News Today

7 die in collapse
Rescue workers carrying a victim from the rubble after a library under construction collapsed. The 19m-high library building at Guangxi Medical University in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, collapsed on Monday afternoon.Three workers died at the scene while four... [Read more]

Blues' chairman confident Mourinho will stay
DESPITE reports to the contrary, Chelsea's board has no intention of sacking manager Jose Mourinho.The club's chairman, Bruce Buck, has denied that there is any disagreement between the two parties. He is also confident that the Portuguese will remain at Stamford... [Read more]

S'pore army chief's China visit
Singapore's Chief of Army, Major-General Desmond Kuek, exchanging mementoes with People's Liberation Army's Chief of General Staff, General Liang Guanglie, during his four-day introductory visit to China.Singapore's Ministry of Defence said yesterday that Maj-Gen Kuek, who returned on Thursday, was hosted... [Read more]

Reyes blasts Capello's tactics and selection
MADRID - REAL Madrid's Jose Antonio Reyes has taken a swipe at coach Fabio Capello's defensive tactics, and the way he selects players out of position. The Spain winger, on loan from Arsenal, is frustrated at his lack of opportunities. Like... [Read more]

Al-Qaeda threat puts America's oil suppliers on alert
DUBAI - A CALL by an extremist group linked to Al-Qaeda for wider attacks against United States oil suppliers has forced Canada, Mexico and Venezuela to review security at oil installations.'We've always said that Canada is not immune to threats. We... [Read more]

Workfare payouts meant to be savings for future
LOW-WAGE workers may prefer more cash from their new Workfare benefits, but the Government believes it is their future that they should worry about.A day after a new permanent scheme to boost the incomes of low-wage workers was unveiled in the... [Read more]

Barrier to entry for new market players in the postal sector too high
I refer to the reports, 'S'pore to open up basic mail services market' (ST, Feb 6), 'Postal companies express interest in new licences' and 'SingPost still exclusive holder of mailbox keys' (ST, Feb 7).While it is a good sign that our... [Read more]

Chinese army opens up to private suppliers
BEIJING - WHEN Chinese soldiers joined international peacekeepers in Lebanon last year, they took with them an unusual piece of kit: armoured vehicles built by a private company. The purchase of armoured personnel carriers (APCs) from Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicles marked... [Read more]

Campaign to focus on dangers of Net piracy
THIS year's anti-piracy public education efforts will focus on raising awareness of the perils of online piracy.Students and professionals will be among the key groups targeted in the campaign. The campaign, which is expected to roll out in April, will also... [Read more]

Fund managers hail removal of 80:20 tax exemption rule
SMALL or 'boutique' fund managers in Singapore yesterday cheered the long-awaited removal of an unwieldy rule on tax exemptions for foreign investors.Under the rule, introduced in 2005, fund managers based here have had to ensure that at least 80 per cent... [Read more]

Ronaldinho scores twice in Barca win
MADRID - AFTER a series of subdued performances, Ronaldinho showed a return to form when he struck twice on Sunday.The Brazilian striker, who has been criticised for his poor showings in recent games, scored both goals in Barcelona's 2-0 victory over... [Read more]