News Today

Catch fireworks at S'pore River Hongbao
LOOK out for fireworks on some evenings at the Esplanade Park. They are a feature in this year's Singapore River Hongbao, from tomorrow to March 4.Motorists who want to watch the display will not be allowed to stop or illegally park... [Read more]

Tonight's Headlines
Joy, then sadness for lone United fanON SUNDAY, private tutor Mervin Tan, 30, went where few Manchester United fans dared to tread - the den of local Arsenal fans. Clad in a black United jersey and red scarf, he joined the... [Read more]

Creamer grabs her first title since 2005
KAHUKU (HAWAII) - PAULA Creamer won the LPGA Tour's season-opening SBS Open on Saturday for her first victory since 2005, handling the whipping wind to hold off Julieta Granada by a stroke.The 20-year-old Creamer closed with a two-under 70 for a... [Read more]

A dry February so far
THE first 12 days of February were drier than normal over most of Singapore.A statement from the weatherman yesterday said two-thirds of the island received less than 5mm of rain - more than 90 per cent below average. Most of the... [Read more]

High alert in Karbala for religious event
IRAQI forces tightened security in and around Karbala yesterday as Shi'ite Muslims flocked to the shrine city to commemorate Ashura, a mourning period. 'Security forces have been ordered to completely block car traffic from neighbouring provinces,' Karbala Governor Akhil al-Khazali said,... [Read more]

US 'may ease ban on N. Korea's accounts'
TOKYO - THE United States is considering easing financial sanctions on North Korea in an effort to kick-start talks on ending the North's nuclear arms drive, a report said yesterday.US and North Korean financial officials are scheduled to resume talks in... [Read more]

India gives Bhutan free rein in foreign policy
NEW DELHI - AFTER 57 years of overseeing Bhutan's foreign policy, India and the tiny Himalayan kingdom have signed an updated treaty that gives Bhutan more elbow room in military purchases and external affairs. With Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as... [Read more]

Name changes 'could bring disaster'
TAIPEI - FORMER Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui has warned that the island's drive to remove references of rival China from the names of state-run companies could bring disaster. Under the campaign pushed by the current president, Mr Chen Shui-bian, four state-run... [Read more]

No meeting with defence minister
SECURITY issues are likely to dominate US Vice-President Dick Cheney's trip to Japan but one person he will not meet is the Japanese Defence Minister. Mr Fumio Kyuma recently set off a tempest by calling the US decision to invade Iraq... [Read more]

Blair's top fund-raiser rearrested while on bail
THE top fund-raiser for British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, a police source said.Lord Michael Levy was arrested when he returned to a London police station... [Read more]

Malaysia to review curbs on foreign investors
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA is to review curbs on foreign shareholding in state-linked firms as it gears up for a big push to attract more foreign investment and raise its profile, a minister said yesterday.Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop revealed... [Read more]