News Today

New way of counting halves divorce rate
BEIJING - CHINA is switching to a more common international standard of counting divorces that will cut the divorce rate by half, state media said yesterday.This comes after about 20 years of unusually high numbers of failed Chinese marriages.>From this year,... [Read more]

A-G wants Suharto to repay $500m in charity funds
JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S Attorney-General said yesterday he would demand that former president Suharto repay charity funds alleged to have been used to enrich friends and family before launching a civil suit against him. Earlier this month, Attorney-General Abdul Rahman Saleh said... [Read more]

Citibank goes couture
The new lunar year means a new outfit for Citibank, which has given its uniforms for service staff a chic and cheerful makeover. Designed by top local couturier Francis Cheong, the sparkling new look was showcased in a catwalk show starring... [Read more]

3-nation accord to conserve Borneo rainforest
JAKARTA - INDONESIA, Malaysia and Brunei yesterday agreed to conserve a large swathe of mountainous rainforest covering a third of Borneo which is home to endangered orang utans, elephants and rhinoceros. 'This will put the 'Heart of Borneo' on the world... [Read more]

Lions' triumph is no fluke, so give credit where it is due
I was driving home at about 5.30pm on Monday when I heard a question posed by one of FM93.8's radio host. He was asking for listeners to call in if they thought the Singapore Lions' success in the just concluded Asean... [Read more]

McCulloch gives Wigan crucial win
LONDON - TWO runs came to an end on Saturday at Wigan.Portsmouth lost for the first time there in 28 years but, more importantly for Wigan, their 1-0 win ended a club-record run of eight straight Premiership losses.Ironically, their hero was... [Read more]

Falling steel bar kills worker at prime Orchard site
A THAI construction worker died at an Orchard Road worksite yesterday, suffering serious head injuries after being hit by a 12m-long steel bar that fell off a crane. Mr Kaewswang Wong, 50, was walking under the crane when the accident happened.... [Read more]

HK woman sues Osim over 'faulty' foot massager
HONG KONG - A WOMAN in Hong Kong is seeking HK$50,000 (S$9,800) from Osim, a Singapore health products company, alleging that one of its foot massagers had injured her legs, local reports said yesterday. Ms Wong Hoi-yin, who has taken her... [Read more]

Company's charity move scrutinised
ANOTHER group has come under scrutiny by the charities watchdog. A red flag went up when the Commissioner of Charities (COC) saw that it was to have been helmed by an individual who wanted to raise funds for kidney patients -... [Read more]

Rockeby lands new investors, such as ex-minister Cheow Tong
It places out 120m new shares at 1.9 Australian cents LOCAL biotech firm Rockeby biomed, which is planning again to get a listing on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) after having been rejected four years ago, has attracted new investors, including former... [Read more]

An offence to listen to music while crossing road
NEW YORK - CROSSING the street in New York while engrossed with a cellphone or an iPod could soon get you fined US$100 (S$150) under a draft Bill being presented by a state senator. Senator Carl Kruger blamed 'iPod oblivion' for... [Read more]