While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 23, 2025
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President Tharman Shanmugaratnam speaking before a WEF panel discussion on closing the jobs gap, moderated by Business Insider editor-in-chief Jamie Heller, on Jan 22.
PHOTO: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
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Adjustments needed to tackle job-skills mismatch globally
A mismatch between the skills that employers need now and in the future, and those that job seekers learn in school, poses more than an economic problem.
Left to fester, this mismatch could also dim confidence in education and social support systems in the long run when people feel that their efforts and expense have been for nothing, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Jan 22.
It occurs when people cannot find jobs despite completing tertiary education, and is something both advanced and developing countries experience, he said in wide-ranging opening remarks for a panel discussion on closing the jobs gap, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which ends on Jan 24.
Moderated by Ms Jamie Heller, editor-in-chief of news outlet Business Insider, the panellists included Ms Veronica Nilsson, general secretary of the trade union advisory committee to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as Mr Denis Machuel, chief executive of human resources services firm Adecco Group.
New explosive wildfire erupts near LA, forces evacuations
REUTERS
A new wildfire erupted north of Los Angeles on Jan 22, exploding in size and sparking evacuation orders in a region already staggering from the effects of huge blazes.
Ferocious flames were devouring hillsides near Castaic Lake, spreading rapidly to cover 1,400 hectares in less than two hours.
The fire was being fanned by strong, dry Santa Ana winds that were racing through the area, pushing a vast pall of smoke and embers ahead of the flames.
Syria’s economy will be open for foreign investment: FM
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani said on Jan 22 that the country will open its economy to foreign investment and that Damascus is also working on energy and electricity partnerships with Gulf states.
“Syria’s economic resources are diverse and we have a lot of sectors - industry, tourism... of course the economy in the future will be open and will open the road for foreign investment,” he said, at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
He reiterated calls for ending the international sanctions imposed on Syria.
Elon Musk slams Trump-backed AI mega project
VIA REUTERS
Tech titan Elon Musk cast doubt on Jan 22 on a US$500 billion (S$677 billion) AI project announced by US President Donald Trump, saying the money promised for the investment actually wasn’t there.
The comments marked a rare instance of a split between the world’s richest man and Mr Trump, with Mr Musk playing a key role in the newly installed administration after spending US$270 million on the election campaign.
In his first full day in the White House, Mr Trump on Jan 21 announced a major investment to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence led by Japanese giant SoftBank and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
‘Best feeling’ as Hamilton drives first laps for Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton drove a Ferrari Formula One car for the first time on Jan 22 after the seven-time world champion took to the track at the team’s test circuit and admitted it was “one of the best feelings” of his life.
The 40-year-old Briton shocked the paddock in February 2024 when he announced, after 12 highly successful years with Mercedes, he was departing for the iconic Italian team.
On a foggy morning at the Fiorano test track near Ferrari’s Maranello base in northern Italy, Hamilton shot out in a test car wearing the classic red overalls and a distinctive yellow helmet.
