Catch the latest news video reports on The Big Story, The Straits Times' weekday online news programme.

Mr Sakthibalan Balathandautham, who donated part of his liver to a one-year-old girl he had never met, was named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2021 on Wednesday (Feb 9).

He received the award from President Halimah Yacob, who was the guest-of-honour at the award ceremony at UBS University in Penang Road.

Mr Sakthibalan shares his thoughts on receiving the accolade with The Big Story.

In other local news, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong has addressed Singaporeans' concerns about the rising cost of living ahead of the Budget 2022 statement on Feb 18.

In a video message posted on his social media channels, he said a planned assurance package to cushion the impact of the impending GST hike is set to cover more than 10 times the extra amount some families will spend. He also pledged that there will be a comprehensive set of measures that will offset the planned increase for lower and middle income households as well as retirees.

Separately, in a statement to ST on Wednesday, airfreight ground handler Sats said all cargo backlog accumulated at Changi Airport's terminals over the past two weeks has been cleared. Import operations have also stabilised, with incoming cargo now being processed at the regular rate.

The backlog was caused by a shortage of manpower due to Covid-19 infections among staff combined with a surge in pre-Chinese New Year deliveries.

In other news, the film award season is in full swing, following the unveiling of the Oscars nominations on Tuesday night.

Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog leads the field with 12 nominations, including acting nods for Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst.

Film correspondent John Lui predicts who will win at the Academy Awards on March 27. In addition, he shares his own picks for who should win.

John also takes a look at the notable nomination snubs, including House of Gucci's Lady Gaga and Dune director Denis Villeneuve.