Low immediate risk of mpox, but Singapore likely to see cases due to global connectivity: Ong Ye Kung

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There were 32 cases of mpox in 2023, with MOH confirming on Thursday that all situations in Singapore have been the gentler genus II pressure. As of July 27th, 2018, there were ten instances of mpox, also known as monkeypox.

Singapore’s Health Ministry added on Thursday the immediate&nbsp, public health threat to the country is small and that cautionary measures are in place.

SEVERAL KEY PARAMATERS

Mr. Ong outlined some important factors that Singapore is taking into account when handling mpox upon arrival. &nbsp,

” There are several genotypes, one big stress that we’ve been encountering that’s called genus II. Clade II has a very small case fatality rate, about 0.2 per cent”, he added, which&nbsp, means there are two incidents out of every 1, 000 people who are infected.

” It is not very, very high compared to other endemic diseases that we’ve been dealing with” .&nbsp,

Mr Ong, but, acknowledged that the genus I strain is the one that is spreading in Africa, with mortality price around 3.5 per cent to 4 per cent, while the genus Ib version is lower at 0.7 per share.

” Of course, these are figures recorded from Africa… Africa has numerous medical problems, and coming to Singapore, with our medical system and our ability to treat the situations, we hope we may bring it down significantly”, he said.

According to Mr. Ong, there are “disproportionate numbers of children under the age of 15” who are sick and contract the disease, so this is something we need to be on the lookout for. Children in Africa are not vaccinated against dengue, which acts against mpox.

On genus II’s small distribution, he said it was largely among “people who are engaged in high-risk physical activities”. &nbsp,

While Clade I has “gone beyond that” as it has spread to kids, indicating close-contact distribution, there is” no evidence to show that it is spreading like Covid, where it can spread far and wide through airborne allergens”.

” You might consider it to be a little like chicken disease,” she said. It spreads person to person, especially those with near relationships who reside in the same family. So that transmissibility ( is ) likely lower, significantly lower, maybe than COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases”, Mr Ong said.

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Palawan Beach at Sentosa reopens for water activities after oil spill cleanup

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After the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck Singapore-flagged basement vehicle Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Terminal on June 14, water activities at Sentosa, the Southern Islands, and East Coast Park were suspended.

The incident ruptured one of Marine Honour’s fuel cargo tank, releasing about 400 kilograms of low-sulphur energy into the ocean.

Oil washed away along a number of beaches, including those at Sentosa Island and East Coast Park and along Labrador Nature Reserve’s beach.

After clean-up work, swimming and water activities have now been allowed to continue at Changi Beach, Kusu Island and Eagle Bay Beach on Lazarus Island, in addition to Siloso Beach. Between August 17 and September 1, there are free boat trips for customers between Sentosa Cove and Lazarus Island.

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India: National strike held over doctor’s rape and murder

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Reuters A group of protesters hold up signs demanding justiceReuters

In the West Bengal town of Kolkata, doctors in India have begun a regional reach, which will increase the level of the opposition against the murder and murder of a female coworker.

The Indian Medical Association ( IMA ), the country’s largest grouping of doctors, said all non-essential hospital services would be shut down across the country on Saturday.

The IMA demanded assistance for the nation’s” struggle for justice” by describing the killing last week as a” crime of savage scale due to the lack of safe places for women.

In recent days, protests against the invasion and urging for better protection of people have grown in size after a mob vandalized the doctor where it took place.

The IMA stated in a speech that the strike would last for 24 hrs and that incident and casualty companies may continue to operate.

Doctors at a few state hospitals made the announcement earlier this week that they were temporarily halting democratic procedures.

Additionally, the IMA published a list of needs, including enforcing the law to better safeguard doctors from violent patients, increasing safety in hospitals, and creating secure areas for rest.

It called for a “meticulous and specialized analysis” into the dying and the trial of those involved in vandalising, as well as payment for the victim’s home.

The murder of the 31-year-old woman apprentice doctor has shocked the nation.

After being rumored to have gone there to relax while working, her half-naked figure with broad injuries was discovered in a lecture hall at R G Kar Medical College next year.

In connection with the murder, a hospital charity has been detained.

Following criticism for the lack of progress, the case has been moved from the local police to India’s Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ).

Since the person’s death, more assault incidents have been reported in India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remarked that “monstrous behavior against women should be greatly and swiftly punished.”

EPA Protest in DelhiEPA

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) accuses the ruling Trinamool Congress Party ( TMC) of being the orchestrator of the attack in West Bengal, which has sparked a political blame game.

The TMC has refuted the incident and has blamed “political strangers” for stoking the crime.

On Wednesday night, tens of thousands of people from across West Bengal marched to demand “independence to live in liberty and without anxiety.”

Although the protests were generally quiet, a smaller group of unidentified males barged into the RG Kar Hospital and stormed its emergency room, causing the police to clash with them.

At least 25 citizens have been detained so far in connection with the incident.

Protests have also been held in many other American cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.

” It feels like trust is being reignited”, one lecturer, Sumita Datta, told the AFP media organization as thousands of people marched through the streets of Kolkata on Friday.

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What it’s like to go glamping at Lazarus Island for a quick, relaxing break from the city

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As I opened the sliding doorways of my camp, the great air-conditioning was a pleasant experience. I’m greeted by the seaside and the sea from my pillow. In the range, you may see Kusu Island, unavailable of the followers that crowd the spot from September to December. And if you squint painful enough, you can even place Batam’s gentle rocks and buildings also more.

The glamping camp I was staying in was my home for the night, thanks to Into The Woods. I’m at Lazarus Island. Guests are encouraged to slow down and adopt a more relaxed lifestyle – a honeymoon crack from the hustle of urban life that I planned to take full advantage of because it is billed as a slow and green lodging for island visitors.

And just so it’s obvious, it’s not to get confused with the local Tiny Away Escape accommodations, both of which are located on the same area.

A few started the store glamping experience in 2022 after seeing how their kids enjoyed a day at the beach and tried to recreate it for adults to de-stress and clear their minds.

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Made in Korea: Could K-pop trained Brit band be the new One Direction?

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BBC Dexter, Blaise, Reese, James and Olly are the members of Dear Alice in a recording studioBBC

Thousands of screamers from viewers. A global trend. A multi-billion ounce company. No, it’s not Taylor Swift ( this time ). We’re talking K-pop.

And with four of 2023’s top 10 best-selling acts coming out of South Korea, the Brits want a piece of the action.

Move forward recently created boy band, Dear Alice, who applied to take part in the latest BBC One skills show, Made in Korea: The K-pop Practice.

Meet Blaise, Dexter, James, Olly and Reese. From now on, you may learn a little bit more about them.

None of them were intimate before the showrunners put them together as a channel after each audition.

The fresh-faced band were then flown out to South Korea’s money, Seoul, for 100 times of comprehensive K-pop training with fame in their sights.

Most K-pop education takes weeks or even months. The boys ‘ experience involved extended hours of vocal training, intricate dance, and a little Korean sight-seeing thrown in for good measure ( and good Television- the North Korean tourist board will be thrilled ).

Hee Jun Yoon in a black suit

The six-part set is a partnership between the BBC, K-pop superstar company SM Entertainment and Moon&amp, Up Media, run by Television soldiers Dawn Airey, Nigel Hall and Russ Lindsay, whose back library includes shows such as The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Saturday Night Takeaway.

Hee Jun Yoon, the creative power behind some of the biggest K-pop songs of the past 20 years, views the singer’s performance at the end of every week, and it’s safe to say she pulls no blows. Perhaps the mind of BBC spontaneous information, Kate Phillips, says Hee Jun “makes Simon Cowell look like Mary Poppins”.

Cowell, the past X Factor head prosecutor, is, of course, starting his own search for a child band in a pending Netflix series that is still being produced.

Without giving too much apart from Made in Korea’s first season, Hee Jun gives the channel a huge wake-up visit in week one with some uncompromising criticism. ” The level of choreo is so simple, it’s hospital level”. Oops. Her physical expressions only have the potential to get popular.

The band by a Psy statue in Seoul

The boys wo n’t be tipped as to whether any of them intended to end the show at any point. ” You’ll have to wait and see”, says Olly Quinn, 20, from Sunderland, a new student in dance and musical theater. ( Clearly, the media training has also been exacting ).

They only said they’re still “rehearsing hard” and that the effort and harsh feedback was worthwhile, and that they have n’t signed a record deal yet.

Londoner Dexter Greenwood, 22, who also trained in music theater, says:” It was difficult work, truly challenging but the end justifies the means. I believe that SM’s staff was very patient, but we were “different from what they anticipated”!

Reese Carter, 20, from Wiltshire and a previous cruise ship comedian, adds:” At first it hit challenging but we had a wonderful security team in place… and it was all done with love.

” They’re fair because they want to drive us to be that much better. I enjoy the suggestions. They’re on our side. We had happiness, a career coach, we had persons living with us regularly, you may walk inside and talk to someone, “he adds.

Olly concurs:” It’s the brutal honestly. We needed it.”

In episode one, the band’s performance is undoubtedly different from a later video clip that was shown to the audience for a preview.

Blaise Noon

Coco Yeonsoo Do is a K-pop dancer and choreographer, and was a former member of KAACHI, considered the UK’s first K-pop girl group.

She claims to the BBC,” It’s really difficult to make a K-pop group reach BTS or Blackpink level,” but training is what distinguishes successful groups.

” It’s very intense and competitive,” says Coco.

She adds that the latter’s production is one of the main differences between UK and US pop groups and K-pop ones.

” It’s obvious, but K-pop groups work more like a group, and emphasise the group identity, rather than individuality,” she adds.

Following allegations over very strict and punishing training regimes by wannabe K-pop stars over the past few years, Korean press reported the introduction of regulations to ban some unfair practices in contracts between K-pop trainees and entertainment companies.

The producers of The K-pop Experience have obviously given welfare a lot of thought.

Helen Wood is a professor of media and cultural studies at Aston University, and she is pursuing a study on the importance of decency in television.

Following a number of reality stars ‘ suicides in 2019, there was a Parliamentary Inquiry and Ofcom Consultations on the broadcasting code.

In 2020, the media watchdog announced new rules to protect those taking part in TV shows.

” Now there’s more pressure on production to make sure that they’re taking due care of the welfare, dignity and wellbeing of participants that go through production,” she says.

” That’s not to say that things were n’t in place before 2021, but there’s now much more regulation.”

A requirement to show audiences that a duty of care is being enacted is another key change that the new Ofcom code introduces, she adds.

This means pulling back the curtain to show viewers some of the behind-the-scenes production procedures to make sure they are aware that contestants are properly cared for.

The band members ‘ welfare has been at the center of their training, according to a Made in Korea spokesperson, adding that there was a” strong support team in place” and that the band’s welfare continues to be the top priority.

Reese claims that they also lacked support from one another.

” We ‘ve]the band ] grown closer and closer over the last couple of months. Although there was great welfare there, there were many instances where we were n’t required to visit them because we were strong enough as a group.

Blaise Noon, 19, from London, is the baby of the band but appears to be taking it all in his stride. He graduated from the Brit School and appears to be the most confident.

There are a lot of really good things we can take away from this hybrid fusion, he says, and they are really fortunate to have had the advantage as a British band to be submerged in the Korean training regime.

Interestingly, most of them have never had any desire to be in a boy band until now.

James Sharp, 23, from Huddersfield, is one half of the Sharp twins, whose TikTok account has amassed 5.5 million followers.

He says he thought boy bands were” cringey”, Blaise laughs as he recalls feeling” too cool” for them although Dexter was always a fan. Olly also received instruction in K-pop from his auntie, who runs K-pop fan pages.

All agree, though, that this was too big an opportunity to pass up.

But how did they come up with the name of the band?

They discovered a restaurant in Seoul called Dear Alice after Olly’s suggestion of British bulldogs was quickly scotched ( ca n’t remember why ).

They all liked it and it stuck.

” The’ dear’ is like a letter to the fans” and Alice stands for’ a love I ca n’t explain”, says Blaine.

More to the point, the restaurant” sold the best beef wellington in the world” according to the lads.

Although not exactly your typical Korean dish, Dear Alice will be hoping a similar cultural fusion will be the key to their success.

On Saturday, August 17th, at 17 :15 BST, BBC One and BBC iPlayer will air the first episode of Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience.

Ruchira Sharma provided additional reporting.

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IN FOCUS: A father and daughter’s journey to find their long-lost relatives in China

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Amy thought she had gained a lot from her brief but valuable journey. &nbsp,

I came into my family in China with no expectations and small knowledge, but meeting them gave me a sense of hope that there is more to learn about and more relatives to get to know,” she said. &nbsp,

We all talk loudly like we want to fight, and I do n’t think we look alike, but I did notice some similarities with my relatives in China and Singapore. The women in our community also have a tendency to get round and large, Amy said in a chuckle. &nbsp,

” I certainly feel a sense of connection with them… When we met them, it was different from meeting a man or perhaps long-lost friends, there was no challenge. We only embraced each other without any doubts and it just happened naturally.

Regarding her father, he claimed that feeling at peace after seeing his family once more. &nbsp,

My parents had frequently discuss the family’s situation in China and the home they had left behind when I was younger. &nbsp,

” But going back this time, I may see for changes in their life, and that made me feel so glad and comforted me, too,” he said. &nbsp,

A Century REUNITED

Amy and her father assisted in finding our long-lost friends by bringing closure to community members on both sides of the household who had long apposed to rekindle their relationship but were unable to do so. &nbsp,

Knowing that this line of relatives existed and that we were then in effect gave my home a sense of accuracy and comfort. &nbsp,

I called my friends in China after I questioned whether it was the same as it was for them. For family from Shantou and Singapore to be able to communicate on Twitter, Amy had established a group. &nbsp,

Unable to communicate Teochew, my family became my interpreter, helping me to ask the questions I did not possess the vocabulary to respond.

What struck me as I listened to my family and her aunt talking in Teochew and how it appeared to be some sort of connection between the two despite never having met.

” Can I contact you big girl? You’re older than me best? “asked my family’s aunt Chia Xi Qin in Teochew.

To which, my mother replied” Well! I believe I’m a few years older than you.

During the call, Xi Qin, who had been in Shenzhen working when Amy visited, told us that his mother ( Amy’s aunt ) had initially been wary when the pair showed up at the door.

Our family was a little cautious, but when she realized who they were, she welcomed them, said Xi Qin,” For decades, we did not have any contact with our family in Singapore, and then abruptly one showed up.”

We were already aware that we had relatives in Singapore, and Amy’s mother and some of her sons had already visited us. But when Amy sent us photos of her aunties in the Twitter group, I soon recognized them.

I have a strong idea of Amy’s mother because she used to stay for at least a month when she visited us. She would often bring clothes with her, and I would always make a quick decision to take the people I liked the most, he joked.

I could tell Amy’s mother was in trouble when she last visited, but she said she may return the next year, but she never did. &nbsp,

” Amy and her dad showed up at our door without any communication or word from the other side all these times.”

” This attend meant a lot to us,” he said. The Singapore and Chinese cousins in my generation have never met each other, we do n’t even know what each other looks like, but we are finally in touch and for that, I’m very, very happy”.

Three weeks have passed since our last visit, and the dust has settled. When abuzz with a burst of messages, videos and ancient photos, the household chat group is now mostly peaceful. &nbsp,

But unlike the silence that both sides endured for so many times, this one is secure. Our Chinese family are a message or contact away from our family, despite decades of unconnectedness. &nbsp,

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Commentary: We need to think hard about joss paper burning habits

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NOT JUST ABOUT THE SMELL

Singapore’s technique so far is one of tolerance and expediency. We ca n’t completely stop burning, but we can continue to ignore the problem year after year.

To be honest, there have been fewer concerns over joss paper losing. During the Chinese New Year time this year, city governments and government organizations logged 567 problems, down from 761 instances during the same time in 2023, marking an all-time small.

Although the AfA’s complaint reduction points to progress and powerful advocacy, our population density increases as Singapore’s people grows. More and more people are residing closer and closer up, which means that a greater number of homes are affected by the by-products of joss paper using at any one day.

The problem is not just about taste or discomfort. According to studies in air pollution, like dust, whether religious or not, poses a growing threat to public health. In other words, it’s not just about the unpleasant scent; it’s also about improving one’s health.

However, as household wealth likewise increases, people are similarly tempted to buy more and lose more. There are plenty of companies willing to fulfill desire in our customer community. One only needs to enter a supermarket right away to purchase as much papers as possible and burn a Fort Knox value of “gold paper.”

As an away, we might want to know whether the amount we burn is a reflection of the desires of our grandparents or whether the existing are under pressure to “keep up looks.” Are our wishes to protect against misfortunes unfairly influenced by a world that is driven to consume more and consumes more each month?

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Nepal: Himalayan Sherpa village hit by freezing floods

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According to officials, snowy flood waters have engulfed a Sherpa town in Nepal’s Mountain region.

Thame, which is located at an elevation of about 3,800m, is thought to have been flooded by a glacial river that has burst its banks. Experts have warned that the Himalayan ice are melting at an alarming rate due to climate change.

No fatalities or injuries have been reported, but more than a hundred structures, including buildings, a school, and a wellbeing center, have been completely destroyed by Friday’s flood.

Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first man to summit Mount Everest along with navigator Edmund Hillary, hailed from Thame, where some record-breaking Sherpa climbers reside.

In floods that have become colored due to mud and debris, videos of bubbly, milky waters flowing through the village.

Gaurav Kumar Houston, a spokeswoman for the Egyptian army, told AFP that 15 homes had been destroyed while save teams were rescuing those who had fallen.

Local officials claim that during their research, bad weather prevented the use of helicopters, and that they intend to take them to the mountains on Saturday night.

Arun Bhakta Shrestha, a climate change specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ( ICIMOD ), said there are “indications” that the flood was the result of a glacial lake outburst and that they were working to confirm it despite the fact that the cause is unknown.

Experts have warned that glacial lake in the Himalaya are becoming unstable and prone to burst their businesses as a result of climate change and glacial glaciers melting.

In the Himalayas, glacier melt has created hundreds of glacial lakes that have appeared inexplicably. According to a 2020 review by the ICIMOD, 2, 070 were documented in Nepal, of which 21 were ranked “potentially dangerous”.

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