News Today

True grit
In an amazing feat of strength, this performer uses just his teeth to tear a stainless steel lid of a cooking pan into two pieces. He was performing the act at a temple fair in Beijing, which was part of the... [Read more]

Two Indonesians plead guilty to US arms charges
BALTIMORE - TWO Indonesian men have pleaded guilty to trying to illegally export weapons to Indonesia through undercover US federal agents.The sting operation also netted a suspected international arms dealer and three men associated with the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers rebel... [Read more]

MOH teams sent to Australia, Britain to scout for doctors
HEALTH Ministry officials have been sent on scouting trips to Britain and Australia to help attract doctors for the public sector, which could be facing a severe shortage soon. Towards the end of last year, Permanent Secretary Yong Ying I was... [Read more]

Madrid's black day
ON MARCH 11, 2004, 10 backpack bombs ripped through four packed commuter trains during morning rush-hour. Nearly 191 commuters were killed and about 1,700 others injured.The attack has been called modern Spain's most traumatic event since the 1930s civil war.... [Read more]

S'pore's artillery gunners get to hone combat skills in NZ
SINGAPORE Artillery gunners have been bang on target during a live-firing exercise in New Zealand. The Singapore Armed Forces' annual artillery exercise, Thunder Warrior, has been an opportunity for the gunners to practise complex combat skills beyond just gunnery skills, said... [Read more]

Henry left out of League Cup final team
LONDON - THIERRY Henry will be confined to the role of cheerleader when Arsenal play Chelsea in Sunday's League Cup final.Arsene Wenger will keep faith with the young players who have taken them to Cardiff, and the Gunners' captain understands the... [Read more]

Ministers reply to MPs' queries
MPS yesterday quizzed National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and Foreign Minister George Yeo on the impact of Indonesia's ban on land sand exports to Singapore. Below is an extract of the exchange in Parliament: Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines GRC)... [Read more]

Slingers lose play-off
THE Singapore Slingers' first season in the Australian National Basketball League is over.They lost 93-106 to the Townsville Crocodiles in the play-off quarter-finals at the Townsville Entertainment Centre in North Queensland yesterday.Said Slingers coach Gordon McLeod: 'We let ourselves down in... [Read more]

Selling Singapore: Stories from the EDB trenches
MR KO Kheng Hwa, the managing director of the Economic Development Board (EDB), shares stories from the frontline in the battle for multinational investments: Wooing Shell with tenacity IT TOOK 'generations' of EDB officers to persuade petrochemical giant Shell to invest... [Read more]

Buyer beware
The world of beauty97 No. of complaints (January to December 2006)Most common type of complaints1. Unsatisfactory services2. Pressure sales tactics CASE STUDYA consumer received a call from a vendor, offering a free makeover and photography session. However, during the free session,... [Read more]

Expired cards add to SMRT's 9-month gains
TRANSPORT operator SMRT Corp posted a decent 19.2 per cent rise in net earnings to $99.64 million for the nine months ended Dec 31, 2006.The improvement was fuelled by a number of factors, including a $4.85 million rise in other income... [Read more]