News Today

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]

Serie A
SaturdayEmpoli 1 Roma 0Inter Milan 1 Cagliari 0Siena 3 AC Milan 4SundayAscoli 2 Udinese 2Fiorentina 1 Catania 0Lazio 2 Torino 0Livorno 2 Messina 1Palermo 1 Chievo 1Sampdoria 1 Parma 0Reggina 1 Atalanta 1... [Read more]

Mum allegedly kills sons after spat with spouse
KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN woman who was enraged when her husband announced plans to marry a second wife allegedly killed both her young sons.The 30-year-old woman was alleged to have strangled her sons - Muhammad Aliff Haqimi, five, and Muhammad... [Read more]

Gascoigne to act in sci-fi horror movie
LONDON - HIS life has often seemed like a horror movie, and now Paul Gascoigne is going to star in one with a sci-fi twist.The former England international, who has fought alcohol and drug problems, will make his acting debut in... [Read more]

Tree branch 'pierces' car
Students and teachers of Balestier Hill Secondary School got a shock yesterday when strong winds broke off a tree branch and sent it straight through the windscreen of a teacher's car. No one was hurt. Secondary 1 student Keith Ng sent... [Read more]

Trans fat labelling: A mathematical poser
Here is another question to add to the list provided by Mr Yeo Chow Khoon in his letter, 'Some questions remain on trans fat labelling' (ST, Feb 13).My question is this: How much is 0.4 x 5? Is it 2, as... [Read more]

Rotary's earnings surge to $35.2m
THE red-hot oil and gas sector has been a bonanza for Rotary Engineering, which yesterday reported record earnings of $35.2 million, up a staggering 320 per cent.Rotary helps build and maintain oil storage terminals and other infrastructure for the petrochemical industry.... [Read more]

Sands' IR reaches a milestone
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan - with Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam Adelson - got to admire a model of Marina Bay Sands yesterday at a ceremony to mark a development milestone in the construction... [Read more]

World Quickly
SEGOLENE UNVEILS PROPOSALS PARIS: Socialist presidential hopeful Segolene Royal, trailing in the opinion polls and struggling to kick start her gaffe-prone campaign, unveiled 100 proposals yesterday that she said would make France a stronger, fairer place. Termed 'the presidential pact', the... [Read more]

Staff to be more attentive when giving out info
We refer to the letter by Ms Liew Chuen Li (Online forum, Feb 13).We have contacted Ms Liew and apologised for the service lapse that she and her mother experienced.Upon receiving feedback from Ms Liew, we successfully turned on her mio... [Read more]

FairPrice house brand to get trans fat labels
BY YEAR'S end, FairPrice, the largest supermarket chain here, will have the trans fat content on the labels of all food products sold under its house brand.It will also reformulate its products to reduce or remove trans fat, where possible.Its move... [Read more]

Foreign Sports Talent scheme: Time for review?

I AM writing in response to the news about the departure of table-tennis player Zhang Xueling, a China-born Singapore citizen.

Zhang obtained her Singapore citizenship in 2001, was groomed to be a top player and had beaten other international top players during the Athens Olympics in 2004, but chose to leave Singapore for China to be with her husband. All this within a short span of five years.

Although Zhang has promised that she will represent Singapore if given the opportunity, her departure leaves Singapore sports fans with many unanswered questions.

If she is really keen to represent Singapore or help Singapore groom the younger generation, the Singapore Table Tennis Association could have given her more time to prove herself and take up the role of coach.

Another China-born former Singaporean table-tennis player, Xu Yan, has also left our country, for Germany.

This situation has been replayed many times in other sports as well. In recent years, the Singapore Athletic Association dropped two China-born throwers - Zhang Guirong and Du Xianhui - for under-performing after both obtained their Singapore citizenship.

The Singapore Hockey Federation also had not had much success with six China-born players in 1998 after they obtained their Singapore citizenship. It was last reported that a few of them had returned to China.

Every athlete will have his high points and low points. No athlete is immune to the common 'athlete's fatigue'. For example, Singapore-born bowler Remy Ong had to endure a few years of lacklustre performance after winning gold at the Busan Asian Games in 2002. Ong finally proved himself in the 2006 Asian Games by taking a silver in the men's final.

Even swimmer Joscelin Yeo is not immune to athlete's fatigue.

However, they did not give up and persevered over the years. It is to the credit of their sports bodies that they believed in them and did not ask them to leave.

Sports clubs in Singapore need to consider the following questions before they import another foreign-born player:

What happens if the player under-performs?

Will the under-performing player be dropped and asked to leave Singapore, even though he has obtained Singapore citizenship?

How much tolerance will there be for athlete's fatigue?



Edmund Lin Weixiong

Benitez furious with Reds' inept strikers

LONDON - WHILE dumping Barcelona out of the Champions League may be an admirable achievement, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is far from satisfied.

The Spaniard has seen the best and worst of his side in recent weeks.

They dominated Manchester United at Anfield in the Premiership last Saturday, then did the same against Barcelona three days later.

But, despite 15 attempts on goal in each game, Liverpool lost 0-1 both times.

Benitez has been infuriated that his frontline - Craig Bellamy, Dirk Kuyt or Peter Crouch - could not kill off these ties, reported The Guardian.

'We have seen these things all season,' he admitted.

'We deserved to score a lot of goals in the first half, hitting the bar twice. Even in the second half when Barcelona had more possession, we had chances on the break.

'We weren't finishing the opportunities we were creating but we managed to hang on and made sure we qualified.'

The recruitment of a striker remains a priority in the summer.

The thinking is that, had they possessed a clinical forward capable of scoring 20 goals a season, they might just have been challenging nearer the pinnacle.

Bellamy, hardly a prolific scorer throughout his career, has managed nine goals in all competitions. Kuyt is still adjusting to life in England and has netted 10.

Crouch, the top scorer with 13, has had only one start. He has admitted to feeling frustrated at being restricted to the bench.

'I feel when I've played, I've got goals,' said Crouch, who is considering delaying an operation on his broken nose to the end of the season so that he can play a full part.

The wasted chances up front are heaping pressure on those at the back, with Liverpool increasingly reliant on defender Jamie Carragher's excellence.

'Over the two legs, Carragher has been phenomenal,' said captain Steven Gerrard.

'I look at the defenders across Europe and the rest of the world, and I really don't see anyone who's better than him. I definitely wouldn't swop him for anyone.'

Honour less-dominant half of society

EVERY March 8 is International Women's Day (IWD), to recognise the needs and achievements of women. Some countries mark IWD officially, with men gifting related and familiar females. It enjoys Mother's Day status in countries where children give presents to mothers and grandmothers.

On this day, shouldn't more nations and men honour women - the less-dominant half of society? This year, 308 global events are listed. Guess how many are in Singapore. One: a 'Women Mean Business Luncheon' hosted at a hotel by the Australian High Commission and Unifem Singapore.

Once, in Jurong East, a man restrained a woman - presumably a relative or girlfriend - from leaving. As she wasn't hurt and didn't seek help from passers-by, he was allowed to drag her away. I regret not intervening. At another time along Margaret Drive, a middle-aged man called a younger woman companion 'stupid' and cuffed her on the head. She threatened to call the police, a move I lauded.

Recently, a Straits Times Online Forum writer reported a man assaulting his female companion in Marche, VivoCity. Security guards summoned declared they couldn't do anything. No wonder 2007's IWD theme is 'Ending impunity for violence against women and girls'. Women bully men too but, statistically, men are quicker to violence and overwhelmingly so than women.

Nurtured a certain way, I saw women as 'weaker', 'irrational' and 'less capable' despite trying to be objective. But, having worked with superlative women like Ms Saw Phaik Hwa - who now runs SMRT - when she started out, I find women grossly unappreciated.

Women are better care-givers as they tend to humanise relationships and environments. Most familial networks atrophy after a matriarch's demise.

Gender studies show males systemise while females empathise when solving the same problem.

Shown the same video clips, male infants found machines compelling while human faces captivated their opposites - nature, not nurture, predisposes.

Males and females differ to complement each other, not rival or conflict as in, 'Anything you can do, I can do better'. Testosterone advantages men physically and visual-spatially while oestrogen enhances female communicability.

If New York Senator Hillary Clinton becomes America's first female Commander-in-Chief, would the Middle East and the world spill less blood? I think so. If girls prefer dolls to toy weapons, how many women - unless fanatical - would send their sons to battle after carrying them for nine months?

Anthony Lee Mui Yu

Scholarships for shuttlers, footballers

SEMBCORP Industries has launched a $50,000 scholarship programme for the tertiary education of young footballers or badminton players.

Its Trailblazer-Wong Kok Siew scholarships for Sports will be jointly administered by the Football Association of Singapore and the Singapore Badminton Association.

On Friday, SembCorp presented cheques of $25,000 each to the FAS and SBA.

FAS president Ho Peng Kee and SBA secretary-general Tan Kian Chew received the cheques on behalf of their respective organisations.

The scholarships are for Singapore citizens looking to study at local universities, polytechnics or Institutes of Technical Education.

They will assist young athletes, who may have had to sacrifice their training to do part-time jobs to finance their higher studies.

They are also a boost for these professional or semi-professional athletes, who may want to equip themselves for a second career after they retire from sports.

The programme is funded by the Trailblazer-Wong Kok Siew fund, set up by SembCorp two years ago, in memory of its late deputy chairman and chief executive officer, Wong Kok Siew.

S-League CEO Winston Lee said the scholarships were a good initiative.

He said: 'It's great for players who aspire to complete their diploma or tertiary education while pursuing a football career.

'It will certainly complement our FAS scholarships programme.'

All square

Albirex Niigata's Tetsuya Okayama (in orange) and Balestier Khalsa's Mba Vitus Onyekachi battled for possession as their teams drew 1-1 in an S-League match at Jurong East Stadium last night. The Japanese side scored first through Akihiko Shimizu after 22 minutes.

Balestier replied on 40 minutes, through ex-Albirex player Morikazu Murukami.

The burly forward powered his way through the Albirex defence before placing the ball beyond goalkeeper Norio Takahashi.

In the second half, an onslaught from the Japanese failed to breach the Tigers' defence, which was missing three first-team regulars through injury.

News Today

Federer will get better with age, says his coach
MELBOURNE - BAD news for Roger Federer's rivals: his coach thinks the world No 1's best is yet to come.Tony Roche saw his charge win his 10th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.He told The Telegraph: 'Roger is like good... [Read more]

Four new lifestyle groups for members
'AKAN datang'' (Malay for coming soon) will be more affordable and fun activities for workers.That was what the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) new secretary-general Lim Swee Say promised as part of the organisation's workplan this year to care for its... [Read more]

Bush insists Iran behind bomb attacks in Iraq
IN WASHINGTON - PRESIDENT George W. Bush has piled the pressure on Iran, even as he tries to deflect growing concerns over rhetoric that sounds like a drumbeat for war. He has declared that an elite branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary... [Read more]

Tiger Air plans to enter domestic market Down Under
SYDNEY - SINGAPORE budget airline Tiger Airways announced yesterday that it is planning to enter the Australian domestic market by year-end.Its chief executive Tony Davis said the airline had filed applications with Australian regulators and that the response from officials was... [Read more]

Chiam: Difficult to fulfil lift promise
OPPOSITION MP Chiam See Tong is finding it a struggle to fulfil an election promise to provide his HDB residents with lifts on every floor.Lift upgrading was a carrot the People's Action Party (PAP) dangled in the last general election.The opposition... [Read more]

Liverpool buy out Mascherano's contract with businessman
LONDON - LIVERPOOL have completed the signing of Javier Mascherano, after buying out his contract with businessman Kia Joorabchian. But West Ham are still facing the threat of a points deduction for breaking Premiership rules to allow the Argentina midfielder to... [Read more]

Crowded? Don't block the way and move to the back of the bus
My stomach was already growling for my grandma's fried bee hoon as I boarded Bus 74 in Bukit Timah Road. The bus was, as usual, packed. No, that's not completely right. The front part of the bus was packed, with people... [Read more]

No mention of steps to address green concerns
BUDGET 2007 may have poised Singaporeans for the future and the Government may have shown its 'capitalist head' and 'socialist heart', but there was a glaring omission.This concerns the non-mention of any concrete fiscal measures and policies that might be implemented... [Read more]

Polys to tie up with top overseas schools
SINGAPOREANS aiming to specialise in fields such as the culinary arts, hotel management or digital animation will soon have no need to head overseas to fulfil their career ambitions.Within the next three years, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will bring in... [Read more]

Body Shop founder tells of liver damage
BODY Shop founder Anita Roddick is suffering from liver damage after contracting the hepatitis C virus more than 35 years ago, she said.Dame Anita, 64, one of Britain's best-known businesswomen, developed the potentially deadly disease from infected blood given to her... [Read more]

Charity listings
FAMILY FLAG DAY Charity group Focus On The Family Singapore, dedicated to strengthening families through family life education, is holding a flag day to raise funds.When: Today Where: Somerset, Woodlands, Outram, Pasir Ris and Jurong East MRT stations. VEGAS CHARITY GALAA... [Read more]

Condo success: What's faith got to do with it?

There are two developers which are developing posh residential apartments near the city. In the midst of the current hot property market, all units in both projects were sold out within a short time.

Looking at the signboards displayed at the two sites expressing their thanks, one shows great maturity and good understanding of the importance of religious harmony and the way to live with others in a tolerant manner. Unfortunately, not the other.

While one thanks its customers for their support, which I thought is logical, the other attributed the success to its faith. Following the latter's logic, had its project not sold well and still 80 per cent of the units are left, whose fault is it?

It took us a long time and a capable leader like Mr Lee Kuan Yew to mould our society into a cohesive and harmonious one, where people of all faith and races live peacefully together, but it will take only days to push it back to Day 1. So, it is everybody's duty to ensure that it will not happen.

If you are still unsure which projects I am referring to, just take a look at Sky@Eleven in Thomson Road and NEWTON ONE in Newton Road. I think SPH, developer of the former, has certainly been more responsible.

Thomas Lee Zhi Zhi

Sports world

SHORTEN F1 RACES, SAYS BRIATORE

LONDON: Flavio Briatore, who led the Renault team to the last two Formula One titles, said races should be shortened from their current 11/2 hours, because his team and Ferrari usually dominate the final stretch.

'The last 30 minutes are very boring,' he said.

The 56-year-old also suggested to drop the French Grand Prix, as the more famous Monaco Grand Prix will probably cover the France fan base.

BLOOMBERG NEWS

SCOTT AND ELS FARE POORLY

PHUKET: Top golfers Adam Scott and Ernie Els wilted in the hot and humid conditions at the Johnnie Walker Classic yesterday.

World No. 4 Scott fired a three-over 74 to be nine strokes off the pace in the first round. Els, the world No. 5, shot a 73.

World No. 339 Brad Kennedy, who has never won on the European Tour, has the first-round lead after hitting a seven-under 65 the Blue Canyon Country Club.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Benitez has his sights set firmly on Eto'o

LONDON - LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez is plotting a move for Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o.

The Spaniard tried to sign the Cameroon striker two years ago, when he left Real Mallorca, but could not match Barca's spending power.

However, the arrival of American tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks at Anfield has given Benitez money to spend.

It has also coincided with reports that Eto'o will leave the Nou Camp in the summer.

The 25-year-old has fallen out with Barca coach Frank Rijkaard and teammate Ronaldinho in recent weeks.

That has led to him being linked with a move to both Chelsea and Arsenal, but it appears Benitez's contacts in Spain have sprung Liverpool to the front of the queue, reported The Sun.

Eto'o has been rated at between £20 million (S$60 million) and £50 million by the media.

If he does move to Anfield, he will join Andriy Voronin there, with the Ukraine striker moving to Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer.

While Robbie Fowler is considering joining David Beckham in America after having talks with the New England Revolution, Benitez may be looking to clear out some other forwards, like Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy.

But one who will not be leaving is Dirk Kuyt.

And the Dutchman has assured Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho that Liverpool will not have the Champions League on their minds when they face Manchester United on Saturday.

With Liverpool's Anfield clash with the League leaders kicking off at lunch time, Chelsea could be 12 points behind by the time they face Portsmouth later in the day.

Mourinho has implied that Liverpool, who are out of the Premiership title race, will have their focus on their Champions League tie against Barcelona on Tuesday.

But Kuyt insisted: 'Facing United is one of the most important games you can play in a season.

'It would be a great result if we could do it. You just need the same approach to the game as we have had in the last week.'

Liverpool won at the Nou Camp and then outclassed Sheffield United 4-0 despite Benitez making seven changes to the side.

Mourinho will watch the game at Anfield with interest.

'We have to keep winning and see whether the next step at Anfield is to close the gap, or for it to widen,' he said.

'If the next step sees the gap open, it gets very difficult for us. But, if the next step is for it to close, everything is open for us.'

Kuyt is convinced that Liverpool have a good chance against United.

He added: 'We have beaten Barcelona, we have beaten Chelsea at Anfield, so now we can have the confidence to progress and beat United.'

Home reject Korean's plans to settle dispute

FORMER Home United footballer Jeon Kyeong Joon is prepared to drop his appeal to Fifa.

However, this is provided that the S-League club agree to his compensation terms.

And, according to Home, that is not going to happen.

Jeon is claiming that, in November last year, he was duped into terminating his contract which was to run until the end of this year.

Yesterday, the 33-year-old's agent Jang Ki Hyun sent a faxed letter to Home, giving them until today to settle the dispute amicably.

The South Korean midfielder has given the club three options:

Continue the original contract.

Compensate him three months' salary, and help him get a him new club.

Compensate one year's salary in lump sum.

However, Home's general manager K. T. Velu said: 'We are not going to accede to any of his demands. We will be sending a letter to the player to explain our stand.'

He added that, after the terminating Jeon's contract, the club had subsequently sacked him for failing to turn up for training twice in late November and early December.

This was possible because, under the terms of the termination, the midfielder was still contracted to Home until Dec 31, 2006.

Said Velu: 'We have acted transparently. If he insists on going to Fifa, we will be able to defend ourselves.'

According to Jang, he will report the case to Fifa tomorrow, should he not hear from the club by today.

Jeon claims that he had signed the letter of termination dated Nov 9, 2006 without knowledge of its contents, as he did not understand English.

He had thought it was an agreement for revised terms for the new season.

An interpreter was understood to be present at the meeting, but Jang claims that he was incompetent and did not manage to relay the letter's contents across adequately.

The former South Korea Olympic team player signed for Home from K-League side Jeonbuk Motors on a two-year deal last March.

He scored 13 goals last year.

Said Jang: 'Jeon is happy in Singapore and his first option is still to continue playing here.'

Regardless of the outcome, Jeon will not be able to play in the S-League until the transfer window re-opens in July.

He has not been registered with any club, but is volunteering as an assistant coach at the Korean Super Reds.

Incidentally, Home United face the Super Reds in the S-League season opener on Sunday at the Bishan Stadium.

News Today

Patient restraint pays off for Bernanke
MR BEN Bernanke starts his second year as Federal Reserve chairman with a strong hand of moderating inflation and accelerating growth.Government reports showed the economic expansion picked up last quarter with stable inflation and has boosted Mr Bernanke's stature and the... [Read more]

Official who built China 'White House' gets life term
A CHINESE provincial Communist Party official who put up a building modelled after the White House has been sentenced to life in prison for bribery and embezzlement. Feng Liucheng was found guilty of taking bribes worth 3.7 million yuan (S$730,000) and... [Read more]

Impact likely to be limited as 90% of spam from abroad
HOW will the Spam Control Bill, which was introduced in Parliament two days ago, affect home users, marketers, Internet service providers (ISPs) and companies here when it becomes law? Home users A spam - unsolicited e-mail or SMS, also known as... [Read more]

Evacuees short of food and clean clothes
JAKARTA - AS OTHER women take care of their babies and toddlers, Madam Maya nonchalantly wipes water off the feathers of her two chickens. 'I don't want them to get the flu,' she says. Her birds as well as her two... [Read more]

Companies in brief
SALES HEAD FOR MEDIACORPMEDIACORP has appointed Mr James Yip as head of all its advertising sales across television, radio and print.The appointment, which is effective from April 1, will put Mr Yip in charge of airtime sales across all of MediaCorp's... [Read more]

Goodie bag has magazine with questionable contents
MY HUSBAND participated in the recent Safra Sheares Bridge Run. Participants of all ages took part in the event and they were given a free goodie bag. In it was a magazine with an article entitled 'What to do if she... [Read more]

SingTel's billing system periodically checked and audited to ensure that bills are accurate
We refer to the letter by Mr Tan Guan Hua (Online forum, Feb 3) and thank him for his feedback.We apologise for the miscommunication over his bill and the inconvenience caused.We would like to assure our customers that they are billed... [Read more]

News Corp nears deal for Chinese MySpace
SHANGHAI - NEWS Corp is finalising an agreement with partners to launch a networking website venture in China within a few months, venture capital and Chinese government sources said yesterday.The deal, if successful, would be a landmark step for News Corp,... [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]

Charity facts
Name: Club Rainbow (Singapore) What it does: Provides psycho-social, educational, informational and financial support services to more than 430 chronically ill children and their families.Money it needs each year: $1 millionHow it raises funds: Through public and corporate donations and fund-raising... [Read more]

Champions League
TodayCeltic v AC MilanLille v Manchester United Live, Ch23, tomorrow, 3.30amPSV Eindhoven v Arsenal Real Madrid v Bayern Munich Live, Ch24, tomorrow, 3.30amTomorrowBarcelona v Liverpool Live, Ch23, Thursday, 3.30amFC Porto v Chelsea Live, Ch24, Thursday, 3.30amInter Milan v Valencia Roma v... [Read more]

News Today

To revive the kampong spirit, HDB has to put its ear to the ground and scrutinise its own heart
Good neighbourliness used to be a hallmark of flat-living. In my childhood home, a block of two-room flats, almost every unit housed three generations, with families numbering six or more. Everybody knew everybody.It was a tight squeeze physically, but the openness,... [Read more]

Bangkok airport repair work causes delays
BANGKOK - SOME incoming flights to Bangkok's international airport were delayed for eight hours as parts of its cracked runways were closed for repair work.Four of the flights were diverted from Bangkok to U-tapao, a military airfield south-east of the capital,... [Read more]

Ma criticises textbook revisions
TAIPEI - TAIWAN'S opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou accused the government of attempting to glorify Japan's 50-year colonisation of the island by removing the term 'occupation' in revised school textbooks, a newspaper reported yesterday.In recently updated textbooks, Japan's rule of Taiwan between... [Read more]

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

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]

Cancer patients get hongbao
NEARLY 300 cancer patients received some early festive cheer when a cai shen, or God of Fortune, wished them prosperity and gave them hongbao on Thursday. Each patient who is on the Singapore Cancer Society's welfare subsidy programme was given a... [Read more]

Huge storm forces flight cancellations in US, Canada
WASHINGTON - HEAVY snow and freezing rain in the United States and Canada wreaked havoc yesterday, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations at major airports.A massive weather system which started in the US south-west swept through the Midwest and regained strength off... [Read more]

Wear chastity belts to prevent rape, says cleric
KUALA LUMPUR - WOMEN should wear chastity belts to prevent rape, incest and other sex crimes, a prominent Islamic cleric in northern Malaysia has been quoted as saying.Datuk Abu Hassan Din Al-Hafiz, speaking in the northern state of Terengganu on Thursday,... [Read more]

Mahathir out of hospital
FORMER Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad was discharged from hospital yesterday after being treated overnight for flu, his aide said. Tun Dr Mahathir, 81, said he was feeling better, according to his aide Sufi Yusoff. Details of his medical treatment were... [Read more]

Eight prison school students ace O levels
NELSON (not his real name), 32, did not think he would ever return to a classroom.He was not good at English and failed Mathematics so often that he decided to drop out of school in Secondary 1 and take on odd... [Read more]

How agreement was clinched: Secret overtures and lesson from a teacup
ON A Friday night in late December, the tortuous three-year diplomatic effort to end North Korea's nuclear weapons programme finally appeared to be dead. Two months earlier, North Korea had conducted its first nuclear weapons test, and five days of talks... [Read more]

Who's who

James Lawton, chief sports writer and columnist for The Independent, an English daily

Gordon Farquhar, BBC sports news correspondent

Barry Whitbread, former Singapore coach and current Liverpool FC director of recruitment

Robert Alberts, Football Association of Malaysia technical director

Spencer Robinson, British-born sports writer based in Singapore

Arsenal hit by PSV sucker punch

EINDHOVEN - ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has warned PSV Eindhoven that they will not get away with a negative approach again.

PSV take a 1-0 lead to the Emirates Stadium on March 7, thanks to Edison Mendez's stunning second-half strike on Tuesday.

For long spells at the Philips Stadium , Ronald Koeman's side played as though they were the away team.

They strung 10 men behind the ball and relied on Arouna Kone to lead their occasional counter-attacks.

'I said before the game that Koeman would be defensive and I was not wrong,' said Wenger, after Arsenal's first Champions League defeat on Dutch soil.

'He started to play the game for a 0-0 draw and it was important for us to score the first goal. But only one of the teams was trying to play tonight.'

The Frenchman had already criticised Koeman, for employing negative tactics, when Arsenal drew twice with his Ajax side in the 2002-03 season.

He said: 'Now, we are in a tricky situation because we have to score twice without conceding in the return leg.

'But, from what I have seen tonight, I believe we'll achieve that.'

Arsenal have come from behind at home on 12 occasions this season. PSV have scored only three goals on their travels in two seasons of European football.

On Tuesday, the Gunners dominated possession in the first half.

But Wenger had little reason to celebrate Arsenal's 100th match in the Champions League and his 600th game in the charge. He admitted that his team should have won despite Mendez's sucker punch.

He said: 'Mistakes were made long before their goal. We had more than enough chances in the first half to kill the tie, but could not do it.'

Koeman countered: 'I do not see the way we played as something negative.

'We had many injuries and did what we could. We proved that, with good organisation, we can still win the game.

'I am very proud of my team and we got a deserved result, especially looking at the second half.

'As the match went on, we put more pressure on them and were more compact during the later stages.'

PSV were without their top scorer, Jefferson Farfan, because of a swollen left foot.

And Arsenal's slick passing quickly silenced the home crowd, reported The Guardian.

Their fluidity stemmed largely from Tomas Rosicky on the left, and PSV had great difficulty handling his link-up play with Francesc Fabregas.

The Czech combined neatly with Thierry Henry after 13 minutes. Only a strong hand from PSV goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, and a clearance off the line by Carlos Salcido, prevented Arsenal from taking the lead.

Gomes was again alert when Henry spun and volleyed after 42 minutes. On the stroke of half-time, one of the French striker's trademark curling efforts sailed narrowly wide.

Arsenal lost the attacking impetus in the second half.

'What happened in the second half is difficult to say,' Wenger said, appearing as bemused as everyone else.

'We lost our rhythm and we created barely anything. We could have been punished more on the counter.

'Maybe some players have played too many games lately, and others have not played enough.'

Arsenal's earlier misses were duly punished.

Shortly after the hour, Kone fed Mendez, who drilled a low shot beyond Jens Lehmann.

It was harsh on Arsenal but it was self-inflicted. Gilberto Silva had neglected his holding midfield position, and Lehmann should have done better.

Fabregas came closest to an equaliser, taking Rosicky's 70th-minute pass before letting fly. But Gomes clawed his shot over with a marvellous leap.

There will be little time for the Gunners to recover before they face Chelsea in Sunday's League Cup final. After that comes the FA Cup fifth-round replay at Blackburn.

'PSV and Blackburn are two different teams, and they will have no influence on the League Cup,' said Wenger.

'But we are disappointed because we did not have the game we wanted tonight.'

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

SembCorp Industries' net profit crosses $1b mark

CONGLOMERATE SembCorp Industries has crossed the $1 billion profit mark, thanks to one-off gains of more than $650 million.

Full-year net profit surged 239.5 per cent to a record $1.03 billion.

With the bumper result, the company proposes to pay a net dividend that is more than five times what it paid last year.

The exceptional gains included a $463.3 million profit from the sale of its 60 per cent stake in SembCorp Logistics, as well as a $83.1 million write-back of impairment for property, plant and equipment.

The company has declared a net dividend of 28 cents a share, up from 5.2 cents last year. The higher payout comprises a final net dividend of 12 cents and a special dividend of 16 cents a share.

But reflecting SembCorp Industries' actual operations, revenue grew a more modest 29.7 per cent to an all-time high of $7.49 billion for the year ended Dec 31.

Its two key business segments - utilities and marine - contributed 95 per cent of total turnover.

Utilities contributed $3.59 billion, up 10 per cent, as its Singapore and British operations continued to do well, while the prices of high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) remained high.

Wholesale market electricity prices usually rise in tandem with increases in the price of HSFO.

Turnover at SembCorp Marine grew 68 per cent to $3.54 billion due to strong growth in its rig-building and ship-repair businesses.

However, its environmental management unit turned in a loss of $18.4 million, which also saw revenue contracting 3 per cent to $210.1 million.

The group said impairment made for the fixed assets and provision for contracts related to the local municipal waste collection sector contributed to the unit's poor performance.

Looking ahead, SembCorp Industries said its utilities operations in Singapore is expected to perform better this year. In addition, the Wilton 10 - a 30MW biomass power plant in Britain - is scheduled to start operations in the second half of this year.

The marine division, which has an order book of $7.1 billion with completion and deliveries till 2010, will continue to benefit from the strong ship-repair demand and positive outlook for the rig-building sector. New contracts secured so far this year already amounts to $1.7 billion.

In the past year, the group said it had successfully divested itself of SembCorp Logistics and SembCorp Engineers and Constructors and streamlined the its focus on utilities and marine & offshore engineering businesses.

It also listed its Riau island investments through Gallant Venture, which is now the largest owner and operator of industrial parks in Batam and Bintan.

'We are now more focused and are poised for further growth with sound fundamentals in our utilities and marine and offshore engineering businesses,' said Mr Tang Kin Fei, SembCorp Industries' group president and chief executive.

Earnings per share rose to 58.51 cents from 17.14 cents previously. But excluding exceptional items, that figure would have been 21.57 cents, an improvement from 15.74 cents.

Net asset value per share stood at $1.59 as at Dec 31, up from $1.14.

SembCorp Industries' shares closed unchanged at $4.68 yesterday.

arthurp@sph.com.sg

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