Latest news with #S'poreans'
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – Four golf courses will close permanently by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses in the coming years. The Ministry of Law (MinLaw), which oversees land policy and administration, on July 7 said the leases or tenancies of Mandai Executive Golf Course, Warren Golf & Country Club, Orchid Country Club and Tanah Merah Country Club's Garden course will not be renewed as their land is needed for future plans. This continues recent moves to reclaim golf course land for other uses. For instance, the Marina Bay Golf Course was closed in June 2024 and will be partially occupied by the upcoming Bay East Garden, which is currently being developed. The leases of another two courses – Singapore Island Country Club's (SICC) 18-hole Bukit course and Keppel Club's 18-hole Sime course – will also expire on Dec 31, 2030. Thereafter, the land occupied by these two courses will be split between an operator that will run an 18-hole public course and the National Trades Union Congress – which currently operates Orchid Country Club through NTUC Club – said MinLaw in a statement. How the land will be parcelled and allocated is being studied, the ministry added. It did not say how long the lease for these courses would be. The first of the four courses to close is the public 9-hole Mandai Executive Golf Course, which is on a tenancy that runs until Dec 31, 2026. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements from April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Asia Australian woman found guilty of all counts in mushroom murders case Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 Its land will be used by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to develop an Outdoor Adventure Learning Centre . MOE has previously said that the campsite will be one of three new campsites to be built by 2032. Another two courses will close in 2030, and their sites have been zoned for residential use, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) Draft Master Plan 2025 . They are the 18-hole Warren Golf & Country Club in Choa Chu Kang, which has a lease that expires on Oct 31, 2030, as well as the 27-hole Orchid Country Club in Yishun, which has a lease that expires on Dec 31, 2030. Finally, Tanah Merah Country's Club's Garden course will close after its lease expires on Dec 31, 2035. 'Given its proximity to Changi Airport, the land is being studied for uses that have synergies with the airport to support economic growth,' said MinLaw, adding that more details on the site's future use will be announced closer to 2035. Following the closures, Singapore is set to have 12 remaining golf courses after 2035, including the existing Bukit and Sime courses. Of these, two have leases that are expiring in 2030 and will be offered renewals until Dec 31, 2040 – the 18-hole course in Kranji under the National Service Resort & Country Club and Sentosa Golf Club's 18-hole Serapong course. Another seven are on leases that expire in December 2040. They are: SICC's 18-hole Island course and 27-hole New course, Changi Golf Club's 9-hole course, Laguna National Golf Resort Club's two 18-hole courses, Seletar Country Club's 18-hole course, the 18-hole course at National Service Resort & Country Club (Changi), Sentosa Golf Club's 18-hole Tanjong course and Tanah Merah Country Club's 18-hole Tampines course. The Government will review whether to renew these leases beyond 2040 in future. The last course at Sembawang Country Club has 18 holes and is operated by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) under a license agreement. The course sits on state land allocated to Mindef. MinLaw said in deciding on whether to renew the leases of golf courses, it considered competing land demands such as housing, economic activities, transport infrastructure and essential services. 'The demand for land for national uses will become more acute in Singapore, and this will impact the amount of land available for golfing over time,' said the ministry. 'The Government will balance the access to golfing facilities by private golf club members and the general public so that there can be golf courses catering to different segments of the golfing community.' The ministry noted that leases of golf courses are for a fixed term, with a publicly-known end date, to allow course operators and golf club members to make informed decisions. 'This also ensures that land occupied by golf courses can be returned to the state and redeveloped for more pressing national needs in a timely manner,' said MinLaw. The ministry said the Singapore Golf Association and the National Service Resort & Country Club will set up a second Centre of Excellence to provide more training opportunities for Singapore's national team and promote golf among youth. It added that the centre will provide dedicated weekly slots for the golf association to facilitate national and youth team training, and expose athletes to different types of golf courses. This complements existing weekly trainings conducted by the golf association in other clubs, said MinLaw. The new centre adds to an existing Centre of Excellence at Keppel Club's Sime course which develops youth golfers, the ministry said.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
$1.46b nickel scam: Ng Yu Zhi opts to remain silent after judge calls for his defence
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The prosecution proceeded on 42 charges against Ng Yu Zhi in the current trial, which began in November 2024. SINGAPORE - The trial of Ng Yu Zhi, who is accused of masterminding a nickel-trading scam that attracted $1.46 billion from hundreds of investors, came to an end on July 7 after he made the rare move of opting not to take the stand. Judicial Commissioner Christopher Tan had called for Ng, 38, to give his defence after finding that the prosecution has presented a sufficient case against him. The judge told Ng that he can choose to give evidence on the stand and be liable to cross-examination. If he chooses to remain silent, the court may draw an adverse inference against him in deciding whether he is guilty or not, the judge added. Ng chose to remain silent after speaking for about an hour to his lawyers, Mr Nichol Yeo, Mr Nicholas Narayanan and Ms N.K. Anitha. Mr Yeo added that his client will not be calling any witnesses to testify for him. The judge told parties to file closing submissions by Aug 4 and replies by Aug 18. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements from April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Asia Australian woman found guilty of all counts in mushroom murders case Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 Ng is accused of deceiving investors, who include lawyers and financiers, into investing money to finance the trading of physical nickel. He faces a total of 108 charges over offences including cheating, forgery, fraudulent trading, money laundering and criminal breach of trust. The prosecution proceeded on 42 of these charges in the current trial, which began in November 2024. Ng allegedly told investors he could buy nickel at a discount and then sell the metal for profit. He also used forged documents to spin a convincing tale. The prosecution said the nickel trades never took place, and earlier investors were paid with money put in by other investors. Ng's scheme was first offered through Envy Asset Management in February 2016. After the firm was placed on the Monetary Authority of Singapore's investor alert list, the scheme was moved to Envy Global Trading from April 2020 to March 2021. The prosecution also alleged that Ng's lavish lifestyle was funded by his ill-gotten gains. During the trial, the court heard evidence that he had splurged millions on luxury cars for his wife and girlfriends, property, works of art, and jewellery. Ng was declared bankrupt in December 2022, after he and three others were sued by the liquidators of the Envy companies. He has been remanded in prison since Feb 7, 2024. His $6 million bail was revoked after he breached his bail conditions by trying to get $500,000 from the sale of a shophouse. On June 30, 2025, after 35 days of trial, Ng sought to be released on bail , contending that being held in custody hampered his ability to prepare his case. His attempt was denied on July 3, with the judge saying he was a flight risk.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Three children among 27 wounded in Russia's drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox At least three children were among 27 people wounded as a result of a Russian drone attack on Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv overnight that damaged apartments and a kindergarten, Ukrainian authorities said on Monday. Kharkiv, which lies in northeastern Ukraine near the border with Russia, has been the target of regular Russian drone and missile attacks since the start of the war that Moscow launched with a full-scale invasion more than three years ago. A fire broke out in a multi-storey residential building in Kharkiv as a result of the attack, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the broader Kharkiv region of which the city of Kharkiv is the administrative centre, said that most of the injuries occurred in the city's Shevchenkivskyi district. Emergency services were working at the site, Sinehubov said on the Telegram messaging app. The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear. There was no comment on the attacks from Moscow. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war, but thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. A Russian attack on the region of Sumy, also in Ukraine's northeast, on Sunday afternoon killed two people and injured another two, while damaging about 20 buildings, State Emergency Service of Ukraine said on Telegram. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements from April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Asia Australian woman found guilty of all counts in mushroom murders case Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 An overnight attack damaged several buildings and cars in three of the 10 districts of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. There were no reports of injuries, he added. REUTERS
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
Search teams scour Texas flood zone for dozens missing; 78 confirmed dead
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox People look at the Guadalupe river, following flash flooding, as they gather after receiving a SMS alerting on potential floods in the area, in Kerrville, Texas, U.S. July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Marco Bello KERRVILLE, Texas - Search teams plodded through mud-laden riverbanks and flew aircraft over the flood-stricken landscape of central Texas for a fourth day on Monday, looking for dozens of people still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 78 lives. The bulk of the death toll from Friday's flash floods was concentrated in the riverfront Hill Country Texas town of Kerrville, accounting for 68 of the dead, including 28 children, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. The Guadalupe River, transformed by predawn torrential downpours into a raging, killer torrent in less than hour, runs directly through Kerrville. The loss of life there included an unspecified number of fatalities at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe where authorities reported two dozen children unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath of the flooding on Friday. On Sunday, Leitha said search teams were still looking for 10 girls and one camp counselor, but he did not specify the fate of others initially counted as missing. As of late Sunday afternoon, state officials said 10 other flood-related fatalities were confirmed across four neighboring south-central Texas counties, and that 41 other people were still listed as unaccounted for in the disaster beyond Kerr County. Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as floodwaters receded and the search gained momentum. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements from April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Asia Australian woman found guilty of all counts in mushroom murders case Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 Authorities also warned that continued rainfall - even if lighter than Friday's deluge - could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of heavy showers and flash floods based on National Weather Service Forecasts. CONFLUENCE OF DISASTER But twice as much rain as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, according to City Manager Dalton Rice. Rice and other public officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, vowed that the circumstances of the flooding, and the adequacy for weather forecasts and warning systems would be scrutinized once the immediate situation was brought under control. In the meantime, search and rescue operations were continuing around the clock, with hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground contending with a myriad of challenges. "It's hot, there's mud, they're moving debris, there's snakes," Martin said during a news briefing on Sunday. Thomas Suelzar, adjutant general of the Texas Military Department, said airborne search assets included eight helicopters and a remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper aircraft equipped with advanced sensors for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain across the region, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. In addition to the 68 lives lost in Kerr County, three died in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County, according to Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and was deploying resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. SCALING BACK FEDERAL DISASTER RESPONSE Trump, who said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably this coming Friday, has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Ahead of Friday's floods, the Weather Service office near San Antonio, which oversees warnings issued in Kerr County, had one key vacancy - a warning coordination meteorologist, who is responsible for working with emergency managers and the public to ensure people know what to do when a disaster strikes. The person who served in that role for decades was among hundreds of Weather Service employees who accepted early retirement offers and left the agency at the end of April, media reported. Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the Weather Service under Trump's oversight. "That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden setup," he said referencing his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. "But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe." REUTERS
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Facing battlefield setbacks, Ukraine withdraws from mine ban treaty
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ukrainian serviceman Oleksiy, 26, who lost most of his left leg after being wounded by an anti-personnel mine, reacts as he exercises at a rehabilitation centre, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko KYIV - Oleksiy, a 26-year-old Ukrainian soldier, is six months into a difficult recovery after losing most of his left leg to an anti-personnel mine. Despite his injuries, he says Ukraine is right to withdraw from a treaty banning such weapons. Facing challenges in securing new U.S. supplies of artillery and munitions, or to recruit enough new soldiers to hold frontline positions, Kyiv announced its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on June 29. Military analysts and a Ukrainian unit commander said that doing so could help slow the Russian advances Kyiv is struggling to contain over three years after Moscow's full-scale invasion. "Russia does not adhere to any conventions - so why should we?" Oleksiy, who gave only his first name in line with Ukrainian military requirements, said at a rehabilitation centre for wounded service personnel in Kyiv. "We need to do this, because if we mine (our land) then there is then a chance that we won't give it up." Russia is not a party to the treaty, and military analysts, rights groups and Ukrainian soldiers say it has been using anti-personnel mines widely. Russia's Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Moscow has not confirmed it uses anti-personnel mines in Ukraine. Russian officials say Ukraine has already used such devices in the war. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements from April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Asia Australian woman found guilty of all counts in mushroom murders case Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 The United States approved the provision of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine in November, Reuters has previously reported. At the time, U.S. officials said Ukraine was expected to use the U.S. mines on its own territory although it committed to not using them in areas populated with civilians. Russia holds about a fifth of Ukraine including Crimea, which it seized in 2014. Ukraine's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on whether it already deploys such munitions, their battlefield usefulness and criticism of the move. Ukraine widely uses anti-vehicle mines not covered by the treaty. About a quarter of Ukraine is contaminated by mines or unexploded ordnance, the Defence Ministry's demining unit says. Frontline areas and pockets of the Kursk region just inside Russia are thickly contaminated with the small devices which explode when triggered by contact, vibration or tripwires. Three military analysts said anti-personnel mines were a useful tool to counter Russia's emerging tactic of sending small assault squads, some riding on motorbikes, that are not stopped by other frontline fortifications. "When our side does not have much infantry on the front lines, creating a system of obstacles with these types of mines strengthens the defence - so that we do not rely solely on UAVs or artillery," said Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic Studies, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as drones. A bomb squad company commander from Ukraine's 59th brigade operating near the eastern city of Pokrovsk said a large rotary drone could be used to deploy up to 70 anti-personnel mines at a time. "They can effectively mine distant areas. And the enemy will take significant losses without even reaching our positions," said the commander, who uses the call-sign Voron. He did not say whether Ukraine was already deploying anti-personnel mines. "COPYING RUSSIA" Anti-mine campaigners condemned Ukraine's decision to leave the Ottawa Convention, following the example of five other European nations bordering Russia. The move opens the way to Ukraine increasing the deployment of a munition that can maim civilians, including children, long after conflict subsides. Ukraine said in July 2024 that nearly 300 Ukrainian civilians had been killed and over 1,000 others wounded by Russian mines. Neither country releases casualty figures for its own soldiers. Tamar Gabelnick, director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, told Reuters that Kyiv's decision would put civilians at risk for years. "Why would Ukraine want to copy the abusive, horrible military tactics of their enemy? Why would they want to stoop down to that level?", she said. About 85% of mine deaths worldwide are civilian, she said. After signing a decree to quit the treaty, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that often the function performed by anti-personnel mines could not be performed by any other weapon. The decision to exit the treaty, which prohibits anti-personnel mines but not other types such as anti-vehicle mines, needs parliament's approval but is likely to be waved through. Lawmaker Fedir Venislavskiy said the armed forces would use the munitions responsibly and that Ukraine has regulations on use of anti-vehicle mines, including mapping their locations. "The maps of these minefields will allow them to be cleared quite quickly after hostilities end," he said. Ukraine has not said whether it plans to quickly deploy more mines. Venislavskiy said it would now be able to establish its own production. Ukraine destroyed some of its Soviet-era anti-personnel mine stocks after ratifying the convention in 2005 but Venislavskiy said it still has enough to cause Russia problems. Oleksiy set off a mine while defending a patch of forest in territory Ukraine held in Russia's Kursk region at the time. He did not say who set the mine. "I fell and saw that my leg was still there but twisted... it became so painful, I started to shout for help," he said. Oleksiy dragged himself to his comrades, he said, possibly saving their lives. His leg was later amputated but he said the potential reward of mines stopping Russian advances was worth the risks involved in deploying them. "We can demine it later - it's a long process, it can drag on for many years, but it's not giving up your land," he said. REUTERS
