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1.  The High Court has awarded a total of 8.08 million dollars in damages to 11 PAP leaders in their suits against Mr Tan Liang Hong. In setting this record sum of damages, Justice Chao Hick Tin said the courts must show its indigestion at the injury inflicted on the plaintiffs.

2.  In World news results of Indonesia's 7th General Election have started trickling in. The ruling Golkar Party is comfortably in the lead taking 2 point 3 million of the 2 point 5 million votes counted so far. The Muslim-led United Development Party has taken more than 160 thousand voters nearly four times the tally of the Indonesian Democracy Party. The final results will be announced on June 10th. Millions of Indonesians went to the polls today. Voting was peaceful, despite the violence that marred much of the four week campaign period. Sujadi Siswo, who's in Jakarta filed this report.

3.  Cambodian authorities have launched a manhunt for the man who shot at a car carrying co-prime minister Hun Sen. Mr Hun Sen was not hurt but one of his escorts on a motorcycle was slightly wounded. This is the latest of several attempts on Mr Hun Sen's life over recent years. A ministry spokesman said the shot was fired from a rifle with a silencer. Mr Hun Sen is currently locked in a power struggle with coalition partner First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

4.  The Philippines has filed charges of illegal entry against 21 Chinese fishermen arrested last week near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. This, despite China's calls for the release of the fishermen. All of them are still on the boat, which has been impounded by the Philippine authorities. The skipper and an engineer have been jailed ashore to prevent any escape. The islets in the South China Sea are claimed by both countries, and Beijing has repeatedly said the area the fishermen were seized belongs to China.

5.  Thailand has lodged a protest with Malaysia over two newspaper cartoons which portrayed the country in a negative light. But Bangkok says it doesn't expect the incident to affect this weekend's special ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

6.  President Bill Clinton has reaffirmed ties with Europe in a touching celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan.

7.  The Health Ministry is to gazette control measures over Chinese Proprietary Medicine, or CPM, in the next few weeks. This is to improve the quality of processed Chinese medicine. At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine practised here in Singapore is also being upgraded. Announcing this, Senior Minister of State for Health and Education, Dr Aline Wong at tonight's 25th Anniversary of Singapore Chinese Medical Studies.

8.  Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has called on the staff, management and unions of Singapore Airlines to rally behind it and make it a World Airline. Speaking at the SIA Golden Jubilee dinner, he said the airline is a national icon and Singaporeans cannot allow SIA to lose out to its competitors.

9.  The Government Parliamentary Committee for Education has recommended that secondary education be more broad-based and less specialised. And to achieve this, the GPC's chairman says the three humanities subjects, Geography, Literature and History should be integrated into one social studies subject. These recommendations will be made to the Education Ministry.

10. The Home Affairs Ministry is to revamp its key operations under a major master planning exercise. In its addendum to the President's address, the Ministry says it aim's to maintain a safe, secure, and socially healthy environment for the people. Details of plans for the Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministries were also outlined today.

11. The Housing and Development Board is offering four parcels of land for commercial development and another five for residential development.

12. Back to more news a former Executive Director of Amcol Holdings has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to cheat Amcol into investing in a 40 million US dollar project in Mauritius. The Project involved the development of a casino, race track and residential properties. 42 year old Ng Chee Kheong has been sentenced by the subordinate courts to 18 months' jail.

13. Two British servicemen - an engineer and a Royal Marine who were charged with robbing a Singapore taxi driver earlier this month have been granted a discharge by the courts. But this does not mean they are acquitted. 22 year old Richard George Britten and 20 year old John Thomson King will be handed over to the British military authorities who have given the undertaking that they will prosecute them. The two were alleged to have robbed a taxi driver of 43 dollars.

14. And in court today TCS actor Li Nanxing, who pleaded guilty to drink driving. The Court banned him from driving for 30 months and fined him 4 thousand dollars. Li was found driving under the influence of alcohol along Telok Blangah Road on the 28th of April. TCS says it has investigated the matter. And taking into consideration that this was Li's 1st offence and that he deeply regretted it, TCS has decided to issue him a stern written warning.

15. And the police now has a new machine to help them clamp down on drink driving more efficiently. The machine can analyse and give accurate printouts of alcohol levels. Police will start using it from Monday.

16. Singapore shares closed mostly mixed on a low volume of 100 million shares, with investors sidelined due to a lack of fresh leads. The blue chip ST index rose 2 points to 2,067 while Malaysian shares traded here also went up. Public Bank's foreign tranche was the most active stock with 8.8 million shares traded. The major gainer was North Borneo Timber, rising 1 dollar 50 cents while top loser was OCBC Foreign, down 60 cents. In regional markets, Kuala Lumpur stocks ended higher on bargain hunting for selected blue chips.

While Hong Kong shares closed lower today on profit taking following several days of rapid gains. In forex markets, the Singapore dollar ended mostly lower against major currencies. Gold in London is trading at 344.50 an ounce, down 1 dollar 20 from its Asian Close. In international markets, Tokyo stocks closed slightly lower from profit taking after yesterday's sharp rise of more than 9 percent. London shares are marginally down while on Wall Street, stocks opened higher.