THE BIG STORY
UK okays Pfizer vaccine; S'pore in talks to get supply
Britain yesterday gave emergency use authorisation to the Covid-19 vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech, becoming the first Western country to pave the way for mass inoculations. Singapore is in discussions with the firms to secure a supply of the vaccine doses here, said BioNTech's chief business and chief commercial officer.
THE BIG STORY
TOC editor gives reasons for not taking down article
The editor of The Online Citizen (TOC) said he did not take down an article containing potentially libellous allegations about Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong because it was PM Lee's press secretary who sent him a letter of demand instead of his lawyers. He said another factor was the letter being released to the media on the same day.
WORLD
Indonesia continues to see daily records for coronavirus infections
Indonesia is struggling to contain the coronavirus nine months after it arrived on its shores, with daily records being set for infections as the virus spreads throughout the world's fourth-most populous country.
The country remains the worst-hit in South-east Asia, with the number of confirmed cases at 549,508 as at yesterday.
OPINION
Crisis in Iran matters to the rest of Asia
How Iran responds to the killing of its top nuclear scientist - a hit believed to be organised by Israel and which left Teheran looking weak and incapable of defending its best - will reverberate across Asia, given the mesh of links forged through religion, politics, trade and employment, says associate editor Ravi Velloor.
SINGAPORE
Homeless shelters mostly full, with 100 on wait list
As the economic and social fallout from the pandemic continues to bite, the 21 temporary shelters for the homeless in Singapore are mostly full, with about 100 people on the wait list. There are two main reasons for the current shortage of shelter space: increased demand and reduced number of Safe Sound Sleeping Places.
BUSINESS
Big banks helping small businesses get funding
All three big banks are making efforts to help small and micro businesses hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic secure much-needed funding. Since March, South-east Asia's largest bank DBS has approved nearly 10,000 loans to small and medium-sized enterprises, it said in a statement.
