News Today

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]

The debate on biomedical research in Singapore
THE debate was sparked by an opinion piece by National Neuroscience Institute director Lee Wei Ling, headlined 'What ails biomedical research in Singapore?', published in The Straits Times on Nov 4, in which she wrote that in Singapore's push into the... [Read more]

Reasons for investors' concerns
TATA Steel's purchase of Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus for more than US$12 billion (S$18.4 billion) has sparked concern among investors, who wonder if demand for steel will continue to record the steady growth of recent years.The following factors give them reason to... [Read more]

NHK loses case over toning down of sex slavery show
TOKYO - JAPAN'S public broadcaster was ordered to compensate a women's rights group yesterday after producers toned down a programme on World War II sex slavery following a complaint from government official Shinzo Abe, who is now the prime minister.The Tokyo... [Read more]

KL proposes strategic alliance with New Delhi
NEW DELHI - MALAYSIAN Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar has suggested that a 'strategic alliance' be set up between his country and India. Datuk Seri Syed Hamid, who was to have arrived in India last night on an official visit, told... [Read more]

Boy, 7, left in burning flat as family flees
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy - mistakenly left behind in a burning flat by his panicked family - was saved in a dramatic rescue carried out by firefighters yesterday. Muhamed Arrifin's relatives realised he was still in the Yishun flat only when they... [Read more]

Just 8% of SMEs took govt loan? That's good sign
ONLY 8 per cent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) last year took a loan under a government scheme to help them.But Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang saw this as a positive sign. 'It's good that our SMEs are... [Read more]

Bellamy a 'scapegoat' for Liverpool's training-trip fracas
LIVERPOOL - CRAIG Bellamy has been made a scapegoat for Liverpool's training-camp ruckus in Portugal. Sources within the club suggest the 27-year-old Welsh international's bad-boy reputation was exploited to deflect blame from a large number of players involved in breaches of... [Read more]

The four main plotters
Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed (Mohammed The Egyptian) The 35-year-old was arrested in June 2004 in Italy, where he was convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to 10 years in jail. Transcripts following three months of recordings by the Italian police showed... [Read more]

Ex-cop charged with corruption
A FORMER police officer was charged in court yesterday with 10 counts of corruption and two counts of cheating involving a total of about $12,000. Ex-senior station inspector Ko Poh Koon, 48, whose services had been terminated in January 2005, allegedly... [Read more]

Ancient water dispute still causing ripples
THOUSANDS of riot policemen fanned out across India's technology hub of Bangalore earlier this week, as a court ruled on an ancient water dispute between the country's federal states.Not long after the British conquered India, the colonial rulers decided that the... [Read more]