THE BIG STORY
Singapore signs world’s largest trade pact
The world’s largest trade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, was inked by ministers from 15 countries including Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it was a “major step forward for the world, at a time when multilateralism is losing ground, and global growth is slowing”.
THE BIG STORY
Who should be given a Covid-19 vaccine first?
A number of Covid-19 vaccine candidates are undergoing late-stage trials and if successful, may be used to inoculate millions from as early as next month. Senior health correspondent Salma Khalik speaks to experts to understand who should be given priority and how much protection the vaccines can give, among other things.
SINGAPORE
ST photojournalists’ personal take on their word of the year
Words may fail many of us in trying to capture the misery of the past few months, but the wise folk at Collins Dictionary – lexicographers is the word for them – have hit on “lockdown” as their word of the year.
Armed with the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, The Straits Times photojournalists give a personal take on their word of the year.
OPINION
Why Biden will be tougher on China than Obama
President-elect Joe Biden’s China policy will be tougher than that of former president Barack Obama. Congressional dynamics and popular sentiments in the United States support a more confrontational stance, and Beijing has become more assertive, says US correspondent Charissa Yong.
SCIENCE
How docs detected new pair of salivary glands
Puzzlement turned to wonder when a group of Dutch doctors who were carrying out cancer research stumbled upon a pair of new salivary glands. The discovery was a feat made possible by new technology and the curiosity of doctors from the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam.
BUSINESS
Genting S’pore back in black with $54.4m profit
Genting Singapore swung to a net profit of $54.4 million for the three months to Sept 30 from a net loss of $163.3 million in the previous quarter, after Resorts World Sentosa reopened to visitors in July. But on a year-on-year basis, the continued absence of inbound tourists was keenly felt as earnings were down 66 per cent.
