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Freeing up capital gains could help meet S'pore's spending needs
'SAVING for a rainy day' has always been the mantra of Singapore's fiscal policymakers but does being, perhaps, overly prudent also hurt Singapore's economy? This hoary old chestnut of how Singapore calculates its financial position has again been occupying expert minds,... [Read more]

Don't mess with success, stay with the SIA girl
Like other road warriors, I've subjected myself to most of the world's airlines and experienced their 'Don't bother me, I don't care' attitude.I am writing in support of maintaining the ad focus on the SIA girls. Every time I board SQ... [Read more]

La Liga
SaturdayReal Madrid 0 Betis 0Zaragoza 1 Villarreal 0SundayAthletic Bilbao 2 Getafe 0Deportivo La Coruna 0 Levante 0Espanyol 3 Mallorca 1Celta Vigo 1 Osasuna 0Racing Santander 4 Gimnastic 1Recreativo Huelva 1 Real Sociedad 0Valencia 2 Barcelona 1Sevilla 3 A. Madrid 1... [Read more]

'Terror groups may put bases in Thai south'
KUALA LUMPUR - THAILAND'S insurgency-wracked southern provinces are in danger of becoming a breeding ground for regional Islamic terrorism, Malaysia's Foreign Minister said yesterday. Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said terrorist groups could seek to build bases in Thailand's restive south,... [Read more]

Youth gambling: Nipping it in the bud
STUDIES show that youth gambling is a problem that needs to be tackled early. A 2004 gambling prevalence survey here showed that nearly half of all Singaporean gamblers started aged between 18 and 24. Global research also showed that young people... [Read more]

Bill Gates limits his children's computer gaming time
MICROSOFT founder Bill Gates may run one of the world's biggest computer companies, but that does not mean his children have licence to play on the computer all day long. The famous entrepreneur said his 10-year-old daughter Jennifer, his oldest child,... [Read more]

TT Int'l pays $13.5m for Novena's furniture arm
HOME-GROWN TT International, which owns and distributes consumer electronics products under the Akira brand, has bought Novena Holdings' core furniture arm for $13.5 million. It plans to incorporate the business into its existing consumer electronics retail stores in Singapore and Indonesia... [Read more]

Suicide bomber kills 3 in Israeli resort town
EILAT (ISRAEL) - A PALESTINIAN suicide bomber attacked a bakery in the southern Israeli resort town of Eilat yesterday, killing himself and three others, police said. It was the first suicide attack in Israel in nine months and the first ever... [Read more]

$15b in Iraq reconstruction funds wasted by US
WASHINGTON - ABOUT US$10 billion (S$15.3 billion) has been squandered by the US government on Iraq reconstruction aid because of overcharges and unsupported expenses, and federal investigators say more money is at risk. The three top auditors overseeing work in Iraq... [Read more]

HDB projects won't be delayed, spike in building costs unlikely
INDONESIA'S ban on sand exports will not result in any delay in Housing Board projects under construction, nor will it have a significant impact on the cost of building the flats.Home owners will also not be asked to pay more for... [Read more]

Bharti may invest $3.8b in Wal-Mart tie-up
NEW DELHI - INDIA'S Bharti Enterprises plans to invest up to US$2.5 billion (S$3.83 billion) in setting up a nationwide chain of supermarkets and retail shops in partnership with US chain Wal-Mart Stores. The investment will be spread over the next... [Read more]