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THE BIG STORY
The United States and China will work together to tackle the urgent threat of climate change, both sides said in a joint pledge days ahead of a key summit hosted by US President Joe Biden. The agreement between the world's top two greenhouse gas polluters is likely to bolster Mr Biden's climate summit on Thursday and Friday.
THE BIG STORY
About eight in 10 quarantine orders here are now sent electronically, speeding up the ring-fencing of Covid-19 clusters while saving on manpower. Various such tech tools and molecular testing abilities have significantly reduced the average number of days needed to identify and quarantine close contacts of confirmed cases in Singapore.
SCIENCE
Coastal habitats like mangroves stand where land meets sea, and these plots untouched by development have kept record of the changes in the environment long before the advent of sensors, tide gauges and other technology. Singapore is working to learn more about historic sea levels from these ancient archives as it seeks to prepare itself for future sea-level rise due to climate change.
WORLD
Just as some patients recovering from Covid-19 suffer long-lasting symptoms, it is becoming clear that the same will be true for the global economy. While crisis support and vaccines have fuelled recovery, the legacies of stunted education, the destruction of jobs, war-era levels of debt and widening inequalities will leave lasting scars.
BUSINESS
Observers say examining work arrangements and protection for gig workers here makes sense now. This comes as the number of Singaporeans and permanent residents who were regularly freelancing over the 12 months to the middle of last year reached 228,200 - the highest level in at least five years.
LIFE
A nice dinner, listening to one's favourite songs and payday. These are Singaporeans' top three simple pleasures, an online poll by the Small Luxury Hotels of the World organisation found. However, more than half of the respondents here felt that they do not get to enjoy such pleasures as often as they would like.
