News Today

Zero-rate GST on essential food items
THE goods and services tax (GST) was implemented on April 1, 1994 at 3 per cent. The rate will be more than double the original rate on July 1. As GST is a tax on consumption of goods and services, consumers... [Read more]

Fresh round of clashes in Gaza
GAZA CITY - FIGHTING between rival Palestinian forces erupted again yesterday in the Gaza Strip, where 23 people have been killed in the fiercest bout of internecine violence since Hamas won elections a year ago. Three Palestinians died overnight as militants... [Read more]

Subsidies for kindergarten fees to be raised
KINDERGARTEN schooling will be made more affordable for low-income families with children.The Government yesterday announced that it will raise the level of subsidy for kindergarten fees under the current Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme.The subsidy will increase from 75 per cent to... [Read more]

Egyptian court finds blogger guilty of insulting Islam
ALEXANDRIA (EGYPT) - A COURT in Alexandria yesterday convicted a blogger for insulting both Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and sentenced him to four years in jail over his online writings.Abdel Karim Suleiman, a former law student in his early... [Read more]

Thailand's ITV seeks injunction on $4.3b fines, fees
BANGKOK - ITV, a Thai television network controlled by Singapore's Temasek Holdings, sought a court injunction on about 100 billion baht (S$4.29 billion) in fines, fees and interest it has been ordered to pay the government. The company asked Thailand's administrative... [Read more]

Ongoing review to help grow CPF nest egg
A STUDY to help Singaporeans earn higher returns on their Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings and enlarge their retirement nest egg is still ongoing, said Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen. One issue to grapple with is how much risk Singaporeans are... [Read more]

Who gets how much from the Doha Asian Games
Badminton $100,000: Li Li, Li Yujia, Vanessa Neo, Shinta Mulia Sari, Liu Fan, Siti Noor Ashikin, Jiang Yanmei (women's team silver) Bodybuilding $250,000: Simon Chua (men's lightweight gold) $62,500: Ibrahim Sihat (men's flyweight bronze), Mohamed Ismail Muhammad (men's welterweight bronze) Bowling... [Read more]

News In Brief
Tokyo, New York bourses on track for tie-up dealTOKYO - THE Tokyo and New York stock exchanges are expected to reach an agreement on their tie-up when bourse officials meet in New York at the end of the month, said a... [Read more]

Tighter laws on handling bomb-making chemicals
TERRORISTS are increasingly using certain industrial chemicals such as ammonium nitrate to make explosives. In view of the security risk, Parliament passed a new law yesterday that requires businesses or individuals dealing in and handling such chemicals to get a licence... [Read more]

Rising seas 'could leave 60m people homeless'
WASHINGTON - A WORLD Bank study has found that a rise of 1m in sea levels from global warming would force about 60 million people in developing countries to abandon their homes. Rising sea levels would have the most drastic effect... [Read more]

China shuts down 205 illegal websites
BEIJING - CHINA had only limited success during a four-month crackdown on Internet piracy and copyright infringement, an official said yesterday.The campaign, launched in September, shut down 205 illegal websites, said Mr Yan Xiaohong, a deputy chief of China's National Copyright... [Read more]