News Today

Shoppers spending more this year
BANK executive Alvin Tan, 37, is using the six-month bonus he received this year to buy his second car - a Japanese make for his wife. He is also getting a new set of bed linen, new outfits and a new... [Read more]

ComCare has spent $68m to help 90,000 individuals, families
EIGHTEEN months after ComCare was launched to fund social assistance programmes, the scheme has delivered on its promise to deliver faster and better help to Singaporeans in need, an official report declared yesterday.So far, 90,000 individuals and families have benefited through... [Read more]

Retirement planning low on S'poreans' priority list
MOST Singaporeans are prepared for short-term financial emergencies and big expenses such as their mortgage and children's education. However, such planning falls well short in other areas like retirement.Those were the key findings of a new survey on how ready people... [Read more]

THEN: Jailbird NOW: Model youth
GLENN Lim spiralled downwards from a rebellious youth to a drug user. It did not look like he was about to stop, until he was busted by the police for drug trafficking. That day in court 12 years ago - faced... [Read more]

Running Changi like an orchestra
CAAS director-general Wong Woon Liong likens running an airport to conducting an orchestra, where each section plays a part in making beautiful music. Not all airports follow this mantra, said Mr Wong: 'The different sections in other airports are not as... [Read more]

Two fatal accidents in five months near condo - do something please
I am a resident of Springdale Condo in Upper Bukit Timah Road.On the morning of Feb 15, a fatal accident occurred just in front of the condominium. It's scary that two fatal accidents occurred within five months in the same location... [Read more]

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

Hundreds stranded in Taipei as fog delays 30 flights
TAIPEI - THICK fog at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport delayed more than 30 departing flights yesterday morning, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded, an airport official said.The foggy conditions were created by a humid maritime airstream, reducing visibility to less than 200m,... [Read more]

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...
THREE months before Changi Airport's Terminal 1 opened in July 1981, the airport declared an open house for the public. It was not for fun. The idea was to test the airport's systems and give its staff the experience of dealing... [Read more]

Rising prices may eclipse Sonia magic in state polls
DEHRADUN (UTTARAKHAND) - LOCAL leaders of the Indian National Congress and candidates for today's state assembly polls stand on a makeshift platform, pleading for one more opportunity 'to serve the people'. Party workers dressed in homespun and wearing the traditional Congress... [Read more]

YouTube post shouldn't trifle with religion
I WAS upset when I was forwarded a hyperlink to a sound file posted on YouTube by 'Ximiwakoz'.The recording, entitled 'RK House - No PORK', featured some boys who apparently visited a prata shop at Serangoon Gardens. They repeatedly asked for... [Read more]

Is Ukrainian boxer Klitschko the next big heavyweight star?

BERLIN - WLADIMIR Klitschko is expected to do more than just beat Ray Austin in his IBF title defence today.

The power-punching Ukrainian is supposed to prove he can be the new star of the heavyweight division.

Some already see the 30-year-old Klitschko as the best fighter in a lacklustre division badly in need of a marquee name. He beat Samuel Peter by decision, then crushed Chris Byrd and Calvin Brock, three of the top heavyweights.

Hardly anyone seems to give Austin, 36, a chance in the fight in Mannheim, Germany. The American has not been beaten in nearly six years, but there are no big wins on his record of 24 wins, three losses and four draws.

Emanuel Steward, Klitschko's trainer, has been tireless in proclaiming the talent of his 2 metre-tall charge.

This might be pre-fight hype, but Steward does know a thing or two about top heavyweights, having trained Lennox Lewis, the last undisputed champion.

But Klitschko is a lot more modest about where he ranks in boxing and what he has to prove to the public.

He said: 'I think there is still a lot of work to do to be a real champion, not just a title-holder. I'm on the way, but I haven't arrived.'

Klitschko (47-3, including 42 knockouts) is being touted as boxing's next big thing for the second time. Many boxing fans remember what happened the first time - and still question his chin and stamina.

He was flattened in two rounds by Corrie Sanders in 2003 and stopped a year later in five by Lamon Brewster.

But he resurrected his career in September 2005, climbing off the canvas three times to win a unanimous decision against Peter - the Nigerian still considered a potential champion himself.

'Many thought I could never come back from the devastation of the Brewster defeat,' Klitschko said. 'You see, I never lost my confidence.'

There is no doubt who is the star today. The fight poster for HBO - the American pay-TV network showing the bout - is dominated by a picture of Klitschko. Austin is not in the photo and his name is in small type at the bottom.

After fighting several smaller fighters, Klitschko is about to face a boxer who is the same size as him.

'Klitschko has a history of having problems with taller, heavier heavyweights,' said Austin's trainer, Stacey McKinely. 'Ray Austin is a dangerous man in the condition he is in today.'

But Klitschko remains undaunted, saying: 'We should stop talking - let's have the fight.'

ASSOCIATED PRESS

News Today

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

Quick-thinking pilot, passengers foil hijack
LAS PALMAS (SPAIN) - PLUCKY passengers of a Mauritanian plane overpowered a suspected armed hijacker with help from a quick-thinking pilot. The Air Mauritania Boeing 737 was on an internal flight in the north-western African country on Thursday when the hijacker,... [Read more]

A slice of S'pore in the Philippines
President and Mrs S R Nathan, on a four-day trip to the Philippines, yesterday visited the Singapore GK Village, built in 2005 with the help of more than 50 Singapore volunteers for 46 poor families.Flanked by Mr Tony Meloto, founder of... [Read more]

Terror alert in Manila on Valentine's
POLICE have stepped up security at train stations and an oil depot and set up road checkpoints in the Philippine capital to prevent a repeat of the deadly 2005 Valentine's Day terror bombings, officials said yesterday.The authorities have not monitored any... [Read more]

MD who lied about degree let off with fine
COMPANY managing director Mahesh Narayan, who lied several times that he had a degree from a top US university, was originally facing up to five years in jail and a possible $20,000 fine.But he was yesterday let off with a $6,000... [Read more]

Bogus NKF fund seekers
THERE were two reported cases this week of fake donation seekers using the name of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) in Clementi and Jurong East. The NKF, which does not have any door-to-door donation drives in these areas, advises the public... [Read more]

S'pore-based firm plans shipping trust
FIRST Ship Lease, a Singapore- based ship leasing and financing company, is planning to launch an initial public offering of a new trust.According to a preliminary prospectus lodged on Friday, the company is offering 220 million units in First Ship Lease... [Read more]

Thai push for satellites may hasten Shin Corp overhaul
THAILAND'S push to take over the country's satellite business controlled by Shin Corp could speed up a corporate overhaul of the conglomerate's diverse assets.For the past three months, a Temasek Holdings-led consortium that controls Shin Corp has been mulling over a... [Read more]

OCBC to buy Indonesian debt underwriter
JAKARTA - OCBC Bank has agreed to buy a 29.5 per cent stake in Trimegah Securities, Indonesia's third-biggest debt underwriter, for 172.52 billion rupiah (S$29.16 million).OCBC, the smallest of Singapore's three banks, separately said its wholly-owned unit, Excel Holdings, has reached... [Read more]

Going the extra mile
PAYA Lebar Airport hit a space crunch not long after its opening in 1955. Mr Bernard Chan, now CAAS assistant director for estate management, remembers well the flights that took Muslim pilgrims to Mecca. Going on the haj was a red-letter... [Read more]

Sub-tenants told of big mall opening. What they got: empty stalls and legal woes
A SERIES of legal spats are brewing over a suburban shopping mall in Commonwealth that failed to open last year, leaving disgruntled sub-tenants filing police reports and landing main tenant Pagar Park in trouble with the law. Sub-tenants were promised by... [Read more]

TV times

GOLF: Singapore Masters: Day 1 (Live, Ch5 & Ch24, 2.30pm). Pods C'ship: Day 1 (Live, Ch22, tomorrow, 4am).

Events

GOLF: Singapore Masters: Day 1 (Laguna National G&CC, 7.40am).

SOCCER: S-League: Gombak v Geylang (Jurong West, 7.45pm).

News Today

Highest fine, no discount, for big traffic offences
PUTRAJAYA - AFTER months of haggling, the police and the Road Transport Department have finally agreed on a common list of traffic offences.Offences such as speeding, overtaking on double lines, driving in the emergency lane and beating traffic lights will incur... [Read more]

Concern over long-term effects of paid transplants
I refer to the letter, 'Don't ignore organ transplant beneficiaries' (ST, Feb 5), by Mr Wah June Hwang in reply to my letter.Mr Wah may have missed my point. My concern is about the long-term effects of paid transplants more generally.... [Read more]

Mittal buys 49% of Indian refinery
NEW DELHI - THE Mittal group, controlled by steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, has acquired a 49 per cent stake in an Indian refinery being built by a leading state-run firm, India's oil minister said yesterday. The investment comes a year after... [Read more]

$1.6b projects to stop floods in Johor
MALAYSIA is expected to spend at least RM3.6 billion (S$1.6 billion) to prevent floods in Johor.A report on the projects was submitted to the government last week and it is expected to give the nod soon.Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister... [Read more]

Case File
FARE CHEAT CAUGHT BY PATIENT CABBYA CABBY'S patience paid off when his fare - who had gone inside an embassy without paying up - eventually emerged.The taxi driver had called the police, who arrested the man.Mr Huang Shui Tian, 52, had... [Read more]

Sailors give $477,500 back to association
IT WAS a night to celebrate the success of Singapore's sailors at the Doha Asian Games in December.But the drive to sustain a new wave of talent was not forgotten at SingaporeSailing's Appreciation and Celebration Dinner at the Republic of Singapore... [Read more]

Gombak bullish about reaching SingTel League Cup final
GOMBAK United were once among the top five teams in the S-League. An eighth placing last year left the Bulls hankering after the good years, and they kicked off this year with an eye on redemption. They started off in the... [Read more]

Govt shows its capitalist head, socialist heart
A CAN-DO Budget with buzz. And one that positions Singapore to run the next lap of the global economy, even as it beefs up social-security spending to take care of those who can't run as fast. That's what Second Finance Minister... [Read more]

Putin throws down gauntlet to West
THE annual security conference in the southern German city of Munich is traditionally a venue where defence leaders showcase their plans for making the world a more stable place. Not the one held last weekend, however. For in a speech which... [Read more]

IEA raises oil demand forecast
PARIS - THE International Energy Agency (IEA) yesterday raised its world oil demand estimates for this year, citing a major revision to forecasts of China's needs.It also warned the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) that its production cuts might seriously... [Read more]

$20m assets: Scion tied down by fake will wins legal battle
AT THE heart of a family feud was a clumsily forged will, said to have been drawn up in 1988.It had a glaring spelling mistake. Instead of 'Law Offices', it read 'Law Ofices Berris Seton and Bishton'.But while there was a... [Read more]

News Today

Peek into history
The Prime Minister of Laos, Mr Bouasone Bouphavanh, learns about a manual ice-shaver used to make ice balls in the 1950s and 1960s at the National Museum. Explaining it to him is Ms Wong Hong Suen, an assistant curator at the... [Read more]

More bird flu outbreaks expected
JAKARTA - THE world should expect more bird flu outbreaks in the coming months, the United Nations (UN) official coordinating the global fight against the virus warned, after Britain recorded its first case of the H5N1 strain. Dr David Nabarro said... [Read more]

Drogba reveals Chelsea differences
LONDON - DIDIER Drogba has confirmed one of football's worst-kept secrets - that there are problems between Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho and his superiors.That is why the Premiership champions have faltered in the title race this season, the striker added, pointing... [Read more]

Curbing the economy
CENTRAL bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan wants to stop a trade surplus that may top US$200 billion (S$307 billion) this year because of rising inflation, bad loans and investment in idle factories.China's economy, the world's fourth largest, expanded at the fastest pace... [Read more]

Brain scans can read your mind, say scientists
IN A scene resembling the movie Minority Report, scientists in a study were able to predict what a person planned to do in the near future.The neuroscientists used high-resolution brain scans to peer inside their subjects' brains, identifying patterns of activity... [Read more]

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

Chinese minister in Japan for talks
TOKYO - CHINA'S Foreign Minister is in Tokyo for talks intended to set the stage for a red-carpet visit by the Chinese Premier, but friction lingers in the background.Mr Li Zhaoxing arrived yesterday to meet Japanese leaders four months after Prime... [Read more]

Highest fine, no discount, for big traffic offences
PUTRAJAYA - AFTER months of haggling, the police and the Road Transport Department have finally agreed on a common list of traffic offences.Offences such as speeding, overtaking on double lines, driving in the emergency lane and beating traffic lights will incur... [Read more]

Thailand cancels TV drama after Laos' protest
BANGKOK - A TOP Thai television network has cancelled a planned soap opera about a star-crossed Thai-Laotian couple after Vientiane complained that the show was offensive. The show, called Love Song On Both Sides Of The Mekong, was already being promoted... [Read more]

Sports World
DOWIE TO RUN THE SHOW AT COVENTRY COVENTRY: Iain Dowie was hired as Coventry football club manager yesterday, three months after being fired by Premier League side Charlton.Dowie signed a 31/2- year contract with Coventry, who are 17th in the 24-team... [Read more]

S'poreans in Jakarta do their bit for flood victims
SOME Singaporean residents in Jakarta are working with their Indonesian friends and other expatriates to organise relief aid for the thousands of victims in the Indonesian capital's worst flood in years. Led by Mrs Gouri Mirpuri, the wife of Singapore's ambassador... [Read more]

News Today

Spurs test Everton's unbeaten run
LIVERPOOL - TIM Cahill is confident that Everton can keep their unbeaten run going, when they host Tottenham in the Premiership today.Since losing 1-4 in the FA Cup at home to Blackburn, they have not lost in four games to move... [Read more]

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

Dubai deal gets nod from US port authority
NEW YORK - THE New York-New Jersey Port Authority and American International Group (AIG) have reached a preliminary agreement to let the insurer buy Dubai Ports World's (DP World) stake in the Port Newark container terminal.DP World acquired assets at six... [Read more]

Sorry, $100 notes not accepted
ON JAN 24 my family and I had dinner at Ramen Tan Restaurant located in the Ang Mo Kio Jubilee Complex.I was surprised to learn that the management had instructed the staff not to accept $100 notes. When asked for the... [Read more]

More major operations done without 'knockout' anaesthesia
SOME major operations can now be done without the patient being completely knocked out under general anaesthesia. In regional anaesthesia, doctors paralyse just that part of the body undergoing surgery. Epidurals, administered to control pain in the lower bodies of women... [Read more]

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

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

Austria's Olympian minister dies
AUSTRIA'S first female interior minister Liese Prokop, a former Olympic silver medallist, has died of a ruptured blood vessel. She was 65.Ms Prokop, who was appointed in 2004 to oversee Austria's police and overall security, died on Sunday night as she... [Read more]

British doctors lose right to be own watchdog
LONDON - BRITISH doctors will lose the right to act as their own watchdog under government plans for Britain's biggest medical regulatory overhaul in decades. The changes, announced on Wednesday, are part of the government's response to the inquiry into how... [Read more]

Putting this shop's best face forward
Many people come to the shop daily, during their lunch breaks, 'to soak in the feel and experience'. Ms Peggy Kho, 31, creative director of The Face Shop chain of cosmetic stores, said the combination of attentive sales staff and look... [Read more]

Increase speed of trains, which carry more people
AFTER the recent announcement of the implementation of full-day bus lanes on certain roads within the city area, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has now decided to do away with bus bays on a trial basis so as to further increase... [Read more]