News Today

Is service charge for waiters and waitresses or for the establishment?
I refer to Mr Patrick Tan Siong Kuan's letter, 'Want good service? Bring back tipping' (ST, Jan 25), and Mr Alvin Gho Weijie's letter, 'Service charge is a misnomer' (ST, Feb 1). The unspoken understanding is that the mandatory 10 per... [Read more]

Sports World
DELAY IN LANDIS PROBE SLAMMEDMADRID: The Tour de France's director-general expressed frustration on Tuesday over the slow progress of Floyd Landis' doping case. 'The anti-doping commission in the United States won't meet until the first days of March to study the... [Read more]

Cabby returns 31 diamond rings
A TAXI driver in New York returned a black bag carrying 31 diamond rings to a passenger who had earlier given him a tip of 30 US cents (46 Singapore cents) on a US$11 ride. Hours after Mr Osman Chowdhury, a... [Read more]

Taking off
ST Engg's strong results were led by its aerospace division, whose pre-tax gains rose 21 per cent to $305.3 million. Turnover jumped 35 per cent to $1.67 billion, helped in part by the rise of low-cost carriers which outsource maintenance services,... [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]

Union warns of strike if old Thai airport reopens
BANGKOK - A MAJOR union of airline workers has threatened to go on strike if the Thai government goes ahead with the reopening of Bangkok's old international airport. The warning came yesterday as a government-appointed safety panel said the new Suvarnabhumi... [Read more]

Bank refused to change $50
I WENT to the OCBC branch in Jurong Point recently. An elderly woman in front of me was trying to change a $50 note into five new $10 notes. However, the officer told her the minimum amount is $100.The woman told... [Read more]

What the deal is about
YESTERDAY, North Korea committed itself to a two-stage denuclearisation process under an agreement with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. In the first stage - which must be completed within 60 days - Pyongyang will shut down its... [Read more]

Ideas sought for crafting national art gallery
THE search is on for the best architectural and design team to transform the City Hall and former Supreme Court buildings into the National Art Gallery. Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica), said last night... [Read more]

Pompey and Man City row over Barton
LONDON - MANCHESTER City's relationship with Portsmouth is in danger of descending into total hostility, after another day of mudslinging over Joey Barton. Pompey's manager Harry Redknapp infuriated his opposite number Stuart Pearce by claiming on Tuesday that the midfielder had... [Read more]

Jail term cut on appeal for 'Stone Age man'
A COURT case that had all the trappings of a Korean television drama closed with a slightly happier ending for its male protagonist yesterday, when his sentence was reduced on appeal. South Korean student Lim Young Rak was originally given an... [Read more]