News Today

A dry February so far
THE first 12 days of February were drier than normal over most of Singapore.A statement from the weatherman yesterday said two-thirds of the island received less than 5mm of rain - more than 90 per cent below average. Most of the... [Read more]

Drawing the crowds at SMRT station
Auspicious Chinese couplets and paintings were given away free to SMRT passengers and shoppers at the Raffles Xchange mini-mall yesterday by artists from the Life Art Society (LAS). In the past three years, the society's giveaways have been held at SMRT... [Read more]

Waiting for the mating call
It's feeding time for Rosa in the rhino sanctuary at Way Kambas National Park on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. But soon, it may be breeding time for the young rhino, which is one of two female rhinos that are expected... [Read more]

Heading North
HE WAS the first person in the world to do a wheelchair marathon in the South Pole, and Olympic wheelchair athlete William Tan is now gearing up for another challenge. The neuroscientist - who lost the use of his legs from... [Read more]

Microsoft, AT&T in court over software patent
WASHINGTON - IS SOFTWARE a tangible part of a computer, or just an intangible string of digital data? It's an arcane question that the Supreme Court is being asked to answer by two business giants, with US software jobs potentially at... [Read more]

STOMP users: Friendly Thais, fantastic atmosphere
'There were only three of us among the Thais, so we didn't dare to jump up or scream.'When Singapore scored, the whole stadium was quiet. There weren't any cheers, we could only clap.'We even wore black, a neutral colour. We were... [Read more]

S'pore, Thailand and US hold joint air exercise
SINGAPORE, Thailand and the United States are participating in a 12-day air exercise, a statement said yesterday.The trilateral exercise, codenamed Cope Tiger, began at Korat in Thailand last month and will continue till Feb 9.It involves 113 aircraft, 32 air defence... [Read more]

Budget is fair and has something for everyone: PM
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has described this year's Budget as a fair package, carefully balanced to provide something for everyone. Emphasis was given to helping the lower-income group and elderly, but the Government also had to be fair to everyone,... [Read more]

GST hike: How it will benefit the poor
A WEEK before it is due to detail the impending hike in the goods and services tax (GST), the Government has reiterated the rationale for the move.Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam also tackled the question of why the changes were being... [Read more]

Tallest player Sun starts small in minor league
WASHINGTON - CHINA'S Sun Mingming dreams of playing in the National Basketball Association one day. For now, the 2.36m, 168kg behemoth - touted as professional basketball's tallest ever player - will have to settle for a United States minor league. He... [Read more]

The changing Okinawan diet
Before 1945Okinawans consumed mostly fish, soybeans, seaweed, vegetables, tofu and pork. The diet was rich in antioxidants, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and proteins that helped protect against vascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack, and lowered the risk of cancer,... [Read more]