News Today

Berlusconi says sorry in public to wife
FORMER Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has bowed to his wife's demands for a public apology, after she learned through the press of the sexist quips he had made to a pretty young lawmaker. Mr Berlusconi, head of the country's largest... [Read more]

Woods to face Ryder Cup mate Henry
ARIZONA - TOP-RANKED Tiger Woods got a new first-round opponent in the WGC Matchplay Championship - his Ryder Cup teammate J.J. Henry.The top 64 golfers in the world rankings qualify for the tournament, which starts tomorrow.Henry is ranked 65th, but replaces... [Read more]

Asia-Pacific water meet to zoom in on key challenges
SOME of the biggest water-related challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region will come under scrutiny today and tomorrow, when the Asia Pacific Water Forum's Governing Council has its inaugural meeting here.Chaired by Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh, the independent not-for-profit body aims to... [Read more]

Bill to end forced marriages for Pakistani women
ISLAMABAD - PAKISTAN'S government introduced a Bill in Parliament on Tuesday seeking to end the forced marriage of women and girls, and allowing women to inherit property, officials said. The move by the party of President Pervez Musharraf came as part... [Read more]

Govt under pressure to prevent future floods
JAKARTA - THE floods which hit Jakarta have prompted demands on the government to ensure that they never happen again.The National Awakening Party wants the nation's capital relocated to prevent government activities from being disrupted in future.'Jakarta is now too chaotic,... [Read more]

Japan to send disaster alerts via satellite
TOKYO - JAPAN, one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, launched a satellite-based alert system yesterday that will instantly send warnings on natural disasters to help local residents evacuate quickly, an official said. Japan experiences about 10 per cent of the... [Read more]

NKF suit ends as Yong, Loo drop third-party claims
IT TOOK just under five weeks instead of the expected eight, but the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) suit came to a close yesterday. The development that brought the curtains down: Former NKF chairman Richard Yong and former treasurer Loo Say San's... [Read more]

Unity is the key for Liverpool
DEFINITIONS of opposition have tended to focus on teams in different colours. But, when Barcelona and Liverpool meet tonight, some participants will harbour stronger, and hardly friendly, feelings towards their colleagues. Teamwork and friendship can be very different things. After recent... [Read more]

A Hammers crisis as Liverpool win
LONDON - HOW far West Ham have fallen. Last season, it took a last-gasp equaliser from Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard to send the FA Cup final into extra time. On Tuesday, it was all too easy for the Reds as they... [Read more]

Ecology: China admits it has failed badly
BEIJING - CHINA has failed to make any headway in the past three years to protect its environment, remaining one of the world's worst nations on the issue, according to a new Chinese government report. The country ranks 100th out of... [Read more]

Why demolish perfectly livable old apartments? New isn't necessarily better
In the craze to sell older condos en bloc, has anyone stopped to consider the consequences of demolishing perfectly livable old apartments and replacing them with new developments? Many expatriates who come to Singapore want to spend their housing budgets on... [Read more]