Bus collision with truck kills 11, injures 45 in Brazil
SAO PAULO - A crash between a bus and a truck in Brazil's center-western state of Mato Grosso killed 11 people and injured another 45 late Friday, the toll road operator and Brazil's federal highway police said on Saturday.
The injured were sent to nearby hospitals, firm Nova Rota do Oeste and the highway police said in separate statements.
Among the injured, 11 were in critical condition, 26 in moderate condition and eight had only minor injuries, they added.
Initial information indicates that a bus collided head-on with a truck transporting cottonseed near the city of Lucas do Rio Verde, according to the firm, which said it had been notified about the crash at 9:40 p.m. local time on Friday (0140 GMT Saturday). REUTERS
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Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
First voluntary redevelopment projects for HDB flats likely to be launched in first half of 2030s
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said that the public will be consulted on the Vers framework in this term of Government. SINGAPORE – The Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (Vers) for Housing Board flats will likely begin with a few sites in the first half of the 2030s, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat in a long-awaited update on the scheme. Looking ahead, the Government will focus its efforts on Vers, with no plans for further projects under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), he told local media outlets in an interview on Aug 5. Mr Chee also gave an update on Home Improvement Programme II, or HIP II, which refers to the second round of upgrades that HDB flats will undergo , to last flat owners till the end of their 99-year lease. Under both Sers and Vers, the Government takes back flats before the end of their 99-year lease to redevelop them and meet housing needs. While Sers is a compulsory scheme, which gives the Government full discretion on which HDB precincts to redevelop, Vers will involve home owners of selected precincts aged about 70 and up choosing if they want their homes to be acquired by the Government for redevelopment, before their leases run out. Under Sers – which began in 1995 – home owners are compensated based on the market value of their flats when a project is announced. The latest Sers project, which is currently ongoing, involves Blocks 562 to 565 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and was announced in April 2022. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 55,000 BTO units to be launched from 2025 to 2027, will help moderate HDB resale prices: Minister Singapore Over 118,000 speeding violations in first half of 2025; situation shows no signs of improvement: TP Singapore Israel's plan to step up Gaza offensive dangerous and unacceptable: MFA Singapore Four men arrested in Bukit Timah believed to be linked to housebreaking syndicates Singapore Criminal trial of Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and five others starts Aug 11 Singapore Why some teens cook despite Singapore's da bao culture Singapore Man arrested over hacking attempt on RedeemSG portal Singapore 'We could feel the heat from our house': Car catches fire in Bidadari area The terms of Vers have not been finalised. Mr Chee on Aug 5 set out the timeline for its implementation, in the first significant update since Vers was announced at the 2018 National Day Rally . 'In this term of government, our aim is to develop and flesh out the Vers framework,' said Mr Chee, who took office in May following the general election. The next election must be called by 2030. This includes 'setting parameters to identify possible Vers sites, ensuring sufficient homes are ready in time for residents who are involved in Vers to relocate to, and working out a fair package for Vers residents', he said. 'Unlike Sers, which involves precincts with high redevelopment potential, there is less financial upside to Vers, because the flats will be older, and hence the terms will be less generous,' he added. Mr Chee said that before Vers is launched in the 2030s, the authorities will seek Singaporeans' views and feedback on the scheme. He noted that Vers is a 'very long-term, very complex policy that will not only have to be fair to the current generation of flat owners, but must also be financially sustainable for future generations'. Once the public consultation is over, Vers will start 'with a few selected sites', said Mr Chee, adding that this will likely take place in the first half of the 2030s. 'We will continually review our processes as we go along, and progressively scale up Vers by the late 2030s,' he said. 'Our plan is to progressively offer Vers to selected estates in different parts of Singapore.' Referencing then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's 2018 rally speech, in which he explained that Vers will need to be implemented in stages, Mr Chee said the redevelopment of Singapore's older estates will have to take place in a 'measured and considered way'. Several older estates were rapidly built up in the 1970s and 1980s to meet the urgent housing demand then, Mr Chee noted. Should the leases of flats in these estates be allowed to run their full course, many residents will need to be relocated, and many homes built within a short time in the 2070s and 2080s. 'This will be very disruptive to residents who are staying in these towns,' he said, adding that it will hence be better for redevelopment to take place progressively over two to three decades. Examples of towns built in the 1970s and 1980s include Marine Parade, Ang Mo Kio and Bedok. Some of Singapore's oldest flats on 99-year leases were completed as early as in 1962, making them 68 years old in 2030. These flats are located in areas such as Tanjong Rhu, Tiong Bahru and Dakota. Block 6 Jalan Batu was completed in 1962, and its 99-year lease began on 1969. PHOTO: LIANHE WANBAO Mr Chee said that ideally, new flats for residents of Vers projects will be built not too far from their existing homes. Their existing precinct can then be redeveloped, and used to build new homes for residents of a subsequent Vers project, he said. 'That's why you need to do this in stages, to avoid this massive disruption to the entire town, especially in towns where there are many, many flats that are about the same age,' said Mr Chee. Home Improvement Programme II On HIP II, Mr Chee said works undertaken will be more extensive than the current HIP, which takes place about 30 years after flats are built and includes improvements such as upgraded toilets and repairs to spalling concrete. He said this is because flats will undergo HIP II at the 60- to 70-year mark. These older units hence require more work. For instance, said Mr Chee, the corrosion-resistant repair method that was rolled out for spalling concrete repairs under HIP in 2024 will be adopted 'more extensively for older flats undergoing HIP II'. New solutions that are not currently in HIP will also be explored for HIP II, he said. Mr Chee cited new detection technologies, such as using microwave scanning to identify concrete spalling that cannot be seen from the surface, or to narrow down the path of water seepage. He added that HDB has used this technology in some real-life cases, and is currently analysing results so that it can be used for HIP II. Mr Chee said HIP II and Vers are not mutually exclusive – meaning flats could undergo HIP II and subsequently be offered Vers. As Vers projects will be spread out over two to three decades, there may still be a need for flats to undergo HIP II when they are around 60 years old, so they remain liveable until they are redeveloped under Vers – should they come under the scheme, he said. More details on HIP II will be announced at the next Budget debate in 2026, he added.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘Heart-breaking': Bear in India refuses to abandon dying cub struck by speeding car
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A bear could be seen dragging her cub, struck by a speeding car, by the side of the road and tending to it for about an hour. A mother's love knows no bounds, and it is no different for bear mums. In video footage posted on social media site Instagram and widely circulated by thousands of heart-broken animal lovers, an Asiatic black bear is seen dragging her cub to the side of the road in India's Madhya Pradesh state. The cub was struck by a speeding car, as its mother – with her cubs in tow – was crossing the road. For about an hour, the bear can be seen trying to will her cub to live, even as the cub is in its death throes. Another cub is clinging onto her back as she paces the road. Mother bear first sits beside her dying cub, then stands over her – growling, groaning and even appearing to cry and beg for help. Reports said there was a third cub with her, but it was out of view of the camera. Forest rangers eventually arrived, and guided the bear and her surviving cubs back to the forest. They tried to revive the injured cub, but its injuries proved fatal. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 118,000 speeding violations in first half of 2025; situation shows no signs of improvement: TP Singapore Israel's plan to step up Gaza offensive dangerous and unacceptable: MFA Singapore Four men arrested in Bukit Timah believed to be linked to housebreaking syndicates Singapore Criminal trial of Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and five others starts Aug 11 Singapore Why some teens cook despite Singapore's da bao culture Singapore Man arrested over hacking attempt on RedeemSG portal Singapore 'We could feel the heat from our house': Car catches fire in Bidadari area Asia 'Pain in the neck': Cable theft on the track derails train speed and schedules in Malaysia The incident happened on Aug 6, and a video of it – viewed over 330,000 times – was posted by Indian Wild Animals on its Instagram page on Aug 9. The Times of India reported that the driver responsible for knocking down the cub had yet to be identified. Viewers overwhelmingly described the scene as 'heart-breaking'. 'Heartbreaking. Humans are beyond saving,' said one comment. Another said: 'Humans are the only curse that exists on this planet.' 'We've really failed them. We're supposed to protect them,' another comment said. Several people criticised the Indian government for failing to take into account wildlife habitation when building roads and railways. In a similar incident in May, an elephant was seen in a video trying to push a lorry that had hit her five-year-old calf on the road in the Malaysian state of Perak. The calf was said to have darted suddenly onto the road, and was hit by and pinned beneath the lorry. It later died. Its mother refused to leave, and at one point had become agitated and violent and rammed the lorry with her head. She had to be tranquilised and moved to a safer place.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘Every day, we think about how to upgrade': China's factories see rise in robot adoption
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Robotic arms lift freshly pressed plastic parts out of hot metal moulds and onto a conveyor belt at Midea's air-conditioner factory in Guangzhou. – When Mr Sun Huihai first began working at a factory in the southern manufacturing belt of Guangdong some 13 years ago, his colleagues were all humans. Now, they are joined by more than 200 robots that can work around the clock, seven days a week, to help produce air-conditioners for home appliances giant Midea. Rows of bright orange robot arms whir at all hours of the day, fishing freshly pressed plastic parts out of hot metal moulds and onto a long conveyor belt. Driverless robots with blinking lights store these parts in a multi-storey warehouse, and later take them to be assembled into units that are sold in China and around the world. The number of robots put to work on the factory floor increases every year, said Mr Sun, 37, who heads the plant's engineering department. 'Every day, we think about how to upgrade and make manufacturing here more intelligent,' he told The Straits Times. Scenes like this have become more common across China, as the 'factory of the world' turns to robotics to sustain and turbocharge its manufacturing juggernaut. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 118,000 speeding violations in first half of 2025; situation shows no signs of improvement: TP Singapore Israel's plan to step up Gaza offensive dangerous and unacceptable: MFA Singapore Four men arrested in Bukit Timah believed to be linked to housebreaking syndicates Singapore Criminal trial of Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and five others starts Aug 11 Singapore Why some teens cook despite Singapore's da bao culture Singapore Man arrested over hacking attempt on RedeemSG portal Singapore 'We could feel the heat from our house': Car catches fire in Bidadari area Asia 'Pain in the neck': Cable theft on the track derails train speed and schedules in Malaysia Over the past decade, the number of industrial robots on China's factory floors has increased more than six times to over 1.7 million, as companies grappled with rising wages and a shortage of workers willing to staff production lines. China now has the world's third-highest density of robots in its manufacturing industry, trailing South Korea and Singapore in first and second place respectively, according to the International Federation of Robotics' figures for 2023, the latest available. Their deployment is poised to increase further as China continues its transition from low-value, labour-intensive production to advanced manufacturing – a national priority. 'At any given time, China cannot do without the manufacturing industry,' said Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2023. 'The state will strongly support the development of high-end manufacturing.' Policymakers in China, wary of the hollowing out of industries which can occur when countries get richer, have long pushed for greater automation to keep factories competitive. A decade ago, the government rolled out 'Made in China 2025', a plan to upgrade manufacturing and become a production hub for high-tech sectors such as robots. Rebates, subsidies and other incentives have been offered to encourage factories to automate. A rise in domestic production of industrial robots has also reduced prices, making the machines more affordable. Factories in China pumped out nearly 370,000 of such robots in the first half of 2025, up 35.6 per cent from the previous year, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics. At the Midea factory in Nansha, Guangzhou, where Mr Sun works, there are 204 robotic arms and 82 automated guided vehicles. They are supplied by Kuka, a German industrial robot giant which the Chinese company bought over. One section of the plant, where plastic parts for the air-conditioner are moulded and retrieved, is dubbed a 'dark (heideng)' area. It is so named because of the high degree of automation: In theory, it can run without humans or any lights on, but in practice, it is brightly lit here at the plant. Not every part of the factory is as automated, a costly endeavour. Humans are needed to staff assembly lines, maintain the machines, and check the quality of manufactured parts. The facility employs some 4,000 workers during peak season, Mr Sun said. Mr Sun Huihai, 37, has worked for 13 years at Midea's air-conditioner factory in Guangzhou. ST PHOTO: JOYCE ZK LIM Elsewhere, other manufacturers of electrical items, electronics and cars – the main users of industrial robots in China – have also ramped up the use of technology on their factory floors. 'Dark factories' have become a buzzword to describe the most advanced of China's production facilities. Such operations have reportedly been adopted by companies ranging from home appliance giants Xiaomi and Gree to automakers Changan and Zeekr. As robot adoption picks up pace, one question that arises is: What will happen to the more than 100 million workers whom China's manufacturing sector employs? The automation drive has at times been dubbed 'replace humans with robots (jiqi huanren)'. In 2021, Gree's chairman said that the company's 'dark factory' had slashed the need for workers at the plant from 10,000 to 1,000. In Mr Sun's telling, employment at Midea's air-conditioner factory has remained roughly unchanged from a decade ago. What has changed, he said, is productivity. The number of air-conditioners the factory produces has more than tripled from 2015, company figures show. Academics Nicole Wu and Sun Zhongwei, who interviewed and surveyed factory workers in southern China just prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, found that these individuals were not too concerned about robots just yet. 'Contrary to the more pessimistic assessments of automation, most manufacturing workers in Guangdong – who are buffered by steady increases in demand and a chronic labour shortage – appear to be unfazed by technological change at present,' they wrote in a paper published in 2025. China now has the world's third-highest density of robots in its manufacturing industry. ST PHOTO: JOYCE ZK LIM As China's birth rate falls and the population grows more educated, it has become more difficult for factory bosses to fill jobs, said Professor Sun Zhongwei, who studies industrial relations and social security at the South China Normal University. He is not worried that the automation drive will go so far as to undermine the manufacturing jobs often seen as a means of stabilising employment, because market forces are at play. Automation is a rational process, and industrial robots are a sizeable investment, Prof Sun said. 'Companies will need to calculate whether the cost of the machinery justifies the wages saved.' Still, he added, the biggest losers as manufacturing goes high-tech are lower-educated, older migrant workers who lack the skills to remain relevant. Many will have to return to their rural homes to do odd jobs, while others might find employment as service staff. Back at the Midea factory, Mr Wang Liangcai, 26, an engineer, believes that his job is safe from automation for now. 'Equipment still needs to be maintained, it can't do so itself,' he said. 'But if you think about the long run... we also don't know how things will be.'
