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Straits Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
New research institute will grow S'pore's talent in nuclear energy, safety
Find out what's new on ST website and app. On July 11, a new Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute was launched. SINGAPORE - With discussions on nuclear energy progressing around the world, Singapore is now building its expertise in this area with the launch of a new nuclear research and safety institute. On July 11, the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute (SNRSI) was launched with an expanded research scope, additional funding, and an aim to train up 100 nuclear experts by 2030 – up from the 50 today. The institute's predecessor was the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative, which did not have its own building. There are at least two benefits of training Singapore's own pool of talent in this area. First, it could help Singapore better assess the suitability of deploying nuclear energy reactors here. Given different geographies, countries will have different access to energy resources. Some may be more endowed with renewable energy resources, such as wind or solar, compared to other nations, which may have to look to alternatives such as nuclear or geothermal energy. Even for countries considering nuclear energy, what works in one location may not work in another. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia At least 19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes into college campus Singapore Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH Singapore 2 workers stranded on gondola dangling outside Raffles City Tower rescued by SCDF Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region Singapore NTU introduces compulsory cadaver dissection classes for medical students from 2026 Singapore Fine, driving ban for bus driver who hit lorry, causing fractures to passenger and injuring 16 others Business $1.1 billion allocated to three fund managers to boost Singapore stock market: MAS Singapore Jail for man who conspired with another to bribe MOH agency employee with $18k Paris trip This is where it is essential to have talent with a keen understanding of local constraints and considerations, to be able to properly assess the risks and benefits of incorporating nuclear energy into the energy mix. Second, given that other countries in South-east Asia have indicated interest in tapping nuclear energy, local capabilities will put Singapore in a better position to understand the technology. This could improve national response to any radiological incidents in the region, should they occur. Five Asean countries – Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand – have said they are either studying the feasibility of advanced nuclear technology to meet their growing energy needs, or already have plans to build new reactors in the coming decades. Dr Michael Short, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's department of nuclear science and engineering, said the new institute will better help Singapore assess risks from regional nuclear facilities, and domestic ones as well if the Republic decides to deploy them. 'If Singapore doesn't build up nuclear expertise, it will be left both behind and at unknown risk of issues from Asean neighbours,' he said. But if the country were to build up its domestic capabilities in nuclear, it could boost its domestic risk assessments, and ensure greater safety for the region. Dr Victor Nian, founding co-chairman of independent think-tank Centre for Strategic Energy and Resources, said the launch of the institute is important for Singapore to 'accelerate its capacity building' in nuclear energy. SNRSI can help advance Singapore's collective knowledge in nuclear energy, he said. The institute can also help Singapore get plugged into international nuclear dialogues and collaborations, which could boost the Republic's engagement in nuclear research and public engagement. The launch of the institute is a significant step forward in the nation's approach to nuclear energy. In 2012, Singapore had initially considered atomic power unsuitable for the small island state. Dr Alvin Chew, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at NTU, said Singapore had mooted the idea of nuclear energy deployment almost two decades ago to shore up its energy resilience. But the large conventional nuclear fission plants, which are the predominant types in operation currently, were not suitable for the densely populated country. Under regulations set by the UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, an emergency planning zone outside the facility is needed for the location of a nuclear power plant, he said. Since then, there have been multiple advancements from Singapore's original position. In particular, small modular reactors gained traction in the mid-2010s, said Dr Chew. These reactors are thought to be more suitable for land-scarce, population-dense Singapore as they have a lower power capacity, enhanced safety standards and require much smaller buffer zones, compared with conventional reactors. 'Therefore, Singapore is keeping the nuclear option open as SMRs will be deployed in the near future,' he said. In 2022, a report by the Energy Market Authority mentioned that emerging technology, including nuclear and geothermal, could potentially supply around 10 per cent of Singapore's energy needs by 2050. The EMA, which monitors emerging energy technologies, has also gone on learning trips to other countries such as the UK and Germany to learn from the best minds in nuclear energy. Singapore has also signed agreements with other countries to learn more about the nuclear technologies and scientific research. The new institute marks the next step in the country's journey: from a horizon scan of emerging nuclear technologies to investing in its own capabilities for research. Safety will continue to be a focus. This is key, since the impacts of a nuclear accident will be more consequential in densely populated areas like in Singapore, said Dr Chew. For example, the new five-storey building will have nuclear safety simulation labs where researchers create computer software to model virtual replicas of advanced reactors and run accident scenarios to assess their risks and what could happen during a meltdown. Studies are also done in radiobiology labs to assess the effects of chronic, low-dose radiation on the human body. Dr Dinita Setyawati, a senior energy analyst at energy think-tank Ember, said the nuclear safety research signals to the public that any potential deployment is grounded in scientific evidence and robust safety standards. This could go some ways in establishing long-term public trust. Experts have said that engagement with the public on the risks and benefits of nuclear energy is critical, as public perception could influence policy decisions. A good starting point to gauge public perception would be to carry out surveys to understand the public's level of awareness, as well as opinion, on the use of nuclear energy.
Boston Globe
01-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
The dollar has its worst start to a year since 1973
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up RETAIL Advertisement Lululemon's lawsuit against Costco highlights the rise of fashion 'dupes' Advertisement A Lululemon store in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Fashion 'dupes,' or less expensive versions of high-end clothing and other accessories, are just about everywhere these days. They're also drawing some businesses into legal battles. In the latest example, Lululemon slapped a lawsuit against Costco on Friday, accusing the wholesale club operator of selling lower-priced duplicates of some of its popular athleisure apparel. Across the retail industry, it's far from a new phenomenon. But social media is pushing the culture of online dupe shopping to new heights as influencers direct their followers to where they can buy the knockoffs. Want a taste of Hermès's $1,000 fuzzy slippers? Target has a version for $15. Looking for a $2,800 price Bottega Veneta hobo bag? There's a version for $99 on online clothing and accessories upstart Quince, which has become a go-to for fashionistas. It's not even the first time Lululemon has encountered what it says are knockoffs of its clothing, which often carry steep price tags of over $100 each for leggings and sporty zip-ups. Without specifying additional sellers beyond Costco in Friday's complaint, Lululemon noted that a handful of companies have 'replicated or copied' its apparel to sell cheaper offerings — including those popularized online through hashtags like 'LululemonDupes' on TikTok and other social media platforms. — ASSOCIATED PRESS TECH Cloudflare introduces default blocking of AI data scrapers The Cloudflare headquarters in San Francisco in 2019. Michael Short/Bloomberg Cloudflare, a tech company that helps websites secure and manage their internet traffic, said Tuesday that it had rolled out a new permission-based setting that allows customers to automatically block artificial intelligence companies from collecting their digital data, a move that has implications for publishers and the race to build AI. With Cloudflare's new setting, websites can block — by default — online bots that scrape their data, requiring the website owner to grant access for a bot to collect the content, the company said. In the past, those whom Cloudflare did not flag as a hacker or malicious actor could get through to a website to gather its information. 'We're changing the rules of the internet across all of Cloudflare,' said Matthew Prince, the chief executive of the company, which provides tools that protect websites from cyberattacks and helps them load content more efficiently. 'If you're a robot, now you have to go on the toll road in order to get the content of all of these publishers.' Cloudflare is making the change to protect original content on the internet, Prince said. If AI companies freely use data from various websites without permission or payment, people will be discouraged from creating new digital content, he said. The company, which says its network of servers handles about 20 percent of internet traffic, has seen a sharp increase in AI data crawlers on the web. Data for AI systems has become an increasingly contentious issue. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and other companies building AI systems have amassed reams of information from across the internet to train their AI models. High-quality data is particularly prized because it helps AI models become more proficient in generating accurate answers, videos, and images. But website publishers, authors, news organizations, and other content creators have accused AI companies of using their material without permission and payment. — NEW YORK TIMES Advertisement ENTERTAINMENT New 'Squid Game' season breaks Netflix records in win for Korea Participants performed during the "Squid Game" Season 3 parade and finale event on June 28 in Seoul. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty The third season of Netflix Inc.'s blockbuster series Squid Game racked up record viewership in its first three days, reinforcing the Korean survival drama's status as a global cultural phenomenon. The final season of the dystopian thriller logged more than 60 million views in its first three days — the biggest debut in that time frame — and ranked No. 1 across all 93 countries with top 10 rankings, according to Netflix. That compares with the debut of the previous season, which drew 68 million views in the first four days. The runaway success of Squid Game highlights the enduring international appeal of Korean storytelling and Netflix's pivotal role in amplifying it. The series reflects deep-seated social anxieties while spotlighting South Korea's creative firepower. For Netflix, which has invested billions of dollars into Korean content, the challenge now is sustaining momentum with a pipeline strong enough to command global attention. Originally released in 2021, Squid Game was an instant hit and a cornerstone of Netflix's local-for-local strategy. The series remains Netflix's most-watched title of all time, amassing approximately 600 million views across its first two seasons to date. — BLOOMBERG NEWS Advertisement MEDIA Trump and Paramount in 'advanced' talks to settle '60 Minutes' suit Shari Redstone, Paramount's controlling shareholder. Martina Albertazzi/Bloomberg Lawyers for President Trump and the parent company of CBS News said in a legal filing Monday that the two sides were 'engaged in good faith, advanced, settlement negotiations' over his suit against the company and requested that the court stay its proceedings until Thursday. Trump's lawyers have argued that CBS News misleadingly edited a '60 Minutes' interview with former vice president Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign, tipping the scales toward the Democratic Party. CBS News has denied wrongdoing. The filing is the clearest sign yet that the two sides are nearing a settlement that they have discussed for several months. The lawsuit, which many legal experts have said was baseless, was viewed by some executives at Paramount, which owns CBS, as a potential hurdle to completing a multibillion-dollar sale of the company to the Hollywood studio Skydance. Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, has said the president's lawsuit against Paramount was not linked to the FCC's review of the company's merger with Skydance. Paramount has said that the lawsuit with Trump is 'completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction.' — NEW YORK TIMES Advertisement
