SINGAPORE: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday (Nov 15) found time for a very personal mission during his visit to Singapore – to pay respects to his great-great-great-great-grandmother, Esther Bernard at Fort Canning.
Mrs Bernard was the daughter of Major General William Farquhar, the first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore from 1819 to 1823.
Her plaque can be found along the walls of Canning Green and is one of about 400 tombstones of people who lived in the area during the 19th century, NParks said in a Facebook post.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Fort Canning Park, where his great-great-great-great-grandmother Esther Bernard’s plaque is displayed. (Photo: NParks/Facebook)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes a stroll at Fort Canning Park. (Photo: NParks/Facebook)
“I never take selfies,” Mr Trudeau quipped to photographers as he pulled out his phone nonetheless and took a short video of himself with the plaque.
“I promised my kids.”
Mr Trudeau’s great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Major Farquhar himself had climbed up Fort Canning Hill, soon after the founding of Singapore, and hoisted the Union Jack there.
“It was a very touching moment to see the history of my family, to appreciate all the criss-crossing, weaving links that make up each of our stories, and it’s a nice moment for me to reflect on the connections and the paths that led to Canada from the founding of Singapore,” Mr Trudeau said.
This is Mr Trudeau’s first visit to Singapore in his current capacity. In addition to taking part in the 33rd ASEAN Summit, he also met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Halimah Yacob, as well as several business groups and ASEAN leaders.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Singapore President Halimah Yacob at the Istana. (Photo: MFA Singapore)
A total of 81 people were reported to be affected as of 5pm on Thursday (Nov 15), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in an update. This is up from the 72 cases that were reported on Wednesday night.
Nine people remain hospitalised and are in a “stable condition”, said MOH, adding that 37 others have been discharged.
An auxiliary police officer who became ill after consuming food from Spize died on Wednesday evening.
The exact cause of death is pending as it has been classified as a coroner’s case, said MOH.
Spize’s River Valley outlet.
Spize had supplied bento boxes for a Deepavali celebration organised by security company Brink’s Singapore. The company confirmed that a number of its employees had fallen ill after consuming the food.
Authorities said they were first notified of the cases last Wednesday and inspected the restaurant’s premises on the same day.
The licence of Spize’s River Valley outlet was suspended indefinitely after health authorities found “several hygiene lapses” at the restaurant.
Apart from the River Valley restaurant, Spize has three other outlets at Bedok, Rifle Range at Temasek Club and Siglap.
SINGAPORE: Grab unveiled on Thursday (Nov 15) a new remittance service that allows people in Southeast Asia to remit money instantly and securely to receivers in another country using their GrabPay wallets.
The remittance product was unveiled at the Singapore Pavilion at the 33rd ASEAN Summit, witnessed by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
“Inter-operable real time regional payment systems will expand opportunities, especially for citizens and small businesses, to access products and services across ASEAN. We hope to see more of such innovative digital services from the private sector,” said Dr Balakrishnan.
The service will be available from early 2019. Grab said the service will allow recipients of funds to either withdraw their money through its network of partners, such as convenience stores and merchants, or use it for everyday transactions, ranging from bill payments to mobile airtime top-ups.
Grab assured users that they will have “full assurance and visibility” on the movement of funds. The company also said that senders will have “complete visibility over the all-in (forex rate and admin charge) fee before the transfer while the recipient is assured of receiving the money in the GrabPay wallet without discretionary additional fees”.
(Left to right) Lionel Yeo, CEO advisor of Grab, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Anthony Tan, chief executive officer of Grab, and Reuben Lai, senior managing director of Grab Financial at the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore. (Photo: Grab)
“As Southeast Asia’s leading fintech player, Grab Financial is in a unique position to streamline the process of sending money to your loved ones and accelerate financial inclusion for everyone in the region,” said Reuben Lai, senior managing director of Grab Financial.
“We saw the painful process that consumers go through each time they want to send money across the borders and thought we could make a difference there. Our wallet-to-wallet remittance product will be the first to guarantee the speed, security and ease-of-use which Southeast Asia’s growing middle class really needs.”
Asked if Grab will charge for the service, or take a commission on every transaction, a spokesperson from the company said it will share more information about its pricing structure when it is launched.
SINGAPORE: The relationship between the United States and China has profound implications for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday (Nov 15).
Speaking at the ASEAN-US Summit in Singapore, Mr Lee said that while Singapore is happy to see that relations between the regional bloc and US are healthy in areas such as defence and cybersecurity, their partnership has to be seen in the background of the US-China relationship.
“The US-China relationship is the most important set of bilateral relations, and has profound implications to ASEAN,” said Mr Lee.
“ASEAN countries want to be able to engage with both US and China, and maximise the scope and advantages of our cooperation.
“Therefore, we hope that the US-China relations remain stable and hope that all will work out.”
Over the past year, China and the US have slapped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other’s goods, jolting global financial markets.
“OUR VISION” EXCLUDES NO NATION: PENCE
Delivering his opening remarks at the summit, US Vice President Mike Pence said that everyone agrees “empire and aggression have no place in the Indo-Pacific”, and that his country has taken decisive action to promote this vision across the region.
“Our vision for the Indo-Pacific excludes no nation,” he said.
“It only requires that every nation treat their neighbours with respect, and respect the sovereignty of our nations and the international rules of order.”
US Vice President Mike Pence at the 6th ASEAN-US Summit in Singapore on Thursday Nov 15, 2018. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
Mr Pence also remarked that ASEAN was “central” to US’ vision in the region.
“In all that we do, the US seeks collaboration, not control,” he said. “We are proud to call ASEAN our strategic partner … We recognise that our interests are intertwined and our visions are truly the same.”
Mr Pence, who described ASEAN as an “indispensable and irreplaceable” partner also announced the US-ASEAN Smart Cities partnership at the summit.
“This effort will spur new American investment in the region’s digital infrastructure, advancing prosperity and security in Southeast Asia” he said.
Mr Lee, who said that ASEAN and the US should further deepen partnership in digital technology, welcomed the partnership, adding that its focus on infrastructure, energy and info-communication technology aligns well with ASEAN’s priorities.
ASEAN SHARES US’ CONCERNS ON THREATS TO REGION’S PEACE AND STABILITY
On security, Mr Lee said that ASEAN will continue to share US’ concerns on issues threatening regional peace and stability.
Referring to the US-North Korea summit that was held in Singapore, Mr Lee said the meeting in June was an important first step towards lasting peace on a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.
But he added that a long journey awaits.
“We urge all concerned parties to continue working towards this common goal,” Mr Lee said, adding that this includes the full and expeditious implementation of declarations aimed at denuclearisation.
SINGAPORE: Singapore and China have welcomed a series of bilateral cooperation agreements, the two countries said in a wide-ranging joint statement on Wednesday (Nov 14), as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang continues his official visit to Singapore.
Mr Li, who has held talks with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, also met with President Halimah Yacob at the Istana on Wednesday.
His visit coincides with this year’s ASEAN-China summit, which also marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with President Halimah Yacob at the Istana on Nov 14, 2018. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
China noted that ASEAN-China relations have made good progress and appreciated Singapore’s contributions as the coordinator for ASEAN-China dialogue relations.
Both sides also reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintaining and promoting peace and security in the Southeast Asian region, and also agreed on the importance of free trade and making economic globalisation more open.
Apart from agreeing to work closely to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) swiftly, Singapore and China also signed a multitude of economic agreements, such as the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (CSFTA) Upgrade Protocol, which aims to give businesses easier access to the Chinese market.
Singapore and China also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to further various cross-border projects, such as the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city and China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity.
In hand with the trade agreements were also initiatives to strengthen cooperation in various other areas, such as education, where both sides agreed to start discussions for a bilateral agreement to facilitate internships between university students from both countries.
The joint statement also noted that advancements were made in the areas of legal and judicial cooperation, with Singapore and China agreeing to enhance law enforcement cooperation, including combating transnational crimes, corruption, money laundering, cybercrime and narcotics, in addition to strengthening cross-border financial supervision to address financial risks.
In defence matters, Singapore and China agreed to expand cooperation between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and People’s Liberation Army (PLA), with both sides agreeing to the conduct of a bilateral army exercise in 2019.
Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ASEAN-China defence cooperation and continuing to conduct the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise.
Singapore also congratulated China on its achievements over the past 40 years of reform and opening up, and wished the Chinese people progress in China’s development goals and continued peace, prosperity and stability.
China appreciated Singapore’s contributions to China’s reform and opening up, and expressed support for Singapore’s continued growth, development, and prosperity.
In addition to discussing the future direction of bilateral relations with Singapore, Mr Li, who is on an official visit from Nov 12 to 16, also invited Mr Lee to visit China for the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2019.
SINGAPORE: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday (Nov 14) reaffirmed the broad-based and long-standing friendship between the two countries as they mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said both leaders met as part of Mr Putin’s state visit to Singapore.
“They took stock of bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, noting the good progress made over nine sessions of the High-Level Russia-Singapore Inter-Governmental Commission,” said MFA.
“The leaders welcomed expanding cooperation in innovation, urban transport management and education as well as strengthening cultural ties, including the establishment of a Russian Cultural Centre in Singapore.”
MFA added: “Mr Lee also thanked Mr Putin for his support and commitment to conclude a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Singapore and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).”
The two leaders agreed that the EAEU-Singapore FTA, when concluded, would further enhance growing regional trade and investment links.
Mr Lee welcomed the elevation of ASEAN-Russia relations to a Strategic Partnership during the ASEAN-Russia Summit earlier in the day. They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, said MFA.
Exchange of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Russia, and the Ministry of Education, Singapore, in the field of higher education by Minister Mikhail Kotyukov (left) and Minister Ong Ye Kung (right). (Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information)
In addition, Mr Putin and Mr Lee witnessed the exchange of several agreements.
These were a Joint Statement on the Russia-Singapore Agreement on Trade in Services and Investment; an MOU in the field of Higher Education; and an agreement between Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and the regional Government of St Petersburg to cooperate on the potential development of an urban transport management system.
SINGAPORE: A patient once consulted me because his eyes could not look sideways.
He was surprised when I said we needed to check his blood glucose level, as part of routine medical tests, as this symptom could suggest diabetes as a possible cause.
And just as I suspected, his subsequent test results revealed he had diabetes.
Diabetes, as a condition where the body produces insufficient insulin resulting in high blood sugar levels, can give rise to a wide array of acute and less commonly talked-about but related complications such as blindness and kidney failure.
In this man’s case, his diabetes had damaged blood vessels and nerves, and paralysed muscles in his eyes that control eye movements. He recovered after a few months after receiving treatment and practising ways to place his diabetes under control.
Many people like him have seen me for complaints seemingly unrelated to diabetes, including multiple episodes of skin abscesses, numbness in their fingertips and blurring vision. They did not exhibit any common symptoms and yet were eventually diagnosed as diabetics.
A DREADED DISEASE
In his 2017 National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted diabetes as a serious national problem facing Singapore. While the disease is well-known and often cautioned about, the increasing frequency of its diagnoses paints a sobering picture.
Today, one in nine Singaporeans has diabetes. This figure is three in 10 or those over 60. In 2014, about 440,000 Singapore residents aged 18 years and above had diabetes, and this number is estimated to grow to 1 million in 2050.
As a family physician for more than 20 years, I have diagnosed my fair share of diabetes patients.
But like what Mr Lee mentioned in his speech, one main challenge dealing with this dreaded disease is it hardly has any clear symptoms in its early stages, and often presents itself in many diverse and surprising ways.
Patients might ignore early symptoms and simply go on with their lives despite experiencing discomforts like increased fatigue, or attribute these to other reasons like stress at work or the hot weather.
Common symptoms include increased thirst, unexplained weight loss and tiredness – signs that often go unnoticed as patients do not feel sick and consult a doctor. Years could go by before one finds out about their condition.
The body is also very adaptable to change, meaning diabetes can be silent because symptoms only show after significant damage has been inflicted.
Without early diagnosis, medical intervention and proper management, diabetes can eventually lead to disabilities and other life-threatening diseases even though it is not fatal in the short term.
Many with diabetes also suffer from high cholesterol and high blood pressure. If they smoke, diabetes compounds their risks of heart attack, stroke and kidney.
Those who suffer from diabetes may experience substantial organ damage by the time they start treatment, owing to diabetes remaining undetected for years.
PREGNANT WOMEN AT RISK
Pregnant women would do well to heed caution where gestational diabetes afflicts many non-diabetic pregnant woman, usually in the second or third trimester of pregnancy.
About 10 per cent of pregnant women suffer from this condition. Raging pregnancy hormones increase as the pregnancy advances and counteract the action of insulin.
(Photo: Pixabay/Free Photos)
Thankfully, it can be discovered during the early pregnancy screening, and insulin injections can keep the pregnancy viable.
But gestational diabetes poses risks to both foetus and mother, including greater risks of early labour or premature birth and low blood sugar in the baby soon after birth.
Both mother and child also face increased chances of developing diabetes later in life.
POTENTIAL DIABETICS IN SELF-DENIAL
The most worrying segment of diabetics are those at high risk but also in huge denial even when they experience glaring symptoms of this disease.
I have met many overweight and obese patients who continue to make unhealthy lifestyle choices and live lives of inactivity, despite having a family history of diabetes, which increases their susceptibility to the disease.
So many engage in excessive eating and lead sedentary lifestyles, without any effort to exercise.
A 2016 study led by the National University Hospital and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, found that Asians are more prone to Type 2 diabetes than our Western counterparts.
Asians are more prone to develop diabetes at much lower levels of obesity because they are unable to mount an appropriate insulin response to a glucose load, the study shows.
A diabetic patient receives a finger-prick blood test. (File photo: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)
Furthermore, Singapore’s rapid development has led to changes in our daily lifestyles – causing the average Singaporean to become less active and eat more high-caloric diets. Both these habits further exacerbate the risk of obesity, and consequently, diabetes.
LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES
Despite all this, the prognosis isn’t all bad. Even though diabetes can present itself in surprising ways, the disease can be managed and controlled once detected.
I was impressed with one patient’s commitment in changing his lifestyle that allowed him to lose 10kg of his initial bodyweight of 75kg in one year.
The patient, Mr Chan, managed it by waking up one hour earlier every day to go for brisk walks, cutting out all sweet drinks, replacing his favourite roti prata breakfast with a slice of wholemeal bread, and cutting down his rice intake.
Today, Mr Chan is on just one basic medicine for his diabetes, and has it well under control.
Having diabetes is not a death sentence. It is more like a life sentence.
Most diabetics can live comfortably without suffering the dire complications of diabetes by making sensible healthy food choices, committing to regular exercises, and adhering to daily medicine.
But early detection is a critical first step and being mindful it can manifest in many ways should give us cause to be more vigilant.
Dr Philip Koh is Chairman of the Medical Board of Healthway Medical Group. He is also a Family Physician who practices at Healthway Medical Tampines Clinic.
