$1m prize for innovative solutions for clean energy, sustainability

Cheryl Teh Straits Times 12 Jan 19;

Local non-profit organisation Temasek Foundation has launched its Liveability Challenge this year, issuing a global call for companies to come up with innovative solutions for clean energy and sustainability in tropical cities.

Its Ecosperity arm is offering a $1 million prize - which it claims is the biggest in Asia for such a competition - to the winning company, which will go towards project development, crowdfunding campaigns and mentoring opportunities.

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From fighting diabetes to food waste, start-ups cook up new ideas for food

Tang See Kit Channel NewsAsia 12 Jan 19;

SINGAPORE: Affecting more than 420 million people globally, diabetes has been described as one of the world’s fastest growing chronic diseases and for Alan Phua, it is one that he lost both his grandmothers to.

So when Verleen Goh, his business partner and a trained food scientist, suggested developing a product that’s not only diabetes-friendly but can also help with prevention, he agreed.

The product they envisioned will make starchy white rice “healthier” by lowering its glycemic index (GI), which is a measure of how a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose level. White rice, a staple of meals here in Singapore and the rest of Asia, has a high GI value that is deemed unhealthy for diabetics or those trying to keep their blood sugar at a healthy level.

After three years of research and development, the founders of Alchemy Foodtech have turned that idea into reality.

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Panic as family finds 3m-long python in toilet, then struggles to find agency to help remove snake

Adeline Tan The New Paper 11 Jan 19;

When his wife's screams woke him up at 6.45am, he found a slithery intruder in their Housing Board maisonette in Eunos.

What ensued was a two-hour drama where the family had to deal with a 3m reticulated python in their home while waiting for help to arrive.

Recalling the incident, which happened on Dec 30, the resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Goh, said his wife had run into their bedroom to wake him.

"She said there was a huge snake in the toilet. I thought she was exaggerating or had mistaken something else for a snake," he told The New Paper.

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Malaysia: Green turtle with 'floater syndrome' rescued off Gaya Island

Avila Geraldine New Straits Times 11 Jan 19;

KOTA KINABALU: An endangered green sea turtle, believed to be suffering from 'floater syndrome', was rescued by guests of a resort off Gaya Island, near here, on Tuesday.

The turtle was spotted floating at sea by guests and surf team of Shangri-la’s Rasa Ria Resort at 11.55am.

Sabah Wildlife Department assistant director Dr Sen Nathan said the group tried to push the turtle back further toward open water but the reptile kept swimming back to them.

Turtles with 'floater syndrome', a condition caused by excess accumulation of gas in the body, could not dive for food or protection.

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UN Environment expects Indonesia`s major role in marine waste prevention

Antara 11 Jan 19;

Children join a clean coast campaign in Parangkusumo Coast, Bantul, Yogyakarta, some time in 2018. (ANTARA FOTO/Hendra Nurdiyansyah/foc).

Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - UN Environment`s Regional Director for Asia-Pacific Dechen Tsering expects Indonesia to play a major role in preventing plastic waste from entering the sea.

"With regard to marine waste, we can see awareness, policies, regulations, and implementation," Tsering noted in a written statement received in Jakarta on Friday.

Tsering remarked that marine waste mostly came from Southeast Asia. She also realized that Indonesia and other countries in the region are working hard to tackle this problem.

Hence, Indonesia and the UN Environment plan to create a Regional Center for Capacity Initiative to Protect the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.

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