News Today

Wrong speech at the wrong time
GEN Sonthi Boonyaratkalin spoke unwisely last week in his speech to young volunteers about the nation and its military. The vow to recapture national assets sold to Singapore in the Shin Corp deal was as poorly phrased as it was incorrect.... [Read more]

Admiration for ex-chief slowly melted away
THE voice at the other end of the line was one that Mr Michael Lim had not heard for some 20 years.It was Mr Vincent Lam, founder of Youth Challenge - which was being probed by the Commissioner of Charities (COC).He... [Read more]

STI breaks 3, 200 mark with few signs of bull run ending
A POTENT mix of New Year fever and pre-Budget expectations propelled the share market on to a dizzying bull run yesterday that ended with another record high close.The Straits Times Index (STI) rocketed 49.58 points to 3,217.68, bringing the gains over... [Read more]

Open verdict on teen's death fall
THERE was no firm conclusion on how a 17-year-old youth fell to his death from a block of flats in Bedok South Road in September last year, a coroner said yesterday. A 34-year-old eye-witness had told the police that he did... [Read more]

Tokyo, New York bourses on track for tie-up deal
TOKYO - THE Tokyo and New York stock exchanges are expected to reach an agreement on their tie-up when bourse officials meet in New York at the end of the month, said a report.Officials are considering joint development of financial products... [Read more]

New sculpture hints at old days at S'pore River
THE reeds that used to grow along the Singapore River are back - this time in the form of a cast bronze sculpture. Called the Reed Sculpture, it was designed by Mr Peter Chen, 39, who is trained as an architect... [Read more]

Chef in demand beyond our shores
JUSTIN Quek, 44, is one of Singapore's best-known chefs. He has cooked for the likes of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former Chinese president Jiang Zemin in a career spanning more than 20 years. He set... [Read more]

WBL's first-quarter profit plunges 71%
DIVERSIFIED group WBL Corp's first-quarter net profit plunged 71.2 per cent to $7.4 million, dragged down by thinner profit margins and tougher market competition.In the three months ended Dec 31, revenue slipped 12.5 per cent to $523.3 million.In a statement to... [Read more]

Malaysia backs Musharraf's Mid-East plan
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA, the chair of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), denied yesterday that a new Middle East peace initiative driven by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would undermine the grouping. General Musharraf has proposed bringing together leaders of influential... [Read more]

KL ministers clueless on foreign vehicle levy
PUTRAJAYA - IT'S all systems go - apparently - to begin charging Singapore vehicles RM20 (S$9) to enter Malaysia but top officials still seem to be uncertain when or even who would be collecting the money. No one was able to... [Read more]

China punished 97,000 party members for graft last year
BEIJING - CHINA punished nearly 100,000 members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for corruption last year, but anti-graft officials yesterday maintained that the majority of officials are 'clean'. Those taken to task accounted for a mere 0.14 per cent of... [Read more]