Dear ST reader,
Every four years we have a Feb 29, but there are exceptions to this rule: at the turn of every century, we miss a leap year – but there are also exceptions to this rule. It’s all quite complicated, so why do we have leap years?
Well, it’s mainly to keep things in sync – it’s a correction to counter the fact that Earth’s orbit isn’t precisely 365 days a year. So while humans try to keep the months in sync with annual events, including solstices, global events are falling out of sync. There are ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, rising US-China competition and deepening fault lines along race and religion.
Foreign editor Li Xueying, in her commentary “Debating the world and how it affects home”, noted that it can be difficult to have a coherent understanding of what Singapore’s interests are on various issues. Still, we have little choice but to try to understand, knowing how interconnected the globe is.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that given Singapore’s social fabric and the deluge of information on the Israel-Hamas conflict, it was necessary for educators to have frank discussions with students to help them understand the complex topic.
In South Korea, there is a rising trend of suicides and mental health issues among the young people, and this has pushed the government to implement health policy reforms.
If all these are too much to bear, you may want to seek solace in the upcoming Taylor Swift concerts, despite a Filipino lawmaker criticising Singapore over its exclusivity deal with the American pop giant.
Debating the world and how it affects home
Overseas citizens anxious as India cancels permanent residence for over 100 in diaspora
S’pore-registered firm accused of swindling $1.2b in Japan’s largest scam
Chinese diaspora caught in the tangle of Australia-China ties
Why some Taiwanese want to boycott the ‘Ke Mu San’ TikTok dance
American Evolution 2024: Can Taylor Swift move the needle for Biden?
