News Today

Peek into history
The Prime Minister of Laos, Mr Bouasone Bouphavanh, learns about a manual ice-shaver used to make ice balls in the 1950s and 1960s at the National Museum. Explaining it to him is Ms Wong Hong Suen, an assistant curator at the... [Read more]

More bird flu outbreaks expected
JAKARTA - THE world should expect more bird flu outbreaks in the coming months, the United Nations (UN) official coordinating the global fight against the virus warned, after Britain recorded its first case of the H5N1 strain. Dr David Nabarro said... [Read more]

Drogba reveals Chelsea differences
LONDON - DIDIER Drogba has confirmed one of football's worst-kept secrets - that there are problems between Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho and his superiors.That is why the Premiership champions have faltered in the title race this season, the striker added, pointing... [Read more]

Curbing the economy
CENTRAL bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan wants to stop a trade surplus that may top US$200 billion (S$307 billion) this year because of rising inflation, bad loans and investment in idle factories.China's economy, the world's fourth largest, expanded at the fastest pace... [Read more]

Brain scans can read your mind, say scientists
IN A scene resembling the movie Minority Report, scientists in a study were able to predict what a person planned to do in the near future.The neuroscientists used high-resolution brain scans to peer inside their subjects' brains, identifying patterns of activity... [Read more]

US housing starts hit 10-year low
WASHINGTON - HOME builders in the United States started work on the fewest number of new houses since August 1997 as a glut of unsold homes discouraged new projects.Housing starts slumped 14.3 per cent to an annual pace of 1.408 million,... [Read more]

Chinese minister in Japan for talks
TOKYO - CHINA'S Foreign Minister is in Tokyo for talks intended to set the stage for a red-carpet visit by the Chinese Premier, but friction lingers in the background.Mr Li Zhaoxing arrived yesterday to meet Japanese leaders four months after Prime... [Read more]

Highest fine, no discount, for big traffic offences
PUTRAJAYA - AFTER months of haggling, the police and the Road Transport Department have finally agreed on a common list of traffic offences.Offences such as speeding, overtaking on double lines, driving in the emergency lane and beating traffic lights will incur... [Read more]

Thailand cancels TV drama after Laos' protest
BANGKOK - A TOP Thai television network has cancelled a planned soap opera about a star-crossed Thai-Laotian couple after Vientiane complained that the show was offensive. The show, called Love Song On Both Sides Of The Mekong, was already being promoted... [Read more]

Sports World
DOWIE TO RUN THE SHOW AT COVENTRY COVENTRY: Iain Dowie was hired as Coventry football club manager yesterday, three months after being fired by Premier League side Charlton.Dowie signed a 31/2- year contract with Coventry, who are 17th in the 24-team... [Read more]

S'poreans in Jakarta do their bit for flood victims
SOME Singaporean residents in Jakarta are working with their Indonesian friends and other expatriates to organise relief aid for the thousands of victims in the Indonesian capital's worst flood in years. Led by Mrs Gouri Mirpuri, the wife of Singapore's ambassador... [Read more]