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Black Sea helicopter crash kills 19

2008-04-28T18:09:00.001+08:00

KIEV (AFP) - - A helicopter crashed into a Black Sea offshore energy platform and blew up on Monday, killing 19 people, a spokesman for Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz told AFP.

"The helicopter crashed on a platform and exploded" 70 kilometres (43 miles) off the Black Sea coast, spokesman Valentin Zemlyanksy told AFP. "19 people died and one survived."

The crash occurred at around 9:00 am Kiev time (0600 GMT) when the helicopter's tail hit the platform, Zemlyanksy said. He said pilot error appeared to be the cause.

Designed as a workhorse for military and civilian purposes, the Mi-8 helicopter can carry up to 28 people.

Around 11,000 have been produced since the model was first launched in 1965, according to Moscow's Mil helicopter factory.

A Mi-8 operated by the Ukrainian border guard service crashed over the Black Sea last month killing 12 people.

Jurong General Hospital to be located near MRT, bus interchange

2008-04-28T17:40:00.002+08:00

Channel NewsAsia - Monday, April 28

SINGAPORE: The new general hospital in Jurong will be located in Jurong East, within walking distance from the Jurong East MRT station and bus interchange, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced after a ministerial walkabout in Geylang Serai on Sunday.

The hospital, which is expected to open by 2015, will also be easily accessible via the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) and the Pan—Island Expressway (PIE).

The Jurong General Hospital will have 550 beds and will provide acute inpatient and outpatient care. It will also have a community hospital next to it.

Mr Khaw said this co—location arrangement follows the Changi General Hospital and the St Andrew’s Community Hospital model, which has worked well.

He said: "As a rule, we try to learn from all past projects so that every new hospital is better than the previous one. This co—location with community hospital is something we find very useful. The main advantage is integration.

"Patients sometimes do develop complications and if (the hospitals) are physically linked, you could just push the patients over... Sometimes, you do not need to push a patient over, the doctor can pop over. This is the sort of integration with a stepdown care sector which I want, which we are focusing on over the next few years."

A hospital planning committee, led by National Healthcare Group CEO Lim Suet Wun, is looking into the details. The Health Ministry said it would wait for a "good time" — when construction costs have cooled down — to call for tenders for the hospital.

This development will form part of the larger Jurong Lake District plan to transform the Jurong East area into a mini—city with commercial, leisure and other amenities.

The Health Ministry has also reserved a few sites for more hospitals if there is a need for them.

Details of the Jurong Lake District plan are available at www.ura.gov.sg/MP2008/Jurong/.

— CNA/ac/so

DPM says hunt for Mas Selamat to focus on specific intelligence

2008-03-26T22:44:00.001+08:00

Channel NewsAsia - Wednesday, March 26

SINGAPORE: The search for alleged JI leader of Singapore Mas Selamat Kastari will now become more targeted — based on specific intelligence on where he might be hiding.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng on Wednesday said information showed the wanted man is still in Singapore.

He gave this update on the manhunt efforts after meeting some 80 Gurkha soldiers involved in the search.

Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre one month ago.

Mr Wong said the police and the Singapore Armed Forces have been conducting a systematic search of forested areas and unoccupied buildings.

This general search will be completed in about a week.

Mr Wong added that large ground forces deployment will be scaled down, but ground forces will remain ready to be activated.

Other operations such as security inspections at land checkpoints and sea patrol surveillance will continue.

Mr Wong said if necessary, Singapore will amend its laws to strengthen policing within its territorial waters.

He emphasised that the manhunt will continue for as long as it takes until Mas Selamat is captured. — CNA/ac

S’poreans showing united front in efforts to capture Mas Selamat

2008-03-02T04:33:00.001+08:00

Channel NewsAsia - Sunday, March 2

SINGAPORE: Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Singaporeans are displaying a united front in efforts to capture Mas Selamat Kastari.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia at a community event on Saturday, Mr Tharman said he is also heartened that the Malay—Muslim community is taking a lead in this search.

He said: "From the initial reactions, Singaporeans are confident that Mas Selamat will be found, but more importantly this is an opportunity where Singaporeans are coming together, reassuring each other and also reassuring the Malay—Muslim community who have themselves taken the lead.

"What you read on the Internet is sometimes different from what you observe on the ground. They’re calm, they’re alert, but no one is giving anyone a cold shoulder."

— CNA/so

SM Goh says growing the economy is important for the future

2008-02-17T21:55:00.002+08:00

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said on Sunday Singaporeans should reflect on how to grow the country’s economy and build on its reserves for future Budgets instead of just asking for more assistance now.

Mr Goh made this point following feedback that some Singaporeans want the government to do more despite a generous Budget announced on Friday.

He also described this year’s Budget, announced on Friday, as a "compassionate, comprehensive and far—sighted one".

In fact, he said few countries in Asia and the world are able to provide such a budget.

He was speaking to reporters at a charity Lunar New Year lunch on Sunday for some 1,000 senior citizens who also received something extra in the form of red packets.

The senior citizens at Marine Parade GRC are enjoying a little charity on top of what they will be receiving from the government.

During the Budget announcement on Friday, the government unveiled a slew of measures to help Singaporeans, like the elderly and the needy, cope with rising costs.

But Mr Goh said Singaporeans need to ask themselves how this Budget was possible in the first place, and not to just keep asking for more help.

Mr Goh said: "I think we should be realistic in our expectation. Because if we are not and we demand more and more of the Finance Minister without trying to understand how this can be produced, some time in the future, there’ll be disappointments."

Senior Minister Goh said this year’s Budget is a far—sighted one because it has focused on providing funds for education, training and research and development.

And all these, he said, would help to grow the Singapore economy in the long term.

Mr Goh added that the objective is always to have a Budget that keeps an eye on the future.

So despite Singapore accumulating S$6.4 billion in reserves last year, the country should not dip unnecessarily into the reserves, which the Senior Minister likened to a golden goose which lays golden eggs.

He pointed out that exceptional economic and property market growth last year contributed to the reserves.

But it’s not possible and desirable to see the property prices continue to rise otherwise it’ll result in an oversupply and the economy will be overheated.

SM Goh said: "The reserves are like a golden goose which lays golden eggs. And if you try and dig into the reserves, you’re actually in a sense not feeding the reserves and the goose gets smaller. So we should, whenever we can, put some funds aside to grow the reserves and then use the earnings in the reserves, which is what we’re doing.

"Produce the wealth first and the surpluses before we talk about sharing and never, never dig into the reserves. That’s like killing the golden goose to get the meat. I think better try and fatten the goose, have more golden geese and then have more eggs to share."

So if Singapore gets the basics right, the government can then deliver more of such compassionate and comprehensive budgets in the future. — CNA/ch

Faith Behind Bars

2007-09-16T13:16:00.000+08:00

CBNNews --- Indramayu, Indonesia - In May 2005, three Indonesian Sunday school teachers were imprisoned for converting Muslim children to Christianity.

Our Cbn News Asia Team recently visited the three women in prison and discovered they're still sharing their faith behind bars.

We visited Rebekka, Ratna, and Eti at the local prison in Indramayu, Indonesia and found them in high spirits.

They remain positive, even though they have now spent two years in jail for a crime that most people say they did not commit.

In 2005, the three Sunday school teachers were summoned to court after a group of Muslim radicals in their village accused them of converting their children to Christianity.

Evidence was presented suggesting that the Muslim parents were aware that their children attended Sunday school with their Christian friends. Regardless, the court still pronounced the women guilty and sentenced them to three years imprisonment.

Observers in the hearings concluded that pressure and intimidation from Islamic extremists convinced the judge to hand down the harsh ruling.

Even if people believe that Eti, Ratna and Rebekka were unjustly sentenced. It's amazing how these three women can call this prison their "school of trust."

Rebekka, a Sunday School teacher, said, "I call this prison ‘a school of trust in God.' I think it's not easy to be in prison, but everything is easy with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is very faithful to me in this jail. He supplies all our needs, never leaves me, never forsakes me. They ask me why you never look so sad. I told them there is joy in my heart and peace in my heart because of Jesus."

Ratna and her husband, Sembi, who was then visiting, also testified how the whole experience has made them grow spiritually.

Sembi said, "It is very difficult that my wife cannot be with me and my children at home, but I thank God because he helped us to be stronger in our faith and in our relationship with each other."

The three women did not keep their faith in Christ to themselves. They shared it with fellow inmates.

Edi Koswara is one of them. He is in jail for stealing a motorcycle and says it was the kindness of Rebekka that led him to ask her about Jesus.

Edi said, "I saw the kindness of Jesus on her face. I know every child of God has joy on his face. I want the same and know about this"

A former Hindu and Muslim, Edi embraced Christianity.

"I know Jesus has died for me and has forgiven my sins," Edi said. "When I die, I know I will be with Jesus in heaven."

Inspired by biblical passages, Edi made several paintings which Rebekka used in her Bible studies.

Rebekka says she believes all the good things that happened to them inside the prison were answers to the prayers of Christians from around the world.

"The community of Christians is very good. We have received many letters. That is the very best time for me in jail. Proof to me we are the body of Christ," she said.

And prayers for their early release have also been answered. Eti, Ratna and Rebekka will be freed on parole in June.

Will the three women stop teaching Sunday school to the children?

Rebecca said, "Of course not! But we must be wise because they will watch us."

But with their Heavenly Father closely watching them, Eti, Ratna and Rebekka say they are confident that their future is secured.

- source

Massive Arrest of Chinese and American Christian Leaders in Xinjiang

2007-09-16T13:09:00.000+08:00

Christian Newswire -- China Aid Association has learned though credible sources that on April 19, 2007 in Akesu city, Xinjiang province, about 30 major house church leaders were arrested when they met with four American Christians. The four Americans were also arrested. Included among the arrested Americans are a senior pastor and an associate pastor of an American church. Sources tell CAA that the four Americans arrived at Akesu airport on April 17 and fellowshipped with the house church leaders on April 18 at a local church family house.

At the time of this press release the four Americans are still being held for questioning in an undisclosed hotel. The translator for the Americans, Mr. Jinhong Li from Beijing, is also still being detained. On April 23, the PSB confiscated the luggage of the four Americans from the house of their host, a local church family.

Eight Chinese pastors were released on April 20 and at least 6 others have already received criminal detention papers for 30 days detention, accused as "suspects involved in evil cult activities." The names of the accused are Pastor Xinglan Zhao, Pastor Xiurong Huang, Pastor Tianlu Yang, 41, Pastor Chaoyi Wang, 41, Pastor Cuiling Li, 48, and Pastor Sijun He.

The Chinese government may sentence the six accused pastors to 1-3 years re-education through labor because they were previously detained a couple of years ago for one month for organizing house church activities. Eyewitnesses told CAA that at least two of the arrested were seen with bleeding noses and bruises on their faces from torture at the interrogation site. They are being held at A Ke Su City Detention Center.

CAA has learned the US Embassy is intervening for this case.

- Source

Malaysian ministry bans shark's fin soup

2007-09-15T23:00:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has struck off shark's fin soup from the menus at official functions, to help conserve the species, a report said Saturday.

Minister Azmi Khalid told the official Bernama news agency that the ministry had made the commitment to the Malaysian Nature Society.

"By refraining from the consumption of shark's fin soup, it is hoped that the ministry would contribute in one way or another towards the current conservation efforts for sharks species," he said.

"Their demise would start off a domino effect, which at each stage could result in the depletion or overpopulation of other fish and marine species leading to an imbalance in the marine ecosystem," he said.

Malaysia's population is dominated by Muslim Malays, but there are also large ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.

- CNA

Show on a high

2007-09-14T23:50:00.000+08:00

If it were up to him, Taiwanese entertainer Show Luo would cast compatriot crooner Jolin Tsai, 27, as bookish girl-next-door Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) in High School Musical 2.

"She can speak English … she can dance," he explained.

As for the role of spoilt brat Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) — his favourite character in the show — Selina Ren from girlband S.H.E is his pick.

Luo, himself, would of course replace California-born actor Zac Efron as campus heartthrob-cum-basketball captain Troy Bolton.

While the 28-year-old singer-host hasn't exactly realised this big-screen dream, he's at least now the star of the music video for the Mandarin version of the song Bet On It, from the Disney telemovie.

In Singapore last week for a promotional trip, he was all smiles and cheeky humour, even attempting a few halting phrases in English.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing when shooting the three-minute video, in which he appears playing basketball and baseball as well as a ninja.

He hurt his foot while landing hard on the ground after a jump in a dance routine. But he gamely went ahead with the shoot. Following that injury, record label EMI Capitol insured his legs for a reported NT$50 million ($2.31million).

After releasing four albums in five years, he is now busy with his Show on Stage concert tour, which is scheduled for Dec 1 in Singapore.

And just how does he see himself in comparison to current Hollywood IT boy Efron? "Oh, he's definitely cooler, but I'm cuter!"

The Asia special edition of the High School Musical 2 soundtrack will be out in stores from Sept 17.

- CNA

New iPod touch arrives in Singapore

2007-09-11T23:04:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: Surf with your iPod with just one touch of your finger.

Apple fans will be able to do that, and soon, with the new evolution of iPod line, the iPod touch. To be on sale by the end of September, the iPod touch features for the first time, WiFi networking and a 3.5-inch wide screen with multi-touch interface that allows users to find and enjoy their music, videos, photos and more with just the touch of a finger.

The functions and designs of the iPod touch are similar to the iPhone because the technology came from the breakthroughs seen in the iPhone. Little surprise that it has been dubbed an iPhone, without the mobile capabilities.

The touch-screen iPod in 8GB and 16 GB, sports a slick casing that's just 8mm thin but packed with surprises. As Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO aptly put it, "People are going to be amazed at how thin it is and how much it does."

For starters, the iPod touch boasts a built-in accelerometer which senses when the device is rotated and will automatically display photos, websites, or videos in their respective landscape or profile aspect ratios. It also has the ability to allow users to zoom in and out on the screen by pinching the image with their fingers.

What sets apart the iPod touch from others in the iPod family is the built-in WiFi that allows users to launch into Apple's Safari web browser which comes with custom Google and Yahoo search functions. Also included is a YouTube application for fast wireless access to millions of free videos.

Apart from the iPod touch, Apple has also polished its iPod product line aimed at boosting year-end holiday season sales.

The iPod nano now comes in five new colours,including green, silver and special edition RED, and features a larger, clearer (204 pixel) screen that should come in handy for the new extra on board - games.

There is also the sixth generation iPod Classic with 80 GB or 160 GB of storage in an all-new metal enclosure.

Like the iPod Nano, the iPod classic will also be bundled with three games, the new Cover Flow interface to flip through the stored digital music and video and longer battery-life on a single charge.

– CNA

Football: Man Utd striker Solskjaer announces retirement

2007-08-29T12:49:00.000+08:00

LONDON : Manchester United's Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Tuesday announced his retirement from football.

Solskjaer, 34, is a hero at Old Trafford having scored the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final, after coming on as a substitute.

But the 'Baby-Faced Assassin' has long suffered from knee problems and has played little over the last four years.

Solskjaer told the Man United website: "I would like to thank the manager, the coaching and medical staff and most of all the supporters, who have supported me through my career. They have been fantastic and were a real inspiration to me when I was out injured.

"The support the fans and the staff showed me during that time was the main motivation for me making my comeback. I feel proud to have represented Manchester United for 11 years and have some very special memories."

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to one of his greatest servants during his leadership of the club.

"Ending your playing career is a sad day for anyone, in the case of Ole, he has 11 fantastic years he can look back on," said Ferguson.

"Ole has achieved everything a player could ever wish to achieve. He has been a great servant to the club and has always remained a model professional in his responsibility as a player, in his demeanour and his manners have always been exemplary. Ole will hopefully go on to be a good coach."

United chief executive David Gill also paid tribute to one of the most popular players among the Old Trafford faithful.

"Ole has provided us all with some exceptional memories during his time here at the club," he said.

"Nobody will ever forget his dramatic winner in Barcelona, but much more than that his dedication and professionalism make him one of the great role models in football.

"Ole will be dearly missed as a player, but will go on to serve the club as an ambassador and a valuable coach."

Solskjaer had not appeared in any of United's matches this season.

His last game was the FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea on May 19 when he came on as an extra-time substitute at Wembley.

He has already spent time at United coaching young players as he looks forward to life after his playing career.

Solskjaer joined United from Norwegian side Molde for 1.5 million pounds in 1996 and helped United to seven titles in his time as well as the unprecedented treble in 1999.

He scored 11 goals as the Red Devils reclaimed their Premier League crown last season.

The former Norway international has made 366 appearances for United over the years, scoring 126 goals.

He was appointed a club ambassador last year - a role he is expected to continue and develop - and could well be given a long-term coaching position at the club he has served so loyally over the years.

The retirement of Solskjaer leaves Ferguson with only three recognised strikers - Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Carlos Tevez - the latter being the only one presently fully fit.

There is also Chinese import Dong Fangzhou who has played only one match since joining United more than three years ago and was on the bench on Sunday against Tottenham, although he was unused.

- CNA

Owen Wilson pleads for privacy after reported suicide bid

2007-08-29T12:47:00.000+08:00

LOS ANGELES - Oscar-nominated actor Owen Wilson called for privacy on Monday after being hospitalised in Los Angeles following a reported suicide attempt.

The 38-year-old star of "Wedding Crashers" and "Zoolander" was said to be in a good condition at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, where he was transferred on Sunday after paramedics were called to his Santa Monica home.

"I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time," Wilson said in a statement released by his representative to celebrity website TMZ.com.

A spokeswoman at Cedars Sinai said Wilson was in a "good condition."

There was no official word on the reasons for Wilson's hospitalization however reports said the actor had attempted suicide.

Later Monday, sources close to the actor cited by syndicated entertainment television show "Extra" said Wilson had attempted to take his own life.

The source cited by the show said Wilson had been discovered by his brother Luke and that the actor's family and friends were in shock.

Santa Monica police and fire department issued a statement saying that medical aid had been dispatched to Wilson's address in Santa Monica.

The statement said "a person" was taken to local hospital but did not provide any details. Local media reported unidentified police sources confirming that the person treated was Wilson.

Wilson is regarded as one of Hollywood's most bankable actors, having appeared in a string of hit comedies.

He was nominated for an Academy Award for his writing work on "The Royal Tenenbaums" in 2001, in which he also starred with brother Luke Wilson and close friend Ben Stiller.

Wilson has also been romantically linked to "You, Me and Dupree" co-star Kate Hudson although their relationship recently ended.

Wilson is currently working on a new comedy with Stiller, "Tropic Thunder".

- CNA

Taliban agree to release all South Korean hostages

2007-08-29T12:22:00.000+08:00

GHAZNI, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's extremist Taliban said Tuesday they would free 19 kidnapped South Korean aid workers within days, raising hopes for an end to the near six-week hostage crisis.

The militia agreed a deal with South Korean diplomats after Seoul pledged to remove its small military force from Afghanistan by the end of the year as planned and prevent Christian missionary groups from visiting the country.

"We're going to do our utmost to free them as soon as possible," said Taliban negotiator Qari Mohammad Bashir, adding that the hostages would likely be released in the three to four days.

Bashir said it would take time to gather the hostages as they were being held in different locations. The Taliban has previously said the captives were split up into small groups and held in three provinces.

The agreement was reached in talks between Taliban leaders and South Korean officials in Ghazni, 140 kilometres (90 miles) south of Kabul. Indonesian diplomats and tribal negotiators also played a role.

The news was greeted with scenes of joy in South Korea where the crisis has gripped the nation ever since a group of 23 aid workers was kidnapped while travelling by bus from the capital Kabul to Kandahar on July 19.

"The good news has arrived and the whole nation is now relieved," South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun was quoted by his spokesman as saying.

Family members shed tears and embraced one another as they gathered at a church south of Seoul where a vigil has been maintained throughout the 41-day ordeal. They have experienced shifting emotions as the Taliban killed two of the male hostages and then released two women on August 13.

Their spokesman Cha Sung-Min, almost overcome with emotion at a press conference, expressed sorrow the news could not be shared with the two dead male hostages.

"We feel very sorry for causing so much concern to the people. It is very regrettable that we cannot share this good news with the relatives of the late Pastor Bae Hyung-Kyu and brother Shim Sung-Min," he said.

The previous round of talks ended in deadlock just under two weeks ago, with the Taliban sticking to a demand that some of its men be freed from jail.

But the Afghan government has steadfastly refused to release any prisoners.

The government was criticised in March after it released five Taliban militants in exchange for an Italian journalist but declined to release another prisoner to secure the freedom of his Afghan translator who was later beheaded.

Taliban negotiator Bashir said the militia also wanted all South Korean aid workers to leave Afghanistan by the end of the month, but this demand was not confirmed by other sources.

He said Taliban forces had also agreed not to attack South Korean troops before they leave. Seoul had said it would pull out the troops, mostly engineers and medics, as scheduled by the end of the year.

The South Korean government has already passed a legal amendment making unauthorised travel to Afghanistan punishable by a jail term, and told all Christian and other aid groups to come home from the war-torn nation.

The Taliban, linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda movement, are also holding a German engineer who was kidnapped a day before the South Koreans.

The group has said it wanted 10 jailed Taliban to be freed in exchange for the engineer, who is also said to be sick, and his four Afghan colleagues.

The kidnappings are among a series of incidents blamed on the Taliban, who are waging a bloody insurgency against the Kabul government and its coalition allies that has spiralled in intensity over the past year.

A female German aid worker was kidnapped in broad daylight in the capital earlier this month, but she was later freed in a police raid and authorities said her abduction was a criminal act motivated by money.

- CNA

Middle-age suicide rate up: report

2007-08-29T12:21:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: The figures point to a worrying trend - more men in their 40s and women in their 50s have committed suicide since 2003.

In that year, there were 14 suicides for every 100,000 men in their 40s, according to government figures released yesterday. This increased to 19 per 100,000 last year.

For women, there were eight suicides per 100,000 of those in their 50s in 2003. The figure rose to 13 per 100,000 last year.

According to earlier media reports, 419 people took their lives last year, up from 346 in 2003.

Still, Singapore's overall suicide rate for those between 45 and 54 years old is lower than that of places such as Hong Kong, Japan and Switzerland, said Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Nonetheless, the rates reflected a "worrying trend" as each suicide was a "tragic loss" for both the family and community, he said in a written reply to a question posed by Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang.

Dr Balakrishnan also revealed that an Inter-Ministry Working Group on Mental Health, chaired by Ministry of Health permanent secretary Yong Ying-I, had been formed to study ways to improve the mental and emotional resilience of Singaporeans.

"I don't find the rates for those in their 40s and 50s surprising," said Dr Ang Yong Guan, chairman of the Action Group for Mental Illness. "What's paradoxical is the correlation that when the economy does well, the suicide rates go up."

He added: "It could be because people start seeing those around them becoming more successful, so they start to feel affected. This is unlike a recession, where everyone does not do well."

Dr Balakrishnan also noted that each suicide case "is unique" and often accompanied by a combination of problems. "Contributing factors such as personality traits, mental health and socio-cultural environment may also play a role."

To mark Suicide Awareness Week, which is held between Sept 22 and 29, the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) is organising two forums that will address issues like how to help someone with suicidal tendencies.

SOS' latest annual report said that more women attempted suicide than men. Chinese women, married and between 20 and 30 years old, appeared to be the most vulnerable. Marital and family relationship problems were the main reasons.

Meanwhile, the Government will pump more resources into mental health promotion and treatment. The Health Promotion Board, with other public agencies and the private sector, is expanding such programmes, said Dr Balakrishnan. - TODAY

Sands IR: The glitz, the glamour, the swelling cost

2007-08-29T12:14:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: At US$3.6 billion (S$5.5 billion), it was touted as one of the costliest casino-resorts ever, out-glitzing even the newly-opened Venetian Macao.

Now, the development bill for the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort (IR) could swell further - by as much as US$1.44 billion.

A spike in the cost of building materials, sparked by the Indonesian sand ban in January, as well as refinements to development's design, could push up the tab by "20 to 40 per cent", Las Vegas Sands president and CEO William Weidner told the Singapore media visiting Macau on 28 August.

Said Mr Weidner: "My cost people keep on discussing concrete and some of the sand issues that you all face in Singapore. We're struggling, quite frankly, to stay within our budget."

"It's a very, very complicated and sophisticated building... as wonderful as the idea is, now that we try to execute it in concrete and steel, it's a bit of a challenge. But we'll get there. We’re looking for means and methods to construct it more efficiently."

Back in February, when construction on the IR began, the casino operator was hopeful the sand supply issue would be a "temporary glitch" and that the Singapore Government would find a long-term solution.

The Las Vegas-based operator meets regularly with the Republic's authorities. Said Mr Weidner: "There are several issues that still need to be resolved."

Some S$700 million worth of contracts have been awarded. A whopping S$1-billion contract to build the IR's three 50-storey hotel towers - which will go to a multi-national corporation - will be announced soon, revealed Marina Bay Sands' vice-president George Tanasijevich.

The IR is due to open in 2009 and already, talks are ongoing with organisers to host about 20 major events up to 2013, he added.

Sands was the first foreign player to enter Macau's gaming scene in 2004.

The US$265-million Macao Sands got its money back - and more - by raking in US$400 million in revenue within a year.

So, is Las Vegas Sands expecting its latest property - the US$2.4-billion Venetian Macao, touted as the world's second-largest building - to break even within 12 months? More like five years, Sands' billionaire chairman Sheldon Adelson told AFP.

More than 3,000 guests and 1,200 media turned up for Tuesday's star-studded opening of the Venetian Macao, which is modelled - on a larger scale - on Sands' The Venetian in Las Vegas, complete with canals, gondolas and a fake sky.

In addition to more than 850 gaming tables, there are 3,000 luxury suites, a 15,000-seat stadium and 350 shops. The new resort reportedly employs 5 per cent of the territory's workforce of 450,000.

In the crowd was Singapore Tourism Board deputy chairman and chief executive Lim Neo Chian, who described the new resort as "very impressive". He said: "By the time the Marina Bay Sands IR opens in Singapore, Las Vegas Sands will have invaluable experience and insight into the Asian market - enabling them to make Marina Bay Sands, which is very different in design to their two Macau resorts, an even better proposition."

The Venetian Macao is the first casino built on the Cotai Strip, a complex of hotels that will have more than 1 million sq ft of gambling space, 3 million sq ft of retail and almost 20,000 hotel rooms.

With the target being the huge numbers of nouveau riche gamblers who pour daily across the border from mainland China, Mr Weidner announced plans for a Las Vegas Sands ferry service from Macau to Hong Kong and Shenzhen on 28 August. A new terminal is being built near the Macau airport, as are 10 new ferries that will cast off between October and March.

Last year, gaming revenues in Macau totaled US$7.2 billion - overtaking the Las Vegas Strip for the first time.

- CNA

Banks to set up code of conduct to regulate student credit cards

2007-08-29T12:06:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: As more banks are offering credit cards that target students, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will encourage the industry to come up with a Code of Conduct to bolster responsible lending practices.

This was revealed by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in a written answer to a question from Pasir Ris-Punggol MP Michael Palmer.

Mr Palmer had raised the issue of students being burdened with insurmountable debts, now that credit instruments are easily available.

Currently, there are credit cards in the market that do not have a minimum income requirement.

But there is usually a credit limit of S$500.

Mr Goh, who is also chairman of the MAS said, card issuers should be responsible when targeting students.

He pointed to some industry practices such as getting parental consent when cards are issued to those under 21.

Another way to prevent young cardholders from accumulating high debt is the credit limit.

The senior minister added that the minimum annual income for credit card applicants remains at S$30,000, and there are no plans to change this.

- CNA

Diamonds unlock secrets of early Earth

2007-08-24T13:21:00.000+08:00

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Diamonds more than 4 billion years old -- nearly as old as the Earth itself -- have been discovered in Western Australia, giving scientists vital clues about the early history of our planet.

Found trapped in zircon crystals in the Jack Hills region, the small gems are the oldest identified fragments of the Earth's crust and their existence suggests the Earth may have cooled faster than previously thought, experts said on Wednesday.

The time between the creation of the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago and the formation of the oldest known rocks some 500 million years later is known as the Hadean period -- the "dark ages" of geology.

Many geologists have traditionally thought of it as a time when the surface of the planet was a mass of molten lava. But the discovery of the ancient diamonds, reported in the journal Nature, challenges that view.

Martina Menneken of Westfalische Wilhelms-Universitat Muenster, Germany, and colleagues said the presence of diamonds -- which are created under intense pressure -- implied there was a relatively thick continental crust as early as 4.25 billion years ago.

This suggests it may have taken only around 200 million years for the Earth's surface to cool enough for water to condense and oceans to form.

"These latest findings indicate that the planet was already cooling and forming a crust much earlier than previously thought," Alexander Nemchin, an expert in geochemistry at Australia's Curtin University of Technology and one of Menneken's co-researchers, said in a statement.

"Jack Hills is the only place on Earth that can give us this kind of information about the formation of the Earth. We're dealing with the oldest material on the planet."

Radioactive dating showed the crystals from Western Australia varied in age from 3.06 billion to 4.25 billion years, making them almost 1 billion years older than the previous oldest-known diamonds.

Martin Van Kranendonk, a senior geologist with the Geological Survey of Western Australia, said unraveling the history of the crystals was a boon for researchers.

"Any information about the very early Earth is fantastic, it's like a Christmas present for geoscientists," he said.

- CNN

Child star wins university place

2007-08-24T13:16:00.000+08:00

A nine-year-old maths prodigy has won a place at Hong Kong's Baptist University (HKBU) after gaining two grade As and a B in his A-levels.
He is the youngest ever student to enrol in a university in Hong Kong.

March Tian Boedihardjo told reporters he struggled to communicate academically with his own age group.

March, an Indonesian-Chinese boy resident in Hong Kong, will start his specially designed five-year course at the university in September.

He told reporters that in his spare time he liked "to read books, but on the weekends I like to go out to play with friends".

"We can play games together but academically, we can't communicate," he added.

He said they played chess, Monopoly and cards.

Asked why he was not going to study in the United Kingdom - where his older brother is at Oxford University - he replied in English: "Because my father does not have sufficient money."

March's father said the university had given him confidence it could cope with the demands of teaching a nine-year-old.

"I will advise parents in Hong Kong there's no need to know the IQ of your children. Just try to do your best to nurture them and give them space to develop," Tony Boedihardjo said.

Franklin Luk, president of HKBU, said the decision to admit the boy was based on his excellent examination results and a "commitment to nurturing gifted students".

Dr Tong Chong-sze, Associate Professor of Mathematics at HKBU has arranged several professors to be March's mentors.

"The very first concern of course is - academically can he handle the mathematics at university. So that was the purpose of the first interview and he did very well. He handled himself very well, one against four professors," said Dr Tong.

- BBC

Online sharing videos, music can attract hackers

2007-08-15T23:44:00.000+08:00

LAS VEGAS - Online sharing of videos and music at the heart of today's Internet lifestyle gives hackers dangerous new avenues for attacking computers, security specialists said Thursday.

Malicious code can be hidden in video streamed or downloaded from websites such as YouTube or songs streamed from social-networking websites including MySpace, iSEC researcher David Thiel demonstrated at a Black Hat gathering of computer protection professionals in Las Vegas.

"The potential for attack is pretty severe," Thiel said. "Any MySpace page you go to you can't get it to stop playing music at you. You will probably start seeing malware installs this way just like we see through images."

The kinds of "malware," malicious software, that can be "injected" through video or music files run the gamut from programs meant to simply be annoying to code that takes command of infected machines for "bot armies."

"Stream formats are good for containing exploit code and are quite dangerous because of the widespread use of it with kids online these days," Thiel said.

"It is used so constantly."

Applications vulnerable to hackers include those used for MP3 music files; a speech feature in Microsoft's Xbox Live online video game software, and Internet telephony, according to Thiel.

Security specialists at Black Hat say the popularity of "user-generated content" considered a defining characteristic of today's Web 2.0 Internet opens users to betrayal and attack online.

"Web 2.0 is a trust model with users controlling the content," said Websense researcher Stephan Chenette.

"You are building this gigantic network of friends. You have to trust that I am who I say I am and that the content is what I say it is. Trust is sometimes taken advantage of."

Malware-tainted video or audio files uploaded to social-networking websites can be rapidly sent to members by automated programs, said SPI Dynamics vice president Erik Peterson.

Last year it was revealed hackers use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds to distribute malicious code to thousands of people instantly, Peterson said.

"Some say we are doomed to repeat the past and there is nothing you can do about it" Peterson told AFP. "Don't trust data you get from anyone."

Thiel believes music recording labels and movie studios will use flaws in media files to insert stealth coding that tracks or disables pirated songs, shows or movies.

Media software applications vulnerable to hacking are being used in "smart" mobile telephones as well as cars and home multi-media systems, according to Thiel.

It is imperative computer users educate themselves regarding protecting software and dangers lurking on the Internet, Chenette said.

People should bear in mind that websites in certain countries such as Russia are often lures set up by cyber criminals and that sites offering content such as sex videos frequently hide computer viruses, according to Chenette.

"If I'm going to a gambling website or if I'm going to a porn site it is much more likely to have malicious content on it," Chenette said. "Web 2.0 is something to be very wary of."

- CNA

Singapore wins international award for water management

2007-08-15T23:01:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : Singapore has won an international award for its sustainable water management.

The PUB received the prestigious "Stockholm Industry Water Award" in Sweden on Wednesday.

It's being recognised for good policies and innovative engineering solutions.

The Environment & Water Resources Minister, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, said the latest international recognition for Singapore's water management policies will spur the country to push the boundaries.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia from Sweden, Dr Yaacob added that having won the award, Singapore hopes to attract the world's best players so that it can set itself as a global hydrohub.

PUB will also partner the World Health Organisation (WHO) to promote safe handling of drinking water around the world.

The Stockholm Industry Water Award is a prestigious prize which recognises innovative corporate development of water and wastewater process technologies.

It also recognises contributions to environmental improvement through advanced production methods.

This Stockholm Industry Water Award win is PUB's second international award for good water management.

Last year, PUB was named the "Water Agency of the Year" by Global Water Intelligence in Dubai.

Singapore's success in turning used water into drinking water has garnered a lot of attention from around the globe.

The island-state has become a model city in managing its water challenges.

But it's not just the big picture. At the individual level, Singaporeans are also encouraged to save water, such as reusing it for other purposes.

In Stockholm, upon receiving the water award, Singapore used NEWater to acknowledge its win.

"With this award, we'll put ourselves on the map in terms of our push to develop into a global hydrohub. I think a lot of other companies and prestigious institutions will recognise PUB as a worthy partner in order to collaborate to find new solutions relating to water and water technologies," said Dr Yaacob.

Said Khoo Teng Chye, chief executive of PUB: "It's a recognition that in Singapore, we have found a sustainable way to solve our water problems, particularly the way in which we have invested in technology and sound policies to create NEWater.

"Our solutions have enabled us to grow an industry, turning a vulnerability into strength... and we're positioned on a world platform to share our solutions with the rest of the world."

To share Singapore's knowledge of water management globally, it has signed a partnership agreement with the WHO.

Under the agreement which will run till 2015, Singapore and WHO will cooperate in areas such as research collaboration, including using Singapore's Marina Reservoir as a test-bedding site to manage urban water resources.

Singapore will also support the international body's response to regional chemical contamination to water supplies.

"The lessons learnt in PUB and in Singapore are very valuable to the world and I think it's good that Singapore is now planning to share its experience with others... by setting up the Singapore Water Week and planning for a technology hub," said Anders Berntell, executive director of Stockholm International Water Institute.

Other areas of collaboration under the agreement - WHO and Singapore will co-organise workshops or training for WHO members states in Asia.

Singapore will also host WHO-based conferences and meetings, sharing experience and knowledge in water reuse and integrated water management.

Singapore experts and government officers will be seconded to WHO, with local water specialists participating in WHO programmes and activities.

Today, Singaporeans have water flowing out of the taps and will continue to do so because of the nation's policy of ensuring its four water sources. These include importing water from Malaysia and also NEWater.

And with Singapore's advanced water process technologies, one can even drink it straight out from the tap.

But the country is not stopping there. It will invest about S$330 million over the next five years to develop the local water industry.

- CNA

More foreigners taking up Singapore citizenship

2007-08-15T22:57:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: The number of babies born in Singapore in the first half of this year rose marginally to 18,488 from 18,294 in the same period last year.

But thanks to foreigners, Singapore's population has grown more than marginally.

Figures released by the National Population Secretariat showed that last year, over 13,209 foreigners were granted Singapore citizenship - 309 more than in 2005.

The number of permanent residents also jumped, from 52,300 in 2005 to 57,300 last year.

And to drive home the message that all Singaporeans share a common identity, a National Citizenship ceremony will be held this Saturday to swear in new citizens like Larry Medina.

The 41-year-old accountant relocated his family from the US to Singapore seven years ago.

And it didn't take long for Larry and his Indonesian wife to decide that their future in Singapore will be brighter than in the US.

Larry said: "Certainly very complex decisions and the things that convinced us were: we expect the economies to continue to boom in Asia and Singapore is the best location to take advantage of that; my wife's family is close by as well, and all the usual things that people say about Singapore - that it's an easy place to live in, from the infrastructure perspective, and good schools for the kids, etc."

But choosing Singapore over US means that Larry has to relinquish his US citizenship, which he did recently and with few regrets.

Larry's wife, who is a Permanent Resident, has also applied for Singapore citizenship and hopes to be granted her pink Identity Card within months.

Their children get to keep their US citizenship till they turn 18 when they have to choose which country to call home.

Erika Medina, 7, is enrolled at a public primary school - Balestier Hill Primary - and lists Chinese lessons as one of her favourite subjects.

Her father is planning to send her 4-year-old brother to a public school too.

Singapore hopes to add about 40,000 citizens and 200,000 permanent residents to its fold over the next five years.

But attracting new migrants is only half the story.

With more immigrants from different cultures and backgrounds, integration of these new citizens becomes all the more vital.

Getting them involved in grassroots activities is one way to help new citizens like Maung Naig Win Kyaw bond with the community.

Maung came to Singapore from Myanmar 16 years ago.

The project engineer had not intended to settle down in Singapore.

But all that changed after he met his wife, who is a Singaporean.

Now, the 44-year-old is so involved in grassroots activities that he has become a close friend to many in his neighbourhood.

He said: "I enjoy helping the elderly people around this area. I feel that when I join the RC, Residents' Committee, I can contribute more for the elderly people....(like) helping them prevent dengue fever. Sometimes they call me to join them for tea, and I enjoy all these. I don't feel any difference between new citizens and local Singaporeans."

Maung and his six-year-old son received their Singapore citizenship last year.

And Maung will be adding another member to the Singapore family - his second child will be born next month.

- CNA

GSS raked in S$588m worth of sales, up 49% on year: MasterCard

2007-08-15T22:51:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) has raked in at least US$588 million worth of sales during its two-month run from May 25 to July 22.

This was up 49% from last year, according to latest numbers from MasterCard Singapore.

It said most of the spending took place in restaurants, hotels and departmental stores.

Its Singapore cardholders spent US$363 million, up some 45% from last year.

This was despite a 2 percentage point hike in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July.

MasterCard said the jump in sales was a result of strong deals and promotions amid buoyant consumer sentiments across the region.

It added that overseas visitors chalked up more than US$224 million worth of purchases at the Great Singapore Sale, up 57% from last year.

Visitors from the US, Australia and Japan were the biggest spenders.

- CNA

'Rush Hour 3' overtakes North American box-office

2007-08-13T13:47:00.000+08:00

LOS ANGELES - Jackie Chan's cross-cultural action sequel "Rush Hour 3" swept the North American box-office with 50 million US dollars in tickets sales according to preliminary figures on Sunday.

The third instalment of the martial arts and cop comedy, which co-stars Chris Tucker, wooed weekend audiences with its madcap humor and the action follies of its main characters in Paris.

Despite lacklustre reviews, in its opening weekend "Rush Hour 3" ousted "The Bourne Ultimatum," another third sequel and fast-paced action thriller, from the top spot, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Starring Matt Damon as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne, the movie's record-breaking opening last week was the highest ever in August for a North American release and came after a wave of glowing reviews.

"The Bourne Ultimatum" took in 33.6 million US dollars in its second weekend, followed by the big-screen adventures of America's most dysfunctional animated family in "The Simpsons Movie," which pulled in 11.1 million dollars.

In fourth place with nine million was "Stardust," a fantasy drama featuring Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes and Peter O'Toole, with nine million.

Disney's "Underdog," a live-action version of the popular animated 1960s television show about a canine superhero, came in fifth with 6.5 million.

Wilting into sixth place was "Hairspray," a makeover of the Broadway musical with John Travolta dancing in high heels as Edna Turnblad, grossing 6.3 million in its sixth week.

Close behind was the Adam Sandler comedy about male firefighters who fake a gay marriage for the insurance benefits, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," which took 5.9 million.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth film based on J.K. Rowling's boy-wizard Harry Potter, clung to eighth place with 5.4 million.

Romantic comedy "No Reservations," starring Catherine Zeta-Jones as a perfectionist chef who falls for colleague Aaron Eckhart, took 3.9 million.

"Daddy Day Camp," a comedy about a run-down summer camp starring Cuba Gooding Jr., rounded out the top 10 with 3.5 million US dollars in its opening weekend.

- CNA

Apple launches its new iMac

2007-08-10T13:50:00.000+08:00

Watching Apple launch its new iMac is akin to the season’s latest runway fashion show featuring the latest sartorial trends.

The first iMac was iconic. It’s all-in-one, Internet-friendly design marked the resurgence of Apple in the consumer space and ushered in a new phase in computer design.

So, what’s in style this season? Aluminium and glass.

The revamped iMac retains the all-in-one form factor with largely the same aesthetics as its most recent predecessor. But it drops the glossy white and candy-like exterior for a matte aluminium finish and a screen that’s framed in black and laced with a glossy sheen of glass. It reeks of influences from the iPhone, with the glass-covered screen that hints at possible multi-touchscreen capabilities in future models.

With screen sizes of 20 and 24 inches, it’s made from a single sheet of aluminium, with no visible seams or screws, save for a slot at the bottom that provides access for memory upgrades.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs says that the new machines are built from the ground up for recyclability. The company had previously drawn the ire of environmental groups for lagging behind in environmental efforts.

The new iMac runs on Intel’s Core 2 Duo processors ranging in speeds from 2.0GHz to 2.8GHz. All models now feature a more powerful graphics card — the ATI Radeon HD — as opposed to the earlier bread-and-butter graphics chips.

It offers features usually reserved for Apple’s higher-end series of computers: fast Firewire 800 ports, memory capacities of up to 4GB and storage expansion at up to 1TB. It also includes new keyboards, also made out of aluminium, in designs that borrow heavily from the keyboards of Apple’s Macbook laptops.

Available in Singapore later this month, prices for its basic configuration start at S$2,048. A similarly-configured Dell desktop computer running Windows Vista Premium with double the memory and slightly more storage costs S$1,850. The computer-maker also introduced slight upgrades to its wireless routers and Mac mini line of compact computers.

Apple also refreshed its iLife and iWork software suites. Its iLife '08 package lets consumers organise photos, make their own movies, music and websites. It’s priced at S$148 but bundled for free with new Apple computers.

iWork '08, Apple’s version of basic productivity functions, includes Numbers — a new spreadsheet application, which completes the productivity suite. The suite also has word processing and presentation features. Its competition, Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac, has been postponed until next January.

iWork is also compatible with the new file formats that were introduced in the latest version of Microsoft Office on the Windows platform. iWork '08 goes for S$148. By comparison, the current standard edition of Microsoft Office for Mac costs S$763.

Subscribers to Apple’s .Mac online service (S$188 annual subscription fee) will enjoy an online storage increase from 1GB to 10GB and a new web gallery feature that lets the 1.7 million subscribers post and share movies and photos.

Apple’s next big event is the delayed release of Leopard, the next version of its Mac OS X operating system, due in October.

- CNA

Celebrity justice as Brad Pitt reports for jury duty

2007-08-10T11:51:00.000+08:00

LOS ANGELES - Potential jurors in a Los Angeles court were forced to do a double-take on Thursday when their court-room duties were enlivened by a jolt of star power in the shape of Brad Pitt.

The Hollywood heart-throb reported for jury duty in Los Angeles, his publicist confirmed to AFP, before eventually being discharged after the case he was due to hear ended in a plea-deal.

The TMZ.com celebrity news website said Pitt had been ordered by justice officials to serve on a jury or else be held in contempt of court after being granted a string of delay orders.

Pitt's representatives denied the claim however, saying the actor had gone through the normal legal channels to seek an extension before he eventually reported for duty early Thursday.

TMZ said the "Seven" and "Troy" star mingled with other members of the jury pool before being discharged when the defendant in his pleaded 'no contest' to driving under the influence charges.

- CNA

PM Lee calls on Singaporeans to make country a special home

2007-08-09T19:06:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: In his National Day Message to the nation, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on Singaporeans to work together to transform the country and make it a special home for everyone.

He said in ten years' time, it would be a new Singapore with its own unique identity and a can-do and never-say-die spirit of the Lion City.

Mr Lee also brought good news about the economy in his televised message, recorded at the top floor of the new National Library Building.

Economic growth in the first half of this year was 7.6 percent, higher than expected, and for the whole year, growth forecast has been raised to between 7 and 8 percent.

Singapore is celebrating National Day in a happy mood with four good years of growth, said PM Lee.

There are many things to cheer about – Singapore's athletes are winning medals, students are excelling in international events and the country is gearing up for new and exciting projects like the Formula One Grand Prix and the integrated resorts.

On the economic side, 111,000 jobs have been added in the first half of the year and unemployment is very low at 2.4 percent.

Mr Lee said: "Singapore is growing not just because of more investments or more workers. Our people are adapting and working smarter. We are organising ourselves more efficiently and making better use of our resources.

"In short, we have increased our productivity. Our efforts to transform the economy are paying off."

Looking ahead, Mr Lee said Singapore is poised to take off, with many projects already underway.

Among them are the integrated resorts and the banking and financial centre.

The prime minister said: "From here, I can see dozens of cranes. It's a bit hazy today, but there is buzz and excitement in the air, as our city changes before our eyes, day by day.

"Even the NDP this year is different and exciting. For the first time, the parade will be held on water at Marina Bay. It will be on the largest floating stage in the world, with the new city skyline taking shape all around us."

While Singaporeans come together to help build the nation, Mr Lee said there is a major challenge which could affect the country's social harmony and national cohesion, and that is the widening of income gaps here and all over the world.

Mr Lee said while Singapore cannot stop or reverse this global trend, it can do a lot to help Singaporeans cope with it.

He said one reason for the widening income gap here is the ageing population, so the government is making changes to help Singaporeans work longer, earn more and build up their retirement savings.

It will enhance the value of HDB homes and improve the CPF system so they can enjoy a steady income and peace of mind in their golden years.

PM Lee said: "The government cannot solve all these problems alone. Everyone must play a part. We each must take responsibility for ourselves, make the effort to do well, and provide for our families and our old age.

"At the same time, the more successful Singaporeans must pitch in to help the weaker ones. The more you have gained from society, the greater your obligation to give back something to your fellow citizens."

Mr Lee said the government would tackle these issues one by one and Singaporeans have every reason to be confident about their future.

"The global backdrop is favourable. The winds and tides are with us. Our spirit is high, and our ship is ready," he added.

Mr Lee's call to the nation is to seize the moment to sail ahead into the bright and exciting future.

- CNA

Sun Ho turns up the heat

2007-08-03T15:41:00.000+08:00

Call me The Geisha, and don't mess around with me, because if you do, I'm gonna call you a bitch.

In a video to promote her new single, China Wine, pastor's wife and former church counsellor Ho Yeow Sun, better known as Sun Ho, has adopted an alter-ego — that of a Japanese geisha, albeit a hip-hop one.

A version of the three-and-a-half-minute video has been posted on popular file sharing website, YouTube, and at press time, it has garnered close to 8,000 page views.

In it, Ho is seen in a risque dance routine with scantily-clad back-up dancers.

China Wine, released in the US on July 4, is currently No 4 on BET.com, a black music online portal, Ho told Today.

The Geisha, said the 37-year-old Ho, does not belong to traditional Japanese tearooms but the freewheeling worlds of reggae and Jamaican dancehall. The latter involves groups of DJs or rappers "dissing" each other on stage with music or self-created personas.

"I am totally comfortable in the role," Ho said yesterday, adding that she had "100-per-cent creative control" over her new image.

It was renowned rapper Wyclef Jean, the executive producer of her as-yet-unnamed debut English album who created the image of The Geisha for Ho.

They had met when Ho was in New York last year. He was meant to remix one of her songs, but when he heard her voice, he insisted on meeting her.

Ho has recorded five Mandarin albums.

In a separate interview with Today, he said: "She's so nice and sweet we gave her an alter-ego, The Geisha, and she's crazy!"

Jean eventually fashioned her after a real live Japanese female dancer who had won a lot of dancehall competitions in Jamaica. He also appears in the video.

When asked if she had "sold out" to cater to a slice of the Western market she is now after, and whether the video is appropriate for someone who has been looked up to as a role model, Ho said: "As an artiste, you have to grow and challenge yourself. This is a breath of fresh air for me."

But her suggestive persona has left at least one local listener scratching his head.

"The video is pretty raunchy. Maybe she's trying to shed her older, more modest image," said 25-year-old SIM undergraduate Shawn Lim.

- CNA

Under-fire YouTube boosts presence in Japan

2007-08-03T15:36:00.000+08:00

American Internet giant Google Vice President David Eun

TOKYO : YouTube on Thursday entered a series of commercial partnerships in Japan, where the popular video-sharing website is trying to overcome fierce criticism over copyright protection.

US Internet giant Google, which owns YouTube, said it was tying up with six Japanese firms including satellite broadcaster Sky PerfecTV and quickly growing social networking service Mixi, which will both link content to YouTube.

Casio Computer Co. also formed a partnership with the rising but controversial Internet site, offering digital cameras designed to upload videos specifically on YouTube.

"After the United States, Japan is the most popular country for YouTube," Google vice president David Eun told a news conference in Tokyo.

"We really believe that if we can stay true to what users want and we can be good partners, then the business will come," he said.

But YouTube has been in a long feud with Japanese content providers over the downloading of copyrighted materials through the website.

Earlier this year YouTube agreed to post a warning on its website in Japanese against copyright infringements.

Google, which bought YouTube last year in a US$1.65 billion deal, is planning new "fingerprinting" tools in the fall to identify copyright-protected contents on YouTube.

But Japan's copyright holders, who held the second round of negotiations with Google on Tuesday, urged YouTube to take more thorough and immediate measures.

Twenty-four content owners, mainly traditional broadcasters, "strongly urged the company to swiftly take measures to prevent rights violations out of its own responsibility until the new prevention system is introduced," a statement said after the talks.

An official of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers said copyright holders were also not content with the new system.

"We believe the technology Google plans to introduce will not be good enough," he said. "There was no progress during the second meeting."

The Google vice president admitted there will be no "perfect, 100 percent solution" to weed out illegally copied and uploaded clips from all the videos inundating YouTube.

"As you all know, anytime a technology comes along it hits a sort of arms race because you have people who want to try to crack the technologies," Eun said.

"What we have to do is build scalable, efficient, automated solutions that don't depend on individual humans looking at video," he said, adding the company was still developing the tools.

Yahoo Japan, which runs its own video-sharing site called Yahoo Videocast, said last month that it would "patrol" uploaded content round the clock, agreeing to guidelines laid out by the copyright holders group.

YouTube, launched a little over two years ago after a dinner party chat by young founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, has seen phenomenal growth with websites now designed for 10 countries including Japan.

- CNA

Jay Chou shows his romantic side in directorial debut

2007-08-03T15:32:00.000+08:00

With seven bestselling albums, and more than 200,000 copies sold in Singapore alone, no one could fault singer Jay Chou if he rests on his laurels.

But the 28-year-old looks set for a fulfilling second career: He wrote, directed, and starred in his first movie, the campus romance titled Secret, which opens here on Aug 8.

Early reviews from press screenings have been favourable - most called it a competent debut effort.

In the 90-minute movie, Chou plays a music student who embarks on a search for his female classmate (Kwai Lun-mei) who mysteriously disappears from school one day.

While Kwai has given her co-star a full "100 marks" for his debut work, Chou would only allow himself 95. "It'd be strange if I gave myself a perfect score," he said.

Casually clad in a black shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes for this interview, Chou was in Singapore as part of a regional promotional tour for Secret.

Last seen in last year's Zhang Yimou period movie, Curse of the Golden Flower, Chou said he prefers staying behind the camera: "As an actor, you do what you're told. As a director, you can change your ideas any time, and control the scene."

Saying he has hit a plateau in his singing career, Chou sees directing as an alternative creative outlet. "If I continue to stand at the same spot, I cannot improve. So it's time to change tracks. I have lots of ideas to express."

For a start, he has drawn inspiration for Secret from a childhood experience, never mind that it's nowhere as romanticised as the movie. "It happened when I was about 14," he said. "She broke up with me saying that the exams were near."

A romantic at heart, Chou confessed: "I used to like this (other) girl. On her birthday, I brought her to a park, told her to close her eyes, and then set off some firecrackers. It was like a scene from a movie."

But his next directorial effort is likely to be an action flick. Or perhaps a serious drama. Or maybe even an animated movie.

After all, Doraemon is his favourite cartoon.

"Many childhood dreams have been built upon this character," he said.

- CNA

No slowing down for Jackie Chan

2007-08-03T14:53:00.000+08:00

LOS ANGELES - At 53-years-old, Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan is still doing his own stunts. Retirement, he says, is the last thing on his mind.

His latest film, "Rush Hour 3," which opens at the North American box office next week and in his native Hong Kong on August 16, sees him climbing around on the Eiffel Tower without so much as a safety net.

"I did all my stunts, even the scene full of fighting and acrobatics on top of the Eiffel Tower," he told reporters in Los Angeles this week.

"In that sequence there are no explosions, shooting, just one of the best stunt teams in the world working at the height of its abilities," he said.

"The experience was something none of us would forget, least of all me," added the former stunt man, who has now been a leading figure in the Hong Kong martial arts film scene since the early 1970s.

"I can tell my grandchildren, 'This is your grandfather. This is me. That's not a double flying around the Eiffel Tower in 100 mile-per-hour winds'," he said.

The first episode in the "Rush Hour" franchise marked a late start to Chan's international career in 1998.

While he was well known before then to martial arts film fans, many of whom consider him to be the natural heir to legend Bruce Lee, "Rush Hour" set him on a course that has since led to a string of big budget Hollywood movies.

The first two installments of the trilogy, in which Chan plays opposite US comedian Chris Tucker, took 600 million dollars between them in worldwide box office receipts.

The third part of the action-comedy series, directed by Brett Ratner with a 140 million dollar budget, sees Chan and Tucker tracking down Chinese gangsters working Paris' criminal underworld.

Famed movie director Roman Polanski plays an unpleasant police inspector, while 2.36-meter (seven-foot-nine) -tall Chinese basketball star Sun Ming Ming plays a triad.

While Ratner said that the hardest thing was to film in Paris and get Tucker on board for the project, Chan said his biggest challenge during filming was trying to understand Tucker's and Ratner's accents.

The stunts, however, were never an issue. "Sometimes I forget my age," Chan said. "You just keep moving."

"I'll do it until my body will tell me stop. I don't think about retirement," he insisted.

Chan said he spent two weeks training with basketball star Sun, who weighs more than 135 kilos (300 pounds), teaching him how to move like a martial arts actor.

"He can knock you down right away. But he's clever, he's good. Twenty some years old and twice my size, so the scene was great."

Chan, himself a director, seems to be showing no sign of slowing down.

"Now I'm so busy, I have lots of projects. One of them is a movie that we're shooting in China: "The Forbidden Kingdom" with Jet Li.

He described the film, due out next year, as a movie about cops and triads. It also features stunt choreographer Donnie Yen.

Li, the Beijing-born star of "Hero", last year vowed that his previous film "Fearless" would be his last martial arts picture. "The Forbidden Kingdom" is the first movie the two superstars have appeared in together.

- CNA

Football: Manchester Utd sign Australian wonderkid

2007-08-03T14:42:00.000+08:00

LONDON : Manchester United have signed a nine-year-old Australian wonderkid who is tipped to be as good as Wayne Rooney.

Brisbane-born Rhain Davis was snapped up by the Premiership champions after his grandfather sent a DVD of the youngster in action to Old Trafford.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was impressed enough to invite Davis, who holds a UK passport through his mother Leah, to move to England and train with the club.

Rhain and his father Mark moved to Cheshire, close to United's training base, last month and will soon be joined by the rest of his family.

United striker Rooney is regarded as one of the best players in the world, but Rhain already shows enough promise to suggest he could emulate the England star's success.

To do so Rhain will first have to earn a full-time scholarship with United, which is awarded to promising 12-year-olds.

- CNA

Madonna - Hey You (Live Earth Concert)

2007-07-27T17:41:00.000+08:00

World's tallest ferris wheel

2007-07-26T14:04:00.000+08:00

Construction has started on the world's tallest ferris wheel in Singapore - the Singapore Flyer. With a height of 169m/554ft it will be 34m/111ft taller than the BA London Eye. The completion date is set for 2008.

http://www.singaporeflyer.com.sg/

From the homepage:

What is the Singapore Flyer
The Singapore Flyer is a world-class visitor attraction, fusing together a massive engineering structure to an iconic sculpted building. Its centrepiece is the giant observation wheel from which visitors can experience some of the best views in the entire region.

Diameter of the wheel
150 meters

Height
169 meters (the height of a 42-storey building)

Duration of ride
37 minutes. The ride will be operational 16 hours a day.

Capsules
Comprises 28 fully air-conditioned and UV protected capsules that can comfortably carry 32 people each (max 36).

View from the top
Singapore's city; from Changi Airport to the island of Sentosa, and beyond into parts of Malaysia and Indonesia

Location
Marina Bay, the prime waterfront Central Business District location. The Flyer is within a short walking distance to over 2,500 four and five star hotel rooms, the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre and the Esplanade, Singapore's new performing arts centre.

Land Area
33,700 square meters

Transport/ Accessibility
• MRT (Circle Line)
• Parking for 40 tour buses and 300 motor vehicles
• A jetty, acting as the hub for the Marina Bay and Singapore River tourist cruises

Special features of the Singapore Flyer
• The Giant Observation Wheel is one of the world's largest man-made moving land objects
• Waterfront retail, entertainment, and merchandise centre
• Central atrium with a recreated Asian rain forest
• Broad, landscaped, open-air dining promenade running along 210m of uninterrupted sea frontage
• An open-air Greek Theatre concert bowl, for live entertainment performances

Easy Access for elderly and people with disabilities
A patented combination of travelators and synchronized double door entry/ exit system which enables access from both sides. Passengers will experience an easy "step on" access, making it convenient for elderly and people with disabilities.

Revolutionary Wheel Rim
The slim one dimensional wheel rim represents an engineering design breakthrough from the conventional deep truss Ferris Wheel configuration.

Precision Wind Engineering
An extensive study of the dynamics under wind ensures that passengers will be able to enjoy Singapore's spectacular skyline without experiencing lateral movement or vibration. The emphasis is on comfort and safety.

Singapore Grand Prix releases estimated ticket prices for F1

2007-07-26T13:46:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: Its official, Formula One is coming to Singapore in October 2008! According to the media, it will be held at night. The very first night race in the world.

Formula One fans will be able to get their hands on tickets to Singapore's first-ever Formula One Grand Prix by the end of the year.

Corporate ticket sales will begin on 28 November, while public ticket sales will start in mid-December.

Singapore Grand Prix, the organiser of the race, said ticket prices would be kept affordable to ensure that many people would be able to enjoy it.

Responding to Channel NewsAsia, Singapore GP, which controls 100 percent of the hospitality rights, said the cheapest ticket is likely to be around S$50 for the trial races.

During the actual race day, tickets will cost around S$100.

And for the exclusive paddock area, tickets will cost a whopping S$6,000 to S$7,000 each.

Singapore GP said it is fine-tuning the details, adding that mid-range packages would be made available.

These packages could include exclusive use of sky lounges for companies.

There could even be an outdoor party, similar to a mini Zouk-Out, within the circuit park.

Some 80,000 to 90,000 people are expected to get a taste of the F1 action in Singapore.

- CNA

2 hip-hop stars arrested in New York after concert

2007-07-24T14:27:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Hip hop artists Lil Wayne and Ja Rule were arrested Sunday evening after a concert in Manhattan on charges of criminal possession of weapons, each in separate incidents, a New York Police Department spokesman told CNN.

Ja Rule was pulled over for speeding and officers reportedly arrested him after finding a gun in the car.

Police say officers pulled over a speeding car around 10:37 p.m. on the Upper West Side carrying Ja Rule and two others.

They also recovered a .40-caliber pistol from the vehicle.

About an hour later Lil Wayne was arrested after officers caught him and another man smoking marijuana on the street.

They found a .40-caliber pistol in his possession.

Lil Wayne's real name is Dwayne Carter and Ja Rule's is Jeff Atkins. Both are best-selling rap artists.

-CNN

Football: Beckham gives America glimpse of The Glamorous Game

2007-07-24T11:26:00.000+08:00

LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles, where Magic Johnson brought "Showtime" to the Lakers and Jack Nicholson defined courtside cool, has a new game in town thanks to David Beckham.

The former England captain may have been limited by a nagging ankle injury in his 12-minute debut for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, but his appeal to fans both A-list and blue-collar appears to be boundless.

Even those who have made a career of naysaying when it comes to football, such as the Los Angeles Times' Bill Plaschke, couldn't resist.

"I was the guy who was bored by Beckham, remember? What's really crazy is, I'm not bored anymore," Plaschke enthused in Sunday's paper. "Turns out, even on a bum ankle, David Beckham is a blast."

The Galaxy's 27,000-seat Home Depot Center stadium was bursting at the seams on Saturday with a crowd that included long-time Galaxy season ticket holders, football first-timers and a welter of celebrities who were given the red-carpet treatment en route to their secluded luxury suites.

The stands were awash in Beckham's No. 23 Galaxy jersey - of which 200,000 had been sold just a week after it was introduced.

"We have never come across anything like it," said Chris McGuire, sports marketing manager for adidas soccer. "At this time the LA Galaxy David Beckham jersey is the number one-selling shirt in the world."

It's a good omen for the difficult task Beckham has taken on: to make football, the oft-forgotten step-child of US sport, a player.

"I think we've already been successful, because we've raised the awareness of MLS," Beckham told an ESPN interviewer, before he'd even kicked a ball in earnest. "I think we've achieved on that side already."

Certainly Beckham and his pop-star wife Victoria have gotten the attention of their celebrity chums.

Actresses Katie Holmes and Eva Longoria attended Saturday's match, albeit without their famous husbands Tom Cruise and Tony Parker.

ESPN deployed a "red carpet" reporter to document the stars' reactions to the match, which was preceded on the sports cable network by an hour-long special: "David Beckham: New Beginnings."

Sunday saw another injection of glitz as the Beckhams were feted at an invitation-only party at the Museum of Contemporary Art's Geffen Contemporary gallery, a bash co-hosted by Cruise and fellow actor Will Smith.

Cruise flew in for the party from Germany, where he is shooting his latest film.

But while Beckham basks in the Hollywood spotlight, he has been careful to give America's long-standing and long-suffering football fans what they want, too, vowing that he wants nothing more than to blend in with his new team-mates and help them pull themselves up from the depths of the MLS table.

With appealing modesty, Beckham said the crowd reaction to his every move on Saturday "made me feel embarrassed at times."

And he made it clear he didn't expect to be treated with kid gloves on the pitch, shrugging off a stoppage time challenge by Chelsea substitute Steve Sidwell that had the Home Depot Centre crowd - and no doubt Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas - gasping.
"I saw him coming and I jumped just in time, so my foot wasn't actually planted when he hit me," Beckham said.

"I got up and you expect that in games. He's a competitive player, it's going to be his first start of the season, he's a good player, he's done well in the Premiership so far and now he's playing for a club like Chelsea so he's going to want to smash some people along the way, even if it's in a friendly,” said Lalas.

"That's part and parcel of being a footballer."

Team-mate Quavas Kirk was impressed.

"I actually thought he wasn't going to go into the guy, but he just gritted his teeth and went straight into him," Kirk said. "I like that. Even with the injury, he came and went out and played hard."

With Beckham still playing for Real Madrid through June in their successful bid to win the title, the Galaxy have struggled. But with his arrival on the cards, MLS back-loaded the team's schedule so that they have six games in hand on their rivals, and time to make up ground.

Beckham said the side's performance against Chelsea was an encouraging start.

"It was a good performance, because when you play against a team the quality of Chelsea where every player is comfortable on the ball, every player wants the ball and is capable of doing something in the game," Beckham said. "We kept them to 1-0 and we had chances as well."

The challenge for Beckham's team-mates will be to rise to his level on the pitch, while ignoring the circus that surrounds him off it.

Kirk was looking forward to it.

"It was believable," he said of the atmosphere on Saturday. "I loved it. I had never experienced anything like this before - ever."

- CNA

Prime office rents up 23% in Q2: report

2007-07-23T20:14:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: Office space in the Central Business District has become even tighter, and dearer, according to a latest report by property consultant Cushman and Wakefield.

Average rentals for offices in the prime areas are now at an average of S$11.50 per square foot, with buildings around Raffles Place most expensive to rent, priced as high as S$12.60 per square foot.

The report shows that rental rates in prime areas have surpassed the 1996 peaks by as much as 35 per cent, with the 99 per cent occupancy and 23 per cent quarterly jump in rents unprecedented.

It says the increase is fuelled by a combination of tight supply and fast-expanding businesses, particularly among financial institutions.

Says Donald Han, Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield, "Almost every tenant is looking at expansion, and a lot of them are looking into expanding twice, or sometimes even three times more than what they are presently having, in terms of square footage. So it's unprecedented."

This means more companies are now looking outside the prime districts to locate some of their operations.

Last month, HSBC and DBS each leased over 100,000 square feet of space in the Comtech building, off Alexandra Road, for their non-core services such as call centres.

"A lot of tenants are now looking at potential ways to reduce total occupancy costs by moving some of their back-end operations into decentralised areas, into business parks.

"If you're looking into the business parks rentals, it's only hovering at about S$3 per square foot. That is manageable. To pay S$15-S$20 per square foot is quite a high price for any big multinational corporation," says Han.

The spike in rentals has raised concerns that Singapore is becoming less cost-competitive.

To ease the supply crunch, the government has announced some measures.

It has put up for tender a short-term, or transitional, site for offices above Newton MRT station, which it says will take less than a year to develop.

"If it's successful, and I'm confident it will be, there will be more such sites that will come onto the market over the next 24 months. That helps because the supply crunch basically needs to be addressed from now till 2010, as the government sales of sites made known in the second half of this year will only come on-stream from 2010 onwards," says Han.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) says it will also release more detailed rental and vacancy data on offices from Friday, to provide a clearer perspective of the market.

- CNA

Bank It Like Beckham: the business of sport

2007-07-23T16:37:00.000+08:00

It is, in fact, a second coming. The English superstar already has a soccer academy in Los Angeles, a son called Brooklyn (we couldn't possibly presume to hazard a guess why) and a $22 million mansion in Beverly Hills close to his friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

But on Friday July 13--don't the folk who arrange these sorts of thing know how superstitious soccer players are?--Beckham was rolled out as the latest member of the Los Angeles Galaxy. He is joining the Major League Soccer team--owned by sports and entertainment group AEG--on a five-year, playing and promotions contract that will earn him up to $250 million.

His first appearance with the Galaxy on the pitch--injured ankle permitting--was on Saturday, July 21, in an exhibition game against Roman Abramovich's English team of multimillionaires known as Chelsea. His first league game is scheduled to be August 5th at Toronto FC.

For all the glitz, glamour and hype surrounding Beckham and his even more famous (if the market research is accurate) wife Victoria Adams, aka Posh Spice, the Galaxy are getting a model pro, not a prima donna past his prime.

Beckham is known within the game for working hard in training and in matches and for being both a good team man and a leader.

At the Galaxy, he won't be surrounded by superstars at every turn as he was at his two previous clubs, Manchester United and Real Madrid; it will be more like playing for England (well, perhaps not, except in the sense that he will be carrying a lot of unreasonable expeditions.) But Beckham is used to being the center of attention on and off the pitch.

He lacks the natural articulateness that is such a PR asset in Tinseltown and that the marketers so cherish in professional sports players who are their pitchmen. But Beckham has worked hard at that, too, in recent years; he is a more polished article than he once was.

He has also looked after his body well, moving from the punishing, hectic pace of the English Premiership to the physically less-demanding Spanish league four years ago.

The even gentler pace of the MLS will help his now 32-year-old legs extend their career over the length of a five-year contract.

He won titles aplenty at Manchester United and one at Real Madrid, and the Galaxy will be looking for him and his famous ball-bending right foot to lead them to a trophy cabinet full of silverware in those five years.

Beckham's other challenge is a commercial one.

He ranks as the second-highest-earning soccer player behind Barcelona's Ronaldinho on our most recent list of Most Valuable Soccer Teams.

However, our ranking is based on the past year' earnings, and so it doesn't include the Galaxy contract, under which Beckham will get a cut of the revenue that the team makes from increased sales of shirts and season tickets, as well as of marketing contracts. That should restore him to No 1.

Beckham is also No. 15 on our most recent list of Powerful Celebrities. That will help him with the little matter of boosting soccer in the U.S. so the MLS can launch an assault on the country's entrenched professional team-sports leagues.

Expectations couldn't be higher.

Trophies, money and fame aside, to truly succeed, Beckham needs to go further: He needs to show marketers that like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, he can transcend his sport.

- CNA

Singapore among region's heaviest Web users

2007-07-10T15:57:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE - A study of Internet behaviour in the Asia-Pacific region revealed that Singaporeans spent more time and viewed more pages than the regional average.

Netizens from the Republic, on average, visited the Internet 15.5 days a month and spent 25.7 hours viewing 2,406 pages, compared to the regional figures of 13.8 days, 20.2 hours and 2,171 pages.

The World Metrix study in May done by comScore, an online research firm, compared Internet usage across 10 economies, with Internet penetration rates ranging from 3 to 65 per cent.

The greatest rate of online activity came from South Korea, with 65 per cent of its population going online. It was followed by Australia and New Zealand.

Singapore’s online penetration rate was 58 per cent.

While China had the largest online population, or 91.5 million people, this only made up 9 per cent of the country’s population — giving it a low Internet penetration rate. Along with Japan and South Korea, the three countries accounted for 60 per cent of the region’s Internet population.

The Asia-Pacific makes up a third of the world’s online population, said comScore.

Yahoo’s websites were the most popular in the region, with Microsoft and Google trailing close behind.

- CNA

Actor Christopher Lee breaks silence since prison release

2007-06-27T15:37:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: Actor Christopher Lee has broken his silence since his release from prison on Monday.

He was jailed for nearly a month for drink driving and injuring two others.

Lee said the entire episode has made him realise the meaning of responsibility.

He said: "Frankly speaking, in the beginning, I told myself I can't go to jail. If I went to jail, it'll be the end of me. But as my trial began, it also got me thinking differently.

"This involves my family, my good friends, Fann and her family and my fans. The feeling I got from them was that I should be responsible for my actions. Then I told myself, I must go to jail. I must finish this journey and then I can face up to everyone, especially the two injured victims."

During his 28 days in jail, Lee only allowed his best friend and manager to visit him.

But he kept in touch with girlfriend Fann Wong through mail.

Lee said: "She's also a celebrity. She's facing many things and tremendous pressure from the media already. I didn't want her to visit me, and I told her a month will be over soon, and once I'm out I will see her."

After the accident, Lee faced lots of criticism.

But he said he has accepted the harsh words and hopes eventually to gain everyone's forgiveness.

"I feel it's my wrongdoing. There's just no way for me to give explanations and I am in no position to justify it," he said.

As the actor puts it, there will be those who think he is in the wrong and also people who support him.

Either way, he has come to terms with what has happened to him.

- CNA

Look before you leave the cab

2007-06-27T09:32:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE : If you forget and leave your belongings behind in a taxi, you had best pray the cabby is not of the same ilk as the ones recently encountered by two passengers.

On Tuesday, a 42-year-old SMRT taxi driver was charged in court with stealing $11,661 worth of items left behind by a passenger.

Neo Boon Seng is accused of pocketing the items, which included a laptop, a bag, a bottle of wine and foreign currencies worth $5,000.

The passenger in question had boarded the SMRT taxi at Changi Airport's Terminal 2, leaving the items in the front seat area upon alighting.

Officers of the Airport Police Division managed to track Neo down and arrested him last Thursday, the same day the passenger made a police report. The missing items were found in the cabby's home.

Neo's case has been adjourned to Aug 21. If convicted, he could be fined and jailed for up to three years.

An SMRT spokesperson said this is the first case of theft in the company's seven-year history.

Taxi companies that TODAY spoke to said their cabbies are reminded repeatedly to return items left by passengers in their taxis, and theft was viewed as a "serious offence".

Even so, despite the warnings, some taxi drivers still regard what their passengers leave behind as a personal windfall — especially if the latter forgot to note the cab's licence number.

One passenger, who only wanted to give her name as Madam Zhang, told TODAY that a travel bag she left behind in a taxi last Saturday had yet to be returned.

The 37-year-old engineer had reported her loss to the taxi company but has yet to receive any good news. The items she lost included a laptop, a camera, three passports and foreign currencies worth $1,200. A police report has also been lodged.

ComfortDelGro spokesperson Tammy Tan told TODAY the company received an average of 175 reports of lost items a day, in the first five months of this year. About 40 per cent of these lost items are recovered by passengers.

Ms Tan added: "So far this year, our records have shown that none of our cabbies has been charged with theft and 320 cabbies have been commended for being honest."

ComfortDelGro operates 14,500 Comfort, CityCab and Yellow-Top taxis, and employs more than 30,000 cabbies.

Under the Land Transport Authority's Vocational Licence Points System, cabbies who retain found items for 24 hours but less than seven days will be penalised with a $200 fine and five demerit points.

Stiffer penalties, including the termination of their taxi vocational licence and a $500 fine, will also be meted out for items kept for more than seven days.

A taxi driver who accumulates between six and 20 demerit points over a 24-month period may have his vocational licence suspended.

- TODAY

Fann Wong hounded by media after Lee's release from jail

2007-06-27T09:30:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: MediaCorp actress Fann Wong said on Wednesday that reporters and photographers are still staking out her home, even though her boyfriend, actor Christopher Lee, has been released from jail.

Lee was freed on Monday after serving time for a drink-driving offence.

In an interview with Channel NewsAsia, Fann revealed that the media caused so much disturbance that security guards at her condominium had to call the police.

A team of four were camping outside Fann's condo on Wednesday morning, and when she appeared in her car, a photographer positioned himself in front of her vehicle and snapped away.

Fann said reporters had gathered outside her home ever since her boyfriend was sent to prison in late May. But the situation has worsened since last week.

"The worst part would be when they saw my car and dashed forward, taking photographs and asking for interviews. It scares me and I can't tell if there are cars behind or in front of me. So I will stop. I believe this is very dangerous," said Fann.

- CNA

Brown confirmed as Britain's new PM

2007-06-27T09:26:00.000+08:00

LONDON: Former finance minister Gordon Brown was confirmed on Wednesday as Britain's new prime minister after a private meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

He pledged to lead a "new government with new priorities," vowing "Now let the work of change begin" in his first comments after taking office.

"This will be a new government with new priorities and I have been privileged to have been granted the great opportunity to serve my country," he told reporters in Downing Street.

"At all times I will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action in the service of what matters to the British people, meeting the concerns and aspirations of the whole country," he added.

He was speaking outside the prime minister's official residence on his arrival from Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II asked him to form a government shortly after accepting the resignation of Tony Blair.

Brown referred to the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy where he grew up, and which he now represents as a member of parliament (MP), citing his school motto, "I will do my utmost."

"I wouldn't be standing here without the opportunities that I received there and I want the best of opportunities for everyone. That is my mission.

"If we can fulfil the potential and realise the talents of all our people then I am absolutely sure that Britain can be the great global success story of this century," he added.

He concluded, "Now let the work of change begin" before heading through the polished black door of 10 Downing Street, his new office.

- AFP

NKF launches 'Circle of Hearts' volunteer programme

2007-06-26T15:44:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: The National Kidney Foundation has officially launched its first volunteer programme, NKF Circle of Hearts.

For dialysis patients, this means getting some companionship during their treatments.

Imagine having a dialysis machine as your only companion for five hours.

That is what kidney dialysis patients like Aaron Graham Tay have to live with as they undergo their treatment.

But this unpleasant experience can be made tolerable with the support of family and friends.

The NKF has recognised this and in response has set up the Circle of Hearts Volunteer Programme.

Gerard Ee, Chairman, National Kidney Foundation, said: "We went to the dialysis centre and spoke to many of the patients. We realised that many of the patients do feel lonely."

"Medicine and machines can only go a certain way to give you the well being. There is nothing to replace the human touch."

For dialysis patient P M Nadarajan, that human touch came from volunteer S A Thiru.

"He comes [three times a] week. He buys me food and drinks and all this. From the dialysis centre, he will push me all the way to the nursing home," said P M Nadarajan.

S A Thiru, an NKF Circle of Hearts Volunteer, said: "I believe very strongly the more you give, the more you receive. You know I think I am benefiting more from this programme rather than Mr Rajan himself."

It is this spirit of altruism the NKF hopes will spread to the larger community.

The organisation aims to attract a total of 200 volunteers by the end of this year.

- CNA

Paris Hilton released from jail

2007-06-26T15:31:00.000+08:00

US heiress Paris Hilton has been released from jail in Los Angeles after serving 24 days for violating probation on a driving ban.
Hilton's parents Kathy and Rick arrived to pick her up shortly after 0800 BST.

Reporters were camped outside the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California since Monday.

The 26-year-old, sentenced to 45 days on 3 June, was released early due to crowded jail conditions and time off for good behaviour.

She is scheduled to appear on Larry King's CNN talk show on Wednesday.

Her mother Kathy was waiting for her outside the detention facility

The network has said she will not be paid for her appearance, which has replaced a planned interview with filmmaker Michael Moore.

Hilton was briefly freed on medical grounds earlier this month but was sent back to jail by a court.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had not revealed what time the reality TV star would be released.

Her West Hollywood neighbours, however, are reportedly bracing themselves for an influx of paparazzi and TV crews.

Hilton smiled and waved at the huge bank of photographers as she left the detention facility.

She was greeted with a hug from her mother Kathy and was driven away to an undisclosed location.

-BBC

WWE grappler Benoit left Bibles by bodies of wife and son

2007-06-26T09:20:00.000+08:00

ATLANTA, Georgia: Pro wrestler Chris Benoit allegedly suffocated his 7-year-old son and placed a Bible next to the body before using an exercise machine to hang himself, authorities said on Tuesday.

Law enforcement officials believe Daniel Benoit was killed on Saturday, one day after Benoit also allegedly strangled his 43-year-old wife, Nancy, in the upstairs family room of their luxury rural home.

Another Bible was placed next to her lifeless body which was wrapped in a towel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Tuesday.

The three bodies were found in separate rooms of the house on Green Meadow Lane in Peachtree City in what police are calling a double-murder suicide that stretched through the weekend.

"Bizarre. That's the only way I can describe this," Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard told the Fayette Daily News.

"What's most bizarre to me is the timing and the circumstances. Not just that a man could kill his own 7-year-old son but that he could have stayed in the same house with the bodies.

"And then there's the placement of the Bibles. I can't understand this."

Law enforcement authorities said steroids were discovered at the home along with the bodies on Monday and they are probing whether this may have been a factor in the deaths.

Steroids have been linked to the recent deaths of several pro wrestlers.

News of the murder-suicide has turned the professional wrestling world upside down.

The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) aggressively defended its drug-testing programme on Tuesday.

"We strongly suggest that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts," the WWE said on its website.

The WWE said the placing of Bibles next to bodies was not something an angry person would do.

"The presence of a Bible by each is not an act of rage," the WWE said. "The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death.

"By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage."

The WWE said Benoit was tested under their drug-testing programme as recently as April and passed.

The 40-year-old Benoit was born in Montreal, Canada and moved to Calgary in the mid-1980s where he got his start in professional wrestling under the late Stu Hart. Benoit later wrestled professionally with the New Japan Pro Wrestling before joining the WWE in 2000.

Benoit was scheduled to appear in a pay-per-view title match on Sunday, but at the time the WWE announced he couldn't attend because of a "family emergency".

Benoit went by the ring name the "Canadian Crippler" and his signature moves included a flying headbutt, the triple German suplex and the "Crippler Crossface".

- AFP

Apocalypto-2006 Movie

2007-06-23T10:57:00.000+08:00

[edit] Plot Summary

Jaguar Paw (in middle played by Rudy Youngblood) and his father Flint Sky (to the right played by Morris Birdyellowhead) in their village.Opening quote: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." — W. Durant

After a tapir hunt in the Mesoamerican jungle, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), his father Flint Sky (Morris Birdyellowhead), and their fellow tribespeople encounter a procession of traumatized and fearful refugees. The procession's leader explains that their lands have been ravaged, and with Flint Sky's permission, the procession passes through the forest. When Jaguar Paw and his tribespeople return to their village, Flint Sky tells his son not to let the procession's fearful state seep into him. At night, the tribe's elder tells the village a fable of humans dangerously never filling their want, despite having the capabilities of the world's animals. The villagers follow the story with music and dance, leaving Jaguar Paw to ponder.

The next morning, after Jaguar Paw wakes from a nightmare, he sees strangers enter the village, setting aflame homes with their torches. The raiders, led by Zero Wolf (Raoul Trujillo), attack the villagers and subdue as many as possible. Jaguar Paw slips out of the village with his pregnant wife Seven (Dalia Hernández) and his little son Turtles Run, lowering them on a vine into a small cave (a chultun, shaped something like a well)[16] to hide them. Jaguar Paw returns to his village to fight against the raiders, but he is subdued with the rest of his tribespeople. A raider whom Jaguar Paw attacked, the vicious Middle Eye (Gerardo Taracena), prepares to execute Flint Sky in front of his son. Flint Sky tells Jaguar Paw not to be afraid, and Middle Eye slits Flint Sky's throat.

Before the raiders leave the village with their prisoners, one suspicious raider severs the vine leading into the ground cave, trapping Jaguar Paw's wife and son within. The raiders and their captives trek toward a Maya city, encountering failed maize crops and slaves producing plaster. They also pass a small girl stricken with plague who warns the raiders that their end is near. In the city's outskirts, the female villagers are sold as slaves, and the male villagers are escorted into the city to the top of a step pyramid. The high priest sacrifices several captives by pulling out their hearts and then decapitating them. When Jaguar Paw is on the altar to be sacrificed, a solar eclipse stays the priest's hand. The priest declares the sun god Kukulkan satisfied with the sacrifices, and he asks the sun god to restore light. The eclipse passes, and light returns to the world.

Zero Wolf, told to dispose of the captives by the priest, takes them to a ball field. Their captives are released in pairs to run the length of the field while the raiders target them with javelins, arrows, and stones. Jaguar Paw successfully reaches the field's end and though injured by an arrow, bypasses a raider "finisher", Zero Wolf's son, Cut Rock, by killing him. An enraged Zero Wolf pursues Jaguar Paw into the jungle with his fellow raiders. During the chase, a jaguar pursuing Jaguar Paw switches its victim and attacks one of the pursuers. The pursuers' morale breaks as they interpret the jaguar attack as an omen. The chase leads back to the forest in which Jaguar Paw's village was located. As he flees, Jaguar Paw jumps over a high waterfall and survives. He declares from the riverbank below that the raiders are now in his territory. The raiders jump over the falls as well and continue their pursuit.

Zero Wolf's raiders fall to both the forest's elements and Jaguar Paw's traps. A heavy rain sets in, which begins to flood the ground cave in which Jaguar Paw's wife and son are still trapped. Jaguar Paw bludgeons Middle Eye in hand-to-hand combat and kills Zero Wolf by luring him into a trap meant for hunting tapir. He is chased by two remaining raiders out to a beach where they encounter conquistadors and missionaries. The amazement of his pursuers allows Jaguar Paw to flee. He returns into the forest to rescue his wife and son from the cave. He finds that his wife has water birthed a healthy second son, and the family is rescued. Later, as Jaguar Paw leads his family away, he and his wife steal a glimpse of the conquistador's ominous ships anchored off the beach. She suggests that they approach these visitors. But Jaguar Paw does not agree and leads his family further into the forest to "seek a new beginning."

Personal reflection by Sze:

This movie is a blend of common grace and reality. Underlying this movie is the truth about having hope in God. Whilst watching, viewers will then start to ponder about the security that we are placed in, as it ought not to be taken granted of, eventually working out to the outcome that God's protection is real.

New York Mayor Bloomberg leaves Republican Party

2007-06-20T15:47:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK : New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday that he would leave the Republican Party, in a manoeuvre seen as possible preparation for launching an independent presidential bid in 2008.

"I have filed papers with the New York City Board of Elections to change my status as a voter and register as unaffiliated with any political party," he said in a statement.

"Although my plans for the future haven't changed, I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead our city," the billionaire businessman who was elected as a Republican.

Bloomberg spent millions of his own dollars to be elected mayor, and would likely do so again if he ran for the US presidency.

"A non-partisan approach has worked wonders in New York: We've balanced budgets, grown our economy, improved public health, reformed the school system and made the nation's safest city even safer," the statement said.

Bloomberg, 65, has repeatedly denied he is interested in running for president, saying he will serve out his mayoral term ending in late 2009, but his protests have done little to silence the media buzz.

A Wall Street trader who went on to found the global financial news service that bears his name, Bloomberg has proved a popular mayor of the United States' largest city.

Although he ran for mayor as a Republican, his liberal stances on abortion, gun control and gay marriage make him an appealing candidate to many Democrats.

Several recent reports have suggested Bloomberg would enter the campaign if he thought he could win a three-way contest.

If the other two candidates in the race are the current 2008 front-runners Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Clinton, moreover, it would become an all-New York contest: Giuliani preceded Bloomberg as New York city's mayor, and Clinton is one of the state's two senators.

- AFP

Malaysian court throws out appeal in key ruling on Islam

2007-06-07T22:41:00.000+08:00

30 May 2007

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia: Malaysia's highest court on Wednesday threw out a bid by a woman seeking to have her conversion to Christianity from Islam officially recognised.

A three-judge panel of the Federal Court rejected an appeal by Lina Joy in a case that went to the heart of a debate here on whether civil courts should take precedence over tribunals based on Islamic sharia law.

Joy's appeal centred on whether she should be required to go before a sharia court to have her renunciation – seen as one of the gravest sins in Islam – recognised before authorities delete the word "Islam" from her identity card.

Chief Judge Ahmad Fairuz said the National Registration Department, which is in charge of issuing identity cards, had the right to demand that a sharia court certify Joy's conversion.

"On the question that the National Registration Department has the right to demand a certification from the Islamic court that confirms the appellant's renunciation of Islam, my answer is that NRD has the right," the judge said.

"The appeal has been rejected with cause."

source

Speaking in Tongues: Alternative Voices in Faith

2007-06-07T21:52:00.000+08:00

By VICKI MABREY and ROXANNA SHERWOOD
March 20, 2007

this is a research about Speaking in Tongues which Pastor Kong mentioned.

this research is mentioned on ABC News, one of the most influenctial tv channels in America.

click on this link to read more about it.

Waterspout

2007-05-25T08:21:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: A waterspout has been spotted from the eastern parts of Singapore.

Most callers to the MediaCorp News Hotline reported seeing what looked like a tornado or a twister over the sea.

Most said they saw the phenomenon at about 2.30pm and that the phenomenon lasted about 15 minutes.

Witnesses said it was moving in a circular motion.

The waterspout could be seen in several areas including Chai Chee, East Coast Park, Suntec City and Potong Pasir.

Last August, a waterspout was also spotted off the coast of Sentosa Island.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said intense thunderstorms were the cause of the phenomenon.

The waterspout is a narrow column of water that is sucked to the base of a cloud, making it look like a funnel.

An average diameter of a waterspout is 50 metres and it has average wind speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour.

The NEA added that waterspouts will dissipate rapidly near the coast.

It also clarified that waterspouts are not rare as there are actually several sightings each year.

- CNA/yy

Early admissions to JC and Polytechnics to start from June

2007-05-18T08:50:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: Students who are taking their GCE 'O'Levels this year can start planning for the next stage of their education with June and July set aside for admissions to Polytechnic and Junior College.

The first Direct Polytechnic Admission (DPA) Exercise starts on 11 July for admission into polytechnics in 2008 for students who want to confirm places in polytechnic courses before taking their GCE ‘O’ level examinations.

Students who are interested in certain polytechnic programmes and who have the aptitude for applied learning can apply under the DPA which also gives the polytechnics greater flexibility to select students based on their talent and not just exam results.

Students admitted through the DPA route will have to meet the admission criteria of not more than 26 points for their GCE ‘O’ level examinations in English Language, two subjects relevant to the polytechnic course applied for and two other subjects which could be elective subjects.

They must also meet the Minimum Entry Requirements (MER) for their respective
polytechnic courses.

The five polytechnics – Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic
Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic – will each admit some 100 students each, with a course-specific cap of 30% for each polytechnic course under the DPA.

This will allow other students applying through the GCE ‘O’ level route to also have access to popular polytechnic courses.

As for those seeking admission to Junior College at the pre-university level, the Direct School Admission Exercise for admission to JC1 and its
equivalent level (DSA-JC) will be held on 25 June.

Similar to last year’s exercise, government and government-aided junior
colleges (JCs) will admit up to 10% of their intake using school-based criteria.

The three independent institutions offering pre-university programmes will admit up to 20% of their intake using school-based criteria.

Each institution will admit students according to its own merit-based academic and/or non-academic criteria such as leadership, science, music, sports.

As the DSA-JC Exercise will be conducted before the annual Provisional
Admission Exercise (PAE), students who gain admission to JC during the initial round will not be able to take part in the later Provisional Admission Exercise (PAE) and Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE).

What is true in the bible is true for the world

2007-05-14T14:02:00.000+08:00

New Law in Columbia: Three Years in Prison For Gossiping

From The Australian: "BOGOTA: A Colombian town has taken a hard line against gossip, with fines of up to $7950 and three years in jail.

Only gossips who cannot resist talking about their neighbours will be punished to the maximum. Recidivists could get the full three-year, $7950 punishment. The Iconozo gossip ordinance is not the first in Colombia.

Two years ago, the mayor of Ibague, also in Tolima province, imposed a fine on gossip. "Residents come out with things that they have no reason to say, that are mere gossip and that have even gotten people killed," Margoth Morales, city manager of Iconozo, 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Bogota, told RCN televsion." [Mark Godsey]

TV actor Christopher Lee jailed for drink-driving

2007-05-10T00:48:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE: MediaCorp actor Christopher Lee has been sentenced to four weeks in jail on charges relating to drink-driving.

He has also been fined S$4,500 and is disqualified from driving for three years.

Lee, 35, had been slapped with five charges relating to drink driving, including failing to stop after the collision, causing injury to a motorcyclist and his pillion rider, not rendering help to the injured, and moving his vehicle without a police officer's permission.

Breathalyser tests showed Lee's body contained twice the legal alcohol limit.

Lee had given over S$70,000 in compensation to the victims for their injuries, which the judge noted as "evidence of his remorse".

Lee will be appealing against the jail term, and is currently out on S$20,000 bail.

Singapore: Fastest walkers in the world

2007-05-01T00:52:00.000+08:00

LONDON, England -- Pedestrians all over the world are moving faster than a decade ago, according to scientists who have conducted a study into the pace at which people walk.

Landing the title of the world's fastest walkers, Singaporeans clocked the shortest time of just over 10 seconds (10.55 seconds) to walk a distance of over 18 metres (60 feet or about 4.5 car lengths). This was followed by Copenhagen (10.82 seconds) and Madrid (10.89 seconds).

Researchers in each city found a busy street with a wide pavement that was flat, free from obstacles and sufficiently uncrowded to allow people to walk at their maximum speed.

The speed of each city's walkers was then timed by a team researchers, armed with stopwatches.

They timed how long it took 35 men and women to walk along a 60-foot (18-meter) stretch of pavement, monitoring only adults who were on their own and ignoring those conducting mobile phone conversations or struggling with shopping bags.

Wiseman said walking speeds provided a reliable measure of the pace of life in a city.

"This simple measurement provides a significant insight into the physical and social health of a city. The pace of life in our major cities is now much quicker than before. This increase in speed will affect more people than ever, because for the first time in history the majority of the world's population are now living in urban center," Wiseman said.

Surprisingly, some of the world's biggest cities did not even make the top five. New York came in at eight, London was placed 12th on the list and Tokyo was ranked 19th.

The findings also explode the myth of the laid back Irish. Dublin topped Levine's table in 1997 and takes fifth place on the new list.

The study was carried out with the help of the British Council, which promotes cultural links in 109 countries.

Comparing the results with those compiled by Levine in the 1990s, the study showed that people were, on average, now walking 10 percent faster. Men were generally 25 percent quicker on their feet than women.

The biggest changes were found in the Far East. In Singapore, walking pace had increased by 30 percent and in Guangzhou, China, the pace was more than 20 percent quicker.

Here is a list, in order, of the cities ranked by the speeds at which people walk:

1) Singapore (Singapore)
2) Copenhagen (Denmark)
3) Madrid (Spain)
4) Guangzhou (China)
5) Dublin (Ireland)
6) Curitiba (Brazil)
7) Berlin (Germany)
8) New York (U.S.)
9) Utrecht (Netherlands)
10) Vienna (Austria)
11) Warsaw (Poland)
12) London (United Kingdom)
13) Zagreb (Croatia)
14) Prague (Czech Republic)
15) Wellington (New Zealand)
16) Paris (France)
17) Stockholm (Sweden)
18) Ljubljana (Slovenia)
19) Tokyo (Japan)
20) Ottawa (Canada)
21) Harare (Zimbabwe)
22) Sofia (Bulgaria)
23) Taipei (Taiwan)
24) Cairo (Egypt)
25) Sana (Yemen)
26) Bucharest (Romania)
27) Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
28) Damascus (Syria)
29) Amman (Jordan)
30) Bern (Switzerland)
31) Manama (Bahrain)
32) Blantyre (Malawi)

Apple Mac Guy -VS- PC Guy

2007-04-25T12:37:00.000+08:00

At least 33 dead in shooting spree at Virginia Tech

2007-04-18T13:58:00.000+08:00

Summary

WASHINGTON: The deadliest school shooting in US history spread shock waves through the United States on Monday, reviving calls for tighter gun control and renewing the debate about campus security.

President George W. Bush led expressions of dismay saying he was "shocked and saddened" by the shooting rampage that left at least 33 dead and many more wounded at a university in Virginia.

"Schools should be places of safety, and sanctuary, and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community," Bush said in a brief statement.

"Today our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech. We hold the victims in our hearts. We lift them up in our prayers. And we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today."

The House of Representatives and Senate both observed a moment of silence for what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described as a "terrible, terrible tragedy" after a gunman killed at least 30 people before turning the gun on himself.

"This is a very dark day in Virginia history," agreed the state's Attorney General Bob McDonnell. "This senseless tragedy has just hurt us to our very soul."

The massacre came almost eight years to the day after the shootings at Columbine High School, Colorado, in which 15 people were killed, and six months after six people including the gunman died at an Amish school in Pennsylvania.

"Since these killings, we've done nothing as a country to end gun violence in our schools and communities," Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a statement.

"If anything, we've made it easier to access powerful weapons," he said. "It is long overdue for us to take some common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur."

Virginia's governor, Timothy Kaine, was cutting short a visit to Japan and said "it is difficult to comprehend senseless violence on this scale."

University president Charles Steger said they had received expressions of sympathy from around the world, but Gerard Toal, a professor at Virginia Tech, told AFP the incident would deeply affect the staff and more than 28,000 students.

"This is a profound event obviously and it's one that will shake at the core of the university," he said.

The shooting came ahead of the busy exam season, when many students struggled to cope. "There's a lot of pressure on people, we're all feeling the pressure," he said. "Obviously the scale of this is shocking."

"You're dealing with the state of Virginia where there is a strong gun culture and you're dealing with a campus environment," he said. "There are lots of guns around on campus because there is a corps of cadets."

Virginia Tech is one of a few universities with a military training program.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the "horror this unprecedented carnage inflicts on our entire nation is unfathomable" as students in the University of Miami prepared to hold a candlelight vigil on Wednesday for the victims.

Ladd Everitt of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence said such shootings cast a dark shadow over the entire country.

"We still live in a society where gun violence is an overriding concern," he said. "We've had a series of these high-profile, very violent shootings that have taken a lot of victims."

His organization campaigns for "sensible" gun laws, focusing on closing loopholes that allow people to get hold of weapons without background checks.

Helen Stubbs, associate director of the Higher Education Centre, which helps schools tackle violence and drugs on campus, said it was difficult for campuses to have watertight security because they were often so spread out.

High schools, which in the United States often feature metal detectors at entrances, were more contained environments where security could be better monitored, she said.

Ian Ehrenberg, whose company Nice Vision specializes in school surveillance systems, said Monday's shooting proved that there was insufficient security on some school campuses.

"I do think they should do more and I don't think anyone will have a question about that," he said. "It's the responsibility of the school to provide a safe environment for the students on the campus."

"I expect colleges and campuses in the US to increase their security systems after this horrible incident," he said.

Singapore PM to freeze his pay for 5 years, donate pay hikes

2007-04-13T13:45:00.000+08:00

Summary

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says he will hold his own salary at the present level for five years and will donate any increases in his salary during that period.

He made the announcement in Parliament on Wednesday, as the House continues its debate on salary revisions for government ministers and civil servants.

Mr Lee said making a large adjustment in public sector salaries now is politically a most difficult decision.

After discussing it at length in Cabinet, and with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in particular strongly encouraging him to do it, PM Lee decided to move now because of the overriding importance of keeping public sector salaries competitive.

The Prime Minister said that to make clear why he is doing this, and to give him the moral standing to defend this policy to Singaporeans, he will hold his own salary at its present level for five years.

The Government will pay him his full pay, because that is how the system must work.

But for five years, he will donate the increase in his salary from this and subsequent revisions.

To read more, view source:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/269709/1/.html