News Today

'Right time to cut ties with foreign creditors'
IN JAKARTA - INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last night explained his reasons for severing ties with a group of donor countries, while calling on Indonesians to join him in the battle against corruption. In his annual state-of-the-nation address, he said... [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]

Clinic charged $42 for consultation over CNY
DURING the long weekend to celebrate Chinese New Year, an incident occurred which I feel I have to clear my doubts about.It happened that my grandmother had gastric flu and had to consult a doctor. As it was a public holiday,... [Read more]

Friendly, helpful bus driver spread cheer
ON BEHALF of my family, I would like to thank an SBS driver whose friendliness and enthusiasm for his job made our bus journey really pleasant while doing our Chinese New Year visits.On the second day of the new year, we... [Read more]

Streetzone? More like dead zone, say angry mall tenants
ANOTHER group of retail tenants is locking horns with its management over what it sees as half-baked efforts to drum up business. This time, it is in Ang Mo Kio Central, in a mall scarcely five months old called Streetzone. Call... [Read more]

Cash, candidates aplenty in presidential race
WASHINGTON - HISTORY is in the making in the race for the White House in 2008. It is a campaign of many firsts, underscored by one predominant theme: The war in Iraq. It will be the first time in 80 years... [Read more]

Real to protest over van Bommel's gestures
MADRID - Real Madrid will reportedly protest to Uefa over two insulting gestures made by Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel, after he scored in the teams' Champions League game.The Spanish club considered Tuesday's actions 'an intolerable provocation'.Van Bommel, a former... [Read more]

'You better hang me'
THE accused gunman dubbed the 'One-Eyed Dragon' created a stir in court yesterday when he urged the High Court judge presiding over his trial to hang him, saying it would ensure his wife's safety. Just before yesterday's hearing broke for lunch,... [Read more]

16 killed after fire breaks out on ferry
JAKARTA - A FIRE broke out on an Indonesian ferry carrying 300 passengers yesterday, killing at least 16 and sending panicked passengers jumping into sea. One women slipped beneath the waves, clutching her 18-month-old daughter. More than a dozen remained unaccounted... [Read more]

Commitment to the nation vital for those in top posts
As a Singaporean, I want to assure Mr Pavin Limanont who wrote the letter, 'Pick leaders on merit, not cultural affiliation' (ST, Feb 16), that our country is anything but xenophobic. As of the year 2004, there are 800,000 foreigners and... [Read more]

Sports World
AUSTRALIA LOSE 2-3 TO BELGIUM LIEGE: Former Davis Cup tennis champions Australia lost 2-3 to Belgium in the first round of the World Group on Sunday.Lleyton Hewitt put the Australians on even terms when he won the reverse singles. But Chris... [Read more]