Grab employees required to work 5 days a week in office starting Dec 2

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

Beginning in December, the technology company will require its employees to work five days a week in the office, the company announced to its staff at a town hall on Thursday ( Oct 24 ). &nbsp,

Staff confirmed that the mission will begin on December 2 under the condition of anonymity. &nbsp,

They claimed that the rationale behind the decision, which was explained at the town hall, was to encourage more cooperation and connections in the office.

One worker told CNA that she had a suspicion that this would be the case because the business had been “ramping up” taking the business back in the middle of last year. &nbsp,

She said that Grab began to take a stricter attitude on working from the company earlier this year.

” They said there would be disciplinary action against those who do n’t comply ( with return-to-office mandates )”, said the employee in her 30s, who has been working with the company for three years. &nbsp,

Now, she works three times a week in the company and two times from home. &nbsp,

Two decades post-pandemic, more firms have summoned workers back to the office. Starting second year, tech giant Amazon mandated a five business days a year plan last quarter. &nbsp,

When Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk implemented a stringent return-to-office policy in 2022, which mandated employees to spend at least forty hours a week in the office, like post-pandemic mandates were in the spotlight.

When asked if the company’s mandate is similar to Tesla’s, the employee said the company will” still accommodate flexible hours and extraordinary private circumstances.” &nbsp,

Continue Reading

MaNaDr Clinic set to get licence revoked after probe into short teleconsultations

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: MaNaDr Clinic is set to get its licence revoked after a Ministry of Health ( MOH) probe into its short teleconsultations.

MOH on Thursday ( Oct 24 ) issued&nbsp, a notice of intended revocation of licence to MaNaDr Clinic for the provision of outpatient medical services across all its modes of service deliveries, including physical, temporary and remote.

According to the ministry,” This is in view of the MOH’s examination that MaNaDr Clinic cannot continue to provide outpatient health services in a clinically and ethically correct manner.”

If its permission is revoked, the doctor may give inpatient services at its center at 371 Beach Road City Gate, at momentary premises such as treating patients at their residences, and electronically via teleconsultations.

The Singapore Medical Council ( SMC) will also receive a referral for 41 doctors who “potentially violated one or more of the ethical rules in SMC’s Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines” in the case of possible professional misconduct.

” These guidelines pertain to a doctor’s duty of care, clinical evaluation of patients, provision of telemedicine, medical records, issuance of medical certificates (MCs ), and prescription of medicines”, said MOH in its press release.

Research FINDINGS

On August 16, MOH directed MaNaDr Clinic to prevent offering inpatient teleconsultations until further notice.

It looked into the patient’s procedures and the skilled practices of its doctors more thoroughly. These studies have been completed.

It discovered that a&nbsp, “very large number of cases” witnessed by MaNaDr Clinic specialists involved very brief teleconsultations with video calling that lasted one minute or less, but which ended with the prescription of drugs and the release of MCs.

Concerns are raised by the relatively brief interviews about the health and quality of patient care, such as whether or not the drugs and Microgrid were prescribed and given on valid health grounds.

Some people received several Clusters over a number of different teleconsultations in a short period of time, for as 30 days, after these brief teleconsultations.

” In some instances, individual event notes contained detailed data that was not comparable with the brief period of the teleconsultation. Likewise, in other instances, calm situation notes were really limited or small, which possibly compromise the continuity of patient care”, said the health ministry.

According to MOH, there is reason to believe that MaNaDr Clinic has an “inner society of disregard for the appropriate medical and social requirements.”

The director-general of wellbeing is also satisfied that MaNaDr Clinic cannot continue to offer ambulatory health services in a” scientifically and morally appropriate” way.

MaNaDr Clinic has 14 days to contact MOH to make representations.

” In addition, MOH is currently reviewing whether Dr Siaw Tung Yeng, the principal officer and clinical governance officer of MaNaDr Clinic, has discharged his duties in these capacities satisfactorily, in assessing his suitability to continue acting in these capacities”, said the ministry.

Last year, &nbsp, CNA reported&nbsp, concerns about certain telemedicine apps issuing MCs after extremely brief consultations. After a 43-second remote consultation, a CNA reporter obtained an MC from MaNaDr.

Continue Reading

Global oil demand is still on track to peak by 2030: International Energy Agency

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

He added that the fact that oil prices are not rising in spite of political issues in the Middle East, which is the country’s hub for fuel production and transportation, is another indication that the demand is waning.

On the outside of the Singapore International Energy Week, he told CNA’s Roland Lim,” I believe the crude requirement will be significantly less than it is today.”

His remarks came a moment after Saudi Aramco’s CEO, Amin Nasser, stated that due to the demand from developing nations, fuel usage is likely to rise until 2050.

But, according to Birol, oil will continue to be a component of the global energy mix. &nbsp,

Uranium ENERGY SET TO Get” INTEGRAL”

Growing energy demand may be met by renewable sources of energy, including nuclear energy, Birol added.

He claimed that despite the slowdown in nuclear energy production caused by the Fukushima disaster in 2011, which released a lot of nuclear material into the atmosphere, it is making a “big, strong return” in countries like China, Japan, and South Korea.

” It is happening in two ways: One, building new large size nuclear power plants, and two, pushing the small modular reactors which was feed the information areas”, he told CNA.

He added that nuclear power, which is currently the second-largest supply of low-carbon energy produced worldwide after electricity, could be a significant component of the global energy mix in the years to come.

Continue Reading

CNA Explains: What is asylum protection and how does one qualify?

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

Three situations can occur after the verification.

First, if an asylum person passes the screen, they will be invited to a second meeting to further explain why they fear being reprieved from their country. This location allows the presence of a solicitor or attorney. &nbsp,

A person who is granted refugee status will need to reside in the UK for at least five times. Dependents will be able to reside there for the same amount of time. &nbsp,

Migrants and their dependents will be able to qualify for what’s known as indefinite leave of absence after five years. This essentially&nbsp, gives the migrant the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like. Refugees may also use for American citizenship. &nbsp,

Next, in some cases, an asylum person is granted security position without undergoing an appointment. This happens when there’s enough information from the screen and survey, if one was filled up prior. &nbsp,

Third, asylum applicants may also be kept at an immigration treatment centre&nbsp, while they wait for a decision on their program. Then they would possibly be detained and taken out of the land or left for good while continuing to live there. If another nation offers them prison, they might also be forced to leave the UK. &nbsp, &nbsp,

What are the right of prison applicants? &nbsp,

If their companions and children under the age of 18 are living in the UK, they may also be able to live with the principal person for the same amount of time as them. However, they wo n’t be granted refugee status unless they first apply for asylum on their own.

Unless granted permission, asylum applicants will not be allowed to work when awaiting the result of their program, the UK authorities noted. &nbsp,

Accommodation may be provided to support them, but it’s unlikely to be in locations like London. Each person in a household will receive £49.18 ( US$ 64 ) per week, but only £8.86 ( US$ 11.5 ) if the accommodation provides meals.

Asylum seekers will also be able to use the UK’s National Health Service ( NHS) system for free to obtain prescription medications, dental care, and eye exams.

Children of asylum seekers between the ages of five and seventeen had attend schools where they may even be able to receive free meals. &nbsp,
 

Continue Reading

What options does Income have if Allianz drops proposed deal?

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: European employer Allianz is unlikely to amend a proposed package to acquire a majority stake in Income Insurance, after the deal was blocked by the Singapore government&nbsp, earlier in October, according to some experts.

What’s following, therefore, if Income also needs a companion in the long run?

According to Professor Lawrence Loh of the Business School at the National University of Singapore, a regional company like DBS or Temasek may buy or invest in what a Nominated Member of Parliament referred to as a “national treasure” &nbsp,

He said Singapore’s largest lender would be a “natural prospect” having emerged from new” problems” of recurring service disruptions, leading to non-essential actions being paused for six weeks.

Prof. Loh noted that DBS had a strong plan presence in the past, but that it was sold to CGNU, a British insurer, after which it eventually changed its name to Aviva before merging with Singlife, which in turn became a thoroughly owned company of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company in 2024.

Somewhere, rivals like OCBC increased its stake in employer Great Eastern&nbsp, to 93 per share in July, while UOB is caregiver to the United Overseas Insurance company.

” For DBS, I think they might consider completing their investment. Comprehensive is, going forward, dynamic but lucrative”, said Prof Loh, who is also chairman of the center for management and conservation at NUS. &nbsp,

He added that getting an expense from Temasek, which the business also has a cultural mission, was another possibility. &nbsp,

He acknowledged that a state investment entering the healthcare sector and competing in the commercial space might not be good for the magnification.

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Associate Professor Shinichi Kamiya cited the possibility of DBS and Temasek as prospective clients, but questioned whether they would view” major value” in revenue.

” Additionally, these companies may not function as long-term corporate partners due to a lack of insurance expertise that Income does require”, said the scientific, who’s from NTU’s insurance risk and funding research institute.

Instead, he referred to global insurers who might want to establish themselves in Singapore.

Assoc Prof. Kamiya added,” Key participants like Ping An and Zurich may see this as an opportunity to expand their presence in the area.”

In response to questions about what it would do if the Allianz deal were to go through, Income directed CNA to its Oct. 14 speech, in which it stated that it would review and consider changes to the Insurance Act into account when deciding the following course of action.

PARTNERSHIP NECESSARY?

The Income-Allianz deal was blocked because of a planned capital extraction where S$ 1.85 billion ( US$ 1.4 billion ) would be returned to shareholders within three years.

This number is close to the income cap when it converted from a co-operative to a business object in 2022. Then, the funds would have to be refunded to the Collaborative Societies Liquidation Account.

Although Income is still a good and successful insurer, its long-term viability and growth may be in jeopardized without a reliable partner, according to experts.

” Income may need to delay until the Singaporean government recognizes the necessity of a proper collaboration,” said Assoc Prof. Kamiya. It’s possible that this realization will take time to thoroughly manifest.

Additionally, Prof. Loh noted that Income may not be able to fly solo without a more effective player backing its operations.

Continue Reading

Singapore scam victims lost less money on average this year compared with 2023: Global anti-scam alliance

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

Cybercriminals OPERATE LIKES COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES

It comes as no surprise that scammers will utilize people who spend a lot of their time on messaging and social media platforms, according to EY Steve Lam, ASEAN security chief at consulting company.

Swindlers operate like business businesses, he noted.

Their behavior is not very different from what you would do if you were a trustworthy company person, they say. You get out there, you try to ( reach out ) to as many people as you can, get them to know about your products, get them interested, get them to connect with you”, he told CNA’s Singapore Tonight.

In Singapore, swindlers connected with 40 per cent of their patients through social media, while 40 per cent of schemes were performed via institution transport, according to the GASA statement. &nbsp,

According to GASA managing director Jorij Abraham, many nations are simply becoming aware that schemes are a major issue.

On the sidelines of the anti-scam summit, he told CNA’s Syahida Othman,” We see in many countries that the number of law enforcement officers fighting scammers is residual compared to the number of reports, but we’re just at the beginning, where several countries have to make a big catch away.” &nbsp,

He added that this is because the majority of those who are conned do n’t report it.

” They are however afraid, but it’s a murder and it should be reported”.

Continue Reading

ASEAN states have to ‘work very closely’ to tackle region’s climate change risks, says bloc’s sec-gen

By:
On:
In: Asia

Crisis RISK REDUCTION FINANCING

Southeast Asia, which is sensitive to rising sea levels, storms, heatwaves and floods, faces difficulties when it comes to financing weather action, said watchers at the SIEW conference. &nbsp,

” If you look at reactive financing, clearly there is significant financing that’s going on, after ( a disaster ) has taken place”, said Dr Ramesh Subramaniam, director general and group chief of the sectors group at the Asian Development Bank ( ADB). &nbsp,

” But the problem that we face is that, in terms of allocating from your macroeconomic resources, a certain percentage of the funds to be ready to face catastrophe, that has been quite, quite slow”, he told CNA.

” And if you look at healthcare industry, I would say it’s about non-existent”.

Next month, the lender approved a new purpose to give climate finance 50 % of its monthly loans by 2030.

Dr. Subramaniam touched on the creation of a loss and damage account during the meeting and mentioned the COP28 climate summit in Dubai last year, stating that it is” a very important first action” in helping less-developed nations.

” We are very positive that there’ll get momentum”, he said, calling for more aid beyond what has been pledged by developed countries. &nbsp,

” Evidently, in terms of funding, the problem that we face is that given the scale of tragedies, no amount of funding is going to be enough”.

Continue Reading