- B E R I T A _ H A R I _ I N I _ 2 0 0 8 -

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Government to give out S$256m more in benefits to Singaporeans
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 18 August 2008 2354 hrs



SINGAPORE : The average Singapore household will receive an extra S$250 to S$330 following the additional support package announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally on Sunday night.

This is on top of the benefits they are already receiving to help them cope with inflation and higher living costs.

Details of the additional support package were released by the Ministry of Finance on Monday.

The enhancements comprise a 50 per cent increase in the remaining instalment of Growth Dividends which is scheduled for payout on October 1, as well as a 50 per cent increase in Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebates given out.

Lower and middle-income groups, as well as senior citizens, can expect more in Growth Dividends.

For example, a person living in a one-, two-, or three-room flat who received S$200 in the first round of payout will receive S$300 in October.

Overall, most Singaporeans living in public housing households will receive between S$75 and S$150 more as a result of the enhancement.

The enhanced Growth Dividends will cost the government an additional S$190 million.

As for the increase in Utilities-Save or U-Save rebates, this will range from an additional S$40 to S$110 depending on the HDB flat size.

A low-income family with elderly members living in a three-room flat could receive an additional S$500, bringing their total benefits this year to over S$5,400.

A typical middle-income family living in a five-room HDB flat could receive benefits of about S$3,880.

These additional U-Save rebates will cost the government S$66 million.

Altogether, the government will be distributing an additional support package amounting to S$256 million.

More details are available on the Ministry of Finance's website. - CNA /ls

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S$2.9m more to be collected from Malay/Muslim community
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 19 August 2008 1940 hrs


Dr Yaacob Ibrahim

SINGAPORE: Monthly contributions to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund by Malay/Muslims will go up for those earning above S$1,000.

This will boost total contributions by S$2.9 million. This amount will be on top of the S$10 million collected from the Malay/Muslim community annually.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, said increases will range between S$0.50 and S$5, and the change is expected to be implemented next February.

In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the increase will fund programmes to help the community build on its achievements.

The plans include improving the quality of Islamic schools, fund programmes for dysfunctional families, as well as upgrade older mosques.

Dr Yaacob said: "The S$2.9 million will indeed be helpful, but it won't be sufficient. The reason is very simple. The changes we want to make to the religious sector are very wide and all-encompassing, from part-time to full-time religious education.

"The madrasah community will still have to raise their share, but we can reduce that burden so that they can then focus more attention on education and curriculum development."


- CNA/so

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Deal in caning error case
By K. C. Vijayan


The deal was struck between the Government and family of Mr Dickson Tan (left) on Tuesday after a day-long session mediated by retired judge of appeal Thean Lip Ping at the Singapore Mediation Centre. -- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN

SETTLEMENT has been reached on the amount of compensation for an ex-inmate who got three more strokes of the cane than he was supposed to.

The deal was struck between the Government and family of Mr Dickson Tan on Tuesday after a day-long session mediated by retired judge of appeal Thean Lip Ping at the Singapore Mediation Centre.

A brief statement issued by the Tan family's lawyer Joseph Chen said both parties were bound not to divulge details of the settlement and sum agreed on.

'The family would like to thank the Singapore Mediation Centre for convening this session and Mr Thean Lip Ping, retired judge of appeal, for helping us to reach a settlement,' said Mr Chen.

Mr Tan's mother, Madam Ho Gee Lin, also declined comment.

Mr Tan, 21, was sentenced last February to nine months' jail and five strokes of the cane for abetting an illegal moneylender in harassing a debtor.

A month later, despite his alleged protests, he was caned eight times by the prison authorities.

The Government later admitted it was a mistake and expressed regret.

The family sought compensation for the error but both sides could not agree on the amount.

Several rounds of negotiations last year failed to break the deadlock, pushing Mr Tan to take the case to the High Court suit in March.

Last month, however, the Tans asked for the matter to be settled by mediation rather than go for a full trial.

Mr Thean's involvement helped break the impasse broker a deal acceptable to both parties.

Mr Thean was a High Court judge for 18 years before he retired in 2002 and is currently a consultant at one of Singapore's biggest law firms KhattarWong.

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ANUGERAH PENGIKTIRAFAN KECEMERLANGAN

TIGA PELAJAR MELAYU MENANG HADIAH BUKU PM

Oleh
Nadzri Eunos

TIGA pelajar Melayu/Islam berjaya memenangi Hadiah Buku Perdana Menteri tahun ini dan dua daripada mereka adalah antara pelajar terbaik dalam peperiksaan Tamat Sekolah Rendah (PSLE) tahun lalu.

Mereka ialah pelajar terbaik peringkat nasional, Natasha Nabila Muhamad Nasir, dan Adam Mohamad Rafey, kedua-duanya 13 tahun.

Seorang lagi pemenang ialah pelajar Maktab Rendah Kebangsaan, Haslina Ithnin, 16 tahun.

Mereka juga adalah antara 30 pelajar sekolah rendah, menengah dan prauniversiti yang memenangi hadiah tahunan itu.

Ia bertujuan mengiktiraf pelajar yang menunjukkan prestasi cemerlang dalam dwibahasa.

Hadiah itu disampaikan oleh Menteri Sekitaran dan Sumber Air, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, dalam satu majlis di Pusat Bahasa Serantau Seameo, semalam.

Natasha dan Adam mendapat gred A* bagi Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kedua. Bagi Bahasa Melayu Lanjutan pula, Natasha mendapat Kepujian sementara Adam mendapat Merit.

Ketika ditemui semalam, ketiga-tiga pemenang itu berasa bangga dan bersyukur di atas pengiktirafan tersebut.

'Hadiah ini akan mengukuhkan azam saya untuk terus cemerlang dalam semua bidang. Salah satu fokus saya ialah mengasah bakat kepimpinan saya semasa di sekolah menengah,' kata Natasha, penuntut Sekolah Perempuan Raffles yang telah menyertai pasukan Pandu Puteri sekolahnya.

Adam, pelajar Raffles Institution, pula berkata: 'Saya bangga kerana menjadi satu-satunya pelajar lelaki Melayu/Islam yang memenangi hadiah ini. Ia satu pengiktirafan usaha dan pengorbanan keluarga saya selama ini.'

Empat pelajar Melayu/Islam dari Institut Pendidikan Teknikal (ITE) turut mendapat pengiktirafan.

Tiga daripadanya - Encik Mohamed Ashraf Abu Bakar, 19 tahun, Mohamed Ridzwan Mustafah, 25 tahun, dan Muhammad Ashik Ahmad 20 tahun, menerima Anugerah Lee Kuan Yew Bagi Menggalak Peningkatan atau STEP.

Semuanya kini melanjutkan pelajaran di politeknik.

Sementara itu, pelajar ITE Balestier, Mohammad Raihan Rosman, 17 tahun, muncul sebagai satu-satunya pelajar ITE yang meraih Anugerah Lee Kuan Yew bagi Kecemerlangan Menyeluruh.

Pencapaian bekas pelajar Sekolah Menengah Yishun Town aliran Normal Teknikal itu disebut Dr Yaacob dalam ucapannya, khususnya kerja relawan Raihan di Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka sejak usianya tujuh tahun.

Dalam ucapannya, Dr Yaacob menggesa para pemenang menggunakan bakat dan kecenderungan mereka untuk meninggalkan kesan positif dalam kehidupan orang di sekeliling mereka.

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Man with drugs hidden in pants nabbed at Woodlands Checkpoint
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 21 August 2008 2354 hrs



SINGAPORE : A man found with drugs hidden in his pants was nabbed at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Wednesday.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said officers directed a Singapore-registered taxi to the inspection zone for thorough checks at around 11pm.

The officers then noticed that the passenger, a Malaysian-Chinese, was behaving uneasily and avoided making eye contact.

A body search was later conducted, and the officers discovered a ziplock bag at the passenger's groin area. It contained 100 red and pink tablets, believed to be Class A drug, Ecstasy.

Preliminary investigations revealed the 22-year-old suspect was promised 600 ringgit upon successful delivery of the drugs.

The case has been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau.

If convicted, the suspect could face a maximum sentence of imprisonment of up to 30 years or life and 15 strokes of the cane. The minimum sentence is five years jail and five strokes of the cane. - CNA/ms

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Retail magnate Tang Wee Sung likely to plead guilty in "kidney-for-sale" case
By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 22 August 2008 1915 hrs



SINGAPORE: C K Tang Executive Chairman Tang Wee Sung will likely plead guilty to allegedly agreeing to buy a kidney, when court resumes on Wednesday in Singapore's first "kidney-for-sale" case.

A pre-trial conference took place in chambers on Friday and it was over in less than an hour.

The 55-year-old retail magnate, Tan Wee Sung, faces three charges.

The first one is for allegedly buying a kidney from Indonesian Sulaiman Damanik for S$300,000.

But Tang's deed was discovered before the transplant could take place.

If convicted, he could be fined up to S$10,000 or jailed up to a year, or both.

The second charge is for making a false statutory declaration to the Commissioner of Oaths, for which he could also be fined and jailed for up to three years.

The last charge is lying to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital's Ethics Committee. For this, he is liable to a maximum fine of S$2,000, jail up to a year, or both.

Wang Chin Sing, the man who allegedly facilitated the "kidney-for-sale" deal, faces 10 charges, six of which are related to Tang.

Tang's relative, Whang Sung Lin, has been charged with abetting the kidney trading offences.

Channel NewsAsia understands that both the defence and prosecution will make substantial submissions in open court on Wednesday. These are meant to argue the appropriate sentence to be meted out to Tang.

Wang Chin Sing and Whang Sung Lin will return to court for their charges on Tuesday. - CNA/vm

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Ex-customs officer in court for accepting 4D lottery bribes
By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 22 August 2008 1959 hrs

SINGAPORE: A former senior customs officer has been charged with corruption by accepting lottery tickets.

61-year-old Matthew Goh, who was then a chief immigration and checkpoints specialist, is accused of receiving 4D tickets from a man who helped China women enter Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint.

The two tickets were worth a total of S$240.

Goh, who has since retired, allegedly failed to report a subordinate whom he knew was conducting less stringent checks to facilitate the women's entry into the country.

He is out on S$5,000 bail and due back in court next Friday.

If convicted, he could be fined up to S$100,000 or jailed up to five years, or both. - CNA/vm

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MHA taking measures to ease shortage of Home Team officers
By Ca-Mie De Souza, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 26 August 2008 1755 hrs



SINGAPORE: Job redesign and aggressive recruitment are some measures the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is taking to ease the shortage of Home Team officers and boost morale.

Second Minister for Home Affairs, K Shanmugam said a study last month found that in some areas, officers felt "overstretched, strained and overstressed".

He was responding to questions in Parliament on the manpower situation in the Home Team on Tuesday.

Dealing with the public and the increased traffic at the checkpoints are some areas which the minister said have taxed the Home Team.

At the Woodlands Checkpoint, officers have had to work overtime, while others have been redeployed there to cope with the increased demands.

Adding to the workload is the post-September 11 security climate, managing the security of several major high level meetings in Singapore such as the 2006 International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Bank meeting and the ASEAN Summit last year.

In addition to that are incidents like the escape of terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari and the attempted escape of criminal suspects from the Subordinate Court.

So a human factor study was initiated last month to look at operational fatigue and the level of workload and resources within the Home Team.

Mr Shanmugam said: "They have found that the stresses and strains within the system are within acceptable limits, but they have identified a few areas where they feel we are not optimising the contact point between the stress. That is necessary to make any job interesting, and at the same time, making sure that the officers are not overstressed."

Mr Shanmugam said that so far they have tried to cope with the increased demands through outsourcing and introducing technological solutions. But he stressed that as with any security system, what the team needs is enough good officers.

While resignations have increased due to the economic boom last year, he said last year's civil service pay review helped stemmed the outflow. And the resignation rate of senior officers for instance, though higher, stands at a manageable 3.7 per cent.

Mr Shanmugam added that the resignation rate of junior officers has gone down from 3.7 per cent to 2.3 per cent.

Mdm Halimah, MP of Jurong GRC asked if the headcount freeze in the Civil Service has affected the Home Team.

In his response, Mr Shanmugam said: "The number of people employed in the Home Team has in fact increased over a period of time, but the demands on the Home Team probably has outstripped even that increase."

"We have instructed the Home Team departments to step up recruitment. We are also reviewing our employment criteria and job scopes to see if we can accept new sources of manpower in specific areas. For instance, we have already started re-employing retired officers," the minister added.

He added that the committee of psychologists and scientists who are conducting this study have also proposed best practices and reviewed system interfaces to minimise human oversight.

In fact, the Finance Ministry has given the assurance that there will be adequate resources to meet increased demands.

As for mitigating human error at work, Mr Shanmugam said the committee has also highlighted a "near miss" reporting system used in many industries.

A "near miss" is an unplanned event that has the potential to go wrong, and identifying it allows problems to be surfaced and improvements to be made early.

He added: "The Home Team is looking into refining the existing system of 'after action reviews' to ensure that mistakes and learning points are passed on to all officers.

"The Office of Chief Science and Technology Officer in MHA has also embarked on a review of system interfaces to make them more user-friendly and compensate for human oversight." - CNA/vm

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Pasir Ris beach's pollutants

         
Last month, the National Environment Agency (NEA) declared the waters unsafe for swimming, because high levels of bacteria normally found in human and animal faeces were discovered. -- PHOTO: NP

POLLUTED waters off Pasir Ris beach could be caused by storm-water runoff, activities in rivers there, and indiscriminate discharges from industries and construction sites, said Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.

Non-domestic activities in the open seas also cannot be ruled out, he added.

He said this in a written reply to Mr Charles Chong (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC), who sought an update on the investigation into the cause of pollution there.

Last month, the National Environment Agency (NEA) declared the waters unsafe for swimming, because high levels of bacteria normally found in human and animal faeces were discovered.

But Dr Yaacob pointed out that the water quality had not deteriorated. Rather, Singapore had adopted a higher water-quality standard based on World Health Organisation guidelines.

The new guidelines require at least 95 per cent of the water samples to have enterococcus levels of below 200 counts per 100 ml, which Pasir Ris beach did not.

Dr Yaacob pointed out that the premises along Pasir Ris beach are also connected to sewers to ensure sewage is channelled to the used water network and properly treated.

NEA is undertaking a detailed consultancy study to better understand the specific sources of pollution affecting beachers here, and to determine if other measures can be adopted, he said. The study is expected to be completed early next year.

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Trials on new system of buying electricity start later this year
By Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 27 August 2008 2346 hrs


electricity monitor

Buying electricity at the touch of a screen

EVS consumer display unit shows exactly how much electricity is being used at any one time

Buying electricity at the touch of a screen

making payment

SINGAPORE: A new way of buying electricity is expected to result in lower energy costs for home-owners.

To be on trial later this year, the Electricity Vending System (EVS) is the latest stage in a S$3 million project. If successful, it will be rolled out to all 1.2 million homes and small shops.

The EVS aims to bring down household energy bills by giving customers the freedom to choose different electricity packages from suppliers.

The EVS allows a home owner to buy electricity from vending machines at the touch of a screen. Terminals will be placed at convenience stores and customers will also be able to buy electricity via the Internet and their mobile phones.

Once payment is made, the amount is instantly credited to the user's home electricity monitor via wireless technology. The monitor will beep when the credit runs low to warn home-owners to top up their accounts.

And if the user registers their handphone number, an SMS will be sent advising them to top up their accounts. This can be done via a reply SMS.

One of the biggest ways consumers could save money through this system is simply by being more aware of how much electricity they use.

A consumer display unit will show exactly how much electricity is being used at any one time. As soon as an appliance is switched on, the number on the display unit rises.

For example, switching on a light bulb uses little energy but turning on an electric kettle causes electricity usage to shoot up. Hence, users will be able to see instant savings when they turn off appliances.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA), Singapore's energy market regulator, expects electricity suppliers to offer different peak and off-peak packages to suit the different lifestyles of consumers.

1,000 volunteers from Marine Parade and West Coast will test out the EVS. The trial at Marine Parade will start in November this year, while that at West Coast will start in February 2009. Each trial will last for six months.

Seow Kang Seng, EMA's director of consumer safety and crisis management, said: "In order to keep the costs low for the pilot projects, we actually tried to look for places which have a good mix of private housing, HDB housing and some small shops such that we can get enough volunteers to take part and get a good mix."

Competition will keep prices down. Since 2003, about 10,000 large industrial users, which account for 75% of electricity demand, have been able to negotiate their own electricity rates with SP Services or private retailers such as Tuas Power Supply and Keppel Electric.

But small consumers such as households have only been able to buy electricity from SP Services at a flat rate through monthly bills.

The new monitor for EVS costs more than the current electricity meter, but this is expected to be less than the amount currently spent on the billing, opening and closing of accounts and meter reading, which would no longer be necessary.

Mr Seow said: "Currently we have these processes like account opening, account closing, billing, meter readings, account management processes. Under the EVS system, all these processes will not be required."

If the trials are successful, all households will eventually be switched to the EVS. But it will not be rolled out islandwide until at least 2010.

- CNA/ir

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No ERP gantries for CTE tunnel for now
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 27 August 2008 1747 hrs



SINGAPORE : There are currently no plans to set up Electronic Road Pricing gantries in the underground portion of the Central Expressway, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Teo Ser Luck in Parliament on Wednesday.

This is because it does not pose as much of a safety risk as the nine-kilometre-long Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).

But if the safety situation changes or travel speeds fall below the threshold level of 45 kilometres per hour, gantries will be installed and activated.

Mr Teo was responding to questions from MPs on whether gantries would be built on other expressways in anticipation of slower traffic flows.

He explained that as three-quarters of the nine-kilometre KPE is underground, the impact of an incident there would "multiply many fold" if traffic is congested.

So authorities are making the upfront investment of some S$24 million to build the 16 gantries first, even though not all of them will be activated when the KPE opens in September.

Mr Teo said: "The rationale is unique to the KPE in view of the safety concerns and is not applied to arterial roads or other expressways on the surface.

"The 16 gantries... (are) on the entries and exits... So based on the distance and where there are exits, we place the installation of the gantries accordingly..." - CNA/ms

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Malay/Muslim body wants options in monthly contributions
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 28 August 2008 0016 hrs

SINGAPORE : The Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) has proposed that the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) provide options to the Malay/Muslim community - now that a new component will be added to it.

In a statement, AMP said the Malay/Muslim community has strongly supported the MBMF based on its original intent.

However, there may be differing opinions now that there is a new feature and some community members may wish to decide how their contributions should be channelled.

AMP said among those who support the madrasahs or Islamic schools, some may want to support all six madrasahs equally and not just the three that are under the Joint Madrasah System (JMS).

Others may disagree with this inclusion. Because they view it as a source of private education, they may feel the costs of education should be borne by individuals.

AMP also proposed that for those who choose to continue contributing to the madrasah component of the MBMF, part of it be channelled to the Dana Madrasah or Madrasah Fund, which is to supplement the religious teachers' salaries and train teachers and madrasah administrators.

In his National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong proposed the increase in the monthly contribution to help the community build on its achievements.

The increase, which is expected to start in February next year, will range from 50 cents to S$5. - CNA/ms

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AMP: More options, please
Muslims 'should get more options in how contributions are used'
By Zakir Hussain


         
The increase in contributions, which will add $2.9 million to the fund's current annual takings, has generally been welcomed by the community. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

THE Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) wants Muslims to have more choices in how monthly contributions to a community fund are distributed now that the fund will be put to wider use.

It has proposed, among other things, that Muslim workers be allowed to choose not to have their contributions to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) channelled to madrasahs, which are privately-run religious schools.

AMP says this is because some Muslims feel that parents of madrasah students should foot the bill themselves, since they opted for a private education system even though a good and free public education system is available.

Other Muslims may also feel that all six madrasahs here should get equal support. Under proposed changes to the MBMF, most of the funds for madrasahs will go to the three that have come under a new Joint Madrasah System (JMS).

AMP made these points in a statement issued by executive director Mohd Anuar Yusop on Wednesday, a week after the Government said Muslim workers would contribute up to $5 more to the MBMF next year, with higher-income earners giving a larger monthly amount.

It will be the first time that MBMF money will go towards funding Islamic religious education, in particular the JMS.

Funds will also go to building new mosques, upgrading old ones and helping dysfunctional families.

The increase in contributions, which will add $2.9 million to the fund's current annual takings of $10 million, has generally been welcomed by the community.

But some expressed reservations about the increase coming at a time when costs are rising. Others called for greater transparency in how the funds will be used.

As this is the first time the funds will go to religious education and mosque upgrading, the proposed changes will be debated in Parliament later this year.

Contributions are deducted from workers' monthly salaries. They can opt out of giving to the Mosque Building component, the Mendaki component, or both. They can also opt to give more.

AMP made clear that it welcomed the proposal to increase contributions, which will help madrasahs hire qualified teachers and upgrade their facilities.

It also noted that some Muslims would wholeheartedly agree to funds going to madrasahs. These schools give the young a choice of full-time religious education and groom future religious teachers.

In calling for greater choice for contributors, AMP said it did 'not want to see a situation where members of the community opt out of the MBMF totally when they disagree with only a segment of it'.

AMP also wants the Government to enhance funding to help deal with the problem of dysfunctional families, as the issue affects Singapore as a whole. Community resources are also insufficient, it said.

Senior research scientist Rahim Leyman, 43, backed the call for more choice as he felt contributions should go equally to all six madrasahs.

But IT engineer Ikhlash Abd, 40, felt madrasahs should not be too dependent on handouts. Those struggling financially should either merge or shut down.

On the other hand, mosque leader Rahmat Sulaiman, 59, said too much choice was 'messy'. Funds should go to projects in most need of help.

An Islamic Religious Council of Singapore spokesman said it is monitoring feedback and will comment in due course.

[email protected]

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Ho Ching- World's no. 8
Temasek Holdings CEO also the only woman in Asia in the top 10 of Forbes' ranking of the world's most powerful women
By Michelle Tay


Ms Ho, credited with boosting Temasek's investment portfolio, has been in Forbes' top 10 list for two years. -- BT FILE PHOTO

TEMASEK Holdings' chief executive Ho Ching is the only woman in Asia to feature in the top 10 of Forbes magazine's fifth annual list of the world's most powerful women.

The low-profile Ms Ho, who rarely gives media interviews, pipped several regional and global high-fliers to maintain a spot in the top 10, at No. 8 this year, down from No. 3 last year.

They include US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, No. 35; Myanmar's Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, No. 38; Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, No. 41; and Mrs Laura Bush, wife of US President George W. Bush, No. 44.

Ms Ho, 54, wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has headed the Singapore investment company since 2002 and is credited with boosting its investment portfolio by investing in Indian and Chinese telecom companies, for instance.

Forbes said that Ms Ho's achievements in the past year included 'moving more of the city-state's money abroad', such as Temasek's move to take a 15 per cent stake in US financial giant Merrill Lynch for US$5 billion (S$7 billion) in December.

The Forbes top 100 list measures power as a composite of public profile based on press mentions and financial heft.

Temasek's assets rose 13 per cent to $185 billion in the year ended March 31. Last month, it pumped an additional US$900 million into Merrill Lynch.

Ms Ho's drop from the No. 3 spot last year to No. 8 this year appears in part to be the result of the spike in interest last year over Temasek's take-over of Shin Corp, one of Thailand's biggest telecom firms. That sparked a wave of protests which eventually led to the overthrow of then Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Said Forbes: 'Her moving down is more a factor of other women attaining greater power and pushing her farther down. That said, being on this global list is a celebration of her achievements and certainly not a statement that her power is diminished.'

Ms Ho's meteoric rise to No. 3 last year - she was 36th in 2006 - also came after Temasek's portfolio had crossed the $100 billion mark for the first time.

Last year, she came in just behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who remains in top spot this year, and China's Vice-Premier Wu Yi, who has dropped off the list after retiring earlier this year.

This year's list comprises 23 who shape governments around the world, 54 business executives, and others who are high-profile media personalities and leaders of non-profit organisations.

Ms Sheila Bair, head of Federal Deposit Insurance, the embattled US bank-deposit insurer, debuts in second place as she tries to stave off financial panic amid a worldwide credit crisis.

PepsiCo's chairman and chief executive Indra Nooyi, who was born in India, but is now a United States citizen, is No. 3.

US senator Hillary Rodham Clinton garnered the most media attention at No. 28, while media maven and global philanthropist Oprah Winfrey is No. 36.

The women on this list control US$26 trillion worldwide, said Forbes.

[email protected]

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MENGUBAH HIDUP

BEKAS BANDUAN CALON GURU AL-QURAN

Oleh : Hasleen Bachik

EMPAT orang bekas banduan adalah antara lebih 70 orang yang berjaya lulus satu ujian untuk menjadi guru AlQuran kaedah Qiraati.

Lulusan kursus anjuran anjuran Masjid Mujahidin itu mendapat sijil mereka dalam satu majlis di Auditorium Masjid Sultan kelmarin.

Sebahagian daripada mereka adalah guru Al-Quran di di rumah, masjid dan pertubuhan, sementara empat banduan itu baru dibebaskan dari Kompleks Penjara Changi.

Kursus itu dijalankan dengan kerjasama pemegang hak kaedah Qiraati, Raudhatul Mujawwidin dari Kajang, Selangor, dan sokongan Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis). Ini kali ketujuh ia dijalankan.

Menurut Pengerusi Eksekutif Masjid Mujahidin, Haji Rashid Ramli, ini kali pertama bekas banduan menduduki Ujian Calon Guru Al-Quran Metode Qiraati itu.

Lima bekas banduan menyertai kursus itu dan menduduki ujian tersebut tetapi seorang daripada mereka gagal.

Menurut Haji Rashid, para penguji didatangkan dari luar negara bagi setiap peserta.

Daripada 109 peserta, termasuk lima banduan itu, yang menduduki ujian, 71 lulus dan layak menerima Sijil Calon Guru Al-Quran Metode Qiraati.

Sijil disampaikan Ustaz Firdaus Yahya, ketua Darul Quran di Masjid Kampong Siglap.

Dalam ujian selama 20 minit itu, setiap peserta antara lain dinilai dari segi pengetahuan ilmu tajwid dan hukum-hukum khas berhubung ayat-ayat Al-Quran.

Menurut Haji Rashid, pengiktirafan itu adalah langkah pertama bagi persiapan mendapat pentauliahan apabila Muis melakukannya kelak.

'Jika pihak Muis mengeluarkan kriterianya bagi pentauliahan tahun depan, peserta kursus ini hanya perlu meningkatkan kemahiran mereka untuk mendapat pentauliahan Muis,' katanya.

Seorang kaunselor yang juga anggota panel pembimbing Al-Quran di penjara, Haji Zulkiflee Bachik, 40 tahun, berkata: 'Mudah-mudahan kita dapat bersama-sama membebaskan mereka daripada penjara 'kedua', iaitu pandangan negatif masyarakat terhadap mereka.'

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Five men arrested for trying to enter Singapore illegally on sampan
By Ryan Huang, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 September 2008 2208 hrs

SINGAPORE : Five men have been arrested on Tuesday for trying to enter Singapore illegally on a sampan.

They were caught at sea near Bedok Lighthouse at about 2.20am.

The men had tried to escape upon spotting the Police Coast Guard. They jumped into the sea, but were rounded up shortly after.

All five men are believed to be Indonesians in their 20s.

If convicted, they can be jailed up to 6 months, or fined up to S$6,000, or caned.

Police Coast Guard Commander, Assistant Commissioner Teo Kian Teck said: "Illegal immigrants should think twice before making such high risk attempts to enter Singapore.

"We will continue our patrols along Singapore shorelines and will take swift and stern action against those who attempt to enter Singapore illegally."

These latest arrests bring the total number of illegal immigrants arrested at sea this year to 121. - CNA /ls

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Escalator hero
SMU prof catches girl who fell from 2nd storey
By Seow Kai Lun

A TRIP to the shopping mall on Friday turned into a rescue mission for a 43-year-old professor from the Singapore Management University (SMU).

Dr Norman Li expected to have lunch, but not to catch a small child as she fell from the second storey in the Velocity@Novena Square.

Dr Li and his wife, Ruth, were coming down the second floor escalator when they saw a girl of about six inching her way up on the outer ledge of the moving stairs.

By the time they got to the first floor, the little girl was three quarters of the way up.

Feeling uneasy, Dr Li positioned himself underneath in case she fell.

And fall she did, when she collided with a glass pane at the top of the escalator which prevented her from getting off the ledge.

'She landed in my arms, but then bounced off,' said Dr Li. 'She then hit the floor, and started crying.'

The whole time, a silent crowd had gathered near the escalator at the Velocity@Novena Square. There was a collective gasp when she fell.

As she slipped from his grasp and hit her head on the ground, her mother, who had been watching, rushed forward and picked up her crying child, said Dr Li.

'I told the mother that she should get her to see a doctor. She said something, picked up her child and left the shopping centre,' he said.

The crowd dispersed and the unidentified mother and daughter were gone by the time security guards got to the scene.

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Bad start to school's first swimming programme

Drowning happened despite adherence to safety guidelines such exempting the unwell
By Carolyn Quek and Tessa Wong


Above is the pool at Clementi Swimming Complex where 13-year-old Danial Syawal Jailani drowned. It was a terrible start to New Town Secondary School's first swimming programme, which had students taking lessons during physical education classes. -- ST PHOTO: LIM CHIN PING

FOR New Town Secondary, the drowning of Danial Syawal Jailani, 12, was a terrible start to its swimming programme.

Sep 2, 2008
Blackout led to drowning?

Although divers have been known to black out at sea while holding their breath under water, this can happen to swimmers, say, in a shallow pool too.

This rare occurrence - called shallow water blackout - might have led to the drowning death of a 12-year-old boy who was having swimming lessons in January.

An autopsy indicated that Danial Syawal Jailani had drowned in a 0.9m-deep training pool at the Clementi Swimming Complex.

State Coroner Victor Yeo (correct) yesterday returned a verdict of misadventure, or accidental death.

Investigating officer Inspector Bai Kelei (correct) said Danial, a New Town Secondary School student, might have been a victim of shallow water blackout.

Contacted by The Straits Times, Mr Richard Tan, president of the Singapore Lifesaving Society, said in an e-mail that blackouts can occur in swimming pools, ponds, lakes and the sea, and may be caused by over-breathing, or hyperventilation.

He said: 'Hyperventilation increases the amount of oxygen in the body while reducing the amount of carbon dioxide.'

This, in turn, triggers an urge to breathe, increasing the likelihood of shallow water blackouts.

Deputy director Delphine Fong, from the Singapore Sports Council, said the council knows of a recorded incident in which a swimmer may have experienced such a blackout in a pool and was successfully saved by lifeguards.

The coroner's inquiry heard that on Jan 28 (08), Danial, a weak swimmer, was among a group of 60 students at a weekly lesson at the complex.

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Tang Wee Sung gets 1-day jail, fined for plans to buy kidney illegally
By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 03 September 2008 1539 hrs


Tang wee Sung

SINGAPORE: Singapore's retail magnate Tang Wee Sung has been sentenced to one day in jail and fined a total of $17,000 for agreeing to buy a kidney illegally and lying to the Commissioner of Oaths.

Tang is the first person in Singapore to be prosecuted for this kidney-for-sale offence.

The 55-year-old had pleaded guilty to two of three charges a week ago.

The first charge is for agreeing to buy a kidney for about S$300,000 and the other, for lying to the Commissioner of Oaths.

The third charge, of lying to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital's Transplant Ethics Committee, was taken into consideration in sentencing.

In his mitigation plea, Tang's lawyer Cavinder Bull had urged the judge to impose a fine for the first charge, which the judge did.

For the second charge, Mr Bull had said at most a one-day jail sentence would be appropriate.

In Tang's defence, Mr Bull laid out factors to convince the judge why Tang should not go to jail.

He said Tang was driven by pure desperation to commit the offence as he suffers not just from end-stage renal failure but other medical problems such as diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Mr Bill said Tang also had no intention to exploit the poor and socially disadvantaged and that he never received a kidney in the end.

On the prosecution's part, it had called for a fine of S$10,000 for the first charge and a "very short" jail sentence for the second.

The two Indonesian men involved in the kidney-for-sale case were sentenced to jail and fined on 3 July.

Sulaiman Damanik, 26, who agreed to sell his kidney to Tang was sentenced to two weeks in jail and fined S$1,000.

But, as he couldn't pay the fine, he was jailed for another one week.

The middleman, Wang Chin Sing, who brokered the deal between Tang and Sulaiman, will be sentenced on Friday.

He pleaded guilty to five charges related to this case. Some of the charges include how 44-year-old Wang had coached Tang and Sulaiman to lie to the Commissioner of Oaths and the hospital's Ethics Committee.

- CNA/ir

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Sep 3, 2008
UNDERAGE DRIVING
Reflexes not enough
Youth may have good motor skills but inexperience can be fatal
By Sujin Thomas

MORE than 100 students and teachers from Bedok South Secondary School attended the wake of 16-year-old Yeo Ken How yesterday.

The teenager was killed on Monday afternoon after he slammed his brother's car into a tree in Bedok South Road. The teenager had taken it for a spin although he did not have a licence.

His body had to be extricated from the mangled wreck by Singapore Civil Defence Force officers using hydraulic cutters.

There were many grim faces at the wake, while those close to him lost control and burst into tears when they saw his body in the coffin.

The students arrived at the Teochew Funeral Parlour along Ubi Road 4 in two buses arranged by the school.

Also present were Ken How's parents, his older brother and sister, and a handful of relatives.

The blue Suzuki Swift which Ken How drove belonged to his brother, Jeffrey, 30, who had been away in Brisbane, training to become a Singapore Airlines pilot.

'I did not teach him to drive and did not know he could,' said Mr Jeffrey Yeo.

He returned to Singapore yesterday morning after hearing the news.

He refused to say more but added: 'Surprisingly, my parents are coping quite well.'

In the first half of this year, the Traffic Police caught five underage drivers on the road.

Last year, they nabbed 25.

Applicants for a driver's licence in Singapore need to be 18 years old - two years more than the minimum age in the United States.

Motoring experts say that youth may have good motor skills and reflexes but warn that their lack of experience and knowledge of defensive driving could be fatal on the road.

Private driving instructor Ng Keng Hwa, 50, warned that anyone who drives without proper training may not be conscious of the safety aspects of driving.

He said: 'When you lose control of your car, your immediate reaction is to brake hard.'

The 26-year veteran currently coaches about 100 students aged between 18 and 40.

'If you are properly trained, you will know to brake intermittently to prevent a wheel lock that will cause the car to lose control. But even this takes experience,' he said.

Ken How was negotiating a bend along Bedok South Road in wet road conditions when he lost control of the car.

Dr Teo Ho Pin, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Law and Home Affairs, said teenagers may think they know how to drive after playing video games.

He stressed the need to reach out to teenagers in schools on the importance of learning to drive before taking to the wheel.

The Straits Times understands that a number of teenagers in junior colleges and polytechnics are known to drive illegally when their parents or siblings are out of town.

Dr Teo said: 'The control of a car is critical. If youth do not receive proper training to handle a car, it can cost them their lives.'

The penalty for underage driving for first-time offenders is a fine of up to $1,000 or a jail term of not more than three months.

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