Temasek Foundation appoints new chairman

SINGAPORE: Temasek Foundation on Thursday ( Sep 5 ) announced the appointment of Ms Jennie Chua as its new chairman. Her visit was effective on September 1. Mr Chua succeeds Mr Benny Lim, who served as the organisation’s president for the past four decades. Temasek Foundation said Mr Lim providedContinue Reading

Caregiver burnout: How women can cope with the fatigue and the impact to their finances

The role for caregiving in a home, whether for aged parents or a sick relatives part, tends to fall on the person, whether she’s single or married.

According to a study conducted by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in 2022, 60 % of carers in Singapore are women.

In addition to being at least four times more likely than men to have parenting tasks, the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development, published in 2022, revealed this.

According to Koh Yan Ping, CEO of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO ),” traditional beliefs and gender stereotypes frequently design women as major carers.” Caregiving and child-rearing were seen as natural modifications of their roles in giving birth before people were more active in the workplace.

Over day, “unpaid, unrecognised workers becomes a cultural rule, presenting caring as a’ burden’, mostly for women”, she added.

According to the 2023 People in Small report, 19.1 per share of the populace is aged 65 years and above, and this number will increase to 24.1 per cent by 2030.

According to a 2019 AWARE Eldercare Research Report, young women without children typically take care of their families as their engaged siblings, if any, may have their own to care for.

She would discover to her parents ‘ day-to-day demands, and take time off work to visit them to medical and healthcare meetings.

The sandwich technology includes married people who perform caregiving responsibilities. Usually aged between 39 and 59 years, they’re caught in-between having to care for both their older relatives and growing kids.

Additionally, according to the White Paper on Women’s Development, married ladies in dual-income communities are five times more likely than men to be able to handle both domestic and administrative tasks.

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Commentary: What would it take to revive Singapore’s stock market?

ENHANCING THE LISTING ECOSYSTEM

Next, Singapore may increase down on building its network of start-up and development companies. A constant supply of local businesses that want to go public can be assured by expanding initiatives like the Grant for Equity Market Singapore, the Anchor Fund@65, and increasing support for small and medium-sized enterprises eyeing a list.

Singapore should also be ramped up in efforts to make it the preferred identifying location for local start-ups. This can be accomplished by aggressive outreach to business capital and private equity firms, as well as focused tax incentives and co-investment funds to support IPOs. Pulling in more Eastern “unicorns” will build buzz and develop a critical mass of development businesses.

Third, Singapore may try to be a gateway for global investment to access Eastern growth prospects. This can be accomplished by actively promoting secondary listings of Eastern businesses that are already listed worldwide and encouraging listings of major Asian companies that are located elsewhere.

The key to fostering the right ecosystem of indicator providers, research firms, and industry makers will also be to promote investment and cost discovery in these stocks. Singapore now serves as an Eastern hub for international banks and asset managers; it may make use of these connections to encourage the participation of worldwide institutional investors.

Although a merger with another ipo might not be the best option, SGX may also benefit from pursuing strategic alliances and partnerships with other exchanges and industry participants.

For instance, SGX could discover joint ventures or mutual listing agreements with other markets in the region, such as those in Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand. These partnerships may give businesses a way to access many markets and entrepreneur bases while still keeping their main listing in Singapore.

Third, some people have suggested that aligning the company’s major achievement indicators&nbsp more closely with the Singapore stock market’s overall growth and development may lead to positive outcomes even though the details of SGX’s inside incentive structures are not completely clear to outside observers.

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Rivals try to woo the Pacific as climate change bites

BBC A group of women carry a banner on the streets titled 'We are not drowning, we are fighting'BBC

Last week, Nuku’alofa, the sleepy capital of Tonga, was a hotspot for Pacific Islands Forum ( PIF ) Leaders Meetings, which took place in the region.

Every so often, a officers escort had accelerate through its streets, sirens blaring. On the cap of the vehicles, little flags identified the unusual delegations. China and Taiwan were accessible, as well as the Union Jack and the United Nations.

They all merely spoke or observed in conversation. But they made a lot of sound. Their security depth was greater than that of the majority of the 18 PIF people, perhaps with the exception of Australia and New Zealand. According to sources, the Royal Palace of Tonga appeared more stately than the King, with just one watch protect guarding the palace.

Officials described the meeting as fascinating throughout the week, but there is a general consensus that these ambassadors ‘ interests may not always be in line with the wishes of PIF rulers or its members.

delegations from all over the world are present, eager to play a part in the region, which is gaining more political importance, but the PIF is made up of 18 people, most of whom are Pacific Islanders as well as Australia and New Zealand.

The US and Australia are no longer the only major people. In the Pacific, China is a rising force that causes problems.

Sign for a hotel reading “All positions, no experience necessary, good attitude, apply within”

Under the stress of all this attention, Nuku’alofa has about slowed down. A poster stating” no encounter necessary- all positions” was displayed outside one of its major hotels, where the large delegations were staying.

Another see inside the hotel warned that Tonga was dealing with a shortage of skilled workers and was n’t thus provide services to the general public during the conference.

It served as a timely reminder of the “brain dump” that some Pacific countries are experiencing as their citizens migrate to Australia and New Zealand for a better prospect.

At the forum itself, Australia scored a victory quite early on when it announced a A$ 400m ($ 268m; $ 204 million ) Pacific Policing Initiative, which has the intention to establish four officers education centers in the Pacific and one in Brisbane. Additionally, it will teach local soldiers how to respond to significant natural disasters or significant events in the area.

No sooner than the program had been announced, it was eclipsed by a “hot device” time. In a discussion with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, prime minister Anthony Albanese was caught on camera calling the package” a bread.” He even joked with Mr. Campbell about going “halfsies on the cost” in a conversation he did n’t believe was being filmed.

It was a odd error that made it abundantly clear that the police initiative had a “win” with Australia and its friends as a result of China’s growing influence in the area.

The fact that Mr. Albanese made his remarks in the Chinese-built hall makes the competition even more important. The area is clearly affected by Chinese effect. A huge parcel of land next to the hall that houses the Royal Tombs has been boarded up with large signs on the outside indicating that a restoration is being carried out with the assistance of China Aid. It’s a similar tale across the Pacific.

However, the conversation even supported reservations made by Vanuatu’s Prime Minister and the Melanesian Spearhead Group mind that the police action might be seen as being more about removing China than focusing on the advantages for the Pacific Islands.

Sign outside the Royal Tombs saying a renovation is being carried out with the help of China Aid

Mr Albanese’s” bread” feedback weren’t the just controversy last week. A reassertion of a 1992 agreement that allowed Taiwan to participate in community leaders ‘ meetings was included in the final statement released by PIF frontrunners on Friday evening. The guide to Taiwan was then removed and the communication was removed. Finally, it was claimed, PIF leaders had ceded pressure from China despite the fact that they had made the claim that it was an administrative error.

Only three of the 18 nations in the Pacific Islands Forum have diplomatic ties with Taiwan. While China is a “dialogue companion’” Taiwan is a “development companion”, which is a move down in value.

What all of these claims demonstrate is the very real contest that is rifling in the Pacific. Somebody wants a piece of the place because they want to go to the PIF.

The thing is, while nations fight it out for importance, so too do the Pacific Islands. There is a strong emphasis on ensuring that those who take part in this website do so in a positive manner for the people of the Pacific.

A recent report by the Lowy Institute found that strategic rivalry can at times forget the needs of people.

According to the report titled” The Great Game in the Pacific islands,”” Many of these markets are struggling to meet fundamental development wants.”

“Larger forces typically prioritise projects that deliver corporate gains such as telecommunications, ports and defense facilities, or political dividends for as stadiums and agreement centres, over less obviously impressive projects. ”

Signs showing afforestation and build better now in Tonga

Officials went on a surrender on the island of Vava’u on the final evening. However in Nuku’alofa, side occurrences carried on. One of the Pacific Resilience Facility’s offices, which will be located in Tonga, was there. It is the first Pacific-led culture and disaster resilience funding fund.

Ministers and officials from nations like Tonga, Tuvalu, and Australia were present at the event. The account was a great investment with the expectation that it would be the catalyst for climate change issues in the area. Australia has been the biggest donor so far, with A$ 100m. The US, China and Saudi Arabia have even contributed but the finance however only has US$ 137m in overall- that’s a long way from their goal of US$ 500m by 2026 and a long-term target of US$ 1. 5bn.

“ I think it ’s harder to get funding for climate change, ” Paulson Panapa, Tuvalu’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade told the BBC. We want all contributors to view both as being extremely important, just like we do.

Although the Pacific Islands are tiny, they are powerful in many ways. What happens in these countries’ waters socially, economically, and socially will determine the world’s future, both for good and bad, because they are located in an sea that accounts for a fourth of the world’s surface area. “

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Type 1 diabetes patients welcome subsidies for glucose monitoring system, but call for more support

Parents of Mason were pleased with the subsidies because they only have to pay S$ 42 for the device, which is about half the price of the device at the time. &nbsp,

” The subsidies are a good start, it’s better than nothing … but ( his total diabetes-related expenses ) is still no small sum”, said his mother Carmen Lee, adding that the family spends about S$ 5, 000 every quarter on Mason’s diabetes-related expenses. &nbsp,

” There are some things that we ca n’t quantify, such as the time and effort spent on skin care products ( to deal with Mason’s allergy to the adhesive on the sensors ),” said the author. It’s a quite expensive form of disease to control”.

Despite the cost, Ms Lee, who works full-time as a dermatologist, said the CGM system offers her peace of mind and allows her child to lead a more normal life. &nbsp,

” It gives Mason a lot more flexibility to just be a person … we can be less stringent with his youth, in terms of his meal … his engagement, because we can see what’s happening in real time”, said Ms Lee. &nbsp,

” Our top priority as parents is always the safety of our child.” We do n’t want him to experience any stigma associated with this disease or to be so dissimilar from his friends, but we want him to live as normal as possible.

The CGM actually helps with that, and it’s really important to us as families that he understands that he can do everything and anything else that everyone else can do.

CALLS FOR MORE Knowledge

According to Type 1 diabetes worldwide register T1 Index, 6, 187 people in Singapore have this form of the disease. &nbsp,

Dr. Tan said that because Type 1 insulin is less prevalent than Type 2, people frequently face further difficulties because of the lower occurrence, which in turn results in a general lack of public knowledge and awareness of the condition. &nbsp,

This may lead to misconceptions, social stigma, and apathy from others who may never fully comprehend the everyday struggles faced by those with Type 1 diabetes, he said. &nbsp,

” Also, health learning programs tend to focus more on Type 2 diabetes, leading to a lack of qualified knowledge and awareness for Type 1 insulin, “he added. &nbsp,

” This could result in fewer options for early diagnosis, appropriate control, and knowledge of the special needs of people living with Type 1 insulin.”

Ms. Lee stated that her father’s situation was raising more consciousness and getting more help for those who share her son’s condition. &nbsp, &nbsp,

In terms of the parents of children with Type 1 diabetes, as well as the adults with Type 1 insulin,” we do have quite a small but close-knit group here in Singapore,” she said. &nbsp,

” We parents are always talking about how the children and their parents are managing in school… because by&nbsp, the time ( the child ) reaches primary school… the teachers are not allowed to administer any medication whatsoever, including insulin, to the students,” she said. &nbsp,

So either the young children have to learn how to ( inject ) themselves with a needle frequently throughout the day or their parents have to give up their careers to attend school and administer the injections.

” As kids, we take care of our children but in the future, this is their burden to bear. But certainly, we hope to make it as easy for them as possible for the future”.

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Fast fashion drove Bangladesh – now its troubled economy needs more

BBC Textile workers in a garment factory in Bangladesh.BBC

The beating brain of the world fast fashion industry is Bangladesh.

The clothing its factories trade share the aisles at H&amp, M, Gap and Zara. Over three years, this has transformed the nation from one of the nation’s poorest to a lower-middle money region.

But its garment industry, worth$ 55bn ( £42bn ) a year, is now facing an unsettled future after weeks of protests toppled the government of Sheikh Hasina in August. In the turmoil, hundreds of people were killed.

While producers struggled to work under a global internet blackout, at least four factories were set ablaze. Now, three major brands, including Disney and US retailer string Walmart, have looked abroad for next weekend’s clothes.

The upheaval is continuing. From Thursday, some 60 companies outside Dhaka are expected to remain closed because of employee upheaval. Staff have been making numerous needs, including better pay.

Reuters Protesters clash with police and the pro-government supporters, after anti-quota protester demanding the stepping down of the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Bangla Motor area, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 4, 2024Reuters

New events” will affect the trust level of brands”, says Mohiuddin Rubel, a chairman at the region’s garments manufacturers and exporters relationship.

” And they might believe,” If we put all of our eggs in one box?” they ask. he says, noting foe garment-producing places like Vietnam.

In fact, Kyaw Sein Thai, who has procurement agencies in both Bangladesh and the US, speculates that the current social unrest could lead to a” 10 to 20 % decline in export this time.” That’s no small amount when fast fashion exports account for 80 % of Bangladesh’s export earnings.

Even before the events of the past several months, Bangladesh’s cloth business – and its economy – were not in good health. Baby workers crises, fatal injuries and the Covid-19 stoppage had all taken their toll.

Manufacturing had become more expensive as a result of rising prices, but sluggish need meant lower prices meant lower prices. This was particularly terrible for Bangladesh, which relies heavily on imports. As revenue from imports shrank, so did foreign money resources.

Other issues were present, as well: the government’s finances had been drained from increased expenditure on lavish infrastructure projects. Additionally, as strong businesspeople with connections to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party failed to pay money, the bank was weakened by rampant favoritism.

” It was n’t benign neglect but a designed robbery of the financial system”, the country’s new central bank governor, Dr Ahsan Mansur, told the BBC in an recent exclusive interview.

Fixing this, Dr Mansur said, was his top concern, but he warned it may take years and the state would need more financial support, including another IMF loan.

” We are in a challenging situation, and we want to keep paying every penny we can to fulfill our international commitments. But we need some extra seat for today”, said Dr Mansur.

An empty office in a technology park near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Mahaburbur Rahman, whose family founded the apparel company Sonia Group 20 years ago, claims that the nation’s declining deposits of foreign currencies alone are sufficient to stifle trust.

If we do n’t have enough money, they worry about how much we’ll be able to import yarn from China and India. Many of them are unable to make new orders in Bangladesh because they are n’t covered by travel insurance, according to Mr. Rahman.

However, Bangladesh’s current issue is more grave: kids who were outraged by the country’s absence of well-paying jobs and opportunities were the ones who organized the protests that led to Ms. Hasina’s ouster.

The clothing factories may have provided millions of jobs, but they do n’t offer good wages. Some factory workers who spoke to the BBC claimed they struggled to make ends meet on wages that were only a fraction of the national minimum wage, which meant they were forced to take out money to give their children.

Many of them joined the student-led rallies in recent months to need better pay and conditions.

” We may live for nothing less than a doubling”, union president Maria said. ” Pay must change as the cost of living increases.”

The student activists, though, are calling for a more dramatic shake-up of the employment market.

Abu Tahir, Mohammad Zaman, Mohammad Zaidul and Sardar Armaan were all part of the marches.

They all claim to be interested in working in the private sector but do n’t feel like they are qualified for the positions that are available, telling the BBC that they have been unemployed for between two and five years.

” ]My parents ] hardly understand how competitive the job market is. Unemployment is a main source of stress for my home. I feel belittled”, Mr Zaman says.

” We only get a degree, we are never getting the right knowledge”, says Mr Zaidul.

” The new assistant is an entrepreneur himself nevertheless, so we all feel more cheerful he’ll do something about this”, he adds, referring to the region’s time president, Muhammad Yunus. For his ground-breaking work in sub debts, Mr. Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Textile workers in a garment factory in Bangladesh.

According to Dr. Fahmida Khatun of the Centre for Policy Dialogue think tank, diversifying the economy is essential to fulfill the desires of educated children, adding that this would not be detrimental to the market.

” No state you live for a long time based on only one business”, she says. ” It will take you so much, but no further. There have been]diversification ] attempts, but so far it’s only been in the books”.

This is demonstrated by a deteriorating systems garden close to the capital, Dhaka. It was intended to be a part of a national campaign to reduce Bangladesh’s reliance on garment production and to make higher-paying jobs.

It today sits abandoned – a reminder of the preceding administration’s financial problems.

” This is the perfect example of the difference between what business requirements and what the government has provided”, says Russel T Ahmed, a applications investor.

No one ever inquired as to why we needed these gardens. Bangladesh has been investing in real system, but how much have we invested in human system? That is the essential raw materials for this market.

According to Dr. Khatun, the new government must cut down on obstacles like fraud and bureaucracy in order to promote private and international investment.

Mr Yunus has vowed to take extensive changes to the country’s economy and fix organizations that have, as Dr Khatun says, been” carefully ruined” over the past few years.

He must continue to stabilize the economy, hold free and fair elections, and stop vested interests from dictating state policy.

The state is also dealing with a number of issues, including slowing global demand for the goods it produces, deteriorating relations with its gigantic neighbor and exchanging partner India, which houses Ms. Hasina, and climate change, which has increased the intensity of cyclones in the flood-prone nation.

These difficulties are as great as the hope that many people have poured onto Mr. Yunus ‘ arms.

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Uttar Pradesh: The child-killing wolves sparking panic in India

Getty Images Side view of grey wolf standing against trees,Mysuru,Karnataka,IndiaGetty Images

On the night of August 17th, a power split plunged the town into darkness in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, where Sandhya, 4, was sleeping outside her mud house.

Within two days of the lamps going up, the wolves began to attack. By the time we realised what was happening, they had taken her absent”, recalls her family, Sunita.

Sandhya’s body was found lying next day in the sugar fields, some 500 feet from her house.

When his family noticed a bear creeping into their house earlier in the month, eight-year-old Utkarsh was sleeping under a malaria nets in the nearby community.

” The bird lunged from the darkness. I screamed,’ Leave my son exclusively!’ My neighborhood rushed in, and the dog fled”, she recounts.

Since mid-April, a wave of wolf attacks has terrorised around 30 villages in Bahraich district, near the border with Nepal. Nine children and an adult have been carried off and killed by the wolves. The youngest victim was a one-year-old boy, and the oldest was a 45-year-old woman. At least 34 others have been injured.

ANI Villagers watch the searching operations of the missing persons after a Boat carrying 20 people drowned in the Bhada River at Lokahi villege of District Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. ANI

The settlements affected by this disaster are fearful and hysterical. Children are being kept inside, and men are pounding through the dimly lit streets at night because some villages have no locks. Officials have used fireworks, nets, and drones to frighten the wolves, as well as cameras and drones. Three wolf have been taken and moved to animals thus far.

These wolf attacks on people are really uncommon, and the majority involve those who are carriers of the hepatitis, a viral illness that affects the central nervous system. Mad wolves usually carry out various assaults without endangering the victims.

A report by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research reported 489 “relatively reliable cases” of wolf attacks in 21 countries – including India – between 2002 and 2020. Only 26 of them were fatal. Around 380 people were victims of “rabid attacks”.

Only two wolf-related fatalities have been identified in North America over the past 50 years, according to Dave Mech, a famous British scientist with a focus on dog behavior, who spoke to the BBC. Despite having a population of roughly 70 000 wolf spread throughout North America, this is true.

So why are coyotes attacking individuals in Bahraich?

Pieces of Bahraich, which are nestled between a creek and forests, have long been dog wildlife. Located in the floodplain of the Ghaghara valley, the region, home to 3.5 million people, is liable to annual flood.

A trapped wolf in a cage

Heavy rains and flooding during the monsoons have drastically altered the landscape. The swollen river has inundated the forests, potentially driving the wolves out in search of food and water. Indian wolves prey on black buck, chinkara (Indian gazelle) and hare.

The Institute of Wildlife Sciences ‘ Amita Kanaujia says that while climate change is a continuous process, flooding may cause wolves to lose their habitat and travel to human settlements in search of food.

Why had young people be the goal of the wolves when they are looking for food?

Map of India Nepal border showing Baraich district

Wildlife authorities discovered there was little care of children because the majority of the patients came from impoverished single-parent homes, typically led by parents, during an investigation into the killings of a large number of children in bear attacks in Uttar Pradesh villages in 1996.

In these poor Indian villages, animal is generally better protected than kids. When a hungry dog, facing a depleted victim biodiversity and limited exposure to cattle, encounters for vulnerable children, they become more possible targets. ” Nowhere else in the universe have we witnessed floods of bear attacks on children”, Yadvendradev Jhala, a leading American scholar and naturalist, told me.

Uttar Pradesh’s bear attacks are undoubtedly the fourth of these in four years. In 1981-82, bear strikes in Bihar claimed the lives of at least 13 children. Between 1993 and 1995, another 80 babies were attacked, this moment by what were believed to be five dog packages in the state’s Hazaribagh area.

The most fatal incident occurred in 1996, when at least 76 youngsters from more than 50 villages in Uttar Pradesh were attacked, killing 38 people overall. The killings came to an end when 11 coyotes were killed by authorities. The internet described them as “man-eating” wolf.

Wolf attacks in UP's Bahraich spark fear among villagers

Mr Jhala and his partner Dinesh Kumar Sharma conducted a thorough research into the 1996 killings, examining system remains, dog hair, village hutments, population density, livestock and autopsy reports. Uttar Pradesh’s current attacks resemble their discoveries from nearly 30 years ago in a strange way.

Both children were killed and partially consumed, with puncture wounds on various body parts and bite marks on their throats. The majority of attacks took place at night, with children sleeping outside in the middle of villages being taken away. Victims were frequently found in open spaces like farms and meadows.

Like Bahraich today, the 1996 wolf attacks took place in villages near riverbanks, surrounded by rice and sugarcane farms and swampy groves. Both cases involved crowded villages and a large number of children from poor farming families, which increased the risk.

Whether a pack or a lone wolf is carrying out the ongoing attacks is undetermined. Based on his 30 years of studying wolves, Mr Jhala believes that a single wolf- like in 1996- is probably responsible for the recent killings. The mother of Utkarsh, who survived, reported seeing a single wolf attack her son at home during the day while villagers reported seeing a group of five to six wolves in their fields during the day.

For centuries, humans and wolves in India co-existed peacefully, thanks to the traditional tolerance of pastoralist communities, say wildlife experts. This long-standing co-existence has allowed wolves to persist despite frequent conflicts, particularly over livestock. However, times have changed, and the recent surge in attacks has raised new concerns.

If there is n’t enough housing, children in the affected villages should stay indoors, sleep between adults, and be accompanied by an adult to the bathroom at night. Local authorities should designate night watchmen to patrol the streets and appoint them to prevent children from letting them roam unsupervised in areas where wolves might be hiding.

These security measures are essential until the precise causes of these attacks, according to Mr. Jhala. Meanwhile, people in Bahraich remain on edge every night.

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‘Sustained support’ for budding arts and sports talents as part of refreshed President’s Challenge

SINGAPORE: There will be” sustained help” for budding artists and sports skills, and other activities as part of the refreshed&nbsp, President’s Challenge. &nbsp,

Set up in 2000, &nbsp, the original scope of the annual funding function was to help create a more nurturing and coherent society, and to support the less fortunate.

Its range has since been broadened, with the implementation of annual elements like caring for carers and empowering people with disabilities, but it will then get “beyond social improvement”. &nbsp,

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam also noted at the launch of the refreshed&nbsp, President’s Challenge on Wednesday ( Sep 4 ) that community donations to the Community Chest are growing, while donations to social causes are seeing the highest levels of giving as well as volunteering.

The “refreshing and repurposing” of the President’s Challenge is” so fast” as it comes amid “positive advancements”, which help to create a broader panorama of giving and charity for some cultural reasons, he said.

Mr Tharman added:” Its simple objective, going beyond immediate requirements, will be to achieve sustained social effect: By uplifting desires and possible, especially amongst those who start with greater chances”.

The expanded focus of the event is to ensure that their growth is sustained “over the years” as well as promoting probable in the arts and sports, especially for those who are less fortunate. &nbsp,

” In both athletics and the arts, achievement is shaped by skill, but it also depends significantly on odds and even upsets”, said Mr Tharman. &nbsp,

” Many of our best people first discovered anything by accident, discovered they could do it, gained some enjoyment from it, and spent years developing their skills in the arts or game.”

We want to support each talent’s development continue over the years by expanding those options and opportunities for them to be discovered.

Nur Syahidah Alim, a nationwide para-athlete, was just one of the examples cited by Mr. Tharman. Born with diplegia, which is a form of cerebral palsy affecting one’s ability to walk or stand, she&nbsp, was excused from participating in physical education ( PE ) during school.

But Nur Syahidah&nbsp, stumbled upon archery at 18 after attending an event organised by the Singapore Disability Sports Council ( SDSC ) and “has not looked back since”, he added.

The second Singaporean to become&nbsp, a world champion in para-archery after winning gold at the 2019 World Archery Para Championship, she&nbsp, advanced to the&nbsp, children’s substances available 1/8 reduction round at&nbsp, the&nbsp, Tokyo Paralympics.

Nur Syahidah also participated at the Paris Paralympics, exiting the women’s compound open competition in the round of 32 last week.

Mr Tharman said the one of the aims of the refreshed President’s Challenge is to give an “extra lift” to disability sports. &nbsp,

He also used the example of para-athlete&nbsp, Colin Soon. The 19-year-old national para-swimmer, despite being visually impaired, clinched multiple medals at last year’s ASEAN Para Games, showing “what is possible”.

Soon, who was at the event, told CNA:” I certainly hope this would definitely improve all areas of everyone’s sport and also raise the accessibility of it, such that more talents can be spotted, and also bring awareness to para-sports in general, and also make it a much better environment for everyone” .&nbsp,

The President’s Challenge will also partner with SportSG to “expand chances and thicken the pipeline” of future talents, including by supporting SportSG’s partnerships with schools, &nbsp, Mr Tharman added.

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Survey reveals half of Singaporeans resist young-onset dementia testing, even with symptoms

The study findings were discussed by a board comprising NNI’s mind of company and expert Chiew Hui Jin, &nbsp, Changi General Hospital top consultant and psychiatrist Vanessa Mok, &nbsp, Dementia Singapore’s CEO Jason Foo and&nbsp, Milieu Insight’s head of research Nigel Lin.

Dr. Chiew argued that the refusal to test for dementia is a common problem, and that it’s mainly concerning when individuals are unaware of their symptoms despite their family members having noticed them.

This is because, in the pre-dementia levels, people ‘ information into their symptoms may already be weakened, making it harder to break through the neglect that they might have the problem, he said.

According to Dr. Chiew, 20 to 30 % of patients with mild cognitive impairment may develop dementia after three years, depending on how they manage their risk factors.

He claimed that young-onset dementia people tend to deteriorate more quickly than memory in older people.

Nearly 95 % of responders were aware that people who were under the age of 65 you have memory. However, respondents were less aware of the range of symptoms that dementia is display.

Most people were able to detect memory symptoms like forgetfulness, difficulty carrying out well-known jobs, and difficulty using the correct words.

But less than half identified mood swings, social withdrawal or loneliness, stupid motor skills, problems seeing or locating materials, fidgeting, and drowsiness or problems as symptoms.

Respondents ranked employment ( 30 per cent ) as the area of life that would be most impacted by a diagnosis of young-onset dementia, followed by relationships ( 21 per cent ), financial stability ( 17 per cent ), personal care ( 16 per cent ), life management ( 13 per cent ) and hobbies and interests ( 2 per cent ).

Importantly, 59 % of respondents either disagreed or claimed to be unaware of the necessary lifestyle changes to lessen the risk of dementia.

Dr. Chiew from NNI stated that people can take actions on other risk factors, even though a family history of memory is a risk factor that cannot be changed.

These include cardio risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Life factors like smoking, using alcohol, physical inactivity and social isolation is also help.

Mr. Foo, a spokesperson for Dementia Singapore, claimed that younger people who have been diagnosed with dementia may struggle to accept or communicate their situation.

” Dementia is just a one-way way, it only gets worse. And so, he said,” There’s a better chance that the decay does not progress that quickly the sooner you accept the condition, the earlier you do something about it.”

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