Labour Ministry visits berry pickers in Sweden

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PUBLISHED: 15 Sep 2024 at 05: 18

Welfare check: Labour Ministry officials meet Thai berry pickers in Sweden and their employers to ensure the workers receive proper benefits and wages.
Welfare check: Staff from the Labour Ministry meet Thai cherry pickers in Sweden and their employers to make sure they are given the proper benefits and wages.

Last year, Labour Ministry officials visited Thai berry farmers in Sweden and met with them to make sure their workers received fair pay and benefits.

Somchai Morakotsriwan, director-general of the Department of Employment ( DoE ), led the trip with delegations from various agencies, including the National Human Rights Commission and the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, to the town of Munkfors in Sweden.

Mr Somchai said he met representatives of Ransaters Invest AB, a business that buys and processes exotic berries, to discuss several issues regarding Thai workers ‘ security, such as working conditions, wages, taxes, working hours, benefits and talent training.

Mr. Somchai claimed to have also visited employees at their tents to check on their standard of living. He also advised the employees to call the DoE or the Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm if they need assistance with work-related problems.

” Making sure all employees receive proper rights and benefits, including good working conditions, pay, housing and heath treatment, is crucial”, he added. Cooperating between Thailand and Sweden “helps to improve job efficiency and even fosters trust among Thai workers who work in Sweden.”

Mr. Somcahi claimed the trip was in response to Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakan’s issue for Thai workers who work abroad because they are a pillar of their families and even help to Thailand’s economy.

For the 2024 harvest season, Mr. Phiphat claimed on August 19 that the DoE had just permitted 1, 129 Thai employees to travel to Sweden to operate as berry farmers.

Mr. Phiphat claimed that the Thai and Swedish regulators concur that companies would follow the law and be held accountable for workers ‘ expenses, including passport, visa, work permit fees, meals, and lodging.

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Labour Ministry visits Thai berry pickers in Sweden

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In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED: 15 Sep 2024 at 05: 18

Welfare check: Labour Ministry officials meet Thai berry pickers and their employers in Sweden to ensure the workers receive proper benefits and wages.
Welfare check: Workers at the Labour Ministry in Sweden join with Thai cherry pickers to make sure they are given fair pay and benefits.

Last year, Labour Ministry officials visited Thai berry farmers in Sweden and met with them to make sure their workers received fair pay and benefits.

Somchai Morakotsriwan, director-general of the Department of Employment ( DoE ), led the trip with delegations from various agencies, including the National Human Rights Commission and the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, to the town of Munkfors in Sweden.

Mr Somchai said he met representatives of Ransaters Invest AB, a business that buys and processes exotic berries, to discuss several issues regarding Thai workers ‘ security, such as working conditions, wages, taxes, working hours, benefits and talent training.

Mr. Somchai said he likewise visited camp workers to assess how they were living. He also explained to the employees that if they need assistance with work-related problems, they may call the DoE or the Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm.

” Making sure all employees receive proper rights and benefits, including good working conditions, pay, housing and heath treatment, is crucial”, he added. Cooperating between Thailand and Sweden “helps to improve job efficiency and even fosters trust among Thai workers who work in Sweden.”

Mr. Somcahi claimed that the trip was in response to Phiphat Ratchakitprakan’s concern for Thai workers who work abroad because they are essential to the lives of their families and even lead to Thailand’s economy.

For the 2024 harvest time, according to Mr. Phiphat, the DoE recently approved 1, 129 Thai employees ‘ go to Sweden to operate as berry workers.

Mr. Phiphat claimed that Swedish and Thai authorities concur that companies must follow employment guidelines and bear the costs of workers ‘ travel, meals, and lodging, as well as immigration and work permit costs.

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Finding faith in fitness: When gyms offer more than just a workout

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SINGAPORE: &nbsp,” Camaraderie” and” community” were foremost on&nbsp, Tan Yi Ren ‘s&nbsp, mind when he set about opening a gym in 2020. &nbsp,

CrossFit Kampung, which the user and brain coach described to CNA as “more than a health gym,” is the appropriately named one.

Mr Tan wants to improve his people ‘ “emotional feel” of well-being as well as their self-esteem. &nbsp,

When they come to his gyms and along, do things they never thought they could&nbsp, – such as pull a particular weight&nbsp, – it goes beyond just a feel-good, morale-boosting issue, he said.

What it even does, he suggested, is to offer his treadmill devotees” a little bit more devotion to believe”, and an experience that carries over into religion as well.

According to the scholar Cody Musselman in an essay for The Conversation system, Mr. Tan is a part of an economy that has long borrowed and included such vocabulary and sentiment.

The idea that exercise is a place where people find area, ceremony, and ecstatic knowledge has become a well-known refrain.

” SAFE HAVEN”

A surge in the store gym field, just before the COVID-19 crisis, led to potential owners rushing to make their entrance. &nbsp,

Popular franchise brands from Australia like Body Fit Training ( BFT ) and F45 took the lead, with over 60 branches in Singapore combined, while local contenders also emerged. &nbsp,

Growing passion for competitive health experiences even saw&nbsp, the two&nbsp, Hyrox races&nbsp, this time drawing around 6, 000 participants, away from 3, 500 at a past outing in October.

However, the industry has n’t been all red; several facilities closed down last year as masters cited rising costs, increased competitors, and the brief nature of health trends.

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She fought cancer but gave up when it got ‘unbearable’. Now this 27-year-old is trying again

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WHEN THE YOUNG STOP TREATMENT&nbsp,

The&nbsp, National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) has seen an increase in the number of younger patients like Ms Liew defaulting on care or follow-ups in the last six years, according to Professor Eileen Poon, a&nbsp, top specialist in NCCS ‘ department of clinical oncology.

She estimated that this group makes up about 30 to 40 per share of NCCS ‘ people aged between 15 and 39, which is an “alarming” amount. &nbsp, &nbsp,

” Cancer, in general, is supposed to get a disease of the older people”, she said.

For it to hit earlier and affect younger people, it might mean that “quite a huge” percentage of these patients may have, according to Dr. Poon, a more intense and serious form of the disease.

” For (younger patients ) to prevent treatment, it may actually be a lot more destructive and … have a lot more adverse effects. It’s not advised” .&nbsp,

One of the main causes of younger people ‘ defaulting treatments or follow-ups was, in Dr. Poon’s opinion, operational and financial difficulties. &nbsp,

Multiple, regular doctor visits is “take a toll”, while some of them could also be in neglect or suffering melancholy over their treatment.

Additionally, there are those who stop receiving treatment because they” think they can use various methods of natural treatment to get better,” according to Dr. Poon.

The Singapore Cancer Registry’s latest monthly statement, which presented changes from 1968 to 2022, showed that men and women aged not older than 29 have previously made up less than 8 per share of all cancers symptoms. &nbsp,

NCCS treated over 6, 000 children and young child cancer people from 2018 to 2021, with 80 to 85 per cent expected to possess long-term life.

It sees about 500 new people aged between 16 and 45 each month.

Although they account for a smaller portion of circumstances, younger people have to deal with issues like reproduction protection and the ability to get back to work, according to Dr. Poon. &nbsp,

To help them understand these, NCCS officially&nbsp, set up a diagnostic services last year offering integrated care especially for adolescents and young adults.

According to Dr. Poon, who launched the service and is currently in charge of it, it does n’t interfere with the actual treatment but rather takes care of everything else. &nbsp,

“( This includes looking at ) all the psychosocial distresses and identifying what might be preventing them from receiving treatment, or what might be causing their distresses, and then we create a plan to try to help them get through treatment” ( This includes looking at ) all the psychosocial distresses and identifying what might be contributing to their distress.

KEEPING UP THE FIGHT

Ms. Liew began receiving medication again soon after the biopsy revealed that her cancers had recurred. &nbsp,

This time, however, she was prescribed a different type of intravenous immunotherapy which to her relief, did n’t cause any side effects. &nbsp,

To day, she is also undergoing therapy with NCCS. The tumors in her neck and chest have shrunk considerably, according to the most recent images. &nbsp,

” Everything is normal, I do n’t feel anything in particular and I have n’t been falling sick”, she told CNA. ” The lump ( in my neck ) has gone too so that’s good”.

She does n’t regret her previous decision to stop treatment. &nbsp,

” For myself, it was really about me listening to my own body”, she said.

” I felt that, at that point in time, if I was going to do more and more care, it would not do my brain any great… I desired to wait until a cure that I thought would be worthwhile.

Ms. Liew wants her account to give hope to different cancer patients and their carers that the difficulties and difficulties will ultimately be overcome.

There are “down” times, but there are also times when things did certainly improve, she said. You only really have to rekindle the trust and the encouragement of your loved ones.

” I just keep on thinking that I’m powerful, and I take it that this trip is educating me more about living.”

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Commentary: The Fed Is making Hong Kong’s billionaire landlords anxious

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HONG KONG: Among those looking forward to the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts, some are as anxious as&nbsp, Hong Kong’s home tycoons who are now dealing with slow home sales, unoccupied office buildings, and insubordinate tenants demanding contract renegotiations. &nbsp,

About 60 per share of listed property businesses ‘ loan is&nbsp, borrowed at floating rates. Banks &nbsp, charge New World Development an&nbsp, average 1.1 to 1.2 per cent over Hong Kong Inter-bank Offered Rate ( HIBOR ), whose movements track the fed fund rate&nbsp, because of the Hong Kong dollar peg.

A one percentage-point&nbsp, rate cut is keep chief executive officer Adrian Cheng, a third-generation heir&nbsp, from a billionaire home, HK$ 1.1 billion ( US$ 141 million ) &nbsp, and increase revenue by a third, according to Morgan Stanley quotes.

New World, &nbsp, one of Hong Kong’s most obliged engineers, paid HK$ 2.5 billion in funding costs&nbsp, in the second-half of 2023, &nbsp, eroding 44 per share of the firm’s working income. &nbsp,

But more importantly, the Fed’s easing cycle may begin to support large landowners make an investment case for the goods they try to sell, or use as collateral&nbsp, for institution money. Now, the city’s overall real estate market -&nbsp, from personal to financial to&nbsp, offices -&nbsp, suffers from bad carry, in that the rent an owner may expect to collect is nothing close to paying for financing costs.

Leasing&nbsp, out Grade-A offices, for instance, yields on average only about 3.2 per cent, not enough to cover the one-month HIBOR’s 3.9 per cent. &nbsp,

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Commentary: ‘I don’t know what stopped me’ – my dangerous brush with postpartum depression

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My captivity lady, also, had no idea. A new mother might find support sooner if her partners, confinement women, and other people who are present can learn more about PPD.

I even wished I could have sat down and contemplated talking treatment. I was undoubtedly possessing naive ideas about what it meant to be a mom. When combined with maternal hormone changes and the needs of newborn treatment, the impossible expectations I placed on myself created PPD.

Unfortunately, as I attempted to do everything, I lost the family I could have been.

AWARENESS IS HAL FAR WONDERLY THE BATTLE.

Immediately, I make it a point to check on anxious friends. I carefully advise them to consider seeking help and point out where they can find mental health resources if they express stress or say they are feeling down. I tell them that there is no shame in doing this, and that doing their best for their child also means taking good care of themselves.

There is good information that a mother’s mental health powerfully influences her boy’s mental, emotional and physical well-being. Every family has a better probability of raising a child who is happy and healthy in every way because every family is well supported.

Reaching over and expressing your problem for an expectant friend may be life-saving even if you are not a family yourself.

Twenty-two years have passed since my paint with PPD, and my daughter is now a young child. She is aware of my knowledge and recognizes the need to keep an eye out if she chooses to have children in the future.

Knowledge is only half the battle that was won. We may stop more traumas from occurring if more parents openly discuss PPD.

Mother of two and a speaker for health, Jean Angus.

Where to get support:

Samaritan of Singapore Hotline: &nbsp, 1767

Institute of Mental Health’s Helpline: 6389 2222

Singapore Association for Mental Health Helpline: &nbsp, 1800 283 7019

You can also find a list of global helplines&nbsp, around. If someone you know is at quick risk, visit 24-hour emergency health services.

Those who need advice or information on breastfeeding can visit the&nbsp, Breastfeeding Mothers ‘ Support Group&nbsp, or&nbsp, Health Hub&nbsp, websites.

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A political war is heating up in the Philippines. What role is US-China rivalry playing in this?

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While the Philippine economy increased by 5.6 % last year, which is the region’s fastest rate, headline inflation increased by 4.4 % in July to reach its highest level. Food prices rose to 6.7 per cent.

Foreign investment is still relatively small. And the conflict could have an impact: It was “lead to a period of political instability”, said Ibarra. ” What’s spooked investors as well as our diplomatic partners ( is ) how quickly policies can change between administrations”.

If Sara Duterte wins the 2028 presidential vote, he added, it is likely that she will remove Marcos ‘ plans.

Even up in the air, with the US presidential poll looming in November, was become US assets pledged to the Philippines. ” We wo n’t have any problems if ( Kamala ) Harris wins”, said Beleno. ” If it’s ( Donald ) Trump, then that’s another story.

” If Trump perceives that ( the US ‘ ) presence in the Philippines will only cost them money and they wo n’t gain anything, I do n’t think they’ll continue whatever promises the ( Democrats ) made.”

Therefore the Philippines would be in a” resilient place”.

” The Dutertes could use this condition to their benefit: ‘ I told you, right? China should just be a companion. Thus, we were right. … Since this supervision made a mistake, we may correct it,'” said Beleno, speculating what Duterte may say.

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‘Malaysia’s Bavaria’: Sarawak Premier Abang Johari aims to lift state’s stature through infrastructure, education

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Before the next state elections scheduled for 2026, Mr. Abang Johari wants Sarawak to contribute the second-highest to Malaysia’s gross domestic product ( GDP ).

Sarawak accounted for 9.1 % of the GDP in 2023, compared to Selangor ( 25.7 % ), Kuala Lumpur ( 15.9 % ), and Johor ( 9.5 % ), according to data from the Statistics Department of Malaysia ( 29.9 % ).

Sarawak is attempting to follow nations that have made significant investments in equipment in order to promote economic growth, the Premier said.

” What Sarawak is doing now is to improve our system, because we’ve got the strength, including power, and we build our inner home connectivity”, he said, adding that the condition is working with investors to construct its economy.

” We are getting funding in Sarawak, and the advantages may be shared with the owners as well as the Sarawak state or, for that matter, Sarawak as a whole,” the statement read.

However, Mr. Abang Johari argued that Sarawak’s rapid growth and towering ambitions should not be taken as a declaration of independence, dismissing calls for the state to leave Malaysia by some Sarawak activists.

These campaigners are frustrated by what they perceive as the federal government’s ongoing failure to restore Sarawak’s right under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963, which was the legal foundation for Malaysia’s founding with Sarawak and Sabah acting as equal partners with Malaya.

The federal government acknowledged, of course, how the state operated and how things went ahead. It does n’t mean that there is an urge for us &nbsp,- some ( have this ) perception- ( to go ) on our own”, Mr Abang Johari said.

Independent TERTIARY EDUCATION

Sarawak is beginning to make its own in the form of a free training program for Sarawkians at its five state-owned institutions.

These are the Curtin University Malaysia Sarawak Campus, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, University Technology Sarawak, Centre of Technology Excellence Sarawak, and i-CATS University College.

Local advertising had recently reported that the proposed scheme, which is anticipated to cost the government up to RM625 million, will gain about 25, 000 pupils in Sarawak’s state-owned institutions and higher-learning organizations.

The Sarawak state, nevertheless, has said that the free training will only apply to selected science and specialized fields, in line with the country’s development programs and to optimise sources.

Opposition Sarawak assembly Chong Chieng Jen, from the Democratic Action Party, questioned these instances, calling it a “lame reason”.

Is there a hidden issue with the Sarawak government’s financial condition that prevents it from funding the bank? In a statement from the August 29 Dayak Daily, he was quoted as saying.

CNA has contacted Sarawak’s Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent for more information about the programs that will be completely subventioned and the number of individuals who will gain.

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Analysis: Renewal of landmark China-Vatican pact all but assured; mutual benefits gained despite friction

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Dr Reyes noted that the improvements reflect the” major development” between both parties, perhaps as both do not promote formal relationships.

After China’s Communist Party (CCP ) took control and expelled foreign priests, Beijing cut diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1951. Otherwise, the Vatican maintains formal ties to Taiwan, one of only a few states doing so.

Mr. Yeo made a point of mentioning that Cardinal Chow, who was in the Vatican in May, had invited Pope Francis to explore Hong Kong. He views the movement as important, aimed at reinforcing the state’s responsibility as a gate between China and the world Catholic area.

Pope Paul VI is the only pope to have traveled to Hong Kong. He stopped for three hours there in 1970, when it was a British settlement, and celebrated mass at Happy Valley racecourse.

The Hong Kong priest would not have issued this proposal on his own, without China’s approval, Mr. Yeo said in an appointment with CNA late last month.” It was an unofficial invitation, but several brow were raised.

MORE THAN MATTERS OF FAITH

According to experts interviewed by CNA, China has taken a favorable position toward enhancing relationships with the Vatican because it aligns with its wider strategic objectives of strengthening its worldwide reputation and preventing adverse representations from the West.

Dr. Reyes from HKU cited the Beijing’s invitation to Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the priest’s specific minister for peace in Ukraine, in September. The minister also met with Mr Li Hui, China’s special minister for European affairs, marking a “rare and prominent diplomatic sign”. &nbsp,

” Beijing was notably gratified, one might even say chuffed by the Vatican sending a special emissary on Ukraine ( to the country ) … ( as ) this signifies the Holy See’s recognition of China’s potential role in facilitating peace in Ukraine”, he said.

Cardinal Zuppi made visits to Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington in July as part of the Holy See’s efforts to bring Ukraine and Russia to the table of negotiations.

China has resisted calling for a ceasefire and a political solution since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022. This approach, however, has prompted American complaints that Beijing is enabling Russia’s anger.

In July, North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) members convened in Washington, DC, and signed a declaration designating China as a “decisive enabler” of the invasion. They demanded that Beijing stop providing Moscow with “every material and social support,” including the use of dual-use materials for both civil and military purposes.

In reply, China dismissed these statements as “groundless” and asserted that it has “always been a force for peace and security”.

The Vatican’s decision to send a harmony minister to Beijing therefore serves as a counter-narrative to Western reproval, said Dr Reyes.

It does demonstrate how the Vatican is trying to function in a more rational earth. And by logical, one was, by expansion, think of it as a so-called unipolar world in which we live”, he added.

” The US does not seem to understand that the world has changed and that it’s no more a US-dominant earth, that it’s … then multi-civilisational, international.

” I think it’s exciting to me that the Vatican, to some extent, has been operating that means ( with China ).”

Mr. Yeo, Singapore’s foreign affairs minister from 2004 to 2011, asserts that China’s attempts to bolster its understanding and engagement with the West are a part of its wider plan. &nbsp,

Without mentioning the Catholic Church, the participation of bishops, and the Vatican, both for great and for bad, European and American history is unfathomable.

” I believe China’s political relations with the West will ( also hinge ) on its relationship with the Vatican”.

Dr. Michel Chambon, a research fellow with the Asia Research Institute’s faith and globalization group, believes that strengthening relations with the Vatican is in line with China’s desire to become a world power.

“( China ) cannot, for too long, treat the Catholic Church as just an enemy. Only China has formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and only North Korea and Afghanistan have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, which makes things extremely unpleasant. What does ( that say ) about China itself”?

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Commentary: Japan has learnt a hard lesson about US friendship

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LINES HAVE BEEN CROSSED

From the outset, Nippon Steel’s bet has been painted as frightening: In the early phases, US senators gasped that its allegiances” evidently stay with a foreign state”, then another objections followed.

Donald Trump has said he will quickly halt the deal if he wins, while Kamala Harris has said US Steel may be” American owned and American operated.”

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which examines foreign buyers for threats to national security, came to the conclusion that Nippon Steel did certainly cause these risks. Neither the state department nor Pentagon shared that watch, but election elections, as some experience Nippon may have foreseen, following a howling logic.

Significant lines have been crossed on the US side throughout Nippon’s various efforts to overcome these obstacles, crossings that cavalierly question Japan’s position as America’s closest ally in Asia and among its best in the world.

This questioning of a Japanese company’s- and by association, Japan’s- trustworthiness as an owner of US assets are, at best, awkwardly timed. They are a gift to the nations that the US and its allies view themselves as being resentful of.

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