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]

Rotary's earnings surge to $35.2m
THE red-hot oil and gas sector has been a bonanza for Rotary Engineering, which yesterday reported record earnings of $35.2 million, up a staggering 320 per cent.Rotary helps build and maintain oil storage terminals and other infrastructure for the petrochemical industry.... [Read more]

Beijing's democracy drive at a standstill, analysts say
CHINA'S democratic development has come to a standstill and is even taking a step backwards, analysts said yesterday.However, in the long term, pressure from the ground will lead to progress, at a pace that is likely to be 'two steps forward... [Read more]

Shetty a star in UK Parliament
THE winner of Britain's reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother, Shilpa Shetty, was awarded VIP treatment on a visit to Parliament. During the visit, she thanked British Prime Minister Tony Blair for supporting her in the show's 'racist bullying' row. Shetty,... [Read more]

HK to attract big spenders
HONG KONG is hoping to draw big spenders to boost its tourism revenue this year, tourism chief Selina Chow said yesterday.Tourist arrivals may rise to 26.4 million this year, up 4.6 per cent from the last, she told media and industry... [Read more]

Thai PM removes national police chief
BANGKOK - PRIME minister General Surayud Chulanont yesterday sidelined the country's powerful chief of police General Kowit Wattana. In the move - which had been rumoured for months - General Kowit was transferred to an inactive post at the Prime Minister's... [Read more]

Bak kwa store shows off Wireless@SG's potential
TECHNOLOGY is helping bak kwa sales in the heart of Chinatown zip right along, despite massive queues as Chinese New Year nears. The Bee Cheng Hiang store in Pagoda Street, which gets some 2,000 customers in a week as the festive... [Read more]

Rare orchid found in Cameron jungles
IPOH - A MYSTERIOUS orchid picked up by two environmentalists deep in the jungles of Cameron Highlands has turned out to be the rare Monomeria barbata. Mr Embi Abdullah, 59, who stumbled across the orchid with his friend while trekking in... [Read more]

Taking off
ST Engg's strong results were led by its aerospace division, whose pre-tax gains rose 21 per cent to $305.3 million. Turnover jumped 35 per cent to $1.67 billion, helped in part by the rise of low-cost carriers which outsource maintenance services,... [Read more]

Stock market fever hits China's students
BEIJING - UNIVERSITY students on shoestring budgets have traditionally waited tables, flipped burgers at fast-food joints or taken on odd jobs to earn an extra buck. But recently, enterprising students in China are turning to a quicker, albeit riskier, way of... [Read more]

Chinese town aims to gain from Asean-China accord
PUZHAI (CHINA) - PUZHAI may be a remote border crossing, but it is in a Chinese region set on keeping its economy on track with raw materials flowing from its South-east Asian neighbours. The plot of dry, dusty land is fast... [Read more]