News Today

Bullying moves from the school yard to cyberspace
WASHINGTON - CYBERSPACE has replaced the school yard as the preferred place for bullying among many US kids. They are going online to threaten, insult and harass each other outside the watchful eye of teachers and parents.According to statistics, more than... [Read more]

Admiration for ex-chief slowly melted away
THE voice at the other end of the line was one that Mr Michael Lim had not heard for some 20 years.It was Mr Vincent Lam, founder of Youth Challenge - which was being probed by the Commissioner of Charities (COC).He... [Read more]

HK woman sues Osim over 'faulty' foot massager
HONG KONG - A WOMAN in Hong Kong is seeking HK$50,000 (S$9,800) from Osim, a Singapore health products company, alleging that one of its foot massagers had injured her legs, local reports said yesterday. Ms Wong Hoi-yin, who has taken her... [Read more]

Abdullah calls for halt to sex-spy plan
JAKARTA - MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi yesterday called on state governments to stop forming 'snoop squads' to spy on Muslim couples.His comments at the end of a two-day visit to Indonesia followed an earlier announcement by Terengganu state that it... [Read more]

PwC to axe scandal-hit Japan affiliate
TOKYO - THE world's biggest accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is set to shut a Japanese affiliate because of its involvement in the Nikko Cordial Securities broking scandal. This leaves PwC with a significantly smaller presence than rivals in Japan. Misuzu Audit,... [Read more]

No happy return for Iverson
SAN ANTONIO - THE San Antonio Spurs were happy to play at home again finally. Allen Iverson was happy just to be playing again. The Spurs returned home for the first time in more than three weeks on Tuesday night, and... [Read more]

Champions League
TodayCeltic v AC MilanLille v Manchester United Live, Ch23, tomorrow, 3.30amPSV Eindhoven v Arsenal Real Madrid v Bayern Munich Live, Ch24, tomorrow, 3.30amTomorrowBarcelona v Liverpool Live, Ch23, Thursday, 3.30amFC Porto v Chelsea Live, Ch24, Thursday, 3.30amInter Milan v Valencia Roma v... [Read more]

Oil rig worker dies in Sarawak copter crash
KUALA LUMPUR - AN OIL rig worker died after a helicopter crashed off the coast of Sarawak, the second such incident in three months. In the high-seas drama on Tuesday, nine others were plucked from the sea after the Super Puma... [Read more]

'We're gangsters. Both are gangsters'
IN A testimony peppered with glimpses of underworld dealings, accused gunman Tan Chor Jin yesterday gave his side of the story in the fatal shooting of his long-time friend, nightclub boss Lim Hock Soon. Tan, dubbed the 'One-eyed Dragon', told of... [Read more]

Disease leaves flood victim with brain damage
JAKARTA - AN INDONESIAN man has suffered brain damage and is unable to speak after being infected by a water-borne disease. Mr Sarnata, 61, and another person were diagnosed with leptospirosis or Weil's disease, a bacterial illness usually caught from contact... [Read more]

Four new lifestyle groups for members
'AKAN datang'' (Malay for coming soon) will be more affordable and fun activities for workers.That was what the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) new secretary-general Lim Swee Say promised as part of the organisation's workplan this year to care for its... [Read more]

Blues can sign Alex for $1.50

THE man who knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League can sign for Chelsea in the summer for just US$1 (S$1.50).

Brazilian defender Alex was signed from Santos by the Blues in 2004 for £5.7 million, but immediately transferred to PSV Eindhoven because he could not get a British work permit.

It is not a conventional loan deal because the player is registered with PSV.

But Chelsea have the first option to buy him, and can exercise that by paying just US$1, reported The Daily Mail.

This practice of buying players and registering them at other clubs is regarded in many quarters to be against the spirit of the game, but not banned outright by the rules.

It means that clubs with Chelsea's resources would be able to control the market for the best players by placing them at different clubs, who would then pay for the privilege of having the player in the short term.

PSV's defender Alcides is also reported to be a Chelsea player.

Chelsea have denied that Alex is their player, saying:

'His international transfer certificate is held by PSV, and he is registered with them.

'We have an option to buy him at the end of the season, but he is not a Chelsea player.'

PSV have already admitted they 'rented' him from the Blues. And the player has confirmed: 'I know my contract belongs to Chelsea.'

News Today

Loss in local election another blow to PM Abe
TOKYO - JAPAN'S ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) yesterday lost one of two key local elections, signalling more trouble ahead for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.In Kitakyushu, a major city in the south, former Lower House lawmaker Kenji Kitahashi, backed by the... [Read more]

Results
BASKETBALLNBA: Phoenix 115 Cleveland 100, Milwaukee 107 New York 105, San Antonio 96 LA Lakers 94 (OT), Washington 105 Boston 91, Detroit 95 Indiana 87, LA Clippers 98 Seattle 76.CRICKETTri-series one-day international in Perth: Australia 343-5 in 50 overs (Hayden 117,... [Read more]

India to set up aerospace defence shield
NW DELHI - INDIA will set up an aerospace defence command to shield itself against possible attacks from outer space, officials said.The announcement came three days after Russia backed India's response to a Chinese satellite-destroying missile test that demanded a 'weapons-free... [Read more]

Chirac to US: Sign key climate accords
PRESIDENT Jacques Chirac has demanded that the United States sign two key climate-change agreements, warning that a carbon tax would be imposed across Europe on imports from nations who fail to comply. Speaking at a high-profile climate-change conference in Paris this... [Read more]

For lease: 6 state properties for office use
THE Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has put up six state properties for lease via public tender solely for office use. They are: 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace, the former police headquarters. 18 Pearl's Hill Terrace, which used to house a Criminal Investigation... [Read more]

N. Korea may threaten to hold second N-test
BEIJING - NORTH Korea may announce plans for another nuclear test if a financial dispute with the US is not resolved, a source said yesterday. The source with close ties to the North Korean government said the United States lacked evidence... [Read more]

Car-bike crash: NUS student dies
A UNIVERSITY student died after the motorbike he was riding collided with a car in Commonwealth Avenue West on Thursday night. Business undergraduate Sng Seng Liang, 23, was on his way to meet his girlfriend in Toh Tuck Road when the... [Read more]

Bachelor Boy rock 'n' rolls back the years
SINGER Cliff Richard does not rest on his laurels. The super-trouper that he is, the 66-year-old Briton sees no need to rest on a Sunday, especially not when there is a full house to serenade to. That was the case last... [Read more]

Hold courtesy drive instead of axing bus bays
THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) plan to do away with bus bays is a step backwards. I agree with readers it would lead to severe traffic congestion and much confusion.Rather than do away with bus bays, the LTA should call for... [Read more]

Evacuees short of food and clean clothes
JAKARTA - AS OTHER women take care of their babies and toddlers, Madam Maya nonchalantly wipes water off the feathers of her two chickens. 'I don't want them to get the flu,' she says. Her birds as well as her two... [Read more]

I feel like a WHORE
Daring bus stop shoot brings Fann close to 'emotional breakdown' - it's the price of taking on more risky roles CLAD in a short skirt, Fann Wong is sitting at a bus stop, her legs wide apart.She then props one foot... [Read more]

News Today

Bush to intervene to boost Doha trade talks
WASHINGTON - US PRESIDENT George W. Bush is expected to intervene today in a bid to ensure the resurrected Doha Round of world trade talks succeeds.In a speech on the economy, Mr Bush will urge Congress to extend its deadline on... [Read more]

Woods shoots 67 at Dubai Desert Classic
DUBAI - TIGER Woods shot a five-under-par 67 in round two of the Dubai Desert Classic yesterday.But the world No1 was eclipsed by the little-known Ross Fisher, who once fetched golf balls for him at a driving range. Woods, who had... [Read more]

China's stock market base 'not strong'
SHANGHAI - CHINA'S top securities regulator said the foundation for a long-term, stable development of the domestic stock market is not strong and it remains an arduous task to further push market reform forward.In a speech published in the front page... [Read more]

Opting out of Hota: It?s a matter of wresting back control over our persons
I wonder how Dr Lee Wei Ling, 'Organ transplant: Unease over last-minute opt-out' (ST Forum, Feb 22), came to the conclusion that 'given a choice, the vast majority of families would object strongly if they thought this could prevent their loved... [Read more]

Disease threat in Jakarta
A medical team treats a Jakarta flood victim amid a deepening crisis brought on by the worst floods to hit the Indonesian capital in five years.At least 44 deaths have been blamed on the flooding, and officials fear that toll could... [Read more]

What's cooking? Help for the needy
EIGHT hundred dollars may be a pittance to some, but to widow Madam Lijah Ahamed, 47, this modest salary she gets each month from baking pastries means food on the table for her five children, aged 14 to 21, and being... [Read more]

Terry out again, as Chelsea jinx strikes
OPORTO - IT HAS been the story of Chelsea this season: Every budding hope tempered with more bad news. Their 1-1 draw at Porto in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday was a perfect example. Andriy... [Read more]

Yong: Durai wrote own bonus letter
A LETTER written by former NKF chairman Richard Yong to Mr T.T. Durai - praising his work and offering him an eight-month bonus - was actually drafted by the then chief executive himself. Mr Yong admitted this in court yesterday -... [Read more]

US trade deficit hit record high of $1.17 trillion last year
WASHINGTON - THE United States trade deficit surged to a record US$763.6 billion (S$1.172 trillion) last year owing to new highs for oil prices and the commercial shortfall with China, a report said yesterday.The US Commerce Department report said that the... [Read more]

Six-party talks 'not threatened'
ALLEGATIONS that North Korea misused United Nations development funds should not cloud talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons drive, said the United States. The State Department said the allegations made by the US delegate to the UN, Mr Mark Wallace,... [Read more]

OCBC's net earnings cross $2b mark
OCBC Bank yesterday reported a 54 per cent rise in its full-year bottom line, as hefty divestment gains propelled its net profits past the $2 billion mark for the first time. Excluding gains of $559 million from the sale of OCBC's... [Read more]

News Today

'Alwyn Lim insisted Durai deserved first class travel'
THE Ministry of Health's (MOH) representative to the old National Kidney Foundation (NKF) executive committee yesterday described former vice-chairman Alwyn Lim as one of Mr T.T. Durai's most vociferous supporters. Dr Ling Sing Lin said in court yesterday that Mr Lim... [Read more]

Tonight's Headlines
Joy, then sadness for lone United fanON SUNDAY, private tutor Mervin Tan, 30, went where few Manchester United fans dared to tread - the den of local Arsenal fans. Clad in a black United jersey and red scarf, he joined the... [Read more]

SCCCI looks at club to cultivate bicultural Chinese S'poreans
IT MAY be 100 years old, but the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) is open to ideas as to how it can continue to remain relevant. And top government leaders have provided some suggestions in a book, entitled... [Read more]

Maternity leave for single mums too
SINGLE mothers who have their children out of wedlock will now be entitled to government-paid maternity leave. That is, if they walk down the aisle with their child's father - soon. Announcing the changes in the Children Development Co-savings Bill, Mrs... [Read more]

US to send more troops to Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - PRESIDENT George W. Bush said yesterday 3,200 more American troops being deployed to Afghanistan will help Nato forces launch a spring offensive against the Taleban. The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that a US Army brigade of 3,200 troops will... [Read more]

Equal prize money for women
LONDON - AFTER years of holding out against equal prize money, Wimbledon bowed to public pressure yesterday and agreed to pay women players as much men. 'Tennis is one of the few sports in which women and men compete in the... [Read more]

Investors go the whole hog, pushing STI to new record
INVESTORS could barely wait to get back to business on the first trading day of the Year of the Pig yesterday, immediately propelling the local bourse to yet another all-time high. The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) ended yesterday at its... [Read more]

A study of chinese temples
A book recording the history and development of 40 temples in Singapore was released yesterday. Chinese Temple and Culture Volume 2, produced by Shin Min Daily News, also features articles by 10 local experts on Chinese customs. It was launched by... [Read more]

IRs 'on track' despite sand, probity concerns
NO DELAYS, our projects are on track.The assurance was given by Singapore's two integrated resorts (IRs) yesterday, despite flutters over the supply of sand for concrete and a government probe into one of them. Senior staff of the IRs were speaking... [Read more]

India gives Bhutan free rein in foreign policy
NEW DELHI - AFTER 57 years of overseeing Bhutan's foreign policy, India and the tiny Himalayan kingdom have signed an updated treaty that gives Bhutan more elbow room in military purchases and external affairs. With Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as... [Read more]

Johan Karlstedt
Has a background in engineering and founded his first company, Coolex® Oy, in Finland - a successful air-conditioning and cooling equipment manufacturer. After selling his company in 1998, Mr Karlstedt and his family relocated to the United States for several years... [Read more]

News Today

TV times
BASKETBALL: Atlantic Coast Conference: Duke v Boston College (Live, Ch23, 10am). GOLF: Asian Tour Indonesian Open: Day 1 (Live, Ch24, 3.30pm). Nissan Open: Day 1 (Live, Ch22, tomorrow, 4am). Event SOCCER: SingTel League Cup, prelims: Sengkang Punggol v Balestier Khalsa (Hougang,... [Read more]

Ban's restructuring proposals rattle UN member states
IN NEW YORK - MR BAN Ki Moon is off to a rocky start as United Nations secretary-general, with diplomats complaining that his transition is progressing too slowly and member states deeply wary of his first restructuring proposals. His few early... [Read more]

Brokers' Choice
MERRILL EXPECTS CDL TO SET UP OFFICE REIT MERRILL Lynch believes that City Developments (CDL) 'will look to establish an office Reit this year, following its successful initial public offer of CDL Hospitality Trusts', referring to a real estate investment trust.... [Read more]

Asean Charter task force meets
THE task force to draft the Asean Charter met for the first time last week and the personal chemistry among the 10 members was described as 'excellent' by Singapore's representative, Professor Tommy Koh. Prof Koh, who is ambassador-at-large, was elaborating yesterday... [Read more]

Patient restraint pays off for Bernanke
MR BEN Bernanke starts his second year as Federal Reserve chairman with a strong hand of moderating inflation and accelerating growth.Government reports showed the economic expansion picked up last quarter with stable inflation and has boosted Mr Bernanke's stature and the... [Read more]

How a 5-star dream turned into a 3-star nightmare
BANGKOK - STRUCTURAL engineer Tortrakul Yomnak has been spending a lot of time lately gloomily sticking his fingers into cracks in the taxiways at Thailand's Suvarnabhumi International Airport. When he isn't doing that, he chases paper trails and studies contracts to... [Read more]

Making friends
The quota of four tickets per person turned some strangers into friends in the queue for the first leg of the Asean Football Championship final between Singapore and Thailand.Jen had to get Nico, whom she did not know previously, to help... [Read more]

Official who built China 'White House' gets life term
A CHINESE provincial Communist Party official who put up a building modelled after the White House has been sentenced to life in prison for bribery and embezzlement. Feng Liucheng was found guilty of taking bribes worth 3.7 million yuan (S$730,000) and... [Read more]

Umno to street racers: Catch 30 thieves, get a free bike
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA's main party in the ruling coalition has volunteered to help curb street crime, offering new motorbikes to gangs of illegal street racers if they spend their time catching thieves instead. The chief of Umno Putera, the party's... [Read more]

Nurses' pay to go up by 3-7 per cent this month
PUBLIC-SECTOR nurses and other health-care professionals will take home fatter pay cheques starting this month. Nurses' salaries will go up by 3 to 7 per cent, while allied health professionals such as medical social workers and physiotherapists will receive increments of... [Read more]

ExxonMobil nets largest profit in US history
HOUSTON - OIL giant ExxonMobil on Thursday posted the largest annual profit by a US company - US$39.5 billion (S$60.6 billion) - even as earnings for the last quarter of 2006 declined 4 per cent. This topped ExxonMobil's own previous record... [Read more]

Singapore Play Girl

Great White Sharks Attack!
Overhead on a coffee table conversation: Great White Sharks!... [Read more]

TV Mobile spoils what would be a pleasant bus ride
I refer to the letter, 'Don't get distracted by glamour, just focus on public transport' (Online forum, Feb 15), I can't help but totally agree with the second point the writer raised, the one about TV Mobile.I am an avid reader... [Read more]

Indonesia insists it has good reasons to ban sand exports
JAKARTA - INDONESIA has rejected Singapore's questioning of its decision to ban sand exports, maintaining that it has 'good reasons' to do so.Indonesia's reaction, published in the Jakarta Post yesterday, followed a discussion of the issue in Singapore's Parliament on Monday.'We... [Read more]

Dressing-down for scantily clad actress
A STUDENT-ACTRESS has caused a stir in Thailand and made university officials see red after she wore a slinky black gown to the country's top film awards ceremony.Chotiros 'Amy' Suriyawong, a third-year liberal arts student at leading Thammasat University, set tongues... [Read more]

Move bus exit door to rear
ON FEB 12, the Move To The Rear campaign was launched at Pasir Ris Interchange, to remind passengers to move to the rear so more people can board.One reason why passengers don't move to the rear is they have to move... [Read more]

China's small steel mills spurn shutdown order
LUANXIAN (CHINA) - THE fate of a campaign by China to curb headlong investment and start cleaning up its polluted environment turns on businessmen such as Mr Cai Nianguang. Worried that the country's steel industry is growing too fast, China's top... [Read more]

System to let docs access all patients' e-records
A NEW infrastructure will be set up soon to link all health-care practitioners' IT systems, making it possible for doctors to check their patients' medical records electronically.This will translate to fewer administrative mix-ups, such as mistakes in the prescription of medication,... [Read more]

Probe into train blasts leads police to 3 states
NEW DELHI - POLICE teams have fanned out to three Indian states to round up people for questioning in connection with the blasts that killed 68 passengers on a train to Pakistan, an official said yesterday. 'We have sent teams to... [Read more]

Iraqi general takes charge of Baghdad crackdown
BAGHDAD - IRAQ is preparing for a new security crackdown, with a new general set to lead the country's forces taking charge. The US military has confirmed the appointment of Lieutenant-General Abboud Gambar, a Shi'ite in his early 60s, to lead... [Read more]

Life term upheld for man who beat wife to death
LAWYERS arguing the appeal against the life term of a man who battered his wife to death with an 8.5kg standing fan and other objects, sought to tender four new affidavits but to no avail.The three-judge Court of Appeal yesterday upheld... [Read more]

Chelsea in best shape to tackle the final stretch
IT WAS only the FA Cup, with some stars being rested for the more important Champions League this week.But the happenings in the world's oldest tournament - and in the Algarve in Portugal - last weekend could have a big impact... [Read more]