Latest news with #NDP2026
Straits Times
9 minutes ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Forum: Will NDP at Sports Hub limit major events?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The hosting of National Day Parade (NDP) at the National Stadium in 2026 will enable more to enjoy the festivities ( NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans , Aug 20). But this could come at a significant opportunity cost. As then Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong pointed out in 2022, there is a five- to seven-month lead time before and after the parade, where many of the facilities may be decked up for rehearsals and therefore unavailable. This could set back the ministry's plan to position Singapore as a preferred destination for entertainment and sports events. The National Stadium played host to only one major event in July to August 2025 – the Singapore Festival of Football. But 2026 may be different. With 2025 and early 2026 set to see the release of albums from many A-list artistes including Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, BTS, and Sabrina Carpenter, we can expect that they would embark on world tours. If Sports Hub facilities are not available, they could choose to skip Singapore altogether, as no other venue of comparable scale exists. While the Sports Hub is now managed by Sport Singapore and high rental costs are no longer an issue, have the long-term opportunity costs of using the National Stadium for NDP 2026 been fully considered? Ryan Goh
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Singapore's North set for decade of transformation; NDP 2026 heads to National Stadium with fresh ideas: Singapore live news
Singapore's North is entering a bold new chapter, with sweeping plans to reshape Woodlands, Sembawang, and Kranji over the next decade. From 4,000 new homes to the JB-Singapore RTS Link opening in 2026, to the establishment of the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS‑SEZ), the region is being reimagined as a vibrant, well-connected gateway to Malaysia and beyond. The transformation includes a fivefold expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint, a waterfront town replacing Sembawang Shipyard, and a mixed-use hub at Woodlands Gateway. With improved transport, housing, and economic links, the North is set to rival Singapore's most dynamic districts. NDP 2026 is moving indoors to the National Stadium, promising more seats and bigger moments. The venue hosted the parade only once before, in 2016. Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing says to expect 'fresh ideas' and performances. Planning runs on a 15‑month cycle, so work is already underway. At the NDP 2025 appreciation event, he saluted the thousands who make the pageant run. Organisers say the parade showcases innovation, grit, and inclusivity. The shift reflects a wider push to match national celebrations with world‑class venues. Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates. Decade of change ahead for northern Singapore Singapore's North Region is stepping into the spotlight with a sweeping redevelopment plan anchored by the Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS Link and the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS‑SEZ). The RTS Link, due in 2026, will connect Woodlands North to Johor's Bukit Chagar, moving 10,000 passengers per hour each way and easing checkpoint congestion. Woodlands Checkpoint will expand to five times its current size over 15 years, with phased openings from 2028, requiring both land reclamation and acquisition. The 'Housing by the Woods' precinct will add 4,000 homes, alongside mixed‑use developments like Woodlands Gateway, integrating offices, retail, and a multi‑modal transport hub. Sembawang Shipyard will morph into a waterfront lifestyle precinct three times the size of Ang Mo Kio Town Centre, blending heritage with modern leisure. Kranji Racecourse's 130-hectare site is earmarked for 14,000 homes, with the first public housing ready in about a decade. Analysts predict rising property values as improved connectivity and amenities narrow the gap between the North and other regions. The government's vision mirrors past successes like Punggol, promising vibrant, connected communities. NDP 2026 goes indoor: Bigger stage, bigger crowd NDP 2026 will be held at the National Stadium to accommodate more spectators, marking a return to the Sports Hub for Singapore's 61st birthday. The stadium's capacity dwarfs the Padang's, allowing many more to attend in person. The last time NDP took place at the National Stadium was 2016, its only outing there since the venue opened. Organisers now want to 'try something new', promising a fresh venue with fresh ideas and fresh performances. Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing announced the move at the NDP 2025 appreciation function, where he thanked volunteers and partners, and framed the parade as a statement of innovation, perseverance, and unity. Preparations are already in gear: each NDP cycle spans roughly 15 months of planning and rehearsals, with the 2026 team working in parallel as SG60 wrapped. The appreciation function also celebrated the scale behind the spectacle – hundreds of awards went to sponsors, partners, and crew who keep the show running 'like clockwork'. Singapore's North Region is stepping into the spotlight with a sweeping redevelopment plan anchored by the Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS Link and the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS‑SEZ). The RTS Link, due in 2026, will connect Woodlands North to Johor's Bukit Chagar, moving 10,000 passengers per hour each way and easing checkpoint congestion. Woodlands Checkpoint will expand to five times its current size over 15 years, with phased openings from 2028, requiring both land reclamation and acquisition. The 'Housing by the Woods' precinct will add 4,000 homes, alongside mixed‑use developments like Woodlands Gateway, integrating offices, retail, and a multi‑modal transport hub. Sembawang Shipyard will morph into a waterfront lifestyle precinct three times the size of Ang Mo Kio Town Centre, blending heritage with modern leisure. Kranji Racecourse's 130-hectare site is earmarked for 14,000 homes, with the first public housing ready in about a decade. Analysts predict rising property values as improved connectivity and amenities narrow the gap between the North and other regions. The government's vision mirrors past successes like Punggol, promising vibrant, connected communities. NDP 2026 will be held at the National Stadium to accommodate more spectators, marking a return to the Sports Hub for Singapore's 61st birthday. The stadium's capacity dwarfs the Padang's, allowing many more to attend in person. The last time NDP took place at the National Stadium was 2016, its only outing there since the venue opened. Organisers now want to 'try something new', promising a fresh venue with fresh ideas and fresh performances. Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing announced the move at the NDP 2025 appreciation function, where he thanked volunteers and partners, and framed the parade as a statement of innovation, perseverance, and unity. Preparations are already in gear: each NDP cycle spans roughly 15 months of planning and rehearsals, with the 2026 team working in parallel as SG60 wrapped. The appreciation function also celebrated the scale behind the spectacle – hundreds of awards went to sponsors, partners, and crew who keep the show running 'like clockwork'.
AsiaOne
20 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
'Fresh venue, fresh ideas, fresh performances': NDP to make its return to National Stadium after 10 years, Singapore News
Next year's National Day Parade (NDP) will be held at the National Stadium, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing at the NDP 2025 appreciation event on Tuesday (Aug 19). During the event held at the Surbana Jurong Campus, nearly 580 partners were presented with awards for their contributions and commitment towards this year's NDP. Touching on themes that he felt were needed to make the SG60 NDP a success, such as innovation, perseverance and inclusiveness, Chan said that every NDP "honours our past and envisions our future". Turning to next year, he said that NDP 2026 will be held in Kallang. "Next year, in the same spirit, we will do something different. Next year, we will have our NDP 2026, SG61, at the Singapore Sports Hub. "We were last there almost 10 years back, but because of Covid-19, it interrupted our sequence," said Chan. National Stadium was the venue for NDP in 2016, the first and only year the parade was held at the 55,000-seater, completed in 2014. That year, costs came up to $39.4 million, double the amount for previous parades held at the former Marina Bay floating platform, which cost between $15.7 million and $17.9 million. In 2022, then-Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong, in a parliamentary reply to Ang Mo Kio MP Darryl David, said that the government would "certainly be open" to holding NDP at the Sports Hub again, with costs being less of a prohibitive factor after Sport Singapore takes over the venue. "But next year, we will try something new. It will be a fresh venue, and we will have fresh ideas, fresh performances," added Chan on Tuesday. He also invited those at the event to contribute ideas on how to make SG61 at the Sports Hub a "special and meaningful experience" for everyone, pointing out that a venue away from the Padang can allow "different aspects" of the parades, ceremonies and performances to be brought out. Chan also called on the younger generation to look forward to being a part of NDP in 2065, when Singapore celebrates SG100. "I am quite sure you will do something even more spectacular for our nation in time to come. "This is the spirit that we hope we can pass on from generation to generation - the NDP spirit, the Singapore spirit," he said. [[nid:721158]] editor@
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
What's next for the Ukraine peace talks?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed with Mr Trump only that the level of representation at any talks should be higher than in previous rounds. For all the extraordinary spectacle involved in President Donald Trump's talks with Russia's president last week and with Ukraine's president, accompanied by European leaders, on Aug 18, the most likely outcome so far is more meetings. Mr Trump stressed that his first priority would be to help organise direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to bring the war in Ukraine to a close. The US president said that he could then join them for subsequent rounds to help iron out remaining differences. After emerging from the Oval Office, Mr Zelensky summed up the discussion about a key issue, security guarantees, in a way that could apply to the entire process: 'There is still a lot of work to be done.' When will Zelensky and Putin meet? Mr Putin has agreed to meet with Mr Zelensky in the coming weeks as the next phase of the peace process, Ms Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Aug 19. The US National Security Council is working on a framework, she added. But Mr Putin had previously stated that he would hold such a meeting only after all the details of a peace treaty were hammered out, and there is no indication that has changed. State news media in Russia on Aug 19 played down any potential meeting, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggesting that it would require intense preparation. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Proposals sought to develop Changi East Urban District next to T5 World Top officers hold Ukraine talks after Trump rules out sending US troops Singapore NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans Singapore Girl, 14, among 3 injured after minibus falls into Bukit Panjang canal Singapore Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and ex-CFO gave input to 'play down' energy component of Tuaspring project Opinion The era of job dating? It's all about matching employers and talent Opinion Singapore's next phase of growth requires a refreshed blueprint Business SGX wants to woo private companies to list in Singapore, says its head of research A foreign policy aide to Mr Putin said that the Russian leader had agreed with Mr Trump only that the level of representation at any talks should be higher than in previous rounds. Mr Zelensky has said that he is ready for talks in any format, and suggested at a news conference in Washington on Aug 18 that it might require pressure from the United States to get Mr Putin to attend. Mr Putin has made it clear that he does not consider Ukraine a viable state, and therefore does not view Mr Zelensky as a worthy interlocutor. On Aug 19, Mr Lavrov dismissively referred to the Ukrainian leader, who first became famous in Russia as a television comedian, as 'this character' and 'this man'. During three earlier rounds of talks, Russia sent Mr Vladimir Medinsky, a former culture minister and a Kremlin adviser in anti-Ukraine propaganda efforts, as its lead negotiator – a move that was interpreted as a stick in the eye to Ukraine. Is Putin using a meeting with Zelensky as a stalling tactic? Mr Putin has a reputation for slow-walking any crisis, hoping that circumstances will turn more favorable to him. There is a consensus among war analysts that Mr Putin favors continuing the fighting because he feels that he is winning on the battlefield, and that would give him leverage in future talks, even if the gains are negligible and come with massive loss of life. Even some Russian analysts expect the Kremlin to suggest at least one more round of negotiations in Istanbul to work on a possible format for a Putin-Zelensky meeting. 'Each of these stages can be dragged out endlessly by diplomatic and bureaucratic negotiations, even under American pressure,' Mr Andrei Nikulin, a Russian political commentator, wrote on the Telegram social media app. What are the 'security guarantees' that Ukraine wants? Mr Trump has said the United States would support security guarantees provided by Europe, and that became the focus of the White House talks on Aug 18. While Ukraine and its European allies wanted the first step in any peace process to be a ceasefire, Mr Trump has stressed that an overarching peace plan can be negotiated without a ceasefire. Putin has agreed to meet with Mr Zelensky in the coming weeks as the next phase of the peace process. PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES The basic idea of the security guarantees, first broached by Britain and France last February, is that some nations, likely but not necessarily European, would provide soldiers to Ukraine to bolster its forces and create a kind of tripwire that would make Russia hesitate to invade again. Russia said on Aug 18 that it would refuse any such force from Nato countries. Ideally, Ukraine wants weapons, foreign troops and an ironclad plan of how another invasion would be parried. No American soldiers will be deployed to Ukraine, Mr Trump said on Aug 19 on Fox News, but he did not clarify what exactly he would do to support the security guarantees. 'We can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies,' Ms Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. 'The president understands security guarantees are crucially important to ensure a lasting peace, and he has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and also to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well.' What are Putin's red lines? From the outset, Mr Putin has tried to justify invading Ukraine by accusing the West of using the country, once a pillar of the Soviet Union, as a stalking horse to undermine Russia. Mr Putin has repeatedly referred to eradicating what he calls the 'root causes' of the war in Ukraine – his shorthand for achieving his geopolitical goals – as his red line for ending it. Those goals include keeping Ukraine out of Nato and preventing the alliance from expanding farther into former Soviet states. Among his other conditions for ending the war are annexing territory in eastern Ukraine populated mostly by ethnic Russians and ensuring that the Ukrainian military cannot threaten Russia and that the government in Kyiv is not hostile toward Moscow. The Russian military largely failed to achieve those outcomes on the battlefield, so Mr Putin is trying to obtain them through negotiations, by leveraging the fact that Russia controls about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory. What if the talks collapse? Having made a campaign promise that he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, Mr Trump has acknowledged in recent days that it was a lot harder than he had expected. Some analysts have suggested that he might just walk away, although the quest for a Nobel Peace Prize is also seen as a factor that keeps him engaged. French President Emmanuel Macron said after the talks on Aug 18 that new sanctions on Russia and on countries that trade with Russia, as well as new tariffs on Russia or its trading partners, were still possible. Mr Putin, he noted, has continued to bomb Ukraine even after talking to Trump about peace. While threatening punishing tariffs against Russia's trading partners earlier this summer, Mr Trump rowed back the threat after meeting with Mr Putin in Alaska on Aug 15. NYTIMES
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
How Europe learned to speak so Trump would listen
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump's persistent effort to bring a diplomatic end to the war has forged stronger bonds among European leaders. BERLIN – By mid-day Aug 15 in Europe, a question was bouncing among the government offices and vacation villas of the continent's most influential leaders. The Ukrainian president was headed to the White House for a crucial meeting with President Donald Trump. Mr Trump was allowing him to bring backup. But who should go? It was the sort of dilemma that once might have erupted into public disputes among Germany, France and Britain, the continent's largest powers. This time, it didn't. The leaders of those countries decided they would all accompany Mr Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, to Washington, for a summit with Mr Trump about peace talks with Russia. So would the leaders of Italy, Finland, the European Union and Nato. They flew in on separate planes. But with Mr Trump, they spoke in one voice. 'We were well prepared and well coordinated,' Mr Friedrich Merz, chancellor of Germany, told reporters after he and his counterparts met Mr Trump at the White House. 'We also represented the same viewpoints. I think that really pleased the American president.' Mr Trump's persistent and sometimes volatile effort to bring a diplomatic end to the war between Ukraine and Russia has forged stronger bonds among European leaders. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Proposals sought to develop Changi East Urban District next to T5 World Top officers hold Ukraine talks after Trump rules out sending US troops Singapore NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans Singapore Girl, 14, among 3 injured after minibus falls into Bukit Panjang canal Singapore Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and ex-CFO gave input to 'play down' energy component of Tuaspring project Opinion The era of job dating? It's all about matching employers and talent Opinion Singapore's next phase of growth requires a refreshed blueprint Business SGX wants to woo private companies to list in Singapore, says its head of research It has strengthened the unity that emerged earlier this year amid Mr Trump's tariff threats and his wavering on what have been decades-long security guarantees that America has provided to Europe. Since Mr Trump's election, European leaders have raced to shore up their own defenses, wary of losing American support. Nato members, led by Germany, have pledged to increase their military spending significantly, to meet a target set by Mr Trump. Mr Merz, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain have signed new friendship treaties with one another and begun to build a set of shadow diplomatic institutions, including one for Ukraine, that advance European interests but do not include the United States. The last two weeks have forced them to coordinate even more closely, on the fly. After Mr Trump made the shock announcement that he would meet President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Alaska, Mr Merz quickly pulled together European allies for a video call with Mr Trump. The Europeans presented Mr Trump with a five-point strategy for him to take into the Alaska meeting – including the insistence that only Ukraine could negotiate any land swaps with Russia and that for serious peace talks to begin Russia must first agree to a ceasefire. Mr Trump signed on to it. But at the summit, he abandoned it – agreeing with Mr Putin's long-standing push to negotiate a peace deal while fighting continues, a position that advantages Russia, which is making gains on the battlefield. That reversal alarmed the European officials, even as they publicly stressed a few areas in which Mr Trump had seemingly won concessions, like the need for a robust multinational security guarantee for post-war Ukraine. After Mr Trump called to brief Mr Zelensky and then the European leaders on his way back from Alaska early on Aug 15, they scrambled again. They agreed on the large group to accompany Mr Zelensky, which was formalised by a White House invitation on the night of Aug 16, and hammered out a strategy for the meeting. Early on Aug 18, they huddled at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. Their script leaned heavily on flattery for Trump, which is by now standard practice among visiting dignitaries, and on declarations of unity with each other and with Mr Trump. 'Everybody around this table is in favor of peace,' Mr Macron said, as television cameras rolled, near the start of a large group meeting with the president. The Europeans avoided big disagreements with Mr Trump; the closest anyone came to a diplomatic row was when Mr Merz, on camera, repeated his belief that talks between Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin could only happen if a ceasefire was in place. Privately, Mr Merz pressed Mr Trump on at least forcing a ceasefire for the duration of any actual meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky. They also tugged on Mr Trump's heartstrings. Mr Zelensky presented a letter from his wife to Mrs Melania Trump, the first lady, echoing her public concerns over the fate of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian troops. Mr Zelensky and Dr Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union, raised the topic again shortly before their meeting ended and Mr Trump left to call Mr Putin. European leaders expressed confidence that the approach had helped to break whatever spell Mr Putin appeared to have cast over Mr Trump in Alaska, and that Mr Trump had ended the day back in agreement with them over most points about the peace process. Mr Trump, in an interview with Fox News on Aug 19, sounded pleased with the Europeans who had visited him. 'They want to get back to leading their countries,' he said. 'They're consumed with this far more than we are.' He also took credit, in a way, for their united front. 'A year ago, they wouldn't have come,' he said. 'They wouldn't have even thought about it.' NYTIMES
