News Today

Bush and Congress draw battle lines over trade
WASHINGTON - TRADE is emerging as a hot-button issue in the United States. With five months left before the President's all-important trade negotiating authority ends, Mr George W. Bush and a Democrat-controlled Congress are engaged in an intense public debate. The... [Read more]

Ma close to indictment in funds scandal
TAIPEI - PROSECUTORS could be close to indicting opposition Kuomintang (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou as they wrap up a probe into his alleged mishandling of government funds.An indictment could complicate Mr Ma's plans to run for president as the KMT candidate... [Read more]

Shorter lead time for GST hike may cost more for firms
THE bad news: Singapore firms may have to pay more to implement the latest hike in the goods and services tax (GST) given the shorter deadline than for the last rise. The good news: Many firms have already started gearing up... [Read more]

S'pore-Laos ties stronger: PM Lee
SINGAPORE'S ties with Laos have strengthened at all levels over the years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at a dinner in honour of Laos Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh. 'People-to-people exchanges and cross- cultural interactions have strengthened. A growing number of... [Read more]

Passport unstamped? See me, says Johor MB
JOHOR BARU - JOHOR Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman has urged Singaporeans who say their passports were left unstamped by immigration officials when they entered Johor to come forward and lodge reports.Malay daily Utusan Malaysia reported yesterday that Datuk Abdul Ghani... [Read more]

Drug-eluting stents - benefits outweigh the risks
THE first stent, a tiny metal scaffold used to hold the artery walls in position, was used in 1986 to prevent arteries from collapsing after they have been unblocked. But one in four patients with these bare-metal stents found their arteries... [Read more]

Blowing hot and cold
WASHINGTON - UNITED States President George W. Bush and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have sparred - albeit separately on American television - as both sought to defuse speculation about an impending military confrontation between the two countries. Mr Bush dismissed talk... [Read more]

Conceived in the 1970s, the Singapore Girl is tired and totally behind the times
SINGAPORE would not be what it is today if the Government and the people had not implemented and maintained change from time to time. With each change that was introduced, be it in the political, economic, legal, social or cultural sector,... [Read more]

She got into RJC without sitting for O-level exams
WHILE her friends fret about their O-level results and whether they can stay on in the top junior colleges, national swimmer Ruth Ho, who is in Raffles JC, is one relaxed girl. The 17-year-old graduate from the Singapore Sports School did... [Read more]

Cycling their hearts out for charity
TODAY, 54 men and women will be cycling from Malacca to Singapore to raise at least $25,000 for Club Rainbow. The 'Hearts on Wheels' volunteers, whose ages range from 16 to 64, will depart from Malacca town this morning and stop... [Read more]

China's role as go-between no longer crucial
BEIJING - THE current six-nation negotiations on North Korea's nuclear programme are in effect just 'two-party talks' as Washington and Pyongyang have already sewn up a deal, according to analysts. Should the present round of six-party talks produce a watershed agreement... [Read more]