Must-reads
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
THE BIG STORY
Singapore getting ready for possible Covid-19 surge
Singapore is boosting hospital and testing capacities, to prepare for a possible Covid-19 surge even as reopening plans continue. So far, 16 Omicron cases have been detected here and while there has been no community transmission of the new variant, it is only a matter of time before this happens, said Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong.
THE BIG STORY
Blinken denounces China's actions in South China Sea
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a major policy speech in Indonesia yesterday, denounced China's "aggressive actions" in the region which he said included "claiming open seas as their own". Beijing hit back swiftly at the remarks, saying the US was "talking one thing and acting another".
An unexpected discovery by doctors analysing skin and wound samples has led to a new species of bacteria being identified and named after Singapore. Staphylococcus singaporensis sp.nov is part of the Staphylococcus aureus complex, which commonly causes conditions from mild skin and wound infections to surgical and more serious bloodstream infections that may be fatal.
Amid the massive churn in the job market, SkillsFuture released a report on jobs of the future. It provides many of the answers that job seekers may be looking for. But it also raises important issues that workers and companies will need to address to be future-ready, says associate editor Vikram Khanna.
Britain is facing hurdles in controlling the surge in Omicron infections and avoiding stricter curbs, with its vaccine booster programme facing bottlenecks and staff shortages. There have been reports of hours-long queues at walk-in centres, and of the government's online booking platform repeatedly crashing.
Hundreds of female gymnasts who were sexually abused by Larry Nassar, former team doctor of the United States gymnastics team, have agreed to a US$380 million (S$520 million) settlement with USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The settlement is among the largest for a sexual abuse case.