News Today

Selling Singapore: Stories from the EDB trenches
MR KO Kheng Hwa, the managing director of the Economic Development Board (EDB), shares stories from the frontline in the battle for multinational investments: Wooing Shell with tenacity IT TOOK 'generations' of EDB officers to persuade petrochemical giant Shell to invest... [Read more]

China's stock market base 'not strong'
SHANGHAI - CHINA'S top securities regulator said the foundation for a long-term, stable development of the domestic stock market is not strong and it remains an arduous task to further push market reform forward.In a speech published in the front page... [Read more]

Britain's Iraq troop withdrawal plan fuels debate in US
IN WASHINGTON - BRITAIN'S timetable for withdrawing forces from Iraq has stirred a heated debate in the United States. The White House declares it a sign of progress, but critics charge that the US is becoming increasingly isolated in its war... [Read more]

Knocking out crime
PHOTO: REUTERS The police in Tokyo want these boxers to join their ranks. This job seminar held last week attracted 80 retired or active prize-fighters who want a job that allows them to stay active.... [Read more]

Two-tier pricing system at golf course unfair to Employment Pass holders
While the new Marina Bay Golf Course (MBGC) is a welcome addition to the list of courses in Singapore, I feel the management should justify their pricing system. Unfortunately I have not been able to get a satisfactory response from officials... [Read more]

M-cycle trip to help pal ends in tragedy for best friends
TWO grief-stricken families yesterday buried their young sons, killed in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident in Malaysia while on their way to help a friend. Childhood buddies Roslan Rahim and Muhammad Redhuan Hussain, both 24, died on Tuesday night near the Malaysian... [Read more]

How to attract and retain dedicated social welfare workers
I commend the Government's move to pump in $11 million to increase the salaries of social workers. In his letter, 'Pay increase for social workers lauded' (ST, Jan 25), Mr Edmund Lim Wee Kiat aptly compares teaching with social work, and... [Read more]

Spike in flu cases: 16,950 caught bug last week
THE flu bug is back and it is biting hard this time.The number of people visiting polyclinics to get treatment for acute respiratory infections (ARI) - which include flu - jumped from 7,684 in the first week of last month to... [Read more]

Business leaders back fast track for Bush
WASHINGTON - THE Bush administration and American business have begun a campaign to convince a sceptical Democratic-controlled Congress to renew the President's trade negotiating authority when it expires this year.In an event to kick off their efforts on Monday, top US... [Read more]

Scent of a HK apartment building
HONG KONG - FIRST, movie stars launched their own ranges of perfume, then pop stars joined the act. Now Hong Kong has given the trend a twist with an upmarket housing estate producing its own scent. Residence Bel-Air, part of a... [Read more]

StarHub's annual income rises 63%, beating estimates
STARHUB surpassed market expectations by nearly doubling its fourth-quarter net profit, boosted by a tax credit and double-digit growth across all its businesses. Singapore's No. 2 telco posted net profits of $141.7 million for the three months to Dec 31 -... [Read more]