Latest news with #NEL
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russia says its demands are unchanged: full Ukrainian withdrawal from regions that Moscow claims
MOSCOW - Russia said on Wednesday that its stance on ending the war in Ukraine has not changed since President Vladimir Putin set out his conditions last year: the full withdrawal of Kyiv's forces from key Ukrainian regions and the abandonment of its NATO ambitions. Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are due to meet on Friday in Alaska, the first U.S.-Russian summit since 2021, to discuss efforts to end the war. Trump has said both sides will have to swap some of the land they currently hold to make this happen. Russia currently controls 19% of Ukraine including all of Crimea, all of Luhansk, more than 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and slivers of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. After reports by some media that Washington understood Putin was ready to compromise on his territorial demands, the Russian Foreign Ministry's deputy spokesperson, Alexei Fadeev, was asked by reporters if Russia's position had changed or not. "Russia's position remains unchanged, and it was voiced in this very hall just over a year ago, on June 14, 2024," Fadeev said, referring to a speech Putin delivered then at the foreign ministry. At that time, in his fullest public remarks so far about the shape of a possible settlement, the Kremlin chief set out demands including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson that they still control. Putin also said that Kyiv would have to officially notify Moscow that it was abandoning its plans to join the U.S.-led NATO military alliance, and that it intended to remain neutral and non-aligned. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NEL, SPLRT disruption: Electricity surge shut down backup power switchboard, says LTA Singapore At least 1 dead after fire in Jalan Bukit Merah flat, about 60 evacuated Singapore HSA seeks Kpod investigators to arrest abusers, conduct anti-trafficking ops Opinion The 30s are heavy: Understanding suicide among Singapore's young adults Singapore Lawyer who sent misleading letters to 22 doctors fails in bid to quash $18,000 penalty Singapore Jail, caning for recalcitrant drug offender who assaulted 2 cops with stun device Singapore 4 taken to hospital after accident near Sports Hub, including 2 rescued with hydraulic tools Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story In addition, Putin said that the rights and freedoms of Russian-speakers in Ukraine would have to be ensured, and the "realities" that Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson were now part of Russia. Putin has said his conditions would also have to be reflected in international agreements. At the time of his 2024 speech, Ukraine rejected his demands as tantamount to an absurd ultimatum. Ukraine has repeatedly said it will never recognise Russian occupation of its land, and most countries recognise Ukraine's territory within its 1991 borders. Based on the current frontlines, Putin's demand would entail Ukraine ceding an additional 21,000 sq km (8,100 sq miles) to Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Russia must agree to a ceasefire before territorial issues are discussed. He would reject any Russian proposal that Ukraine pull its troops from the eastern Donbas region and cede its defensive lines. REUTERS
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Straits Times
NEL, SPLRT disruption: Electricity surge shut down backup power switchboard, says LTA
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Sengkang-Punggol LRT line was worse-hit, with train service resuming fully 10 hours later at about 9.20pm on Aug 12. SINGAPORE - Early investigations into the disruption on the North East MRT Line (NEL) and the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) system on Aug 12 have shed more light on the cause of the breakdown and why it took hours for operator SBS Transit to restore service on the affected lines. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post on Aug 13 that a surge in electricity had damaged one of two switchboards at a substation in the NEL depot in Sengkang, which fed power to the affected rail systems. At the same time, the electrical surge also triggered a safety feature meant to protect the second switchboard from damage, causing it to shut down as well, LTA noted. A switchboard distributes power from electrical sources to several smaller circuits. The authority said the two switchboards would normally have acted as backups for each other, so power can continue to be supplied even if one were to go down. But on Aug 12, the power supply from Sengkang Depot was completely cut off as a result of both switchboards tripping, and SBS Transit had to manually connect the second working switchboard to a backup power source in Dhoby Ghaut, in order to restore train services progressively. While LTA continues to probe the incident, which is the second lengthy service disruption to hit Singapore's rail network in two weeks, the authority and SBS Transit are also reviewing how to make the power systems more resilient, it said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore HSA seeks Kpod investigators to arrest abusers, conduct anti-trafficking ops Singapore Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods for vaporisers; first Kpod case conviction Opinion The 30s are heavy: Understanding suicide in Singapore's young adults Singapore Lawyer who sent misleading letters to 22 doctors fails in bid to quash $18,000 penalty Singapore 4 taken to hospital after accident near Sports Hub, including 2 rescued with hydraulic tools Asia Malaysia's anti-graft agency busts arms smuggling ring masterminded by senior military officers Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story Owing to the power fault on Aug 12, a number of passengers had to walk along the NEL tracks to get to the nearest stations, as trains travelling between an 11-station stretch of the NEL between Farrer Park and Punggol Coast stalled. Several NEL stations were also plunged into darkness, as free bridging bus services were activated. The disruption on the NEL lasted about three hours, from just after 11am to 2.10pm, when train service was fully restored. The SPLRT was worse-hit, with train service resuming fully 10 hours later at about 9.20pm. SBS Transit's group chief executive Jeffrey Sim earlier said the failure of a power switchboard at the Sengkang Depot's substation had caused an unintended discharge of electricity in a device used to regulate power supply. This resulted in the power trip that crippled the NEL and SPLRT. This device, called a voltage transformer, converts a high voltage to a lower, safer level. Mr Sim said the faulty voltage transformer could not be repaired immediately after the power trip, which is why SBS Transit decided to draw power from its other substation at Dhoby Ghaut. LTA said on Aug 13 that LTA and SBS Transit engineers later worked through the night to restore power supply to the NEL depot substation and ensure safety of the system. In addition, about 350 staff from LTA and SBS Transit, on top of regular station staff, were deployed to the affected stations to guide commuters during the breakdown.
Online Citizen
6 days ago
- Business
- Online Citizen
SBS Transit CEO issues public apology after major North East Line and LRT disruption
SBS Transit Group CEO Jeffrey Sim has issued a formal apology to commuters following a major train service disruption on 12 August 2025 that halted the North East Line (NEL) for three hours and the Sengkang-Punggol LRT for up to five hours. In a Facebook post at about 3.00pm, Sim said, 'We take this matter very seriously and are looking into the cause of the incident.' He acknowledged the inconvenience to thousands of commuters and stressed the company's commitment to addressing the problem. Later that night, in a press release, Sim confirmed that the disruption was caused by a fault at a depot substation. A flashover in one of the voltage transformers regulating power supply had triggered both the main and backup systems to trip. With the faulty transformer unable to be repaired immediately, engineers bypassed the depot substation and drew power from Dhoby Ghaut to restore service. Full NEL operations resumed at 2.10pm after extensive checks, while LRT services were restored progressively. The Sengkang LRT resumed at 3.34pm, and Punggol LRT at 4.04pm, both running on a single track during the evening peak to avoid overloading the alternative power source. Full LRT service was only reinstated at 9.20pm. SBS Transit confirmed that the SPLRT system was back to full service on the morning of 13 August. In a post on its X platform at about 5.30am, it again apologised for the inconvenience caused on 12 August, when SPLRT services were disrupted for about 10 hours. SPLRT is back to full service this morning. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused yesterday. — SBS Transit (@SBSTransit_Ltd) August 12, 2025 During the suspension, SBS Transit activated bridging buses and redirected commuters to regular bus services. Reports from stations such as Boon Keng and Serangoon described long queues and difficulty boarding buses due to crowding. Sim said SBS Transit engineers would work with the Land Transport Authority during overnight engineering hours to restore full power to the depot substation in time for the morning of 13 August. He also pledged to review infrastructure resilience measures to prevent similar incidents. The incident adds to a series of rail faults in recent weeks. Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow had described the spate of disruptions as 'disappointing' after earlier outages on the East-West Line, Thomson-East Coast Line, and Bukit Panjang LRT.
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 13, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A Ukrainian soldier keeps a lookout for Russian drones in the back of a pickup truck, in the city of Kostyantynivka, Ukraine. Ukraine fights Russian grab for more territory Small bands of Russian soldiers thrust deeper into eastern Ukraine on Aug 12 before a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, which European leaders fear could end in peace terms imposed on an unlawfully shrunken Ukraine. In one of the most extensive incursions so far this year, Russian troops advanced near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia, part of Mr Putin's campaign to take full control of Ukraine's Donetsk region. Ukraine's military dispatched reserve troops, saying they were in difficult combat against Russian soldiers. Mr Trump's administration tempered expectations on Aug 12 for major progress towards a ceasefire, meanwhile, calling his meeting on Aug 15 with Mr Putin in Alaska a 'listening exercise'. READ MORE HERE DPM Gan kicks off India visit in Mumbai PHOTO: MDDI Kicking off his India visit aimed at deepening bilateral economic and business ties, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Aug 12 witnessed Singapore firms inking agreements committing more than 200 billion rupees' (S$2.93 billion) worth of investments in Maharashtra state. In addition, DPM Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, visited PSA's port operations at Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal and inaugurated CapitaLand Investment's (CLI) first data centre in Navi Mumbai – touted as being two of the more significant investments by Singapore firms in Maharashtra. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore MyRepublic customers air concerns over broadband speed after sale to StarHub Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit Singapore NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT resume service after hours-long power fault Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court 'These investments underscore the growing bilateral economic partnership between Singapore and India and Singapore's confidence in India's long-term economic trajectory,' the Republic's Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Aug 12. READ MORE HERE South Korea's former first lady arrested PHOTO: EPA South Korea's former first lady, Ms Kim Keon Hee, has been arrested after a court late on Aug 12 issued a warrant to arrest her following accusations of graft that she denies, the Yonhap news agency reported. Ms Kim is South Korea's only former first lady to be arrested, joining her husband, ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, in jail as he faces trial, following his ouster in April, over a botched bid to impose martial law in December. Earlier in the day, Ms Kim, wearing a black suit, bowed as she arrived at court, but did not answer reporters' questions or make a statement. After the hearing ended she left to await the ruling at a detention centre in Seoul, the capital, in line with customary practice. READ MORE HERE Perplexity makes bold $44b bid for Google's Chrome PHOTO: REUTERS Perplexity AI made a US$34.5 billion (S$44.2 billion) unsolicited all-cash offer for Alphabet's Chrome browser on Aug 12, a bid far above its own valuation as the startup reaches for the browser's billions of users pivotal to the AI search race. Run by Mr Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity is no stranger to headline-grabbing offers: it made a similar one for TikTok US in January, offering to merge with the popular short-video app to resolve US concerns about TikTok's Chinese ownership. OpenAI, Yahoo and private-equity firm Apollo Global Management have also expressed interest in Chrome as regulatory pressure threatens Google's grip on the industry. READ MORE HERE Duplantis breaks pole vault world record for 13th time PHOTO: AFP Sweden's Armand Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record with a clearance of 6.29m at the Hungarian Grand Prix meeting in Budapest on Aug 12, the 13th time he has set a new world-best mark. The double-Olympic champion continued his tradition of improving on his previous mark by one centimetre, with his second attempt at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial overhauling the record he set in Stockholm in June. Duplantis had looked a little off his best form, missing his first attempt at 6.11, and after Greece's Emmanouil Karalis retired after failing twice at the same height the Swede had the bar raised to make his usual world record attempt.
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US report says India acts minimally, Pakistan rarely acts against rights abuses
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo WASHINGTON - The U.S. government noted abuses in India and Pakistan in a shortened human rights report released on Tuesday that said India "took minimal credible steps" to combat the abuses while Pakistan "rarely took credible steps." The Trump administration scaled back the annual U.S. government report on human rights worldwide, dramatically softening criticism of some allies and countries that have been President Donald Trump's partners. The State Department human rights documentation for India and Pakistan was also much shorter and scaled back this year. India has been an important U.S. partner in recent years in Washington's effort to counter China's rise, although relations have been tense over Trump's imposition of a 50% tariff on goods from India. Pakistan is a non-NATO U.S. ally. About India, the report said: "The government took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses." On Pakistan, it added: "The government rarely took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses." Indian and Pakistani embassies in Washington had no immediate comment on the report released on Tuesday, which documented instances in 2024. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore MyRepublic customers air concerns over broadband speed after sale to StarHub Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit Singapore NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT resume service after hours-long power fault Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch fault Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for its treatment of minorities. They point to rising hate speeches, a religion-based citizenship law the U.N. calls "fundamentally discriminatory," anti-conversion legislation that challenges freedom of belief, the 2019 removal of Muslim-majority Kashmir's special status, and the demolition of properties owned by Muslims. Modi denies discrimination and says his policies, such as food subsidy programs and electrification drives, benefit everyone. In Pakistan, Amnesty International says government authorities fail to protect minorities, including Christians, and use "excessive and unnecessary force" against civil society voices and protesters. In particular, rights groups, the U.N., and Western governments raised concerns over the 2024 Pakistani elections. A U.N. working group said last year that former Prime Minister Imran Khan's detention violated international law. Khan remains in jail. Islamabad says its elections were fair and dismisses allegations of rigging and foul play. Washington and New Delhi have not reached a trade deal, while the United States has reached an agreement in recent weeks with Pakistan. Trump angered India by taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire in May after hostilities between the neighbors following an April attack in India-administered Kashmir. India says New Delhi and Islamabad should resolve their ties directly without outside involvement. REUTERS
