Kerry to meet Russian counterpart

United States Secretary of State John Kerry will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Hamburg, Germany, today with the situation in Syria high on the agenda.

The two men are in the German port city for a foreign ministers' meeting of the 57-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Events for special needs community

Charity events are plentiful this holiday season, and several today focus on those with special needs. Rainbow Centre, for one, has brought special needs children together with artists to create unique pieces for an exhibition being launched today at the Ion Art Gallery. Separately, there will be music and games this afternoon for the special needs community at Safra Toa Payoh, and the chance to meet Paralympians Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh.

ECB policy announcement

The European Central Bank (ECB) will deliver its much-awaited monetary policy announcement today, in which it is set to reveal the future of its bond-buying programme. The ECB is widely expected to extend the programme beyond its current end date in March, in a bid to bolster the euro zone economy. Some economists also expect the central bank to send signals that the asset purchase programme will eventually end.