Explainer: Why is the UK planning to scrap the A-Levels and are there any implications for Singapore?
WHAT Timetable IS THERE FOR THE Reformation? The department stated in a blog post on the DFE-owned website The Education Hub & nbsp that it would take” around ten years” to fully implement the Advanced British Standard. Up until that point, British youths’ post-secondary education would continue to be providedContinue Reading
Sikkim: Deadly Indian glacial lake flash flood exposes lack of warning system
ReutersAccording to experts, India immediately needs to fit sophisticated early warning systems for its hazardous glacial rivers after a deadly flash flood in the north-eastern state of Sikkim.
After South Lhonak, a glacial lake in the Himalayas, burst its banks last week, at least 70 people — including nine soldiers — have died and more than 100 others are still missing.
For outbursts, as well as the abrupt discharge of water from a glacier-fed river, can be brought on by torrential rain, seismic events, or mudslides.
Authorities can leave people quickly and available the flood gates from upstream dams with the aid of an early warning system to reduce damage.
India’s National Disaster Management Authority( NDMA ) revealed that it had surveyed two at-risk lakes in early September in order to set up early warning systems for real-time alerts in the event of glacial lake outbursts following the Sikkim disaster.
According to the BBC, one of the lake surveyed was at South Lhonak, where some job for first instructions was started.
But given that the river has long been known to be dangerous, the flood that occurred just a few weeks afterwards has caused people to wonder why there wasn’t an effective early warning system in place now.
It is still unclear what sparked the South Lhonak explosion. While some claim a cloudburst may have caused it, others claim there was no such large, concentrated downpour.
They blame the moraines, which are made up of soft boulders, rocks, and soil at the glacial lake’s edge, for the catastrophe. Some have even connected it to a seismic event.
There was a great chance of South Lhonak river flooding, according to several reports.
A fast melting ice that feeds the lake had caused its region to grow more than 2.5 times over the previous three decades. To stop the lake from overflowing in 2016, government withdrew some of its waters. However, there was no early warning system in place.
When instructed to open the groundwater floodgates, workers at the Chungthang bridge, which is upstream of the Teesta valley and collapsed due to the flood, claimed it was too late because flood waters had already begun to hit the facilities.
According to experts, glaciers are melting more quickly as a result of global warming, which has raised the water levels in some Alpine lakes.
Additionally, it has resulted in the formation of new rivers or the fusion of ancient lake. These lakes are now hazardous because avalanches, cloudbursts, and rockfalls may cause them to disaster.
The NDMA states that it intends to” fit early warning systems for real-time emails at most of 56 at-risk glacial rivers in India.”
Up to 200 glacial rivers across the Himalayas are thought to be in a hazardous condition, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, an NGO that specializes in Healayan risks. They may, in other words, suddenly tumble, just like South Lhonak.
More than 700 small and large glacial rivers can be found in Sikkim only, and researchers estimate that about 20 of them are at risk of bursting.
Lhonak was being watched and classified as unsafe, according to Dhiren Shrestha, chairman of Sikkim’s science and technology division. However, he chose not to respond to the BBC’s inquiries regarding the lack of an early warning system and the subsequent notification of towns and significant houses inland.
The NDMA, the Central Water Commission, and the Ministry of Water Resources were among the other governmental organizations in India that did not respond to these queries.
In South Lhonak, Switzerland has assisted the NDMA in installing an early-warning method. The BBC was never given any information or an explanation for why the job was taking so long by its ambassador in Delhi.
Rejeev Rajak, a glaciology scholar at Sikkim University, said that” Apparently the lack of an early warning system has to do with government and also the fact that some national and international firms are involved in this job ] setting up the system.”
According to some politicians who have been opposing the building of reservoirs on rivers that originate in the Himalayas, South Lhonak Lake was delicate from a defensive standpoint, which may have slowed down the implementation of the warning system.
A candidate who declined to be named said,” The river is in the area that borders China’s autonomous area of Tibet, and that definitely entails military differences which means any non-military work will take day.”
However, glaciologists claim that changes brought on by global warming are occurring quickly in the Himalayas and call for ongoing surveillance and risk-reduction measures.
Senior cryosphere specialist Miriam Jackson of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development( ICIMOD ) said,” We are running out of time.”
She continued,” And there is a ton of work to be done, such as keeping an eye on the lake, setting up early warning systems, involving the local populations, and ensuring that the tracking and alerting equipment is kept up.”
However, as the climate has warmed, there are more and more things that make glacial lakes dangerous.
Historically, the key issue was typically thought to be fast-melting glaciers fast filling up glacial lakes. However, the thinning and retreating glaciers have also made the landscape of the area more fragile, causing rockfalls and mudslides.
According to experts, rising temperatures are causing geographical instability in mountainous areas around the world, including the Himalayas, which will result in storms at higher altitudes where it has typically snowed in the past.
Heat also entails the melting of permafrost( area that would otherwise remain completely frozen on mountains ), which can result in slope failures( a slope that collapses suddenly as a result of rain or other factors) and flood glacial lakes.
According to Jacob Steiner, an ICIMOD researcher,” there is proof that the hill that caused the South Lhonak to storm moved faster than it has in decades.”
” Scientists are currently examining side failures across all lakes using satellite images, mapping every side around every lake, and determining how many have moved exceptionally quickly.”
However, if early warning systems are in place for when a glacier lake bursts, as South Lhonak did next year, none of that surveillance will be useful.
Learn more BBC reports about India here:
- Attack on an Indian media website over allegations of Chinese funding
- The vile road abuse that claimed the life of an American girl
- Is technology prevent India from squandering its harvest so much?
- Is the passageway between India and Europe compete with the Belt and Road in China?
- Is India remove the” chokers” label during the World Cup of Cricket?
Caught in the crossfire
There are difficult choices for hundreds of Thai staff in Israel.
After learning that her brother, Somkhwan, who had gone to work on a fruit farm in Israel, was likely one of the staff killed in an attack carried out as the first round of Israel-Gaziland issue erupted on Saturday, Nupha Phansa, at 63, is still reeling from the incident.
At 4 a.m. on Sunday, her daughter, Somkhwan’s older girl, called Ms. Nupha to let her know that she had seen some photos of the victims’ body on social media, and one of them had resembled her.
When Ms. Nupha saw the image, she immediately recognized her father’s shirt and pants and realized that her worst fears had come true.
Following the startling news, a number of local authorities paid Ms. Nupha’s house in tambon Khamin in the Muang neighborhood of Kalasin to offer social support and talk about how to return Somkhwan to Thailand for the death.
My son, who frequently called me from Israel, just informed me that the situation that was unusual before the poor news arrived. She continued,” I therefore told him to return back.” ” I wanted him to return back safely, not his income.”
His mother afterwards discovered that her son had become sick and intended to discuss a return home with his Jewish employer after that conversation. He was never going to include that talk.
Previous man Somkhwan, who got married and moved to Nakhon Phanom, left Thailand on November 9 of last year for a five-year job commitment in Israel.
According to his mother, he borrowed 120, 000 ringgit to cover the cost of his trip to Israel, where his monthly salary was 80,000 bht.
121 of the 230 staff from the state who went to work in Israel, according to Suphachai Waengkham, a top established at Kalasin’s Office of Employment, lived and worked in the region close to the crime.
Sombat Traisak, the sheriff provincial governor of Chaiyaphum, announced on Monday that 772 workers from this territory have entered Israel to work legally while authorities continue to look for another group who did so in violation of the law.
Sairung Miwut had the good fortune to restore contact with her father, Worachet, in the Phu Khieo city of Chaiyaphum.
Mr. Sairung expressed her desire for Worachet to return home right away in a video call with him, despite the fact that he wanted to see how the condition develops first.
” Let me remain here for a little while longer.” We all need more money to send up back, so many others are good to do the same. I’m unsure of my exact departure date from Israel. During the film call, Mr. Worachet was overheard saying to his family,” I will have to wait and see.”
The family of Phatthayut Tonsoki, 40, and a 58-year-old villager in Nakhon Phanom’s Phon Sawan region has been unable to contact her child since the problems began.
Natthawut Nakmao, a 30-year-old Thai worker in Israel and local of Nakhon Ratchasima, was interviewed by The Bangkok Post on Monday via video website.
He claimed that because he resided in a region far from the murder, his safety and continued employment were secure. He did, however, express great concern for the security of a fellow employee in the war zone from the same community in Nakhon Ratchasima.
Since the invasion began, Mr. Natthawut claimed he hasn’t been able to get in touch with his friend Phongsathon.
However, according to acting Nakhon Ratchasima government Atsuek Chanahan, a man by the name of Phongsathon was one of the 11 Siamese workers taken hostage during the attacks on Saturday.
There is only one Phongsathon who is truly from Nakhon Ratchasima, according to a review of the official records of Thai workers in Israel, he claimed.
According to Mr. Atsuek, the employer, whose last name is Khunsi, is 25 years old and had resided and worked in southwestern Israel for more than a year prior to the attack on Saturday.
The Phongsathon’s community in Nakhon Ratchasima is currently crossing their fingers and fervently hoping that their family is not the one being held prisoner.
According to Mr. Atsuek, 2,163 employees from Nakhon Ratchasima began working in agriculture in Israel.
Govt pushes title deed plan
10 October 2023 at 06:26 PUBLISHED
In order to enable Sor Por Kor 4 – 01 landowners to convert their land reform papers into title deeds, the Agricultural Land Reform ( ALR ) Committee will move forward with plans to revise its regulations.
Capt. Thamanat Prompow, the minister of agriculture and partnerships, told reporters on Monday that he had given the ALR secretary general instructions to meet with the legal matters sub-committee to convert Sor Por Kor 4 – 01 papers into title activities.
Land with Sor Por Kor position may now be sold after the upgrade is finished.
According to Captain Thamanat, the sub-committee approved the program, which will be carried out by the close of the year as a New Year’s gift for Thai producers.
In order to determine how many Sor Por Kor 4 – 01 land plots are currently occupied across the country and how long it will take to convert them into title deeds— a process that necessitates modifications to ministerial regulations— Capt. Thamanat announced that he will preside over the ALR committee meeting on Wednesday and NBPSP.
Additionally, he insisted that the land would certainly fall into the hands of companies once it had been converted.
He had originally told Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin about the planned conversion’s development, which would begin in the provinces prepared for the property status upgrade.
Additionally, he assured them that those who legitimately occupy Sor Por Kor land 4-01 will be able to get title activities. Those who make a living from farming and own no more than 50 ray of Sor Por Kor property are considered eligible.
According to the secretary, farmers may benefit from the land, increasing their financial security.
3 million farmers currently reside on roughly 36 million ray of Sor Por Kor area, according to him.
Vinaroj Supsongsuk, secretary-general of the Agricultural Land Reform Office, stated that the organization is discussing the evaluation of Sor Por Kor property prices with the Treasury Department and scientists. If the owners of such property do not want to modify their papers to title deeds, the review may be required.
Army eyes backup plan for security
10 October 2023 at 05:56 PUBLISHED
According to place key Lt Gen Santi Sakuntanak, the Fourth Army Region is putting plans in place to maintain stability in the South as the authorities considers repealing an emergency order that placed restrictions on three regions.
The emergency order in Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala was extended by the government for one month last month. With the exception of the towns of Si Sakhon, Sungai Kolok, Waeng, and Sukhirin in Narathiwat, Yaring, Mayo and Mai Kaen in Pattani, as well as Betong and Kabang in Yala, the evacuation order is currently in effect in these places until October 17.
Lt Gen Santi, also the producer of Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, said the decision may have an impact on regional protection as the government considers permanently scrapping the order.
According to him, the order has streamlined the investigative process and resulted in efficient security work.
Lt. Gen. Santi stated that Isoc may hold a discussion about which portions of the decree are required to ensure security if the government decides to only half cancel it.
To identify healthy and unsafe areas and prioritize their needs, he said Isoc may divide 22 districts across the three provinces into different colors, such as green, yellow, and red.
If the government decides to revoke the order, he anticipates that it will initially be implemented in green places before gradually spreading to others as safety increases.
However, he added that if there is a security risk, Isoc will support the government’s decision to revoke the order in all places.
The order is set to expire in 2027, according to the 20-year national approach, he said.
However, the order, which is seen as oppressive to locals, is being called for by rights organizations.
The government has extended the order 73 days since 2005, according to the Intellectual Network Council of the Southern Border Provinces.
Thai death toll in Israel rises
1,400 people claim they want to leave.
According to the Foreign Ministry, at least 1,400 Thai workers in Israel have so far expressed a desire to return back to Thailand, and unconfirmed reports from Israeli companies indicate that up to 12 Thais may have perished in Hamas problems.
On Wednesday, the second class of 15 Thais is scheduled to depart from Israel, and a total of 1, 437 have stated their desire to go back home.
The injured who were removed from high-risk areas would be the first group of survivors, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Jakkapong Sangmanya, who gave an upgrade in the late evening following a meeting with Thai Ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramy.
He stated that this class of residents has been authorized to journey and is anticipated to depart on Wednesday and arrive in Thailand on Thursday, citing the Thai consulate in Israel.
He claimed that while Hamas’ capture rate remained at 11, the number of injured Thais increased from eight to nine.
According to him, there are encouraging signs that Thai authorities have been in touch with some nations in an effort to ensure the safety and release of those captured. 80 Thai individuals had been found to be safe in Israel, he continued.
Mr. Jakkapong claimed that the embassy in Israel had not verified the death toll in the commission’s earlier statement, where the number of fatalities increased from two to 12.
The agency’s representative, Kanchana Patarachoke, reported that 12 Thais were killed in Israeli assault in the morning, according to information gathered from their businesses.
Nevertheless, she added that given the circumstances, it would be challenging for the government to confirm the casualties. She pointed out that the figures had not yet been verified by Israeli government.
Ms. Kanchana stated that the ministry is working through a number of channels to discuss the release of those who have been captured and that it is awaiting word from the Thai consulate in Kuala Lumpur, which will get in touch with the Israeli ambassador that.
According to Ms. Kanchana,” Vietnamese embassies are doing everything in their power to ensure the safety and release of the Thai workers who have been captured.”
Thais are among the 100 or more civil captives taken by the Hamas intruders, in addition to Israelis. Some include citizens of France, Germany, and Georgia.
Thai air pressure aircraft are also on standby for departure missions, she said, adding that the Israeli army has evacuated Thais from the conflict zone to protected areas and that Israeli authorities are prepared to help the evacuation.
There are approximately 30,000 Thai people in Israel, with roughly 5,000 in Gaza, so the number of residents will be updated.
Israel intended to remove all residents from cities close to Gaza within 24 hours, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. All departure missions are permitted, and the airport is still available.
The emergency, according to Ms. Kanchana, will start as soon as it is secure to do so, and preparations for their use as travel points are being made with adjacent nations.
Sutin Klungsang, the defense minister, stated that the air force has prepared five C-130 aircraft and one Airbus 340 for the removal vision, which may start as soon as Israel issues the all-clear.
Commentary: What’s behind the housing crunch for foreign workers in Singapore?
Companies must, however, take some time to adjust to this model shift in repair and bedroom activities. Bedroom rental rates are already extremely high, and one company noted that they have increased by 40 % since the pandemic. Unsustainable rentals may force employers to make concessions in the future, even if they are able to provide proof of accommodation upon hiring a new employee.
What else can be done in the long run to enhance housing for foreign employees?
A POSITIVE PROCUREMENT SYSTEM
The latest business type of employee dorms is price-based and confined to long-term contracts. On the other hand, secret housing is profit-driven in order to be long-lasting.
In contrast to personal housing, for which the landlord may raise prices and end leases, dorms have clarity in costs and duration. As a result, there is an excessive desire for hostels, which leads to supply shortages.
Additionally, due to new FEDA demands, businesses that bid for new projects must raise their prices. Contractors may calculate higher prices to fulfill accommodation requirements with excessively brief tendering periods without knowing if they will be awarded the agreement.
This will increase costs, make it challenging to get project bids, and lower interest rates to ensure better housing for foreign workers. At worst, companies might overestimate the cost of lodging before taking severe cost-cutting steps to make up for it.
To solve this problem, a shift in perspective and purchasing procedures is required. A common sweet or quotation in the procurement stage necessitates the expense of preliminary steps. As a lump sum of the project cost, workers’ accommodations range from 5 % to 15 %.
It will be wise for volume surveyors, contract managers, and facility managers to separate the cost of employee housing from different factors when evaluating project bids.
The way that unusual workers’ accommodations are run and maintained may also change. For example, government agencies could include preliminary clauses in their design contracts that outline the layout of the accommodations, the minimal requirements for audits, and a suitable tendering period.
Commentary: How do we know if weâre offering the right mental health support for seniors?
ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
General practitioners’ ( GPs ) perspectives on late-life depression were examined in a soon-to-be-published study by the Division of Family Medicine at the National University of Singapore. The general practitioners identified trust and rapport between doctor and patient as the pillars for identifying and treating mental suffering in older people.
However, some older people might not visit the doctor on a regular basis, which restricts follow-ups and goodwill.
Mental health services may be a part of Singapore’s Healthier SG regional preventive care program over the next two years. & nbsp, Currently, 17 out of every 24 polyclinics provide mental health services; however, by 2030, all new polylinics will do so.
This is a good place to start if you want to provide older people and their Doctors with the healthy environment they need to discuss mental health.
Education, compensation, and support for main medical providers at the same level as treatment for physical illnesses like diabetes or colon cancer are hopefully the next steps in the management of seniors’ mental needs.
The consumer may also be able to recognize signs of mental anguish in their older family, friends, and neighbors with the aid of educational initiatives. These may let caregivers and seniors know where to go for assistance and what evidence-based treatment options are available, such as community activities, counseling, psychotherapy, and drugs, some of which can also help with physical symptoms like insomnia.
One in four Singaporeans will become 65 years of age or older by 2030, and Singapore’s life expectancy is expected to rise. Supporting older people with mental health issues is crucial, even though this is evidence of better health care and cutting-edge technology.
Seniors are more likely to feel appreciated and glad the more we involve them in our life and help them overcome their difficulties. Our nation did flourish as a result of this.
Jared Ng oversees connections at the National University of Singapore’s Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk. At the Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk and as an assistant professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Shou Yiyun is the Lead Scientist in the Health and Lifestyle area. Anna Szuecs is a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Division of Family Medicine.
Blocked paths and long walks for Tengah’s first residents amid construction in new town
SINGAPORE: Since relocating to Tengah in the west of Singapore a few weeks ago, Mrs. Amy Ong has been forced to leave her apartment almost every day for long walks. & nbsp,
It takes her and her father an hour to travel from their residence at Block 133C in Plantation Grange to the Serangoon coffee store, where they can obtain a car.
Mrs. Ong, 48, told CNA last Tuesday( Oct 3 ) at the foot of her block that it was” just very inconvenient” after getting out of a private-hire car with her husband, their arms full of items for their new home.
The couple uses cars or private-hire cars to get home because there aren’t many public transportation options in Tengah. Going out, however, is a problem because ride-hailing software do not yet reflect the pick-up location at Block 133C.
On August 29, residents of the 700ha Tengah city andnbsp, a dozen housing blocks away, began gathering their keys.
According to the Housing and Development Board ( HDB ), about 295 out of the 2,333 units in the first two Tengah projects — Plantation Acres and Plantation Grange — have gathered their keys as of September 26.
The majority of Tengah, a town that has been designated as” car-lite,” is still being built, and one of its bus interchanges is located in the neighborhood center of Andnbsp.
The only vehicle quit for the estate is situated next to Block 111 at Plantation Acres, along Planation Crescent. Simply bus service 992, which travels between Tengah and Bukit Batok exchange, provides service there.
It takes 10 to 15 minutes to walk to the bus stop for Mrs. Ong and other people of Plantation Grange, which is located deeper within Tengah. They must wander an additional 10 days if they want to get to Bukit Batok Road, where there are more public transportation options.
PM celebrates the launch of Thai satellite
Theos – 2 enters circle after a pause
PUBLISHED: 04:09 on October 10, 2023.
After a minor delay in liftoff on Saturday, Thailand Earth Observation Satellite 2 ( Theos – 2) was successfully launched into orbit on Monday.
Srettha Thavisin, the prime minister and finance secretary, praised it as a happy moment for the nation.
At 8.36 a.m. local time, Geo – Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency( Gistda ) announced the launch on its official Facebook page.
At Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America, the reentry was scheduled for Saturday night.
However, a professional error was found just before the start. Later, Arianespace, the creator of Theos – 2, confirmed that the problem had been fixed and the dish was prepared for orbit.
According to Gistda, the Theos – 2 initiative has significantly enhanced Thailand’s space business.
Local companies have improved their capacity for storage architecture, and many people are now trained and able to pursue careers in place.
Following the successful start, Prime Minister Srettha expressed his happiness on behalf of the Thai individuals and government.
” In order to create the nation and raise the standard of living for its citizens, the government has long supported science, engineering, and development.” According to Mr. Srettha, the data that Theos – 2 may quickly produce will benefit the country and lower inequality in a number of areas, including agribusiness, city planning, healthy resource management, environment, water, and natural disasters, as well as national security.
He also pointed out that Theos – 2 is the most advanced satellite in Asean with a great image resolution, capable of detecting objects on Earth that are only 50 centimeters in diameter.
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, as well as Gistda, received a letter of appreciation from the excellent minister for completing the Theos – 2 job and advancing Thailand’s space industry.
” I sincerely hope that Theos – 2 may play a key role in advancing Thailand’s cutting-edge technologies and enhancing both the economy and society ,” Mr. Srettha said.
Theos – 2, also known as Thaichote, which debuted on October 1, 2008, may be replaced by the successor. Theos – 1 is nearing the end of its useful life, according to Gistda.