News Today

What it should have been
In our report, 'Asean Music Festival in S'pore' yesterday, it was stated wrongly that the five-day event at the Hard Rock Cafe Singapore will coincide with the Asean Tourism Forum, which will be held in Singapore from Jan 29 next year.In... [Read more]

Look into procedures to reduce delay in dental processes
Since October 2005, I have been receiving dental treatment from NUH's dental clinic. I am not pleased with the services offered. Initially, I opted for a dental implant with a specialist. However, I was told that the waiting time would be... [Read more]

Youthful Perlis mufti just wants to shake things up
KANGAR (PERLIS) - A STATE Islamic scholar here has become the lightning rod in the struggle between liberals and conservatives. Although Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin was named Perlis Mufti just last November, his statements have shaken the country's religious establishment.... [Read more]

Spending on adult training to increase
THE Government expects its annual spending on adult education and training to treble to $500 million and is beefing up its Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund (LLEF) by $100 million. The move is part of efforts to give more opportunities for adult... [Read more]

One size no longer fits all with budget carriers
VIVA Macau, a month-old carrier in the Chinese gaming city, calls itself a 'fusion airline', claiming it offers the best of two worlds - the attractive fares of low-cost carriers and the high level of comfort of full-service airlines. Australia's Virgin... [Read more]

System to let docs access all patients' e-records
A NEW infrastructure will be set up soon to link all health-care practitioners' IT systems, making it possible for doctors to check their patients' medical records electronically.This will translate to fewer administrative mix-ups, such as mistakes in the prescription of medication,... [Read more]

Results
BASKETBALL NBA: Cleveland 86 Toronto 85, Philadelphia 104 NY Knicks 84, San Antonio 103 Atlanta 96, Indiana 136 Milwaukee 129 (OT), Oklahoma City 111 NJ Nets 107, Detroit 110 Orlando 88, Charlotte 100 Minnesota 95, Houston 112 Miami 102, Phoenix 118... [Read more]

Provide more details on S'pore competitiveness
IN THE World Competitiveness Scoreboard (WCS) 2006, Singapore ranked third, behind the United States and Hong Kong.Ireland, which is mentioned frequently in terms of its 12.5 per cent corporate tax rate as a competitive element, was ranked 11th, behind Iceland (fourth),... [Read more]

Students celebrate New Year by giving to the needy
Evergreen Secondary 5 students Edmund Fong, Francis Poo, Nur Fathiyah, Haziqah Farhah, all 17, spent yesterday morning wrapping hampers for the needy. They were among 1,500 students who pooled their resources to buy noodles, canned food and other basic necessities to... [Read more]

Govt quizzes Genting over its tie-up with Stanley Ho
GENTING International, which is building its $5.2 billion Resorts World at Sentosa, has been quizzed by the Government over its latest partnership with Macau's casino mogul Stanley Ho.According to reliable sources, news that the Malaysian operator was in talks with the... [Read more]

STI dips as investors play it cautious after recent surge
AFTER Wednesday's big surge, cautious sentiment weighed down the Straits Times Index (STI) yesterday although the broader market was mildly positive. Across the bourse, 430 gainers outgunned 312 losers. Another 628 counters sat out the action, ending unchanged. The STI, made... [Read more]

Woods' buddy Begay misses the cut

HE may be a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, but Notah Begay III is better known as Tiger Woods' roommate at Stanford University in the early '90s.

Not that he minds.

After all, how many people can say that they danced on 1.5 metre-tall speakers with the world's No 1 golfer to attract the ladies at a fraternity party?

New Mexico native Begay, 34, has been buddies with Woods for over 20 years.

'Tiger is a hard worker and very talented, and he has stayed the same. He handles his success very well,' said the golfer yesterday at the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters.

'We still maintain a great friendship.'

It did not matter that Woods, the US Junior Amateur Champion at age 15, was already a star during their days at Stanford.

Begay, who is here for the first time, treated him normally, showing him the way around the campus. They studied and partied together.

Their room was always tidy, thanks to the 12-time Major winner.

'Tiger is a neat guy. He likes to have his things in order - and that's the way he plays his golf,' said Begay.

'He gets the job done every time.'

Begay has created his fair share of headlines too.

The 1.8m tall, 88kg golfer is the only full-blooded Native American in the PGA Tour's 39-year history.

He picked up golf at age six and turned professional in 1995. To date, he has amassed over US$5 million (S$7.6 million) in career earnings.

In 2000, he was a member of the US team who beat the Rest of the World in the Presidents Cup.

He played in tandem with Woods and compiled a 3-2 record.

He is also known for his straight drives on the greens - and his wayward drive off it.

In January 2000, he was arrested for drink driving, and served seven days in jail.

He said: 'It was a learning experience. I was young, made some bad decisions and paid for them.'

He spent most of his jail term on the golf course, as part of the jail's Work Release Programme.

Individuals were allowed to go to work each day and report to the jail after work.

'I was glad my job was golf,' he said.

'Jail is not a good place for anybody. I learnt my lesson - I haven't visited my friends in there since.'

That year was also the last time he tasted victory, at the Canon Great Hartford Open in Cromwell, Connecticut.

At the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters yesterday, he extended his barren streak.

He carded an even-par 72 for a two-day total of one-over 145. He missed the cut, set at two under.

After quitting pro golf at 45, he plans to develop some businesses and work with the Native American tribes.

Will he persuade Woods to visit Singapore?

'I'll definitely tell him Singapore is a great place, but I don't have anything to do with his schedule,' said Begay.

'If I did, I'd be a much more popular guy.'

News Today

Berlusconi says sorry in public to wife
FORMER Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has bowed to his wife's demands for a public apology, after she learned through the press of the sexist quips he had made to a pretty young lawmaker. Mr Berlusconi, head of the country's largest... [Read more]

Woods to face Ryder Cup mate Henry
ARIZONA - TOP-RANKED Tiger Woods got a new first-round opponent in the WGC Matchplay Championship - his Ryder Cup teammate J.J. Henry.The top 64 golfers in the world rankings qualify for the tournament, which starts tomorrow.Henry is ranked 65th, but replaces... [Read more]

Asia-Pacific water meet to zoom in on key challenges
SOME of the biggest water-related challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region will come under scrutiny today and tomorrow, when the Asia Pacific Water Forum's Governing Council has its inaugural meeting here.Chaired by Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh, the independent not-for-profit body aims to... [Read more]

Bill to end forced marriages for Pakistani women
ISLAMABAD - PAKISTAN'S government introduced a Bill in Parliament on Tuesday seeking to end the forced marriage of women and girls, and allowing women to inherit property, officials said. The move by the party of President Pervez Musharraf came as part... [Read more]

Govt under pressure to prevent future floods
JAKARTA - THE floods which hit Jakarta have prompted demands on the government to ensure that they never happen again.The National Awakening Party wants the nation's capital relocated to prevent government activities from being disrupted in future.'Jakarta is now too chaotic,... [Read more]

Japan to send disaster alerts via satellite
TOKYO - JAPAN, one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, launched a satellite-based alert system yesterday that will instantly send warnings on natural disasters to help local residents evacuate quickly, an official said. Japan experiences about 10 per cent of the... [Read more]

NKF suit ends as Yong, Loo drop third-party claims
IT TOOK just under five weeks instead of the expected eight, but the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) suit came to a close yesterday. The development that brought the curtains down: Former NKF chairman Richard Yong and former treasurer Loo Say San's... [Read more]

Unity is the key for Liverpool
DEFINITIONS of opposition have tended to focus on teams in different colours. But, when Barcelona and Liverpool meet tonight, some participants will harbour stronger, and hardly friendly, feelings towards their colleagues. Teamwork and friendship can be very different things. After recent... [Read more]

A Hammers crisis as Liverpool win
LONDON - HOW far West Ham have fallen. Last season, it took a last-gasp equaliser from Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard to send the FA Cup final into extra time. On Tuesday, it was all too easy for the Reds as they... [Read more]

Ecology: China admits it has failed badly
BEIJING - CHINA has failed to make any headway in the past three years to protect its environment, remaining one of the world's worst nations on the issue, according to a new Chinese government report. The country ranks 100th out of... [Read more]

Why demolish perfectly livable old apartments? New isn't necessarily better
In the craze to sell older condos en bloc, has anyone stopped to consider the consequences of demolishing perfectly livable old apartments and replacing them with new developments? Many expatriates who come to Singapore want to spend their housing budgets on... [Read more]

News Today

'Curry Queen' hit by raid on illegals
A BRITISH government race adviser with close links to Mrs Cherie Blair is at the centre of a major investigation into an alleged illegal immigrant employment racket. Police and immigration officers stormed the £3.5 million (S$10 million) home of Mrs Nighat... [Read more]

NTUC to sponsor training of SME workers
THE National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is going to step in and sponsor the training of unionised workers in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Labour chief Lim Swee Say made the promise yesterday to these workers who are rarely sent for... [Read more]

Breathing easy
These people at a hospital in Xian, in China's Shaanxi province, are being treated in an oxygen chamber for carbon monoxide poisoning. The poisonous gas from coal-fired heaters was trapped in people's homes by unusually low atmospheric pressure.Coal is the main... [Read more]

Thailand to review telecom concessions
BANGKOK - THAILAND'S telecom sector is likely to see further turbulence as the authorities begin to review concession agreements struck under the deposed Thaksin Shinawatra government. Telecom operators will probably need to sign new agreements if the Council of State rules... [Read more]

Kerry rules out second run for White House
SENATOR John Kerry of Massachusetts ruled out a second presidential bid on Wednesday, asserting that he could do more to change the course of Iraq policy in the Senate than by campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire.'I've concluded this isn't the... [Read more]

War on fakes goes digital as S'pore targets online pirates
SINGAPORE, already relentless on those who hawk fakes on the streets, has been stepping up action against online peddlers too. Last week, police charged a 31-year-old man who tried to sell fake Calvin Klein jeans through the Internet. He is now... [Read more]

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

Book launched in honour of abbess
DEVOTEES had planned to celebrate her 98th birthday in February last year, but the founder of Man Fut Tong Nursing Home, Venerable Ho Yuen Hoe, died before they could do so. To mark her birth and death, a book about Venerable... [Read more]

Controversial penalty gives Lions win, sparks Thai walkout
SINGAPORE pipped Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of a controversy-marred Asean Football Championship final last night. The winning goal came off a penalty awarded in the 82nd minute - but which was taken about 15 minutes later. The reason: The... [Read more]

S$ could hit highest in almost a decade
Hong Kong - SINGAPORE will engineer the strongest currency in almost a decade to limit price gains as economic growth improves and inflation pressures mount, said ING Bank NV. Consumer prices may gain when the Singapore Government increases the goods and... [Read more]

Indian minister in Iran to discuss gas, nuclear issue
NEW DELHI - INDIA'S External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee begins a two-day visit to Teheran today, during which he will discuss the multi-billion-dollar India-Pakistan-Iran (IPI) gas pipeline and the nuclear issue. While the worsening situation in Afghanistan and Iraq will also... [Read more]

News Today

Iran turns missile into satellite launcher
TEHERAN - IRAN has converted its most powerful ballistic missile into a satellite launch vehicle, a move that could herald a new dimension in Teheran's strategic capabilities, according to Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine. A recently assembled 30.5-tonne ballistic missile-turned-space... [Read more]

Spicing up Tamil lessons
ALTHOUGH Tamil is spoken less these days, a committee addressing the issue has ideas to reach out to the young in the community. It also recognises that parents themselves may not be proficient in Tamil and may need help as well.... [Read more]

What the deal is about
YESTERDAY, North Korea committed itself to a two-stage denuclearisation process under an agreement with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. In the first stage - which must be completed within 60 days - Pyongyang will shut down its... [Read more]

Leo Burnett eyes growth with fresh hires, new media
THE Leo Burnett advertising agency here has had its setbacks in recent years, but one of its top global executives has a plan for turning the agency around. Mr Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide, believes that hiring... [Read more]

Why only some organs removed?
I READ with concern about the recent case of Mr Sim Tee Hua's organs being removed despite his family members' unhappiness. I fully empathise with them. According to the Human Organ Transplant Act (Hota), the corneas, heart, kidneys and liver suitable... [Read more]

Nurses' pay to go up by 3-7 per cent this month
PUBLIC-SECTOR nurses and other health-care professionals will take home fatter pay cheques starting this month. Nurses' salaries will go up by 3 to 7 per cent, while allied health professionals such as medical social workers and physiotherapists will receive increments of... [Read more]

Make perverting history a global crime
I AGREE totally with Mr Boguslaw Marcin Majewski, Ambassador of Poland to Singapore, that it is indeed extremely troubling that historian David Irving should persistently deny the existence of Auschwitz and the Holocaust ('Proof of Auschwitz gassing indisputable'; ST, Jan 30).Having... [Read more]

System to let docs access all patients' e-records
A NEW infrastructure will be set up soon to link all health-care practitioners' IT systems, making it possible for doctors to check their patients' medical records electronically.This will translate to fewer administrative mix-ups, such as mistakes in the prescription of medication,... [Read more]

World Quickly
RUSSIA CONFIRMS BIRD FLU OUTBREAKMOSCOW: Russian health officials confirmed yesterday that a bird flu outbreak near Moscow was caused by the dangerous H5N1 strain that can infect humans.Poultry farms around the capital were under tight control after animal and plant health... [Read more]

Govt to pay market rate for land acquired
IN A significant departure from a decades-old practice, the Government intends to pay the prevailing market rate when it acquires land.This is a shift away from using pre-determined levels, which owners often argued were below market rates and had been a... [Read more]

Buddhists there to help
AN INTER-RELIGIOUS ambience surrounded this year's Thaipusam celebration, held around the Tank Road area on Thursday. As some 9,000 Hindus participated in their yearly walk of faith, close to 200 volunteers from the Singapore Buddhist Lodge acted as road marshals and... [Read more]

News Today

Govt agency helps 22,000 find new jobs
ABOUT 22,000 people found jobs last year with help from the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), a government body that develops training programmes.Most were older and low-skilled workers. Some of them snagged better-paying jobs through the Job Re-creation Programme, which reinvents low-end... [Read more]

Arsenal may have to pick their battles
LONDON - ARSENE Wenger admits he may soon have to prioritise Arsenal's competitions, given their long list of injuries.The Gunners face a fixture congestion, following Sunday's 1-1 draw with Bolton in the FA Cup's fourth round.Julio Baptista is the latest player... [Read more]

Singapore remembers victims of Japanese Occupation
THE long wail of an air raid siren yesterday morning, distinctly heard over the War Memorial at Beach Road, sounded the 'All Clear' signal. It marked the start of a 30-minute ceremony to remember victims of the Japanese Occupation 65 years... [Read more]

Queries over missing questions in PSLE Maths Questions booklets for 2001-2005 and 2002-2006
I wish to thank the Ministry of Education for clarifying my questions in 'Can algebra be used to solve PSLE maths problems?' (ST, Feb 12). Another matter which needs clarification is the distribution of the PSLE Maths Questions booklets for 2001-2005... [Read more]

Industry faces 3 key challenges: STB chief
FINDING and training people for tourism-related jobs will be one of three crucial challenges facing the industry in the next few years, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief executive Lim Neo Chian said at the Asean Tourism Forum yesterday. The other two... [Read more]

Forget sex, clothes come first for US women
NEW YORK - GIVEN a choice between sex and a new wardrobe, most women will go for the clothes.In a survey spanning 10 cities in the US, women on average said that they would be willing to give up sex for... [Read more]

Window on new Vista
IT HAS been five years in the making, but Windows Vista has finally landed here. The new operating system has a snazzier interface and improved security, but all this comes at a price. Today's Digital Life gives you the lowdown on... [Read more]

Yen slides to record low versus euro
TOKYO - THE yen tumbled to a record low against the euro yesterday, a day after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised interest rates to a decade-high 0.5 per cent but reiterated that the pace of further rate tightening would be... [Read more]

Yuan rise 'appropriate'
Central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan called the pace of the yuan's gains 'appropriate' at a weekend G-7 meeting. That prompted the biggest fall in a month yesterday, with the currency declining 0.11 per cent to 7.7562 against the US dollar in... [Read more]

Book's release defies Beijing
A BOOK documenting purged Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang's view that government error led to the 1989 Tiananmen incident has been published in Hong Kong - despite attempts by Beijing to stop its release.The central authorities reportedly began intervening two years ago,... [Read more]

Korea University chief accused of plagiarism quits
SEOUL - THE head of a prestigious South Korean university resigned yesterday following accusations of plagiarism in his research papers.Dr Lee Phil Sang, who has been under fire since he became president of Korea University in December, submitted his resignation to... [Read more]

News Today

Viable alternatives needed to discourage use of cars
Singapore has been a world leader in the field of efficient pricing of roads. London has only recently implemented what is essentially an economically equivalent to the system operated by Singapore from 1975 to 1998. In both countries, the experience has... [Read more]

STI loses 21 points as Hang Seng plunges
AN INITIAL rally quickly fizzled out yesterday after a strong selldown in Hong Kong sent local traders scrambling yet again for the door. They were spooked so much on Monday by the United States inflation bogey that the Straits Times Index... [Read more]

DPP chairman sets sights on presidency
TAIPEI - THE chairman of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said he would seek the party's nomination for next year's presidential race.Mr Yu Shyi-kun, 58, told supporters in the north-eastern city of Ilan that he will register to participate... [Read more]

Old Changi hospital gets new life as spa-resort
THE former Changi Hospital will undergo a $20-million makeover to become a rustic spa and resort for Singaporeans and budget travellers by year's end. Property company Bestway Properties, which won a recent tender to lease the Halton Road site, wants to... [Read more]

Man battles anaconda to rescue grandson
A 66-YEAR-OLD man saved his grandson from the grip of a 5m-long anaconda by beating the snake with rocks and a knife for half an hour. 'When I saw the snake wrapped around my grandson's neck, I thought it was going... [Read more]

Safeguards still being refined, so powers won't kick in yet
THE Government is not ready to entrench the powers of the Elected President, though this has been provided for in the Constitution.The reason is that it is still refining the safeguards of such powers, especially where these relate to the country's... [Read more]

Thai junta leader: I want Shin Corp, satellites returned
THE head of Thailand's military council, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, said yesterday he wants the return of Shin Corp, the country's largest telecommunications company, to Thai ownership. Singapore's Temasek Holdings bought a controlling stake in Shin Corp from the family of ousted... [Read more]

Tears from Best Player
NOH Alam Shah broke into tears as he spoke to The Straits Times moments after winning the Asean Football Championship in Bangkok yesterday. The joy of retaining the trophy, being named the tournament's Best Player, and being crowned Top Scorer with... [Read more]

TV time
SOCCER: FA Cup, 4th rd replay: Middlesbrough v Bristol City (Live, Ch24, tomorrow, 3.55am).... [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]

'I feel like a WHORE'
Daring bus stop shoot brings Fann close to 'emotional breakdown' - it's the price of taking on more risky roles CLAD in a short skirt, Fann Wong is sitting at a bus stop, her legs wide apart.She then props one foot... [Read more]