THE BIG STORY
Covid-19 rules may be tightened ahead of CNY
The battle against Covid-19 this year will be fought on two fronts - speeding up the vaccination programme and keeping the slate of safeguards finely tuned. This could mean implementing further curbs ahead of Chinese New Year, when more social interactions are expected, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong.
WORLD
S'porean works on music show at Biden inauguration
Attendance at the United States presidential inauguration might have been limited, but Singaporean Lenny Wee was among those lucky enough to be at the event. The 36-year-old, who has been in the US music industry since 2008, worked behind the scenes for singer Jennifer Lopez's live performance at the US Capitol.
THE BIG STORY
WHO plans slew of vaccine approvals in near future
The World Health Organisation (WHO) plans to approve several Covid-19 vaccines from Western and Chinese firms in coming weeks and months, an internal document said, as it aims for rapid roll-outs in poorer countries. Covax, a global scheme co-led by the WHO, wants to deliver at least two billion vaccine doses across the world this year, with at least 1.3 billion going to poorer countries.
SINGAPORE
Over 5,000 reports made last year on family violence
The police have, for the first time, revealed figures on the number of reports made on family violence offences in a year, as part of a commitment to protect victims. Yesterday, the police said 5,135 such reports were made last year, and 1,115 of those were referred to family service centres or family violence specialist centres.
SPORT
S'pore Open golf moved to next year amid pandemic
Organisers of the SMBC Singapore Open announced yesterday that the next edition of the golf event will take place next year. It is the first major sports event here to be affected by the pandemic this year. American Matt Kuchar won the US$1 million (S$1.3 million) event last January at Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong Course.
BUSINESS
Uncertainty did not affect IPO market in Asia: Report
The uncertainty and volatility last year failed to make a marked dent in the initial public offering (IPO) market across Asia-Pacific, according to an Ernst & Young report. The smaller exchanges in the Asean region, however, saw a modest drop in the number of IPOs and proceeds, said the Global IPO Trends report.