News Today

Hammers lose Upson, and game
LONDON - CAN things get any worse for West Ham?Bad enough they lost 0-1 to Aston Villa in the Premiership after a dreadful display on Saturday.Worse, they also saw &pound6million (S$18 million) new signing Matthew Upson go off with an injured... [Read more]

Health scares drive Chinese to buy organic food
BEIJING - FREQUENT and rampant food scares have prompted many Chinese to turn to organically grown food, a study by China's Ministry of Commerce has discovered. More than 60 per cent of the country's 562 million city dwellers are willing to... [Read more]

Seychelles' Rockers on training stint here
THEY are amateur basketballers from the African archipelago of Seychelles, known more for its tourism and fishing industries than the sport. But that has not stopped the Mont Buxton United (MBU) Rockers from forging ties with Singapore. The team are in... [Read more]

Effects of global warming 'unstoppable'
THE verdict is out. That gas-guzzling SUV you drive, the air-conditioner that you leave humming through the night - they are responsible for global warming. Worse, the damage from such human activities that consume fossil fuels is unstoppable and will last... [Read more]

Nobel Peace winner eyes presidency
NOBEL Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu has announced a bid for Guatemala's presidency this year in an attempt to become Latin America's second indigenous head of state.Ms Menchu, a defender of victims of Guatemala's bloody 1960-1996 civil war from the Maya ethnic... [Read more]

Female French chef gets top Michelin rating
ONLY three women chefs had ever won the highest accolade from France's Michelin Guide, the bible of gastronomy. On Wednesday, 37-year-old Anne-Sophie Pic became the fourth. Ms Pic, honoured with the maximum three-star rating, is the latest in a line of... [Read more]

8 Iranians nabbed in Gaza as Hamas-Fatah truce collapses
GAZA - EIGHT Iranian citizens were arrested and a Palestinian intelligence chief loyal to Fatah killed, after a shaky truce in the territory broke down on Thursday. At least 10 people have been killed and at least 100 wounded in fighting... [Read more]

What it should have been
In our report, 'Asean Music Festival in S'pore' yesterday, it was stated wrongly that the five-day event at the Hard Rock Cafe Singapore will coincide with the Asean Tourism Forum, which will be held in Singapore from Jan 29 next year.In... [Read more]

Tighter laws on handling bomb-making chemicals
TERRORISTS are increasingly using certain industrial chemicals such as ammonium nitrate to make explosives. In view of the security risk, Parliament passed a new law yesterday that requires businesses or individuals dealing in and handling such chemicals to get a licence... [Read more]

Recall Beckham? Experts can't agree
BY LEONARD LIM - DAVID Beckham's sizzling form in Spain has caused ripples in England. The big question: Should England coach Steve McClaren, who dropped the player said to be the world's best crosser last year, welcome him back to the... [Read more]

Problem's not the stadia, it's the Ultras
MILAN - THE installation of 28 electronic turnstiles - that was all it took for the Italian government to open the San Siro Stadium to season ticket-holders. The Serie A game staged there yesterday against Livorno ended 2-1 for home team... [Read more]

Mirko fined $500 for outburst

BY CHAN YI SHEN - TAMPINES Rovers striker Mirko Grabovac has been fined $500 by the Football Association of Singapore for his Beep Test outburst yesterday week.

Then, he had toppled a table after passing the mandatory fitness test at the Toa Payoh Stadium.

Said FAS director of competitions Quah Kim Song yesterday: 'He gave us his reasons and was remorseful. But we still regard it as a serious offence.

'All clubs have been given a general notice regarding players' behaviour towards the Singapore Sports Council staff conducting the test.

'We want to send a signal that we do not condone such unruly behaviour.'

The 35-year-old player had sent a letter of apology to the FAS, explaining that his action was due to relief rather than any unhappiness.

He could not be contacted yesterday.

Said Tampines general manager Wilson Chong: 'Grabovac has admitted his fault and is prepared to accept the fine as punishment.'

Tampines, last season's runners-up, will kick off their S-League campaign away to Woodlands Wellington tomorrow.

But they are facing several fitness woes.

Three players - defenders Nazri Nasir and Sead Muratovic and midfielder Ibrahim Noh - failed their Beep Test, and have been ruled out of the Woodlands match.

The next test will be early next month, but clubs can request for an earlier date.

Said Tampines team manager Syed Faruk: 'Sead and Nazri have already failed the test four times.

'There's no point in rushing them to take it again so soon as their chances of passing are slim.

'We have to prepare them and probably try again by the end of March.

'In the meantime, we have to cope without them.'

To make matters worse, forward Noh Alam Shah is out with a groin injury, while midfielder Zulkarnaen Zainal is suspended.

Reserve forward Aliff Shafaein also picked up a groin strain on Tuesday, and is facing a race to be fit.

But Rafi Ali, who will captain the team in Nazri's absence, is convinced that his side can overcome the odds.

He said: 'We will miss Sead and Nazri. But we have capable players like Shariff Abdul Samat and Mustafic Fahrudin who can also do the job.

'Woodlands are well-organised and full of confidence after winning the SingTel League Cup.

'But we will play our normal game, keep possession and move the ball about. We will go there and try to win.'

Meanwhile, defensive midfielder Mustafic, who played as centreback in Tuesday's 0-0 draw with India's Mohun Bagan in the Asian Football Confederation Cup, is likely to continue in the same position.

Reserve Shariff is also expected to be drafted into defence.

yishen@sph.com.sg

News Today

Docs, nurses learn to break bad news better
NURSE Punasundri Thangaraju has met her share of patients weeping following a miscarriage or after learning they had cancer. Her usual response, which she thought comforting, was to tell them not to cry.Now, she knows it is better just to sit... [Read more]

Roh will quit party to help its poll chances
SEOUL - SOUTH Korean President Roh Moo Hyun yesterday said he would leave the ruling party, paving the way for a political shake-up ahead of the December presidential election. His office issued a statement on his decision after he met Uri... [Read more]

Thailand's ITV seeks injunction on $4.3b fines, fees
BANGKOK - ITV, a Thai television network controlled by Singapore's Temasek Holdings, sought a court injunction on about 100 billion baht (S$4.29 billion) in fines, fees and interest it has been ordered to pay the government. The company asked Thailand's administrative... [Read more]

School proves disabled can fit in
AT EVERGREEN Primary, Loh Jiawei is just one of the girls, the muscle-wasting disease that confines her to a wheelchair no barrier to learning. With help from an understanding and caring principal, teachers and schoolmates, the determined 11-year-old topped her Primary... [Read more]

'Serial killer' cleric may have links to Islamists
ISLAMABAD - PAKISTANI investigators are probing whether a 'serial killer' cleric who assassinated a female minister this week - having previously confessed to four other murders - had links to Islamist groups.In a case that shocked even this unstable Islamic republic,... [Read more]

Organ transplant: Unease over last-minute opt-out
THE recent incident in which a brain-dead patient's family tried to physically obstruct the operation to harvest his organs for transplant into patients needing them has revived the discussion about brain death and even led to calls to amend the Human... [Read more]

Crackdown on Eurasian faces sparks outcry
KUALA LUMPUR - THE Malaysian government's plans to reduce the number of Eurasian faces in advertisements have triggered outrage among models and presenters in the multicultural country. Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said last week that he would work with the Culture,... [Read more]

Committee members have no hidden agenda when serving community
I couldn't agree more with Ms Ooi Hui Mei 'RCs glad to work with voluntary groups' (ST, Jan 29) that grassroots leaders do not expect medals nor do they hanker after so-called 'privileges'.As a former secretary of the Pasir Panjang Garden... [Read more]

Couple get back baby held over unpaid bills
JAKARTA - THE impoverished parents of a baby held by an Indonesian clinic for three weeks because they could not pay the bill for her birth have been reunited with their daughter, a welfare official said yesterday. The clinic was forced... [Read more]

StarHub's annual income rises 63%, beating estimates
STARHUB surpassed market expectations by nearly doubling its fourth-quarter net profit, boosted by a tax credit and double-digit growth across all its businesses. Singapore's No. 2 telco posted net profits of $141.7 million for the three months to Dec 31 -... [Read more]

Sleeping pills: Doctor fined, suspended for flouting rules
A DOCTOR has been suspended from practice for a year, fined $8,000 and censured by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) for disregarding guidelines when prescribing sleeping pills.General practitioner Dr James Ong Zhang Yi, 31, pleaded guilty to 12 charges of prescribing... [Read more]

News Today

Minimum Sum not needed here
I REFER to the letter, 'Be more flexible on CPF Minimum Sum' (ST, Feb 5). My wife and I retired from government service in 1996. We withdrew our CPF to help pay for our property. Because we depleted our Minimum Sum... [Read more]

Time to monkey around
Who wants to live with monkeys? The people dressed in fatigues do, in the hope of winning 11,888 yuan (S$2,400). The couple who survive five days and nights with the animals at Qinlin zoo in Xian, China, will get the money.... [Read more]

Champions League
WednesdayBarcelona 1Liverpool 2Porto 1 Chelsea 1Inter Milan 2 Valencia 2Roma 0 Lyon 0... [Read more]

Youth Challenge volunteers keep up the good work
YOUNG volunteers at the Youth Challenge are continuing to run the charity's community programmes despite last month's revelations of 'irregularities' in its financial records and management. About half a dozen current and former volunteers The Straits Times spoke to said they... [Read more]

Ghosts and lollipops for 'chair-ity'
GHOULS and gingerbread men helped raise $7,500 for charity. They were featured among the creations of 150 youths from 10 schools for the 100 Chairs project to raise funds for the Singapore Children's Society. Three Nanyang Technological University mass communication students... [Read more]

N. Korea, US more optimistic over talks
BEIJING - NORTH KOREA and the United States appeared to be entering a fresh round of six-way nuclear talks, which begins here today, with a greater willingness to compromise, analysts say.While negotiators are unlikely to reach a final deal over the... [Read more]

Fight to keep disease at bay
Flood victims reach out for packets of soap and insect repellent that a volunteer is distributing in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.Thousands remained camped out in shelters or under bridges in the city yesterday, even as flood waters continued to recede.At... [Read more]

Anthony misses out
ONE bad night may have overshadowed all the good performances Carmelo Anthony has displayed this season. The National Basketball Association's leading scorer was not named among the reserves for the Western All-Star team announced on Thursday. Anthony is averaging 31.3 points,... [Read more]

Peru's peaks in peril
As the ice atop the Cordillera Blanca, the largest glacier chain in the Tropics, continues to melt, Peru's 'White Mountain Range' may soon be in for a name change. Due to rising temperatures, the once snowy-white caps of the glacier chain... [Read more]

Don't call non-Muslims infidel or kafir
I REFER to the letter, 'Origins of jihad and what it really means' by Mr Zainuddin Mohamed Ismail (ST, Jan 29). I discussed it with my friends and came to some conclusions, among which was the need to remind ourselves and... [Read more]

US consumer prices up more than forecast
WASHINGTON - CONSUMER prices in the United States rose more than forecast in January as Americans paid more for food, medical care and airfares, suggesting that inflationary pressures persist.The consumer price index rose 0.2 per cent after rising 0.4 per cent... [Read more]

News Today

Thailand revives tax perk for new listings
BANGKOK - THE Thai government said yesterday that it had renewed a tax incentive for new stock market listings to encourage companies to go public. 'The Cabinet has approved the corporate tax measures,' a spokesman told reporters of a proposed extension... [Read more]

Rescue at hand
PHOTO: REUTERS A helicopter arriving at the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation building to evacuate five people trapped by the flames on the 11th floor. Nobody was hurt as few were working on Sunday morning, but officials say the fire may have... [Read more]

Seven months later, still no answers
SEVEN months after the skeleton of an old woman was found in the toilet of a dilapidated house off Upper Thomson Road, police have still not been able to establish her identity. Yesterday, the Coroner's Court postponed the case for the... [Read more]

Maid walked out after 5 months of abuse
OVER a five-month period, a woman repeatedly hit her maid over work lapses - until the 23-year-old Indonesian eventually walked out.Tay Pey Kei, 26, grabbed whatever was at hand - from a wooden stool to an aluminium pole which broke in... [Read more]

Els betters Woods
BRITAIN'S Graeme McDowell and Ross Fisher upstaged the elite of world golf yesterday.They shared the lead on seven-under-par 65, after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic. They eclipsed three-time champion Ernie Els, who fired a 66 earlier in the... [Read more]

Taste of the swiss alps
Mr Jens LeHel, 40, and Mr Stephan Freidank, 39, put the finishing touches on the newly installed cable car at Marche VivoCity.The cable car, which operated from 1963 until 1998, was imported from Saas-Fee, a village in Switzerland. It was used... [Read more]

Touting: One lawyer to face judges, another cleared by panel
ENTRAPMENT methods used by private investigators have succeeded in landing one lawyer in trouble for allegedly touting for business, while another has been cleared of wrongdoing.The investigators had evidently been hired by legal rivals to catch the two lawyers in the... [Read more]

Business giants act against climate change
NEW YORK - THE leaders of several worldwide corporations, including Volvo, Citigroup and Wal-Mart, have called for prompt, decisive action on climate change. Nearly 100 companies have endorsed a formal statement to fight for clean energy and against climate change caused... [Read more]

Rocket attack on Shi'ite procession
PESHAWAR - TWO people died in a town in north-western Pakistan when a rocket attack on a Shi'ite Muslim procession sparked a burst of sectarian violence yesterday, police and officers said. The pre-dawn rocket attack was the latest in a string... [Read more]

Try to learn more about other faiths
I APPLAUD Ms Aishah Mohamed's letter ('Don't call non-Muslims infidel or kafir'; ST, Feb 13), for her efforts to clarify certain terms used by some faiths on others.It is essential for people like us, who live in a multi-racial, multi-religious society,... [Read more]

Lions bask in the glow of instant fame
TWO days after taking Singapore into the final of the Asean Championship, the Lions are finding that fame has its privileges. As skipper Aide Iskandar and veteran right-back S. Subramani popped into a coffee-joint near their Amara Hotel base, they were... [Read more]

News Today

Cup of cocoa may hold much promise for an ageing world
SAN FRANCISCO - A NICE cup of the right kind of cocoa could hold the promise of promoting brain function as people age.In an increasingly ageing world, medical researchers are seeing more cases of dementia and are looking for ways to... [Read more]

New Delhi residents wringing hands over monkey menace
NEW DELHI - THE Indian capital is at its wits' end looking for a solution to its monkey menace. Some 300 of them have been playing havoc in the city - roaming at will in the neighbourhoods, snatching food and biting... [Read more]

Bullying cases in Japan soar
TOKYO - THE number of Japanese youngsters officially punished for bullying last year rose 41 per cent over 2005 - a 20-year record high - amid heightened concern over school bullying.The National Police Agency said on Thursday there were 233 cases... [Read more]

Jewell vows to fight FA charge to the end
LONDON - WIGAN manager Paul Jewell, charged by the FA for his criticism of referee Phil Dowd, has vowed to 'fight this tooth and nail'.It is understood that Jewell has been contacted by at least 10 managers, who support his attack... [Read more]

Men who attacked HK pro-democracy legislator jailed
FOUR men who attacked Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho in a McDonald's restaurant last year have been jailed.Mr Ho was clubbed using wooden batons at the crowded restaurant in the central business district in August last year in a case that... [Read more]

Top execs won over by services at luxury terminal
CHANGI Airport's luxury VVIP terminal has attracted a steady stream of mainly top-level executives and businessmen since opening last September. So far, more than 100 travellers and companies have signed up for membership in JetQuay, paying up to $1,000 a pop... [Read more]

Thai workers urged to keep cool over loss
THAILAND'S Labour Ministry has called on Thai workers in Singapore not to vent their unhappiness over the Republic's controversial 2-1 win over Thailand in the first leg of the Asean Championship football final. It said that doing so would not be... [Read more]

Sports world
FANDI OFF TO WINNING STARTPURWAKARTA (Indonesia): Former Singapore soccer star Fandi Ahmad started his coaching career here on a high note. His Pelita Jaya Purwakarta side defeated Persikabo Bogor 1-0 on Sunday. A delighted Fandi told PA Sport: 'With this opportunity,... [Read more]

Weather blows hot, then cold, in north-east
BEIJING - TENS of millions of people in China's far north-east who recently experienced their warmest winter in 40 years are now enduring their heaviest snowfalls in a decade, state press said yesterday. More than 22cm of snow fell on Tuesday... [Read more]

Indonesia's PPP hopes to revive political fortunes
JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S oldest Muslim party is pinning its hopes on new leaders who will be elected this week at its national congress to steer the party into the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.The United Development Party (PPP) - created in... [Read more]

US housing starts hit 10-year low
WASHINGTON - HOME builders in the United States started work on the fewest number of new houses since August 1997 as a glut of unsold homes discouraged new projects.Housing starts slumped 14.3 per cent to an annual pace of 1.408 million,... [Read more]

News Today

Couple get back baby held over unpaid bills
JAKARTA - THE impoverished parents of a baby held by an Indonesian clinic for three weeks because they could not pay the bill for her birth have been reunited with their daughter, a welfare official said yesterday. The clinic was forced... [Read more]

Decision time on airport
WHAT IT IS THE Thai authorities will meet today to discuss a definitive report on repairs required at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. On Feb 14, a final decision will be taken on how much of the airport must be closed for repairs... [Read more]

Temasek invests in Guangzhou developer: Report
BEIJING - TEMASEK Holdings, Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank have invested US$400 million (S$615 million) in Hengda Real Estate Group, a developer in Guangzhou, Shanghai Securities News reported, citing unidentified sources.The combined investment makes up about 8 per cent of the... [Read more]

World Quickly
PERES THE FAVOURITE TO BE PRESIDENTJERUSALEM: The battle to succeed Israel's disgraced president Moshe Katsav got under way yesterday, with veteran politician Shimon Peres favoured to gain the prestigious post that slipped from his grasp seven years ago.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert... [Read more]

Big businesses go green
PARIS - SOME of the very corporations once vilified by environmentalists are choosing to go green. In one initiative, Wal-Mart Stores chief executive Lee Scott unveiled a plan challenging employees, suppliers and customers to remove non-renewable energy from their lives. 'It... [Read more]

Frank Hsieh to join Taiwan presidential race
TAIPEI - FORMER premier Frank Hsieh yesterday announced that he will seek the ruling party's nomination for next year's presidential election.His announcement came just days after opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou declared his bid for the island's top office on Tuesday.Mr Hsieh,... [Read more]

Heat win on Wade's 24-point final effort
MIAMI - WITH less than eight minutes remaining, the Miami Heat were in a 12-point hole. And their superstar guard had already established a National Basketball Association record for the most turnovers in a game. 'I knew it had to get... [Read more]

Taipei to drop 'China' from names of firms
TAIPEI - TAIWAN'S ruling party has passed a resolution calling for the elimination of the word 'China' from the names of state-run companies that were founded in the days when the island's government claimed sovereignty over its giant neighbour.It is a... [Read more]

Microsoft, AT&T in court over software patent
WASHINGTON - IS SOFTWARE a tangible part of a computer, or just an intangible string of digital data? It's an arcane question that the Supreme Court is being asked to answer by two business giants, with US software jobs potentially at... [Read more]

New system to help sniff out threats
LOOKING for that 'needle in the haystack' yet vital clue in foiling terrorist, cyberspace or even bird flu threats will get easier with some made-in-Singapore help.This locally developed computerised tool for intelligence analysts is called the Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning... [Read more]

Muslim nations urged to help end violence in Middle East
JAKARTA - MUSLIM countries must work together to end spiralling bloodshed in the Middle East, the leaders of Indonesia and Pakistan said yesterday as they sought to counterbalance American influence in the region.Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang... [Read more]