Istana to hold open house on Aug 3 in celebration of SG60
SINGAPORE – The Istana will open its grounds to the public on Aug 3 to mark National Day and celebrate with people of all ages the nation's 60th anniversary of Independence.
Visitors can look forward to fun activities to commemorate SG60 that reflect this year's theme – 'Building Our Singapore Together'.
This includes the opportunity to participate in sport try-outs for boccia, seated volleyball and virtual archery – all of them designed to engage participants of all abilities.
Visitors will also get the chance to step inside a roving art truck by the National Gallery, co-create artwork with local artist Heman Chong, and transform fabric scraps into novelty items in Twine Together!, a collaboration of the National Heritage Board and Uniqlo.
From 10am to 4.30pm, there will be a series of performances including by local singer-songwriters LAYYI and Sherman Zhuo.
Student performers will also be taking the stage, including an angklung and kulintang ensemble by Bukit View Primary School, a handbells ensemble by Woodlands Primary School, a choral recitation by Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Islamiah, and Hwa Chong Institution (High School)'s Concert Band.
Snacks can be purchased from on-site food and beverage stalls. Merchandise booths will be offering limited-edition Istana and President's Challenge souvenirs, and up to 10,000 National Day goodie bags will also be up for grabs.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Asia Live: Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets, rockets, artillery in deadly border row
Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports
Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October
Singapore Boy, 15, charged after being caught with vapes 5 times; ordered to stay 2 years in S'pore Boys' Home
Asia Vampire coach: Coercive blood sampling in school casts spotlight on Taiwan's 'obedient culture'
Business MOM probing work injury claim flagged by late Sumo Salad boss Jane Lee: Dinesh
Singapore What's key to a good life? Most Singapore residents choose emotional and mental well-being
Singapore Over 2 years' jail for man who worked with wife to cheat her then boyfriend of $220k
On Aug 3, visitors can enter the Istana grounds via its main gate at Orchard Road. The nearest MRT station is the Dhoby Ghaut MRT interchange, which is less than five minutes away by foot.
Entry to the Istana grounds is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs), and migrant domestic workers accompanying families. Otherwise, there is an admission fee of $20 for adults and $10 for a child aged four to 12.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Over 6 years' jail for conman who cheated 13 victims of more than $1.2m
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The man met some of his victims while he was ferrying them in his private-hire vehicle and convinced them that he was purportedly a successful forex trader. SINGAPORE - A former insurance agent was jailed for cheating 13 victims of over $1.2 million in total, some of whom he met while he was ferrying them in his private-hire vehicle and convinced them that he was purportedly a successful forex trader. Benjamin Chua Sian Yang, 37, who committed several of the offences after the police started investigating him , was sentenced to six years and three months' jail on July 28. The Singaporean had pleaded guilty to three counts of cheating involving eight victims and over $1.1 million. Each person was cheated of between $35,000 and $260,000. Five other charges including those linked to the remaining victims and amount were considered during his sentencing. In their victim impact statements, six of Chua's victims 'indicated that they suffered great financial losses and were very hurt by the accused's actions, especially where they had a long-standing relationship,' said Deputy Public Prosecutor Susanna Yim. 'Some reported that due to the stress, their health suffered, and their personal relationships were also affected,' she added. Chua's offences took place between February 2019 and August 2023. DPP Yim said that Chua used to work as a relationship manager at a bank, and a personal banker at another financial institution . To earn extra cash, he also worked as a private-hire driver from around 2017. The following year, he started working as an insurance agent before his employment was terminated around July 2021 over reasons not disclosed in court documents. DPP Yim said that Chua got to know some of his victims through his work at one of the banks or the insurance firm as they were his clients. He also got to know some other victims as they were passengers in his private-hire vehicle, and he had engaged them in conversations about finances and investments. The prosecutor said: 'He would talk to his passengers and give them the impression that he was a successful forex trader so that they would be interested to invest with him.' Court documents stated that he had cheated a 47-year-old stylist of the largest amount, $260,000. Chua and the stylist first met in May 2017 when she engaged his services as a private-hire driver, and he told her that he was a financial advisor at an insurance firm. Between that year and 2018, the woman spoke to him on financial matters, and later made investments in the firm through him. On Feb 20, 2019, he lied in text messages to her that he had started his own trading platform in stock and shares. He then convinced her into 'investing' $30,000 for an eight-month term at 1 per cent interest per month in stock. She then transferred the amount to one of his bank accounts. Chua went on to tell her about other so-called investment opportunities, and she transferred another $230,000 to his other bank account later that year. Chua 'used the money for gambling and collectibles', instead of investing it in stocks or shares, said DPP Yim. 'He used income he generated through other means to pay $2,400 worth of investment interest and provided one free iPhone and one red packet of $500 which were offered as a means to entice (her) into agreeing to invest with him on a continual basis and to prevent detection of his crime,' the prosecutor added. Chua cheated multiple other people by using a similar method and one of them was a female clerk, 54, whom he had met in December 2020 while he was working as a private-hire driver. He later duped her into handing him $65,000, and she lodged a police report on April 4, 2021. Court documents did not disclose what spurred her to do so. The prosecutor said that the clerk was the first person linked to the case to alert the authorities. Chua gave a statement to the police on April 18, 2021, but he was neither arrested nor remanded at the time. Other victims, including the stylist, later alerted the authorities, and he was finally arrested in August 2023.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
US senator wants Musk to block use of Starlink by financial fraud groups in Southeast Asia
Find out what's new on ST website and app. U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) speaks during an event at NHTI Concord Community College in Concord, New Hampshire, U.S., October 22, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo WASHINGTON - A Democratic senator on Monday urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to block transnational criminal groups in Southeast Asia from using Starlink satellite internet service to commit fraud against Americans. Senator Maggie Hassan cited recent reports that Starlink is being used to facilitate fraud against Americans by a broad range of transnational criminal organizations operating "scam compounds" in Southeast Asia. The U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said these groups defrauded Americans out of billions of dollars, she added. "Scam networks in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, however, have apparently continued to use Starlink despite service rules permitting SpaceX to terminate access for fraudulent activity," Hassan wrote in a letter to Musk seen by Reuters. "SpaceX has a responsibility to block criminals from using the service to target Americans." SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For years, criminal networks have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to scam compounds across Southeast Asia, including many along the Thai-Myanmar border, where victims are forced to work in illegal online schemes, according to the United Nations. "While most people have probably noticed the increasing number of scam texts, calls, and emails they're receiving, they may not know that transnational criminals halfway across the world may be perpetrating these scams by using Starlink internet access," Hassan wrote. Since February, Thailand has halted electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to five Myanmar border areas, including Myawaddy, in a bid to disrupt the scam centers, which have become an escalating regional security concern. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Thailand, Cambodia agree to 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire' to de-escalate border row Asia Gunman kills 5 near Bangkok's Chatuchak market before taking own life Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: BCA to conduct independent probe, act against any non-compliance Singapore Foreign workers who rescued woman from sinkhole given tokens of appreciation Singapore COE quota up 2.6% to 18,701 for August-October period Business SIA's first-quarter profits fall by 59%; airline group sees volatile times ahead Singapore Ong Beng Seng set to plead guilty on Aug 4 in case linked to ex-transport minister Iswaran Singapore Jail for former pre-school teacher who tripped toddler repeatedly, causing child to bleed from nose International pressure to shut down the scam centers intensified following the abduction of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was kidnapped after arriving in Thailand in January. He was later rescued by Thai police, who located him across the border in Myanmar. Criminal networks, mainly emanating from China, are known to run several of these scam centers, including those in the Myawaddy region, according to the United States Institute of Peace. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Philippines' Marcos pushes more social programmes, jobs after election setback
Find out what's new on ST website and app. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr delivers his annual State of the Nation address to Congress on July 28. MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on July 28 the recent midterm elections showed the public's discontent over issues ranging from poverty to power cuts, pledging to do more to create jobs and attract investment in the last three years of his single six-year term. 'If only data will be the basis, the economy is doing well. Inflation has slowed down and employment has increased,' Mr Marcos said in his annual State of the Nation address to Congress. 'But this is irrelevant if Filipinos are suffering.' In June, the government lowered its 2025 growth forecast to a range of 5.5 to 6.5 per cent from a previous goal of 6 to 8 per cent, underscoring concerns about the impact of the global trade war. While that pace is among the fastest in South-east Asia, it is not enough to create the opportunities needed for a relatively youthful population that exports graduates and skilled workers to every corner of the world. 'The message from the election is clear to me. The people are frustrated and disappointed with the government especially in key services,' Mr Marcos said, announcing plans to expand the distribution of cheap rice, as well as to provide more scholarships and other assistance. 'The lesson is clear: We need to do better, we need to be faster,' he said. In May's midterm elections, Mr Marcos' allies performed worse than expected. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Thailand, Cambodia agree to 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire' to de-escalate border row Asia Gunman kills 5 near Bangkok's Chatuchak market before taking own life Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: BCA to conduct independent probe, act against any non-compliance Singapore Foreign workers who rescued woman from sinkhole given tokens of appreciation Singapore COE quota up 2.6% to 18,701 for August-October period Singapore Ong Beng Seng set to plead guilty on Aug 4 in case linked to ex-transport minister Iswaran Singapore HPB looking for vaping, smoking counselling services for up to 175 secondary school students Singapore Jail for former pre-school teacher who tripped toddler repeatedly, causing child to bleed from nose The president is now trying to unite a nation that has seen deep divisions over his rivalry with Vice-President Sara Duterte , whose family enjoys strong support in the south. 'Let's set aside our differences,' Mr Marcos said. A court decision on July 25 removed the threat of a Senate trial for Ms Duterte, who denied charges including an apparent death threat against Mr Marcos. She appeared to have skipped the speech. Protesters march towards Congress where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is delivering his State of the Nation address on July 28, 2025. PHOTO: AFP The address comes days after Mr Marcos met with President Donald Trump at the White House, where he secured a marginal cut in a threatened tariff to 19 per cent from 20 per cent. Mr Marcos, whose country is strongly aligned with the United States, also made a pitch for more international investment. 'My single, resounding message to the international business community is this: The Philippines is ready,' he said. 'Invest in the Filipino. Our cavalcade of dependable and hardworking Filipinos, innately skilled, adaptable and possessed with a heart for service, are here ready to work and succeed with you.' he said. BLOOMBERG
