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AMSTERDAM/ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: In the middle of Rotterdam’s Merwehaven port where ships used to dock, there now stands a floating dairy farm. A three-storey facility spanning 1,800 square metres, the farm is home to 35 cows and 4 newly born calves since opening in May. With a location that’s very different from the normal rolling green hills, its owners hope to showcase food production that takes place closer to where consumers live and that is done in a “climate-adaptive way”. READ: Tides of change - From fighting against the seas to living with it - How the Netherlands kept itself dry READ: Fending off the floods – 5 things to know about polders and how they could work in Singapore “When cities are flooded, one of the challenges we saw is how to feed major cities with fresh food and reduce transportation,” said founder Peter van Wingerden. “We thought we can help with farms that are built on the water and produce food inside the cities.” To do so, the … [Read more...] about Tides of change: Amid rising sea levels, the Dutch float new initiatives with farms and more homes on water

SINGAPORE: The construction of a 60 megawatt-peak (MWp) floating solar photovoltaic (PV) system on Tengeh Reservoir has begun, announced national water agency PUB and Sembcorp Floating Solar Singapore on Tuesday (Aug 18). The system will enable Singapore to integrate green technology with water treatment, with enough clean energy generated to power PUB’s local water treatment plants when the project begins full commercial operations in 2021. This will offset 7 per cent of PUB's energy needs, said the announcement. READ: Singapore to have 100% green waterworks by 2021, as PUB aims to reduce carbon footprint READ: PUB to deploy Singapore's first large-scale floating solar panel system by 2021 “With this floating solar power plant, which we believe to be one of the largest in the world, PUB takes a big step towards enduring energy sustainability in water treatment," said Ng Joo Hee, chief executive of PUB. "Solar energy is plentiful, clean and green, and is key to … [Read more...] about Construction begins on Tengeh Reservoir floating solar farm, touted as one of world’s largest

This article was first published on May 14, 2014, and updated on May 17, 2017. The first National Day Parade at the floating platform was held in 2007. The floating platform, which can seat about 27,000, was intended as a stop-gap measure since the National Stadium, the venue for the National Day Parade, was torn down in 2007. The chance to see the first NDP on water drew nearly 470,000 applications for just 54,000 tickets. It was the second highest number of applications since 2003 and inspired touts to hawk tickets online for as much as $250 each. Ten years on, the 2017 National Day Parade will return to the floating platform after a two-year hiatus. We look back at the NDPs held on the water since that first one in 2007. 2014 2013 2012 2011 2009 2008 2007 … [Read more...] about Looking back at National Day Parades on the Floating Platform at Marina Bay

Let’s all admit it: Many of us were stubbornly clinging on to the faintest of hopes that travel regulations would’ve eased up by now, which was why we held off taking our leave days. That, of course, hasn’t been the case. And now we’ve got our bosses and HR colleagues breathing down our necks to hastily clear them. While the most obvious option is to plan breaks around weekends for maximum enjoyment, that might not be the most strategic way – because everyone’s doing that. So why not take time off on weekdays instead? You can take full advantage of the fewer people and, when it comes to staycations, cheaper rates. If the idea is to take a few days off from work for the sake of your mental and physical wellbeing, jostling with the weekend crowd might not work. We’ve taken the liberty to gather some suggestions on how best to experience weekdays off in Singapore. Depending on whether you’re looking for some time for yourself, activities with your significant other, or if … [Read more...] about Clearing your annual leave? What to do in Singapore on weekdays minus the crowds

TOKYO: Carlyle Group plans to list Japan's WingArc1st Inc and is set to win approval for a listing as early as Thursday, two sources said, after the U.S. fund twice failed to float the software firm. WingArc1st, which develops and sells business software, including cloud-based software, is likely to list by the middle of March with a market capitalisation of around 50 billion yen (US$475 million), the sources said, declining to be identified because the information is not yet public. It would be the first company to pull off an initial public offering (IPO) in Tokyo after twice failing to do so. Carlyle and the Tokyo Stock Exchange both declined to comment. A spokesman for WingArc1st said the company is considering a listing, but declined to comment further. (US$1 = 105.6000 yen) (This story corrects headline and first paragraph to show US$475 million is the company's estimated market cap, not the IPO value) (Reporting by Takashi Umekawa; Additional reporting by … [Read more...] about Carlyle to IPO Japan’s WingArc1st, valuing firm at US$475 million, sources say