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Straits Times
an hour ago
- General
- Straits Times
Why divorcing spouses cannot stake claim on in-laws' homes
Couples who use their parents' properties as their matrimonial homes cannot stake claims over such assets simply because they are not the owners PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY Couples who use a parents' property as their matrimonial homes cannot stake claims over it because they are self-evidently not the owners. The rationale is the same as setting up a matrimonial home in a rented house – the fact that a married couple stayed there does not affect the landlord's rights over his or her real estate. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Is it still worth investing in a university degree?
Gone are the days when a college degree automatically made you more likely to have higher earnings and better employment prospects. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY My unifying theory of finance is that everything goes seriously wrong when people start seeing something – a bond, a mortgage-backed security, a crypto exchange – as risk-free when it isn't. Look at any financial crisis or minor blow-up, and that's always where it starts. Lately I have been wondering if my hypothesis applies to areas outside of finance – specifically, to education. For years, a college degree was seen as a risk-free asset. It took money and time, but it was near certain it would pay off in the form of increased lifetime earnings. No wonder that we are in now in an education bubble: Lots of people went to college, studied things that aren't useful, and found themselves overwhelmed with debt. Many more can pay their debt, but work in jobs that don't require a degree anyhow. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Health
- Straits Times
Baby in Malaysia dies after being pinned under father who had fatal heart attack
The baby died while receiving treatment at the hospital. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY Baby in Malaysia dies after being pinned under father who had fatal heart attack A three-month-old boy in Malaysia died after he was pinned under his dead father, who had a heart attack. The two were found by the infant's mother at their home in Melaka's Kampung Perigi Hang Tuah at around 9.30am on June 19, reported national news agency Bernama . Upon the discovery, Ms Azura Abdul Malik, 40, rushed to her sister-in-law's house opposite hers to ask for help. 'She said the baby was unconscious and had turned blue after being pinned under my brother's arm,' Ms Masturadiana, 33, was quoted as saying by Bernama at Melaka Hospital. 'I immediately told her to take the baby to the hospital and asked the others to call an ambulance to check on my brother.' The baby, Muhammad Nur Daniel Nuruleffendy, reportedly died while receiving treatment at the hospital. Meanwhile, the father, 35-year-old Nuruleffendy Ibrahim was believed to have been dead for two to three hours before Ms Azura found him on the bed, said Ms Masturadiana. '(My brother's death) came as a shock since he had no known illnesses, just some leg pain and gout,' she said. He had, however, complained of chest pain the day before but refused to see a doctor, she added. Mr Nuruleffendy was the fourth of seven siblings . The tragedy-filled day was Ms Azura's first day back at work after concluding her maternity leave. 'She had gone to the office briefly before heading home to take (the baby) to the clinic for his three-month immunisation... She had left early, at around 6am, to send their two older children, aged 16 and 15, t o school,' Ms Masturadiana reportedly said. Bukit Katil Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Mohd Supian Md Dali said an emergency call was received from the hospital at 9.58am. 'We were informed that a male victim in his 30s had died at the scene, while his baby passed away while receiving treatment at the hospital,' he was quoted as saying by Bernama. 'The hospital had requested a team to inspect the house for possible gas leaks, but following further investigation, it was determined that the man had likely died of a heart attack.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
Longer exposure, more pollen: Climate change worsens allergies
Higher pollen concentrations as well as longer pollen seasons could make symptoms more severe. PHOTO: PIXABAY PARIS - Runny nose, itching eyes, worsening asthma symptoms – the effects of hay fever are nothing to sneeze at, experts say, warning of an 'explosion' of allergies as climate change lengthens and intensifies pollen seasons. The UN's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has found that a shifting climate has already begun altering the production and distribution of pollen and spores. As winter frost thaws earlier and spring weather gets warmer, plants and trees flower earlier, extending the pollen season, numerous studies have shown. Air pollution can also increase people's sensitivity to allergens, while invasive species are spreading into new regions and causing fresh waves of allergies. More and more people, particularly in industrialised nations, have reported developing allergy symptoms in recent decades. Around a quarter of adults in Europe suffer from airborne allergies, including severe asthma, while the proportion among children is 30 to 40 per cent. That figure is expected to rise to half of Europeans by 2050, according to the World Health Organisation. 'We're in crisis because allergies are exploding,' said Ms Severine Fernandez, president of the French Allergists' Union. Whereas previously an allergic person would endure only what is commonly known as hay fever, albeit sometimes for years, 'now that person can become asthmatic after one or two years', Ms Fernandez said. Climate change affects allergy patients in multiple ways, according to a 2023 report by the WMO. Rising levels of carbon dioxide, one of the main heat-trapping gases produced by burning fossil fuels, boost plant growth, in turn increasing pollen production. Air pollution not only irritates the airways of people exposed, but it also causes stress to plants, which then produce more 'allergenic and irritant pollen'. Associate Professor Nicolas Visez, an aerobiologist at the University of Lille, said each plant species reacted differently to a variety of factors such as water availability, temperature and CO2 concentrations. Birch trees for example will wither as summers get hotter and drier, while the heat causes a proliferation of ragweed, a highly allergenic invasive plant. 'There's no doubt that climate change is having an effect,' Assoc Prof Visez said. In a study published in 2017, researchers projected that ragweed allergies would more than double in Europe by 2041-2060 as a result of climate change, raising the number of people affected from 33 million to 77 million. The authors suggested that higher pollen concentrations as well as longer pollen seasons could make symptoms more severe. Allergy action A Europe-wide 'AutoPollen' programme under development aims to provide real-time data on the distribution of pollen and fungal spores. In Switzerland, a tie-up with MeteoSwiss allows patients and doctors to match personal allergy profiles with maps of specific allergens throughout the country. In parts of France, the authorities have planted 'pollinariums', gardens packed with the main local allergen species. These provide information on the very first pollen released into the air so that people can start taking antihistamines and other protective measures in a timely manner. 'Hazelnuts have started to bloom as early as mid-December, which wasn't the case before,' said Ms Salome Pasquet, a botanist with the association behind the pollen gardens. 'That's really because we've had very mild winters, so flowering has come earlier,' she said. Some countries are taking an interventionist approach – cutting off the pollen at the source. In Japan, the government announced a plan in 2023 to combat allergies caused by the archipelago's many cedar trees, which includes felling cedars to replace them with species that produce less pollen. Countries in Europe are also more mindful of species in the environment, both native ones that have been planted and invasive newcomers like ragweed. Preference is given to species with a lower allergenic potential, such as maple or fruit trees. 'The idea is not to stop planting allergenic species,' Ms Pasquet said, but to be mindful of creating diversity and avoiding having 'places where there are rows of birch trees, as was the case a few years ago'. It was birch trees in a client's garden that originally set off symptoms for Mr Simon Barthelemy, an architect who lives near Paris. 'I had a major eye allergy, and it's been a recurring problem every year since,' he said. 'I'm on antihistamines, but if I don't take them I get itchy eyes, I'm very tired, I cough... I can't sleep at night.' AFP Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Bomb threat forces Saudia plane to make emergency landing in Indonesia
The plane was carrying 442 hajj pilgrims from Jeddah to Jakarta. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY Bomb threat forces Saudia plane to make emergency landing in Indonesia JAKARTA - A Saudia Airlines plane carrying hajj pilgrims home made an emergency landing in Indonesia on June 17 after a bomb threat, police and the carrier said, with all passengers evacuated. The plane, carrying 442 hajj pilgrims from Jeddah to Jakarta, landed mid-morning in North Sumatra province due to the emailed threat, Indonesia's Transport Ministry said. Police were searching through luggage after checking the aircraft, said North Sumatra police chief Whisnu Hermawan. Saudia, which is Saudi Arabia's flagship carrier, said alternative onward travel arrangements were being made. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
