to get the vaccine - here's what you need to know. #sgnews #singapore Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

China has lifted a ban on imports of pomelo from Taiwan with immediate effect. The relaxation comes two weeks before the Mid-Autumn festival, when the fruit is typically consumed. It's widely seen as a gesture of goodwill from Beijing amid icy cross-strait relations. Victoria Jen has more.

Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (Sep 4) that it will offer the mpox vaccine to healthcare workers at highest risk of exposure and close contacts of confirmed cases. This is among measures it announced as part of public health preparedness measures for mpox Clade I. "This is likely to be a troublesome virus that we can manage. It will very unlikely lead to the kind of disruption that happened during COVID-19," said Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung at the press conference. Read more: https://cna.asia/4geLDTJ Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

China’s summer school holidays are over and the traveller numbers for the season are out – with increases all round. From July to August, immigration authorities recorded 110 million entries and exits a day over two months, a 30 per cent jump from the same period the year before. CNA's Tan Yew Guan finds out the reasons behind the increase.

While China is not supplying Russia with military equipment, it has “supplanted” Russia and European firms there with “many dual-use goods”, said Poland’s foreign affairs minister Radoslaw Sikorski. In an interview with CNA from Kuala Lumpur, Sikorski urged China to use its leverage to persuade Russia to end its war against Ukraine. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

Being at a loss for words is taking on a whole new meaning. Thousands of languages around the world are on the brink of extinction, including in South Korea and Japan. Teresa Tang speaks to CNA's Lim Yun Suk and Michiyo Ishida about efforts to preserve them.  See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

From volunteers to support staff, the indomitable human spirit is on display at the Paris Paralympics both on and off competition grounds. More than 2,000 volunteers at the Games have a disability of their own. As Sabrina Ng finds out in Paris, this is not stopping them from wanting to help out.

For the first time, a lake opened at Bidadari will integrate drainage infrastructure within nature. The Alkaff Lake serves both as a recreational space and can help prevent flash floods by turning into a retention pond. Together with Bidadari Park, it will serve the nearly 9,000 households in the area. Eugene Chow reports.

Singapore's coastline is finally clean. Clean-up efforts after the oil spill have been completed three weeks ahead of schedule. Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu shared that 800 cleaning personnel and 2,300 volunteers helped to complete the task. The oil spill happened two and a half months ago.

A report on statistics and trends in family violence is due for release soon. Authorities want to use findings to monitor such cases and introduce appropriate measures for victims. This was revealed during a media visit to Boys' Town. Many children and youths at that facility are mostly victims of domestic violence. Dr Roland Yeow, Boys' Town Executive Director, talks about children under the care of Boys' Town and the types of programmes they go through. He also discusses the challenges of finding foster families and what can be done to help encourage more families to open their homes.

More people in Singapore are experiencing symptoms of dementia at an earlier age, according to the National Neuroscience Institute. The institute has seen people as young as 40 being diagnosed with dementia. Young Onset Dementia (YOD) refers to dementia affecting people aged 65 and below. Associate Professor Nagaendran Kandiah, Director of the Dementia Research Centre Singapore at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, talks about the rise in YOD in Singapore. He speaks about what to do if some people notice tell-tale signs of dementia and if it can be prevented.

What's it like to fly with the pope? Our correspondent Leong Wai Kit boards the papal flight to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the experience. Pope Francis arrived in Indonesia on Sep 3 to kick off his Asia-Pacific tour, which will see him also traveling to Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore.

Pope Francis has arrived in Indonesia, the first stop of his four-nation trip to the Asia Pacific, where he is expected to push his message of peace amid ongoing wars and crises. He landed at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta at around 11.30pm local time. The chartered ITA Airways flight also carried his entourage and journalists following him on his trip. CNA's Leong Wai Kit was on the flight and has more on what the journey entailed.

Some cat welfare groups in Singapore are afraid that abandonment cases might rise, as some owners might not be willing to foot the increasing costs of microchipping their pets. However, some are hoping the new licensing schemes for felines will help with greater traceability. They think the road to mandatory sterilisation should be the next step. CNA’s Charlotte Lim has more. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

International and domestic pressure is piling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with United States President Joe Biden saying he is not doing enough to secure the release of Gaza hostages. US media says the Biden administration is preparing a final "take it or leave it" Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal in the coming weeks. Cedomir Nestorovic, a geopolitics professor at the ESSEC Business School Asia-Pacific campus, tells CNA’s Asia First if Netanyahu is likely to be pressured into reaching a truce. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

Team Singapore's Jeralyn Tan bagged a historic boccia silver at the Paris Paralympics on Sep 2, the country's first medal in the sport. She is Singapore's fourth Paralympic medallist, joining Yip Pin Xiu (swimming), Theresa Goh (swimming) and Laurentia Tan (equestrian) in the history books.

Cardiff City footballer Perry Ng is currently on a "familiarisation stint" with the Singapore men’s national football team and will be applying for Singaporean citizenship this week.

Pope Francis is embarking on a historic trip to the Asia-Pacific region, with his first stop in Indonesia. During his four-day stay in Jakarta, a key highlight will be his visit to the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, where he will engage in an interfaith dialogue with leaders from various religions. CNA's Chandni Vatvani examines the significance of the Pope’s visit for Indonesia’s multicultural population.

From tests to therapy, parents raising a child with special needs require additional resources and careful financial planning. How can they tap on available support? In this week’s Money Talks, Frederic Maury, parent of a special needs child, shares his experiences and advice on how parents can effectively plan for their children’s future. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia