Rising temperatures could further reduce Singapore’s resident total fertility rate, which dipped below 1 – a record low – in 2023. The rate refers to the average number of babies each woman would have during her reproductive years.

Researchers from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine studied sperm samples from 818 men that were already stored at the National University Hospital’s (NUH) andrology section.

The scientists then traced the men’s exposure to extreme heat – or when a day’s average temperature exceeds 29.8 deg C – by looking at weather records 90 days before they provided semen samples at NUH.

The team found that those who were exposed to extreme heat during the three months had a 46 per cent higher risk of low sperm count, and a 40 per cent increased risk of low sperm concentration. The reproductive cells were also found to be less motile and more sluggish.

These findings were more pronounced for men between the ages of 25 and 35, who tend to be at the stage of entering fatherhood, said research fellow Samuel Gunther, one of the researchers in the team.

The fertility and heat research is part of Project HeatSafe, which brings together several studies and fieldwork by NUS researchers and partners over 3½ years to investigate how rising temperatures affect the health and productivity of people here and in the region – with a focus on outdoor workers.

“Conventionally, findings suggest that sperm quality decreases as one ages, but what we found in this study was that it was men in their (prime) reproductive time between 25 and 35 who were the most impacted by heat,” said Dr Gunther at a media briefing on March 18, where Project HeatSafe researchers gave a round-up of their projects.

“So just because you’re a young male, don’t think you’re invincible, and don’t think you’re not also vulnerable to these impacts. Moving forward, the climate is going to get hotter. And that is also something that we need to bear in mind in family planning.”

Given the low fertility rate in Singapore, the researchers advised men who are planning to conceive in one to three months to avoid going outdoors on extremely hot days and to sleep in cooler environments.

They should also avoid saunas, hot baths and tight underwear during that period.

The 818 sperm samples came from men who had issues with conceiving, and a small portion of them were patients undergoing chemotherapy who wanted to preserve their sperm.

Heat is known to affect reproductive cells – it can lower sperm count and motility, and affect women’s ovulation cycle and egg quality.

However, the links between extreme heat and fertility have not been well studied in tropical countries such as Singapore, added Dr Gunther.

While some may say the 818 men came from a biased group, the study was about linking sperm quality with heat exposure, said Associate Professor Chan Shiao-Yng from the medical school’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, who was also involved in the study. 

“We found that at certain periods of the sperm life cycle, heat had a little bit more adverse impact (on it) than others,” she added.

The fertility study also scanned the birth records of more than 31,000 women, showing that pregnant women tend to take more protective measures, such as ramping up air-conditioning.

Avoiding extreme heat during the third trimester of pregnancy was, therefore, associated with a lower risk of premature births.

Prof Chan added: “We need to identify in future work the specific behavioural changes that actually make a difference to clinical outcomes. Then we can come up with guidelines that can be implemented across the board (for pregnant women).”

Other HeatSafe projects involved profiling the heat strain risk of about 160 construction workers through temperature pills, chest straps, skin temperature buttons and smartwatches. Among the 160, four of them showed signs linked to heat strain. 

In mid-2023, the project visited a worksite to trial education and cooling interventions. These included enforcing breaks, carrying cool water in insulated bottle sleeves, and wearing new breathable uniforms. 

For the HeatSafe researchers – led by Associate Professor Jason Lee from NUS Medicine – one heat-related injury is one too many. To further protect workers at high risk of heat illnesses, the team is looking at monitoring them with the help of wearables, said Prof Lee, director of the Heat Resilience and Performance Centre at NUS Medicine.

Moving forward, the team is also hoping to look into the heat strain risk of gig workers, such as food delivery riders. 

Source : The Straits Times

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SINGAPORE – The Chinese embassy in Singapore on March 18 asked its citizens in the Republic to “stay away” from gambling, adding that cross-border gambling violates Chinese laws.

The embassy, in a statement on its official WeChat account, “solemnly reminded” Chinese citizens in Singapore to steer clear of gambling, which is strictly prohibited by law in China.

“Even if overseas casinos are opened legally, cross-border gambling by Chinese citizens is suspected of violating the laws of our country and face the risk of punitive actions,” said the embassy, warning that embassies may not be able to provide consular protection for illegal gambling violations.

Using a Chinese idiom to describe how 10 out of 10 bets lead to cheating incidents or losses, the embassy said in its notice that people who gamble face the risk of running up debts, financial ruin and the destruction of their families.

Cross-border gambling may also be related to illegal activities not limited to scams, money laundering, kidnapping and smuggling, the embassy added.

Those who know of Chinese citizens operating casinos overseas or approaching fellow Chinese to gamble were also urged to report it through official reporting platforms or to the Singapore police.

In response to a question from Reuters at a news conference in China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the country’s position on cross-border gambling is clear, according to Chinese media reports.

He said Chinese capital cannot be invested in overseas casinos, and Chinese citizens are not allowed to run overseas casinos.

Overseas casinos also should not invite Chinese citizens to gamble on their premises, he added.

The Straits Times has contacted the Chinese embassy, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa for comment.

Apart from state-sanctioned lotteries, gambling is banned in China. But that has prompted organisations such as the Guangdong Club, which operates an online gambling platform, to register itself overseas in Costa Rica.

Special administrative region Macau is the only part of China where gambling activities are legal.

China, through its embassies, has previously reminded its citizens in countries including Malaysia, Italy, Angola, Sri Lanka and South Korea that travelling abroad to gamble is illegal.

China has been working with countries in South-east Asia to deter cross-border gambling.

In September 2023, six Asean member nations – Malaysia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines – signed an agreement to collaborate on combatting transnational gambling crime in the region.

The agreement notably targeted organised crime groups that have lured thousands of people to work in casinos or scam compounds under the guise of jobs paying lucrative wages.

Source

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Thank you very much Dominique for the kind introduction.

Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening to those who are online. And happy 25^th anniversary to 25^th anniversary to the Singapore Regional Training Institute (STI)!!

I am very pleased to join Ravi Menon whom I highly respect and value for the leadership he provides to a fast-changing world of money. And I can say the fact that you were in that picture [of 25 years ago] does not surprise me because when it comes down to innovation – doing something that has not been done before – he is the man!

I am also grateful to Ogata San for joining us and to Governor Chea, because now we have a gender balanced panel as a result. This also speaks for the transformation that has happened in the IMF over the last decades, where we see gender equality in action!

I am making this point because I firmly believe that no country can succeed without tapping into the talent of all its people – men and women. It also symbolizes how much the IMF has changed as the world around has changed as well.

We have here an institution that is 25 years young. It is a reflection of how the IMF is changing – by turning more toward its members and seeking ways in which we are better integrated in the countries we serve. We have increased the number of regional capacity development centers to 17, and we recently inaugurated the center in Almaty Kazakhstan to serve the Central Asia and Caucuses region. We are also increasing the number of outposts through resident representatives and exploring platforms for engaging with parts of the world such as the Middle East through a new regional center financed by Saudi Arabia.

These centers are absolutely essential in a world of more uncertainty, rapid technological change, multipolarity, more diversity in economic policy, and last but not least – more frequent unexpected exogenous shocks. We all have to work harder to understand trends and translate these trends into policy recommendations for our members. We do that much more effectively when we have the transmission lines that these centers provide to us and to our members.

STI is a prime example. Let me quote a few numbers to illustrate. Since its establishment, we have trained here more than 21,000 government officials across 37 countries. These programs cover a range of topics but let me stress three areas.

The first is core IMF macroeconomic and financial sector issues with over 700 courses. Second is the expansion of teaching to cover new emerging issues such as climate change and digitalization. And last but not least, this center plugs into the leadership Singapore provides to the world in the area of digital money. It is not by chance that we are celebrating the 25^th anniversary just before the fabulous Fintech Festival that Singapore is hosting, starting tomorrow.

I want to make three points for today. One, that this institute brings people together – to learn from each other and learn from the Fund. It is also a resource for us as we learn from you through these centers.

But learning is also accompanied with building networks and friendships. Many of the people who come through this institute have become senior officials in their own countries, retaining the networks they built while they were here. In one of the classrooms, I saw people from Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, Sri Lanka – from all over Asia and the Pacific region. As a former professor, I know that friendships that come studying together last for a lifetime.

My second point is to recognize that in a very dynamic world, the traditional policymaking that could take years is no more easily applicable. Policymakers have to be much faster, more agile, and they need to see through a degree of uncertainty that decades ago did not exist. So, what we do in this training is also to build that muscle of agility and adaptability that is helping policymakers of today and tomorrow to be more effective.

And finally, I want to say that I am particularly thrilled that this institute is the premier place on digital money, and specifically on CBDCs. Why? Of course, because of the role Singapore is playing and the high value Japan attaches to supporting the IMF in building better knowledge and understanding in CBDCs at the time interest in CBDC is skyrocketing.

Just to give you an example. We took the pulse of how many countries are engaging with CBDCs. Over 110 of our members are at some stage of engagement – some are quite advanced; some are still at the point of exploration. And for us, the institute becomes not only the place to teach about CBDCs, but also a place to understand the dynamism and identify what are the critical questions we at the IMF need to help answer.

Questions like: how can CBDCs help promote financial inclusion? What could they do for more people and businesses to tap into the financial assets of the world? Questions like how to onboard small businesses and informal merchants? How to make them part of the more formal system on the basis of CBDCs? And questions about interoperability of CBDCs: how could they be helping us with cross-border transactions given that, if the design is not oriented towards it, we may actually fragment, not integrate the world of money.

So, we are using the 25^th anniversary to also launch our virtual CBDC handbook. I want to thank Japan for the support that you provided us for it. What it does is it gives a picture of lessons that we have learned; it also is an open system where more lessons will be brought in. And I count on all of you to help us enhance our knowledge.

I have no doubt the future of this institute is bright because of what you have demonstrated as possible from your past.Thank you! 

Source: IMF

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Kazakhstan-Singapore Business Council #KSBC Chairman Mr. Sultan Marenov hosted a prominent Kazakh entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist Mr.Kenges Rakishev in Singapore and arranged a meeting with the Senior Managing Director of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) Mr. Pol de Win.

The parties discussed the opportunities for Kazakh companies to list on the SGX and raise capital for investment in the growing economy of Kazakhstan. SGX is one of the leading and recognizable exchanges in the world, and deepening cooperation with Kazakhstan will raise the awareness of potential investors. We look forward to continuing our discussion and establishing fruitful cooperation soon.

Source: KSBC

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Singapore, Rome, London (15/9 – 18)

Max Verstappen faces a tough weekend ahead, in his attempt to extend his Formula 1 record string of wins, as the premiere class of motor racing takes over the streets of Singapore. Nevertheless, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver looks unstoppable in this Formula 1 season. Last time out was the 3 September Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where the reigning double world champion broke the record of consecutive wins in one season.

Monza saw Verstappen surpassing the previous record of nine consecutive wins, set by Sebastian Vettel, his Red Bull Team predecessor, in the 2013 season. The Dutch driver now holds the record, with 10 consecutive Grand Prix wins in Miami, Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.

A win in Singapore would extend that record to Verstappen’s 11^th straight victory. Still, there are storm clouds for the 25-year-old: Max Verstappen has never won the Singapore Grand Prix in his Formula 1 career. Marina Bay is one of seven tracks where Verstappen has not won in his career: his best result in that street circuit was a Second Place in 2018.

Last year, the Singapore GP was the race that interrupted Verstappen’s winning sequence, extending from the France GP to the Mexico City event. Already crowned World Champion by that time, Verstappen only managed to finish 7th at Marina Bay.

The fact is, the Singapore Grand Prix is one of the toughest physical and mental tests Formula 1 drivers are put through in the entire season. Located just 150 miles from the equator, its heat and humidity, coupled with a bumpy, twisty street circuit, make it a very hard task for racing drivers.

Verstappen himself admitted that the Singapore GP is undoubtedly be more competitive than the ten previous races that he has won. The supreme advantage displayed by Red Bull’s RB19 at more conventional dedicated racing circuits will be notably absent in Singapore.

The champion conceded that Singapore’s “high-downforce” layout would favor Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin to get closer. “I think the street circuits are a little bit tougher for our car. I still think we can do a good job, but it will be very tight,” Verstappen said.

Another ominous factor is the number of serious risks faced in racing incidents at Marina Bay. So Verstappen expects a strong possibility that safety cars will interrupt the race pace, changing the situation in a short moment.

“Of course, naturally, I want to try and continue that streak, but I know that there will be a day that it will stop,” he said. “Normally, at street circuits, such as Singapore, there’s always a bit more of a risk, a bit more chaos, but we’re here to win and we’ll try to do that. The key is adapting, as every single session can be different.”

Lewis Hamilton arguably is the strongest candidate to stop Verstappen’s winning run in Marina Bay. The Mercedes driver won the Singapore GP in 2009, 2014, 2017, and 2018. Moreover, the track layout, which will suit cars benefiting from their high downforce package, injects fresh optimism to troubled Mercedes.

“There is a reason to think that the car will work better and that is because Singapore is a maximum downforce circuit,” explained Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin. “At high downforce tracks like at Barcelona, Budapest and even Zandvoort, the car was working well, and drivers were able to turn in a strong performance.”

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Source : NetballScoot

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