5 Cabinet ministers among more than 100 govt recipients of blackmail e-mails over deepfake images

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The world is a decade late and $2.7 trillion short per year

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a commitment from developed nations to triple the amount of money they spend to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to global heating, to US$300 billion (S$404 billion) from US$100 billion per year, by 2035.

Compared with the US$7 trillion in estimated explicit and implicit subsidies the world pays fossil-fuel producers every year, that US$300 billion looks even more insulting. 

Qn: Consider the view that all countries have an equal responsibility to tackle climate change. (DHS Prelim 2024)

Parents lie to children all the time, but they should think twice about it

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Lying might also be thought to be in kids’ own interests. For instance, young children get told that eating carrots will help them to see in the dark.

lies might be told to protect children from what might be distressing truths. Communicating about death or serious illness with young people can be challenging, and it may be tempting to distort reality in order to avoid upsetting them.

White lies are small lies told to protect social relations – for instance, to avoid upsetting or offending someone (“that jacket really suits you”).

someone might intend to deceive without making a false statement: Lies by omission involve misleading someone by leaving out relevant information. It is also possible to deceive by telling the truth

Lying to children jeopardises that trust and may be associated with other negative outcomes, such as higher levels of psychosocial maladjustment later in life.

Meltdowns and confrontation are unpleasant but unavoidable with children, and they must learn to manage emotions like frustration and injustice.

Note how closing BANG echoes the opening...For qns on honesty and telling the truth...and perhaps parenting....

S’pore and Peru’s carbon trading agreement reaches advanced stage

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Qn: To what extent is international cooperation effective in addressing global concerns? (SAJC Prelim 2024)

3 mass murder sprees in just over a week: What’s driving some Chinese to take revenge on society?

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For Qns on importance of addressing social inequality.....

Qn: To what extent does the government have the right to monitor what people do online? (MI Prelim 2024)

In stifling voices after Zhuhai car attack, China recycles crisis playbook

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For qns on censorship....

Delhi shuts schools as pollution hits season’s worst levels

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Qn: 'City living is no longer attractive.' Do you agree? (JPJC Promo 2024)

Residents in China’s Zhuhai city reel from deadly car rampage

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media blackout, which some netizens have attributed to the authorities not wanting bad news to overshadow the ongoing Zhuhai Airshow, a marquee event with more than 1,000 companies and nearly 50 countries participating in 2024.

“I don’t know from (when), even the right to feel sorrow has been taken away, all for social stability.”

Some have also attributed the censorship to the government’s fear of social unrest and copycat incidents.

there was a need to “not cause social panic”, especially with the air show in town.

For qns on censorship...

For lonely seniors, AI companions can be a lifeline

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By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be over the age of 65.

Loneliness elevates the risk of premature death to levels comparable with smoking, obesity and physical inactivity...Prolonged social isolation is linked to heart disease, obesity, depression, anxiety and even suicide. For older adults, loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 50 per cent and stroke by 32 per cent. 

Over-reliance on these artificial companions could deepen social isolation, particularly for older adults who might start favouring robotic interactions over human connections, under the illusion that these machines genuinely care for them.

Singapore is already embracing technological integration. RoboCoach Xian, for example, guides senior citizens through physical exercise routines, while Dexie, a versatile social robot, is used in dementia care to foster social interaction.  

For qns on loneliness, the elderly and AI....

Why being wrong is good for you

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“Mistakes are the portals of discovery,” wrote James Joyce in Ulysses.

In 1888, Lee Kum Sheung, a young cook in a coastal province in southern China, forgot the oyster soup he was boiling on the stove until it simmered down to a thick, sticky gravy. Once he discovered how tasty it was, he decided to sell his “oyster sauce” in jars.

how to build a healthy relationship with failure. In a complex world,... excellence requires taking risks. The important thing is to establish what needs to be done differently next time.

For companies, the occasional failure may be the price of innovation. ...the Amazon Fire smartphone

You cannot error-proof a career or a company. But you can seek to improve

In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to America for US$7.2 million, around US$160 million in today’s money, handing its future rival 1.5 million sq km of oil-rich territory and access to the northern rim of the Pacific.

For qns on mistakes and failures....note some of the interesting examples here.....

World’s worst air has nearly half of Delhi seeking medical help: Survey

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Nearly half the families in and around New Delhi have sought medical help for respiratory ailments connected to severe pollution engulfing India’s capital

contributes to an estimated one million yearly deaths in the country (India)

Qn: 'City living is no longer attractive.' Do you agree? (JPJC Promo 2024)

Officers from new Community Relations Unit can enter and declutter homes of hoarders

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Qn: To what extent should the state interfere with the private lives of its citizens? (RI Prelim 2024)

Police investigating deepfake nude photos of Singapore Sports School students

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Singapore proposes unprecedented law to stop stubborn victims from sending money to scammers

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With the Protection from Scams Bill introduced in Parliament on Nov 11, Singapore may soon be the first in the world to give the police powers to control the bank accounts of stubborn scam victims, who insist they are not being scammed despite evidence showing they are.

Singapore is losing some $2 million to scams daily.

Numerous anti-scam initiatives have been introduced in recent years, including the “I can ACT against scams” campaign launched in 2023 by the National Crime Prevention Council and Singapore Police Force.

Some felt individuals should bear responsibility for their own actions instead of having the Government intervene in such personal decisions, and others were concerned about the new powers being intrusive and abused.

Qn: To what extent should the state interfere with the private lives of its citizens? (RI Prelim 2024)

Why it’s often luck, not talent, that takes us to the top

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An insightful read....

For qns on meritocracy....

What happens when it becomes almost impossible to spot a scam, even for experts?

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video job interview with a person who turned out to be a scammer masking his real face using AI.

While AI poses challenges, some scammers do not even bother hiding their real faces now because they are outside of victims’ jurisdictions....“They can use the AI fakes, or simply show their real face because they know the victim doesn’t even know who or where they really are. (The scammers) don’t care.”

it is only going to get more difficult to recognise scams, and that it would require governments and institutions to take responsibility to protect consumers on an infrastructural level.

Qn: Education, not censorship, is the solution to misinformation. To what extent do you agree? (ASRJC Prelim 2024)

Sting operations, whistle-blowers and detailed menus: China doubles down on food safety

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China’s food safety track record has been patchy, with widely reported cases such as those of melamine-tainted milk powder in 2008, and the use of “gutter oil”, or oil taken from drains and other unsanitary quarters, in the 2010s.

In July 2024, media reports on how cooking oil was transported in tanker trucks that carried non-edible fuels or chemicals – without being cleaned between shipments – sparked food safety concerns

Qns:

1. ‘Eating has never been more dangerous.’ Do you agree? (NYJC Prelim 2024)

2. Discuss the view that eating has never been riskier in today’s world. (SAJC Prelim 2024)

Sky-high demolitions: What is behind Singapore’s many skyscraper tear-downs

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JPJC Prelim 2024

Qns:

1. Assess the view that traditional buildings have no future in your society. (Cam. 2016)

2. Only modern architecture and modern art have a place in today’s world. How far is this true of your society? (Cam. 2011)

In Taiwan, an Andy Lau classic sparks cross-strait controversy

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Qn: 'Music unites more than it divides.' Discuss.

Young and troubled: More teens in Singapore getting hooked on digital devices and seeking help

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French families sue TikTok over alleged failure to remove harmful content

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Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok, accusing the platform of exposing their adolescent children to harmful content that led to two of them taking their own lives at the age of 15

TikTok’s algorithm exposed the seven teenagers to videos promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders

Qn: Consider the view that profitability should be the highest priority of a business. (Cam. 2024)

Will South Korea go back to banning phones in classrooms?

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those who use smartphones for more than four hours a day are more likely to develop mental health problems. Prolonged smartphone use was linked to a range of mental and physical issues, including neuropsychiatric disorders, insomnia, blurred vision and musculoskeletal disorders....were found to have higher levels of stress as well as higher rates of drug use, and were more likely to suffer from suicidal impulses

Qn: Do electronic devices, such as tablets or smart phones, help or hinder students in their studies? (Cam. 'O' lvl 2015)

Why the underconsumption trend won’t have much shelf life in Singapore

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including the plushies in the recent “Labubu” craze made popular by K-pop girl group Blackpink’s Lisa?

contributor to Singapore’s particular consumer mania is the never-ending calendar of sales from major corporations and brands.

Many local businesses offer express delivery, which is typically two to three business days, or better yet, same-day delivery on purchases. With the constant influx of push notifications, it may prompt consumers to shop more often because the gratification received is gone as fast as it has come.

Part of the reason for increased spending is the impact of shifting trends. Youth culture is heavily influenced by rapidly shifting aesthetics driven by social media.

Many such brands heavily rely on influencers – or “key opinion leaders”, as some are termed – to flaunt their products and create an inflated sense of living and status. In a 2023 Rakuten Insight survey on social media influencers, nearly 50 per cent of Singaporean respondents stated that they “purchased an item or product because it had been endorsed by an influencer”.

Qn: ‘Online advertisements use increasingly sophisticated methods to target consumers.’ To what extent does this bring more harm than good? (Cam. 2024)

Are bioplastics really the wonder alternative to petroplastics?

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Qns: 

1. ‘It is unrealistic for countries to completely ban the use of plastics.’ Discuss. (SAJC Prelim 2024)

 2. ‘Fossil fuels should no longer have a part in the production of energy.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2023)

How Seunghan’s exit from boy band Riize highlights the peril of K-pop’s global appeal

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Many were in disbelief at how Seunghan was publicly bullied out of Riize for doing what many young people do – date, smoke, live a life. 

idols in East Asia, especially the young ones, have historically been marketed as romantic fantasies for fans. Fans in these markets have come to expect their idols to maintain the image of themselves as single and available in exchange for their loyalty and support.

Qn: Nowadays, we care too much about what people think. Discuss. (ASRJC Prelim 2024)

Moving away from fossil fuels will be costly; but that goes for climate inaction too

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Singapore announced during the event that it had given conditional approval for a company here to start importing solar energy from Australia via more than 4,000km of cables, in a mega project expected to cost US$24 billion (S$31.6 billion).

If Singapore is unable to decarbonise its power sector, the country will risk losing companies that are committed to reducing their emissions related to energy use...This means companies that pledged to switch fully to renewable energy under the global RE100 initiative, from Apple to Google, would likely reconsider Singapore as a base of operations

The cost of action may seem uncomfortable in the near term, but the cost of inaction is untenable in the long term.

Qn: ‘Fossil fuels should no longer have a part in the production of energy.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2023)

China maintains it’s a developing country amid calls to contribute to UN climate fund

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Chinese government officials reiterated at a media briefing on Nov 1 that the world’s biggest emitter of planet-warming carbon dioxide is a developing country, citing that in 2023, 477 million, or one-third of its population of 1.4 billion, were rural.

China is expected to come under fire at the event in Baku, Azerbaijan, for asserting its status as a developing country, which exempts it from contributing to the UN’s pot to help poorer nations curb gas emissions and deal with the worsening extreme weather....

if China could go to the moon, it should be able to pay more for climate action.

In 2009, developed countries agreed that from 2020 to 2025, they would contribute a total of US$100 billion (S$132.5 billion) each year in such funds.

Qn: Consider the view that all countries have an equal responsibility to tackle climate change. (DHS Prelim 2024)

Shine Muscat grapes in Singapore tested and found safe: SFA

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Qns:

1. ‘Eating has never been more dangerous.’ Do you agree? (NYJC Prelim 2024)

2. Discuss the view that eating has never been riskier in today’s world. (SAJC Prelim 2024)

Seniors with swallowing difficulties try special dim sum in pilot project in Singapore

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Consider the impact of sci-tech here on the quality of life for the elderly.....

DPM Heng warns public about fake Facebook profiles impersonating him

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Qn: Education, not censorship, is the solution to misinformation. To what extent do you agree? (ASRJC Prelim 2024)