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Straits Times
3 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Container barge seen grounded near Tanjong Beach in Sentosa
The ship was grounded near Tanjong Beach, said eco-tour agency Kayakasia at about 7.30am. PHOTO: ST READER The cargo ship was seen near the waters off Sentosa on the morning of June 6. PHOTO: ST READER Container barge seen grounded near Tanjong Beach in Sentosa SINGAPORE - A container barge was seen near the waters off Sentosa on the morning of June 6. It was grounded near Tanjong Beach, said eco-tour agency Kayakasia at about 7.30am. In a Facebook post, Kayakasia said that the barge was blocking the lagoon, and had destroyed floating sea barriers. The Straits Times has contacted the police, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and Sentosa for more information. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
TBR (To Be Read): Broader implications of NUS book-dumping incident
Recent images of the National University of Singapore dumped books from the Yale-NUS College library were disheartening for book lovers in Singapore. PHOTO: ST READER SINGAPORE – It has been a roller-coaster month for book lovers in Singapore. There was good news with indie bookshops banding together to launch an online bookstore on May 14 and Epigram Books, led by its indefatigable founder Edmund Wee, changing tack to become a non-profit entity in an effort to keep publishing Singapore voices. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- General
- Straits Times
500 Yale-NUS books disposed, remaining 8,500 to be given away at book fairs
In an earlier statement on May 21, NUS had apologised for not offering the excess library books to students before they were sent for disposal. PHOTOS: ST READER, COURTESY OF MS LEE JIAYING 500 Yale-NUS books disposed, remaining 8,500 to be given away at book fairs SINGAPORE - A total of 500 books were taken away to be recycled, making up about 1 per cent of the total number of books in the Yale-NUS library. Speaking to the media on May 21, NUS university librarian Natalie Pang said that 9,000 out of the total number of 45,000 books in the college's library were duplicates or had 'low utilisation rate'. The plan was to recycle these 9,000 books, as per the standard operating processes for NUS libraries when excess titles cannot be rehomed or given away. The process for the remaining 8,500 books has since been halted since photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading the books onto a truck had circulated online on May 20, drawing sharp criticism from alumni and members of the public who called the disposal wasteful and distressing. NUS provost Aaron Thean told the media: 'NUS houses about 4 million volumes of books... this is a big collection. So any loss of books to us is always heartbreaking.' 'All these books mean a lot to us,' he said, adding that the university will find new owners for the books at upcoming book fairs. Associate Professor Pang said that the two book fairs will be held in May and June. These will be open to all NUS students, alumni and to members of the public, she added, with details to be announced soon. She confirmed that the 500 books taken from Yale-NUS College on May 20 have since been disposed of. Going forward, the university will introduce a new process for excess books, she said. It currently first offers excess books to faculty members, rehomes them across its libraries, or offers them to other academic institutions. Recycling is always a 'last resort', she said. NUS now has seven libraries. Under the new process, NUS will reach out 'more extensively' to faculty and other academic libraries, and will hold book adoption fairs for its students and alumni, as well as the public. If the books are still not able to be rehomed, the university will work with second hand bookshops like Thryft, a thrift store based in Singapore for preloved books and other items. 'What I'm trying to do with this new standard operating procedure is to extend the shelf life of these books,' Prof Pang said. ' We did not realise there was interest from students , and we did not actually make enough arrangements to actually allow students to have the opportunity to own those books,' she said, apologising for not extensively reaching out to faculty. 'I think there's no two ways about it,' she said. 'We have to own it, and we will do better.' Piles of plastic bags containing books were spotted outside the Yale-NUS College library on May 20, prompting questions and concern from alumni. PHOTO: ST READER In an earlier statement on May 21, NUS had apologised for not offering the excess library books to students before they were sent for disposal, calling it an 'operational lapse'. Prof Pang said the university had tried to contact the recycling company, Green Orange Enviro, at around 2pm on May 20 to request that the truck return the books , after learning of students' interest. However, the company declined, even after the university offered payment and manpower to help sort the books. Yale-NUS College's last cohort graduated on May 14. The liberal arts institution, founded in 2011 through a partnership between Yale University and NUS, is being closed following an announcement in 2021 of its merger with NUS' University Scholars Programme. With the closure of Yale-NUS College, preparations to rehome its library books had been underway for about two years, Prof Pang said, adding that while the university routinely manages its library collection, the scale of this exercise was 'significantly larger' than usual. She also clarified that the books were not donated because the library was not aware of students' interest, not because of any issue involving the books' RFID tags - as claimed by some library staff at the scene on May 20, according to students' accounts. 'In the past, in our experience organising these book giveaways - whether it's for students or members of the NUS community, be it staff or faculty, there's been quite a low demand for many of these titles that we put out,' Prof Pang said. 'But, this incident has also shown us that there are lessons to learn from this,' she added. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Hundreds of Yale-NUS books discarded, sparking concerns among alumni over waste and loss
Piles of plastic bags containing books were spotted outside the Yale-NUS College library on May 20, prompting questions and concern from students and alumni. PHOTOS: ST READER, COURTESY OF MS LEE JIAYING SINGAPORE - Piles of plastic bags containing books at Yale-NUS College were seen being taken away by a recycling company on May 20, prompting questions and concern from alumni over what they see as a waste of academic resources. The books, tightly packed in translucent white plastic bags, were stacked at the pavement of the college's drop-off point located next to the National University of Singapore (NUS) University Town in Kent Ridge. Yale-NUS alumni told The Straits Times that the materials were being cleared by Green Orange Enviro, a recycling company. Two of its employees were seen loading the bags onto a truck in the early afternoon. The incident comes after the final weeks of Yale-NUS College's existence, as its last cohort graduated on May 14. The liberal arts institution, founded in 2011 through a partnership between Yale University and NUS, is being closed following an announcement in 2021 of its merger with NUS' University Scholars Programme. One of the employees of the recycling company, who declined to be named, told ST they were at the campus at 12pm to clear the bags of books. He added that the books were being taken to Asia Recycling, a recycling facility in Jurong, to be shredded. Asia Recycling specialises in the recycling of paper, plastic, metal, electronics and lead acid batteries. The employee said that around 60 to 70 bags were cleared, each weighing between 10kg and 15 kg. He added that one student tried to take a bag of books away, but was stopped by a member of the school management. The reason behind the disposal of the books remains unclear. But the sight of books being discarded publicly sparked criticism and sadness among Yale-NUS alumni, some of whom have taken to online forums to express their disappointment. Piles of plastic bags containing books were spotted outside the Yale-NUS College library on May 20, prompting questions and concern from students and alumni. PHOTO: ST READER The Straits Times has reached out to Yale-NUS and NUS for more information. Ms Avery Huang, 23, a Yale-NUS anthropology major who graduated in 2025 and who was at the scene, said she tried to speak to NUS librarians to stop them. 'I found it heartbreaking that these books, which are in perfectly good condition, are being thrown away.' She added: 'It boils down to how much they care about the books and the taxpayers' money they've used and are now throwing away.' Ms Lee Jiaying, 21, who was part of the final Yale-NUS batch of students, rushed down to the main entrance at 11.20am after getting a text and seeing photos of bags of books at the driveway. 'These books were in brand-new, mostly untouched condition, on all kinds of popular fiction, non-fiction and academic genres,' Ms Lee said, adding that she recognised some hardcover books that retail for more than $60 in the pile. Library staff had also explained that books were being discarded as they were duplicates, contained 'NUS RFID' tags and for security reasons, were not allowed to be circulated, she said, adding that library staff also had a short timeline to decide what to do with the books. The reason behind the disposal of the books remains unclear. PHOTO: ST READER 'They felt they had no viable alternative and decided to dispose them through a waste facility,' she added. The disposal felt sudden and abrupt for students, Ms Lee said. 'I felt heartbroken, seeing an unbelievable number of expensive books—many in near-perfect condition—being so carelessly discarded. It was painful to watch them thrown around like that.' 'Books are precious educational resources for communities to enjoy. In the right hands, they could have been thoughtfully cared for,' Ms Lee said. 'I know many Singaporeans who put in great effort to salvage and give second-hand books a new home. 'Yet today, it felt like an entire store's worth of books was discarded out of administrative convenience. These books could have benefited those who cannot afford to buy them, members of the public who value shared resources, and curious minds who would have deeply appreciated them.' In text messages seen by The Straits Times, some senior Yale-NUS alumni said they had tried to organise a donation drive or giveaway for the books, but were told that it was not possible for reasons involving the security tag attached to these books. One Yale-NUS alumnus, who wanted to be known only as Ms Yin, said: 'I feel that NUS, as a global leading institution, should be able to recognise the scarcity and preciousness of intellectual resources like books. 'While there may have been issues of labour and manpower to, say, remove RFID chips on the book, I believe that we had a lot of students who were willing to volunteer their time to allow for some salvaging of books,' the 26-year-old added. Ms Kristina Gweneth Simundo, 23, who graduated from Yale-NUS in 2024, said she felt anger and grief at this 'opaque and top-down decision' by NUS. 'When institutions destroy knowledge so casually, they signal a disturbing disregard for memory, inquiry and the future of learning itself.' Gabrielle Chan is a journalist at The Straits Times, and covers everything related to education in Singapore. Shawn Hoo is a journalist on the arts beat at The Straits Times. He covers books, theatre and the visual arts. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
The Star
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
‘You are so special to me': Lady Gaga returns in spectacular fashion, with Singapore flag in tow
SINGAPORE: American pop star Lady Gaga played a dazzling, sold-out set at the National Stadium on May 18, the first night of her four gigs in Singapore, her only stops in Asia. Backed by a group of dancers, the theatrical two-hour show in support of her latest album Mayhem (2025) featured tight choreography and a spectacular stage set-up with multiple props and costume changes. Kicking off the proceedings at 8.15pm, 15 minutes after the stipulated start time, the 39-year-old actress-singer-songwriter appeared in an exaggerated towering red Tudor gown and launched into an orchestral rendition of her 2011 song Bloody Mary. The crowd at the 55,000-capacity venue then eagerly danced along to the follow-up song, an energetic rendition of dance-pop banger Abracadabra from Mayhem, released in March. The concert was styled as a dramatic five-part opera, chock-full of 22 old and new hits, and Lady Gaga would appear on stage after each interval in a different costume, which included armoured bodysuits, feathered wings and flowing trains. 'You are so very special to me, my Little Monsters in Singapore,' she told the audience at one point, adding that she had fond memories of her previous shows in Singapore. She last played here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2012, as part of her Born This Way Ball world tour. She also staged a concert at Fort Canning Park in 2009, and did two exclusive showcase performances for local telco Singtel in 2009 and 2011. American pop star Lady Gaga at her sold out Singapore concert at the National Stadium on May 18, 2025. - ST READER While singing the 2010 track Alejandro, she brought out the Singapore flag and draped it over one of the multiple balconies on the set. At her recent concerts in Brazil and Mexico, she did the same with their national flags. And during Vanish Into You, another track from Mayhem, she walked down from the stage to the standing floor to get up close to her fans, accepting their bouquets and signing an autograph. Lady Gaga is also set to perform on May 19, 21 and 24. Her Mayhem Ball world tour, which kicks off in July, will visit smaller venues in the US, Europe and Australia. The award-winning multi-hyphenate has been garnering rave reviews for her 2025 concerts so far, including a free show at Copacabana Beach in Brazil. That drew an estimated 2.5 million people, the highest-attended concert by a female artiste. Liow Ying Xuan, a 21-year-old student, called the Singapore opening night 'exhilarating'. She told The Straits Times: 'It felt like a dance party where all of us were just in a very intimate space, being ourselves and singing and dancing along to the music. Even though we were physically far from her, we felt connected to her as an audience.' When Lady Gaga took out the Singapore flag, Liow – whose interest in the music artiste was piqued most during the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to the album Chromatica (2020) – was 'so shocked'. 'I felt like she really appreciated and enjoyed performing here, that she was really honoured to be here and loved our presence. 'Her interaction with the audience was really genuine – especially coming from a big star. I think it was really cute that she went down to the floor to shake hands with the fans there.' Calling his idol a 'live Pinterest' board, Quang Pham, 24, said he was spoilt for choice when it came to playing dress-up for the big day. Quang Pham, a 24-year-old copywriter from Vietnam, pictured ahead of the concert on May 18, 2025. - ST Quang Pham, a 24-year-old copywriter from Vietnam, pictured ahead of Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball Tour held at the National Stadium on May 18, 2025. He eventually decided on an outfit inspired by what she wore when performing Bad Romance (2009) at music festival Coachella in April. The copywriter from Vietnam added: 'What I like about Lady Gaga the most is her uniqueness, from her style to her music to the way she performs. She is the definition of originality. And after more than a decade of following her, finally being here to meet her – my 14-year-old self would be proud.' - The Straits Times/ANN
