News Today

Pelosi wants to halve greenhouse gas output
WASHINGTON - THE United States has to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2050 and mandatory restrictions are the only way to do it, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said amid a growing debate on global warming. She told the House... [Read more]

Nine-storey deep storage solution under sea
IN FOUR years' time, the seabed off Jurong Island will be transformed. Rock caverns nine storeys deep, which can store up to 1.47 million cubic metres of oil, will lie beneath - a safe, environmentally friendly storage solution for the growing... [Read more]

Invest time and energy to guide and nurture the young
Making learning IT-based and engaging seems positive and enthralling. However, I view online-gaming way to learning with a certain degree of unease and scepticism. I concur with NUS sociologist Pauline Straughan's assertion that face-to-face interaction with the teachers and fellow students... [Read more]

Spacewalker sets US record
ASTRONAUT Michael Lopez-Alegria has set a US record for the most time walking in space as he and another astronaut did maintenance work outside the International Space Station (ISS). Commander Lopez-Alegria on Thursday surpassed the previous US record of 58 hours... [Read more]

Another safari to Africa
CHINESE President Hu Jintao has embarked this week on an eight-nation tour of Africa. Last year alone, Beijing's top leaders visited no fewer than 23 out of the 48 countries with which they have diplomatic relations. By any yardstick, this represents... [Read more]

Masseur jailed for molesting 2 customers
A MASSEUR who was convicted of molesting two women customers in his reflexology centre was sentenced to 30 months' jail and nine strokes of the cane yesterday. A request by Lim Cheng Ban, 47, to have his sentence deferred until the... [Read more]

Fliers playing it safe - slow pick-up in duty-free sales
PLAY-IT-SAFE passengers flying from Changi Airport are still wary of having duty-free items aboard - five months after anti-terror restrictions were slapped on by certain countries.Duty-free sales at Changi Airport on the affected routes have picked up, but only marginally.The Civil... [Read more]

Jakarta outlines plans to fight yearly haze
JAKARTA - INDONESIA yesterday spelled out its plans to fight the forest fires that shroud the region in haze each year, in hopes of convincing potential donor countries and agencies to help pay for the battle. Experts have estimated that Jakarta... [Read more]

Cup of cocoa may hold much promise for an ageing world
SAN FRANCISCO - A NICE cup of the right kind of cocoa could hold the promise of promoting brain function as people age.In an increasingly ageing world, medical researchers are seeing more cases of dementia and are looking for ways to... [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]

Festive plants can bring cheer...and mozzies
THE plants traditionally brought into the home for Chinese New Year may add to the festive feeling - but they could be breeding disease, too. The pots and water plates are potential breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito, which spreads dengue,... [Read more]