News Today

S'poreans in NY to get a taste of hawker fare
LAKSA, chicken rice and char kway teow will find their way to the heart of New York City when a slice of Singapore hits the Big Apple in April. That is when the Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU) holds its first 'Singapore... [Read more]

All's fair game in the blogosphere - or is it?
KUALA LUMPUR - WHEN a manager of an Islamic insurance company sent an e-mail asking Muslim staff not to offer Deepavali greetings to Hindus last October, it quickly became the talk in this city.The diktat, a show of religious insensitivity, resulted... [Read more]

Increase speed of trains, which carry more people
AFTER the recent announcement of the implementation of full-day bus lanes on certain roads within the city area, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has now decided to do away with bus bays on a trial basis so as to further increase... [Read more]

Major Qantas investor opposes $13b takeover bid
SYDNEY - THE attempt by a consortium to take over Australia's flagship carrier Qantas Airways has hit another snag.A major shareholder of Qantas has raised objections to an agreed US$8.7 billion (S$13.35 billion) takeover offer, say sources close to the board,... [Read more]

US economy gaining ground: Bernanke
WASHINGTON - THE United States economy is gaining momentum after a soft patch induced by a housing slump, but inflation remains the predominant concern, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress yesterday. Mr Bernanke, presenting the central bank's semi-annual monetary policy... [Read more]

Putin offers Saudis help with atomic energy
RIYADH - PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin of Russia has offered to help Saudi Arabia develop atomic energy and pledged to develop ties with the Islamic world during his first visit to Saudi Arabia, a key US ally. Mr Putin yesterday listed the... [Read more]

Fined even when overnight parking coupon was displayed
My husband was away for a week and as I was five weeks pregnant, so I went over to stay with my mum in Bukit Panjang. Hence, I had to park our car at the car park at my mum's place... [Read more]

Cigarette smugglers using illegals as 'mules'
CIGARETTE smugglers have found new 'mules' for their contraband - individuals who sneak into Singapore illegally to find work. Such individuals, who swim across the sea or arrive in boats at night, under cover of darkness, are already on the wrong... [Read more]

Hu puts gloss on Africa policy
INITIALLY, Chinese President Hu Jintao's 12-day whirlwind tour of African states - which concludes this weekend - looked like many others: the usual courtship of countries rich in raw materials, and the usual protests from the West about Beijing's support for... [Read more]

Oilfield gear supplier wins $68m in deals
OILFIELD equipment supplier Aqua-Terra Supply has won $68 million worth of contracts from Chinese state-owned oil giant China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC).The mainboard-listed company will be involved in providing services such as project management for the building of oil tankers,... [Read more]

Pelosi gets flak for plane request
UNITED States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has come under fire from Republicans for her desire to have access to an Air Force transport plane, a prerequisite her Republican predecessor enjoyed.Mrs Pelosi and the Defence Department are in talks to let her... [Read more]