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  • Enjoy the wood-fired warmth of ‘Spring IMUA experience’ at Butcher’s Block, Raffles Hotel Singapore

    Enjoy the wood-fired warmth of ‘Spring IMUA experience’ at Butcher’s Block, Raffles Hotel Singapore

    The ‘Spring IMUA experience’ at Butcher’s Block Singapore
    The ‘Spring IMUA experience’ is a tribute to nature’s awakening. Photo courtesy: Butcher’s Block

    One of the fining-dining restaurants housed within Raffles Hotel Singapore, the wood-fire-driven Butcher’s Block presents an avant garde interpretation of traditional cooking methods close to nature. From March to May this year, Butcher’s Block brings the ‘Spring IMUA experience’ to Singapore foodies, as a tribute to nature’s awakening.

    Butcher’s Block is helmed by Chef de Cuisine Jordan Keao, born and raised in Hawaii, where cooking, fishing, hunting, and farming are a part of everyday life. The restaurant exhibits the highest quality of produce, meats, and seafood sourced from around the world and translated through fire.

    Complement the dining experience at Butcher’s Block with over 288 premium wines, including a meticulous selection of natural wines, from The Library.

    The 44-seat dining room of Butcher’s Block Singapore
    The 44-seat dining room. Photo courtesy: Butcher’s Block

    Spring is a very special season for Hawai’i — the warmer and longer days invite communities to gather and celebrate the season’s plentiful harvest and fresh garden delights.

    The Spring IMUA experience at Butcher’s Block captures the optimism and togetherness that define the essence of spring and Hawai’i’s eternal connection to nature.

    Jordan Keao, Chef de Cuisine, Butcher’s Block Singapore
    Jordan Keao, Chef de Cuisine. Photo courtesy: Butcher’s Block

    Drawing inspiration from Hawai’i’s natural splendour and guided by the spirit of IMUA — ‘move forward with strength and spirit’ — this menu experience mirrors the season’s blooming transformations. Chef Jordan has a commitment to sustainable, whole-animal butchery and zero-waste principles.

    A quartet of Chef’s snacks promises an expressive medley of island-inspired flavours.

    Begin with the popular duo of Big Eye Ahi Tuna Poké, a refined take on the well-loved Hawai’ian poké classic, and Wagyu Beef Pipikaula, which spotlights a deeply umami Blackmore rump and chuck roll cured in aged garlic shoyu and dry-aged for 25 days.

    Chef’s snacks, Butcher’s Block Singapore
    Chef’s snacks: Photo courtesy: Butcher’s Block

    Newly introduced, the Grilled Asparagus Rosti showcases the definitive Spring produce lacto-fermented for over 36 hours before being grilled and assembled with parsnip puree and Agria potato rosti.

    Another new snack takes the form of Taramasalata, which is inspired by Chef Jordan’s childhood days spent with his uncle, who was a fisherman. The collar of the Ahi tuna is first smoked before being made into a pate with the same consistency as taramasalata, and piped into a pain souffle pillow made with laksa leaf powder.

    The essence of Hawai’i’s spring flavours comes to life with Lomi Lomi, a term derived from the Hawai’ian term to massage. This celebrates a three-century-old side dish where fish was salted and preserved. Chef Jordan’s inventive rendition highlights smoked Japanese hamachi cured in paprika, paired with tomato sorbet and agua chile for a zesty tang. Finally, crispy Jerusalem artichoke tops the dish for a textural crunch.

    Western Plains Kalua Pork Dumpling, Butcher’s Block Singapore
    Western Plains Kalua Pork Dumpling. Photo courtesy: Butcher’s Block

    For dinner, guests may also delight in Western Plains Kalua Pork Ravioli, an innovative interpretation of the traditional Hawai’ian dish of Kalua Pork presented as a ravioli containing Western Plains pork shoulder that had been wrapped in banana leaf and slow roasted overnight. Cooked over the wood-fire, the dumplings are enlivened with taro leaf, sweet potato puree and fermented red cabbage, seamlessly marrying the flavours to perfection.

    Epicurean journey through the island’s heart

    Continue the bountiful feast of springtime with an array of main courses, including the signature Huli-Huli Dry-Aged Duck, a dish that embodies the island’s vibrant and unique identity.

    Malaysian farmed duck is first dry-aged whole for a week, then butchered into different parts: the breast undergoes further dry-ageing, then meticulously ‘huli’ (turned) over ambient heat above the fire and glazed with a luscious caramelised shoyu reduction. The duck leg is slow-cooked into a confit, and presented with a jus made from roasted duck bones. This reimagined classic pays homage to the smoky, flamekissed flavours of traditional Hawai’ian barbecue infused with the bounty of the season.

    Grilled Murray Cod takes centre stage, featuring the fillet of this sustainable, fatty fish paired with a turmeric-accented mousseline made with the trimming and collar from the same fish. Accompanied with beautifully charred kale alongside a luxurious bottarga cream and rich Koshihikari rice risotto, the dish delivers a symphony of umami complexities.

    Grilled Murray Cod, Butcher’s Block Singapore
    Grilled Murray Cod/Butcher’s Block
    Salad with caviar, Butcher’s Block Singapore
    Salad with caviar/Butcher’s Block

    Blackmore Farms Trio is a true reflection of Chef Jordan’s culinary prowess in wood-fired techniques and whole-animal butchery.

    Marvel at the artful presentation of prized Blackmore Farm wagyu showcased in three distinctly new ways — a grilled chef’s select cut, a luxurious beef bone marrow custard, and a beef fat financier — all created from the same half cow that the restaurant regularly brings in. English pea purée, shaved fennel and pea tendrils complete the dish with added freshness and texture.

    Blackmore Farm Wagyu with Bone Marrow Custard, Butcher’s Block Singapore
    Blackmore Farm Wagyu with Bone Marrow Custard. Photo courtesy: Butcher’s Block

    Finish off the evocative journey through Hawai’i’s stunning landscapes and lush greenery with Haupia, a classic Hawai’ian coconut pudding that includes Chef Jordan’s delightful twist of a scoop of gula melaka ice cream alongside fermented Ichigo strawberries and a sprinkling of toasted macadamia nut crumble atop, finished with a subtle lemon balm garnish.

    Alternatively, opt for the Baked Alaska from the Spring a la carte menu for a delightful sweet treat comprising layers of meringue, ice cream and cake, flambéed tableside with a Butcher’s Block exclusive cask of Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon. 

    Baked Alaska, Butcher’s Block Singapore
    Baked Alaska. Photo courtesy: Butcher’s Block

    Price: The Spring IMUA dining experience is available for lunch (SGD 178++) and dinner (SGD 228++) from now to 31 May 2025. Complement the flavours of Hawai’i’s scenic landscapes with a tailored wine pairing at SGD 158++ or the Dom Pérignon premium wine pairing at SGD 408++ per guest.
    Timings: Dinner: Tuesday to Saturday, 6pm to 9.45pm (last seating at 9.30pm); Lunch: Wednesday to Saturday, 12 noon to 2.30pm (last seating at 2pm) Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
    Address: 328 North Bridge Rd #02-02, Raffles Arcade S188719 (Accessible via the North Bridge Road entrance)
     Website: www.butchersblock.com.sg; www.rafflessingapore.com
    Dress code: Casual Chic

    An Easter feast like no other

    On 20 April 2025, celebrate Easter in true IMUA style with a spectacular brunch at Butcher’s Block. Be enthralled by a sumptuous spread spotlighting the Blackmore Farm Easter Roast that is specially created for Easter and showcases a succulent dry-aged wagyu cooked to perfection over wood-fire and complemented with potato purée, English pea purée and chimichurri.

    Butcher’s Block at home

    Savour scintillating avant garde wood-fired creations and fresh produce from the comfort of your own home with Butcher’s Block’s newly-launched takeaway menu, made available for purchase in the restaurant.

    Choose from a delightful assortment of items curated by Chef Jordan, including house-made milk bread, kombu butter, Western Plains Spam, dry-aged smoked duck breast, dry-aged Blackmore Farm burger patty, choice steaks and wines.

  • Important update on physical settlements of contracts with a March 2025 expiry

    As per a SEBI mandate, physical settlement is compulsory if a trader holds a position in any Stock F&O contracts on expiry date.

    What is Physical Settlement?

    In a Stock F&O contract, when there is an open position that has not been squared off by its expiry date, Physical Settlement takes place. This implies they have to physically give/take delivery of Stocks to settle the open transactions instead of settling them with cash.

    Examples of physical settlement:

    Futures

    Long positions of 1 lot of Reliance, 250 quantity at Rs. 2000 i.e. Rs. 5 lakh contract value
    F&O = 20% charges i.e. Rs. 1,00,000. This means, you are required to give Rs. 1 lakh, but if you decide to physically settle then you need to have a complete contract value of Rs. 5 lakhs.

    Short positions of 1 lot Reliance 250 quantity at Rs. 2000 i.e. Rs. 5 lakh contract value
    F&O = 20% charges i.e. Rs. 1,00,000. This means, you are required to give Rs. 1 lakh, but if you decide to physically settle then you need to have the holdings of 250 quantity of Reliance and Rs. 1 lakh margin money till expiry date.

    Options

    Long – 1 lot of Reliance, 250 quantity for strike price of Rs. 2000 Call (CE) Options.
    If the underlying price of Reliance is greater than the strike price of Rs. 2000, then the contract is said to be ITM (In-The-Money). If you wish to go for physical settlement, you need to maintain a free ledger balance of Rs 5 Lakh in your account, else physical settlement would not be done.

    Long – 1 lot of Reliance, 250 quantity for Strike price of Rs. 2000 Put (PE) Options.
    If the underlying price of Reliance is lesser than strike price of Rs. 2000, then the contract is said to be ITM (In-The-Money). If you wish to go for physical settlement, you need to provide the Stocks (shares) equal to the lot quantity positioned to be available in Demat account, else physical settlement would not be done.

    Please note — 

    – Short ITM PE options, treatment would be similar to Long ITM CE options.
    Free ledger balance equal to the contract value to be maintained.
    -Short ITM CE options, treatment would be similar to Long ITM PE options.
    Holdings shares of lot quantity positioned to be available in Demat account.

    What is the process for Physical Settlement on Upstox?
    To opt for physical settlement on Upstox, you need to provide your consent first and here are the details for the same:

    -To provide your consent for physical settlement of open Stock F&O contract(s) with March 2025 expiry visit the ‘Profile’ section on your Upstox account on our App / Web and give your consent from here before EOD on Tuesday, 25 March 2025.

    -Based on your consent, Upstox will evaluate whether your position qualifies for physical settlements and if there is sufficient  ledger balances / holdings (whichever applicable) is available.

    -Kindly, plan your trades keeping in mind that you will not be able to trade in fresh positions in the current March 2025 expiry F&O contracts from Wednesday, 26 March 2025 

    -Correspondingly, position conversion(s) on carry forward of any stock futures positions shall also not be permitted.

    What other impact could this have on your positions?
    Your position will automatically be squared-off on expiry day at 12:00 PM in case:

    -You have not provided your consent for physical settlement

    -You provided your consent for physical settlement and do not have Ledger Value (equal to contract value) / holdings available for the physical settlement of your positions.

    -In a case of funds / holdings not being available for all the open positions, we will execute square offs for all the positions. Thus no partial funds / holdings evaluation for the expiring positions will be considered by our team.

    What else to keep in mind?
    Delivery margins would be applicable as per Exchange norms on all the existing long ITM (In The Money) stock option positions in a staggered manner as explained below:

    -10% of delivery margins computed on expiry -4 days EOD (Friday)

    -25% of delivery margins computed on expiry -3 days EOD (Monday)

    -45% of delivery margins computed on expiry -2 days EOD (Tuesday)*

    -70% of delivery margins computed on expiry -1 day EOD (Wednesday)*

    -To avoid margin shortages, Upstox would be blocking such (above mentioned) delivery margins from Beginning of the Day (BOD) instead of End of the Day (EOD).

    -If the positions are not squared off for any reason (e.g: non-liquidity), then the contract would have to be settled physically and you would be liable to pay the entire amount of the settlement.

    * If you have opted for physical settlement, you would be required to fulfil the entire funds (contract value) / holdings requirement by EOD on Tuesday, 25 March 2025.

    In case of spread contracts, you are advised to provide margins for both the legs  since the risk of one leg square off by you anytime would result in physical settlement of the other leg.

    Brokerage in Physical settlement:

    Since there is a substantial increase in effort and risk to settle these F&O positions resulting in physical delivery, if F&O positions result in physical delivery brokerage will be 0.25% of the physical settled value. For all the netted off positions brokerage will be 0.1% of the physical settled value. All physical settled contracts (Futures & Options) will also carry an applicable Exchange charge.

    And that’s all. Keep a watchful eye on this page for more updates from Upstox!

  • EXCLUSIVE: Sandeep Narayan’s Avathar to usher in Ramnavami celebrations in Singapore

    He started as early as four and had his first ‘concert’ seven years later, before being sent away to India — from the US — by his parents for higher education in music. On the 29th of March, renowned Carnatic vocalist Sandeep Narayan will enthrall audience at the PGP Hall in Singapore as he brings his musical, Avathar, to usher in Ramnavami celebrations in the city-state.

    Sandeep, who was in conversation with me recently, spoke about his music, life lessons and what to expect from his Singapore concert, which is a non-ticketed event organised by the Hindu Endowments Board.

    Though he refused to give away the catalogue, Sandeep said the event will be packed with long and short numbers, featuring compositions of Hindu saint Tyagaraja.

    Dialing back to his childhood, the renowned vocalist said he had a keen interest towards music as far as he remembers and it came to him naturally.

    It was his father who noticed his talent early and urged his mother — a music teacher — to look after their son’s training. However, Sandeep, at 11, grew to become rebellious, which played a part in his parents’ decision to send him to India to train under renowned Carnatic musician KS Krishnamurti.

    The singer also spoke about his status as a diaspora kid and his special bond with Sadhguru, who also is his father-in-law!

    To know more about the riveting conversation, watch the video below.

  • Revision in Margin Pledge benefits from 28 Mar ’25

    Please note, the following securities will be removed from SEBI’s list of approved securities for Margin Pledge.

    As a result, you will not receive margins for F&O trading against these scrips starting Friday, 28 March 2025: Click here for scrip details

    NOTE: If you have pledged any of the above, starting 28 March 2025, you will not receive margins pledge benefit and you will be required to fulfil the full margin requirement. If you’re unable to pay, we will have to automatically square off your positions to recover the amount by 1 April 2025.

    We have attached a list of these stocks for your reference.

    Please review your portfolio and make necessary adjustments to avoid any inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

  • Singer Sonu Nigam pauses Delhi college concert midway after unruly audiences throw stones, bottles at him

    Sonu Nigam stops concert midway after some unruly students throws stones and bottles at him
    Singer Sonu Nigam is known for singing multiple hit Indian movie songs in his career which has spanned nearly three decades. Photo Courtesy: Sonu Nigam Instagram page

    Singer Sonu Nigam was forced to pause his concert at the Delhi Technological University’s (DTU) Engifest 2025 on Sunday after a group of unruly students allegedly threw stones and bottles at the stage.

    Halting the show midway, he urged students to refrain from such action.

    According to reports, nearly one lakh (100,000) students attended the concert.

    Sonu Nigam told students as quoted by Hindustan Times: “Main aapke liye aaya hun yahan pe (I came here for you people) so that we can all have a good time. I’m not asking you to not enjoy, but please aisa na kariye (don’t do this).”

    He said his team members were getting injured due to the unruly act.

    Students express disappointment

    Several students expressed disappointment about the chaos caused during the concert.

    Geetika, a student from Daulat Ram College, told Hindustan Times, “It was shameful to see that just because of a few unruly students, a legend like him had to pause and request the audience to behave.”

    Abhishek Ratra from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University told the newspaper, “Even in that moment, he remained humble and composed. Not once did he raise his voice.”

    Sonu Nigam resumed his performance after the situation was settled.

    Several videos of the concert have now gone viral.

    In one of the videos, a head band could be seen thrown towards Sonu Nigam.

  • NATURALGAS & NATGASMINI Monthly Options Expiry Trading Today

    Please note that all ITM & ATM NATURALGAS and NATGASMINI option contracts expiring today, 24th March 2025, will be converted into futures contracts. You can create fresh positions only until 9 PM today. To avoid the square-off of your positions, please ensure you maintain sufficient margin for the futures contracts before 9 PM today.

  • Bangladesh Army chief dismisses all speculation about state of emergency

    Bangladesh Army chief dismisses all speculation about state of emergency
    Bangladesh Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman. Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

    Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has rejected all speculation about a state of emergency in the South Asian country that witnessed the sudden fall of its former PM Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government amid a major protest over a job quota issue on August 5, 2024.

    The Army Chief has warned people about misinformation and said rumours should not cause distraction.

    General Waker made these comments on Monday during the “Officer’s Address” at Dhaka Cantonment, reported local Dhaka Tribune.

    The meeting took place amid speculation that a possible martial law will be imposed or a state of emergency will be declared in the current political situation.

    Key issues discussed

    Sources at the meeting told Dhaka Tribune that the army chief addressed several key issues, including law and order, the spread of misinformation, and provocative rhetoric.  

    “The country and its people remain the army’s highest priority,” General Waker, whose forces have been deployed with magistracy powers for over six months to assist the civil administration, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

    “Do not react to provocation. We must stay focused on our duty to support the country’s stability. Instruct your soldiers to do the same. Work with wisdom. The nation expects a lot from us, and fulfilling those expectations is our sacred duty,” he said.

    The meeting took place at a time when an Indian news channel claimed the country’s military would soon take over by removing the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

    Yunus has been heading the government ever since Hasina’s government collapsed last year.

    Sources told India Today that the army may pressure the President to declare a state of emergency or stage a coup against Yunus.

    Bangladesh Army rejects India report

    Issuing a statement, the Bangladesh army clarified that the article, which lacks credible sources or verifiable evidence, is a blatant attempt to spread baseless rumours. 

    “It is deeply troubling that India Today continues to publish sensationalist narratives without due diligence or a responsible commitment to journalistic integrity,” the statement read.

  • UN experts claim many glaciers will not survive this century 

    UN scientists are claiming many glaciers will not survive this century
    UN experts feel many glaciers will not survive this century if melting continues. Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

    Glaciers in many regions will not survive the 21st century if they keep melting at the current rate, potentially jeopardising hundreds of millions of people living downstream, UN climate experts said on the first World Day for Glaciers.

    Together with ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, glaciers lock up about 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater reserves. They are striking indicators of climate change as they typically remain about the same size in a stable climate.

    But, with rising temperatures and global warming triggered by human-induced climate change, they are melting at unprecedented speed, said Sulagna Mishra, a scientific officer at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

    Livelihoods at risk

    Last year, glaciers in Scandinavia, the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and North Asia experienced the largest annual loss of overall mass on record. Glaciologists determine the state of a glacier by measuring how much snow falls on it and how much melt occurs every year, according to UN partner the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) at the University of Zurich.

    In the 500-mile-long Hindu Kush mountain range, located in the western Himalayas and stretching from Afghanistan to Pakistan, the livelihoods of more than 120 million farmers are under threat from glacial loss, Mishra explained.

    The mountain range has been dubbed the “third pole” because of the extraordinary water resources it holds, she noted.

    ‘Irreversible’ retreat

    Despite these vast freshwater reserves, it may already be too late to save them for future generations.

    Large masses of perennial ice are disappearing quickly, with five out of the past six years seeing the most rapid glacier retreat on record, according to WMO.

    The period from 2022 to 2024 also experienced the largest-ever three-year loss.

    “We are seeing an unprecedented change in the glaciers,” which in many cases may be irreversible, said Mishra.

    Ice Melt 

    WGMS estimates that glaciers, which do not include the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets, have lost more than 9,000 billion tonnes of mass since 1975.

    “This is equivalent to a huge ice block of the size of Germany with a thickness of 25 metres,” said WGMS director Michael Zemp. The world has lost 273 billion tonnes of ice on average every year since 2000, he added, highlighting the findings of a new international study into glacier mass change.

    “To put that into context, 273 billion tonnes of ice lost every year corresponds about to the water intake of the entire [world] population for 30 years,” Zemp said. In central Europe, almost 40 per cent of the remaining ice has melted. If this continues at the current rate, “glaciers will not survive this century in the Alps.”

    Echoing those concerns, WMO’s Mishra added that if emissions of warming greenhouse gases are not slowed “and the temperatures are rising at the rate they are at the moment, by the end of 2100, we are going to lose 80 per cent of the small glaciers” across Europe, East Africa, Indonesia and elsewhere.

    Large Floods

    Glacial melt has immediate, large-scale repercussions for the economy, ecosystems and communities.

    The latest data indicates that 25 to 30 per cent of sea level rise comes from glacier melt, according to the World Glacier Monitoring Service.

    Melting snowcaps are causing sea levels to rise about one millimetre higher every year, a figure that might seem insignificant, yet every millimetre will flood another 200,000 to 300,000 persons every year.

    “Small number, huge impact,” glaciologist Zemp said.

    Everyone Is Affected

    Floods can affect people’s livelihoods and compel them to emigrate from one place to another, WMO’s Mishra continued.

    “When you ask me how many people are actually impacted, it’s really everyone,” she stressed.

    From a multilateral perspective, “it is really high time that we create awareness, and we change our policies and…we mobilise resources to make sure that we have good, policy frameworks in place, we have good research in place that can help us to mitigate and also adapt to these new changes,” Mishra insisted.

    World’s Glaciers

    Providing added momentum to this campaign, the World Day for Glaciers on 21 March aims to raise awareness about the critical role that these massive frozen rivers of snow and ice play in the climate system. It coincides with World Water Day.

    To mark the occasion, which is one of the highlights of the 2025 International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, global leaders, policymakers, scientists and civil society representatives are due to gather at UN Headquarters in New York to highlight the importance of glaciers and to boost worldwide monitoring of the cryospheric processes of freezing and melting that affect them.

    WGMS’s Zemp, who also teaches glaciology at the University of Zurich, is already preparing for a world without glaciers.

    “If I think of my children, I am living in a world with maybe no glaciers. That’s actually quite alarming,” he told UN News.  

    “I really recommend going with your children there and having a look at it because you can see the dramatic changes that are going on, and you will also realise that we are putting a big burden on our next generation.”

    Glacier Of Year

    This year’s Glacier of the Year 2025 is South Cascade Glacier in the US state of Washington.

    The body of ice, which has been continuously monitored since 1952, provides one of the longest uninterrupted records of glaciological mass balance in the western hemisphere.

    “South Cascade Glacier exemplifies both the beauty of glaciers and the long-term commitment of dedicated scientists and volunteers who have collected direct field data to quantify glacier mass change for more than six decades,” said Caitlyn Florentine, from the U.S. Geological Survey.

  • Trump to sign executive order to shut down US Education Department

    US President Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order on Thursday, March 20, calling for the shutdown of the US Education Department, according to a White House official, advancing a campaign promise to eliminate an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives, according to sources.

    US President Donald Trump. Photo courtesy: x.com/WhiteHouse
    US President Donald Trump. Photo courtesy: x.com/WhiteHouse

    The official spoke on the condition of anonymity before an announcement.

    Trump has derided the Department of Education as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, finalising its dismantling is likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979.

    A White House fact sheet said the order would direct Secretary Linda McMahon “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely”.

    The Trump administration has already been gutting the agency. Its workforce is being slashed in half and there have been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.

    Advocates for public schools said eliminating the department would leave children behind in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal.

    “This isn’t fixing education. It’s making sure millions of children never get a fair shot. And we’re not about to let that happen without a fight,” the National Parents Union said in a statement.

    The White House has not spelled out formally which department functions could be handed off to other departments, or eliminated altogether. At her confirmation hearing, McMahon said she would preserve core initiatives, including Title I money for low-income schools and Pell grants for low-income college students. The goal of the administration, she said, would be “a better functioning Department of Education”.

    The department sends billions of dollars a year to schools and oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.

    Currently, much of the agency’s work revolves around managing money — both its extensive student loan portfolio and a range of aid programs for colleges and school districts, from school meals to support for homeless students. The agency also plays a significant role in overseeing civil rights enforcement.

    Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets — roughly 14%. The money often supports supplemental programs for vulnerable students, such as the McKinney-Vento programme for homeless students or Title I for low-income schools.

    Colleges and universities are more reliant on money from Washington, through research grants along with federal financial aid that helps students pay their tuition.

    Republicans have talked about closing the Education Department for decades, saying it wastes taxpayer money and inserts the federal government into decisions that should fall to states and schools. The idea has gained popularity recently as conservative parents’ groups demand more authority over their children’s schooling.

    In his platform, Trump promised to close the department “and send it back to the states, where it belongs.” Trump has cast the department as a hotbed of “radicals, zealots and Marxists” who overextend their reach through guidance and regulation.

    At the same time, Trump has leaned on the Education Department to promote elements of his agenda. He has used investigative powers of the Office for Civil Rights and the threat of withdrawing federal education funding to target schools and colleges that run afoul of his orders on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports, pro-Palestinian activism and diversity programs.

    Even some of Trump’s allies have questioned his power to close the agency without action from Congress, and there are doubts about its political popularity. The House considered an amendment to close the agency in 2023, but 60 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.

    During Trump’s first term, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sought to dramatically reduce the agency’s budget and asked Congress to bundle all K-12 funding into block grants that give states more flexibility in how they spend federal money. It was rejected, with pushback from some Republicans.

  • Singapore preps for 2025 hot season, weighs options of home-based learning, cool spaces for communities

    Tampines Eco Garden in Singapore
    Leafy green spaces like the Tampines Eco Garden provide relief from the hot and humid Singapore summer. Photo courtesy: Instagram/visit_singapore

    Planning for the 2025 hot season, following the 2024 burning summer across Asia, the authorities in Singapore are weighing the option of home-based learning, if it gets too hot for students to attend school.

    In March last year, many Singapore schools had advised students to dress in physical education (PE) attire for an indefinite period of time, in view of the high temperatures, reported The Straits Times.

    This year, Singapore schools could shift to partial or full home-based learning to counter the heat, said a CNA report. Moreover, air-conditioned spaces such as indoor sports halls would be open to the public, as a refuge from heat.

    CNA said that these plans were announced by the interagency Mercury Task Force yesterday. This task force, formed in 2023, makes and implements plans to counter heatwaves in Singapore. Its members come from 37 government agencies, including the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

    Since temperature and humidity can combine to create a lethal heatwave, Singapore — like many other nations around the world — takes into a variety of factors, using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) indicator.

    In case of a heatwave, the Singapore authorities could minimise outdoor activities between 11am and 4pm; relax the school dress; and repurpose air-conditioned spaces to give people relief.

    “If the national posture is to adopt heightened measures, MOE will guide schools to go on either partial or full home-based learning so as to not disrupt students’ learning,” said the Mercury Task Force, as quoted by CNA.

    Air-conditioned spaces distributed across neighbourhoods will provide relief to those who have no AC at home, or need a cooling break during their work day. “The plan is for these locations to be situated across or spread around Singapore so there is easy access to these facilities,” said the Mercury Task Force.

    Definition of a heatwave in Singapore

    In Singapore, the definition of a heatwave is three consecutive days with a highest daily temperature of 35 degree Celsius or more, and three consecutive days of an average daily temperature of 29 degree Celsius or more.

    “Singapore has experienced six historical heatwave events, with the most recent one in 2016,” reported CNA.

    March to May is generally the hottest period in Singapore, and the year 2024 saw high temperatures that rivalled those in 2019 and 2016. “There were 21 days of high heat stress, most occurring in March, April and May,” said CNA.