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New graphic novel aims to spark conversations about end-of-life and palliative care

aseanpr 20 3 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - When a patient is dying or deteriorating and healthcare professionals ask the family if they knew what the patient wanted, the answer is commonly no. "This places the burden on the loved ones and healthcare professionals, which may not be ideal and creates a lot of stress," said Dr Raymond Ng, head of palliative medicine in the department of integrated care at Woodlands Health Campus. This is why it is important to have discussions about death and dying, and find out individuals' preferences for end-of-life and palliative care. A graphic novel highlighting the importance of end-of-life and palliative care was unveiled on Saturday (March 20), as part of efforts to spark more discussions on the topic among Singaporeans. The 72-page book, All Death Matters, commissioned by the Lien Foundation and written and illustrated by local artist James Tan, can be borrowed from public libraries from mid-April. Another 100 free copies will be given away from Saturday till April 4 to people who submit a request to the Lien Foundation at this website. The novel, written from the perspective of a young doctor working at a hospital here, takes the reader through an encounter with a family...

CNB seizes nearly $1.7 million worth of drugs, including largest cannabis haul in 14 years

aseanpr 18 3 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has seized about 20.5kg of cannabis in a drug bust - the largest haul of the drug in 14 years. The two-day crackdown, which started on Tuesday (March 16), also saw officers seize about 8.3kg of heroin, about 6.4kg of crystalline methamphetamine, also known as Ice, 1,091 Ecstasy tablets and 1,000 Erimin-5 tablets from multiple locations. The total amount of drugs seized is estimated to be worth nearly $1.7 million and can feed 3,950 heroin abusers, 3,700 Ice abusers and 2,930 cannabis abusers for a week. The haul is the largest since 2007, when the agency recovered about 20.6kg of cannabis. In the latest operation, three Singaporean men, aged between 27 and 33, were arrested for suspected drug-related offences. Two of them - one aged 33 and the other aged 27 - were arrested on Tuesday evening, after CNB officers intercepted their car near Kempas Road. A total of 20 packets containing about 419g of Ice and 87 Ecstasy tablets were found in the vehicle. The 33-year-old man was then taken to his public housing flat near McNair Road. A search was conducted there, and CNB officers found 19 packets containing about 8.3kg of heroin, 20 packets ...

National Council of Social Service launches guide for media reporting on mental health issues

aseanpr 16 3 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - As part of efforts to address the stigma associated with mental health conditions, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) on Tuesday (March 16) launched a guide with words and phrases that should be avoided when reporting on the issue. For example, the phrase "someone with a mental health condition" is preferred over terms such as "mentally ill", "psycho", "mad" or "crazy". Aside from stigmatising terms and their suggested alternatives, the Beyond the Label Media Guide contains suggestions on how people with mental health conditions should be interviewed, as well as angling and headlining stories, and reporting on violence and suicides. The guide was developed in consultation with social service agencies, mental health professionals, persons with mental health conditions and members of local media. Ms Anita Fam, president of NCSS, said the guide provides recommendations for media professionals reporting on mental health issues or writing about incidents involving persons with mental health conditions. "We believe that the media is and can be instrumental in influencing and changing attitudes and behaviour, educating and encouraging people to think differently abo...

Banks boost European stocks as recovery hopes grow

elean 9 3 月

3 minutes

BENGALURU (REUTERS) - Shares of banks and automakers lifted European shares on Monday as investors continued to move into economy-linked sectors on hopes of a solid economic rebound from the coronavirus downturn. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index gained 2.22 per cent, its best one-day performance since early November. The banking sector gained 3.73 per cent to hit a fresh one-year high. Spain's Banco de Sabadell jumped 7.1 per cent, while HSBC, Banco Santander and ING Groep rose more than 2 per cent. Automakers and insurers also rose about 3 per cent, while sectors considered bond-proxies like utilities and personal & household goods were among the laggards. "The reflationary trade is being more supportive of European stocks in general because they're not as weighted towards growth and tech that the US is," said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com. "You've got some progress on trade with between Europe and the US and that's good for some of the companies like Rolls-Royce." Aero engines-maker Rolls-Royce rose 7.3 per cent to top gains on UK's blue-chip FTSE 100. The European Union and the United States agreed on Friday to suspend tariffs imposed on billions of dollars of...

China fintech curbs that hit Ant were no surprise, Ping An says

elean 1 3 月

5 minutes

BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - China's curbs on fintech that thwarted a massive stock sale by Ant Group have been under consideration for years and weren't a surprise to those in the industry, according to an executive at China's biggest insurer by market value. Like Ant, Ping An Insurance (Group) was in the midst of planning a public listing for a fintech unit when regulators began issuing a flurry of rules to contain the country's burgeoning online lending industry. Its Lufax Holding Ltd. debuted on the New York Stock Exchange days before the most-sweeping checks were unveiled in November, followed closely by the abrupt suspension of Ant's initial public offering. While the string of tightening moves has prompted investors to dump Chinese tech stocks and led to deep cuts in valuations, industry players saw them coming, Jessica Tan, co-chief executive officer of Ping An said in an interview. Ms Tan, 43, oversees Ping An's technology units including Lufax and OneConnect Financial Technology Co. "Chinese regulators don't suddenly throw a regulation at you and say 'we will do this,'" Ms Tan said while on a visit to her native Singapore. "Every regulation that has been announced, it's not a su...

Me & My Career: This ‘plumber’ of the financial world ensures that money flows smoothly

elean 28 2 月

8 minutes

SINGAPORE - Using financial technology, or fintech, to disrupt traditional models may seem "cool", but Mastercard executive Joseph Tom believes it is as much about solving seemingly mundane problems. Fintech, he notes, has begun to improve access to remittance services for migrant workers, who otherwise could spend up to 10 per cent of their savings on transfer fees and poor exchange rates. "It might not look all glamorous compared to global investing, cryptocurrencies and roboadvisory, but a lot of the value of fintech lies in solving these unsexy problems in traditional banking such as financial inclusion and access to credit," says Mr Tom, a director for business development at Mastercard. "A senior executive told me fintech professionals often consider themselves the plumbers of the financial world, fixing the pipes and infrastructure that lead to more efficient flow of payments, investments, remittances and so on." Mr Tom, who has spent 11 years in banking, fintech start-ups and venture capital investing, hit a roadblock en route to his current "dream job" after being retrenched last April amid the pandemic. The MBA-holder faced multiple disappointments in his job search, ofte...

15,600 first-time flat buyers get $500m in grants

aseanpr 22 2 月

1 minute

About 15,600 first-time flat buyers have received nearly $500 million in grants under the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant since the scheme was launched in September 2019. Of these, 7,700 bought new flats and got about $270 million in all. Another 7,900 bought resale flats, getting about $226 million in grants. The Housing Board yesterday said it has also disbursed some $748 million under the Proximity Housing Grant scheme to about 40,200 households since August 2015. SEE THE BIG STORY

‘I jaywalk because I’m fast enough’

aseanpr 21 2 月

4 minutes

Last Monday, around 11.30am, an elderly man on crutches slowly approached the road along Circuit Road Food Centre, looking to get to the bus stop opposite. He looked to his right, where a traffic light was about 50m away. He then looked to his left, where cars were turning into the road he was at. Despite that, the old man crossed slowly, unconcerned about approaching cars. The drivers did not honk at him and slowed down to give way. He made it across safely that day. But 15 senior pedestrians died last year, about half of them from jaywalking. Last Monday's scene played out several times at Circuit Road and Serangoon Avenue 3 when The Sunday Times was there to observe seniors' attitudes towards road safety. Some were also using crutches, pulling trolleys and holding the hands of young children as they jaywalked. At Circuit Road, The Sunday Times found more than 20 seniors jaywalking to get to the Block 79 and 79A Circuit Road Food Centre or to Housing Board blocks, between 11am and 12.30pm. Though there was a pedestrian crossing nearby and a sign prohibiting jaywalking, many seniors jaywalked across the three-lane road. There were also many parked vehicles along the road, which co...

CNY tragedy: Five die after car slams into Tanjong Pagar shophouse, fire breaks out

aseanpr 13 2 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Five people have died and one was sent to Singapore General Hospital after a car slammed into the front of a shophouse on Saturday (Feb 13) morning. In a statement to The Straits Times, the SCDF said it was alerted to a fire at 37 Tanjong Pagar Rd at about 5.40am. "The fire involved a car and the front of a shophouse. SCDF extinguished the fire with three water jets and one compressed air foam backpack," it said. Five people were pronounced dead at the scene and one, a woman, sent to SGH with serious burn injuries. ST understands that the five who died were in the car - a BMW - when the accident happened. The cause of the fire is under investigation. When ST arrived at the scene at 7.50am, about 200m of Tanjong Pagar Road was cordoned off and there was a strong burning smell in the air. Family members were spotted at the scene and are believed to have identified the bodies of the deceased. They were taken from the accident scene to the mortuary at the SGH in two police hearses. The first, carrying one body, arrived at 11.11am, while the second arrived at 11.26am with the remaining four bodies. At around 10.50am, the police expanded the cordon to block off the whole of C...

More than 35,000 pre-schoolers take part in art to learn about Total Defence

aseanpr 11 2 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - To cultivate an appreciation of Total Defence, more than 35,000 children from some 500 pre-school centres are making artworks as part of their lessons leading up to Total Defence Day on Feb 15. Called Our Hopes, Our Singapore Art Jam, the programme aims to teach children the importance of Total Defence, its six pillars and how every Singaporean plays a part in building a strong, secure and cohesive nation, including the fight against Covid-19, said Safra in a statement on Thursday (Feb 11). The collaboration between Safra and the Association of Early Childhood and Training Services (Assets) also aims to strengthen psychological defence among families by encouraging positive conversations about the future beyond the pandemic, Safra added. The activity involves the children sketching their hopes and dreams for the future on a foldable art frame that can be taken home for display. This is meant to serve as a reminder for families to play their part to safeguard Singapore's way of life and keep these aspirations alive, it said. Total Defence is a national defence framework introduced in 1984 to drive the message that every Singaporean has a part to play through the six pill...

Singapore resident population in HDB flats falls to 3.04m, with smaller households spread over more flats

aseanpr 10 2 月

6 minutes

SINGAPORE - The number of Singapore residents living in HDB flats has dipped for the first time since 2003, even as the number of HDB households continued to climb. A total of 3.04 million Singapore residents - or about 76 per cent of Singapore residents - lived in HDB flats in 2018, as compared to 3.06 million in 2013. They made up 1.01 million households, up from 0.91 million five years ago, according to the latest HDB Sample Household Survey, which is conducted once every five years. One reason for this trend is that the size of household units living in HDB flats is shrinking, with an average of 3.1 people per household in 2018, down from 3.4 in 2013 and 2008. This could also be due to more residents upgrading to private property, said Ms Christine Sun, OrangeTee & Tie's senior vice-president of research and analytics. She noted that there had been a substantial number of mass market private home and executive condominium launches between 2013 and 2018. The HDB report, which surveyed about 7,800 HDB households in 2018, tackled issues related to public housing ranging from HDB residents' housing aspirations, to their family ties and aspirations. More single households, fewer ext...

Wall Street’s top banks widen gulf with rivals amid pandemic

elean 20 1 月

4 minutes

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - Evidence is mounting that Wall Street's top investment banks spent the pandemic building up their leads. As the banner year for markets came to a close, JPMorgan Chase & Co posted record profit in the fourth quarter, helped by a 20 per cent increase in revenue from trading, a business where it already ranked No. 1 heading into the turmoil. At rival Goldman Sachs, second only to JPMorgan in dealmaking, a flurry of transactions helped send its quarterly profit soaring 135 per cent. The results - from JPMorgan on Friday (Jan 15) and Goldman on Tuesday - mirrored trends in many corners of industry and society during the shocks set off by Covid-19: The strong got stronger. The latest snapshots from Wall Street are emerging on the eve of Joe Biden's inauguration as US president and amid the ascent of Democrats in the Senate and atop regulators, where critics may more closely scrutinize how companies succeeding in such bleak times use their profits. "What you're seeing is some institutions like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs were well-positioned for what's going on," said Mark Doctoroff, global co-head of financial institution coverage at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group....

GIC-backed lender Affirm almost doubles in debut after $1.59 billion IPO

elean 14 1 月

3 minutes

NEW YORK (Bloomberg) - Affirm Holdings almost doubled in its public market debut, the latest multibillion-dollar technology company to start trading significantly higher than its initial public offering price. Shares of the San Francisco-based company, which provides installment loans to online shoppers, closed up 98 per cent to US$97.24 in New York trading after rising as much as 110 per cent earlier on Wednesday (Jan 13). The company sold 24.6 million shares at US$49 each in Tuesday's IPO to raise US$1.2 billion (S$1.59 billion), pricing the stock above a range that had already been increased. Affirm closed Wednesday with a market value of more than US$23 billion. The company has a fully diluted valuation of almost US$30 billion, including options and restricted stock units, according to Bloomberg calculations. Airbnb and DoorDash each soared above their IPO prices when they went public in December, showing the appetite for tech listings - especially among retail investors -- and raising questions about how the deals were priced. Airbnb currently trades about 150 per cent higher than its listing at a market value of more than US$100 billion, while DoorDash is up about 94 per cent...

Wary mood over global virus curbs sends STI down 0.67%

elean 23 12 月

2 minutes

Investors turned defensive yesterday as the pandemic sparked more lockdowns and tighter border restrictions across the world. The wary mood left the Straits Times Index (STI) down 0.67 per cent, or 19.2 points, at 2,827.32 yesterday. Across the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 277 to 178, on trade of 1.64 billion securities worth $1.32 billion. The coronavirus resurgence in countries including Britain and Australia saw mixed results on the Singapore market. Glovemaker counters including Riverstone, Top Glove and UG Healthcare ticked up, with UG Healthcare registering the biggest gain - up 9.65 per cent to 62.5 cents. Riverstone closed 6.25 per cent higher at $1.19, while Top Glove gained 0.92 per cent to $2.20. In contrast, aviation-related counters like Singapore Airlines (SIA), ground handler and in-flight caterer Sats, and SIA Engineering were hit by the global flare-up. SIA fell 3.43 per cent to $4.23, Sats declined 3.19 per cent to $3.94 and SIA Engineering fell 3.48 per cent to $1.94. SIA earlier announced it had used $7.1 billion, or about 80 per cent, of the $8.8 billion raised in the dilutive rights issue this year, as it burns through hundreds of millions of dol...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Dec 15

aseanpr 15 12 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Tuesday, Dec 15. 7 things to know about phase 3: Dining out in larger groups, free Covid-19 vaccinations Priority for the vaccines will be given to those at greatest risk, such as healthcare workers and the elderly. READ MORE HERE Answers to key questions on Singapore's Covid-19 vaccination strategy Why is the vaccination programme voluntary and not mandatory? Is there a target take-up rate? READ MORE HERE Singapore to enter phase 3 on Dec 28: Groups of 8 to be allowed for social gatherings Capacity limits in public places such as malls, attractions and places of worship will be increased. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Singapore to get first vaccines by end-Dec: The risk and reward of rushing to get a jab Getting vaccinated is not just about safety. There are other important considerations as well, says senior health correspondent Salma Khalik. READ MORE HERE WHO says authorities investigating new Covid-19 variant in England Over 1,000 cases of the variant have been identified in the past few days. READ MORE HERE Stage 2 of Thomson-East Coast Line to be delayed ...

Asia shares fall as fresh Covid-19 outbreaks overshadow vaccine progress

elean 19 11 月

3 minutes

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Asian stocks followed Wall Street's sharp selloff on Thursday (Nov 19) as concerns about rising coronavirus infections and new shutdowns in major US cities hosed down earlier investor enthusiasm about Covid-19 vaccine developments. Bearish sentiment triggered a late-session retreat in stock markets on Wednesday after a surge in new Covid-19 infections prompted New York City, which has the largest school district in the United States, to halt in-person learning starting from Thursday. The news of the shutdowns overshadowed Pfizer Inc's announcement that its covid-19 vaccine was 95 per cent effective and that the company would apply for emergency US authorization within days. Pfizer's vaccine has a similar effectiveness as the candidate developed by Moderna Inc. "It's like a seesaw, the fight between the growth of Covid and the excitement about the vaccine is really weighing on the market," said Hilary Kramer, chief investment officer for Kramer Capital Research in New York. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5 per cent in early trading, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures lost 0.02 per cent. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.4 per cent. New York City joined other larg...

Universities need to be more transparent about sexual misconduct

aseanpr 6 11 月

1 minute

The recent case of the National University of Singapore (NUS) firing one of its staff for alleged sexual misconduct highlights the need for institutions to take the lead in the national conversation about this matter. On Tuesday, in response to MPs' queries in Parliament, Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Education, revealed that institutes of higher learning - including polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education - handled 172 cases of sexual misconduct by students and staff in the past five academic years. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Things to consider before you invest

elean 1 11 月

4 minutes

As an NTUC social enterprise, Money Owl is on a mission to help families make the best financial decisions. This has become more critical as many Singaporeans worry about money matters amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, many people are bewildered by having to manage money or optimise their funds. "The pandemic has simply added to this and highlighted the gaps in many people's ability to manage their finances," said Ms Chuin, noting that four in 10 Singaporeans constantly worry about their finances. She shares her views on some common themes. Financial products "When we talk about financial management, many people think immediately about savings products, investment products and insurance policies and such. This is probably how the financial industry has been going about providing financial advice for the retail segment." One should not chase products, but instead view financial management in its entirety. "Financial management has to be based on a foundation of good financial health. Before we make any investment decisions, we need to do some essential things. We need to do a budget, keep our expenses low, control our debt levels and save towards an emergency fund." Protection...

Why some millennials can’t manage their money

elean 1 11 月

5 minutes

BLOOMBERG - In 2008, Jackie and I started our Wall Street investment banking jobs. Fresh out of college, we were now among the top earners in our peer group. Twenty hours plus daily, most days of the week, working hard on pitchbooks, models and deals. We were both millennials, defined as those born between 1981 and 1996. There were a couple of big differences. One was that she thought about savings and investing her earnings. I was more basic, just thinking about spending less than I made. The day Jackie set up her Charles Schwab account, I barely understood what she was doing. She had fliers and talked about Pacific Investment Management, or Pimco, bond funds. I was bemused. While I could go through companies' financial statements and run accretion-dilution and discounted cash flow models, I could just about keep track of my personal income. I was basically financially illiterate when it came to my own accounts. Some of this comes down to cultural investing priorities. In Asia, property and gold - hard assets - have always taken precedence over speculative stocks and bonds. Capital markets haven't been deep enough for previous generations to participate with confidence. Nor were r...

Tech slide, pandemic surge slam Wall Street as stocks suffer biggest weekly loss since March

elean 31 10 月

3 minutes

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - US stock indexes closed lower on Friday (Oct 30) to cap Wall Street's biggest weekly sell-off since March, as losses in richly priced tech heavyweights, a record rise in coronavirus cases and jitters over the presidential election snuffed investor sentiment. The pandemic pushed US hospitals to the brink of capacity as coronavirus cases surpassed 9 million, while the prospect of wider Covid-19 restrictions in Europe raised concerns about the economic recovery. The CBOE volatility index closed just below a 20-week high, a sign of investor jitters ahead of the final weekend before Election Day on Tuesday. The main indexes pared steeper losses toward the closing bell, with the Dow down less than 1%. "We're two market days away from Election Day and people want to make sure that they're not completely caught off guard,"said Pete Santoro, a Boston-based equity portfolio manager at Columbia Threadneedle. The S&P 500 has fallen about 8.9% since hitting an all-time high in early September in a rally driven by the tech mega caps whose quarterly results this week failed to meet highly optimistic expectations. Apple Inc tumbled 5.6% after it posted the steepest drop in qua...

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