NEWS

Singapore digest news (07.11-12.11)

Photo by Anna Smirnova


PM Lee attends ASEAN summits in Cambodia, first to be held in person since COVID-19

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be attending the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits from Thursday to Sunday (Nov 10 to 13) in Cambodia, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a press release.

The theme for this year’s summit is “ASEAN A.C.T: Addressing Challenges Together”. Leaders will discuss the worsening situation in Myanmar, along with other regional and international developments.

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Bioengineering crops to yield more vegetable oils

Scientists from NTU Singapore have successfully bioengineered an important protein in plants to increase the yield of oil from their fruits and seeds – a holy grail for the global agri-food industry.
Their patent-pending method can increase oil content in seeds by 15 to 18 per cent, which is a significant improvement since major oil-producing crops such as soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, and peanut, already have a high percentage of oil in their seeds.

This innovation can help the world in its quest for sustainability, helping to reduce the amount of arable land needed for oil-yielding crops while increasing the yield to meet the world’s growing demand for vegetable oil, especially when facing effects of climate change.

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Enjoy free rides between Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 3 stations on Nov 11

Commuters can travel for free on Friday (Nov 11) across the 11 stations on Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Stage 3 from 10am to 9pm ahead of its official opening on Sunday.

As this is a preview of the third stage of the rail line, trains on TEL3 will only run in an "isolated loop" to allow for free travel between Stevens and Gardens by the Bay stations.

Commuters can explore the unique station architecture and features, civil defence shelters and interesting landmarks around the 11 stations. They can also take part in games and win exciting prizes. There will also be stage performances by LTA's Thoughtful Bunch mascots.

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Patients warded in Changi General Hospital could have their vital signs checked remotely in the future

Patients hospitalised in Changi General Hospital (CGH) may no longer need to have their sleep interrupted to get their vital signs checked. The hospital is testing out new wearable medical sensors that allow remote monitoring of patients' vital signs, even while they are asleep.

The technology involves attaching a chest patch and a finger oximeter onto patients to collect information on their conditions. The data is then sent to a central system, which can be accessed by nurses, without them having to leave their workstation.

“We are tapping on artificial intelligence to develop an algorithm to predict deterioration. So this will allow prediction of deterioration before it occurs (and) help the clinical team to apply measures before deterioration,” Dr Aza Taha, consultant in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at CGH, told CNA.

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Singapore passes law requiring social media sites to block harmful content 'within hours'

Social media sites will be required to block access to harmful content within hours, after a law to strengthen online safety was passed by Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 9).

If an online platform refuses to take down harmful content, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) can issue a direction to Internet access service providers to block access by users in Singapore.

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