News Today

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]

Bid to revive Mid-East talks
WHAT IT IS MIDDLE East peace negotiators will meet in Washington on Friday. Leaders from the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia will discuss measures to prepare the ground for talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.WHY IT MATTERSThere are... [Read more]

Year of the Pig
Surge expected in number of newborns as those born in pig years are lucky with moneyFor the 1.3-billion strong Chinese people, this Sunday marks the start of the year of the pig, according to the Chinese lunar calendar.The pig is one... [Read more]

'Heart attack' on minister on Valentine's Day
TOKYO - A PEACENIK organisation sent Japan's Health Minister a giant chocolate urging him to 'Be Our Valentine and Resign!' as the country's sweet-giving tradition took on a bitter tinge yesterday. For most Japanese, Valentine's Day is an occasion when women... [Read more]

German militant to go on parole after 24 years
BERLIN - A LEADER of the notorious German left-wing militant group Red Army Faction (RAF) is to be freed on parole after 24 years in prison.A state court in Stuttgart ruled yesterday that Brigitte Mohnhaupt, involved in many of the 34... [Read more]

Leaky BMW: Widow gets full refund
THE widow of a BMW owner who had been seeking compensation for a faulty car has finished - and won - the battle her husband started before his death.Nearly a year after her husband Chu Luo Chang died suddenly, Mrs Eleanor... [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]

New study suggests smoking urges can be switched off
CHICAGO - SMOKERS with injuries in a part of their brain near the ears kick their habit instantly - without the intense cravings that can make smoking so hard to stop, a new study reports. Researchers from the University of Southern... [Read more]

Scouting out residents in case of emergencies
BEHIND the robust turnout at Sembawang's Emergency Preparedness Day yesterday were people like volunteer coordinator Rafiah Yan and her colleagues. The grassroots volunteers' efforts helped draw about 100 residents from HDB blocks in Madam Rafiah's neighbourhood to witness the annual event... [Read more]

Friendlier inter-Korea relations on the cards
SEOUL - INTER-Korea ties may turn sunny again after Pyongyang agreed to halt its nuclear programme in return for aid and diplomatic benefits. A day after securing the six-party nuclear deal, the two Koreas announced yesterday that they would resume stalled... [Read more]

Third party liability: Deadline looms for Durai
FORMER National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chief executive officer T.T. Durai has until tomorrow to decide if he wants to contest the move by two former NKF directors to name him as a third party in the charity's lawsuit.If the former directors,... [Read more]

Liaoning lose but put up good showing

BY LEONARD LIM - IF THEIR performance last night was anything to go by, Liaoning Guangyuan's target of a mid-table finish in the S-League should be met.

The Chinese side, making their S-League debut, showed plenty of heart and character despite falling 2-3 to the Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

They fought back from a goal down to lead 2-1 at one stage, but were let down by poor defending.

They succumbed to a wonderful equaliser by Erwan Gunawan and a Moudorou Moise winner.

Strikers Zhang Haifeng and Yao Li, who gave his side the shock 2-1 lead on 57 minutes, stood out with their impressive performances.

Zhang's burly, 74-kg frame belied a pacy forward with a keen eye for goal and a cool finish.

A visibly disappointed head coach, Ding Zhe, said: 'We lost by only one goal, but that's still a loss.

'We attacked well in the second half, but left holes at the back as a result and got punished.'

The humidity was a factor too, said Ding.

'We're still trying to get used to the weather here.'

Liaoning lack players with flair and pace, but made up for it with lots of teamwork and hustling for the ball.

Compared to Sinchi, another Chinese side who played in the S-League from 2003 to 2005, Liaoning are technically better and less robust in their play.

Yesterday's match also marked the league debut of Young Lion Hariss Harun, the competition's youngest player at 16.

The central midfielder was unable to exert any influence on the game, however, and admitted as much later.

'I wasn't able to impose myself much, and will try to work on that,' said the Saint Gabriel's Secondary student.

The opening quarter of an hour was a dour affair, with the match only coming to life after a set-piece.

A Khairul Amri free kick from the edge of the box curled round the Liaoning wall but went straight to goalkeeper Qin Xiao.

And when the breakthrough came, Amri was rightly involved.

The tricky dribbler was brought down by Xu Wenbin on 38 minutes, and strike-partner Fazrul Nawaz scored from the spot to bring the Jalan Besar faithful to their feet.

It was not a well-deserved lead, however, with Liaoning looking the better side until then.

Liaoning scored a well-earned equaliser within seconds of the re-start, while sections of the 3,167-strong crowd were still taking their seats.

A speculative ball found Zhang, and he timed his run well between Moise and Ismail Yunos to lash the ball into the top corner.

Ten minutes later, the Chinese side took the lead.

Tong Di and Moise tussled for a long ball just outside the penalty area, and both fell.

Completely unmarked, Yao charged towards the stationary ball and crashed it into the net.

The lead did not last long, though. Gunawan hit a glorious right-footed volley from 20 metres out that went in off the post.

Moise's header in the 66th minute turned out to be the winner.

Young Lions coach V. Sundramoorthy looked relieved that his side managed to get off to a winning start, and praised his opponents' performance.

'Some of their strikers are technically good, making nice, angled runs and getting into open spaces often,' he said.

'But they will still take some time to settle in.'

News Today

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]

Google gains again beat analyst forecasts
SAN FRANCISCO - GOOGLE'S fourth-quarter profit nearly tripled as the online search engine leader once again sprinted past analyst expectations, but the breathtaking growth was still not enough for investors.Google said on Wednesday that it earned US$1.03 billion (S$1.58 billion), or... [Read more]

7 from sports school gain direct entry into top JCs
THEY may not feature among the top scorers when the O-level results are released today, but they have nevertheless landed places in top junior colleges. Seven of the first batch of 39 graduates from the Singapore Sports School are now set... [Read more]

SPH's Thomson condo sells out in just 30 hours
ALL 273 units of Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) high-end condominium at Thomson Road have been sold, barely 30 hours after they were released at a special preview on Sunday evening. The public launch, due to be held this weekend, has been... [Read more]

Sports World
SLINGERS TO TAKE ON CROCODILESSYDNEY: The Singapore Slingers will face the Townsville Crocodiles in the quarter-finals of the Australian National Basketball League play-offs.Singapore lost 76-102 to the Kings in their final regular-season game in Sydney yesterday.They finished eighth, with a 13-20... [Read more]

Pay compensation for lost title deed
BEFORE 1995, the title deed of any property bought with CPF funds was to be held by the Central Provident Fund Board as security. The mortgage on our property was finalised in 1992 and the title deed was supposed to be... [Read more]

Crash landings
PHOTO: REUTERS French policemen inspecting an airplane (above) after it overran the airport runway in Pau, southern France, slamming into a truck and killing its driver on Thursday. The 50-plus passengers on board the plane, belonging to Air France subsidiary Regional... [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]

China bends rules for couple
BEIJING - CUPID, long frowned upon by Chinese sport, is finally allowed to smile. The national tennis federation has bent its own rules banning romantic relationships to ease pressure on Li Na, a top medal hope for the 2008 Olympic Games... [Read more]

Clinic keeps baby over unpaid bill
JAKARTA - AN INDONESIAN clinic is keeping a baby until his poor parents pay the bill for his delivery, a report said yesterday. Pedicab driver Sutrisno, 33, paid 1.3 million rupiah (S$220) to the Murni Asih clinic in Bojong Nangka near... [Read more]

Soccer Shorts
CHELSEA NEED MOURINHO, SAYS LAMPARDLONDON: Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard admits it is difficult to think about life without manager Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge. There have been suggestions that Mourinho will quit at the end of the season after falling out... [Read more]

News Today

A dry February so far
THE first 12 days of February were drier than normal over most of Singapore.A statement from the weatherman yesterday said two-thirds of the island received less than 5mm of rain - more than 90 per cent below average. Most of the... [Read more]

Drawing the crowds at SMRT station
Auspicious Chinese couplets and paintings were given away free to SMRT passengers and shoppers at the Raffles Xchange mini-mall yesterday by artists from the Life Art Society (LAS). In the past three years, the society's giveaways have been held at SMRT... [Read more]

Waiting for the mating call
It's feeding time for Rosa in the rhino sanctuary at Way Kambas National Park on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. But soon, it may be breeding time for the young rhino, which is one of two female rhinos that are expected... [Read more]

Heading North
HE WAS the first person in the world to do a wheelchair marathon in the South Pole, and Olympic wheelchair athlete William Tan is now gearing up for another challenge. The neuroscientist - who lost the use of his legs from... [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]

STOMP users: Friendly Thais, fantastic atmosphere
'There were only three of us among the Thais, so we didn't dare to jump up or scream.'When Singapore scored, the whole stadium was quiet. There weren't any cheers, we could only clap.'We even wore black, a neutral colour. We were... [Read more]

S'pore, Thailand and US hold joint air exercise
SINGAPORE, Thailand and the United States are participating in a 12-day air exercise, a statement said yesterday.The trilateral exercise, codenamed Cope Tiger, began at Korat in Thailand last month and will continue till Feb 9.It involves 113 aircraft, 32 air defence... [Read more]

Budget is fair and has something for everyone: PM
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has described this year's Budget as a fair package, carefully balanced to provide something for everyone. Emphasis was given to helping the lower-income group and elderly, but the Government also had to be fair to everyone,... [Read more]

GST hike: How it will benefit the poor
A WEEK before it is due to detail the impending hike in the goods and services tax (GST), the Government has reiterated the rationale for the move.Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam also tackled the question of why the changes were being... [Read more]

Tallest player Sun starts small in minor league
WASHINGTON - CHINA'S Sun Mingming dreams of playing in the National Basketball Association one day. For now, the 2.36m, 168kg behemoth - touted as professional basketball's tallest ever player - will have to settle for a United States minor league. He... [Read more]

The changing Okinawan diet
Before 1945Okinawans consumed mostly fish, soybeans, seaweed, vegetables, tofu and pork. The diet was rich in antioxidants, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and proteins that helped protect against vascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack, and lowered the risk of cancer,... [Read more]

News Today

Records broken at twin events for charity
RECORDS were broken yesterday in the name of Singapore's two main transport operators, with the proceeds going to charity. In the morning, SMRT made a bid to enter the Singapore Book Of Records by cramming as many people as possible into... [Read more]

Afghan leader a new father at 49
AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai has become a father at the age of 49. His wife Zeenat gave birth to the couple's first baby - a son called Mirwais - at a Kabul hospital late on Thursday, the BBC reported on its... [Read more]

India's Essar rules out selling out of Hutchison joint venture
MUMBAI - INDIA'S Essar Group has no plans to sell out of Hutchison Essar, increasing the pressure on Britain's Vodafone to come up with a workable shareholder arrangement with the company that could end up being its main partner in India.... [Read more]

S'pore sends back fugitive Taiwanese tycoon to US
TAIPEI - FUGITIVE Taiwanese tycoon Wang You-theng was sent back to the United States yesterday because of problems with his travel document hours after he arrived in Singapore en route to Myanmar. The 80-year-old businessman and his fourth wife fled Taiwan... [Read more]

Asean Charter a bold step forward, Arroyo says in Davos
DAVOS (SWITZERLAND) - AT A time when the Doha Round of world trade talks appears shaky, Asean is proclaiming it is wedded to global trade. Recounting Asean's evolution at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said the association... [Read more]

'My ATM' feature a time-saver
I am surprised that some users find the new DBS ATM screens more difficult to use 'New ATM screen not user-friendly', (Online Forum, Jan 23) and 'Exasperating to make out options on new ATM screen' (Online Forum, Jan 25). I felt... [Read more]

G-7 nations open to letting IMF sell gold reserves
ESSEN (GERMANY) - INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Rodrigo Rato said the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialised nations were 'open-minded' about allowing the fund to sell part of its gold reserves. An advisory panel said last month the fund should... [Read more]

HDB rental flats for deserving tenants
THE Housing Board is aware of the concerns of the elderly and the poor. So it is willing to exercise leniency on a case-by-case basis when it comes to rental flats. But on a policy level, it has to be strict... [Read more]

Beckham returns from exile with goal and win
MADRID - DAVID Beckham capped his return to the Real Madrid starting line-up with a goal and a win.After Real's 2-1 Spanish Primera Liga victory over Real Sociedad, the midfielder earned the plaudits of his teammates, coach Fabio Capello, and the... [Read more]

Minister doubts eavesdropping claims
THAI Minister of Information and Communication Technology Sittichai Pokai-udom has cast doubts on the junta's claims that Singapore was eavesdropping on Thai military conversations.In an interview on a Thai-language TV talk show, Siam This Morning, on Tuesday, Mr Sittichai said eavesdropping... [Read more]

Noble's full-year earnings slide 42%
COMMODITIES trader Noble Group's full-year net profits slumped 42 per cent to US$134.5 million (S$206.3 million), due in part to gains from the sale of fixed assets which inflated last year's profit figures.For instance, last year's earnings included gains of US$34.5... [Read more]

News Today

Sports World
JOCKEY MURPHY DIES AFTER FALLWELLINGTON: Irish jockey Damien Murphy died yesterday from injuries suffered in a race fall.The 23-year-old never regained consciousness after crashing to the turf when his mount, Ajay's Luck, clipped the heels of another runner nearing the finish... [Read more]

HDB picks four agents to sell unsold flats
THE Housing Board (HDB) yesterday appointed four housing agencies to sell 250 unsold five-room and executive flats in some estates. As these flats have remained unsold after repeated offers to public applicants under HDB's sales exercises, the board is releasing them... [Read more]

Half-day holiday for pupils sends negative message to pupils
My daughter entered secondary school this year. I understand from her school (Canberra Secondary) that most schools practise rewarding the pupils when the school did well for the O level examination. Canberra Secondary declared a half-day 'holiday' for the pupils in... [Read more]

ComfortDelGro's net earnings rise 21%
TRANSPORT giant ComfortDelGro's overseas contributions were almost nose to nose with those from local operations last year.And chief executive Kua Hong Pak indicated it is only a matter of time before they surpass profits generated here.For the year ended Dec 31,... [Read more]

Management team at odds over $15k withdrawal
THE new Youth Challenge management committee yesterday appeared a fractured lot, publicly trading accusations over a $15,220 withdrawal from the charity's bank account.The committee told the media last Tuesday it had discovered that the sum - withdrawn via an Internet bank... [Read more]

Expanded curriculum: JC students coping well
JUNIOR college students who have come under the new expanded A-level curriculum since last year have generally coped well with it. About the same percentage of them passed their JC1 exams and started JC2 this year in most of the 10... [Read more]

Demand for city-fringe, suburban homes picking up
DEMAND for new homes outside the plush prime districts picked up pace late last year, even though prices there climbed more slowly than in the red-hot central region. This may mean that demand is finally trickling down from the booming luxury... [Read more]

MOH teams sent to Australia, Britain to scout for doctors
HEALTH Ministry officials have been sent on scouting trips to Britain and Australia to help attract doctors for the public sector, which could be facing a severe shortage soon. Towards the end of last year, Permanent Secretary Yong Ying I was... [Read more]

More bargain-price Chinese cars to come
GET ready to see more bargain-price China-made cars on the road. Entrepreneur Peter Kwee has secured two more Chinese vehicle brands, just over two months after launching Geely. The next-in-line marques are Dongfeng and Soyat. The Dongfeng models will include a... [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]

Cambodia 'champ' shows way
IN 1993, the water supply in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, was a sorry mess. Not only was the water unsanitary, but 70 per cent was also lost to leaks or thefts.Today, clean water reaches a million people - almost the... [Read more]

News Today

Companies in brief
ST ENGG WINS $68.5M TAIWAN TRAIN CONTRACTSINGAPORE Technologies Engineering (ST Engg) has won a $68.5 million contract from engineering firm Marubeni to supply communications and other electronic systems for a railway project in Taiwan. The company's electronics arm will design and... [Read more]

Najib slams bullying of air force recruit
PUTRAJAYA - MALAYSIAN Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak yesterday condemned as 'unforgivable' the actions of senior air force trainees who allegedly tortured a recruit, including forcing him to swallow his own vomit. Datuk Seri Najib, who is also the Defence... [Read more]

Expect congestion when cars avoid left-most lane
I READ with amusement about the proposed closing of bus bays by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a bid to cut travelling time ('Bus bays may be axed to help cut travel time'; ST, Feb 13).The LTA has taken aggressive... [Read more]

Bollywood cashes in on merchandising
MUMBAI - FOR decades, Bollywood was happy just to sell filmgoers a 20 rupee (S$0.70) cinema ticket. Now studios, tentatively evolving from dynastic family firms to Hollywood-style companies with a taste for merchandising, are increasingly trying to market everything from action-hero... [Read more]

High-tech labs at polys, with help of tech giants
TWO polytechnics now have training labs with state-of-the-art equipment, supplied by leading multinational corporations, that can support interactive and digital media (IDM).Students and professionals will benefit from the polytechnics' courses in IDM using the advanced equipment.Nanyang Polytechnic's NYP-IBM Cell Broadband Engine... [Read more]

S'pore firm in herbal pill deal
THE makers of a herbal pill which claims to fight bird flu signed a multi-million-dollar deal last Friday with a Chinese company to sell more than 80 per cent of its stock for the year.The Singapore-based R&D company Herbal-Science said that... [Read more]

SingTel closes at record high of $3.70
SINGTEL shares yesterday surged 22 cents, or 6.3 per cent, to a record high of $3.70 ahead of the release of its third-quarter results next week.This was fuelled by the buzz over the booming Singapore market, recent analyst upgrades on SingTel... [Read more]

Buyer beware
The world of motorcycles21 No of cases filed (January to December 2006)Top complaint1. Unsatisfactory service CASE STUDYA consumer signed a purchase agreement with a motorcycle dealer and paid a deposit of $800. As he waited for delivery of his bike, he... [Read more]

Lakers left hot and bothered
LOS ANGELES - AFTER Eddy Curry dunked an alley-oop pass to give the Knicks a one-point lead on Tuesday, Hollywood director Spike Lee scurried down the sideline to high-five with the actor Denzel Washington. Denzel did not bite, because he knew... [Read more]

Amputee fighting to be fireman
AN AMPUTEE who lost half of one leg as a child is fighting to realise his dream of becoming a firefighter. Mr Isaac Feliciano's fight hit a road bump when city officials in Paterson, New Jersey, declared him to be not... [Read more]

Global warming will bring more diseases to S. Asia
MILLIONS more South Asians will suffer from diseases such as malaria and cholera, or go hungry due to global warming, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. India's monsoon, the county's biggest source of water for irrigation, may also be disrupted by... [Read more]