N. Korea marks Kim Il Sung's birthday

North Korea marks the anniversary of the birth of founding leader Kim Il Sung today.

The North lavishly celebrates Kim's birthday, often with massive military parades featuring its most impressive-looking weapons or with missile launches.

South Korean media yesterday reported that North Korea has been making preparations to launch mid-range ballistic missiles, possibly to mark the occasion.

Launch of book on S'pore's R&D hub

A book that chronicles the establishment of a research and development hub in Singapore will be launched today.

Titled The Singapore Research Story, the book describes how key research institutes here were set up, as well as the roles played by various researchers, scientists and engineers.

New private home sales rebound?

New private home sales in Singapore last month are expected to rebound smartly from the low of 301 units moved in February.

Sales numbers for March should have picked up, say analysts, given the decent take-up seen at the launches of Cairnhill Nine and The Wisteria.

February's sales were lower than the 323 units sold in January and the 390 units that developers sold in the same month last year.