CNY festivities at Telok Ayer temple

A fair at Thian Hock Keng Temple in Telok Ayer Street that began at 10pm yesterday kicked off 16 days of Chinese New Year celebrations for the 176-year-old national monument, which has been festooned with more than 2,000 lanterns, the most it has ever put up. The festivities, which will run until Feb 22, include a getai roadshow next Monday. Free guided tours of the temple will also be available on Monday and Tuesday next week.

UN report on starvation in Syria

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry is expected to publish its latest report on human rights violations in Syria today.

The report is likely to focus on the use of starvation as a weapon during the war-torn country's five-year civil war, particularly in towns such as Madaya and Moadamiyeh, where sieges by pro-government or opposition forces have left people to slowly die of hunger.

India growth data to be released

With China's economy losing steam, figures out today will offer clues on the strength of India's claim to be the world's most dynamic big economy. Some question the accuracy of figures produced by the Reserve Bank of India but it seems clear the nation is ahead of China, which clocked growth of 6.8 per cent for the October to December quarter. India's growth rate in the quarter, to be released today, is tipped to have been 7.3 per cent, experts say.