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Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize (OTCMKTS:AHODF) Short Interest Down 53.2% in NovemberSeoul stocks drop on S.Korea woes; most Asian markets riseBy Emily Rose JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Al Jazeera television has clashed with the Palestinian Authority over its coverage of the weeks-long standoff between Palestinian security forces and militant fighters in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Fatah, the faction which controls the Palestinian Authority, condemned the Qatari-headquartered network, which has reported extensively on the clashes in Jenin, saying it was sowing division in "our Arab homeland in general and in Palestine in particular". It encouraged Palestinians not to cooperate with the network. Israel closed down Al Jazeera's operations in Israel in May, saying it threatened national security. In September, it ordered the network's bureau in Ramallah, to close for 45 days after an intelligence assessment that the offices were being used to support terrorist activities. "Al Jazeera has successfully maintained its professionalism throughout its coverage of the unfolding events in Jenin," it said in a statement on Tuesday. Palestinian Authority security forces have battled Islamist fighters in Jenin, as they try to control one of the historic centres of militancy in the West Bank ahead of a likely shakeout in Palestinian politics after the Gaza war. Forces of the PA, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, moved into Jenin in early December, clashing daily with fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both of which are supported by Iran. The standoff has fuelled bitter anger on both sides, deepening the divisions which have long existed between the Palestinian factions and their supporters. Al Jazeera said its broadcasts fairly presented the views of both sides. "The voices of both the Palestinian resistance and the Spokesperson of the Palestinian National Security Forces have always been present on Al Jazeera’s screens," Al Jazeera said. (Reporting by Emily Rose, Ali Sawafta, editing by Ed Osmond)

Fern Britton reveals 'uneasy' family secret that she didn't discover until she was in her 50sPopular music executive and producer, better known as Don Jazzy has stirred controversy on social media as he gifted popular influencer, Ola of Lagos a whooping sum of N20 million. Ola of Lagos made this known in a post via his Instagram page on Sunday while hailing the music executive for his good executive. gathered that Don Jazzy who is known for his philanthropic nature gifted Ola of Lagos the enormous amount while he was in Saudi Arabia. I’m an appreciation post on his Instagram page, Ola revealed that when he got the sum, he fainted there from shock and excitement. He wrote: “Biggest @donjazzy sent me 20m I don faint for Saudi ooo guys.” This has however stirred reaction on social media as many took to their social media page to commend and praise Don Jazzy for being a giver, while others questioned the reason behind the huge amount of money, stressing that the real purpose of the money will surely be exposed. Reactions trailing this post; comediandeeone said: “It is good to give but The truth will still come out. Shalom” thestudentconnectv remarked: “This guy Grace too big ajeh. Man went from painter to a billionaire” janel_13_hundred said: “Don Jazzy go soon tell us the truth” veevogee commented: “There’s a BIG difference between being Rich and a Giver. Don Jazzy is a GIVER.” yomideee__ remarked: “This guy called Ola to carry better grace” jernald_couture_ commented: “Don Jazzy is the only celebrity that doesn’t announce giveaways. He just does it and keeps silent like he didn’t do anything. I stan, restan, pakistan.” kjlyrics remarked: “I sha know say don jazzy Dey whole me” priscy_juma_affairsjp25 wrote: “You called 20 million just, how much you don dash people before” realjoshblaze wrote: “When God wan use man bless you, e go be you like film, real soon me and your self go jam our helper, just keep working” See post below:

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East. Biden spoke at the White House hours after after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country following more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by Assad and his family. Biden said the United States was monitoring reports of the whereabouts of Assad, with Russian state media saying he had fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East. Biden credited action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria’s backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said that “for the first time,” they could no longer defend Assad’s grip on power. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East,” Biden said, after a meeting with his national security team. Trump said Sunday that Assad had fled because close ally Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, “was not interested in protecting him any longer.” Those comments on Trump’s social media platform came a day after he used another post to decry the possibility of the U.S. intervening militarily in Syria to aid the rebels, declaring, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.” The Biden administration said it had no intention of intervening. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Biden said he intended for those troops to remain, adding that U.S. forces on Sunday conducted “precision air strikes” on IS camps and operations in Syria. U.S. Central Command said the operation hit more than 75 targets. “We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try and take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its credibility, and create a safe haven,” Biden said, using a different acronym for the group. “We will not let that happen.” The Syrian opposition that brought down Assad is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the U.S. says is a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaida, although the group says it has since broken ties with al-Qaida. “We will remain vigilant,” Biden said. “Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.” He added that the groups are “saying the right things now.” “But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words but their actions,” Biden said. A senior Biden administration official, when asked about contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders after Assad’s departure, said Washington was in contact with Syrian groups of all kinds. The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the situation and spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the U.S. has focused over the past several days on chemical weapons that had been controlled by the Assad government, aiming to ensure that they were secured. Still, Assad’s fall adds to an already-tense situation throughout much of the region on many fronts — including Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and its fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Like Biden, Trump — who takes office in five-plus weeks — made a connection between the upheaval in Syria and Russia’s war in Ukraine, noting that Assad’s allies in Moscow, as well as in Iran, the main sponsor of Hamas and Hezbollah, “are in a weakened state right now.” Vice President-elect JD Vance, a veteran of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, wrote on social media Sunday to express skepticism about the insurgents. “Many of ‘the rebels’ are a literal offshoot of ISIS. One can hope they’ve moderated. Time will tell,” he said. Trump has suggested that Assad’s ouster can advance the prospects for an end to fighting in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022. The president-elect wrote that Putin’s government “lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine,” and the Republican called for an immediate ceasefire, a day after meeting in Paris with the French and Ukrainian leaders. Daniel B. Shapiro, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said the American military presence will continue in eastern Syria but was “solely to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS and has nothing to do with other aspects of this conflict.” “We call on all parties in Syria to protect civilians, particularly those from Syria’s minority communities, to respect international military norms and to work to achieve a resolution to include the political settlement,” Shapiro said. “Multiple actors in this conflict have a terrible track record to include Assad’s horrific crimes, Russia’s indiscriminate aerial bomb bombardment, Iranian-backed militia involvement and the atrocities of ISIS,” he added. Shapiro, however, was careful not to directly say Assad had been deposed by the insurgents. “If (that is) confirmed, no one should shed any tears over the Assad regime,” he said. As they pushed toward the Syrian capital of Damascus, the opposition freed political detainees from government prisons. The family of missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice renewed calls to find him. “To everyone in Syria that hears this, please remind people that we’re waiting for Austin,” Tice’s mother, Debra, said in comments that hostage advocacy groups spread on social media. “We know that when he comes out, he’s going to be fairly dazed & he’s going to need lots of care & direction. Direct him to his family please!” Tice disappeared in 2012 outside Damascus, amid intensification of what became a civil war stretching more than a decade. “We’ve remained committed to returning him to his family,” Biden said at the White House. “We believe he’s alive, we think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence to that yet. And Assad should be held accountable.” The president added: “We have to identify where he is.” The U.S. has no new evidence that Tice is alive but continues to operate under the assumption that he is, according to a U.S. official. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, added that the U.S. will continue to work to identify Tice’s whereabouts and to try to bring him home.

Dave & Buster’s expects to open its first Killeen location in the summer of 2025 according to a spokesperson for the company. The new entertainment and restaurant center will have more than 100 arcade games, innovative drinks and a chef-crafted food menu according to the spokesperson. It will also include a massive 40-feet high-definition TV designed to offer an unrivaled viewing experience at its state-of-the-art sports bar. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Horoscope Today, December 9, 2024: Explore Astrological Insights For Your Zodiac Sign

Big Lots reaches deal to keep hundreds of US stores open The discount chain Big Lots has reached a deal that will keep hundreds of its stores open. Big Lots said it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, which specializes in distressed companies. Gordon Brothers will then transfer Big Lots’ stores to other retailers. Variety Wholesalers, which owns more than 400 U.S. discount stores, plans to acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores and operate them under the Big Lots brand. Big Lots filed for bankruptcy protection in September, saying inflation and high interest rates had cut back on consumer demand for its furniture and other products. Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. Trump's request Friday came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court. Oral arguments are scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The brief said Trump opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” Stock market today: Wall Street slips as the 'Magnificent 7' weighs down the market NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing lower as Wall Street ends a holiday-shortened week on a down note. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Friday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 333 points, or 0.8%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 1.5%. The “Magnificent 7” stocks weighed on the market, led by declines in Nvidia, Tesla and Microsoft. Even with the loss, the S&P 500 had a modest gain for the week and is still headed for its second consecutive annual gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.62%. 10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — As the calendar changes to 2025, you might be thinking about how to approach your relationship with money in the new year. Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated. If you’re planning to make financial resolutions for the new year, experts recommend that you start by evaluating the state of your finances in 2024. Then, set specific goals and make sure they’re attainable for your lifestyle. Janet Yellen tells Congress US could hit debt limit in mid-January WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling, as early as January 14th, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. The department has taken such action in the past. But once those measures run out the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow. An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in the president-elect’s political movement into public display. The argument previews fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — that is, wealthy members of the tech world who want more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says a ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser, said Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. Canadian Cabinet ministers meet with Trump's nominee for commerce secretary in bid to avoid tariffs TORONTO (AP) — Two top Canadian Cabinet ministers have met with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary at Mar-a-Lago as Canada tries to avoid sweeping tariffs when Trump takes office. New Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly met with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, as well as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department. The meeting was a follow up to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month. Trump has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs if Canada does not stem what he calls a flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States. Most Americans blame insurance profits and denials alongside the killer in UHC CEO death, poll finds WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger. So says a new poll from NORC at the University of Chicago. It finds that about 8 in 10 Americans say that the person who committed the killing has “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the Dec. 4 shooting of Brian Thompson. Still, some see suspect Luigi Mangione as a heroic figure. About 7 in 10 adults say coverage denials or health insurance profits also bear at least “a moderate amount” of responsibility for Thompson’s death. Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal? Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot has soared above $1 billion, and that’s still a big deal. After three months without anyone winning the top prize, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night. The high number has evoked headlines and likely lured more people to convenience stores with dreams of private spacewalks above the Earth. Jonathan Cohen is the author of the book “For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America.” He says he expects jackpots to continue to grow in size. Larger payouts attract more media attention, increase ticket sales and bring in new players.

When devices can read human emotions without a camera: Study Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers employed long-term skin conductance measurements to distinguish between emotions. Volunteers were shown videos representing frightening scenarios, family bonding, and humour, while their skin conductance was measured. The team's investigation revealed that traces might be used to create accurate estimations about which emotions were being experienced. Advances like this reduce an overreliance on facial data, bringing emotionally sensitive technologies closer to home. A new frontier is being pioneered in consumer electronics: one day, digital devices might be able to offer services depending on your emotional state. While it sounds amazing, this depends on whether devices can correctly tell what people are feeling. The most common methods rely on facial expressions: while these have had some success, such data may not always be available. This has led to researchers looking for different biological signals that could be interpreted to access emotional states, like brain wave measurements or cardiograms. A team of scientists led by Professor Shogo Okamoto from Tokyo Metropolitan University have been using skin conductance as a doorway to human emotions. When people feel different things, the electrical properties of their skin change drastically due to perspiration, with signals showing up within one to three seconds of the original stimulus. Previous research has already shown that measurements of peak conductance, for example, can be correlated with certain emotions. In their most recent work, the team focused on the dynamics of the response i.e. how quickly the conductance trace following some stimulus reaches a peak, and how it decays back to normal. In their experiment, volunteers were asked to wear probes on the skin and watch videos that were either scary scenes from horror movies, emotional scenes of family bonding, or funny acts performed by comedians. Importantly, each of the scenes had well-defined points at which a certain emotional stimulus was sought. Analyzing the traces, the team found many interesting and significant trends. For example, they found that the response to fear lasted the longest. This may be a biologically evolved trait since there are benefits to perceptions of danger lasting longer. Comparing responses to humour and emotional scenes of family bonding, they found responses to family bonding seemed to increase more slowly. The emotions that were evoked were most likely a mixture of sadness and happiness, so it may be that they interfere with each other, leading to a slower change. Importantly, the team's statistical analysis revealed that the different numbers extracted from the dynamics of the trace could be used to discriminate the emotional state of an individual. Though they can't yet tell the emotions apart perfectly, the data could, for example, be used to make statistically significant predictions of whether a subject was experiencing fear or feeling the warmth of a family bond. Combined with other signals, the team believe we are one step closer to devices knowing how we are feeling, with scope for a better understanding of human emotions.

A plane burst into flames after veering off a runway at an airport in South Korea on Sunday, killing at least 28 people on board, emergency officials said. The fire engulfed the aircraft carrying 181 people when it skidded off the runway just after landing and struck a barrier. The country's emergency office said its landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned. > Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Footage of the crash aired by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip, apparently with its landing gear still closed, and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility. The transport ministry said the incident happened at 9:03 a.m. local time. The National Fire Agency said the fire was almost put out but officials were still trying to pull people from the Jeju Air passenger plane at the airport in the southern town of Muan. At least 28 people had died in the fire, the agency said. Emergency workers pulled out two people — one passenger and one crew member. It said it deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the fire. Emergency officials said they were examining the cause of the fire. Local TV stations aired footage showing thick pillows of black smoke billowing from the plane engulfed with flame. Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world. The incident came as South Korea is embroiled into a huge political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. Last Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached acting President Han Duck-soo and suspended his duties, making Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok to take over. Choi ordered officials to employ all available resources to rescue the passengers and crew, according to Yonhap news agency. Yoon’s office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, will preside over an emergency meeting between senior presidential staff later on Sunday to discuss the crash.The festive season is a time when the gap between the haves and have-nots is most pronounced. In Singapore, one of the most affluent nations in the world by gross domestic product per capita, entire families still live out of tiny one-room or two-room rental flats , and struggle to afford basic needs. Mental health issues such as loneliness are more prevalent, particularly among our ageing population . It is not that we lack social service organisations to address the wide spectrum of needs – Singapore has many hundreds of social service agencies, and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) supports over 500. Yet, there remain gaps in support for those among us who need it most. Given that the end of the year is typically a time when people think about giving back to the community, it felt particularly apt to sit down for a conversation with Tan Li-San, the chief executive officer of NCSS, on what could make a real difference to Singapore’s communities in need. A volunteer since she was 15, Tan said the challenges are whether charities can fully meet the needs of people and families with multifaceted needs, ensuring that social service agencies are well equipped, and rousing both corporates and individuals. Her vision for NCSS: Beyond a membership body or a funder, she hopes to grow the statutory board into a “sector developer” in the true sense of the word, “putting together strategic frameworks and supporting systems in order to allow our charities to better meet the needs of Singaporeans”. MEETING COMPLEX NEEDS Despite there being so many social service agencies, some vulnerable families and persons still fall through the gaps. “Usually, the families that require the most support have multiple needs, and the needs are quite multifaceted,” Tan explained. For example, one such family may have an incarcerated father, a mother working multiple jobs, children within the family from different fathers who may not be going to school or have their basic needs met because parents are absent or too busy, she said. These problems are too complex for a single agency or programme to tackle alone. Such a family might benefit from the Singapore Prison Service’s rehabilitation and reintegration programmes; Family Service Centres’ support in acquiring financial assistance, counselling services, family and employment support; as well as the Singapore Children Society’s support for children and youth in need. With social service agencies, there is a “tendency to look after that one slice (they are responsible for),” Tan explained. “The fact that the family has to go to different places to seek help... there’s some loss of dignity in that.” Tan sees NCSS’ role as taking a more integrated approach, providing a continuum of care from multiple agencies working together for more holistic support. For instance, NCSS spearheaded the collaboration between Montfort Care, Fei Yue Community Services, and Yong-en Care Centre to set up JiaYou, which was launched in August this year. Located at Chinatown Point, this centre supports seniors and caregivers across Singapore via community engagement, dementia care, caregiver counselling, a caregivers’ cafe, an active ageing programme and workshops on palliative care management. “The idea behind it is that instead of funding singular services or silo services, we create a centre where a particular group, in this case, seniors, should be able to get all their needs met,” she said. BETTER SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES Sometimes, Tan said, social service agencies lack the organisational capacity to work optimally. She sees NCSS’ role as building the right support systems to boost the efficiency of agencies. Joining NCSS in January 2020, Tan witnessed firsthand the importance of this when Singapore went into the circuit breaker three months later, in April. “(Social services) is a sector that’s not been very much digitalised. Not every staff had a computer, their networks were slow, there was no business continuity in place,” she said. During the period of virtual meetings, this became extremely challenging. “Not all the social service agencies had the creativity or the agility to transform the way they serve so there was that period of messiness and chaos,” she said, adding that this was also a period of isolation for some seniors and persons with disability, which may have impacted developmental progress. The silver lining was that the pandemic gave Tan’s team the impetus to help agencies better develop their technology, digital capacities and human resources capacity. “We amalgamated all these different initiatives into one scheme that really helps social service agencies to focus on diagnosing what areas they should invest in, what would make greatest impact, and then providing the funding and support for them to build these capabilities,” she said. Manual tasks such as note-taking and transcribing are now automated, freeing up time for social workers to focus on their clients, Tan said. In some cases, real-time data can be collected so that rehabilitation programmes can be personalised. She urged the public and donors to adopt this view when thinking about their donation dollars: That funds are also needed for developing an agency’s organisational capacity. “Among donors, they come with the lens that all their donation dollars must go to the service user or programmes that directly benefit the service user,” Tan noted. When a portion of donor funds are channelled towards technology, digitalisation and human resources, it can amplify the impact of social service agencies, she said. GALVANISING THE COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER Another common misconception is that social services are only for low income and disabled persons. But in time to come, these services are likely to impact larger segments of society, said Tan. “Society is changing. Demographics are changing. Mental health issues are becoming far more salient. I think this is partly because of the pains of life – work is more stressful, change is faster,” Tan said. “There’s going to be a whole sandwiched middle class who still can’t afford to pay S$200 a pop for counselling sessions. How do you support families like these, including sandwiched families who are also caregivers for elderly and children?” she said. “People are also staying single, not having kids, and there’ll be more isolation going forward,” she added. “At our recent board retreat, someone talked about how, in the future, the whole definition of what is family might change. Maybe you can no longer rely on family as a first line of support anymore. Maybe your “family” is your neighbour or your volunteer that you see every other day,” she said. How can we tackle these changes as a society? “It requires every Singaporean to be looking out for each other, to be thinking about how they can support each other, to be empathetic and look at who around you might need support and help,” said Tan. Another rising issue is the impact of climate on social support. “Around our region, many have already succumbed to heat stress and heat exhaustion. In Singapore, thankfully, this has not happened yet. But is it a matter of time? Is it the most vulnerable populations who are susceptible? I think these are some of the things that we’re thinking about,” she said. Because these issues affect everyone, Tan believes all Singaporeans should get involved. And she sees NCSS’ integral role in rousing communities and corporates to do more, and in an impactful and holistic way. “Corporates tend to want to come in at Christmas to run a Christmas party. But actually, what they want to do is not always what the charity needs,” said Tan. To encourage corporates to contribute more meaningfully, Tan and her team have created a sustainable philanthropy framework to help organisations measure their social impact based on how much they donate, volunteer and adopt socially-inclusive business practices, as well as the outcomes of their efforts. The mother of three teenagers also encouraged Singaporeans in general to be more active in volunteering and helping those in need around them. Having started her volunteer journey in her teens, one incident that remains etched in her memory is visiting a tiny HDB rental flat at the age of 15 and witnessing a mother on the floor with her immobile teenage son, who suffered from a form of muscular dystrophy. “Clearly, the mother loved the child very much, but didn’t have the resources, maybe the knowledge, to really support the child. What struck me then was those of us who are in a position to help should do so,” she reflected. “It is more than just about people giving time or money. It’s really also about building that stronger sense of solidarity amongst Singaporeans,” said Tan. CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg .