Raffles, Wallich statues in Fort Canning: Singapore does not glorify its colonial past, says Desmond Lee

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Singapore’s National Development Minister Desmond Lee commented on the recently installed statues of Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr. Nathaniel Wallich in Fort Canning Park on Tuesday ( Jul 2 ) that it takes a” clear eyed-view” of its colonial past and does not glorify or celebrate it.

Given the “more new changes” toward decolonization and the “re-examining of imperial histories,” NMP nominee Usha Chandradas had a question about the foundation of the monuments ‘ placement.

The monuments prompted online discussion and censure, with some questioning the assembly.

Mr. Lee stated in his published political response that Singapore has charted its own course since decolonizing in 1963 and gaining its independence two years later.

He said that by decolonisation, &nbsp, Ms&nbsp, Chandradas was likely referring to “more new techniques in some places to remove all and anything that may be a warning of a imperial history”.

” Re- evaluation of imperial histories, on the other hand, involves looking again at record through a current lens”, he added.

It “takes various types and locations,” he said. It sometimes involves a reimagining of situations or how they are perceived. In some cases, it has resulted in a later-day criticism of everything deemed to be colonialism-related.

Singapore acknowledges that a period of its history has left legacy that the nation is “build, adapt, and transform,” but does not glorify or celebrate it.

This includes Singapore’s operational, administrative and political structure, with its legislature based on the Westminster model.

He argued that the popularity and presentation of the regulations should be viewed in this light and that it acknowledges the efforts of Raffles and Wallich to Singapore’s horticultural heritage.

” The prior must not be a worry for us.” We should be able to rely on it with confidence, considering everything we have accomplished as a people and as a country since our democracy, and confident in the information that we will continue to shape our own course and shape our future.

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Celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan was recently in Singapore for meet-and-greet and durian-tasting sessions

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Additionally, Millan also took part in a durian-tasting event that Collin Chee, a Malaysian investor and actor, hosted. In a videos uploaded on Chee’s Instagram website, Millan can be seen at a desk that’s filled with various edible varieties, including Musang King, D101 and Dong Lai, along with several other customers.

Chee, the leader of the durian-based business Spikes Of Love, is then shown explaining about the fruits and how to consume them.

Giving his critique of the practice, Millan next says:” This one was a lot more in- level. I often have citrus, I often come to Singapore for fruit. But I’ve never had the actions, all the past, all the information …]explained to me]. I had a great night and I think ( I’m ) ready to go home”.

In 2015, Millan said Singapore was his “house outside the United States”.

” I’ve been around more frequently than any other country in the world,” says one resident.

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LTA and rail operators working to improve crowd control measures, public announcements during MRT disruptions

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Since MRT services between Choa Chu Kang and Woodlands facilities were stalled, completely normal buses and crossing buses were offered between them in both information.

However, some travellers complained that not enough trucks were deployed. &nbsp,

LTA claimed that SMRT had responded to the disturbance in accordance with the company’s standard operating procedures following the incident. However, it acknowledged that the incident had a greater magnitude than the recent significant MRT service problems.

“LTA has taken notice of the suggestions arising from the disturbance, and is working with the bridge operators to improve their event management plans,” said Mr. Chee. &nbsp,

According to him, the transportation authority mandates that road operators have “robust response plans” in place in the event of service disruptions. LTA, rail operators, and other pertinent agencies use these plans periodically. &nbsp,

Learning from situations and workouts enable LTA and our operators to continually enhance their event response programs.

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Australia orders sperm donation purge over mix-ups

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After an inspection by its wellbeing watchdog revealed that nearly half of reproduction samples were at risk of misinterpretation, the Australian state of Queensland has ordered a cleanse of frozen sperm.

Like mismatches you steal parents and donor children of important genetic data and records, which advocates claim creates a risk of accidental incest.

One of the nation’s largest IVF business is located in Queensland, but it is self-regulated and has come under scrutiny as some of its biggest companies are facing allegations of fraud.

The fresh out compounds a nationwide lack of donated sperm which has been driven by large demand, tightening regulations, and epidemic- related disruptions.

According to government data, one in six Asian couples are having trouble starting a family, with some couples increasingly turning to donors for help.

An investigation into the multi- million- dollar business in Queensland by the country’s health ombudsman this week found” widespread issues” concerning “quality and safety” and” safeguards for consumers, donors and donor- conceived children”.

The statement detailed how 42 % of male donations, chicken samples and embryos in Queensland had “identification and tracking” issues- indicating clinics had lost track of or poorly labelled samples, or allowed them to crumble below laboratory standards.

Additionally, it featured allegations made by patients who claimed that IVF providers had mixed up eggs, misidentified eggs and embryos, and mishandled sperm, which one family claimed had led to them raising children from different physiological fathers.

The organization advised that all fertility clinics delete donor files that do n’t meet the most recent identification standards.

” The impact on consumers and the donation- conceived children… may be underestimated”, the report concluded, adding that “appropriate counseling may be offered” by fertility companies.

It is unclear how many sperm samples could be destroyed, but the ombudsman deemed” thousands” frozen before 2020 as “high risk” because they “did not comply with double witnessing”- a practice in which two IVF professionals check a patient’s material has been labelled correctly.

Anastasia Gunn- a mother suing one of Queensland’s fertility providers for allegedly providing her with the wrong sperm in 2014- told the Guardian Australia she was “horrified]but ] not surprised” by the ombudsman’s findings.

How many patients may have unknowingly conceived with the wrong sperm is frightening to think.

Why did the clinics not double-check when they were producing people? The effects of these errors last for generations,” she added.

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National Museum of Singapore’s new toy exhibit features Hello Kitty, Tamagotchi, Mr Kiasu and more

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Not too old to play with your loved ones is a good thing. Put in the National Museum, and you have yourself a fantastic setting for your next playdate.

From&nbsp, Jul 5, 2024 to Jan 5, 2025, &nbsp, the National Museum is home to a brand- fresh exhibit titled&nbsp, Play: Date – Unlocking Cabinets Of Play where visitors may marvel at toy collections and huge- scale artworks, and also take part in online experiential experiences.

Here’s what you can anticipate at&nbsp, Play: Date – Unlocking Cabinets Of Play.

1. Toys COLLECTIONS

Over 250 locally and internationally recognizable toys from the 1980s and now are on display in the display. The products are grouped under three components: &nbsp, It’s A Small World, &nbsp, Generate- Through Time and Batteries Included.

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Terror, ‘chaos’ as India stampede kills 116

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Mumbai: On Wednesday ( Jul 3 ), survivors of India’s most deadly stampede in more than a decade recall the horror of being crushed at a massive Hindu religious gathering that resulted in the deaths of 116 people. A police report said 250, 000 persons attended the event in northeasternContinue Reading

240,000 people evacuated in China rainstorms

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BEIJING: Nearly a quarter of a million people were forced to leave eastern China as a result of rainstorms that slammed swathes of the nation and swelled the Yangtze and other rivers, according to state media on Wednesday ( Jul 3 ). In recent months, China has experienced extreme weatherContinue Reading

Mediacorp to air nearly 4,000 hours of Olympic Games coverage, with 17 dedicated mewatch channels

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Ahead of the game, from Jun 26, Mediacorp will also be presenting Road To Paris 2024, a series of films spotlighting selected Team Singapore sports and rio- sportsmen on mewatch, Mediacorp Entertainment’s YouTube network, CNA and Channel 5.

The line will then be broadcast on Channel 8, Channel U, Suria, and Vasantham starting on July 10.

Following the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Mediacorp will support the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games from Aug 29 to Sep 9 across its programs. At a later time, more information may be revealed.

In a press release, Angeline Poh, Mediacorp’s Chief Customer &amp, Corporate Development Officer, said:” With exposure to Mediacorp’s giving of the widest coverage directly of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Singaporeans will be able to observe the sports scene and clap on Team Singapore as they pursue new levels at the game” .&nbsp,

Watch the most extensive protection of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Mewatch. Come to mewatch for more details.

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Russia’s new combat icebreaker built for Arctic dominance – Asia Times

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Russia’s fresh battle greeting, known as the Project 23550 Ivan Papanin, has embarked on stock sea trials, signaling Russia’s intensified proper focus on the Arctic amid an emerging New Cold War.

The greeting is reportedly armed, capable of carrying cruise missiles, and was reported by The War Zone this quarter.

The vehicle, constructed at the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg, was originally scheduled for commissioning in 2023 but has faced disruptions, largely due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, The War Zone statement said.

The Ivan Papanin’s arsenal includes a 76mm AK-176MA weapons and can be equipped with intermodal missiles for Klub and Kalibr cruise missiles, which would significantly improve its battle skills.

Russia has a growing fleet of about 40 icebreakers and ships with the special Project 23550 group, which was created specifically for battle and breaking through snow up to 5 feet wet.

Russia’s addition of the Ivan Papanin to its icebreaker fleet is a result of its more considerable interests in the Arctic and its military strategy, which are mainly driven by complex and interconnected economic and security issues.

In a March 2020 content for the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS), Heather Conley and other authors make mention of Russia’s military presence in the Arctic as a means of enhancing land safety by preventing foreign incursions as the place attracts more foreign investment, secures Russia’s financial future, and provides a staging area for power projection in the North Atlantic.

Conley and others claim that Russia views the Northern Sea Route ( NSR ), a 5, 600 kilometer long waterway that runs from the Bering Strait to the Kara Sea, as a strategically important internal waterway. They point out, in contrast, that the majority of the international community views the NSR as a global transit.

Beyond controlling sea lines of communication such as the NSR, John Grade mentions in a March 2024 US Naval Institute ( USNI ) article that the Arctic holds 13 % of the world’s undiscovered oil reserves, 30 % of undiscovered natural gas and US$ 1 trillion worth of valuable minerals like palladium, cobalt and nickel, which are in demand for various high- tech industries.

As a result of global warming, those resources are causing a global search for them. Canada, the US and Scandinavian countries have a substantial Arctic presence. China officially designated itself as a “near-arctic state” in 2018, setting the stage for intense power competition in the previously remote and inaccessible frozen region. &nbsp,

Grade notes that Russia applies a” first to market” strategy by granting international maritime traffic access to claims over increasingly open waterways. In line with that, Conley and others point out that Russia has restricted the passage of foreign warships without a 45-day notice and the government’s approval and that it has given bureaucratic control of the NSR to Rosatom, its nuclear power agency.

Regarding Russia’s militarization of the Arctic, Grade claims that Russia has stationed long-range cruise missiles capable of hitting Canadian and US targets, its bombers testing northern approaches ‘ defenses, and the deployment of a cruise missile submarine off its Pacific coast.

Further, Michael Paul and Göran Swistek, in a February 2022 Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik ( SWP ) paper, mention that Russia is prioritizing the expansion and modernization of its Northern Fleet, which aims to project power beyond its “brown” coastal waters into the Atlantic and Pacific.

According to Paul and Swistek, the Northern Fleet is pivotal to Russia’s nuclear deterrence, economic interests and resource protection, making it the most significant military presence in the Arctic. Its upgrade to an autonomous military district in January 2021 underscores the Arctic’s significance in Russia’s national defense strategy.

They mention developments that demonstrate the strategic importance of the Arctic to Russia’s interests, such as the addition of new military installations, the demonstration of thick ice-capable nuclear submarines, and the addition of Russia’s contentious “doomsday” Poseidon nuclear-armed underwater drone to the fleet’s arsenal.

Janis Kluge and Michael Paul state in a SWP paper from November that the Northern Fleet’s top priority is to defend Russia’s nuclear ballistic missile submarines ( SSBN), which make up two-thirds of its naval nuclear deterrent.

In a conflict, the fleet would defend its SSBNs and establish a second-strike capability by blocking hostile forces from the Russian Arctic while defending its SSBNs.

They point out that while Russia maintains a defensive position in the Arctic, it is prepared for an uprising in the event of a conflict, including potential offensive operations to defend the bastion and possibly occupy parts of northern Scandinavia.

However, the Ukraine war may have significantly impacted Russia’s Arctic military posture. Russia’s strategic deterrent posture may not have been affected by the ongoing conflict, but its implications may have a drawn-out effect at both operational and tactical levels.

Colin Wall and Njord Wegge mention in a January 2023 CSIS article that Russia’s Arctic military branches, particularly the Northern Fleet, maintain a credible second-strike nuclear capability despite the enormous material and human costs of the Ukraine war.

Sanctions may have an impact on Russia’s defense industry in the long run, potentially lowering the Northern Fleet’s formidability in five to ten years, but Wall and Wegge note that while Russia’s short-term threats to the West via naval and air assets remain largely unaffected.

In particular, they say that Russia’s scarcity of precision munitions could deter offensive measures against Arctic NATO allies. They point out that replacing the short-range Pantsir missile systems that were lost in Ukraine may pose challenges, even though Russia’s air defense capability is still present.

However, Wall and Wegge point out that Russia’s increasing use of “hybrid warfare” strategies in the Arctic suggests that Russia may favor hybrid tactics to exert influence and create uncertainty given that Russia has fewer conventional military forces there.

In a paper from the European Leadership Network in August 2023, Katarina Kertysova and Gabriella Gricius point out that since February 2022, Russia has used four trends in its hybrid warfare strategies in the Arctic, including a rise in cybercrime, intrusive infrastructure interference, espionage, and criminal activity.

Kertysova and Gricius say that cyber operations, notably distributed denial of service ( DDOS ) attacks, have surged across Arctic nations, targeting governmental systems and electoral processes.

They also say critical infrastructure, such as undersea cables and pipelines, has also faced increased threats, with incidents like the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage highlighting vulnerabilities.

According to Kertysova and Gricius, espionage efforts have increased, with accusations of Russian spying in territorial waters using civilian vessels. Additionally, they say criminal activities have emerged as a new tool in Russia’s arsenal, further complicating the Arctic’s fast- shifting security landscape.

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