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Straits Times
3 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
‘Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years
Since 2003, the married couple has opened up their hearts and homes to build an environment of love, patience and unwavering support Married couple Sivachandran Palaniasmy and Anitha Sivadasan have cared for more than 20 children, including those with special needs, since they started fostering in 2003. As a first-time foster parent, Madam Anitha Sivadasan was not sure what to expect. When paired with a nine-year-old with behavioural issues, the stay-at-home mother found it a challenge to manage her as she was also caring for her own young children then. She and her husband, Mr Sivachandran Palanisamy, tried their best but could not continue caring for the child, so the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) made alternative care arrangements. To help foster parents like Madam Anitha navigate the challenges of caregiving, MSF and the fostering agencies walk alongside them with resources like training and round-the-clock support, including a 24-hour hotline in the case of any emergencies. As such, instead of being deterred by her first experience, Madam Anitha strengthened her resolve and put in a request to MSF to let her foster younger children instead. Watch to learn how Madam Anitha and Mr Sivachandran have opened their hearts and home to their foster children over the years. That decision would reshape the next two decades of their lives. The married couple, then parents to two young children – one in kindergarten and the other in lower primary school – committed to sacrifices that lasted over 10 years. To prioritise the care of their foster children, they chose not to make overseas trips or go on holidays. The former childcare teacher had resigned from her job in 2003 to be a stay-at-home mother. Before leaving the childcare centre, her co-worker floated the idea of fostering . 'I want to give them a home, where they feel safe. I want to give my love to children who are underprivileged,' she says of her decision. 'Both of us decided that maybe it's time for us to do something. While I stay at home and look after my children, I can also foster and give other little ones a happy home,' says Madam Anitha, whose foster children call her 'Mummy', and Mr Sivachandran, 'Acha' (Acha is father in Malayalam and Madam Anitha is of Malayali descent). Their own children – now both working adults – also pitched in to help take care of their foster siblings, without complaints. They also had a helper for additional support. SGShare: How more S'poreans can help the vulnerable Singaporeans now have a new platform to help fellow Singaporeans in need . To mark SG60, Community Chest's regular giving programme, Share, has been rebranded as SGShare to rally more to give regularly and support critical social service programmes. Starting this year, donations will be matched by the Singapore Government under the SG Gives matching grant, with up to $250 million available. Every dollar donated will help vulnerable communities, offering them opportunities to pursue their goals regardless of background. Here is a simple illustration of how your SGShare contribution can go a long way. Over time, as the family got used to the rigours of fostering, they have managed to go on staycations in Singapore. 'When I see the kids happy, I also feel happy' However, fostering can also be exhausting and demanding. Madam Anitha and Mr Sivachandran have had children in their care that needed plenty of hands-on involvement. Mr Sivachandran and Madam Anitha do their best to provide a conducive home environment and instill good values to their foster children. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA These included premature twins, and even a baby that the doctor said would not survive his congenital asthma (but he did, under their care). And now, staying with them long-term are two boys – one diagnosed with Down syndrome and the other with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – aged four and 15 respectively. Mr Sivachandran, who works full-time in the maintenance line, accompanies the children to hospital when they are sick, takes them cycling or swimming, and obliges the four-year-old with the long bus rides he loves. With his four-year-old foster child's love for bus rides, Mr Sivachandran spends his days off exploring different routes together. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA He says: 'Fostering is a big commitment and my colleagues remind me that I'm getting old, but I feel it's all for a good cause. My wife is doing a great thing; she has the patience and can understand them, and I give her my full support.' Adds Madam Anitha: 'Initially we thought we'd go through a lot of pain and stress. But I'm surprised by how fulfilling it feels, even after doing it for 20 years. It's like giving back something to society. When I see the kids happy, I also feel happy. Nobody deserves to be alone.' Making a difference to young lives Fostering is not just for extraordinary people – it is a simple yet powerful act of love. Discover how you can make a difference at the Fostering Open House on 23 August 2025 at Suntec Convention Centre. To register, visit Inspired by Mummy and Acha's journey? Be part of a community that gives back. Visit to explore over 600 causes and help build a more caring, inclusive Singapore. Celebrating SG60 with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Indonesia pledges to buy more US wheat in bid for trade deal
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding for US wheat purchases that spans this year through 2030. JAKARTA – Indonesia, the world's second-biggest wheat buyer, plans to purchase more wheat from the US as it seeks to secure a trade deal ahead of the looming tariff deadline. The South-east Asian nation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for US wheat purchases that spans this year through 2030, Mr Franciscus Welirang, the chairman of the Indonesian Flour Mills Association – known as Aptindo – said at a ceremony on July 7 in Jakarta. The deal is valued at about US$1.25 billion (S$1.6 billion) , he said. As part of the MOU, Indonesia may buy at least 800,000 tons of wheat from the US this year, up from 740,000 tons in 2024, and a minimum of 1 million tons annually from 2026, he said. The US last sold more than 1 million tons of wheat to Indonesia in 2020, when it shipped about 1.2 million tons, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures show. While the new pledge marks an increase, it still represents a fraction of Indonesia's total wheat purchases. The USDA forecasts the country's imports at 12 million tons in the 2025 to 2026 season. The agreement will increase access for US wheat in Indonesia and help ensure a stable and steady market, Mr Joe Sowers, regional vice-president for South and South-east Asia for industry group US Wheat Associates, said after the signing in Jakarta. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World 25% on Japan and Malaysia, 40% on Laos: Trump's tariff letters to Asia add pressure for deals by Aug 1 Business US stocks knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla World Netanyahu says has nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize Singapore Fastest charger to be added to Singapore's EV charging network by Q4 in 2025 Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Seven major wheat suppliers, including Cargill and Bunge Global SA, will participate in the market based on their price competitiveness, he said. The nation mainly buys wheat from Australia, Canada and the US, Mr Welirang said, adding that the country may import about 9.5 million tons for the flour industry this year and the rest for feed. Indonesia also plans to sign similar pledges to boost purchases of other commodities, including corn and soybeans, at an event on July 7 in Washington, according to Mr Pujo Setio, an official from the nation's Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Apple loses top AI executive to Meta's hiring spree
San Francisco - Apple's top executive in charge of artificial intelligence models is leaving for Meta Platforms, another setback in the iPhone maker's struggling AI efforts. Pang Ruoming, a distinguished engineer and manager in charge of the company's Apple foundation models team, is departing, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Mr Pang, who joined Apple from Google parent Alphabet in 2021, is the latest big hire for Meta's new superintelligence group, said the people. To secure Mr Pang, Meta offered a package worth tens of millions of dollars per year, the people said. Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has been on a hiring spree, bringing on major AI leaders including Scale AI's Alexandr Wang, start-up founder Daniel Gross and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman with high compensation. Meta on July 7 also hired Li Yuanzhi, a researcher from OpenAI, and Anton Bakhtin, who worked on Claude, the AI assistant built by at Anthropic, according to other people with knowledge of the matter. In June, Meta hired a slew of other OpenAI researchers. At Meta, Mr Zuckerberg has made AI the company's top priority as it races to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI and Google. Mr Zuckerberg has been heavily involved in recruiting for the company's AI division, hosting potential hires at his homes in Silicon Valley and Lake Tahoe, and often reaching out personally to potential recruits. Mr Zuckerberg restructured the company's AI teams at the end of June to better focus on 'superintelligence,' or AI technology that can complete tasks as well as or even better than humans. Meta will spend tens of billions of dollars on AI-related efforts this year, the company has announced, with much of that money going toward infrastructure like data centres and chips. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World 25% on Japan and Malaysia, 40% on Laos: Trump's tariff letters to Asia add pressure for deals by Aug 1 Business US stocks knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla World Netanyahu says has nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize Singapore Fastest charger to be added to Singapore's EV charging network by Q4 in 2025 Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August At Apple, Mr Pang had been running a roughly 100-person team responsible for the company's large language models, which underpin Apple Intelligence and other AI features on the company's devices. In June, Apple announced that those models would be opened up to third-party developers for the first time, allowing for a range of new iPhone and iPad apps. But internally, the foundation models team has come under scrutiny from new leadership, which is exploring the use of third-party models, including from either OpenAI or Anthropic, to power a new version of Siri. Those internal discussions have soured some of the morale on the foundation models team, also known as AFM, in recent weeks. While the company has explored a move to a third-party solution to power the AI in the new Siri, it has simultaneously been working on a new version of Siri based on the models developed by Mr Pang's group. Those models also power Apple Intelligence features that run on Apple devices including email and web article summaries, Genmoji and Priority Notifications. The major departure, the most significant in Apple's AI ranks since the company started working on Apple Intelligence a few years ago, underscores the heightened competition for talent in the emerging space. Meta has been making offers to the world's top engineers worth many millions of dollars per year – significantly more than what the iPhone maker pays its engineers doing similar work. Mr Pang's departure could be the start of a string of exits from the AFM group, with several engineers telling colleagues they are planning to leave in the near future to Meta or elsewhere, the people said. Tom Gunter, a top deputy to Mr Pang, left Apple in June. The foundation models team reports to Daphne Luong, a top deputy to AI senior vice president John Giannandrea. Earlier this year, Mr Giannandrea was sidelined internally and saw Siri, robotics, Core ML and App Intents frameworks and other consumer product-related teams stripped from his command. That came after a poor response to Apple Intelligence and continued delays for new Siri features, including the ability to tap into user data to fulfill commands. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Williamson, Bracewell skip New Zealand's tour to Zimbabwe
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Kane Williamson and Michael Bracewell will skip the upcoming two-test tour of Zimbabwe with the blessing of New Zealand Cricket, while paceman Ben Sears has been ruled out by a side injury. Rob Walter, who replaced Gary Stead as coach last month, named his first test squad on Tuesday, awarding a call-up to uncapped young fast bowler Matt Fisher and recalling experienced hands Ajaz Patel and Henry Nicholls. "Kane and Michael were up front with New Zealand Cricket about their availability for this tour during the contracting process," Walter said in a news release. "While all test matches are hugely special and important, the fact these tests aren't part of the World Test Championship did influence the discussions on this occasion. "We will obviously miss their talent and class, but it allows an opportunity to others and we're lucky to be able to call on the likes of Ajaz and Henry who are both proven performers at test level." All-rounder Bracewell has been allowed to miss the tour to play in The Hundred in England, while paceman Kyle Jamieson has elected to stay in New Zealand for the birth of his first child. Jamieson's absence offers potential opportunities for Fisher and Jacob Duffy, who has played short-format matches for New Zealand but is yet to win a test cap, in the two matches in Bulawayo in late July and early August. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World 25% on Japan and Malaysia, 40% on Laos: Trump's tariff letters to Asia add pressure for deals by Aug 1 Business US stocks knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla World Netanyahu says has nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize Singapore Fastest charger to be added to Singapore's EV charging network by Q4 in 2025 Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Team: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Nathan Smith, Will Young REUTERS
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Samsung profit halves on US chip curbs, AI memory delays
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Samsung Electronics reported preliminary operating profit of 4.6 trillion won (S$4.3 billion) in the June quarter, a roughly 56 per cent drop from a year ago. SEOUL – Samsung Electronics' profit fell for the first time since 2023, hurt by US curbs on China-bound AI chips and hiccups in its plans to sell cutting-edge memory to Nvidia. South Korea's largest company reported preliminary operating profit of 4.6 trillion won (S$4.3 billion) in the June quarter, a roughly 56 per cent drop from a year ago. Analysts on average had projected a 41 per cent decline. Revenue stood at 74 trillion won. One-time inventory-related costs contributed to the drop, and customer evaluation and shipments of its advanced memory products are proceeding, Samsung said in a statement. Operating losses in its contract chipmaking business are expected to narrow in the second half of the year on a gradual recovery in demand, Samsung said. The company will provide a full financial statement with net income and divisional breakdowns later in July. Samsung has been struggling to regain its footing in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, which are critical for powering Nvidia's AI accelerators. The company has yet to secure certification from Nvidia for its most advanced product – the 12-layer HBM3E – creating an unusually long lead time for rival SK Hynix in the highly lucrative space. Meanwhile, US competitor Micron Technology has been rapidly advancing to stake its own claim. Analysts polled by Bloomberg News prior to the preliminary earnings release expected Samsung's chip division to post an operating profit of 2.7 trillion won in the second quarter, up from 1.1 trillion in the prior quarter but still significantly lower than 6.5 trillion won a year earlier. In April, Samsung had signalled a better outlook, saying it shipped enhanced HBM3E samples to major customers and expected that product line to contribute to revenue in the second quarter. The company also said it plans to begin mass production of HBM4 chips in the second half of the year. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World 25% on Japan and Malaysia, 40% on Laos: Trump's tariff letters to Asia add pressure for deals by Aug 1 Business US stocks knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla World Netanyahu says has nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize Singapore Fastest charger to be added to Singapore's EV charging network by Q4 in 2025 Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Samsung is fighting to catch up to SK Hynix, which has aggressively positioned itself as Nvidia's primary HBM4 supplier. It shipped the world's first 12-layer HBM4 samples to customers ahead of schedule, followed by Micron in June, while Samsung has had to revise its 12-layer HBM3E design. Samsung secured an order from Advanced Micro Devices, joining Micron as a supplier, according to a June release. But its failure to win early certification for HBM3E chips from Nvidia – the dominant maker of AI-supporting graphics processing units – is hurting its attempts to take significant market share. Bernstein analysts led by Mark Li, who had previously expected Samsung's 12-layer HBM3E would be qualified by Nvidia in the second quarter, trimmed their forecast for Samsung's HBM market share, saying they now expect certification in the third quarter. 'Samsung will gradually narrow the gap vs rivals,' they wrote in a June 23 research note. 'We forecast SK Hynix remains the leader in 2027, but with others catching up and SK Hynix's edge eroding, the shares held by suppliers will be more similarly distributed then than now.' Bernstein estimates SK Hynix holds 57 per cent of the HBM market in 2025, followed by Samsung at 27 per cent and Micron at 16 per cent. BLOOMBERG
