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Synopsis :

1. China: China and the Soviet Union have formally ended 30 years of hostility with an agreement to normalise ties. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who is in Beijing, met Chinese leaders including Deng Xiaoping, Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang and Premier Li Peng. Gorbachev’s visit takes place against the backdrop of student demonstrations and hunger strike which forced China to shift the venue of his meeting with Li. (00:00:51)

2. US: In a letter to US President George Bush, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says the Soviet Union has stopped shipping arms to Nicaragua since the beginning of 1989. However, the assurance did not include other forms of military aid such as vehicles, supplies and clothing. (00:04:27)

3. US: Minister for Trade and Industry BG Lee Hsien Loong, who is in Washington D.C., has begun meeting senior US officials, including US trade representative Carla Hills. Singapore’s Ambassador to the US Prof Tommy Koh said the two ministers had cordial and substantive talks. (00:04:57)

4. Singapore: In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs has advised nationals of other countries who have overstayed in Singapore to surrender themselves to their embassies for repatriation. It said that if they did not make use of this opportunity to surrender and leave, they would face the full weight of the amended Immigration Act. Separately, Bangladeshi nationals who overstayed, have been given a two-week grace period, upon the request from the Bangladeshi High Commission. (00:07:39)

5. Soviet Union: Prompted by the Chernobyl disaster, nuclear operators from around the world have gathered in Moscow to launch a new organisation. The hope is to establish a system to share information on safety and prevent nuclear accidents in the future. (00:08:49)

6. South Korea: Thousands of students have marched through the streets of Kwangju city to protest against the death of a student dissident whom they say have been tortured to death by the police. The march ended peacefully. (00:09:45)

7. Lebanon: A powerful car bomb explosion in west Beirut has killed Sheikh Hassan Khalid, the leader of Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim community. At least one of his bodyguards and 20 passersby were killed. (00:10:56)

8. Sri Lanka: Continuing violence has killed 17 people. An Indian army officer and a top Tamil rebel fighter were among those killed in a pitched gun battle between Indian soldiers and the dominant separatist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. (00:11:31)

9. The Philippines: The US and the Philippines have signed a memorandum of understanding for the release of US$408 million to Manila as compensation for hosting American bases from 1988 and 1991. Philippine Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus pointed out that the signing was not tied to the coming talks on the future of the bases. (00:12:04)

10. US: More than 2,200 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of US$500 million was seized by US Customs. However, customs and Federal agents were unable to make any arrests. In contrast, Malaysian police have smashed a major drug trafficking ring, with the seizure of 22 kilograms of marijuana and arrest of two men. (00:13:07)

11. Singapore: Keidanren Chairman Eishiro Saito has said there was still room for technical and industrial cooperation between Singapore and Japan. The visiting Keidanren delegation called on Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and First Deputy Prime Minister and  Minister for Defence Goh Chok Tong, and held talks with Acting Minister for Trade and Industry Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam and  Minister for Finance Dr Richard Hu.(00:15:10)

12. Singapore: A thousand of the world’s top executives in the oil industry will attend the Asia-Pacific Petroleum Conference 89 which begins on September 11. Ministers from major oil exporting nations, such as Indonesia, Bahrain and Venezuela will outline their plans for current and future development at the conference. (00:17:04)

13. Singapore: The Trade Development Board plans to promote locally-made industrial machinery overseas. They will be shown in trade fairs in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. There are also plans to visit Japan and the US to sell Singapore’s capabilities in making industrial machines. (00:17:39)

14. Singapore: Commenting on the government’s measures to curb car usage, Automobile Association of Singapore (AAS) says the reduction of the Area Licensing Fee from $5 to $3 is a significant signal that the government is prepared to be flexible in its traffic control policy. AAS President Ng Ser Miang says it alleviates fears that fees and taxes on cars can only go up and not down. (00:18:09)

15. Singapore: The NTUC has advised management to consult their unions when adjusting pay scales. Writing in the NTUC news, NTUC Deputy Secretary General Lim Boon Heng said wage adjustments called for good sense and sensitive handling by both union leaders and managers. (00:19:00)

16. Singapore: Police have seized about 4,000 fake watches from shops in Lucky Plaza. 11 shop owners have been served summonses for possessing these watches. The raid, which targets the stocks, has helped to nip the touting problem at its source. (00:19:41)

17. Singapore: A 20-year-old murder suspect has been extradited from Malaysia. He is believed to have stabbed a Malaysian tourist on the body and head, during a fight at Boon Lay Shopping Centre. (00:20:23)

18. Singapore: Second Minister for Defence (Policy) Dr Yeo Ning Hong saw a live firing exercise at Lim Chu Kang. About 400 reservists from the 203rd Singapore Artillery Battalion were involved in the exercise. Dr Yeo says the men have done very well and there has been a lot of improvement since he first started visiting them in the field in 1981. Sound bite of Dr Yeo. (00:20:46)

19. Singapore: The SAF will be holding an exercise at the Bedok Jetty from May 17 to 18. The public is advised to keep clear of the area. (00:22:30)

20. Singapore: From June 5, the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) will update its indices regularly at every five minutes. SES President Lim Choo Peng says the SES is able to improve its service because of the installation of a fully automated system for its operations. (00:22:47)

21. Singapore: The Consumer Price Index rose by 2% in April compared with the same period in 1988. But it increased only slightly by 0.7% over March 1989. The rise was mainly because of higher prices of food, transport and communications and clothing. (00:23:16)

22. Singapore: The theme of Singapore’s first music festival is “Music for Everyone”. The bi-annual festival will be held from June 23 to July 23. Political Secretary for Community Development Zulkifli Mohammed attended the sneak preview held by the Ministry of Community Development. (00:24:00)

23. Financial News (00:26:24)