The 234 Apartment

AT least two projects nestled in a mature residential precinct in District 9 near Somerset are being run as serviced apartments - despite not having the regulatory approval to do so - and a third one is opening. Oxley Thanksgiving Residence , a freehold condominium at 328 River Valley Road owned by Chinese temple Poh Ern Shih , and St Thomas Lodge , which also sits on freehold land at 32 St Thomas Walk , are listed for short-term stay on the website of accommodation service provider Atas Residence . The Business Times' visit to these projects confirmed that they are being run as serviced apartments. A third property, Devonshire Apartments at 17 Devonshire Road , has just undergone a major renovation, and the units there are understood to be starting a new chapter as serviced apartments this month. BT's query to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) confirmed that these three properties are currently approved for residential use, but "do not have planning permission to...

By Phillip Garjay Innis What lessons can African countries learn from Sierra Leone ’s devastating mudslides? Was the disaster due to natural events or is there a social dimension? Is there anything such as a ‘ natural disaster ’? What can be done to reduce risks? On August 14, 2017, torrential rainfall caused a hillside to collapse in Sierra Leone ’s capital city. This torrential downpour triggered mudslides that killed hundreds of residents and destroyed properties. As of August 19, 2017, the death toll is placed at 467, with approximately 600 still missing. Heavy rainfall is not a strange phenomenon in Sierra Leone . The country experiences heavy annual rainfall and is  ranked 12th globally  in annual precipitation by rainfall. Sierra Leone received  over 2,500 mm of rain from 2013 to 2017, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Sierra Leone is therefore familiar with heavy rainfall . Torrential downpours are common in August and September. The country has ...