Today's Headlines

World quickly
CRACKDOWN ON MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD CAIRO: Egyptian police arrested 73 members of the outlawed but normally tolerated Muslim Brotherhood, in what the group said was an escalation of a government crackdown on the nation's largest opposition group. The members detained early yesterday... [Read more]

Actor Fiennes in mile-high scandal
BRITISH movie star Ralph Fiennes (right) is at the centre of a mile-high sex scandal involving an Australian flight attendant, a report said yesterday. A 38-year-old Qantas stewardess has been suspended and could lose her job after fellow crew members allegedly... [Read more]

Boy, 7, left in burning flat as family flees
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy - mistakenly left behind in a burning flat by his panicked family - was saved in a dramatic rescue carried out by firefighters yesterday. Muhamed Arrifin's relatives realised he was still in the Yishun flat only when they... [Read more]

Bouquets
CELLPHONE FOUND, THANKS TO STAFF OF FAST-FOOD OUTLETON FEB 2, I left my mobile phone at McDonald's at Centrepoint after having breakfast there. I only realised this later, at the National University of Singapore campus, and had to get my husband... [Read more]

Increase speed of trains, which carry more people
AFTER the recent announcement of the implementation of full-day bus lanes on certain roads within the city area, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has now decided to do away with bus bays on a trial basis so as to further increase... [Read more]

Noble's full-year earnings slide 42%
COMMODITIES trader Noble Group's full-year net profits slumped 42 per cent to US$134.5 million (S$206.3 million), due in part to gains from the sale of fixed assets which inflated last year's profit figures.For instance, last year's earnings included gains of US$34.5... [Read more]

ERP isn't working, rein in number of cars instead
WHAT is the main objective for the implementation of ERP and the subsequent increase in charges? Is it to reduce congestion on the roads and expressways? If that is so, then it has not been effective. Increasing the charges will cause... [Read more]

World Quickly
BILL TO BAN PROTESTS WITHDRAWNMOSCOW: Russian lawmakers yesterday recalled a widely criticised Bill that would have allowed the Kremlin to ban street protests during the pre-election period.Parliamentary sources said the move reflected deep divisions inside the Kremlin camp ahead of a... [Read more]

News In Brief
BY DAY: A private school; BY NIGHT: Supplier of vice girlsBY DAY, it appeared to be a private school. At night, it was supplying women for vice-related activities. This was how private school group Ritz Everton Academy was believed to have... [Read more]

Crackdown on Eurasian faces sparks outcry
KUALA LUMPUR - THE Malaysian government's plans to reduce the number of Eurasian faces in advertisements have triggered outrage among models and presenters in the multicultural country. Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said last week that he would work with the Culture,... [Read more]

STI loses 21 points as Hang Seng plunges
AN INITIAL rally quickly fizzled out yesterday after a strong selldown in Hong Kong sent local traders scrambling yet again for the door. They were spooked so much on Monday by the United States inflation bogey that the Straits Times Index... [Read more]