Shaktiio Announces Its Breakthrough ICO on 1 March 2022
Pune, India, Feb 2, 2022 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Shaktiio is a pioneering endeavor that intends to develop an anti-liquidation protocol that assures that cryptocurrencies used as collateral are not sold and forcedly liquidated if their value falls below certain limits or the amount of debt owed. Its debut is closely approaching, as the ICO is set to take place on 1 March 2022.Overall, the SKTO token will have a fixed supply of 1 billion tokens, with an initial supply of 560 million tokens accessible during the token sale, assuming a minimum aim of $100 million being reached. Initially, 1 ETH will be equivalent to 22,222 SKTO. If the plan goes accordingly, there will be a 1 million token distribution for ICO investors in the aftermath of the ICO event. Out of the remaining token supply, 340 million will be locked for 3 years, being also eligible for any eventual burns. Lastly, the remaining 100 million will be utilized for promotions and claims reserve.Most importantly, an ETH reserve will be set up to ensure that all tokens sold during the ICO are secure. The protection of ICO investors comes first, as any investment is assured by a 100 % buyback endeavor which guarant...
S’pore doctor who worked in Afghanistan for 18 years worries for friends there
SINGAPORE - In March last year, Dr Wee Teck Young left Afghanistan for Singapore after almost 18 years in the country. But he has continued to stay in touch with friends there, and of the 40 people he has been messaging regularly since the Taleban retook Kabul last Sunday, only a few have dared to leave their homes. "So many people there are petrified. They are afraid that someone will kill them, or kill their family," said Dr Wee on Wednesday. The 52-year-old doctor moved to the Bamiyan province in Afghanistan in 2004 to provide healthcare and other volunteer work for an international public health non-governmental organisation. He moved to Kabul about seven years later. Dr Wee became such a part of the local community that they named him Hakim, which means local doctor. Dr Wee, who is single, came back here when the pandemic began, to be closer to his parents and because the outbreak of the disease in Kabul made it unsafe to remain. But not a day goes by that he does not think of the friends he left behind. He tries to provide them emotional support through voice and video calls on secure channels. "At least with the Internet, we get to stay connected," he said. One of his friend...
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Motivated for Monza
TOKYO, Jul 12, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - TOYOTA GAZOO Racing aims to maintain its 100% winning Hypercar record this week when the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) returns to Italy for the first time in nearly 30 years for the 6 Hours of Monza.The new GR010 HYBRID Hypercar has won both races so far this season, in Spa-Francorchamps and Portimao, and will now take on the high-speed challenge of Monza, a track which holds a special place in Toyota's endurance racing history.In 1992, Geoff Lees and Hitoshi Ogawa earned Toyota's first World Championship sportscar victory, beating opposition from Peugeot and adding the TS010 Group C car to a roll of honour which includes previous Monza-winners such as the Jaguar XJR-14, Mercedes Benz C11 and Porsche 962.That proved to be the last World Championship sportscar race in Italy, although WEC visited in 2017 for its pre-season Prologue test. The historic 5.793km track, in Europe's largest walled park, returns to the calendar this year.TOYOTA GAZOO Racing heads to Monza leading both World Championships following an exciting start to the season. Last year's Le Mans winners Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Ha...
Cut chatter to make sound investments
Imagine trying to pick your meal from a restaurant menu that is a thick folder with five pages for appetisers, 10 pages worth of main courses and just as many for desserts. As you figure out what to order, you google for reviews, recall your friend's recommendations, pore over the photos on social media, and flip the pages back and forth multiple times. If this starts to feel overwhelming or even frustrating, you are probably experiencing something called analysis paralysis. Having the luxury of choice may sound like a good thing, but sometimes having too many choices can lead one to overthink things, making it hard to make a decision at all. This affects many of us in various aspects of our lives - in careers, relationships, and often at the beginning of our investment journeys. "That is a dilemma faced by many novice traders. They think there is a right or perfect answer they can find," said Mr Phan Vee Leung, who founded TrackRecord Trading to help the retail community understand the markets as professional traders do. "But if you listen to enough people, there will be enough reasons to take a long position and if you listen to enough people, there will also be enough reasons to...
Low risk of severe haze from Indonesia this year: Singapore Institute of International Affairs
SINGAPORE - There is a low risk of severe haze originating from forest fires in Indonesia this year, a local think-tank has assessed. The report by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) released on Thursday (June 24) said this was due to a confluence of factors. These include improved land management policies by the Indonesian government, projected weather conditions and the growing recognition among the authorities there that the carbon-rich peatlands and forests in the country could be a source of carbon credits. This means there is now a business case for the conservation of these natural habitats - they no longer need to be drained and felled for oil palm or pulp and paper plantations in order for the land to reap economic gains. Peatlands are carbon-rich habitats that are naturally waterlogged. But for the land to be used to grow cash crops, they need to be drained - increasing the risk of fire and releasing lots of carbon into the atmosphere. On a scale of green, amber and red - with green being low risk and red being high - the 2021 haze outlook is green for the first time, said SIIA chairman Simon Tay in the report's foreword. In 2019 and last year, the ha...
Stranded Suez Canal ship’s owner, insurers face millions in claims
LONDON (REUTERS) - The owner and insurers of one of the world's largest container ships stuck in the Suez Canal face claims totalling millions of dollars even if the ship is refloated quickly, industry sources said on Wednesday (March 24). The 400-metre, 224,000-tonne Ever Given ran aground on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement, threatening to disrupt global shipments for days. GAC, a Dubai-based marine services company, said authorities were still working to free the ship mid-afternoon on Wednesday, and that information it had received earlier claiming the vessel was partially refloated was inaccurate. The ship's owner, Japanese firm Shoei Kisen KK, and its insurers could face claims from the SCA for loss of revenue and from other ships whose passage has been disrupted, insurers and brokers said. "All roads lead back to the vessel," said David Smith, head of marine at insurance broker McGill and Partners. Shoei Kisen could not be reached for comment. Container ships of this size are likely insured for hull and machinery damage of US$100-140 million (S$135-188 million), insurance sou...
Important for all to know the Covid-19 stories unfolding in the community
SINGAPORE - The Stories of a Pandemic (Soap) Awards has just announced its final list of winners, bringing the year-long project to a close. The judging panel which I chair has read hundreds of stories and looked at as many photos and illustrations to select these winners. In all, we recognised 158 writers, photographers and artists whose work from January last year, taken together, tell the story of what it was like to live through the country's gravest crisis since independence. I started the project with generous support from The Majurity Trust, a philanthropic organisation, because I thought Singaporeans needed to try to make sense of what was happening, and that one way of doing so was to encourage them to record their own experiences and share them with others. You will find all the defining moments of the pandemic in the collection at sgsoap.sg - the outbreak in foreign worker dormitories, the panic buying in supermarkets, the plight of the homeless, the efforts of the Government to stop the spread of the virus, the struggle to do home-based learning among students from low-income families, how the pandemic exacerbated the rich-poor divide, its effect on those with mental il...
Ramadan congregational prayers to resume at S’pore mosques with Covid-19 measures in place
SINGAPORE - During the fasting month of Ramadan last year, there were no night prayers in mosques that had to stay closed due to the circuit breaker. This year, Muslims can look forward to the resumption of some Ramadan activities. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) announced that mosques will be conducting terawih and qiyamullail in adherence to the prevailing safe management measures. Ramadan this year is from April 13 to May 12, and Hari Raya Puasa will be celebrated on May 13 after the fasting month ends. Terawih prayers are held every night at mosques during Ramadan, while qiyamullail prayers are held during the last 10 days of the holy month. Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, the highest Islamic authority here, said: "I am certain many of us (Muslims) are looking forward to spending some time at the mosque. But in view of the current situation (pandemic), we are not completely out of the woods. It is very important we conduct these activities in a very safe and responsible way." Prayer slots at the mosques must be booked online. There will be three booking windows throughout Ramadan for terawih prayers, with about 84,000 prayer spaces in each window across all mosque...
SIT introduces new degree programme to prepare students for era of automation
SINGAPORE - A new degree programme will be offered by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to fulfil the anticipated demand in automation engineering in the future by training students to develop, deploy and maintain field robots. The Bachelor of Engineering in Robotics Systems is a four-year programme offered by SIT and designed in consultation with key partners such as the National Robotics Programme (NRP) and Economic Development Board (EDB), SIT said on Friday (Jan 29). "Robots are no longer just operating in the factory shop floor, but are also required to work for, and alongside humans in various field applications," said Professor Chua Kee Chaing, deputy president (academic) and provost of SIT. Figures by the Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore showed over 4,400 industrial robots were installed in 2017, representing an increase of 72 per cent from 2016. Already widely used in manufacturing, Professor Quek Tong Boon, chief executive of NRP, said there will likely be an even greater adoption of industrial robots in the coming years. "With advances in technology that enable robots to interact more naturally, intelligently and safely with humans in people-centric env...
Vulnerable groups won’t be left out in digital shift, says Maliki
While Covid-19 has made it necessary for many to embrace digitalisation, there are some who need help learning tools and skills of technology, and they should not be left behind, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman. Digital inclusivity was one of the main concerns highlighted by participants during a virtual dialogue Dr Maliki and Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Defence Zaqy Mohamad had with members of the Malay/Muslim community yesterday. The dialogue, Seizing Opportunities in the Age of Digital Transformation, was the first of two to take place under the Ciptasama@M3 programme, which aims to gather insights to be used in policy decisions. Dr Maliki noted that participants had highlighted how groups such as the elderly and residents of rental flats were especially in danger of being excluded technologically, and said he was heartened to hear that participants were concerned about this. "They reminded us that we must make sure that whatever we do, we must get to these vulnerable groups and… ensure that we walk the journey with them so they don't get left behind," he said. The community has a role to play in this as well. Dr Maliki urged members of th...
MOE’s four main strategies to prepare students for post-Covid 19 environment
SINGAPORE -The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated many large-scale societal, economic and technological trends, and this will have lasting effects on how people live, work and interact with each other, Education Minister Lawrence Wong said. To better prepare students for this fast-changing environment, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will adopt four main strategies, he said on Thursday (Dec 3). It will step up efforts to maximise opportunities for disadvantaged students, build multiple pathways for students to hone their strengths, help them develop attitudes and skills beyond book knowledge, and focus more on interdisciplinary learning. "There are major trends that are already under way which will continue to accelerate, things like online shopping, digital entertainment, virtual communications and even virtual presence... And these trends will surely continue after Covid-19,'' said Mr Wong. "There will be unequal recovery across industries and across countries, post-pandemic, and there will surely be lasting effects on how we live, work and interact with each other for the foreseeable future." Mr Wong was speaking on the future of education at the first session of a webinar series...
Fed chief warns vaccine not immediate cure to economic risks with Covid-19 resurgence
WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - Three of the world's top central bankers warned on Thursday (Nov 12) that the prospect of a Covid-19 vaccine isn't enough to put an end to the economic challenges created by the pandemic. "We do see the economy continuing on a solid path of recovery, but the main risk we see to that is clearly the further spread of the disease here in the United States," Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said during a panel discussion at a virtual conference hosted by the European Central Bank. "With the virus now spreading, the next few months could be challenging." Mr Powell was joined on the panel by Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and ECB President Christine Lagarde. Both echoed his caution, and added to recent warnings from other central bankers against complacency. Mr Bailey called recent vaccine news "encouraging" and said he hoped it would reduce uncertainty but added "we're not there yet." Ms Lagarde said while it's now becoming possible to see past the pandemic, "I don't want to be exuberant." The words of warning come as much of the US and Europe is enveloped in a new wave of coronavirus outbreaks. In the US, hospitalizations are at record highs. In Euro...
Quest to bridge the digital divide
SINGAPORE - While the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalisation in some sectors, it has also raised concerns that vulnerable segments of society are being left behind in a so-called digital divide. In the absence of a clear measure of the digital divide here, there are some official figures that suggest there could be some who fall through the cracks. 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.
No fireworks display at Marina Bay New Year’s Eve countdown this year
SINGAPORE - There will be no fireworks this year at the New Year's Eve countdown celebration at Marina Bay to minimise crowds in the area amid the pandemic. Fireworks will instead be set off at different heartland locations across Singapore, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Thursday (Nov 5), adding that agencies are still working out the details. This is the first time the Marina Bay New Year’s Eve countdown celebration will be marked without fireworks since the yearly tradition began in 2005. "As health and safety remain a priority, we have adopted a different format to ensure that the public can celebrate safely and meaningfully," said URA chief executive Lim Eng Hwee. Instead of fireworks, there will be two light shows in Marina Bay in December. The first will feature student artworks from various institutions projected on the facades of three landmarks in Marina Bay - The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, ArtScience Museum and the Merlion. Organised in partnership with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, these landmarks will be lit nightly from Dec 25 to Dec 31, depicting moments this year when people came together to uplift the vulnerable in the community. ...