Singapore (VNA)🍸 - Singapore plans to expand an initiative to coat Housing Board blocks with heat-reflective paint to all public estates by 2030, after a pilot project in Tampines showed that the cool paint reduced ambient temperatures by up to 2°C.
Singapore's Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How was quoted by local media on February 3 as saying that scaling up this initiative to all existing estates will cost the government an additional 60 million SGD (43.8 million USD).
The Housing & Development Board (HDB) of Singapore said that public housing blocks will also be fitted with smart electrical sub-meters from the second quarter of 2025 to track energy consumption patterns and the performance of common services, such as lifts, lights and water pumps, in each block.
These are among new initiatives and updates to the Green Towns Programme, which is a 10-year plan launched in 2020 to make existing HDB towns more sustainable and liveable by 2030 through cooling them, reducing energy consumption and recycling rainwater.
The expanded use of heat-reflective paint comes after a two-year pilot launched in 2021 by HDB and Tampines Town Council to apply cool coatings on the facades of some 130 HDB blocks in the estate.
Additives in cool paint reflect the heat from the sun to reduce surface heat absorption, and less heat is emitted as a result.
Apart from reducing the area’s ambient temperature, households in blocks painted with cool coatings also used less electricity as less energy from air-conditioners was needed to cool their flats, said HDB.
Meanwhile, data from the new smart electric sub-meters – to be installed in the consumer switch rooms of HDB blocks – will allow town councils to compare energy usage across HDB blocks and track the demand and supply for individual blocks in the estate.
The data collected will also help town councils optimise maintenance cycles of the common services, as well as detect anomalies such as equipment faults, to minimise downtime./.
In the context of an increasingly multipolar and unpredictable world, Singapore has no choice but remains open and inclusive, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore will "reduce slightly the slope" of the dollar trading band, which it said will ensure medium-term price stability.
A committee reviewing Singapore’s electoral boundaries was established by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, the Elections Department (ELD) said on January 22.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925–2025), Nikulina, who is also a veteran journalist of Russia’s Sputnik News, emphasised the vital role of mainstream journalism in defending the truth and maintaining public trust.
