After the stroke of midnight, the Bulgarian and Romanian interior ministers symbolically raised a barrier on the Friendship Bridge straddling the Danube River
world1 day ago
After a more than 180-year history, horse racing in Singapore has come to an end.
The city-state's Singapore Turf Club held its final horse race in front of a 10,000-strong crowd on Saturday Oct. 5, before it hands back the 120-hectare racecourse to the government for redevelopment in 2027.
The Turf Club is the land-scarce financial hub's only racecourse.
The crowd ranged from focused punters in shorts holding on to race booklets with a cigarette between their lips, to women decked out in hats and fascinators.
Eager to witness the end of an era was retiree Lawrence Phua, 75. As a young boy, Phua used to help his brother sell horse racing guidebooks outside the turf club's former location in Bukit Timah in central Singapore, also set to turn into housing.
"I know nothing about gambling, but I am a bit emotional and quite sad that horse racing is no more after more than a hundred years," he said.
Phua said this was his first visit to the Kranji location of the Turf Club in northern Singapore, which opened in 1999 after S$500 million ($383.67 million) worth of construction.
Horse racing in Singapore has a long history that dates back to its colonial past. The first race in 1843 was held to mark the 24th anniversary of Singapore coming under British colonial rule, according to the club. The Turf Club later hosted Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 1972, seven years after Singapore gained independence, when 26,000 came to see the royal family.
The land will be handed over to the government to meet housing, leisure and recreational demands as the population grows. Singapore is smaller than New York City and is home to 6 million people.
When the closure was announced in June last year, the Singapore Turf Club said attendance had waned over the past decade.
Race days used to average an attendance of 11,000 in 2010, which fell to 6,000 in 2019 and 2,600 when the racecourse reopened after the pandemic. The five-storey grandstand can hold 30,000 spectators.
In comparison, Hong Kong has a thriving horse racing scene with more than 40,000 punters wagering HK$1.31 billion ($168.64 million) on the first day of the fresh racing season in September, according to the South China Morning Post.
After the stroke of midnight, the Bulgarian and Romanian interior ministers symbolically raised a barrier on the Friendship Bridge straddling the Danube River
world1 day ago
At least 76 deaths were recorded in about 20 accidents last year, making it the deadliest year for migrants who are taking ever greater risks to evade Britain's border control
world1 day ago
The revolutionary song
world1 day ago
Riyadh's air bridge will be followed by another land bridge in the coming days, says KSrelief's top official Abdullah Al Rabeeah
world1 day ago
Reporters Without Borders ranked Syria second-last on its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, ahead only of Eritrea and behind Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
world1 day ago
The world welcomed the New Year with celebrations and festivities, while we witnessed 2025 begin with the first Israeli massacre in the town of Jabalia just after midnight, says Gaza official
world1 day ago
With time zones spanning the globe, 2025 arrived at different times in various countries, creating a staggered celebration around the world
world1 day ago
Humanitarian agencies repeatedly warn that not enough aid was reaching Palestinians in need due in part to looting as well as Israeli restrictions
world2 days ago