News Today

Don't use flat type for rebate
SINCE the Government uses Annual Value (AV) and Assessable Income (AI) in other components of the GST offset package, why do the U-Save and service and conservancy charge rebates still use flat type?Perhaps one- and two-room flats can be classified as... [Read more]

Jail term cut on appeal for 'Stone Age man'
A COURT case that had all the trappings of a Korean television drama closed with a slightly happier ending for its male protagonist yesterday, when his sentence was reduced on appeal. South Korean student Lim Young Rak was originally given an... [Read more]

How to handle a pet peeve? Try living with a companion pet
I refer to Mr Heng Cho Choon's letter, 'Keeping animals: How to handle a pet peeve', (ST, Feb 22).I fully agree with Mr Heng's statement that the duration that a person spends in a country is not a good indication that... [Read more]

Indians keep home link as community here booms
IT HAS been a passage from India, and they connected so well that they now call Singapore their home away from home. An estimated 90,000 Indian nationals happily hold on to their links to their homeland - like celebrating India's national... [Read more]

Scaly guest pays a visit
Mr Chan Kok Seng, 49, showing an uninvited guest he found curled up under a banana tree at his Upper Thomson home on Wednesday.His guest turned out to be a pangolin, a nocturnal mammal normally found in forested areas of South-east... [Read more]

More US aid and troops for Afghanistan
BRUSSELS - US SECRETARY of State Condoleezza Rice brought pledges of extra troops and aid for Afghanistan to Nato talks yesterday, and told allies they too must raise their game to see off the Taleban. But Washington's frustration at what it... [Read more]

Germans see red over EU official's green drive
BERN (SWITZERLAND) - THE European Union's environment commissioner Stavros Dimas has ruffled feathers by indicating that he may trade in his German-made Mercedes for a greener Lexus. Mr Dimas wants to set an example as the EU puts climate change high... [Read more]

Bid for a place on Chingay float with Lions
THE Singapore Lions, who dramatically retained their Asean Cup football title in Bangkok on Sunday, will be riding high at this year's Chingay Parade. Led by skipper Aide Iskandar, the team will be perched on what has been described as a... [Read more]

Fashion flair develops into passion for interior design
MS TERRI Tan waited anxiously at an ATM near her Chinatown office, glancing constantly at her watch, wishing that 2pm would arrive sooner so a client's cheque would clear. She had only a few dollars left in her account so that... [Read more]

Bangalore crippled by strike over access to river water
BANGALORE - INDIA'S technology hub Bangalore was crippled yesterday by a general strike that shut businesses and emptied streets as activists protested against a court verdict over access to river water. The general strike in the southern state of Karnataka, of... [Read more]

KL not envious of S'pore's progress: Najib
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA has never been envious of progress made by other countries, as they have a right to develop, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak has said.It is more important for Malaysia to focus on its own national development and... [Read more]

$105 World Cup package leaves fans in dismay

FOR the cricket-loving community in Singapore, it is the event not to be missed this year.

Yet, not everyone is thrilled ahead of the start of the Cricket World Cup tomorrow.

The reason - the high price of catching their favourite teams in action.

To catch the likes of India's Sachin Tendulkar and Australia's Ricky Ponting, fans here have to pay $105 under StarHub's Pay-Per-View package.

The package offers exclusive action of all 51 matches, as well as match highlights.

However, project manager Pinnapapi Praslada Rao said: 'The price is way too high this year. I will just follow the scores on the Internet.'

During the 2003 World Cup, the subscription price was $65.

Those who paid for the subscription this year also lamented the steep cost.

Businessman Anish Mathew, 41, said: 'I'm a huge cricket fan, so even if it costs $200, I would still pay.

'But this is not going to help increase the popularity of the sport.'

StarHub was unable to provide the subscription figures for the package.

But Thomas Ee, its senior vice-president for cable, fixed and IP services, said: 'The response from our customers has been encouraging, and is in line with our expectations.'

In comparison, StarHub's fees are still cheaper than what some cable operators in other countries are charging.

For example, Malaysia's pay-TV channel Astro charges RM499.95 (S$218).

In the United States, cable provider EchoStar charges US$199.95 (S$305).

Despite the money gripes, most fans are rubbing their hands in anticipation of the seven-week competition.

Said cricket coach Grant Stanley: 'It works out to less than $2 a match, so I have no complaints. I'm just looking forward to the action.'

News Today

It's an exercise in futility to compare Woods and Nelson
SAN DIEGO - BYRON Nelson won 11 straight tournaments over five months on the United States PGA Tour.Tiger Woods took almost that much time off between Tour victories No 6 and No 7 in a winning streak that is becoming increasingly... [Read more]

Why I like to post news in a fucking cheebye manner. Why cannot ah?! Fuck you!
Lim Hng Kiang upbeat on GDP growthTRADE and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang is upbeat about the economy despite an unexpected sharp fall in non-oil domestic exports last month.Speaking on the sidelines of an aviation event yesterday, he said in reply... [Read more]

Punjab goes to the polls amid reform woes
CHANDIGARH (INDIA) - POLLS were held yesterday in the northern Indian state of Punjab, where a defeat for the ruling Congress Party could highlight wider national concerns over rising food prices and economic reforms. India's annual inflation rate rose to a... [Read more]

Good foreign relations stem from mutual respect
THE arguments in Mr Lee Weng Foo's letter, 'Big dose of sensitivity and humility needed when dealing with our neighbours' (ST, Feb 13), remind me of former British prime minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. Believing he could avoid confrontation with... [Read more]

Wanted: Super goo to gel folks of different beliefs
FOREIGN Minister George Yeo's speech on religion and terrorism, 'When good mutates into bad' (ST, Feb 6), though short, is full of insight and wisdom. The pertinent point in his speech is that in our multi-religious society, it is not possible... [Read more]

Wenger blasts the Blues' big losses
LONDON - ONCE again, Chelsea have reported a massive loss. Once again, they have been slammed for operating with a huge deficit. On Monday, the English champions reported an £80 million (S$239 million) loss for the last financial year. It was... [Read more]

Qantas urges shareholders to accept takeover bid
SYDNEY - A CONSORTIUM led by Macquarie Bank came closer to clinching an US$8.7 billion (S$13.3 billion) takeover of Australia's Qantas Airways yesterday, after the airline released an independent report saying the offer was fair.The report said the offer price of... [Read more]

Left high and wet
PHOTO: EDWIN KOO For the past week, home for the 22-member family of Mr Hassan Talib has been a big tent by the village road in Batu Pahat, Johor. About 40,300 flood victims were still at 93 relief centres in the... [Read more]

How to handle a pet peeve? Try living with a companion pet
I refer to Mr Heng Cho Choon's letter, 'Keeping animals: How to handle a pet peeve', (ST, Feb 22).I fully agree with Mr Heng's statement that the duration that a person spends in a country is not a good indication that... [Read more]

Malaysia trade crosses RM1 trillion mark
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S trade surpassed the RM1 trillion (S$439 billion) mark for the first time, prompting Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to call it an 'inspiring achievement'. Datuk Seri Abdullah, who also holds the finance portfolio, said on Thursday that trade... [Read more]

Shark watch
Majestic whale sharks gliding through the waters of an aquarium hold visitors spellbound with their sheer magnificence and grace. The many species of marine life are housed behind the world's largest acrylic panel viewing window at the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa,... [Read more]

Fiasco sees Inter, Valencia charged with improper conduct

MADRID - INTER Milan and Valencia have been charged with improper conduct by Uefa, after madness descended following their 0-0 stalemate on Tuesday.

Valencia's unused substitute David Navarro has been charged with gross unsporting conduct at the Mestalla Stadium.

He admitted his shame for running onto the pitch and punching Inter's midfielder Nicolas Burdisso, breaking his nose.

His teammate Carlos Marchena, who had originally fought with Burdisso to trigger the pandemonium at the final whistle, along with Burdisso and Inter's Ivan Cordoba and Maicon have also been charged.

'I've never behaved this way before and I'm sure my family will be very disappointed with me,' Navarro said.

'I'm ashamed and very much regret what I did. I've never done anything like this in my life before, nor will I again.

'It was a lack of respect for the football world and that's why I wanted to ask forgiveness from Burdisso. If I need to go to Italy to say sorry, I will.'

Inter coach Roberto Mancini said: 'One thing is certain, that the Valencia player is a coward.

'That's the only thing you can call a man who gives someone a punch like that and then runs away.'

The first leg in Italy finished 2-2, which meant Valencia progressed on the away- goals rule.

But there is a question whether Uefa will allow them to continue after the shameful scenes.

'We hope the sanctions will be minimal,' Valencia coach Quique Sanchez Flores said. 'The tension of football generates these situations and affects our good sense.'

A ruling is expected on March 22.

'I was having an argument with one person and then someone else gave me a punch from behind,' Burdisso said. 'It was not a man's punch.

'Then the whole team reacted and I think this shows we are a united squad.'

He added that his first altercation with Marchena was 'something that normally happens on the pitch, and nothing more'.

As he and Marchena were being pulled apart by the rest of the players, Navarro sprinted off the bench and floored Burdisso.

He was pursued by several Inter players as he ran off the pitch. Television images showed Inter's Julio Cruz and Cordoba trying to tackle Navarro.

A mass brawl developed in the centre of the pitch and the incidents continued in the tunnel as several Inter players tried to follow Navarro into the dressing room.

REUTERS

News Today

Scam variations
DIFFERENT versions of the 'Nigerian' scam - so called because the phenomenon originated in the West African country - have been appearing on the Net. Despite their notoriety, people still get sucked in. In 2004, eight victims here lost a total... [Read more]

Driving to Malaysia? Make sure car windows not 'too dark'
APART from checking that their passports have been stamped, motorists driving across the border to Malaysia now have another thing to worry about. Last week, 47-year-old Lawrence Lee and his wife were stopped by Malaysian traffic police on the North-South Highway... [Read more]

Roma's hopes rest on an improved performance
ROME - IF ROMA want to progress in the Champions League, they will have to play better than they did last Saturday.Then, they produced one of their worst performances in recent times in their 0-1 loss to Empoli.The result left them... [Read more]

Abe grilled over ministers' controversial remarks
TOKYO - JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his right-hand man were yesterday grilled over gaffes by two ministers who called the Iraq war a 'mistake' and women 'child-bearing machines'.The comments are giving Mr Abe a political headache when his support... [Read more]

Reach website now more user-friendly
I THANK Ms Anne Wong Holloway for her letter, 'Solution to cyberspace criticism lies within Reach' (ST, Feb 8).There were some teething problems when Reach, the government feedback portal, revamped the website to complement its new identity. We have resolved many... [Read more]

West Ham heading south
LONDON - WEST Ham's battle for Premiership survival took a blow after a devastating defeat by rock-bottom Watford at Upton Park. Watford won 1-0, courtesy of Darius Henderson's first-half penalty on Saturday. West Ham could have earned a draw. But Marlon... [Read more]

Malaysia backs Musharraf's Mid-East plan
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA, the chair of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), denied yesterday that a new Middle East peace initiative driven by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would undermine the grouping. General Musharraf has proposed bringing together leaders of influential... [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]

Baby food could lead to fatal poisoning
RETAILERS here have been asked to recall an organic baby food that may be contaminated by bacteria that causes botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning.In a statement yesterday, the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) advised consumers who have bought... [Read more]

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

Indonesia sand ban hurts KepLand stock
NEWS that Singapore's corporate tax rate would be cut by at least one percentage point from 20 per cent sent Keppel Land (KepLand) shares to a record high this week. But hopes of further gains for Singapore's No.3 developer were dashed... [Read more]

News Today

Foreign investors wary despite asset growth
LONDON - FOREIGN investors are looking at Japan with a mixture of craving and consternation. Those with Japanese assets are seeing them forge ahead as the economy shows signs of real recovery, earning returns that had been promised for so long... [Read more]

Alan Leong poised to be first challenger for top HK job
HONG KONG - PRO-DEMOCRACY lawmaker Alan Leong has garnered enough support to launch a bid to challenge China-backed Chief Executive Donald Tsang, an official said yesterday.The source said Mr Leong had been promised enough nominations for his bid for the March... [Read more]

Companies in brief
PACIFIC HEALTHCARE IN $32M TIE-UPMAINBOARD-LISTED health-care provider Pacific Healthcare Holdings has inked a $32 million joint venture deal with Kuwait Finance House to build new medical centres in Asia.Pacific Healthcare will take a 40 per cent stake in the venture. Kuwait... [Read more]

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

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

'Healthy' way to gauge economic growth
LONDON - BLOOD pressure may be a better indicator of a country's economic health than gross domestic product (GDP), a new study suggests. In what has been suggested as a new barometer of success, a survey among European countries has found... [Read more]

Family political tradition
ESTRADAS Mrs Luisa 'Loi' Estrada is the wife of former president Joseph Estrada, who is under house arrest and awaiting the verdict in his marathon plunder trial, which ended last year. After her husband's ouster in 2001, Mrs Estrada - a... [Read more]

Real slump to another loss
MADRID - REAL Madrid's Spanish Primera Liga horror run continued on Saturday. The 0-1 loss at Villarreal, their first to the El Madrigal-based team, was their third defeat in five games.Fabio Capello's new-look Real - without Ronaldo, David Beckham and Antonio... [Read more]

Case File
WOMAN JAILED FOR THEFTA JOBLESS woman was jailed for 15 months yesterday for two offences - snatching a gold bracelet from a 70-year-old woman in Chinatown and disorderly behaviour.Cheng Chan Lian, 39, admitted wrenching the $350 bracelet from Madam Tan Moei... [Read more]

Hicks joins Gillett in bid for Liverpool
LONDON - THE takeover saga of Liverpool has taken another dramatic twist, after it emerged that George Gillett Jr has joined forces with fellow American sports tycoon Tom Hicks to take control of the club. Hicks, the owner of the Texas... [Read more]

Japan uses cute toons as military mascots
TOKYO - PRINCE Pickles, a perky cartoon character with saucer-round eyes, big dimples and tiny boot-clad feet, poses in front of tanks, rappels from helicopters and shakes hands with smiling Iraqis. The cutesy icon hardly calls to mind the Japanese military... [Read more]

News Today

World Quickly
S. KOREA-U.S. BEEF DISPUTE CONTINUESSEOUL: US and South Korean negotiators failed to settle a dispute over beef imports, which threatens to scupper a wider free trade deal, Seoul said yesterday. The two countries could not narrow differences over the presence of... [Read more]

Bellamy and Riise swing it Reds' way
IT IS part of the beauty of sport that it produces scripts so remarkable that, were they submitted as fiction, they would be rejected for their sheer implausibility. Liverpool know it full well. Few could credit their comeback win over AC... [Read more]

1m-baht reward for info on New Year's Eve bombings
BANGKOK - THAI police have distributed video footage of a suspect in the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok, and offered a million-baht (S$46,000) reward for information leading to an arrest.The footage which was released on Monday will be televised, police... [Read more]

Today's Headlines
All's fair game in the blogosphere - or is it?KUALA LUMPUR - WHEN a manager of an Islamic insurance company sent an e-mail asking Muslim staff not to offer Deepavali greetings to Hindus last October, it quickly became the talk in... [Read more]

Sign of Mars life?
New evidence has surfaced that water may be present on Mars. This image from Nasa spacecraft Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows alternating layers of dark- and light-toned rock in Becquerel Crater on the planet. Within those deposits are a series of linear... [Read more]

Online bomb hoax: Youth pleads guilty
A MAN who 'mooched' on a neighbour's unsecured wireless network to make a bomb hoax posting online caused alarm and got his neighbour arrested.Full-time national serviceman Lin Zhenghuang's hoax posting on Aug 1, 2005 - a day after the London subway... [Read more]

Thailand won't seize control of satellites
BANGKOK - THAILAND wants to 'properly' buy back ShinSat's satellites from Temasek Holdings, Thai military junta leader General Sonthi Boonyarataglin said yesterday, ruling out any sudden seizure. Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the powerful Council for National Security (CNS),... [Read more]

Soccer Shorts
ITALY THE NEW LEADERS IN FIFA RANKINGS ROME: World champions Italy have replaced Brazil at the top of the Fifa rankings. It is the first time the European country have been ranked No 1 in the world since November 1993, and... [Read more]

Restrict agent banks' fee in CPF scheme
I REFER to the CPF Investment Scheme-Ordinary Account (CPFIS-OA) arrangement with DBS, UOB and OCBC, in which the three local banks are also known as the 'agent bank'. I applaud the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board's decision to set a 3... [Read more]

No timetable set for Iraq pullout, says US leader
US PRESIDENT George W. Bush yesterday distanced himself from predictions that US troops could begin leaving Iraq by late summer, stating bluntly he would accept no timetable for such a pullout.'We do not set timetables in this administration because an enemy... [Read more]

Bouquets
CELLPHONE FOUND, THANKS TO STAFF OF FAST-FOOD OUTLETON FEB 2, I left my mobile phone at McDonald's at Centrepoint after having breakfast there. I only realised this later, at the National University of Singapore campus, and had to get my husband... [Read more]