News Today

More Chinese going abroad instead of heading home
BEIJING - CLUTCHING plane tickets in the teeming departure hall of Beijing airport, Mr Wang Wei is happy he is not going to his hometown for Chinese New Year. The 36-year-old engineer is one of thousands escaping China's frosty northern winter... [Read more]

Youth enterprise competition to return
IN A BID to instil the entrepreneurial spirit in the nation's youth, the Young Entrepreneurs Skills Competition, or Yescom, is back for the third year running.The competition has three parts. The first is a seminar on entrepreneurship - teaching participants the... [Read more]

US and Iraqi troops push into Baghdad
BAGHDAD - AMERICAN and Iraqi forces pushed into Baghdad yesterday to clean up insurgent and militia hotbeds, launching house-to-house searches in a major operation to restore order in the battered Iraqi capital. Witnesses said US and Iraqi troops had cordoned off... [Read more]

CTE traffic faster after ERP rate hike
VEHICLES were moving faster along the Central Expressway (CTE) yesterday, when ERP charges went up by 50 cents at two gantries along its stretch. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) also said traffic along the arterial roads - which motorists use when... [Read more]

Fires begun by children doubled to 73 last year
A CHILD and a flammable substance make for a dangerous pairing. Last year, 73 fires were playthings for children that grew out of control - double the 37 cases of blazes started by children in 2005. And while there were no... [Read more]

Ascott nets $22.2m gain from sale of Hotel Asia
SERVICE apartment operator The Ascott Group has sold its Hotel Asia property in Scotts Road for $147 million, from which it will reap a net profit of $22.2 million.The sale price represents a 41 per cent increase over the price of... [Read more]

Building flats with less sand
NOT everything needs to be cast in concrete. The Housing Board says public housing can be built with 25 per cent less sand by substituting concrete with other material like steel and steel-concrete mixes. It has already been putting into place... [Read more]

Ongoing legal battle
THE Beijing Zhonghongji Construction company successfully sued two developers for unpaid wages after building two workers' dormitories. But by then, both developers, including one owned by a central government agency, had gone bankrupt. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (Sasac)... [Read more]

Baby-machine gaffe shows Japan leaders' mindset
TOKYO - EVEN his wife was angry. When Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa called women 'birth-giving machines' last weekend, he outraged many Japanese who have shed traditional gender stereotypes, confirming their suspicions that Japan's leaders are out of step with the times.... [Read more]

Gas water heaters linked to three deaths
TOKYO - GAS water heaters manufactured by Japan's Rinnai Corp have been linked to at least three deaths over the past seven years, according to industry ministry officials.Japan's Ministry of Trade and Industry issued a statement late week detailing the poisonings... [Read more]

N. Korea, US more optimistic over talks
BEIJING - NORTH KOREA and the United States appeared to be entering a fresh round of six-way nuclear talks, which begins here today, with a greater willingness to compromise, analysts say.While negotiators are unlikely to reach a final deal over the... [Read more]