Popular work communication tool Slack, used by 20 million users around the world, was recently bought by Salesforce for US$27 billion.
Crispina Robert has a chat with its co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Cal Henderson on what building a successful business is like, what he looks for when he hires and what’s his favourite emoji on Slack.
Every year, over 2,000 women in Singapore receive the dreadful news that they have breast cancer. The most commonly occurring cancer among women here, statistics from the Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 2018 show that one in 13 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Every year, over 400 women die from breast cancer.
According to the Singapore Cancer Society, breast cancer usually originates from the cells lining the milk ducts and glands. The good news is when it is detected at this non-invasive or in-situ stage, treatment is easier and patients have a higher chance of recovery.
Treating breast cancer gets trickier when cancer cells invade the surrounding tissue, gaining entry into the circulatory and lymphatic system, and to other organs in the body, forming metastatic tumours.
The best way to prevent breast cancer: Early detection via breast self-examinations, mammograms and breast ultrasounds. Dr Jesse Hu, a breast and endocrine surgeon at Mount Alvernia Hospital, answers these questions about breast cancer from women in their twenties through seventies.
Govt upset as UN shows Thais dying
PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2023 at 05:53
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has voiced strong disapproval of Israel’s display of a video clip of the brutal killing of a victim, asserted to be a Thai national, at a recent United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting.
The MFA said such horrific brutality has stirred a sense of outrage not only among Thais but undoubtedly among people throughout the world. It “disapproves of the display of such footage, which does not afford the proper respect and due consideration for the deceased and his family”, it said in a statement.
It refers to a short clip shown by Israel’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, while he was addressing the special session of the UNGA on the Hamas-Israeli violence on Oct 26. The Israeli envoy displayed the footage showing the decapitation of a foreign national with a garden tool during the Oct 7 attacks by Hamas. The victim was asserted to be a Thai worker.
The Wall Street Journal at the weekend ran an editorial about the screening in New York of the raw footage of Hamas’ atrocities during its Oct 7 invasion of Israel. “Why did the Hamas men, upon confronting the dead body of a teenage girl, start cheering? Why did they argue over who would get to decapitate a Thai guest worker they had shot, then proclaim ‘Allahu akbar’ with every swing at his neck?” the writer asked in horror.
The MFA said it condemned the killing of innocent civilians, regardless of nationality, by any group, and for whatever reason. It also reiterated its call for the immediate release of all hostages and all nationals detained. As of Oct 28, the number of Thai nationals killed in the Hamas-Israel conflict stands at 32 with 19 injuries and 19 abductions. With the violence escalating the government is pleading with all Thais in Israel to return for their own safety.
On the footage, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the government is gathering facts surrounding the clip and said such footage should not have been displayed to the public. “It’s not suitable. War is cruel and it’s best not to add fuel to the fire. Thailand isn’t a party to the conflict. All we ask for is the safety of all Thais and the release of all hostages,” he said.
On the fate of Thais being held captive by Hamas, he said talks are underway to secure their safety and release and that a cabinet minister is expected to travel to the Middle East to discuss the hostage issue.
Mr Srettha repeated his call for all Thai workers in Israel to return, saying fighting is expanding and internal transport and evacuation will be hindered. Repatriation capacity has now been increased, he said, while giving assurances to the Thai workers of support and assistance after their return. “The cabinet is expected this week to approve a set of measures including low-interest long-term loans to alleviate debt problems for Thai workers in Israel,” he said. He also expressed concern for the safety and well-being of Thai officials in Israel.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said the team he sent to Iran to hold talks for the release of Thai hostages was to meet an adviser to the Iranian president and a key Palestinian leader on Sunday. “Things are proceeding smoothly and we are coordinating information. They insist all Thai hostages are safe and being taken care of. Their release is being negotiated,” he said.
Mr Wan said the team, led by former Narathiwat MP Areepen Uttarasin and Lerpong Syed, brother of Saiyid Sulaiman Husaini, leader of an association of Shia Muslims in Thailand, will hold talks to secure the release of the Thai hostages. Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Air Force on Sunday sent an A-340 aircraft to pick up Thai nationals evacuated to the United Arab Emirates and the flight is scheduled to arrive at Wing 6 in Bangkok at 2.20am today.
SINGAPORE: The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is “not declaring victory” in its fight against inflation just yet, even as price pressures in Singapore have come off multi-year highs.
It is also “premature” to talk about a loosening in monetary policy, said Mr Ravi Menon, who is retiring as central bank chief in January.
After a steady ascend to multi-year highs last year, consumer prices in Singapore have eased over the course of this year.
Headline inflation stood at 4.1 per cent in September, versus the peak of 7.5 per cent last September. Core Inflation – which excludes accommodation and private transport and is a key indicator for the MAS – also slowed from the 14-year high of 5.5 per cent at the start of 2023 to 3 per cent in September.
The latter is set to dip below 3 per cent in the final months of the year, in line with the central bank’s earlier forecast, said Mr Menon in a wide-ranging interview with CNA ahead of the annual Singapore FinTech Festival from Nov 15 to 17.
Even then, the battle against elevated price pressures brought on by a confluence of global events, such as supply chain bottlenecks and an energy crisis, is not over.
“We are not declaring victory yet,” Mr Menon told CNA, adding that 3 per cent “is not good enough” given how core inflation has typically averaged around 2 per cent.
The next one-percentage point increase in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) scheduled for next January will also have “an immediate impact” on inflation, he noted.
MAS has projected a core inflation rate of 2.5 to 3.5 per cent for 2024 after taking into account the GST hike. Without which, core inflation will be one percentage point lower at 1.5 to 2.5 per cent.
“Core inflation is in a much better place than in the last two years but we’re not home yet. So, I think it would be premature to talk about relaxation or easing in monetary policy,” said Mr Menon.
At Woofie, an unmanned thrift store, sales on Oct 14 were lower by an estimated 10 per cent as compared to their usual sales for a Saturday, said co-founder Desiree Chang. The shop currently accepts two main modes of payments, PayNow or PayLah!, and exact cash payments as all itemsContinue Reading
Cites study which puts growth rate at up to 4.73%
PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2023 at 05:04
The government on Sunday shrugged off calls for it to rethink its intention to push ahead with the 10,000-baht digital money handout scheme, saying details of the project could be adjusted and fine-tuned but not its core principle of being intended as a tool to kick-start the economy.
The economy has been sluggish for nine to 10 years and Thailand is critically in need of a powerful mechanism to stimulate it, or the country will end up facing a dim economic outlook in the years to come, said Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
Before the 2014 military coup, which ousted the Yingluck Shinawatra administration, the economy of the northeastern province of Udon Thani, for instance, was booming, with a huge number of people crossing the border from neighbouring Laos, he said.
The economy has stagnated ever since the coup, while many small- and medium-entrepreneurs have gone out of business, he said. The government has referred to the nine years of stagnation which followed as Thailand’s “lost decade”.
As for the estimated 560 billion baht fund required for sponsoring the digital wallet scheme, if it really needs to be obtained by means of borrowing, he said, that shouldn’t be a problem.
The previous government borrowed a trillion baht and that caused no issues.
Nor would this loan, if it was needed, as long as the money was strictly spent on stimulating the economy as it was intended, he said.
He also welcomed the move by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to set up a panel to study the government’s handout scheme and gather opinions from experts and the public.
Critics of the scheme say the economy is no need of an injection of cash in such a fashion and say the money could be better spent elsewhere. Some has also bought means-testing of the giveaway, to ensure the money goes only to those who need it.
Mr Phumtham said the NACC’s role will actually help ensure the project’s implementation is in line with the law, which would be good for the government.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Sunday promised supporters who greeted him in Udon Thani during a visit on Sunday that the digital money handout would come in February as planned.
Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke, meanwhile, cited findings from a study conducted by an economic team led by economist Suwit Sapwitthayasiri, to support the policy. The study said it “has a good potential to spur economic growth at most from 4.73% next year to 5.54% in 2027.”
Hong Kong is ready to work with Thailand to promote the use of educational technology to help students learn more effectively and allow teachers to create customised lessons and increase classroom participation.
The venture was raised at Hong Kong’s recent Edtech Month Summit 2023, a month-long programme of activities on education technology. It included discussion panels on how technology can reshape and contribute to education systems, not only in Hong Kong but at the global level.
Katherine Choi, Principal Assistant Secretary (Education Infrastructure) at the Hong Kong Special Education Bureau, who is responsible for promotion of educational technology, said Thailand could follow in Hong Kong’s footsteps in the implementation of Information Technology in education.
Ms Choi was speaking on how Hong Kong has implemented education technology systematically and effectively.
“We welcome collaboration opportunities with other countries including Thailand on EdTech. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region [HKSAR] and the Government’s Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok could help communication on both sides,” she said.
She said Hong Kong’s multi-faceted approach to IT in education, through working on infrastructural and mobile hardware, as well as software such as training, peer group support, promotion of information literacy, and through involvement of different stakeholders, may serve as a good reference for Thailand in mapping out its focus of work on this front.
Ms Choi said that to align with the global trend of harnessing information technology to enhance the effectiveness of learning, the HK government had invested over about US$2.04 billion (about 73.7 billion baht) since the 1998/99 school year in implementing strategies on IT education.
Since then, the Hong Kong government has been trying to advance school infrastructure such as providing Wifi support in govt’s funded public schools.
“We have established Wifi campus for all public-funded schools [about 1,000 schools] in Hong Kong, which allows students to use mobile computing devices for e-learning anywhere on campus. Each school now, on average, owns over 200 mobile computer devices for learning and teaching,” she said.
Furthermore, the Hong Kong government has provided the e-learning subsidies under the “Composite Information Technology Grant (CITG)”.
She said that each school is disbursed with CITG annually ranged from US$33,900 to $110,600 in the 2022/2023 school year depending on the school type and number of classes.
“Schools may deploy the recurrent grant to subscribe Wifi services; purchase and enhance different software and hardware for online teaching; and strengthen IT staffing support,” she added.
She said the Hong Kong government also had the Information Technology Staffing Support Grant (ITSSG), in which each school would be disbursed with a recurrent sum of $42,500 a year and could deploy the money to strengthen its IT staffing support.
To strengthen teachers’ knowledge of technology, the Hong Kong government has launched the Professional Development Programmes (PDPs) that covers the topic on applying various emerging technologies in learning and teaching.
They include pedagogy, Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related subjects, e-Leadership, technology, information literacy and blended learning. The PDPs offered over 300 training events with over 20,000 participants per year, she said.
Ms Choi said while technology had made great contributions to children’s development, it also had exposed Hong Kong’s children to dis/misinformation, internet addiction and cyberbullying.
“Many children who have suffered from cyberbullying in Hong Kong have found the solution to be to delete their [social media] accounts to avoid attacks. So, we need to prepare our students to become literate in IT,” she added.
The Education Bureau launched the Information Literacy for Hong Kong Students framework to ensure information and technology literacy among their students. It encompasses nine literacy areas, which aim to develop students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
Those are: using technology effectively; identifying and defining a need for information; locating information; evaluating information; extracting information and presenting new ideas; applying IT skills to produce content, recognising reliable sources and the roles and functions of information providers; and emerging ethnical issues arising from advanced IT.
The education bureau has also strengthened the teachers’ information literacy through PDPs through offering both basic and advanced levels of information literacy, which aims to train and enhance teachers’ understanding of emerging information technologies, and aptitude in planning, implementing and evaluating the information technology curriculum.
“The Education Bureau has been providing teachers with e-learning resource kits, and collaborating with different government departments and NGOs,” she said.
“For example, we have got assistance from Hong Kong police in providing the information on scams, intellectual properties and fake news to produce teaching materials to assist schools in teaching information literacy to students.”
PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2023 at 04:30
MAE HONG SON: A camera trap caught a gaur in the Salawin Wildlife Sanctuary in this province bordering Myanmar on Oct 8. It is the first gaur seen there in 37 years, according to the chief of the sanctuary.
Arkhom Boonnontae said the footage showed the bull turning up at 3.01am. It was the first gaur seen in the sanctuary since 1986, he said.
The gaur is a wild animal that is very rarely seen in the north, he said.
The IUCN lists the gaur as an endangered species. It is also a pro- tected animal under the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act, Mr Arkhom said.
Salawin Wildlife Sanctuary is the only reserve forest in the north where a gaur has been spotted, he said.
PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2023 at 04:30
Hong Kong companies are showing interest in having manufacturers and logistic firms based in Thailand, according to Thai trade representative Nalinee Taveesin.
Speaking after meeting Ronald Ho, director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s Southeast Asia and South Asia in Bangkok yesterday, Ms Nalinee said Hong Kong has been Thailand’s ally in trade, investment and tourism for a long time.
The meeting was a follow-up to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s visit to Hong Kong to meet potential investors early this month. The meeting also focused on exchanging information and tightening trade relations, she said.
A Covid-19 abated, Hong Kong became interested in expanding its market to Asean, including Thailand, with 30 companies looking to invest and set up production bases and logistics systems in the kingdom, she said.
This cooperation will help Thai businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, acquire channels for product distribution and knowledge development in various fields, including e-commerce.
During the meeting, Mr Ho also invited Mr Srettha to attend the Asian Financial Forum in Beijing in January.
Ms Nalinee also met Kevin Yang, chairman of the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, to discuss ways to promote Thai silk in the world market.
Mr Yang suggested Thailand present stories of its silk to the world to show that it is not only used to make clothes but also decorations and furniture through exhibitions.
The design of Thai silk dresses should also reduce the formality to make them more accessible to teenagers, he said.
“Hong Kong is a bridge connecting China with the rest of the world,” Ms Nalinee said. “Hong Kong is also known as a financial and investment hub and a centre of international trade, goods and human resources.”
She added that last year, the trade value between Thailand and Hong Kong was worth about US$11.8 billion.
PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2023 at 04:30
This year’s cool season is expected to arrive later this week, about two weeks later than usual, and it is forecast to be warmer than usual due to volatile weather conditions coupled with the impact of El Niño, according to the Meteorological Department.
Normally, Thailand enters its colder season by the middle of October, said the Meteorological Department.
As for this year, a “moderate” cool spell is forecast to arrive in upper Thailand tomorrow, lasting until next Monday, and is considered a sign of the beginning of the change in climate, said the department.
The Northeast region, for instance, will experience a temperature drop and although it cannot yet say goodbye to rain and sporadic thunderstorms, precipitation is expected to decrease significantly.
The coldest period in the kingdom is expected to begin early next month and last until late January, with the average temperature in the upper part of the country being predicted to be between 21 and 22 degrees Celsius, or approximately 1.5C higher than the average temperature recorded in last year’s cold season.
The lowest temperatures in the North and the Northeast will be between 9 and 1C, while the lowest in Bangkok are expected to be 17 to 18C and between 15 and 16C in the surrounding provinces this year.
Some frost on the ground may appear at certain points throughout the cold season on the mountaintops in the upper areas of the country.