News Today

Longer session for China parliament
HONG KONG - CHINA'S annual parliamentary session will be extended for two days this year to prepare for upcoming leadership changes and to consider two key Bills, it was reported yesterday. The National People's Congress (NPC), which opens on March 5,... [Read more]

Are low-wage earners getting enough help?
MR Mohamad Noh Tahir, who turned 57 on Thursday, received a birthday bonus with the Budget.The security officer earns $1,400 a month, and lives with his wife and two daughters in a five-room Housing Board flat in Marsiling.He will benefit from... [Read more]

Another US city to slap ban on trans fat
PHILADELPHIA - PHILADELPHIA is known for its cheese steak sandwiches, but the greasy delicacy could soon be served minus its artery-clogging trans fat.The city is set to become the second large American city to ban restaurants from serving the processed substance,... [Read more]

Madrasahs get ready for PSLE next year
MADRASAHS, or Islamic schools, are gearing up for next year, when the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) becomes compulsory for their students for the first time. Over the past three years, about $1.5 million has been spent training more than half... [Read more]

Expect heavy rain, floods over Chinese New Year
IT COULD be a wet Chinese New Year - and one that comes with flash floods at that. The weatherman has warned that high tides of 3.1m, along with heavy afternoon rain, can be expected from Feb 18 through 21.Flash floods... [Read more]

Good chance for Barca to increase league lead
MADRID - BARCELONA'S coach Frank Rijkaard refuses to see his team as the Primera Liga title favourites.He is adamant, despite history showing that the leaders at the half-way point have gone on to win the Spanish championship in 10 of the... [Read more]

Thailand steps up security for match against S'pore
BANGKOK - BOMB detectors, police dogs and some 500 police officers will be deployed tomorrow when Singapore meets Thailand in the Asean Cup final. 'There will be a special area for the 2,000 Singaporean fans expected, and they will be separated... [Read more]

NKF suit: Ex-directors give in
ONE phone call - and one more battle in the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) saga was over. Senior Counsel K. Shanmugam rang lawyer Peter Low on Monday suggesting that his clients in the old NKF regime put up the white flag... [Read more]

Actor Fiennes in mile-high scandal
BRITISH movie star Ralph Fiennes (right) is at the centre of a mile-high sex scandal involving an Australian flight attendant, a report said yesterday.A 38-year-old Qantas stewardess has been suspended and could lose her job after fellow crew members allegedly spotted... [Read more]

Witness hits back as defence targets his testimony
DEFENCE lawyers for the three former board members of the National Kidney Foundation took turns yesterday to pick apart the testimony of the new NKF board's witness, Mr Bobby Nair. But Mr Nair, the former senior deputy director of communications, held... [Read more]

'Healthy' way to gauge economic growth
LONDON - BLOOD pressure may be a better indicator of a country's economic health than gross domestic product (GDP), a new study suggests. In what has been suggested as a new barometer of success, a survey among European countries has found... [Read more]