News Today

Records broken at twin events for charity
RECORDS were broken yesterday in the name of Singapore's two main transport operators, with the proceeds going to charity. In the morning, SMRT made a bid to enter the Singapore Book Of Records by cramming as many people as possible into... [Read more]

Afghan leader a new father at 49
AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai has become a father at the age of 49. His wife Zeenat gave birth to the couple's first baby - a son called Mirwais - at a Kabul hospital late on Thursday, the BBC reported on its... [Read more]

India's Essar rules out selling out of Hutchison joint venture
MUMBAI - INDIA'S Essar Group has no plans to sell out of Hutchison Essar, increasing the pressure on Britain's Vodafone to come up with a workable shareholder arrangement with the company that could end up being its main partner in India.... [Read more]

S'pore sends back fugitive Taiwanese tycoon to US
TAIPEI - FUGITIVE Taiwanese tycoon Wang You-theng was sent back to the United States yesterday because of problems with his travel document hours after he arrived in Singapore en route to Myanmar. The 80-year-old businessman and his fourth wife fled Taiwan... [Read more]

Asean Charter a bold step forward, Arroyo says in Davos
DAVOS (SWITZERLAND) - AT A time when the Doha Round of world trade talks appears shaky, Asean is proclaiming it is wedded to global trade. Recounting Asean's evolution at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said the association... [Read more]

'My ATM' feature a time-saver
I am surprised that some users find the new DBS ATM screens more difficult to use 'New ATM screen not user-friendly', (Online Forum, Jan 23) and 'Exasperating to make out options on new ATM screen' (Online Forum, Jan 25). I felt... [Read more]

G-7 nations open to letting IMF sell gold reserves
ESSEN (GERMANY) - INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Rodrigo Rato said the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialised nations were 'open-minded' about allowing the fund to sell part of its gold reserves. An advisory panel said last month the fund should... [Read more]

HDB rental flats for deserving tenants
THE Housing Board is aware of the concerns of the elderly and the poor. So it is willing to exercise leniency on a case-by-case basis when it comes to rental flats. But on a policy level, it has to be strict... [Read more]

Beckham returns from exile with goal and win
MADRID - DAVID Beckham capped his return to the Real Madrid starting line-up with a goal and a win.After Real's 2-1 Spanish Primera Liga victory over Real Sociedad, the midfielder earned the plaudits of his teammates, coach Fabio Capello, and the... [Read more]

Minister doubts eavesdropping claims
THAI Minister of Information and Communication Technology Sittichai Pokai-udom has cast doubts on the junta's claims that Singapore was eavesdropping on Thai military conversations.In an interview on a Thai-language TV talk show, Siam This Morning, on Tuesday, Mr Sittichai said eavesdropping... [Read more]

Noble's full-year earnings slide 42%
COMMODITIES trader Noble Group's full-year net profits slumped 42 per cent to US$134.5 million (S$206.3 million), due in part to gains from the sale of fixed assets which inflated last year's profit figures.For instance, last year's earnings included gains of US$34.5... [Read more]