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The weather TODAY: Partly cloudy. Showers with thunder in the afternoon mainly over northern, eastern and western Singapore High tide 1.50 am 2.7m 12.33 pm 2.9 m Sunrise 6.57 am Sunset 6.59 pm Moonrise 9.26 am Moonset 9.45 pm PSI: 41 (good) Temp: 23-32 degrees Celsius

Get for me: Raffles Hotel CURRENCY CONVERTER

Raffles Hotel was designed by R.A.J.Bidwell of Swan & Maclaren and completed in 1899. The hotel was founded by three Armenian brothers, Martin, Tigran and Arshak Sarkies.

The hotel has hosted such luminaries as Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Noel Coward.

In 1902, a tiger was shot under the elevated Bar and Billiard Room. A year later, Ngiam Tong Boon created the famous Singapore Sling.

Ownership of the hotel changed hands when a limited company was formed to take over the hotel. The Sarkies brothers had gone into receivership.

In March 1987, Raffles Hotel was gazetted a National Monument. DBS Bank and OCBC Bank formed a new company Raffles Hotel (1886) Pte Ltd to own, develop and run the hotel. Note that Raffles Hotel was first opened in 1887.

On 16 September 1991, after an extension facelift, the hotel reopened its doors. The renovated premises was bigger, having taken over the land formerly occupied by the Medical Office and Jubilee Theatre.

getforme their website: Raffles Hotel

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Did You Know?

The Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road was completed in 1981 by the architect BEP Akitek (Pte).

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News Flash Today, Saturday 11 Dec 1999

In Singapore

PM Goh returns to Singapore.

Theft of notebook computers has risen sharply this year.

A 23-year-old man fell six storeys to his death after quarrel with his 37-year-old married lover at Kim Tian Hotel in Geylang Lorong 22.

Shipyards may retrench more workers

A Singapore Polytechnic hacker has been jailed for six months.

Four mountaineers leave for Mt Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

Asia

KL: This is my last term, says Mahathir.

Manila: Blackout hits 40 million in Manila for at least an hour..

Around the world

Tokyo: Japan's 36-year-old Crown Princess Masako may be pregnant.

New York: Cindy Crawford has joined ABC's Good Morning America as a special correspondent.

Washington: Scientists grow human corneas in laboratory.

Beijing: Retired Admiral Joseph Prueher has arrived in Beijing to take up his new post as American ambassador to China.

Courtesy of The Straits Times

News updated before 8.00 am daily.

Christmas is just around the corner. Have you started shopping yet? For the benefit of those living overseas, we will post here over the next few weeks pictures of shopping centre facades decorated for X'mas.

The editor

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