News Today

South Korean bank plays matchmaker
SEOUL - A TOP South Korean bank is sending a group of single women employees on a blind date trip, hoping that romance will make them happier at the office, an official said yesterday. Hana Bank is trying to fix up... [Read more]

Sleeping pills: Doctor fined, suspended for flouting rules
A DOCTOR has been suspended from practice for a year, fined $8,000 and censured by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) for disregarding guidelines when prescribing sleeping pills.General practitioner Dr James Ong Zhang Yi, 31, pleaded guilty to 12 charges of prescribing... [Read more]

CapitaLand, DBS issues hog limelight
IN A week where CapitaLand and DBS Bank announced results that surpassed expectations, warrants on the two counters hogged the most active list. The property developer reported a 35.6 per cent jump in full-year net profit to $1.02 billion last Wednesday.... [Read more]

For lease: 6 state properties for office use
THE Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has put up six state properties for lease via public tender solely for office use. They are: 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace, the former police headquarters. 18 Pearl's Hill Terrace, which used to house a Criminal Investigation... [Read more]

What's left of coalition troops
Albania: 120 troops (non-combat) Armenia: 46 Australia: 550* Azerbaijan: 150 Bosnia-herzegovina: 36 Britain: 7,100 (to withdraw 1,600 troops by spring) Bulgaria: 155 Czech Republic: 99 Denmark: 460 (to be withdrawn by August) El Salvador: 380 Estonia: 35 Georgia: 900* Kazakhstan: 27... [Read more]

Landmark deal marks victory for North over US
BEIJING - NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Il received an early birthday gift in the landmark deal reached in Beijing yesterday. Diplomats say the North Korean delegation drastically lowered its demands for energy aid after an ultimatum that the talks would... [Read more]

11 passengers hurt in HK train fire
HONG KONG - A SHORT-CIRCUITED transformer on a train exploded inside Hong Kong's West Rail tunnel and started a blaze on Wednesday morning. Eleven commuters were injured and hospitalised while some 1,100 had to be evacuated from the smoke-filled tunnel following... [Read more]

'Yellow dust' set to sweep S. Korea
SEOUL - CHINA'S neighbours are bracing themselves for the onslaught of massive sandstorms which hit the Korean peninsula and Japan each spring.Seoul yesterday issued its first nationwide 'yellow dust' alert of the year, urging people to stay indoors as much as... [Read more]

Getting a grip on health-care needs of a greying population
THE interview with Mr Khaw Boon Wan begins on an unusual note. For almost 30 minutes, he regales The Straits Times with personal anecdotes, reflecting on his recent visits to the holy site of Gaya in India, and the tombs of... [Read more]

Nash may invest in Spurs
NATIONAL Basketball Association star Steve Nash is interested in investing in Tottenham.Nash, a two-time Most Valuable Player with the Phoenix Suns, has reportedly earned over &pound50 million (S$150 million) from his basketball career. The 33-year-old is a life-long Spurs fan, and... [Read more]

SIA, SilkAir cut fuel surcharges
PASSENGERS on all Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights will pay less from today as the airlines cut fuel surcharges for the second time in four months.This follows a fall in jet fuel prices in recent weeks: A barrel now costs about... [Read more]