United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday (Jul 24) explained in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for re-election and to throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. He stressed that "the defence of democracy is more important than any title”. Jon Lieber, US managing director at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, shares his views on CNA's Asia First. 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

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended its military campaign in Gaza, as he addressed United States lawmakers. Netanyahu sought to drum up continued support for Israel's war with Hamas in the face of criticism, in and outside Congress. CNA's Nick Harper has more on the address, as well as the mass protests which hit the streets of Washington DC.

Organisers of the Paris Olympics are racing to make sure the River Seine is ready for the opening ceremony and safe enough for competition. But the river is not the only waterway in focus in the French capital. CNA's Ross Cullen has more.

Jack Board takes a trip deep into the heart of communities on the climate front line in the Pacific, where culture, identity and nationhood are all at stake.  See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

From sport psychologists to dietitians, it takes a village to help Singapore's 23 athletes gear up for the upcoming Paris Olympics. This is especially as athletes need to be in tip-top condition to deliver under pressure. Meanwhile, it will be all hands on deck for 45,000 volunteers involved in the Summer Games and Paralympics. Alif Amsyar with more.

Spectators at this year's National Day Parade can expect the action to happen closer to them. There will be multiple platforms for performers to engage with the audience and an elevated stage that rotates 360 degrees. Organisers are promising an immersive experience to celebrate Singapore’s 59th birthday. Charlotte Lim has a behind-the-scenes look at the set design.

Scientists in Singapore have identified micro-organisms that improve soil health and help urban farmers grow crops in smaller plots of land. The study used a "grow zone" about the size of a three-room HDB flat. The NUS Environmental Research Institute partnered L’Oréal Singapore Research & Innovation. Associate Professor Sanjay Swarup, Director at the NUS Environmental Research Institute, and Dr Tarun Chopra, Director of Advanced Research at L’Oréal Singapore Research & Innovation, discuss how the microbes can help increase the yields of ingredients grown on small plots of land. They elaborate how this in turn is a more sustainable approach to farming that works for an urban society like Singapore.

About 70 flats have been taken back by the Housing and Development Board after their owners committed severe lease infringements. They are among 800 taken to task in the past five years for breaches such as flouting Minimum Occupation Period rules, or unauthorised renting out of units and bedrooms.

Singtel and StarHub will sunset their 3G services in stages by November, instead of the end of this month as originally planned. M1 says that its customers have all moved away from 3G and that such services will end on Aug 1 as planned. About 9,000 users are still on these networks, a year after the system was scheduled to be shut down. Nicolas Ng tells us more.

Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC's investment performance in 2023 was its weakest in four years. Its annualised 20-year real rate of return fell to 3.9 per cent, from 4.6 per cent in the previous financial year. GIC says the dip is due to a more cautious stance in recent years. A high-performing financial year was also left out from the rolling average. Nasyrah Rohim reports.

Thailand will open sign-ups for its Digital Wallet cash handout on Aug 1. The country’s finance ministers presented more details of the scheme on Wednesday (Jul 24). It will make 50 million Thais eligible for a one-time payment of 10,000 Thai Baht (US$275) to spend on goods in an effort to boost the Kingdom’s flagging economy. CNA’s Saksith Saiyasombut reports from Bangkok.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is one of the world's most common sleep disorders. But it often goes undiagnosed. One of the reasons why some people suffer silently is because they believe that there is little more to the condition than simply feeling tired. CNA speaks to Ong Thun How, Assistant Professor at Singapore General Hospital, who delved into the inner workings of sleep apnoea.

Laos is set to host the region's top diplomats for the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, but the gathering comes amid two elections that could significantly impact the bloc. Leong Wai Kit looks at what the upcoming Washington elections -- and likely polls by the Myanmar army --could mean for Southeast Asia.

Taiwan braces for Gaemi, the first typhoon to hit the island in 2024 and likely to be the “worst” in 8 years. It is expected to make landfall on Wednesday (Jul 24) night, with weather forecasts predicting about 2,000mm of rain. That’s almost the same amount Taiwan gets in a year, says CNA's Victoria Jen. Follow CNA's live blog for the latest updates: https://cna.asia/3LEwehq 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

Malaysia police have arrested 5 people related to the case of a 6-year-old girl who went missing in Johor on Saturday. She was found on Tues (Jul 23) in Selangor. The suspects are being held under kidnapping and sexual assault charges.

Typhoon Gaemi triggered strong winds and torrential rains that caused havoc in the Philippines on Wednesday (Jul 24). Eight people were killed in the southern Mindanao area while more than 800,000 people were affected. Government offices and schools were shut down in Manila and trading in the country's stock market was cancelled. CNA's Buena Bernal with more from the Philippines. Read more: https://cna.asia/3LCazXh 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

One bad software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike unleashed global chaos last week with flights cancelled, hospital systems down and banking applications going offline. How did a routine update become a full-blown crisis, and will we see more in the future? On the Deep Dive podcast, Steven Chia and Crispina Robert put these questions to Gaurav Keerthi, head of advisory and emerging business at Ensign InfoSecurity and Benjamin Ang, head of Digital Impact Research at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. 0:00 Intro 4:46 What happened 7:12 The risk of relying on one vendor 10:28 Did quality control checks fail? 13:53 Why such outages are unavoidable 18:19 What being prepared means 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

The upcoming Olympics will prove challenging for Ukraine, as the country continues its fight against Russia. Sports officials say more than 300 Ukrainian athletes have died since the start of the war, with hundreds of training facilities damaged or destroyed. CNA's correspondent Megumi Lim spoke to Ukrainian freestyle wrestler Iryna Koliadenko, who shared some of the hurdles she has had to overcome, ahead of the Games.

Kamala Harris has "everything going for her" right now - the media, momentum and money - for her presidential candidacy, according to an expert CNA spoke to. But this euphoria could settle down and many things can change between now and November, says Professor Gary Rose. He also believes Harris won't distance herself from Joe Biden's record and that voters will hear "a lot of wonderful things about the Biden agenda". 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

Mediacorp's The Pinwheels, which recognises the best of online creators, is back for a third year. Local science and nature channel 'Just Keep Thinking' swept the awards at last year's edition, winning double honours in the Content Creator Of The Year and Best Newcomer categories. Their efforts bagged them $15,000 in grants. 'Just Keep Thinking' co-founder Kong Man Jing and Mr Diogo Martins, lead at Mediacorp's content creator network Bloomr.SG, shared more about The Pinwheels and content creation in Singapore.