News Today

Sirens to be sounded today
SIRENS will sound islandwide today at 12.05pm, as part of Total Defence Day.The exercise also serves to familiarise people with the Public Warning System (PWS) and the three emergency signals.When the sound is heard, people can tune in immediately to any... [Read more]

Aussies pick Newater as best-tasting in test
ADELAIDE - SINGAPORE'S reclaimed water Newater trumped spring water, bottled water and desalinated water in a taste test in Australia, conducted as the country faces a chronic water shortage. It came out tops in a test among 56 participants, as politicians... [Read more]

Nets facing competition from debit card schemes
I REFER to the article, 'Dialogue to discuss higher Nets charges' (ST, Feb 9). Nets was founded 22 years ago by the nation's leading financial institutions to give Singaporeans a convenient and reliable mode of electronic payment. Beyond its mission to... [Read more]

S'pore are truly Asean champs at last
BANGKOK - FOOTBALL'S perfect storm blew over Bangkok for exactly 90 minutes last night and nobody got hurt; only 35,000 Thais were drowned in a sea of sorrow. But where was the crowd violence, where was the hostility that was supposed... [Read more]

Directors' Trades
CAPITALAND CEO CUTS STAKE IN FIRM'S REITA DIRECTOR of CapitaRetail China Trust (CRCT) Management has reduced his direct interest in the real estate investment trust (Reit).Mr Liew Mun Leong, who is also CapitaLand's president and chief executive, sold 200,000 units in... [Read more]

Sports World
DOWIE TO RUN THE SHOW AT COVENTRY COVENTRY: Iain Dowie was hired as Coventry football club manager yesterday, three months after being fired by Premier League side Charlton.Dowie signed a 31/2- year contract with Coventry, who are 17th in the 24-team... [Read more]

Driving to Malaysia? Make sure car windows not 'too dark'
APART from checking that their passports have been stamped, motorists driving across the border to Malaysia now have another thing to worry about. Last week, 47-year-old Lawrence Lee and his wife were stopped by Malaysian traffic police on the North-South Highway... [Read more]

An Asian triangle to watch out for
THE foreign ministers of Russia, India and China have met this week in Delhi. Their talks did not last long and nothing much transpired. But other governments watched the meeting with great care. For, if Russia, China and India - representing... [Read more]

EU firms lose $40b to China's barriers, says study
BRUSSELS - EUROPEAN Union firms are denied business opportunities in China worth at least 20 billion euros (S$40.3 billion) a year because of non-tariff trade barriers, a study published by the European Commission says.The survey, conducted by consultants for the EU... [Read more]

New SAF facility for bio-chem training
A SINGAPORE Armed Forces (SAF) training facility that can simulate threats presented by deadly chemical, biological, radioactive and explosive agents was unveiled yesterday. Housed in a drab, four-storey building at Seletar Camp, the facility is part of the SAF's Chemical, Biological,... [Read more]

Pyongyang nuke deal 'template for Teheran'
WASHINGTON - THE US reached a deal with North Korea with its sights set on a bigger problem: Iran. It held up as a model for Teheran the six-party agreement where Pyongyang will take steps towards giving up nuclear weapons. White... [Read more]