The Straits Times

August 18, 2009 Tuesday

Updated

Straits Times Headlines

Doctors from abroad form growing pool in Singapore

Taming Tiger: Yang is first Asian to win PGA Championship

Inside

Sex talk is where the attitudes start

View Points

Circle Line breakthrough

Farrer Road back to normal by end-2010

July sales of new private homes at all-time high

Japan limps out of recession with outlook shaky

Regional stocks plunge on economic concerns

MPs echo call for tolerance, restraint in disputes

North Korea makes conciliatory moves

'Red shirts' rally for Thaksin's pardon

Breaking News

CIT Group records $2.5b loss

Hotels all out to attract firms

Cut Net access for online pirates

S.Koreans mourn Kim

Lowest bids don't always win

Tighter rules for pte schools

US-UBS tax case deal on Wed

War on loansharks

Moderate quake hits off Japan

Ease in Eurasian classification

US stocks open higher

8 to be tried in big murder case **

No change in foreign quota

NOMINATED Member of Parliament Teo Siong Seng on Tuesday called for a relaxation of the foreign worker quota in sectors where firms face difficulty hiring locals willing to work long, irregular hours.

The plea from Mr Teo, who is president of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, arose because of concerns among some bosses that the quota might be tightened to save jobs for locals.

Reaffirm pledge principles

NOMINATED Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan wants Parliament to reaffirm its commitment to the principles enshrined in the National Pledge.

In his view, this entails strengthening Singaporeans' sense of citizenship, the fundamentals of democracy and racial and religious unity.

Global recovery has started

WASHINGTON - THE global recovery from recession has begun but a delicate rebalancing of economies is needed to ensure its sustainability, the International Monetary Fund's chief economist said on Tuesday.

'The recovery has started. Sustaining it will require delicate rebalancing acts, both within and across countries,' Olivier Blanchard said in an IMF article, released in advance of publication Wednesday.

Tighter rules for pte schools

A SELECTION of private schools are currently being assessed for their ability to manage finances, among a whole range of other criteria.

This is part of a push by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to get their houses in order, following a spate of scandals featuring dodgy financial practices and dubious degree programmes offered by some of them.

Delay on Thaksin ruling

BANGKOK - THAILAND'S government said on Tuesday it will take at least two months to deal with a petition seeking a royal pardon for fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, after it was forwarded by the palace.

More than 30,000 supporters of Thaksin, known as 'Red Shirts', submitted their plea to the royal offices at Bangkok's Grand Palace on Monday, claiming they had collected at least 3.5 million signatures from around the country.