🔹US President Joe Biden and his Philippine counterpart, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, underscored their support for freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea on Thursday in response to China’s efforts to exert its influence there.

Biden and Marcos Jnr held their first face-to-face talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Marcos Jr, son of the late Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, took power in June.

“The leaders discussed the situation in the South China Sea and underscored their support for freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the White House said in a statement after the talks.

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🏙Singapore overtakes Hong Kong in new global financial center rankings. The city jumped third place behind New York and London in the latest Global Financial Centres Index. The semi-annual survey by the China Development Institute and the London think tank Z/Yen Partners evaluates 119 financial hubs.

Singapore ranks among the world’s leading international financial centers as the latter city moves closer to ending its strict hotel quarantine rules for arrivals. It is one of several measures to control the coronavirus pandemic that has weighed on the local economy.

Hong Kong ranked fourth in the 32nd edition of the semi-annual Global Financial Centers Index, produced by the China Development Institute in Shenzhen and the London think tank Z/Yen Partners. New York was ranked as the top financial center, followed by London and Singapore.

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Sergey Lavrov's final meeting on the sidelines of the 🇺🇳United Nations General Assembly on Thursday was with the 🇺🇳 UN Secretary General Antinio Guterres. More bilaterals scheduled for Friday.

😷U.S. health officials say 4.4 million Americans have rolled up their sleeves for the updated COVID-19 booster shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the count Thursday as public health experts bemoaned President Joe Biden's recent remark that "the pandemic is over."

The White House said more than 5 million people received the new boosters by its estimate, which accounts for reporting lags in states.

Health experts said it is too early to predict whether demand would match up with the 171 million doses of the new boosters the U.S. ordered for the fall. A temporary shortage of Moderna vaccine caused some pharmacies to cancel appointments while encouraging people to reschedule for a Pfizer vaccine.

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📈📉According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Labor Department, more Americans filed for unemployment last week. Applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending Sept. 17 rose by 5,000 to 213,000.

To tame inflation, the Federal Reserve has announced another 0.75% interest rate hike. It's meant to slow down demand, outpacing supply, but slowing the economy is expected to eliminate some jobs.

Lead economist at Zip Recruiter Sinem Buber says employers face an uphill battle as nationwide labor shortages continue. While the latest unemployment report shows a slight increase in claims, it's still near a record low, at 3.7%. Before the pandemic, the last time the U.S. had that unemployment rate was in Aug. 2017.

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American weapons manufacturer, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, has received a contract worth $985Mln from the US Air Force to development and deliver hypersonic cruise missiles, the Pentagon said

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⚡️Referendum on joining Russia starts throughout the DPR, Election Commission told Sputnik

Ukrainian soldier wants to hang on oaks the friends he grew up with and kill if he gets back to Kakhovka

⚡️A boat carrying 41 Chinese citizens has capsized off the coast of Cambodia, an official said. Only 18 have been rescued, leaving 23 missing

❗️A deadly outbreak of cholera has spread through northern Syria over the past two weeks. The Ministry of Health reported 23 deaths from the disease in Aleppo.

The ministry added that it is carrying out an epidemiological study of the disease, and investigating suspected cases and samples, as well as conducting preventative measures for those who have come into contact with the disease in an attempt to contain the outbreak.

The number of suspected cases of cholera is at 2,867 and rising. The western countryside of Deir ez-Zor has been the worst hit area

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian Navy warships continue their joint patrols with the Naval Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China around the Pacific Ocean.

Despite difficult weather conditions, in 12 days the detachments of the two countries have covered more than 3,000 nautical miles

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⚡️Armenia's Ministry of Defense says that Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire on the border with Armenia. Azerbaijan, in its turn, has accused Armenia of shelling positions in three border regions

🗳The referendums on joining Russia kick off in the DPR, LPR, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions on Friday.

The five-day vote will come to an end on 27 September. For security reasons, for the first four days, election commission officials will go from door-to-door to collect the votes. On the final day, people will have a chance to vote at polling stations.

❓In the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions voters are being asked: "Are you in favor of [the region’s] secession from Ukraine, the formation of an independent state by the region and its joining the Russian Federation as a subject?" And in the DPR and LPR, the question is: "Do you want to join Russia as a subject of the federation?"

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📹 Russia's Ministry of Defense has published footage showing how Russian airborne units repelled the attack of 25 Ukrainian armored vehicles

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"There are no big fish left" in Russia to slap with sanctions, online newspaper, the EUobserver reported, citing EU sources.

One of the sources added that the EU "already has the full collection of oligarchs and everyone in the political and defense establishments"

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📹 Russian sappers are checking referendum polling stations in the LPR, Russia's Ministry of Defense shows

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🇿🇦 South Africa has shown off its Milkor 380 reconnaissance and strike drone at the Africa Aerospace and Defense 2022 exhibition in Pretoria. The UAV is expected to be a "competitor of Bayraktar"

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