Commentary: Synthetic milk made without cows? That could radically disrupt the dairy industry

No cows needed. Unlike synthetic meat - which can struggle to match the complexity and texture of animal meat - synthetic milk is touted as having the same taste, look and feel as normal dairy milk, says this writer.

File photo. Draining leftover milk from the udder of a cow at a dairy farm in Dmytrivka, eastern Ukraine, Aug 10, 2022.
(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Milena Bojovic

31 Aug 2022 

SYDNEY: The global dairy industry is changing. Among the disruptions is competition from food alternatives not produced using animals – including potential challenges posed by synthetic milk.

From reduced mask requirements to the repeal of 377A: 7 key takeaways from NDR 2022

A sea of Singapore flags at the National Day Parade on Aug 9, 2022. (File photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)

Kurt Ganapathy

21 Aug 2022 

SINGAPORE: In his 2022 National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 21), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the COVID-19 situation in Singapore and the rising cost of living amid geopolitical tensions.

The repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code and the enshrinement of marriage in Singapore’s Constitution were among the key policy and legislative announcements Mr Lee made during his speech at the Institute of Technical Education headquarters in Ang Mo Kio.

A significant portion of the Prime Minister’s speech was also dedicated to upcoming infrastructure projects that will help the country retain its status as a hub for trade and aviation.

China unveils new perks aimed at boosting slowing birth rate

16 Aug 2022

BEIJING: China on Tuesday (Aug 16) announced a slew of perks aimed at encouraging families to have more babies, as birth rates hit a record low and officials warned that the population will start to shrink by 2025.

Although Beijing ended its "one-child rule" in 2016 and last year allowed couples to have three children, birth rates have
slipped over the past five years. (Photo: AFP/Noel Celis)

Commentary: China's rise is still not a given

China’s ability to face future challenges will be constrained by the fact that it’s still a developing country, says an observer.

By Henry Storey

15 Jul 2020 

[Note: The news article is two years old.]

MELBOURNE: When discussing the rise of China, a sense of inevitability often pervades.

China’s sheer population size and economic base will inevitably see it become the dominant regional power – or so the argument goes. China’s faster reopening from COVID-19 lockdowns has added to such arguments. [This was in early 2020. Situation has changed in 2022.]

But just how far will China rise? Given the price tag of Australia’s new defence posture – and the significant opportunity costs at a time when COVID-19 will stretch budgets – it is worth still asking the question.

Pair of new studies point to natural Covid origin

Fusion Medical Animation/Unsplash

The researchers concluded it was unlikely that there was human circulation prior to November 2019.

July 27, 2022

WASHINGTON — An animal market in China's Wuhan really was the epicentre of the Covid pandemic, according to a pair of new studies in the journal Science published Tuesday (July 26) that claimed to have tipped the balance in the debate about the virus' origins.

Answering the question of whether the disease spilled over naturally from animals to humans, or was the result of a lab accident, is viewed as vital to averting the next pandemic and saving millions of lives.

The first paper analysed the geographic pattern of Covid cases in the outbreak's first month, December 2019, showing the first cases were tightly clustered around the Huanan Market.

The second examined genomic data from the earliest cases to study the virus' early evolution, concluding it was unlikely the coronavirus circulated widely in humans prior to November 2019.

Both were previously posted as "preprints" but have now been vetted by scientific peer review and appear in a prestigious journal.

China censors strive to filter or erase details of mortgage protests

July 21, 2022


Summary

• Homebuyers balk at paying mortgages on unfinished housing
• Censors scramble to erase or filter details of boycotts
• Protests come at a sensitive time for Chinese leader

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, July 20 (Reuters) - As China grapples to contain a mortgage boycott that has triggered rare protests, censors have gone into overdrive with social media messages blocked, videos of demonstrations wiped and key word searches coming up blank.

Censors are scrambling to filter or erase details of angry homebuyers threatening to stop paying mortgages on hundreds of unfinished housing projects, as regulators seek to reassure residents that everything will be taken care of.

New SERS rehousing options for Ang Mo Kio flat owners will apply to similar projects in future: Desmond Lee

Blocks 562 to 565 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 have been picked for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).
(Photo: CNA/Cheryl Lin)

Tang See Kit
04 Jul 2022 

SINGAPORE: The new rehousing options made available to some flat owners in Ang Mo Kio as part of the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) will apply to a similar exercise in Marsiling and future acquisitions under the scheme, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Monday (Jul 4).

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) over the weekend announced that eligible home owners under SERS will be able to purchase a new replacement unit on a shorter 50-year lease, instead of a fresh 99-year one. A second option allows residents who are seniors to take up the lease buyback scheme for their existing flat and buy a new replacement flat of the same flat type on a short lease.