PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA recalled its ambassador to Thailand on Thursday, the deputy prime minister said, hours after Bangkok pulled its envoy in a row over Phnom Penh's job offer to former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

'To reciprocate the recall of Thailand's ambassador-designate, the Royal Government of Cambodia decided to recall its ambassador for the time being but regards this only as a temporary measure,' Deputy Prime Minister Sok An said.

WASHINGTON - THE number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in 10 months, evidence that job cuts are easing as the economy slowly heals.

Still, companies are reluctant to hire and economists expect the unemployment rate will tick up to 9.9 per cent when October's figure is reported Friday. The jobless rate hit a 26-year high of 9.8 per cent in September.

SINGAPORE must manage the inflow of foreign talent and other immigrants to ensure Singaporeans do not lose out but rather benefit from their presence, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said on Thursday.

He said the Republic, which is already a cultural melting pot, will become even more diverse in the years to come.

A PSYCHIATRIST who took the stand in the High Court on Thursday gave an account of the events that led to a young man stabbing his teenage girlfriend to death in July last year.

It was a tale of how desperately the 23-year-old tried to cling to his relationship with the girl, who had cheated on him with another man yet again.