Singapore has completed construction of Southeast Asia’s first air terminal dedicated to serving the booming low-cost airline sector, a major boost to the city’s regional hub status, officials said on Monday. The terminal at Changi Airport is scheduled to be operational on March 26, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said.
United States auto makers were on the defensive at the Detroit Auto Show this week as Asian rival Honda captured the prestigious car and truck of the year awards and disgruntled auto workers protested outside. "We can’t buy what we build with a 60% pay cut," said Michele Carriere (46), who works for auto-parts supplier Delphi.
Hybrid vehicles were the toast of the Detroit auto show this month, but many are warning that the segment will see limited growth. "I don’t think that hybrids will occupy the majority of the market, because the hybrid price is still higher than the customer’s value," Nissan chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga said.
The New Zealand rugby union on Monday rejected allegations it offered inducements to other rugby unions to help it win the hosting rights for the the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The International Rugby Board said there would be no new vote for the 2011 hosting rights following threats of legal action by the Asian Rugby Football Union, of which beaten bidder Japan is a member.
Ethiopia’s version of Pop Idol is a far cry from the glamour and glitz of its British and United States inspirations. Yellowed satin sheets and signs taped to the walls provide the backdrop. Frequent power cuts, feedback from poor sound equipment and even the ringing of cellphones compete with the singers.
Giant windmills — on scenic mountain ridges, prairie grass and even an Indian reservation — are spinning an unusual debate that is dividing leading environmentalists. Wind power grew rapidly in 2005, becoming more competitive as natural gas prices jumped and crude oil prices reached record highs in the United States
Iran said that inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency would remove seals from some nuclear facilities by Monday, opening the way for Tehran to resume research on fuel production. The development on Sunday heightened concerns in the West that Iran was moving toward building atomic weapons.
Hundreds of pieces of Elvis Presley memorabilia were auctioned off over the weekend by a longtime collector trying to win back his girlfriend after she warned him, ”You leave the Elvis clothes or I’ll leave you.” Items auctioned in Beverly Hills included three Elvis concert suits, two of which sold for 000 and 000.
The births of up to 10-million girls in India may have been prevented by selective abortion in the past 20 years, researchers say on Monday. Half a million babies are aborted every year because they are girls, even though termination on the grounds of gender was outlawed in India in 1994, according to a study published online by the Lancet medical journal.
The doctor kneels on the concrete floor and prods at the young woman’s spine with a gloved finger. ”It’s going to be difficult,” he mutters, then pushes the needle into her skin. She gives a low moan as the needle slides in and out. The young woman has meningitis. Draining some of her cerebrospinal fluid, the clear liquid which flows through the backbone and around her brain, will relieve her pain.