Category: Life & Style

Singapore’s passport is the most powerful in the world, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which was published on July 18. According to the index, Singaporeans can travel to 192 out of 227 travel destinations in the world without a visa.

Japan’s passport ranked No. 1 on the index for the last five years. The country fell behind Germany, Italy and Spain, all of whom are tied for second place, offering visa-free access to 190 travel destinations to their passport holders. 

Japan is now in a tie for third on the index with six other nations, Austria, France, Finland, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden with 189 destinations without a visa. 

The index ranked the US a spot from last year to eighth place, tied with Lithuania, with 184 travel destinations without a visa.

According to Henley & Partners, a London-based global migration consultant group, only eight countries have seen less visa access than they had a decade ago. It found that the three weakest passports in the world are Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, which can take its citizens to 30, 29 and 27 destinations, respectively.

The index is based upon exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association, a major travel information database.

Doctors from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have suggested the use of active ingredients in “magic mushrooms” and other psychedelics to bring comfort to women with late-stage cancer.

Conventional approaches to soothe women suffering from malignancies such as late-stage gynaecological cancer include psychotherapeutic approaches like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) but take too long to change old habits and need much stamina, wrote the researchers in a commentary published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

Late stages associated with poor prognosis and chronic side effects of treatment add to the woes of women, the authors said. The commentary underlined that up to a quarter of ovarian cancer patients report depression, anxiety and death anxiety.

The doctors cited recent studies that showed that psychedelics, especially psilocybin, have promising effects in treating various psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life distress. It has also been shown to have beneficial effects when combined with psychotherapy in just one or two sessions, they added.

A recent analysis of 10 clinical trials found that one or two doses of psilocybin can have “rapid and sustained” antidepressant effects that lasted for up to six months, the doctors said.

Muslim World League Chief Mohammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa on July 12 lauded Indian philosophy and tradition that taught harmony to the world, and said that he salutes the democracy and Constitution of India. He also highlighted the “peaceful coexistence that he witnessed in India is unique.”

The current Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL), an organisation based in Saudi Arabia and representing Muslims worldwide was on a five-day visit to India beginning July 10. He hailed India while addressing the “Dialogue for Harmony among Religions,” an event organised in collaboration with Global Foundation for Civilisational Harmony (India).

On his visit to the Akshardham temple in Delhi, he said India is a great example of unity in diversity.

During his Indian visit, the MWL chief also issued a piece of advice to religious leaders and said there is a need to protect and guide the next generation. Al-Issa, who is an Islamic scholar and renowned figure in global affairs, appealed to stand against the narratives about the clash of civilisations and religious hatred. He also noted the wrongdoings of some religious leaders, who do not work to promote peaceful coexistence.

The renowned tourist destination of Thailand, Koh Samui is facing severe water shortage, amid a tourist boom in the country. The water stress has made authorities work tirelessly to ensure that the island known globally for its white sandy beaches, scenic temples and opulent resorts does not turn into a disaster zone.

Many water reserves in Koh Samui such as the Phru Na Mueang and Phru Krajud reservoirs and Hin Lad waterfall have seen a decline in their water levels. The dip has further intensified the freshwater crisis.

Local estimates done early July said that there is barely enough water for the next 30 days. The taps in resorts at the holiday destination are also running out of water. Koh Samui Deputy Mayor, Sutham Samthong urged the public to use the resources thoughtfully as a lack of rainfall and high tourist footfalls aggravated the crisis. Experts also fear the impact of the El Nino phenomenon, which could lead to further shortages in the coming months.

There are also fears that the island would face even more severe shortages in the coming months as a result of the El Nino phenomenon, which leads to warmer conditions and less rain. 

Members of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) have presented evidence from a lake in Ontario, Canada that they believe can help pinpoint a start date for the new human-driven epoch.

According to the chair of the AWG, Colin Waters, a geologist with University of Leicester, human activity is “no longer just influencing Earth’s sphere, it’s actually controlling” it. The announcement on July 11 centred on discoveries made in Lake Crawford, located about 60 km west of Toronto.

Sediment settled at the bottom of lakes can provide scientists with a geological record of changing environmental conditions. The team of scientists collected core samples from 11 other sites, but Lake Crawford’s exceptional depth allowed sediment to float downward fairly intact, creating layers that can capture distinct environmental markers, helping the team document a “golden spike” among its layers of sediment. Part of this “spike” was documented by the presence of plutonium, which rarely occurs naturally, leading scientists to conclude it came from nuclear testing in the 1950s.

Colin Waters added it was a “clear marker” for the shift to the Anthropocene, the age of humans. He and the other members of the AWG have proposed naming the start of the new epoch between 1950 and 1954. If accepted, the Anthropocene — derived from “anthropo-“, meaning “human” — would mark the conclusion of the Holocene, the epoch that spanned the last 11,700 years.

The Indonesian Parliament on July 11 passed into law the nation’s Health Bill, allowing foreign medical specialists to practise and be based in the country. The law aims at simplifying bureaucratic processes for general physicians to become specialists, and regulating the collection of the country’s biomedical, genomic data for processing overseas. President Joko Widodo must sign it within a month to officially turn it into law.

With foreign specialists coming into the country, the traffic of middle-class and rich Indonesians going overseas to seek treatment will be curbed, said the Health Ministry. Affluent Indonesians frequently travel to Singapore, Malaysia, the United States and Europe for medical services.

Foreign doctors must clear a competence evaluation before they can be issued a practice licence by the health minister. With the licence, they can undergo an adaptation process at a local health facility. The specialists who have practised at least five years overseas or are experts in certain fields with a strong portfolio are exempted from the evaluation and adaptation process. 

The health bill also introduces a ban on the sharing of biomedical, genomic data overseas. Sharing of such data is allowed only if a list of conditions is met, such as getting approval from the patient and the health minister, and declaring that the purpose of the data sharing is for research and the technology required to do the intended research is not yet present in Indonesia. 

Starting 2024, Bali in Indonesia will impose a 150,000 rupiah (S$13.30) tax on tourists to preserve its culture.

The payment of a fee for foreign tourists applies only one time during their visit to the “Island of Gods.” The fee will have to be paid electronically and will apply to foreign tourists entering Bali from abroad or from other parts of Indonesia. The levy will not apply to domestic Indonesian tourists.

The resort haven of Bali attracts millions of foreign visitors annually. More than two million tourists visited the island in 2022. The government plans to use it for the environment, culture and build better-quality infrastructure so that travelling to Bali becomes more comfortable and safe.

Bali has vowed a crackdown on misbehaving tourists after a spate of incidents, including acts of disrespect to the culture of the predominant Hindu island. In recent months, Bali immigration deported a few foreign nationals when they were found filming without clothes. In June, the local government published a guide for tourists by the island’s immigration office.

The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus outside India will come up in Tanzania’s Zanzibar, and offer two academic programmes from October. The new campus will also be the first to be led by a woman director.

The Union government on July 6 announced that the first IIT campus overseas will be established by IIT-Madras (IIT-M), in the Tanzanian island city of Zanzibar after an MoU was signed between India and Tanzania. The move is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends that “high-performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries”.

Dr Preeti Aghalayam, an IIT-M alumna and a professor in its department of chemical engineering, has been appointed as the director-in-charge of the Zanzibar campus, IIT-M director V Kamakoti told a media conference in Delhi on July 10.

The institute will initially offer two courses – a four-year Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and a two-year Master’s in Technology in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence designed by IIT-M. The campus will cater to students from all over the world, including India, and a total of 70 students – 50 in the Bachelor’s course and 20 in the Master’s course – will be admitted this year.

Astronomers across the world announced on June 29 that they have found the first evidence of a long-believed form of gravitational waves that create a “background hum” rumbling throughout the universe.

The breakthrough has been made by hundreds of scientists using radio telescopes in North America, Europe, China, India, and Australia after years of work. It has been hailed as a major milestone that opens a new window into the universe.

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of the universe that travel through everything at the speed of light. First predicted by Albert Einstein more than a century ago, their existence was not confirmed until 2015, when the US and Italian observatories detected the first gravitational waves created by two black holes colliding. These high-frequency waves were the result of a single violent event that sends a strong, short burst rippling towards Earth.

However, for decades, scientists have been looking for low-frequency gravitational waves, which they believed to be constantly rolling through space like background noise. Working together under the International Pulsar Timing Array consortium, scientists revealed that they have finally found strong evidence of these background waves.

To find evidence, astronomers looked at pulsars, the dead cores of stars that exploded in a supernova. Radio telescopes around the world were aimed at 115 pulsars throughout the Milky Way. Scientists then measured the incredibly small differences in the timing of the pulses and detected changes of less than one millionth of a second across more than 20 years.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) has introduced new measures such as refresh pods, water coolers and protective sun wear to keep its outside workers cool.

At the new 2.5-metre-tall refresh pods installed at various staff rest areas, cool air blows and circulates within the pod at the easy touch of a button. These pods help the airside workers to cool down or dry themselves. Each pod can accommodate up to five at a time.

To keep workers well hydrated, there are over 40 water coolers installed at the airside, which makes it to about eight coolers per pier. A drinks truck has been deployed to remind workers to drink up. Protective sun wear such as UV arm sleeves have also been distributed to the staff.

About 30,000 workers work at CAG’s airside as ramp assistants, aircraft maintenance engineers and in-flight catering drivers, to name a few. For new joiners, heat acclimatisation protocols were encouraged for them to get used to the work environment. These heat stress management measures are part of managing higher ambient temperatures at the CAG under its climate resilience strategy.