SINGAPORE: An electric tram that requires just 20 seconds to recharge – while passengers board or alight at stations – will be trialled at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) campus for the next six months.
The trial was launched on Monday (Jan 22) by NTU and BlueSG, the same company that started an electric car-sharing scheme last year.
Dubbed Singapore’s first flash-charging electric shuttle, the Bluetram can travel 2km on a single charge, with backup power that provides for an additional 30km.
The 22-seater tram will run between JTC’s CleanTech One and NTU’s North Hill area, a distance of close to 1km.
As the vehicle stops along each station along the route, a robotic arm will emerge from the station, insert itself into the charging port and charge the super-capacitor in the vehicle.
The charging arm that charges the Bluetram’s super-capacitor. (Photo: Gwyneth Teo)
NTU and BlueSG said the super-capacitor is 10 times more efficient than lithium-ion batteries in discharging power, but holds power for a proportionally shorter length of time.
It is thus ideal for vehicles that do short sprints with lots of starts and stops.
Dr Subodh Mhaisalkar, Executive Director of Energy Research Institute @ NTU, said: “We look at vehicles like these for first- and last-mile transportation, such as feeder bus services.”
He added that the vehicles may be a game-changer in transportation here. “These can go indoors. These can go into the foyer of a building, the lobby of hospitals, into the airport. It brings up new possibilities in public transportation.”
The vehicles had previously been trialled at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, where six trams ran across seven stations up and down the Champs-Élysées.
As the NTU campus has more hilly terrains compared to the relatively flatter Champs-Élysées, the trial will allow the tram’s makers to test its performance on various terrains.
Additionally, the data collected will let scientists understand how the super-capacitors might react to different climate conditions, and what impact a larger roll-out of these vehicles will have on power grid infrastructure.
“For example, if there are hundreds of buses and taxis charging in a small area, we need to understand what impact it will have on the grid. The grid stability and reliability are things we cannot compromise,” said Dr Subodh.
If you’ve always wanted to join the annual OCBC Cycle but did not own a bicycle, Mobike has made it easier for you this year.
Up to 2,000 bicycles from bike-sharing firm Mobike will be made available at this year’s cycling fiesta to be held on May 5 and 6.
Participants will not need to pay a single cent to rent the bicycle to use at the event at the National Stadium. Cyclists will have to first create a Mobike account and sign up for OCBC Cycle 2018 to redeem a free bike ride for the event. On top of that, all participants who use Mobike’s service will receive a complimentary 2018 pass for Mobike bike-share rides until Dec 31.
This is the tenth year that OCBC Cycle is being held and a new The Corporate Chase category will be introduced, where companies can sign up a team of four employees to ride in the flag-off wave in The Sportive Ride (42km).
The company whose team has the fastest combined net time completing the distance will be crowned the OCBC Cycle Corporate Chase champion and will receive a trophy, prize money of $400 and a champion jersey for each rider.
On the charity side, the OCBC Cycle ‘Teach A Child To Cycle’ initiative will be extended to 48 youths with special needs this year, including eight from Hong Kong. After being taught to cycle by participant volunteers, these youths will then ride in a special segment on May 5 at the Singapore Sports Hub. The initiative benefited 26 children last year.
Online registration for OCBC Cycle 2018 opens on Jan 23 at 10am. Participants can enjoy special early bird registration fee with discounts up to $14 if they register between Jan 23 and Feb 28.
SINGAPORE – The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) issued a statement on Monday (Jan 22), alerting members of the public not to purchase or use two products found to cause adverse reactions in consumers.
The first product, ‘URE Tonic Herbal Traditional’ was purchased by a woman in her 50s who consumed the product daily for more than a year “to strengthen her body”.
The product, sold by a traditional practitioner in Malaysia, contained dexamethasone, which is a potent steroid.
The woman developed Cushing’s syndrome, a condition caused by prolonged consumption of steroids, and suffered complications such as persistent low blood pressure and a weakened immune system.
This resulted in pneumonia and sepsis, a life-threatening condition that involves tissue and organ injuries. She was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for treatment and is currently undergoing outpatient care.
In a separate case, a woman in her 20s visited ‘Anita iBrow’ beauty parlour in Orchard Road for a make-up session, which included the use of a facial solution that caused burns after use.
Sold in unlabelled brown glass bottles, the solution contained hydroquinone and tretinoin.
These are western medicinal ingredients used for the treatment of skin conditions, which should only be prescribed by a doctor and used under medical supervision.
According to the beautician, the facial solution was ‘RDL Hydroquinone Tretinoin Babyface Solution 3’, which she had purchased from an online platform for use on her customers.
She had poured the facial solution into two unlabelled brown glass bottles and sold them to the consumer as “magic water” to brighten up her skin.
However, after two to three days of daily application, the consumer experienced superficial chemical burns and skin peeling. Her skin had darkened and turned red and itchy, requiring treatment by a skin specialist.
HSA has directed the beautician to stop using and supplying the solution. The beautician is currently assisting in the investigation.
The Authority also advised consumers to be cautious when purchasing health products from unfamiliar sources, even if they are recommended by friends or relatives.
“Avoid buying or using unlabelled health products and be wary of products that promise quick and miraculous results. Such products may contain harmful ingredients which can cause serious health effects,” said HSA in the statement.
The authority also warned sellers to stop selling these two products immediately. It said they are illegal products which contain prohibited ingredients.
Anyone who supplies illegal health products is liable to prosecution and may be jailed up to three years and/or fined up to $100,000 if found guilty.
Malaysia’s very own international singer-songwriter Yuna (pic) is rumoured to reside permanently in the United States, Kosmo! reported.
Yuna, who will be marrying her fiance filmmaker Adam Sinclair later this year, is expected to stay on in the US after her wedding.
The 30-year-old singer moved to the US in 2009 and signed with a record label there.
She has worked with Pharrell Williams on two tracks and last year did a duet with Usher called Crush, which reached No.3 on the R&B Billboard chart.
Thousands of people lined up in the Irish city of Limerick Sunday to pay respects to Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan, who died suddenly in London last Monday, local media reported.
O’Riordan’s mother, as well as her five brothers and sister, accompanied the coffin holding her body into St Joseph’s Church in the city, in Ireland’s southwest, according to the RTE national broadcaster.
Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy said Sunday was Limerick’s public moment to bid farewell to O’Riordan, it added.
Footage of the crowds showed mourners braving adverse weather and sheltering under umbrellas as they queued to enter the church and file past the open coffin.
The 46-year-old frontwoman of the multi-million selling Irish rock band was found dead in a London hotel on Monday, aged 46.
Her private funeral, which will be attended by around 200 family members and friends, will take place in the Church of Saint Ailbe, in Ballybricken just outside Limerick, on Tuesday, the church said.
Following her death, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar was among the first to pay tributes, calling O’Riordan “the voice of a generation”.
London coroner Stephen Earl said Friday that he was awaiting test results following a post-mortem, with a full inquest set for April 3, although her death is not being treated as suspicious.
The Cranberries achieved international success in the 1990s with their debut album “Everyone Else is Doing it, So Why Can’t We?”, which included the hit single “Linger”.
The follow-up album gave rise to politically-charged single “Zombie”, an angry response to the deadly Northern Ireland conflict, which hit number one across Europe.
The band sold around 40 million records worldwide.
She was in London to record a version of “Zombie” with the hard rock band Bad Wolves, the group said on Tuesday.
The Cranberries’ greatest hits collection “Stars: The Best Of 1992-2002” has hit number 16 on Britain’s album chart, higher than when it was released in 2002.
When I applied for a flat in Punggol and told my friends about it about two years ago, they asked me incredulously, “Are you sure? There’s nothing there at all! It’s so far away from everything.”
Well, Punggol is now an upcoming housing hub and soon, it will also be something like Singapore’s “mini Silicon Valley”.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Sunday (21 Jan) launched the masterplan for the 50 hectares Punggol Digital District.
It is a collaboration among the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), JTC, and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).
The Digital District is located in Punggol North, where last year, was designated by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong as the “enterprise district” that will be a combination of housing, business, and education facilities.
In the announcement yesterday, DPM Teo said the first buildings of the district will be ready in five years’ time, and “will also serve as a test bed for a slew of new features and planning practices”.
“A Hub For Key Growth Sectors Of The Digital Economy”
The Punggol Digital District will become the heart of digital and cyber-security industries and is set to create 28,000 new jobs in tech and Information Technology (IT).
DPM Teo said the government is also looking at the possibility of moving relevant agencies to the district, like the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.
He said in a Channel NewsAsia (CNA) report, “This will help seed a new cluster of cybersecurity and technology firms in Punggol. Our residents can look forward to many exciting jobs close to home and gain new skills in these growth areas.”
SIT’s Punggol campus. Photo: Singapore Institute of Technology
According to The Straits Times article, SIT’s new campus located in the district “would create opportunities for students and faculty to exchange ideas with industry practitioners working there”.
JTC’s Assistant CEO David Tan agreed, he told CNA that this “exchange of spaces” will “foster open innovation and the sharing of ideas”.
He explained that even though “SIT’s land is zoned for education, [and] JTC’s business park is zoned as a business park”, both institutions can use each other’s facilities for their own purposes.
Business parks will begin construction this year and will be home to multinational corporations (MNCs), small, medium enterprises (SMEs), startups, and companies that are driven by technology and have “technology elements at the heart of its service”.
And SIT can be a “living lab” for such companies, according to SIT President Professor Tan Thiam Soon.
He cited the university’s partnership with grid operator, SP Group, as an example.
A micro-grid will be built in its campus, with any excess energy produced going back to the main grid to “support the district ‘in times of need'”.
Prof Tan said that joint efforts don’t have to be “all local companies” and that if foreign companies “need a place to test”, SIT will welcome them.
“Use our students, use our professors, we will be the place for you to test this new technology,” he added.
Futuristic Infrastructure Connecting Homes To Work To Life
The Punggol Digital District is surrounded by nearby HDB flats and estates; the nearest one is Northshore Edge, which will be completed in 2021.
Amenities such as a hawker centre, childcare centres, and a community club will be connected to nearby residential estates, according to CNA.
Graphic: Urban Redevelopment Authority
Located just west of Coney Island, residents and tenants of the district can escape to nature and explore the 13km-long heritage trail.
It is also just south of Punggol End, where there are already food and retail establishments present.
Travelling in and out of the district will also be seamless as it will be connected “by a host of new transport infrastructure” like the upcoming Punggol Coast MRT station.
The car-lite district has a large underground car park, so streets are safe for pedestrians, cyclists, and the burgeoning number of personal mobility devices riders.
Centralised systems that handle waste collection, cooling, and logistics are also in the plans. ‘Smart’ thermostats installed in the area can “detect changes outdoors and adjust the temperature indoors accordingly”.
Perhaps the most interesting feature lies in the centralised logistics area, where all goods delivered to the district will be delivered to tenants with “automated guided vehicles or drones”, according to Mr Tan.
on Facebook
“With this Punggol Digital District, we take another step to make our Waterfront Town even more vibrant and smart.” -…
Posted by JTC on Sunday, 21 January 2018
Young children now will stand to benefit in the future too, once the SIT campus is ready and the Punggol Digital District is fully furbished, there will be so many opportunities for them.
As a future Punggol resident myself, I’m looking forward to living there already.
A female patient was arrested on Saturday (Jan 20) for allegedly stealing a car at Mount Elizabeth Hospital at Orchard Road.
The car -a BMW – reportedly belongs to a 63-year-old woman who works as an oncologist in the hospital.
She had reported that her car was stolen on Friday (Jan 19) at around 4pm.
In a statement by the police, it said that officers from the Tanglin Police Division recovered the stolen car within 30 minutes of the report.
It was found abandoned in Scotts Road, near Newton MRT Station, reported The Straits Times.
Officers were able to establish the suspect’s identity with the aid of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.
The patient, 42, was arrested in Holiday Inn Express Singapore Katong in East Coast Road on the following day, at around 11am.
According to The Straits Times, the doctor had driven to the Basement 2 carpark of the hospital at around 2pm on Friday.
She could not find any lots, and stopped her car at the side, and placed her car key in the vehicle before leaving.
Normally, a valet staff member would move the car away once a parking space is available.
At around 3.45pm, the doctor returned to find that her car had been stolen.
A valet service staff then told her that her car had been driven off by a woman.
It is understood that the suspect is not a patient of the victim.
If convicted of motor vehicle theft, she could face a jail term up to seven years, and a fine.
Police investigations are ongoing.
The police also advised the public to park in well-lit areas, install anti-theft alarm systems, lock the vehicle doors, and keep track of suspicious characters to prevent such crimes from happening.
Jun Tae-soo, the younger brother of actress Ha Ji-won, died Sunday after reportedly battling depression.
The actors’ agency Haewadal Entertainment on Sunday released a statement addressing his untimely death. It read, “Jun passed away on Sunday at the age of 33.
He was being treated for depression and had recently been in discussions for his next project as an actor, as his condition seemed to improve.”
The agency also stated that Jun’s family plans to hold a private funeral attended only by families and close acquaintances, requesting the media refrain from covering Jun’s funeral. The location of the ceremony was not revealed.
The younger brother of actress Ha Ji-won gained public recognition for his role in KBS2′ hit series “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” in 2010. He also starred in dramas such as “All My Love,” “It’s Okay Daddy’s Girl” and most recently, “The King’s Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang.”
Following Jun’s passing, Ha is reported to have immediately withdrawn all her upcoming engagements, including a press event to promote the film “Manhunt,” which took place at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Seoul on Monday.
LOS ANGELES – Dark comedy “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” won three prizes at the Screen Actors Guild ( SAG) awards on Sunday in a ceremony marked by women and their stories amid the sexual misconduct scandal that has swept Hollywood.
The Fox Searchlight film about a furious woman seeking justice for the murder of her daughter was named best ensemble, the top SAG honour.
Frances McDormand won best actress and Sam Rockwell took home the best supporting actor statuette for their roles in the film.
Britain’s Gary Oldman won best actor for playing wartime leader Winston Churchill in Focus Features’ “Darkest Hour.” Allison Janney won for her supporting actress role as a demanding mother in independent ice-skating movie “I, Tonya.” The SAG awards are indicators of likely Oscar success in March because actors form the largest group of voters in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday.
The SAG ceremony took place after two days of marches by hundreds of thousands of women throughout the United States.
Host Kristen Bell said women were having a “watershed moment.” “Let’s make sure we lead the charge with empathy and diligence because fear and anger never win the race,” said Bell, star of television’s “The Good Place.” Accusations of sexual misconduct have forced dozens of powerful men in Hollywood to step down, be fired or dropped from creative projects.
Women, many of them leading actresses, have responded by breaking their silence through the #MeToo social media movement and the Time’s Up campaign for legal support of victims.
On the red carpet, women swapped the black gowns that marked support for victims of sexual harassment at the Golden Globes two weeks ago for brighter blues, green and metallic hues.
Best and worst dressed on the SAG awards 2018 red carpet
Women were the dominant theme inside the Shrine Auditorium.
Nicole Kidman, 50, won for playing a battered wife in HBO’s female-centric TV series “Big Little Lies.” “How wonderful that our careers today can go beyond 40 years old. Twenty years ago we were pretty washed up by this stage in our lives. This is not the case now,” Kidman said.
Aziz Ansari, nominated for his Netflix comedy series “Master of None,” was a no-show on Sunday after making headlines last week when a woman described feeling violated following an awkward date last year. Ansari said he believed their sexual activity was consensual.
Ansari lost the television comedy actor statuette to William H. Macy for “Shameless.” James Franco, a best actor nominee for “The Disaster Artist,” did show up but skipped the red carpet and did not win. Franco had kept a low profile since describing allegations of sexual impropriety against him by five women two weeks ago as”not accurate.” In television, NBC’s sentimental family drama “This is Us”was named the best drama ensemble cast in a surprise win over presumed front runners “The Crown” and dystopian series “A Handmaid’s Tale.” The cast of HBO political satire “Veep” won best ensemble for a television comedy. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer and missed the SAG show, was named best comedy actress.
“She’s genuinely been in good spirits when we’ve seen her, which I think will carry her along … She is incredibly strong and is uniquely able to combat something like this,” Timothy Simons, who plays Jonah Ryan on “Veep,” told reporters on Sunday.
