Mr M.M. Paramantham (left), who joined as finance member of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in 1979 and served the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) and its temples for nearly four decades since then, died on Wednesday. He was 72 and had been ill for a while.
Former HEB vice-chairman Paramantham dies
Mr Paramantham was HEB’s vice-chair from 2005-2014. He was a member of the Hindu Advisory Board from 1989 to 1994 and 2017 to 2020. He was also a former secretary of the Singapore Hockey Federation.
Mr Paramantham received the Public Service Medal in 1989 and the Public Service Star in 1998.
Trade slump worsens, with key exports tumbling 20% in July
The slide in Singapore’s key exports accelerated in July, the 10th straight month of a trade slump from which analysts see no recovery in the near term.
July’s non-oil domestic exports shrank 20.2 per cent compared with the same month in 2022, and contracted 3.4 per cent from June, data from Enterprise Singapore showed on Thursday.
This was worse than the 14.4 per cent contraction forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. It was also steeper than a revised 15.6 per cent fall in the previous month.
Third national supercomputer powers AI projects at NUHS
Instead of spending time writing referral letters for patients, doctors at the National University Health System (NUHS) will soon be able to tap on its version of ChatGPT.
Hospital staff will also be able to better allocate resources when they use artificial intelligence (AI) to estimate the duration of a patient’s hospitalisation – much like how hotels have precise information on room occupancy rates.
Powering all these advancements is Singapore’s third national supercomputer, called Prescience, located at National University Hospital. It has been operational since July 31.
Ex-commander of Tanglin Police Division in molestation case allowed to travel
A former commander of Tanglin Police Division, accused of molesting a 25-year-old woman, has been allowed to leave Singapore.
Paul Lim Choon Wui, 52, allegedly used his left hand to slap the woman’s left buttock in a unit of a building in Bukit Merah around 9pm on July 7, 2022. He had left the police force at the time. He was charged on Aug 10.
Following a pre-trial conference on Wednesday, Lim was granted permission to travel to Thailand and Hong Kong from Friday to Sept 18 for work-related reasons.
New blood bank opens in Punggol
A new blood collection centre has opened at the One Punggol integrated community hub. This is in line with the Health Sciences Authority’s strategy to locate blood banks close to where people live, work, study and play, to recruit more donors, particularly youth, to meet rising demand.
Over the past five years, the demand for blood has increased by around 4 per cent, rising from 110,823 units in 2018 to 115,794 units in 2022.
Not viable to redevelop Kranji water plant at current location
The Kranji Water Reclamation Plant cannot be redeveloped at its current site because of construction and operational challenges, and this will free up space for developments that could create jobs to complement the growth of the Sungei Kadut Eco-District, according to the authorities.
The plant, next to Kranji MRT, will be moved further north. When redeveloped by 2034, its higher capacity will meet used water and Newater needs in north-east Singapore.
But this will cut across a wildlife route linking the Rail Corridor and the Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat, raising concerns among nature groups over the impact on ecological connectivity
