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Today - 20111125
Today - 20111125
Today - 20111125
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PSlE RESultS
SINGAPORE Civil servants will get a 0.75 month bonus in addition to their annual 13th month payout at the end of next month, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced yesterday. This takes their variable payment for the year to 2.25 months plus S$250, including the mid-year payout in July. After an exceptional bonus last year in which civil servants received a total payout not seen since 1994 the labour movement and civil servants who spoke to Today felt the payout this time was fair, given the current economic climate. In a statement, the PSD noted the Governments growth estimate of about 5 per cent this year. But it added: Nevertheless, near-term growth could be affected by easing global demand and heightened economic and financial uncertainties especially due to the euro zone debt crisis and sluggish growth in the advanced economies. The Government is the largest single employer here, with about 76,000 civil servants on its payroll. On whether private companies will take the cue from the Civil Service when they pay their bonuses later, experts noted that the uneven performances of the various industries meant that it was difficult to generalise. The industries that have done relatively well this year were services, manufacturing, construction and pharmaceutical, they noted. Kelly Services Asia-Pacific senior vice-president Dhirendra Shantilal said: It depends
on the financial performance of individual companies, those that have done well would pay more, those which have not, will pay less. C o n c u r r i n g , Ad e c c o s South-east Asia regional director Lynne Ng added: Employers in making their decisions about bonuses and wages will also consider the economy going forward and how they expect the market and their organisation to perform. The Singapore National Employers Federation reiterated that bonuses would vary with the performance of not just the companies but the individual worker. The federation told Channel NewsAsia that Singapores economic growth in the fourth quarter could be around 3.5 per cent and this may dampen year-end bonus payments in the private sector. The year-end bonus for civil servants was decided after close consultation and negotiations between the PSD and representatives from the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the civil service unions, NTUC deputy secretarygeneral Heng Chee How said in a separate statement. Mr Heng, who is also Senior Minister of State in the Prime Ministers Office, added: The payment rewards civil servants for their hard work and contributions while taking into account Singapores projected slower economic growth of around 5 per cent this year compared to last year, and the higher costs of living. Last years exceptional bonus payout for civil servants came on the back of a record 14.5 per cent economic growth. >> CoNtINuEd oN PAGE 3
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TOKYO Rating agency Standard and Poors (S&P) yesterday said Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Nodas administration had not made progress in tackling the public debt burden, an indication it might be preparing to lower the nations sovereign grade. Japans finances are getting worse and worse every day, every second It may be right in saying that we are closer to a downgrade but the deterioration has been gradual so far, said S&P director of sovereign ratings Takahira Ogawa. Mr Ogawa said Japan needed a comprehensive approach to contain its debt burden, which the government has projected will exceed 1 quadrillion (S$16.9 trillion) in the year through March
check-in counters of the portela international airport in lisbon were largely deserted yesterday due to a general strike. ap
A lot of people are angry. We want a big turnout to show (the government) that the policies we are witnessing are unacceptable.
leader of the general Workers Union Joao proenca
court hearings were cancelled. The 24-hour walkout was called by Portugals two largest trade union confederations, representing more than one
million mostly blue-collar workers. A lot of people are angry, said Mr Joao Proenca, leader of the General Workers Union. We want a big turnout to show (the government) that the policies we are witnessing are unacceptable. An unsustainable debt load and feeble economic growth over the past 10 years pushed Portugal towards bankruptcy earlier this year, forcing it to ask for a 78 billion (S$136 billion) international bailout. Fitch said the recession is making it more challenging for the government to achieve its deficit-reduction plan but noted that its commitment to the programme was strong. ap
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LONDON Womens pay in Britain will overtake that of mens within a decade if current trends in the labour market continue, new figures from the Government show. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the gender pay gap the difference between average salaries of men and women has fallen to under 10 per cent for the first time. Its figures show that women in full-time work are seeing their wages grow at more than twice the rate of men. If the growth continues at current levels, women could start to earn more than men in 2020, over 50 years ahead of some recent forecasts. The ONS said that earnings for a man in full-time employment, excluding over-time, stood at 13.11 (S$26.67) an hour in April this year, an increase of 0.8 per cent on the year before. Equivalent earnings for a woman were 11.91 an hour, an increase of 1.9 per cent on the year before. If womens hourly pay continues to grow at over double the rate of mens pay, women will start to earn more than men in nine years. On the current trajectory, a woman will earn 14.09 an hour in 2020, compared to 14.06 for a man. Economists and union leaders welcomed the shrinking gender gap, particularly as it suggests that equal wages will be reached at a far earlier
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HONG KONG Thin, frail and slightly demented, 83-year-old Yuk Po approached social workers for help after learning that her daughter had invested her life savings in Lehman Brothers minibonds, the notorious financial instruments that went bust in late 2008. When the social workers made their checks, they confirmed the old woman was indeed penniless but not among the list of Lehman creditors in Hong Kong. Simply put, she had been cheated of around HK$500,000 (S$83,700) by her own daughter. Its up to her if she wants to cheat me. What can I do? I have to depend on her, Ms Yuk said with a blank stare in her small, sparsely-furnished rented government flat. Ms Yuks plight is far from uncommon. With Asias ageing population and the rising prevalence of dementia, fraud committed against the elderly often by family members and friends is growing, social workers say. Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia and affects 10 per cent of those over 70 and 30 per cent of those over 80. It robs people of their memory, thinking, judgment, language and behaviour, leaving them unable to manage their own affairs and vulnerable to abuse. We come across cases so often of children removing money from an old persons bank account and the old person complains to us, saying the son or daughter had removed their money, or borrowed their money and never returned it, said Mr Foo Wai-lok of the Association Against Elderly Abuse in Hong Kong. Such elderly abuse in Asia appears to be more keenly felt in developed societies such as Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.
top PSle student yasmin Ziqin mohamed yousoof from rulang Primary with parents mr and mrs yousoof and younger brother ishal.
Photo by erNeSt chua
oN to SecoNdary School
SINGAPORE One parent quit her high-flying banking job to coach her daughter for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Another parent presumably with too much on her mind misplaced a mobile phone, leading to a mini-frenzy to get her daughter to school on time. Some parents also cut short their working trips to fly back home or took leave from work to be with their children as they collected their PSLE results yesterday. Yesterday was a day of reckoning not only for more than 45,000 Primary 6 students who took the PSLE this year but for their parents as well underlining the importance that parents here place on the PSLE, and education in general. And for many parents including Madam Pang Siew Chen, 45, their efforts were certainly not in vain. Mdm Pang had quit her banking job earlier this year to help her daughter Leia Teo Wen Hui prepare for the PSLE, including ferrying her between tuition classes. Leia, who is from Kong Hwa School, scored an aggregate of 278 and was among the top pupils in this years cohort. Said Mdm Pang: We place quite a high emphasis on their education. I think it was worth it because in Singapore, all the kids are so smart, but they really need parental guidance, particularly at this stage. This years top PSLE student is Yasmin Ziqin Mohamed Yousoof, from Rulang Primary School. Yasmin, who scored an aggregate of 283, is the first Indian girl to top the PSLE since 2006. Her mother, Mdm Carrie Tan, 41, told Today that the family had to drive back home
We place quite a high emphasis on their education. I think it was worth it because in Singapore, all the kids are so smart, but they really need parental guidance, particularly at this stage.
mother of a PSle candidate Pang Siew chen
midway to the school, to retrieve her mobile phone leading to a few anxious moments for her daughter. She was nervous that she would not make it on time but I told her we would do our best, said Mdm Tan. Yasmins father,
Mr Mohd Yousoof, 41, also played it cool. Education is important but it is not everything, the foreign exchange director said. Mdm Priya Rajeev, 39, a system analyst, said she lost sleep during the wait for the PSLE results. She and her husband took leave from work yesterday to accompany their daughter Sneha who was also among the top students at Rulang Primary to collect her results. But as the parents readily agree, it is the childs efforts that will ultimately make the difference. Snehas father, Mr Sanil Kumar Parammal, 42, said: She makes it a point to buy her own assessment books, even bringing her parents to Popular bookstore to shop for them ... Its very little effort from us its really her own self motivation.
A total of 45,261 students sat for the PSLE this year, with 97.4 per cent or 44,106 pupils doing well enough to move on to secondary school. this years top student, Yasmin Ziqin Mohamed Yousoof from Rulang Primary School, scored an aggregate of 283. She is also the top Indian pupil. the top Chinese pupil is hannah tan Jia hwee from Raffles Girls Primary School. natalia nadila Bte Muhamad n from St hildas Primary School and Bjorn Kaijun Betzler of Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) are the top Malay and Eurasian students respectively. of the students who passed the PSLE, 62.9 per cent are eligible for the Express course, 23.1 per cent are headed for the normal (Academic) and 11.4 per cent the normal (technical) stream. Four of the six full-time madrasahs have also met the minimum PSLE aggregate benchmark set by the Ministry of Education, under the Compulsory Education Act. In order for the madrasahs to admit new Primary 1 students, they are required to meet the benchmark at least twice in three years. this policy has been in effect since 2008, and this year marks the start of a new three-year cycle. however, the MoE said that the two madrasahs that did not make the cut Madrasah Al-Arabiah and Madrasah Aljunied will not be affected as they have ceased accepting new Primary 1 students. Secondary school posting results will be released on Dec 21.
yu Pei FerN
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Chinese national recounts call out of the blue, pledge in blood and tattoo of lover
teo XuaNwei
xuanwei@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Learning that she was a married woman whom he also suspected of seeing other men while they were dating did not snuff out his feelings for her. And even after Madam Zhang Mengs family beat him up and threatened to kill him after discovering their illicit affair, Wang Zhijian, a Chinese national, stuck with her. Wangs account of how his relationship with Mdm Zhang blossomed in China was heard on the third day of his trial for the murder of Mdm Zhang, 42, her daughter Feng Jianyu, 17, and their room-mate Madam Yang Jie, 36, on the night of Sept 18, 2008 at their Yishun flat. Wang is also accused of repeatedly slashing Mdm Yangs daughter, Li Meilin, now 18. She survived. Wang, 45, told investigators he met Mdm Zhang sometime in 1996 but that it was only eight years later that she called him out of the blue for a chat. In May or June 2005, she called him again and asked him out to a coffee house for a chat. This was when he revealed that he was recently divorced. Wang and Mdm Zhang would rendez-
wang tattooed a portrait of his ex-lover onto his back even after suspecting that she was seeing other men. From Court doCumeNts
Singapore and Wang kept in contact with Mdm Zhang over the phone. By then, he started thinking that she was trying to cheat his feelings. The court heard on Wednesday that Wang allegedly went on a rampage after he quarrelled with Mdm Zhang over her demands for a meal of crab. He had arrived in Singapore from Tianjin nine days before the day of the attacks.The trial resumes next Friday. If found guilty, Wang faces the death penalty.
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(At the SEA Games) we drew with Malaysia and played valiantly against Indonesia. I believe that the S-League is still a good production line for the national team. Our (senior) national players come from the league, and we made the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Fas chief Zainudin Nordin, commenting on the future of the s-league
today File Photo
SINGAPORE Football chief Zainudin Nordin had promised that by Nov 4, the details of what he called S-League version 2.0 would be released. He assured S-League clubs that by Nov 15, they would know which of their players or coaches would climb on the ship embarking on Singapores Malaysian football adventure in 2012. Both deadlines came and went, and still the Singapore football fraternity remain in the dark. In an interview with Today, Mr Zainudin reiterated that the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is doing as much as it can, as fast as it can. He also addressed criticisms on the national Under-23 sides showing at the recent SEA games, as well as the lack of overseas exposure for the national players. People can say whatever they want, we just have to do things as best as we can. The announcements will be coming out in the next few weeks ... of course before January, he said. The people who are concerned (players and coaches of the Singapore Lions), they all know who they are, and we will announce that soon. When quizzed if there is a gap between the plans made at FAS Jalan Besar headquarters and what actually gets done, he said: Yes (there is). It will always be a key part of our strategy ensuring that plans are properly implemented. We will learn along the way to make sure that those things become reality, and we will review along the way as much as we can. The FAS chief set a bold silver medal target for the national under-23 side at the recently concluded SEA Games. The team failed to even make the semi-finals. Mr Zainudin rejected suggestions that the S-League has stagnated and failed to produce players who can step up onto the
international stage. (At the Games) we drew with Malaysia and played valiantly against Indonesia. I believe that the S-League is still a good production line for the national team. Our (senior) national players come from the league, and we made the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he said. Malaysias under-23 side that defended the gold medal at the SEA Games in Indonesia have had several stints in Slovakia. Three players are on loan at top Slovakian club FC Vion Zlate Moravce. Two of them, Fadhli Shas and Irfan Fazail, turned in assured performances in Malaysias successful SEA Games campaign. While the FAS talked of plans to send players such as Hariss Harun and Khairul Amri on overseas stints, it has not panned out. But Mr Zainudin countered: We have to send players to the right place ... this is not an easy thing. Well do more if we can, if there are opportunities we will consider it. He then questioned if overseas stints were always the answer. (Malaysia) didnt beat us at all, they didnt get to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. Malaysia went to Slovakia ... Indonesia sent their team to Uruguay for a year, but did they perform better than us? I dont think so, he said. The year 2012 will clearly be a year of change for Singapore football. National coach Radojko Avramovics contract runs out in December next year. The Serb, who has guided Singapore to two successive ASEAN championships and two successive spots in the third round of Asias World Cup qualifiers, came under criticism after the Lions first-round exit from last years AFF Suzuki Cup. After eight years at the helm, many feel it is time for a change. Mr Zainudin refused to be drawn into the future of Mr Avramovic. He would only say: We have not finished our review (of the Lions current World Cup qualifying campaign). When its completed, well see all the recommendations. We will look at anything that needs to be reviewed.
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YANGON The Myanmar Parliament has passed a Bill that allows citizens to protest peacefully, the latest in a series of reforms since a civilian government took power in March. The Bill will require demonstrators to inform the authorities about their assembly five days in advance, Upper House member Aye Maung of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party was quoted as saying by AFP. He said that protestors will be allowed to hold flags and party symbols but must avoid government buildings, schools, hospitals and embassies. The Bill needs to be signed by President Thein Sein to become law. The move comes four years after the Saffron Revolution, mass protests led by monks which were brutally put down by the military government. More than 30 people were killed, hundreds jailed while others were forced to escape as refugees to the United States. Myanmar has embarked on a series of reforms since the army nominally handed over power in March to civilians after the first elections in two decades. Its overtures have since included calls for peace with ethnic minority groups, some tolerance of criticism, an easing of media controls, the release of about 200 political prisoners and more communication with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi,
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myanmar pro-democracy leader aung san suu Kyi speaking at a fair in yangon recently. ms suu Kyi has expressed her intention to run for Parliament in the coming by-elections. reuters
freed last year from 15 years of house arrest. In a landmark development, Ms Suu Kyi has expressed her intention to run for Parliament in coming by-elections, a decision that was expected after her party, National League for Democracy, decided last week to rejoin mainstream politics. In recognition of the promising reforms, South-east Asian leaders last week approved of Myanmar as chairman of the Association
of South-east Asian Nations in 2014, paving the way for a more influential role. Myanmar also won a powerful endorsement last Friday when US President Barack Obama announced Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would visit the resource-rich country, the highest-ranking American to do so in more than 50 years. Washington has, however, said it wants to see more reforms before considering
lifting economic sanctions imposed in response to rights abuses by its former military leaders. Mr Kyaw Hsan, Myanmars Information and Culture Minister, told reporters last week that more reforms were in store. We are hoping for a more open country with a thriving democracy and one that is active in the local, regional and international arena.
ageNcies
najib lifts three security laws, may end ban on students in politics
KUALA LUMPUR Prime Minister Najib Razak received cheers in Malaysias Parliament yesterday as he moved to show the sincerity of his governments promise of reforms. Mr Najib lifted three security Acts the 1966 Emergency proclamation in Sarawak; the May 13, 1969 Emergency proclamation; and the 1977 Kelantan Emergency proclamation as Malaysia was not in any state of emergency and the Acts were no longer necessary. The repeal of the three proclamations is the second phase of Putrajayas Political Transformation Plan. The first phase, announced on Sept 15, saw the repeal of the Restricted Residences Act and Banishment Act. Mr Najib said the repeal of the proclamations was a brave step similar to those taken by previous federal governments to ensure peace and shows we are in a functioning democracy. The Prime Minister also made the surprise announcement that he plans to lift a ban on student participation in politics, which was greeted with loud cheers from the House and lawmakers banging on their tables in a show of support. At issue is the controversial Section 15 of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA). Once amended, students above the age of 21 will no longer be barred from being active members of political parties. The government believes in the maturity and intelligence of our university students, he told the House. This decision is a result of the governments concern and understanding of the peoples aspirations, and how we have listened to their wishes. This is not merely cheap rhetoric or tales from merchants of dreams ... This is the result of political will and moral bravery. Mr Najib stressed, however, that politics would still be banned from university campuses under the amended law. The Prime Ministers good day in Parliament came a day after his new Peaceful Assembly Bill was tabled, with Opposition lawmakers and civil society groups claiming it would be more repressive than previous laws on public assembly. The new Bill will forbid street demonstrations such as the Bersih rally on July 9 this year. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that Opposition MPs will oppose the Bill during debates in the House. But Mr Najib rubbished accusations that the new Bill is repressive and instead declared it a revolutionary law and a giant leap towards improving individual freedom. He pointed out that the new legislation will curb police powers and punitive action against protestors will be reduced to only fines instead of jail sentences.
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CANBERRA A healthy eight-month-old foetus was accidentally terminated in an Australian hospital after medical staff mistook him for his sick twin, the Herald Sun newspaper reported yesterday. The mother had decided to abort one of the twin boys on medical advice after learning he had a congenital heart defect. But on Tuesday, the wrong baby was
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start of major United Nations-led climate talks in South Africa in which delegates are expected to discuss ways to try to curb emissions from deforestation. Indonesia is losing about 1 million hectares of forest annually about 13 times the size of Singapore with palm oil expansion accounting for about 16 per cent of deforestation, Maplecroft said. In May, Jakarta began a two-year moratorium on issuing new licences to clear primary forests and peatlands and will conduct regular satellite surveillance to monitor the ban. Nigeria, ranked first in the index, lost just over 2 million hectares of forest annually between 2005 and 2010, driven by agricultural expansion, logging and infrastructure development. While China was the best performer because of aggressive protection laws and replanting schemes, it was driving deforestation in other countries, Ms Granziera said. Chinas demand for wood is fuelling increasing imports, much of which comes from the USA and Canada, she said. reuters
An area of forest equal to Germany, Italy and Austria combined could be lost forever if Brazils Senate approves new laws on land clearance to be voted on within days, conservationists warned on Wednesday. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has declined steadily since 2004, falling to 2.2 million hectares annually between 2005 and 2010, thanks to improved satellite monitoring and tougher enforcement. But green groups worry changes to national forest protection laws awaiting Senate approval could ease restrictions on
the amount of rainforest farmers can clear and open up vast swathes of the worlds biggest rainforest to uses such as cattle ranching and soy production. there have already been signs of a resurgence of logging in several areas. According to the World Wildlife Fund, Brazils efforts to position itself as a global environmental leader risk being severely damaged before it hosts the United nations Conference on Sustainable Development known as Rio+20 in Rio de Janeiro in June next year. the daily teleGraph
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DISCOVERING THE
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POWER OF PHOTOGRAPHY
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Brought to you by
1. The speakers sharing their photography tips and experiences of using Canon PowerShot cameras during the Q&A segment. 2. Mr Andrew Koh (right), Canon Singapores Senior Director and General Manager of Consumer Imaging and Information Products Division, congratulating Mr Gabriel Lim for winning the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS. 3. Resident photography instructor with Canon Singapore and Assistant Manager for Canon Imaging Academy Mr Jino Lee giving photography tips to a participant. 4. Participants waiting in line to register for the event. 5. An overview of the seminar held at Suntec City Malls Level 1 Entertainment Centre Atrium.
BACK for the fifth year, Canons Power In Your Hands compact camera seminar saw more than 300 people attending the event last weekend at Suntec City Malls Level 1 Entertainment Centre Atrium. Due to overwhelming response from previous years, Canon extended this years event by one day. Mr Andrew Koh, Senior Director and General Manager of Consumer Imaging and Information Products Division, Canon Singapore, said: The PowerShot series has the compact form factor, easy-to-use functions of an IXUS and the more advanced image-capturing features of an EOS. This seminar demonstrates the PowerShot cameras versatile capabilities and encourages users to make the most of them. On each of the two days, MediaCorp celebrities Nat Ho, Dasmond Koh and DJ Pei Fen took to the stage to share their travel photographs and experiences using the Canon PowerShot cameras, including the G12, S95, SX230 HS and SX40 HS. They also dished out
travel tips on how to use the cameras features to enhance their photos as well as overcome challenges when taking travel photographs. Participant Vanessa Wong found the seminar interesting as she loves travelling and taking photographs of her holidays. The travel pictures featured were inspiring. I was impressed by what the PowerShot compact cameras can achieve, said Ms Wong. In addition, professional photographers Jimmy Fok and Jino Lee shared their technical expertise on how to achieve better photo quality, the art of framing and composition, and shooting under low-light conditions. Participant Ms Lay, who has attended several Canon seminars before, felt that the tips were concise. I always learn new things each time, she said. Ms Lay also managed to get some extra tips from Jimmy Fok about using the slow flash sync function on her Canon S95. It allows you to take more details in the background and gives some sense of a better picture, she said. 11
The session ended with a question-andanswer session followed by a lucky draw for a Canon PowerShot SX230 HS. Mr Gabriel Lim, who was one of the two winners, was thrilled with his prize. He said: Some of the presenters talked about the different cameras features. Now that I have won the new camera, I cant wait to try it out. Mr Koh added: With 14x optical zoom, an embedded GPS unit and Canons latest High Sensitivity system, the PowerShot SX230 HS in particular is an ideal face for this roadshow as a powerful travel companion, providing users with maximum reach and retaining a high standard of image quality within a compact package. After having their fill of the delicious buffet dinner, the participants were divided into groups for the optional walk to the Helix Bridge. The mini expedition allowed them to shoot photos and enjoy the festive night lights of the beautiful Marina Bay area. For more information, visit www.canon.com.sg. NICOLETTE ONG 10
6. MediaCorp celebrities Nat Ho and DJ Pei Fen sharing their holiday pictures and dishing out travel photography tips. 7. Mr Jimmy Fok (left) offering guidance to a participant. 8. The Selphy shoot and print counter at the roadshow. 9. Seminar participants listening attentively to the speakers presentations and taking pictures of the pointers and photographs flashed on screen. 10.Pei Fen and the participants stroll along the Helix Bridge. 11.The five speakers with Canon Singapores Senior Director and General Manager of Consumer Imaging and Information Products Division Mr Andrew Koh (third from left) and Canon Singapores Assistant Director Consumer Imaging Products Marketing Division Mr Edwin Teoh (fourth from left).
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TwiTTEr.com/ TodayonlinE LONDON Allowing children to be picky eaters could make them more prone to allergies later in life, scientists have warned. Three large studies are under way at Kings College London and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, and Duke University in the United States, to determine the best way of protecting against harmful reactions to food. The old idea of telling mothers to avoid high-risk foods during pregnancy and while breastfeeding to protect their babies from potentially dangerous reactions is possibly achieving the reverse of our intentions,
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Factory workers leaving thang long industrial park at the end of their shift. High inflation has led to strikes this year and factories struggling to find workers. bloomberG
investors in the boom years have moved into sharp focus. And with inflation driving wages higher but labour skills not advancing as quickly, fresh questions are arising. Among them is whether Vietnams Communist party can force through painful reforms needed to ensure they avoid the middle-income trap ensnaring the likes of Malaysia and Thailand, whose economies are a source of cheap labour but not yet makers of higher-value products. To many analysts, Vietnam serves as a warning of the pitfalls facing the region, even as Europe and the US struggle with their own economic crises. The Asian Development Bank has warned that Asias rise is not preordained and that nations such as Vietnam, as well as China, will need to take tough political choices. The Vietnamese government is trying to use small plasters to stem a lot of bleeding, says one senior Asian diplomat in Hanoi. But in an increasingly competitive world, the risk is that investors just vote with their feet and go elsewhere. That would further deplete already modest state coffers and create a significant jobs shortfall in a country where the governments legitimacy derives from its ability to ensure employment for the fastexpanding workforce. A bigger question is whether authoritarian regimes can develop high-income economies while sustaining a political system that curtails public debate and fails to promote the establishment of the strong, independent institutions needed to combat corruption and wasteful state spending. The countrys potential as a leading Asian manufacturing hub and its pitfalls can be seen at Thang Long Industrial Park, built on paddy fields outside Hanoi by Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo and its Vietnamese state-owned partner. Opened in 2000, it quickly attracted Japanese companies keen to capitalise on cheap labour and develop an alternative production base to China, increasingly prone to rising wages and out-
breaks of nationalistic hostility. The industrial park was full by 2009, with 55,000 people working for 95 mostly Japanese companies: Assembling printers for Canon, refrigerators for Panasonic and the wing flaps for Boeing 737s. But persistently high inflation, today more than 20 per cent year-on-year, is taking its toll in Thang Long and other industrial zones across Vietnam. At least 10 of the manufacturers at the park have been hit by wildcat strikes this year, according to Mr Tomoyasu Shimizu, its general manager, as migrant workers struggle to survive on wages as low as 2 million dong (S$124) a month. Operating on slim margins, many factories are reluctant to boost wages and are struggling to find workers. On the sites notice board, Canon is offering inducements such as 5kg of free rice a month and cheap accommodation. This is in addition to monthly wages of 2.9 million dong and a twice-yearly pay rise. ForCed to CloSe Difficulties are in evidence across the country. A series of interest rate hikes, started this year as the government belatedly moved to get a grip on monetary policy, has delivered a hard blow to the economy. The key re-financing rate stands today at 15 per cent. Thousands of businesses have been forced to close, record numbers of strikes have broken out and bad debts have soared. Enquiries from new foreign investors have slowed dramatically, according to lawyers and consultants. Gross domestic product, which rose an average 8.1 per cent a year from 2003 to 2007, is forecast to slow to 6 per cent in the five-year period to next year, according to the World Bank. The grim global economic picture only adds to the problems of a country heavily dependent on the export of garments, shoes and commodities such as rice and coffee. But, as Mr Tran, the former minister, made clear, officials cannot simply export the blame. The dramatic inflation problem owes
much to a drive to breed a stable of industrial national champions that resulted in a large expansion in credit, much of it channelled to wasteful state-owned enterprises and favoured private businesses. In the past five years, total credit in the economy has doubled to 120 per cent of GDP. Rising prices have resulted, in effect, in inflation taxing of the population, says Mr Dominic Mellor of the ADB in Hanoi. Food prices rose 32 per cent in the 10 months to October. High inflation has also undermined confidence in the dong, which is pegged to the US dollar and has been regularly devalued in recent years to ease pressure on the governments limited foreign exchange reserves. The currencys weakness has driven a flight to gold and dollars. Purchases of gold by the Vietnamese are among the worlds highest per head. This has helped the Vietnamese to weather the recent storm, thanks to the long-term gold bull run, but puts further downward pressure on the dong. SloWed reFormS This has all appeared to overwhelm the government of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the countrys ruling cadre most of whom are alumni of Soviet-era institutions. Rather than pursuing further reforms, they have resorted to knee-jerk, backward-looking measures, including a crackdown on free speech, curbs on the import of luxury goods and restrictions on visas for foreign workers. The pace of reform has slowed, says Mr Ben Bingham, who recently left Vietnam after four years as the International Monetary Funds senior representative. The government has found the (economic) environment more difficult to manage (since joining the World Trade Organisation in 2007) than it imagined. Social discontent appears to be on the rise, with land protests becoming common in Hanoi, as hard-up farmers complain that they have been short-changed by officials selling their land to well-connected businesses on the cheap. Some Vietnamese officials have conceded to foreign diplomats that they are worried about an Arab Spring-type rising breaking out. Diplomats say this is likely to be little more than an attempt to justify a continuing crackdown on human rights. Corruption is a serious problem, though the benefits are shared more equally than in Arab dictatorships toppled this year. Graft and weak governance remain significant obstacles for investors, particularly since the American and British governments began strict enforcement of laws against bribing overseas officials. >> CoNtiNUed oN PaGe 20
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gypt, the largest and most important country to overthrow its government during the Arab Spring, is careening towards a disastrous parliamentary election that begins on Nov 28 and could bring the country to the brink of civil war. As protesters fill Tahrir Square once again and violence spreads throughout Cairo, the military governments legitimacy is becoming even more tenuous. The announcement on Tuesday of a National Salvation Government may stem the violence for now but the coming vote will not lead to a stable democracy. The election is likely to fail, not because of vote-stealing or violence, but because the rules cobbled together by Egypts military leaders virtually guarantee that the Parliament elected will not reflect the votes of the Egyptian people. While advising civil society groups and political parties on election issues earlier this year in Cairo, I found that the voices of Egyptians who were at the forefront of the revolution were stifled during the secretive election-planning process. On countless occasions, political parties went to the ruling military council to object to drafts of the electoral law and were brushed off with piecemeal changes. Civic groups concerned about the representation of women and minorities were not even given a seat at the table. And the United Nations, which played a major role in assisting Tunisia with its election, was denied access to election planners in Cairo. The result is an election that will overrepresent the larger parties while shutting out smaller ones, marginalise Coptic Christians and progressives, and consign millions of Egyptians to voting for losers through an overly complicated process that combines proportional representation with majoritarianism and an antiquated quota system. One-third of the 498 seats in Parliament will be chosen from districts in which the winners must get a majority of the vote (in a run-off if necessary). In these districts, name recognition gives established power brokers local strongmen who held sway before the revolution the upper hand.
an egyptian soldier placing a barbed wire barricade near tahrir Square in Cairo yesterday. aP
Even if most of the elected candidates are not high-ranking apparatchiks of the old regime or remnants, as Egyptians call them many are likely to have been cogs in the corrupt machine that ruled Egypt for decades. Two-thirds of the seats will be contested in proportional representation districts, where voters select among party candidate lists and each party win seats in proportion to its share of votes. Unlike in Tunisia, which successfully used a simple across-the-board proportional system to include many voices in the countrys legislative assembly, Egypts multilayered system is likely to marginalise new progressive, secular and liberal groups that lack grassroots networks across the country. The sidelining of smaller Islamic and secular parties would damage citizens faith in the democratic process, and the exclusion of the minority Coptic Christians from significant representation in Parliament could be catastrophic. Copts are unlikely to vote for Islamic parties and, after Octobers violent street battles between Christian demonstrators and the military, they have lost faith in old liberal movements like the Wafd Party. They are instead coalescing around niche parties like the Justice Party and the Free Egyptians. But these groups are polling at less than 5 per cent not enough to win more than a handful of seats. And if Copts are shut out of Parliament, they are also likely to be absent from the committee which will draw up the new Egyptian constitution. The military has also retained an anachronistic quota, reserving at least half of the
new Parliament for workers and farmers, a rule that has been used to manipulate election results in Egypt since the presidency of Gamal Abdel Nasser. In practice, this means that the new progressive parties that are lucky enough to pick up a few seats may not be able to fill those seats with the young leaders who organised the Tahrir Square protests in February. Instead, many of the founders of those parties will be leapfrogged so workers or farmers who were required to be placed on the partys list can get into Parliament. The threat of electoral defeat has even made some liberals sympathetic to the militarys attempt to dominate the constitution-writing process. They are so fearful of Muslim Brotherhood dominance that they would rather have secular strongmen in control than democratically elected Islamists. It may be true that the military wants an impotent new Parliament, but when liberals resort to supporting the tools of dictators, the future is bleak. What Egypt desperately needs is an election and a resulting Parliament that are seen to be fair and inclusive. Under the rules the military has imposed, the chances of that happening are slim. If voters voices are not heard in their first post-revolutionary election, the crisis unleashed by democratic failure in Egypt will have consequences reaching far beyond the Arab world. tHe NeW yorK timeS Andrew S Reynolds is an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
comment&analysis
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y all accounts, the Chinese economy is thriving. While America and Europe continue to struggle with debt and unemployment, China is moving from strength to strength. Still, Chinese economists and policymakers are looking ahead to see what problems China may be facing in the not-toodistant future and, more importantly, how to prevent or mitigate them. For a start, Professor David Li Daokui (picture), a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Peoples Bank of China and the director of the Center for China in the World Economy at Tsinghua University, believes that China is heading into a major grain shortage. China already has a very limited amount of per capita arable land, he told INSEAD Knowledge. However, as China industrialises and urbanises, labour costs are rising quickly. These costs will be capitalised into the price of agricultural products such as grain. The Chinese consume grain in very large quantities not just whole grains but also as raw materials for the production of other food items. Together, these factors are leading to a perfect storm that will result in an increased demand for grain. The increase in demand for grain is a global problem, according to Prof Li. It would only take one bad crop to throw the world into a major food shortage. We can imagine that, with the frequency and severity of natural disasters in China as well as in other parts of the world, the overall global grain output will be decreased, which will pose a potentially grave threat to grain security, leading to worldwide food shortages and resulting in global inflation in food prices, he says. It is important for China to think carefully about its agricultural strategy. Prof Li recommends that the Chinese government takes measures to increase the scale of grain production by investing in agricultural technology. He also suggests that China invests in grain production overseas. He opines: This will not only work towards Chinas self-interest but will also contribute to helping to solve the wider global grain supply problem. oiL marKet FLUCtUatioNS Prof Li predicts that, like grain, there could be a global shortage of oil that could adversely affect Chinas development. However, he points out that oil and grain are different kinds of resources. The risks associated with oil and grain are different, as the geographical supply of oil is relatively concentrated, he says. Oil responds much more dramatically to changes in the global economy. The downturn in the European and American economies has depressed the price of oil. However, even a small economic recovery could cause an upward surge in oil prices. Since China is dependent on external oil supplies, a dramatic increase in oil prices
bLoomberG
could be devastating to the Chinese economy. In Prof Lis view, China must be prepared for these possible fluctuations by building a domestic supply of crude oil equivalent to three to six months of domestic consumption. China should also diversify risk factors by establishing long-term contracts with countries that supply oil and begin to rely on other energy sources. eXCeSS CaSH SUPPLy Over the past three decades, China has experienced a steady increase in its supply of money. It now has an overall money supply of US$10.5 trillion (S$13.7 trillion), which is higher than that of the United States and is equivalent to nearly double its gross domestic product. Prof Li explains that this excessive circulation of cash presents many risks for the Chinese economy. Without viable options to invest this money, asset price bubbles could develop and the prices of certain assets could climb. We saw this in the housing market bubble in the US ... When asset prices reached unsustainable levels, the bubble burst, causing a nationwide economic meltdown. Prof Li suggests that China shifts its monetary policy to reduce the amount of money circulating in the economy. He says: China should tighten its supervision on financial institutions to control systemic financial risks in this sector and prevent excessive price increases. China could also let excess capital flow out of the country, by allowing companies and individuals to convert their yuan into other currencies. Eventually, these measures should facilitate a two-way flow of capital, allowing China to regulate the flow of money into and out of the country. On the whole, the Chinese economy is in good health, Prof Li asserts. Still, it is vitally important not to underestimate the risks that, if left unchecked, could devastate China and undo years of economic progress. This article first appeared in the latest issue of INSEAD Knowledge. David Li Daokui, who received his doctorate in economics from Harvard University, is Mansfield Freeman Professor of Economics and part of a trio to replace Fan Gang as academic members to the Chinese central banks monetary policy committee.
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According to the Heritage Foundation, the typical poor household has roughly 14 of 30 amenities. In other words, how hard can things be if you have a refrigerator, air-conditioner, coffee maker, cellphone and other stuff? The rankings ignore the fact that many of these are requisites of modern life, and that things increasingly out of reach for the poor and near poor education, health care, child care, housing and utilities are the true determinants of a good, upwardly mobile life.
Job seekers line up at the entrance of a job expo in California earlier this year. one in three americans is currently said to be near poor. bloomberg
other stuff? The rankings ignore the fact that many of these are requisites of modern life and that things increasingly out of reach for the poor and near poor education, health care, child care, housing and utilities are the true determinants of a good, upwardly mobile life. Government surveys analysed by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicate that last year, just over half of the countrys nearly 17 million poor children lived in households that reported at least one of four major hardships: Hunger, overcrowding, failure to pay the rent or mortgage on time or failure to seek needed medical care. A good education is also increasingly out of reach. A study by Ms Martha Bailey, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, showed that the difference in college-graduation rates between the rich and poor has widened by more than 50 per cent since the 1990s. There is also a growing outof-sight-out-of-mind problem. A study, by Mr Sean Reardon, a sociologist at Stanford, shows that Americans are increasingly living in areas that are either poor or affluent. The isolation of the prosperous, he said, threatens their support for public schools, parks, mass transit and other investments that benefit broader society. The poor do without, and the near poor, at best, live from pay cheque to pay cheque. Most Americans dont know what that is like, but unless the nation reverses direction, more are going to find out. the New york times
editorial
This is excerpted from an editorial, The Poor, the Near Poor and You, that ran in The New York Times.
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comment&analysis
that we are living in an unusually peaceful time may strike you as somewhere between hallucinatory and obscene. Still, even in a 20th century notorious for world war and genocide, only around 3 per cent of humans died from such man-made catastrophes. In contrast, a study of NativeAmerican skeletons from hunter-gatherer societies found that some 13 per cent had died of trauma. And in the 17th century, the Thirty Years War reduced Germanys population by as much as one-third. Wars make headlines, but there are fewer conflicts today, and they typically do not kill as many people. Many scholars have made that point, most notably Mr Joshua S Goldstein in his recent book Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide. Goldstein also argues that it is a myth that civilians are more likely to die in modern wars. Look also at homicide rates, which are now far lower than in previous centuries. The murder rate in Britain seems to have fallen by more than 90 per cent since the 14th century. Then there are the myriad forms of violence that were once the banal backdrop of daily life. One game in feudal Europe involved men competing to head-butt to death a cat that had been nailed alive to a post. One reason this was considered so entertaining: The possibility that it would claw out a competitors eye.
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t is pretty easy to conclude that the world is spinning down the toilet. So let me be contrary and offer a reason to be grateful this Thanksgiving. Despite the gloomy mood, the historical backdrop is stunning progress in human decency over recent centuries. War is declining, and humanity is becoming less violent, less racist and less sexist and this moral progress has accelerated in recent decades. To put it bluntly, we humans seem to be getting nicer. That is the central theme of an astonishingly good book just published by Mr Steven Pinker, a psychology professor at Harvard. It is called The Better Angels of Our Nature, and it is my bet to win the next Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction. Today we may be living in the most peaceable era in our species existence, Mr Pinker writes, and he describes this decline in violence as possibly the most important thing that has ever happened in human history. He acknowledges: In a century that began with 9/11, Iraq and Darfur, the claim
Think of fairy tales and nursery rhymes. One academic study found that modern childrens television programmes have 4.8 violent scenes per hour, compared with nursery rhymes with 52.2. The decline in brutality is true of other cultures as well. When I learned Chinese, I was startled to encounter ideographs like the one of a knife next to a nose: Pronounced yi, it means cutting off a nose as punishment. That is one Chinese character that students no longer study. Mr Pinkers book rang true to me partly because I often report on genocide and human rights abuses. I was aghast that Darfur did not prompt more of an international response from Western governments, but I was awed by the way American university students protested on behalf of a people who lived half a world away. That reflects a larger truth: There is global consensus today that slaughtering civilians is an outrage. Governments may still engage in mass atrocities, but now they hire lobbyists and public relations firms to sanitise the mess. In contrast, until modern times, genocide was simply a way of waging war. The Bible repeatedly describes God as masterminding genocide (thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth Deuteronomy 20:16), and European-Americans saw nothing offensive
about exterminating Native Americans. One of my heroes, former American President Theodore Roosevelt, later a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, was unapologetic: I dont go so far as to think that the only good Indians are the dead Indians, but I believe nine out of 10 are, and I shouldnt like to inquire too closely in the case of the tenth. The pace of moral progress has accelerated in the last few decades. Mr Pinker notes that on issues such as civil rights, the role of women, equality for gays, beating of children and treatment of animals, the attitudes of conservatives have followed the trajectory of liberals, with the result that todays conservatives are more liberal than yesterdays liberals. The reasons for these advances are complex but may have to do with the rise of education, the decline of chauvinism and a growing willingness to put ourselves in the shoes (increasingly, even hooves) of others. Granted, the world still faces brutality and cruelty. That is what I write about the rest of the year! But let us pause for a moment to acknowledge remarkable progress and give thanks for the human capacity for compassion and moral growth.
tHe NeW yorK timeS
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Voices
T oday
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No country can overhaul its entire national team within a few months. Now that the younger ones have proven their capabilities in our national colours, i am sure they will form the core of the Lions in the near future ... Who says the outlook for Singapore football is bleak? From Melvin Tan
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Fans have been disappointed by singapores performances in the World cup Asian qualifiers and the seA Games. What will it take for the Lions to succeed in the continent? A new head coach? More funding? Tune in to TalkBack on 938Live from 8.15am to 8.45am today. call us at 6691 1938 and share your views.
Among the many challenges facing Singapore football, and other sports in general, the trickiest has to be the lack of funds. Many fans are wondering why FAS did not bring in the likes of Zico and Jose Antonio Camacho to coach the Lions. The hard truth is that we lack the financial muscle to attract these coaches. Otherwise, why did FAS technical director Slobodan Pavkovic double as head coach of our South-east Asian Games team? Like other fans, I believe the technical director should focus on his core duties, which include youth development, and not lead a national age-group. However, I am unsure if FAS was able to afford hiring another coach just to lead the SEA Games team. In this regard, I urge genuine fans to do something more constructive instead of baying for the blood of our national coach. Why not establish a campaign to encourage and convince public-listed companies to support local football? According to its website, FAS annual income and, consequently, its expenditure fell from S$18.4 million in 2008 to S$15.9 million last year. How will our players gain the level of support needed to compete against teams such as Australia and Japan? The likes of Manchester City and Chelsea have demonstrated that funding is a key ingredient for success. Until our large corporations invest in local football, fans such as Mr Tan are barking up the wrong tree. George Quek, 35, has been supporting the Lions since 1990.
Two years ago, i asked Why no Tamil on PosB ATMs? (Nov 11, 2009) to serve this community, especially workers from india who do not have a basic understanding of english, which often results in unnecessary, long queues. May i ask our peoples bank for an update to PosB exploring its language options (Nov 16, 2009), or is it still in the exploration stage with its service provider as part of efforts to serve customers better? LETTER
FROM PAuL ANTONY FERNANDEz
i refer to the report Most lowincome families will not ask for help: Halimah (Nov 23). i have doubts over the survey showing that 60 per cent of these families preferred to be self-sufficient than to receive social assistance. Deeper analysis of the findings may be necessary. i know of families who have refused welfare assistance because of the trouble it takes to obtain the money. These families generally have low literacy levels and
voluminous paperwork during application, without adequate guidance, is a deterrent. our system also turns away needy old folks who have better-off children, the reason being that the latter have a duty to care for their parents. But several old folks are trapped when their children do not maintain them well and a nation must not shirk its obligation of caring for its elderly. LETTER FROM JiMMY HO
KWOK HOONG
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Voices
Letter from Lalitha Perera
THIS is to clarify the report Broadcast veteran Ananda Perera dies (Sept 30) on the cause of my beloved husbands demise. He was deemed to have died of pneumonia. In May, he underwent a second lobectomy due to a cancerous growth, this time on the left lung. Apparently, given the size of both lobectomies and other health factors, he suffered a mild heart attack and a stroke. In both cases, his cancer was at stage one. He pulled through only to have pneumonia set in. He was on a ventilator throughout his four-and-a-half month stay in intensive care at the Singapore General Hospital but believed he would come home and fought with amazing fortitude.
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(who was 72) during this traumatic time. However, I wish we had followed an alternative path of therapy rather than going to a hospital and all that entails. Unfortunately, for quite some time, my husband had been weaned on various medications, which resulted in a small pharmacy at home. It is vital to balance our lives, take charge by keeping our minds as free as possible from stress and try to maintain a happy, positive disposition.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) should clip the wings of irresponsible bloggers, who should have their photos published to send a message that the internet is not a tool to stir up religious sentiments. While communities here have been very tolerant till now, this should not be taken for granted. some may argue for freedom of expression, but common sense should also prevail.
events around the world are testimony to the long-term consequences of irresponsible actions. i am glad that MHA is monitoring and investigating the three recent cases, as reported in MHA urges public not to inflame situation (Nov 23), and it should prosecute these bloggers. it has been proven many times that a soft approach will not work.
Letter From artHur Lim
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Singapore
New campaign to get coffeeshop patrons to be more considerate
SINGAPORE In a bid to improve the state of cleanliness at coffeeshop toilets, the Public Hygiene Council has launched a campaign hoping to make patrons care. It unveiled a set of new educational materials in the form of stickers and posters yesterday with the slogan: I Care, How About You?. According to public feedback and surveys done by the Restroom Association (Singapore), the state of cleanliness in coffeeshop toilets had been identified as one of the worst. After consulting coffeeshop owners, the council found that coffeeshop toilets were often choked while amenities such as toilet paper and soap dispensers were often vandalised. This is in addition to common problems that affect all toilets, such as improper flushing and dirtying of toilet seats. The educational materials were developed in collaboration with the National Environment Agency and the Restroom Association (Singapore) and will be rolled out at more than 1,300 coffeeshops in the coming months. Announcing the campaign at the Restroom Associations second LOO (Lets Observe Ourselves) Carnival & Awards ceremony at City Square Mall yesterday, the council added that it would be developing educational materials targeting toilets in other premises in future. At the ceremony, 16 awards were given out to recognise individuals and organisations who made efforts to uphold and improve restroom cleanliness standards. Winning the Happy Toilet of the Year award was Alexandra Hospital which has a pair of zoo toilets (one male and one female) fashioned after toilets at the Singapore Zoo. WayNe CHaN
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President tony tan goes gift shopping with members of the boys brigade for a Share-a-Gift box for various beneficiaries. PHoto by erNeSt CHua
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singapore
SINGAPORE A 52-year-old man who violently robbed 11 elderly people of nearly S$12,000 was sentenced yesterday to seven years of preventive detention. Lim Choon Gui was charged with 11 counts of snatch theft and robbery involving victims who were between 52 and 83 years old. The unemployed man committed the offences within a two-month period this year in various housing estate lifts. Investigations revealed that he followed his victims into the lifts, where he restrained or assaulted and robbed them. On various occasions, he forced his victims to squat down and face the floor, or pushed them towards the wall of the lift while pulling necklaces off their necks.
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SINGAPORE Former National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng is not closing the door just yet on the next General Election (GE). Instead, he is planning to devote the foreseeable future to strengthening Opposition policy formulation. The 41-year-old, who stepped down from the NSP in June to go into a partisan political sabbatical, gave these details yesterday on his blog and also in an interview with Today. On his blog, he said that he will let his NSP membership lapse by the end of this year, adding that he formally informed the partys president and secretarygeneral about this in September. However, unlike what some of his friends had thought, he is not quitting Opposition politics for good. There are other things which are equally important to contribute towards the political democratic development of Singapore other than joining a party. Some of these things need us to be non-partisan in order to be effective, he said on his blog. Speaking to Today, he further explained that the May GE had shown that Singaporeans
wanted more alternative voices in Parliament but are still not comfortable with the idea of a change in government. One reason is (that) opposition parties really have not provided a more holistic policy platform to convince voters that if they are voted in, they are ready to take over and make certain changes in the policy, he said. He added that he was also in talks to collaborate with a third party but would not give further details. To naysayers who may criticise his joining and leaving of two Opposition parties he had contested as a Workers Party candidate in the 2006 GE Mr Goh said: Whichever party and whichever way you choose to work, I think as long as we are going in the same direction and contributing to the bigger picture of the political development for Singapore, I think its fine.
The national University of singapore (nUs) and JTC Corporation have set up a new joint research centre to promote innovative and sustainable industrial infrastructure solutions in singapore. an agreement was signed yesterday for the new nUsJTC industrial infrastructure innovation Centre (nUs-JTC i3 Centre). The centre will leverage nUs technological knowledge in areas such as built environment, environmental engineering and
real estate, with JTCs infrastructure and business experience. The chief executive officer of JTC Corporation, Mr Manohar Khiatani, said singapore is constantly being challenged to introduce sustainable solutions to optimise land use to support its industrial development and economic growth. The JTC-nUs partnership paves the way to keep pushing limits of possibilities, try new ideas and chart new frontiers with innovative real estate solutions. ChAnnel newSASiA
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Jetstar will fly an Airbus A330 aircraft on the Beijing-Singapore route, offering 303 seats in a business and economy class configuration.
Boeing 787 will burn 20 per cent less fuel and features bigger windows and a wider body, he added. Asia is the worlds fastest growing aviation market and recent aircraft sales reflect that. Last week, Indonesias Lion Air announced that it has ordered 230 planes for US$21.7 billion (S$28.4 billion) from Boeing, the biggest order ever for the United States aircraft maker. Also yesterday, Changi Airport welcomed the arrival of Lao Airlines in a move that completed Singapores direct flight connections with all nine of its ASEAN neighbours. Lao Airlines will have thriceweekly services between Singapore and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. In its statement, Changi Airport said the number of passengers travelling between the two countries has grown steadily over the last five years. During this period, Singapore visitor arrivals into Laos grew about 8 per cent annually to about 6,100 in 2010, while the number of visitors from Laos increased by some 25 per cent every year to about 5,200 last year. ageNCies, with additioNal reportiNg by s ramesh
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World
BEIJING Thousands of workers in southern China went on strike in the last week to demand higher pay and better treatment, disrupting work at companies including one that supplies equipment to IBM and Apple. In Shenzhen, 1,000 workers went on strike on Tuesday at a factory owned by a Taiwanese computer-parts maker after the company required staff to work overtime from 6pm to midnight, New York-based China Labor Watch said in a statement. A day earlier, workers at a Shenzhen factory owned by lingerie maker Top Form International went on strike over wages and unachievable production quotas, the group reported. Last week, 7,000 workers at a shoe factory went on strike in Dongguan, the Hong Kong-based China Labor Bulletin reported. Companies have faced increasing demands for higher wages from workers in China as inflation remains high, income inequality grows and real estate prices soar. In September, several hundred work-
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ers went on strike at a factory of lingerie maker Triumph International in the southern province of Hainan over a new employment incentive programme. Last year, workers at Guangdong-based suppliers to Japanese automakers went on strike demanding higher wages.
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World
SEOUL North Korea yesterday threatened to turn Seouls Presidential Palace office into a sea of fire, stepping up its rhetoric one day after South Korea conducted largescale military drills near a front-line island attacked by North Korea last year. On Wednesday, South Korea mobilised aircraft, rocket launchers, artillery guns and naval boats for the first anniversary of the artillery attack on a military garrison and fishing community on Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. Two marines and two construction workers were killed in the attack, the first on a civilian area since the 1950-53 Korean War. A similar sea of fire threatens to engulf Seouls Presidential Blue House if South Korean forces fire a single shot into North Korean territory, the Norths Peoples Army warned in a statement from Pyongyang. They should not forget the lesson
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The nurse accused of starting a fire at a Sydney nursing home faces eight counts of murder. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that prosecutors yesterday added four murder counts against roger dean, who worked at the Quakers Hill
Nursing Home. Four elderly residents of the home died in the Nov 18 blaze, and five more have died since. dean again did not opt for bail and will stay incarcerated until the next hearing in February. aP
The Philippine Supreme Court has ordered vast sugarcane plantation lands owned by President Benigno Aquino IIIs relatives to be distributed to thousands of farmers under a government land reform programme. It said the 4,500-hectare Hacienda luisita in northern
Tarlac province should be turned over to 6,296 farm workers. The decision ends decades of dispute over a property that has become a symbol of inequality and the slow pace of Philippine land reform, said Mr ramon Casiple, an analyst at the Institute for Political and Economic reform. ageNcies
more than 20 homes were destroyed or damaged by wildfire in southwest australia after firemen lost control of a planned forest-burning operation. hundreds of people have been evacuated from around the margaret river region as more than 100 firefighters battled the blaze yesterday, assisted by aerial water bombers.
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yemeN protesters reject immuNity deal For saleh aNd call For justice
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Yemen President Ali Abdullah Salehs agreement to step down failed to end the violence yesterday as security forces killed five protesters demanding that the ousted leader be put on trial for past crimes, ranging from corruption to bloodshed during the current uprising. Mr Saleh signed the powertransfer deal brokered by neigh-
bouring countries on Wednesday in the Saudi capital, riyadh. It officially transfers power to his VicePresident, Mr Abed rabbo Mansour Hadi, in exchange for immunity from prosecution. But many doubt that the deal marks the end of political life for Mr Saleh, who has proved to be a wily politician and suggested in
remarks after the signing ceremony that he could play a future political role in the country, along with his ruling party. The tens of thousands of protesters in Yemen, who have distanced themselves from the formal opposition movement, rejected the immunity clause for Mr Saleh and vowed to continue their protests. ap
protesters gather behind a barbed wire barricade, newly-erected by the egyptian army in front of the interior ministry, in cairo yesterday. ap
A man slapped Indias Agriculture Minister in the face yesterday, apparently to draw attention to rising food prices and corruption. Mr Sharad Pawar was talking to reporters at a political function when the man attacked him. Television news reports said the man was shouting slogans about inflated food prices and graft. Footage showed the man brandishing a knife as he was dragged away by security officials and Mr Pawars aides. dont you know why I hit
him? The common man is distressed. Am I wrong? he shouted as he was being taken away. CNN-IBN TV reported that the man was detained by police. Mr Pawar was not seriously hurt. Such incidents have become increasingly common in India, where ministers and other officials have had shoes thrown at them and their offices ransacked by angry citizens. The incidents have usually been over political decisions, corruption, or real or perceived injustices. ap
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from alleged hacking victims. Ms Rowling, known for fiercely guarding her privacy, talked about her attempts to protect her children from the media. She said press coverage helped boost sales of the Harry Potter books but it later made it untenable to live in her house. It was like being under siege or being held hostage. It was impossible to go out, she said. Over the years she has engaged about 50 lawyers to deal with the press. Former Formula One boss Max Mosley, who successfully sued the News of the World over a 2008 story headlined Formula One boss has sick Nazi orgy with five hookers,
discussed the difficulty of squashing malicious stories in the Internet age. He has acknowledged the orgy, but argued that the story obtained with a hidden camera was an outrageous invasion of privacy. The Nazi allegation was damaging and completely untrue, he added. High-profile witnesses still to come include CNN celebrity interviewer Piers Morgan, who has denied using phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper. Witnesses have included celebrities like actor Hugh Grant and ordinary people pursued in times of grief, including the parents of murdered 13-year-old Milly Dowler. ageNcies
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some members sleep in a chicken coop and had sexual relations with married women to cleanse them. Mullet said last month that he did not order the haircutting but did not stop his sons and others from carrying it out. He said the goal was to send a message to local Amish that they should be ashamed of themselves for the way they were treating Mullet and his community. aP
World
MOSCOW Russia threatened on Wednesday to deploy missiles to target the United States missile shield in Europe if Washington fails to assuage Moscows concerns about its plans, a harsh warning that reflected deep cracks in US-Russian ties despite President Barack Obamas efforts to reset relations with the Kremlin. President Dmitry Medvedev said he still hopes for a deal with the US on missile defence but strongly accused Washington and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies of ignoring Russias worries. He said Russia will have to take military countermeasures if the US continues to build the shield without legal guarantees that it will not be aimed against Russia. He also warned that Moscow may opt out of
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Protesters holding a banner that reads, stop areva, you stink of nuclear, in a field in Lieusaint near valognes on Wednesday. reuters
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Clearly enjoying himself, United States President Barack obama spared the lives of two turkeys on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and took a dig at the White House press corps. After pardoning the lucky turkeys liberty (picture) and Peace in the annual White House rite of passage, he quipped: Some of you
may know that recently Ive been taking a series of executive actions that dont require congressional approval. Well, heres another one. He then added that the two turkeys, in preparation to face the White House press corps, were given media training that included learning how to gobble without really saying anything. aP
Holiday travellers thronging Chicago oHare international airport yesterday ahead of the thanksgiving holiday period. reuters
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World
The sports shoe firm adidas is to sell its trainers for US$1 (S$1.30) a pair throughout rural India to capitalise on the countrys soaring population. The German sports giant believes the rise of Indias 1.1 billion population, which is expected to surpass China as the worlds largest in the next decade, is an opportunity to persuade aspirational Indian villagers to trade their plastic chappals or flip-flops for
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aDiDas aims To geT iNDiaN villagers To TraDe Flip-Flops For s$1.30 TraiNers
one of the worlds most iconic brands. The idea was inspired by Mr Mohammad Yunus, the Nobel Prize-winning founder of the Grameen microfinance bank in Bangladesh. The sports shoe firm had originally planned to launch its venture there but switched to India after a pilot project lost money. The companys boss, Mr Herbert Hainer, blamed high import taxes and the firms lack of presence in Bangladesh for the failure.
The US$1 trainers will be the latest in a growing trend which increasingly sees the worlds poor as a potentially lucrative market. In the past few years mobile phone companies like Vodafone and Indias reliance have had great success selling cheap mobile phones to rickshaw-pullers and roadside hawkers throughout India while Tata launched the worlds cheapest car.
The Daily Telegraph
Scientists have concluded that women fake orgasms because they are worried that their lover will be unfaithful, and that the more often a female fakes her sexual climax, the more successful she is in keeping her man. researchers in the United States found that 53.9 per cent of the women surveyed they were all heterosexual and in a committed relationship reported having pretended to reach orgasm with their current partner, and noted that women who perceived higher risk of partner infidelity were more likely to pretend orgasm. The study, published in The Archive of Sexual Behaviour, also showed women concerned about their man straying deploy a number of different tactics, including putting in more effort with clothing, following their mans movements and confronting potential rivals who looked his way.
The Daily Telegraph
Gold XMaS
a 2.4m Christmas tree, made with 12kg of gold, on show at a store in Tokyo. The store teamed up with flower arrangement artist shogo kariyazaki to dress up the tree with ribbons, hearts and orchids, also made of gold. The tree, not for sale, is worth 150 million (s$2.5 million) and will be on display till Christmas Day. ap
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BUSINESS
GET THE laTEsT nEws
TwiTTEr.com/ TodayonlinE
aveLyN Ng
avelynngsy@mediacorp.com.sg
54
The tender for a 99-year leasehold residential site in Chestnut Avenue received 12 bids at the close yesterday, with the top offer from SP Setia International (S) at S$180 million, according to Urban Redevelopment Authority data. The property services company is a Singapore-based unit of Malaysian developer SP Setia Bhd. The 201,278.6-sq-ft site, which is located in Bukit Panjang, has a maximum permissible gross floor area (GFA) of 422,688 sq ft. S P Setias top bid translates to S$426 per sq ft of GFA. The lowest bid of S$131 million, or S$312.6 per sq ft of GFA, came from TG Land and Master Contract Properties. The site was launched for tender on Sept 15.
Genting Bhd, which controls Asias second-largest casino company by market value, said third-quarter profit fell 22 per cent to 597.2 million ringgit (S$244.8 million), after booking a one-time gain during the same period a year earlier. Revenue climbed 32 per cent to 5.1 billion ringgit on increased takings at its core Singapore, Malaysia and UK casinos, the company said. The Kuala Lumpur-based group owns a 52-per-cent stake in Genting Singapore, which reported a 12 per cent gain in third-quarter profit to S$209.7
million on Nov 10. The unit, owner of one of Singapores two casinos, opened its Resorts World Sentosa theme park in February last year. Growth in regional tourism should continue to augur well for the leisure and hospitality business, Genting said. The premium players business in the region has seen significant growth as evidenced by recent reports in Singapore and Macau. However, slower global growth prospects are anticipated mainly due to weakening economic fundamentals.
bLoomberg
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marketbuzz
WINE AND DINE AT THE SHOPPES AT MARINA BAY SANDS
Whether you are on a date with your loved one, chilling out with your friends or taking your family out for a nice dinner, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands has a variety of dining options to choose from.
Hy California
Caffe B Spread across two floors, the restaurant and bar offers authentic Italian fine cuisine and spectacular views of the Marina Bay. There is also a private grill room for a truly exclusive dining experience. Choose from a variety of pizzas, gourmet antipasti and desserts! Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria Meat lovers will delight in this restaurant that offers rotisseriecooked meats marinated according to traditional Brazilian recipes. Tuck into a selection of meats including lamb, fish and pork sausages. Also, visit the restaurants new Rio Tapas Lounge where you can enjoy delicious tapas and cocktails. HY California Hide Yamamotos newest restaurant boasts Japanese cuisine with a cool California twist. Original sushi creations and traditional recipes have been given a delicious new take. The cosy and intimate settings also make for a great place to relax with family and friends.
Java Detour Start your day with a delicious cuppa from Java Detour. The organic beans are hand roasted in mcro-batches to ensure the best flavours. Also serves pastries, organic teas, and pastas.
Kraze burgers
Caffe b
Kraze Burgers Enjoy burgers like never before at this restaurant that bakes its own buns. The burgers are delicately made by hand, which is why it takes at least 10 minutes to prepare each burger. Must-try items include the signature KB original, Vege & Bean and KS Burger. Pita Pan For healthier options, try the new vegetarian Mediterranean restaurant. Start your day with a hearty Shakshuka of poached eggs in a spicy sauce. At lunch, eat your heart out with the Mediterranean platter which offers all the rich near-Eastern flavours in one plate.
Yu Cuisine This modern and hip Chinese restaurant serves everything from seafood to dim sum. It even has a chic grill and champagne bar concept on the upper level of the restaurant. Signature dishes include Hong Kong Aberdeen chilli crab, butter cream king prawns and Peking duck. While youre dining at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, dont miss the Wonder Full light show and experience the orchestra of music, light and sound effects. For more information, visit www.MarinaBaySands.com/Shoppes.
TRADE ONLINE AND GET REWARDED Standard Chartered is rewarding customers for transferring their stocks to the bank via its Online Trading platform. Receive up to S$100 worth of shopping vouchers with every S$50,000 worth of stocks you transfer into your account. And with every new account opened, youll get S$100 worth of free trades. Since its launch in June, the Standard Chartered Banks Online Trading platform has been used by the emerging-affluent segment in Singapore and has seen a double-digit growth in active Online Banking customers. Promotion ends Dec 31. For more information on how to start trading online, visit www.standardchartered.com.sg/personalbanking/ investment/online-trading-tour/index.html. GLOBAL HOKKIEN SINGING COMPETITION Earlier this month, SingTel Mio TV held a Global Hokkien Singing Competition audition at the SingTel Comcentre Theatrette. More than 100 hopefuls turned up for the auditions with the youngest contestant just five years of age. In the end, three contestants were chosen 23-year-old Jayden Chew, 19-year-old Gary Lim and 16-year-old Katherine Tan. The trio will be representing Singapore in the grand finale held at Fujian, China in January. Contestants from all over the world will be battling it out for the top prize of RMB30,000 (S$6,013). This Sunday, catch the telecast of the Singapore auditions on mio TVs Jia Le Channel (Channel 88) at 10pm and on Jia Le on-demand (Channel 288) the following day. And starting from Dec 19, episodes of the grand finals will be telecast on mio TV Channel 88, 8pm almost daily. For more information, visit mio.singtel.com/miotv/ promotion_globalhokkiensingingcompetition.asp.
NESCAFE FRAPPE 100 HOURS MOVIE INDULGENCE 2011 The Nescafe Frappe 100 hours Movie Indulgence was held at nex Atrium level 1 from Nov 9 to Nov 13.The challenge? Be the last person standing in a 100-hour movie marathon and win S$10,000. Despite the gruelling challenge, Adam Bin Kamis (fifth from left), who has only one arm, emerged the grand winner with a record-breaking time of 92 hours and 49 minutes. Mr Kamis said: For me, its not about winning. My purpose in participating in this movie marathon is to prove that disabled doesnt mean unable. Thank you Nescafe Frappe 100 Hours Movie Indulgence 2011 for not disqualifying the disabled and giving me an opportunity to join this marathon. The S$10,000 will go in part to charity to help someone I know who is suffering from partial paralysis and blindness. It will also help with my hospital bills and loans as well as enable me to set up my own business. THE MODERN ART OF BODYSHAPING Want that sexy S-shape figure? With Triumphs new Shape Sensation, you can have curves in all the right places. The form-fitting bodywear collection of sleek and sensual shaping lingerie not only looks good but also feels good and comfortable as it smoothens lumps and bumps, and defines your curves for that S-shape silhouette. Whether you desire a more voluptuous cleavage, a slimmer torso, an enhanced waistline or lifted bum, the shapewear controls curves while it lifts and helps tone your body. Choose from a range of designs including lightweight, stretch-lace fabric, seamless styles and highperformance lycra beauty fabric.
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Business
BEIJING Growth in Chinas factory output is likely to fall slightly to between 12 and 13 per cent next year due to weakening global demand, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said yesterday. Annual industrial output in the worlds second-largest economy is expected to grow 14 per cent this year. Many economists believe that if Chinas
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weakness. The results amplified concerns that the global economy may tip into recession. The industrial production growth rate will show some moderation next year, judging from the domestic and external environment, said senior MIIT official Huang Libin. The ministry expects Chinas economy to grow an annual 9.2 per cent this year, and the pace could slow modestly next year. Chinas economy grew 10.4 per cent last year. reuters
sti
thursday close
Name
q p q q
top 5 by volume
vol price chaNge
goldenagr 112,774 Noble grp 93,227 Nexgenscom^ 71,554 psl hldg 52,539 hph trust us$ 51,142
s$0.670 p 1.52% s$1.090 p 0.46% s$0.012 p 33.3% s$0.465 p 2.20% s$0.595 q 1.66%
stock call
sgX sell | s$6.06
IIFL has downgraded Asias secondlargest listed bourse to sell from reduce and cut its target price to S$5.44 from S$6.12. Says: Gloomy outlook for global and Asian stock markets continues to weigh down on SGX securities turnover, and cuts SGXs net profit estimate by 7 per cent for fiscal 2012 and 2 per cent for 2013. Also lowers its average daily turnover forecast for SGXs securities business by 13 per cent to S$1.4 billion for next year.
From brokerage research aNd ageNcy reports disclaimer: readers should seek independent financial advice before making any investment decision. today cannot be held liable for any consequence arising from the use of this information.
Samsung, while the global economic downturn has hit sales in its two main markets, the United States and Europe. The revised guidance implies revenue will fall by 20 per cent to 25 per cent from the third quarter and HTC will ship two million fewer smartphones than expected, said Credit Suisse. HTC said it still has confidence in the smartphone market and expects growth momentum to resume in the first half of next year. It is also betting on revenue growth from China and other emerging markets, saying it will invest in these markets as much as it does in the US and Europe. Its shares fell by the 7 per cent maximum allowed in a day yesterday to NT$526, in a broader market that was up 0.8 per cent. ageNcies
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ProPerty
CommeNtary
CoLiN taN
property@ mediacorp.com.sg
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especially at a time when the economy is slowing down. The prime Grade A office building in Raffles Place has a tenure of 999 years and 850 years remaining on the lease. However, Keppel Land is selling its stake with only a 99-year lease. Excluding rental support from Keppel Land, the estimated sale price of OFC works out to S$2,380 per sq ft. Leaving aside the equally contentious issue of independence for the time being, it must be said that REIT managers have mostly had to acquire their properties on the higher side of valuations if only because it is the only way they can get the owners to sell it to them. A REIT can get a property on the cheap only when the owner is ignorant of its true market value or if it is a forced sale many investors still do not realise this. At the same time, the REIT manager can only justify the acquisition to shareholders if it is yield-accretive. Otherwise, the REIT is better off not doing anything. So, a spot of financial engineering is required to get it to be so. This will buy the REIT manager some time to get the asset to perform to expectations or for the market to turn around and justify the values. In a
rising market, this is not a problem. Otherwise, for the acquisition to be yield-accretive, the REIT will have to buy a property of lower quality or one with higher risk because such properties have higher yields. As more properties in Singapore are acquired by the REITs, there will be fewer available on the market. As such, the asking price by the remaining landlords can only get higher. Given more time, it will become clear, if it is not so now, that the current model is not sustainable in the long run. REITs are often presented as defensive plays as it relies on revenues generated from income-producing properties held in its portfolio. While it may be so in more mature economies, the situation is different in Singapore. In mature economies, a typical portfolio of properties in a REIT is a lot more stable. The leases are longer, which means the payout is much more consistent. In Singapore, most REITs are on the acquisition trail and their portfolios are always expanding. This may have to do with the existing reward structure the payoff is better with acquisitions than getting the existing assets to perform better. Is this what the
Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) intended when it drew up the regulatory framework for REITs? There may be better justification for a hands-off approach in the early days when the industry was in its fledging stages and when the MAS needed to build up the industry. However, as the recent K-REIT Asia controversy has highlighted, it may be time for further regulation, especially in the areas of independence and avoidance of conflict of interests. Many times in the past, I had prodded journalists to look further into certain REIT issues but all have declined, citing a lack of understanding of the subject matter. Also, as pointed out by one reader, most REIT unitholders are not sophisticated enough to look after their own interests because of their lack of understanding. Even a representative of an institutional fund I spoke to immediately after the K-REIT controversy erupted showed a lack of understanding of the issues. They simply trust the management to do the right thing. Colin Tan is head of research and consultancy at Chesterton Suntec International.
CommeNtary
he Government has recently decided to restart a building programme for hawker centres an icon of local food culture that is often neglected as a property asset class. These mass market spaces house food stalls that serve up the true taste of Singapore. There are 112 hawker centres today, the last one having been built in 1985. After 26 years, the plan to build 10 new such establishments in the next decade is a welcome move. But this is not simply because of the growing trend of Singaporeans eating out. Some Government officials have argued that hawker centres could also help contain inflation. Consumer prices in Singapore have been on the rise since late 2009 and the inflation rate recorded last month was 5.4 per cent the fifth straight month that the reading has topped 5 per cent. With about 6,000 li-
censed hawkers selling cheap cooked food around housing estates today, there is a strong case for such an argument. Anecdotal evidence suggests that hawker stalls in mature housing estates such as Toa Payoh have held food prices steady for many years. A bowl of fish ball noodles at a stall I have been going to has cost a affordable S$2.50 for the last few years. This is likely because many hawker stalls enjoy rental subsidies from the Government. In Parliament early this year, then Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said about half of the 6,258 cooked food stalls in hawker centres had been subsidised. The subsidised rent for a hawker stall ranges between S$160 and S$320 a month, considerably less than the market range of S$275 to S$2,900, he said. With more hawker centres in the pipeline and assuming no changes in the Governments subsidy policy, stall owners rental costs are unlikely to see substantial increases. Thus, the construction of new hawker centres could very well lead to more affordable dining choices and contain inflation in Singapore.
Or could it? Another property asset class real estate investment trusts (REITS) could have the unintended opposite effect of boosting inflation in Singapore. A typical REIT owns one or a pool of properties out of which rental income is distributed as dividends to shareholders. Since the first REIT was introduced in Singapore in 2002, the sector has become an increasingly popular asset class among investors due to its taxefficient status and high dividend yields. There are now more than 20 listed REITs in Singapore owning a variety of properties they have built or acquired. Due to their focus on delivering superior shareholder returns as well as pressure from their investors and the analyst community Singapore REITs have generally been proactive and efficient in raising the rental rates of their investment properties whenever market conditions allow. For example, some of the retail REITs track their tenants sales turnover on a monthly basis and the REIT managers would thus know who can afford to pay higher rental rates when the tenancy contract comes up for renegotiation.
The growth of retail REITs has also resulted in a larger supply of shopping mall space being concentrated in the hands of a few large REITs. Naturally, these REITs have better bargaining power against their tenants during rental rate negotiations. One retail REIT, for example, was able to increase its rental rates by an estimated 25 per cent from 2003 to last year, significantly higher than the average 11 per cent increase in non-REIT suburban retail rental over the same period. In short, higher REIT dividends come at the expense of higher rental costs for the tenants. This in turn filters through to higher product prices and, ultimately, higher inflation. However, we cannot blame REITs for raising rents given the pressure they face from investors and analysts such as myself to deliver higher shareholder returns. Thus, the next time I pay a higher price for a shirt or a pair of shoes in a REIT-operated mall, I should compensate by dining at my usual hawker centre more frequently. Tan Chin Keong is an analyst at UBS Wealth Management Research.
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S-League footballers not good enough
Extreme 40 catamarans are capable of hitting high speeds even in moderate to light winds. PhOTO COuRTESY Th.MARTiNEz/SEA&CO.
COMMENTARY
FAS has failed to address two key targets and it has to make up for lost time
Most of the players who played for Singapore when they overcame Malaysia in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers in July, will not be around soon. Right now, many of the ones slated to take their place are not up to scratch. And one who could go on to become the countrys brightest star is stuck here.
for a deadly slide-rule pass and constantly demands the ball. Little wonder that Malaysias Under-23 team retained their gold medal. In 2008, Baddrol went for a two-week training stint with English Premiership giants Chelsea. Irfan is currently on loan to Slovakian side FC Vion Zlate Moravce. All this time, Hariss Harun, captain of the Courts Young Lions and the most promising footballer to emerge in Singapore in years, continues to try and improve here, in the S-League. It is a competition where SAFFC striker Fazrul Nawaz has scored 15 goals for his club this season. He is the Warriors highest local goal scorer. The 26-yearold played for the Lions against China recently at the Jalan Besar Stadium in a World Cup qualifier and was clearly out of his depth. Team-mate Shaiful Esah, 25, a left-back, owns one of the best left foots in the local game. He can swing in a vicious cross to send defenders into a panic. Yet few remember when he has managed that skill this year for the Lions. And he remains a poor defender. Home United striker Qiu Li is blessed with tremendous ability but he consistently struggles with his fitness and only displays flashes of his skill for Singapore, though he does well for his club in the S-League. They have all been playing in the S-League for a few years already and, in short, they have hardly improved. They have failed to make the step up at international level. The S-League is the production line of talent for the national team. It is the only seam the Singapore national coach can mine for gifted local footballers and, in the last few years, it has failed to produce. This season, the FAS introduced a rule where all S-League clubs have to run Centres of Excellence for under-16 and under18 footballers. They aim to extend it to the under-14s. It is a great move, but after so many missteps in other areas, the FAS must ensure the scheme is policed, and then thrives. Zainudin has masterminded Singapores return to Malaysian domestic football competitions next year and it is a bold move. I have said before that this could prove a masterstroke and grow the numbers on the terraces. If the FAS pulls out the stops to support the S-League clubs, the spillover effect will be felt domestically. Most of the players who played for Singapore when they overcame Malaysia in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers in July, will not be around soon. Right now, many of the ones slated to take their place are not up to scratch. And one who could go on to become the countrys brightest star is stuck here. Football is at the crossroads. It is time to act, FAS. That includes sending 21-year-old Hariss abroad. Leonard Thomas is sports editor at Today.
LEONARd ThOMAS
leonard@mediacorp.com.sg
ver the last few years, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has said, on more than one occasion, that it would send local players for trials or training stints with clubs in Europe, maybe even Japan. This has not come to pass. The FAS has also stated, under former president Ho Peng Kee and current chief Zainudin Nordin, that one of its main tasks was to increase fan turnout at S-League matches. Few continue to support the countrys only professional sports competition. The FAS has failed to improve the S-League and Singapore football is suffering. Most of the players in the Courts Young Lions team that feature every week in the S-League played in the recently-concluded SEA Games, and they were distinctly average. It was a shock to see how so few were comfortable on the ball. Imagination, a priceless commodity for any footballer, was missing. Pace, so crucial in the modern game, was pedestrian at best. On Monday night in the final, I watched Malaysias Baddrol Bakhtiar send a pinpoint 40m cross-field pass to a teammate, and it took my breath away. In the frenzied cauldron of the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, with the most important gold medal of the Games at stake, the 23-year-old captain was good enough, and cool enough, to execute the pass. His team-mate Mohd Irfan Fazali was even better on the ball on a mess of a pitch. A joy to watch with his magnetic control and impudence, at just 20, he already owns an unerring eye
@tdysports oN tWIttEr
sports sCorEs | ANALysIs | NEWs
today Friday November 25, 2011
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rory mcilroy (right) and Graeme mcdowell yesterday during the omega mission Hills World Cup. Getty imaGes
reuters
sports
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lation Blackburn Rovers FC can confirm a revision to manager Steve Keans existing contract has now been completed. An agreement made in the summer has now been formalised. Contrary to some reports there is no change in the length of the contract. The club respects that all contracts are private and confidential and no further comment will be made. Kean has come under pressure from some sections of Blackburns supporters, with small demonstrations held before and after games, and even a private plane chartered to fly above Ewood Park pulling a banner reading Kean Out.
tHe daiLy teLeGraPH blackburn rovers manager Steve Kean is down but not out. Getty imaGeS
bayer Leverkusen 2 Chelsea 1 LONDON It is no secret Andre Villas-Boas was hired by Roman Abramovich to do what no previous Chelsea manager has managed to pull off win the Champions League. After Chelseas defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday in Group E (yesterday morning, Singapore time), the London clubs hopes of qualifying for the last 16 hang by a thread, as does Villas-Boas job, surely. With the Germans already through, Chelsea need to beat Valencia at Stamford Bridge in a fortnight or post a goal-less draw to advance, while a score draw or defeat would see the Spaniards into the last 16. This was Chelseas fourth defeat in seven games in all competitions. After spending another fortune strengthening the squad and prising Villas-Boas away from Porto, this was not how it was meant to be for Abramovich. The Blues host Wolves in a Premiership clash on Saturday before facing Liverpool in a Carling Cup quarter-final tie at home on Tuesday. Villas-Boas acknowledged he had to fire up the confidence in his squad ahead of the two games, and said: Thats when they expect the manager to inspire them. Thats my job. Thats my task, to inspire these people and motivate these people to change our faith.
Its in our hands to qualify. Its a game at Stamford Bridge and we expect to do our job. Thats our responsibility and we dont want to let the fans down.
embattled Chelsea boss villas-boas rallies the troops
The responsibility is mine and its my task now to inspire and motivate them to take them to a win against Wolves and, certainly, a win against Liverpool in the Carling Cup. We have two games at home. We need to get the focus, concentration right. I have to inspire my players and motivate them, and we need our fans behind us in these critical moments. In a mediocre first half, former Germany captain and Chelsea star Michael Ballack marked his 100th appearance with what in the end turned into a commanding performance. Chelsea took a deserved lead early in the second-half when Didier Drogba turned well in the box to score with a low shot. However, the hosts, beaten finalists 10 seasons ago, forced their way back into the game and levelled with
a well-crafted goal by substitute Eren Derdiyok a minute after coming on. They then sent their fans wild when Chelsea fell asleep at a corner and Manuel Friedrich rose high to strike at the death. A beleaguered Villas-Boas later vowed to coax concentration and focus from his beleaguered players. Were in a negative spiral of results. The team want to get out of it desperately and the only thing we can do is work even harder to achieve that. This is a critical moment for our team and we will need the fans behind us, he said. I have to motivate them to get a win against Wolves (on Saturday) and then against Liverpool in the Carling Cup (on Tuesday). If the unthinkable occurs and Chelsea lose to Wolves and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, Abramovich may well feel he has no choice but to act, to try and save a season spiralling out of control. Even this early in the season, Villas-Boas is going to be under intense scrutiny. He is possibly even one loss away from the sack. aGeNCieS
otHer reSuLtS Group e valencia 7 racing Genk 0 Group F marseille 0 olympiakos 1 Group G Zenit St Petersburg 0 aPoeL Nicosia* 0 Shakhtar donetsk 0 Porto 2 Group H aC milan*2 barcelona*3 (* denotes qualified for the last 16)
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Duck confit with dahl, bitter bean pickle and onion bhaji
Tim Ross-Watson gives two classic styles a 21st-century twist
THERE is something about a meeting of two cultures that Chef Tim Ross-Watson appreciates on a deeper level. After all, the 27-year-old chef exec of hip new Garden Of Eden on Neil Road is son to an Indian father and English mother. His featured If Pigs Could Fly dish, a duck confit presented to look like pork belly and served with dahl, does also reflect his mixed heritage rather well. Chef Tim recommends slow cooking the duck (in this case, sous vide for 48 hours) before deboning it and removing the skin. But fret not if your dream Sous Vide Supreme water oven is still a few bucks short of a reality, Tim said roasting the duck leg at 120 degrees Celsius for 8 hours using an ordinary oven before deboning will do just fine. To reheat, just place the duck in a Ziploc bag and warm up in warm water.
DON MENDOZA
Yellow pea dahl: 250g split yellow peas (soaked overnight in water); 1tsp coriander seeds; tsp white pepper corns; 1tsp cumin seeds; tsp fennel seeds; 1 star anis; cinnamon stick; 3 cloves; 4 onions diced small; 4 cloves of garlic; 15 curry leaves; 1 stick of lemon grass; 1 apples chopped; 200ml coconut milk; Salt to taste Method 1. Roast all the seeds in a dry frying pan until they start to crackle slightly. 2. Remove and pound them in a pestle and mortar to a fine powder. 3. Add 4 tablespoons of oil to a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cook until soft. 4. Add the spice powder and cook until the powder starts to stick on the pan. 5. Add the coconut milk and stir to ensure nothing is sticking to the pan. 6. Add the rest of the ingredients and a little water and cook until the peas are soft. Bitter bean pickle: 200g tamarind paste; 100ml cider vinegar; 20g sugar; 3g salt; 200g bitter bean Method 1. Place in a pan the tamarind, cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt, and bring to the boil. 2. Blanch the beans in salted water for about 3-5 minutes.
3. Drop the beans in the tamarind pickle and allow to cool to room temperature. Keep in an air tight container in the fridge. 4. The pickle is best after 3 to 5 days. Onion bhaji: 3 onions sliced (any type of onion); 60g tapioca flour; 60g rice flour; tsp cumin powder; tsp ground ginger; 300ml soy milk Method 1. Break the sliced onions up in the soy milk. And leave to soak at room temperature for a good 2 hours. 2. Mix the flours and spices. 3. Drain the onions and mix with the flour mix to make a thick batter. 4. Fry drops of the onion mix in hot oil until golden brown. Remove and season with salt. Duck leg confit 2 duck legs; Salt Method 1. Salt the duck legs for 24 hours. 2. Rinse off and cook in a sous vide machine at 72C for 48 hours. 3. Debone and skin the meat. 4. Take the skin and put it on a tray. Press the meat on top of it and leave it overnight in the fridge. 5. Remove and reheat in the sous vide machine for 10 minutes at 45C. Blow-torch the skin for a crisp finish.
If Pigs Could Fly Duck confit with yellow pea dahl, bitter bean pickle, onion bhaji and mango puree Serves 2
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Photos by Jason Ho
pancake flecked with prawns, pork and bean sprouts. It wasnt so much sizzling as it was delightfully crisp with a wafer-like layer of batter. If you are as unfazed by tasty fried food as I am, you will find it incredibly hard to restrain yourself with this dish. I half expected the bo la lot (S$22) or beef wrapped in betel leaf to have the same sharp, acerbic flavours. As it turned out, cooked betel leaf is much like vine leaves they have a mellow, earthy flavour and, in this dish, harboured succulent slivers of tender beef. The nem cuon Hue (S$18) or fresh spring rolls Hue-style comes with a crunchy pickled shrimp on top, offering a textural contrast to the chewy rice paper skin and the fresh vegetables within. Certainly, while Annam positions itself as an upscale restaurant, much of the food feels like comforting homespun fare. It is the prices, really, that are posh.
A bowl of beef pho, for instance (which is only served at lunch), will set you back S$28. Sure, its a relatively large bowl of pho, but it is still an expensive one. It is clean tasting and calming as it is meant to be. Aside from the high prices, the only other marring quality of the restaurant is its acoustics. When the place fills up, as it often does at mealtimes, it is near impossible to hear your dining companions without shouting. But that can be easily rectified with some carpeting, which the restaurant says it plans to put in soon. ANNETTE TAN Annam Where: 1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre #02-11 Singapore 228 208 Telephone: 6735 6656 Website: www.annam.com.sg Opening hours: Daily noon to 2pm, 6.30pm to 9.30pm, closed on Mondays
48 hours until meltingly tender; and shredded pork cooked with pickled cabbage to offer some acidity. When a waiter comes around at dessert with a bowl of liquid nitrogen, I begin to fear that he might freeze off a finger. But though they stumble verbally, the service staff is mercifully deft with the liquid gas. In goes a spoonful of chocolate cream, which is flash frozen and placed onto our plates. A touch of raspberry jelly, a few pop rocks to provide sizzle, and some coconut cream for richness, and you have Jelly And Ice Cream (S$15), though a version not quite like any youve had before. ANNETTE TAN Garden Of Eden Where: 148 Neil Road Telephone: 6222 2119 Opening hours: Daily 7pm until late, closed on Sundays & Mondays
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entertainment
ViViD-ly excited to be here
entertainment
ryoga: Great music, great stage presence complete with great looks! Im thinking of what kind of costumes to wear for our performance already. Iv: My unique smile. We promise you will not be bored no matter who you look at! Ko-ki: Iv, you always claim your smile is unique, when it is my smile that is actually the unique one! It will be like a special reunion of pen-pals who have never met each other before. It is our first time meeting our fans in Singapore, and we will like our fans to feel the bands unity and rock to our live music with us. What are you expecting for this show? Shin: We are excited to be here. It is our first time in Singapore and we want to share our music with everyone. Im sure the audience will love us cause we love them! reno: Ill get audience members excited with my guitar! Who are your music inspirations? And why those people? Shin: Any band that is rock! I started out in rock. However,ViViD is about presenting a wide range of music genres. reno: Eric Clapton, I have been listening to him since I was young. I like Daita from Siam Shade. ryoga: LArc En Ciel, theyre music is so inspirational. The pioneer rock group from Japan. Iv: JanneDaArc, I simply love them! Ko-ki: UVERworld If you have free time, how do you relax? Shin: Go for onsens. Best thing in the world. reno: Eat my favourite is ramen. I also play my guitar everyday ryoga: Go shopping for clothes or accessories Ko-ki: Go for holiday. Where do you see ViViD in 10 years time? Shin: To become Japans national band! reno: Of course, to be at the top. I just want to stun our audience with great music and a spectacular performance and one day play the Tokyo Dome. ryoga: I want our music to be heard by everyone in Japan. And ViViD becomes a band known by everyone Iv: I want to play at more shows internationally and in Japan, starting from our show at Budokan on 1 July next year. Ko-ki: Yes, I want to play at the Tokyo Dome and go on a world tour! Id like us to be a band that brings about a revolution in the world. One that can be recognised worldwide. The Sundown Festival happens tomorrow at Marina Promenade (F1 Pit Building). Doors open at 5.30pm. Limited tickets at S$138 still available from Sistic.
The J-rock band says they cant wait to see their fans at the Sundown Festival this weekend
THEY have very stylised music videos, they dress to kill not literally, you understand when theyre onstage, and they look like Japanese comic book heroes come to life. Yes, ViViD, one of Japans newest visual kei rock bands, arent afraid to go all the way to get their music heard. Formed in early 2009, the band incorporates various elements of dramatic theatrics, as well as their strong visual impact and showmanship to promote their brand of music, dubbed melodic mixture rock, or heavy rock
combined with pop and rap. Their mini album, The Vivid Color (2009) was a Top 40 hit in Japan and their singles, such as Take Off, Precious and Blue have been fan favourites. Set to perform at the Sundown Festival tomorrow, the ViViD members Shin (vocals), Reno (guitar), Royga (guitar), Iv (bass) and Ko-ki (drums) took time off to answer our questions.
ChrISTopher Toh
We promise you will not be bored no matter who you look at. Iv
What can Singapore expect from your show? Shin: Leave it all up to us, and we promise you will enjoy yourselves. reno: Awesome music and instrument skills and a super performance! I spent a lot of time perfecting my playing technique.
IT was an opportunity that a music-lover could only dream of. Sezairi Sezali got to meet Quincy Jones when the legendary musician was in town on Monday night. While he was here, Jones, the newly-appointed chairman of the Singapore-based Asia Academy of Music Arts & Sciences spoke to students at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia. He also enjoyed an impromptu MAY SeAh performance by Singapore pop stars (and former Singapore Idol winners) Taufik Batisah, Hady Mirza and, of course, Sezairi. Hes everyones idol, whether they know it or not, because hes the man behind everything that is right now, in my opinion, Sezairi enthused. Hes the man who made Thriller what it is and hes the man who influenced the greatest pop icon of our generation (Michael Jones Jackson). Behind the Sezairi Sezali with Quincy
scenes, hes also done a lot of stuff which I can really relate to because I do a lot of stuff like songwriting as well. Jones requested to hear the Idols sing an honour that Sezairi still cant quite take in and the 24-year-old performed Maroon 5s Sunday Morning. I forgot what he said, the current National Serviceman confessed. I was hyperventilating! It may come off like a joke or something but Im really not kidding. He said it was good stuff. I just said, Thank you so much for everything. I dont know what else you can say. I didnt want to go all fanboy on him.
6311 9162
VIVOCITY PLAZA SINGAPURA
HAPPY FEET 2* (G)
@ www.gv.com.sg
JURONG POINT
m.gv.com.sg
YISHUN TAMPINES MALL
MARINA SQUARE
HAPPY FEET 2* (G)
HAPPY FEET 2* (G) 11.40am HAPPY FEET 2* (G) 11.20am HAPPY FEET 2* (G) 12.00 HAPPY FEET 2* (G) 12.20 1.30 3.35 7.50 9.55pm 1.45 3.50 6.40 9.10pm 10.50am 12.55 3.00 5.05 2.05 4.10 6.40 8.45 9.25 2.25 4.30 6.35 8.40pm 11.00am 1.05 3.10 5.10 10.50am 12.55 3.00 5.05 PUSS IN BOOTS* HAPPY FEET 2 - 3D* (G) HAPPY FEET 2 - 3D* (G) 7.10 9.15 11.50pm 10.50pm 7.15 9.20pm 7.10 9.15 11.20pm HAPPY FEET 2 - 3D* (G) 11.50am 5.10 7.15pm 5.20pm 4.50pm PUSS IN BOOTS* 12.35 11.00am 1.05 3.10 5.15pm HAPPY FEET 2 - 3D* (G) PUSS IN BOOTS* 10.30am PUSS IN BOOTS* 12.20 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: PUSS IN BOOTS* 10.40am PUSS IN BOOTS* 12.10 BREAKING DAWN PART 2.45pm 2.50 4.55 7.00 9.05 11.10pm 2.55 5.00 7.20 9.25 11.30pm 2.40 4.45 6.50 8.55 11.00pm 12.45 3.00 5.15 7.20 9.25 1.25 2.40 3.20 4.45 5.50 PUSS IN BOOTS* 10.45am 1* 2.40 9.20 11.50pm 11.40pm 1.45am 6.50 7.45 8.55 9.40 11.00 12.50 2.55 5.00 6.45 7.05 PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* PUSS IN BOOTS* 11.10am PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* 11.40pm PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* HAPPY FEET 2* (G) 11.50am 9.10 11.15pm 11.20 1.05 1.15 3.00 11.25am 12.35 1.20 3.15pm 11.00am 1.05 3.10 5.15pm 11.00am 1.00 2.55 7.05pm 11.25am 1.20 3.15 7.35pm 1.15 2.00 3.20 4.30 6.45 PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* THE TWILIGHT SAGA: PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* 3.10 4.55 5.05 7.00 8.55 7.45 9.25 9.50 11.55pm THE TWILIGHT SAGA: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1* BREAKING DAWN PART 1* 12.10 2.05 4.00 6.05 8.00pm 11.00am 1.05 3.10 7.30pm 9.50 10.50 11.45pm 12.45 HAPPY FEET 2 - 3D* (G) BREAKING DAWN PART 1* BREAKING DAWN PART 1* 11.30am 2.00 4.30 7.00 10.45am 1.15 3.45 6.15 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: 1.40am 12.30 4.50 6.55pm THE TWILIGHT SAGA: 9.30pm 12.00am 11.15am 1.45 4.15 6.45 11.00am 1.30 4.00 7.20 6.40 8.45 9.30 11.15pm BREAKING DAWN PART 1* BREAKING DAWN PART 1* PUSS IN BOOTS* 10.35am 12.00 1.45am PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* 9.15 9.55 11.45pm 12.15am 8.45 11.15pm IMMORTALS* 12.30 2.50 12.30 2.25 2.35 4.20 6.15 11.00am 1.30 2.25 4.00 10.45am 1.15 3.45 6.15 5.05 7.20 9.35 11.15pm 10.55am 12.50 4.50 6.45pm IMMORTALS* 2.30 4.45 8.10 9.10 10.05 11.20pm IMMORTALS* 2.20 4.35 IMMORTALS* 12.30 2.45 7.00 9.15 11.30pm 1.45am 4.45 6.30 7.05 9.00 9.55 7.20 8.45 9.40 11.15pm 12.00am ALREADY FAMOUS*+ MAND THE TWILIGHT SAGA: 7.40 9.25 11.25pm 12.00am 5.05 7.20 9.35 11.50pm 11.30pm 12.15am 12.00am 11.50pm BISHAN JUNCTION 8 PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* BREAKING DAWN PART 1* IMMORTALS* 12.15 2.30 11.15am 1.35 3.30 5.25 IMMORTALS* 12.40 2.55 HAPPY FEET 2* (G) 11.30am 12.00 1.50 2.20 7.30 9.25 11.35pm 4.45 7.00 9.15 9.50 11.40pm 5.10 7.25 9.40 11.55pm 10.55am 1.00 3.05 5.10 4.10 4.20 4.40 6.30 7.15 7.20 9.25pm THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ALREADY FAMOUS*+ MAND IMMORTALS - 3D* 12.10am BREAKING DAWN PART 1* 7.30 8.50 9.40 11.10pm PUSS IN BOOTS* 11.50am 4.20pm 12.10am 10.30am 12.00 12.50 3.10 12.00 1.30 2.20am 2.45 4.50 7.15 9.20 11.25pm 4.30 5.25 5.30 6.50 7.50 PUSS IN BOOTS - 3D* IMMORTALS* 11.45am HAPPY FEET 2 12.15 3.00pm HAPPY FEET 2 11.00am 10.10pm 12.30am More movie choices and session 10.40am 12.55 3.00 5.05pm 2.00 4.15 9.20 9.35pm IMMORTALS* 10.45am PUSS IN BOOTS 10.30am 12.45 6.30 8.50pm THE TWILIGHT SAGA: times are available at all THE TWILIGHT SAGA: 12.00 2.15am 1.00 3.15 5.30 6.45 7.45 BREAKING DAWN PART 1 BREAKING DAWN PART 1* GV cinemas. Please log on to THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 10.00 11.30pm 12.15am 11.00am 1.30 4.00 6.30 1.20 4.10 7.00 9.45pm IMMORTALS - 3D* 9.00pm 11.00am 1.45 4.30 7.15 10.15pm 1.00am www.gv.com.sg for full listings. IMMORTALS - 3D* 2.35 7.10 9.00 9.40 11.30pm 12.30am + 9.00pm 12.10am ALREADY FAMOUS* MAND IMMORTALS 3.30 10.00pm 12.40am IMMORTALS* 12.45 3.00 KAIJI 2: THE ULTIMATE 12.15am 2.40am IMMORTALS | M18 | Violence & Sexual Scene, THE TWILIGHT 5.15 7.30 9.45 11.50pm GAMBLER*+ JPN 11.50am ALREADY FAMOUS*+ MAND 11.05pm
Cinema opens 30 mins before 1st show. All movie rated PG unless otherwise stated, Session times are subject to change, No Free Passes, + English Subtitles, , No refunds for uncollected tickets.
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also increases your appetite to the point where gorging is all but inevitable. But can you train to get your gullet ready for the battle? Maybe, but you should have started long before. Lawrence R Kosinski, a committee chairman of the American Gastroenterological Association and a private practitioner in Chicago, said that if you really wanted to, you could stretch your stomachs capacity (normally about
SUNS CAFE
Restaurant & Bar
HEAVY REMORSE
Indeed, Overeaters Anonymous often sees its attendance spike in January, as anxietyprovoking social situations push some members off the wagon.
PACIFIC TUNCH
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Enjoy an extra-long meal this weekend and dawdle over desserts while catching up with friends and family. We have an extensive spread of local and continental favourites guaranteed to satisfy all tastes and appetites.
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(Child 3-11 years old) (Adult)
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1.4 litres) by consistently overeating. But that would take a lot of food and time. You really cant do it over a couple of days, Kosinski said. That being said, there are ways to survive the intestinal onslaught, most of which, like any good disaster plan, involve preparation, containment of the damage and the strength to rebuild. Doctors, psychologists and experts in overeating all say that mental preparation is crucial to creating willpower, which can be hard to come by when you are suddenly staring down that perfect triple-layered chocolate-dipped cheesecake. With whip. Venues that are typically foodfree zones light up like pinball machines around the holidays, said Cynthia Bulik, a clinical psychologist and the director of the University of North Carolina Eating Disorders Program. Bulik says that as bad as the feeling of being overfull can be, the guilt over those trips to the pie table can last far longer. Its not just the pounds, she said. It is the self-pounding that people put themselves through for having that extra dessert or taking that second helping of stuffing. Indeed, Overeaters Anonymous often sees its meetings attendance spike in January, as anxiety-provoking food and social situations push some members off the wagon. Not surprisingly, members have developed a variety of tactics to fend off food, including a kind of fake-out
whereby one keeps an eager host at bay by constantly having full hands a diet soda in the left, a plate of nice lean veggies in the right. Other members suggested taking a tablespoon or so of everything, dodging trigger foods, practicing a polite no, thank you, attending extra meetings during the holidays or even bringing their sponsors to the feast. Then theres plain old lying. So you just say, Im full, or Ive already had some, said Naomi Lippel, the groups managing director. Or even Im allergic. Some people say they try to limit their indulgence by eating sensibly-sized pre-meal meals earlier in the day. This makes you less likely to gorge you are already full, after all but runs the risk of making you seem rude. (What do you mean youre not hungry?) Others rely on deception, keeping their plates just full enough to prevent eager hosts from piling on seconds. There are even a few people out there who practice something called moderation, though it doesnt sound like fun. Lippel also offered a sentimental option, saying that for some, the secret to not overdoing it is taking the focus off the food and making it about the people: The people they are with and the people that they love. Because thats what the holidays really are about. Aww. >> Continued on T4
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CelinaTan
Boozy conversations about what makes people smile
THEY say never mix business with pleasure, but for husband-and-wife team Kok and Celina of Celinas GastroBar at 51 Duxton Road, its a combination that actually works. They made the big switcheroo from their respective jobs in the IT/education and banking industries in favour of opening their very own gastrobar. Kok and I have been in our respective industries for more than 20 years and we were looking for something different to do, something we have a passion for and something we could do together, shared the 47-year-old mother of two. Weve always liked the bar scene ... But its not so easy to find a nice chill-out bar with atmosphere and still get good and tasty food. And since we love to cook, and to drink, a gastrobar seemed the natural choice. The couple, who first met in the National University of Singapore back in 1984, are very passionate about what they do, and extremely friendly with their customers. Celina even has fun manager as her official designation. All my banker friends laugh at me, but Im really the fun manager! I organise fun events for the bar, what! she quipped. GENEVIEVE LOH Whats your favourite poison? What we like to drink depends on our mood, who we are with and whether theres food to accompany our drink. I generally like to drink wines and sakes with some food and Kok will always have his whisky after a nice meal. I love cocktails while mingling. And champagne. Who doesnt like a chilled crisp champagne Gonet Blanc de Noir no matter what the circumstance.
sake vendor.We were sharing a lovely bottle of fresh sake-Usu-nigori. Its a slightly cloudy sake with some bubbles and fruit notes. It paired really well with the pate that Kok makes. (Its) very unconventional, but made so much sense. So together we continued to explore other less conventional sake and food pairings, and (the vendor) found some flavourful sakes to go with cheeses I selected. Just as the right sake can go well with non-Asian food, some wines can also pair well with the spicy Asian food. Whats the weirdest food and drink pairing youve come across? That would have to be sake and blue cheese. I was truly amazed how well it pairs. An original cocktail youre particularly proud of? Chi-Chis wine cocktail. This is a drink Kok designed for a nice Japanese customer who was looking for a chill-out bar she felt comfortable hanging out at. Four months into Singapore, she was missing a drink she used to have in Japan. She liked the cocktail so much we decided to name it after her. Since then, its become a very popular cocktail in our bar. We are now working on a white wine and elderflower version of this drink. Fill in the blanks: I drink Champagne when life is good; whisky to forget the bad times; and Chardonnay when contemplating new gastrobar events. Favourite drink after a hard days slog in the kitchen? Has to be chilled, refreshing and easily accessible ... For me it would be a chilled glass of unoaked Chardonnay, for Kok a nice very cold beer.
Have another Christmas cookie. After all, its only a tiny little cookie, right?
How did you come up with the idea to pair cheese and sake? It was actually while having drinks with our
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Cars
nEWSTrACK
Cars
CAr rEVIEW helmet roof and all but suffice it to say, Minis taken the visual volume and turned it up to 11. With underpinnings taken from the Mini Cabriolet reinforced for more speed and the familiar 1.6-litre turbocharged engine endemic to Cooper S Mini variants, its no mere show pony. Although its heavier than the hatchback, despite fewer seats and doors, the Coupe offers a condensed, more purposeful drive. Heavier steering and better high-speed manners means its good on both tight and wide paths, with the slightly hyperactive Mini handling character preserved too. What doesnt add to the experience is the noise, with tyre rumble and transmission whine that could become grating on long trips. The car comes with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions, the latter we tested here is starting to feel a little slow, too. The inside is pure Mini, with an idiosyncratic control scheme, theres enough space for two, though cargo room is at a premium. A small ski hatch connects to the 280-litre boot for some extra room. Rivals like the Peugeot RCZ and Volkswagen Scirocco offer more refinement and space, though arguably less visceral enjoyment. Minis aim at a highly emotional place, and this one packs lots of punch in a special, two-up package.
DErryn WonG
Electric boost
If all electric vehicles were like Audis A1 e-tron range extender vehicle, we should be very happy
Daryl Lee in Hakone, Japan
features@mediacorp.com.sg
Around the world on two-wheels Want to know how to, or what its like to travel the world by motorcycle? Singaporean adventurer Goh Mia Chun did just that in 2008 and hell be presenting his story at *Scape on Nov 26, 4pm as part of the DBS Remix Inbranch Series events. Bike-care specialists Motul will also be dishing out tips on how to keep your ride clean. Goodie bags will be given to the first 30 attendees. Admission is free, but RSVP to dbsremix@ dbs.com to reserve a spot. Harley-Davidson supports Movember Harley-Davidson will, fittingly, be riding in support of the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) and the global Movember movement, which aims to spread awareness about cancers that specifically affect men. A convoy ride will be held to the Movember Gala Party at Zouk on Nov 26. Tickets cost S$15 from the SCS. Celebrate 35 years of GTI Volkswagen is holding an anniversary party to commemorate 35 years of the hot hatch performance icon, the Golf GTI. The event will run on Nov 26 and 27 from 10am to 8pm and includes a showcase of GTIs, including the rare Mark 1, as well as the new model, the Golf GTI E35. VW will also have special prices on its cars and merchandise. Register at www.gti35.sg for early bird specials.
WHILE the benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) are legion zero tailpipe emissions, silent running, punchy acceleration, etc they arent free from warts. The electricity itself has to come from somewhere clean, while EVs have to make compromises in terms of space to hold big, heavy batteries. But does it cast a shadow on all vehicles electric? Not if the Audi A1 e-tron has anything to say about it. On the surface, its pretty much business as usual: A 61bhp electric motor with an overboost function (102bhp, for short periods) powers the front wheels. When we tested it on a short, closed loop of Hakones wonderful driving roads, it handles as an EV should instant acceleration, no gears to mess with, and surprising speed all in a hushed silence. Well, nearly: We still could hear the muted thrum of what sounds like a portable petrol-powered generator coming from somewhere in the boot.
Hold on a minute, you say, isnt this supposed to be an EV whats with the petrol generator? Well, its an EV of a rather different breed, and it comes fitted with a range extender, basically a tiny 254cc petrol engine whose sole purpose is to top up the A1s batteries, not turn the wheels. Just how tiny is it? It fits in the space usually taken up by a spare wheel. This ace-in-the-hole gives the e-tron a theoretical range of 250km a whopping 200km over the rather paltry 50km it would travel on its bank of lithium-ion batteries alone. And its helpful when you dont have three hours to wait for them to charge. This also alleviates whats known in industry parlance as range anxiety (kind of like the feeling you get when your iPhone is low on juice and you need to make an urgent call). But greenies still shouldnt fret. Despite the addition of an internal combustion engine, Audi says it emits just 45g/km of carbon dioxide, or roughly half that of a Toyota Prius.
The A1 e-trons only spent a year in development, says e-tron product strategy manager Heiko Seegatz, so its still at a very early stage.Yet it certainly is a mouth-watering prospect a (near) zero emissions EV motoring minus the associated range panic along with almost uncompromised practicality and drivability. The A1 e-tron wont be the first e-tron (Audis term for its EVs) to be sold to the public. That distinction goes to the 313bhp R8 sports car-based EV due to be launched at the end of 2012 and with an A3 e-tron also in the pipeline. This is only the beginning with Seegatz saying any next-generation Audi could be an e-tron, engineered specifically with an eye towards electrification along with conventional power sources, thereby possibly eliminating the compromises usually associated with EVs. This segues very nicely with its plan to be the worlds largest manufacturer of premium EVs by 2020.
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things to do
oktos WHOA! Event Indulge in a weekend of family fun at oktos Weekend Hall of Awesomeness (WHOA!). Look forward to live shows, photo-taking sessions, obstacle courses and a DC superheroes exhibition. Rub shoulders with the stars of okto, such as the cast from Dream School and hosts from Knockout, Sheikh Haikel and Annabel Francis. Be the first to catch members of the all-new Mat Yoyo cast this Friday at 1.30pm and 4pm only at oktos WHOA! Present your copy of Today and get 15 per cent off tickets at all Sistic outlets.
Until Sunday, 11.30am to 8.30pm, The Max Pavilion, Singapore Expo. Tickets at S$10 each or S$30 for four from Sistic. www.xinmsn.com/oktowhoa
Ng Woon Lam: Watercolour and Oil Painting Exhibition Catch this solo exhibition of internationally-acclaimed artist Ng Woon Lams latest watercolour and oil paintings in a unique setting which shows how all five senses, not just sight, can be actively used in viewing art. Exhibits include a painting of Little India presented together with fragrant snacks
and spices, for instance. Ng is the first Singaporean to win a medal at the prestigious American Watercolour Society Annual International Show and currently teaches at the Nanyang Technological Universitys School of Art, Design and Media.
Today, 5.30pm to 7.30pm, tomorrow until Dec 2, 10am to 5.30pm daily, The Art Gallery, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. Free admission. www.ngwoonlam.com
Twos Company: ShiLi and Adi Known for their impressive repertoire of chart toppers, jazz favourites, R&B tunes and rock classics, ShiLi and Adi have been charming the local music scene with their refreshing take on beloved covers, creative arrangements and medleys of popular numbers. Sit back, relax, and let the duo take you on a musical experience like no other.
Today, 7.30pm, 8.45pm and 10pm, Esplanade Outdoor Theatre. Free admission. www.esplanade.com
WSSA 2011 Asian Open Sport Stacking Championships Witness more than 200 individuals of all ages compete in this championship, where they will be aiming to complete pre-determined sport stacking sequences in the fastest time possible. In sport stacking, participants stack and unstack 12 specially designed cups at lightning speed. Cheer for the Singapore team as they compete against top-notch stackers from seven Asian countries including Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia and China to set the inaugural WSSA Asian record.
Tomorrow, 9am to 6pm, Kensington Ballroom, Serangoon Gardens Country Club. Free admission.
UPCOMING Keepers A Showcase of Artisans Carrie K , Singaporean silversmith and jewellery designer, opens her atelier for the inaugural Keepers event a quarterly showcase of independent designers and artisans. Apart from Carrie K Jewellery, leather bags from Sul:Three and clothing by local designer YuMuMu will also be showcased. Guests can sample truffles prepared on the spot by Truffs and, for S$20, taste a range of champagnes from independent importer Lollapalooza.
Tomorrow, 2pm to 7pm, Carrie K Atelier, 136 Bukit Timah Road. Free admission, S$20 for champagne
Celebrate 2012 with Channel 5 Featuring Canadian pop-rock sensation These Kids Wear Crowns, Malaysian pop diva Siti Nurhaliza, Singapore Idols Sezairi Sezali and Sylvia Ratonel, as well as Sheikh Haikel and many more, this years countdown show promises to entertain with a greater variety of music than ever. Hosted by Gurmit Singh and Michelle Chia, usher in the New Year with a series of live performances followed by a spectacular fireworks display by the Bay. Then, take to the dance floor as DJ Thryce and DJ Vault spin your favourite beats to continue seven hours of non-stop partying.
Dec 31, 8pm to 3am, The Float@ Marina Bay. Tickets at S$25 from Sistic, 20 per cent discount for five or more tickets, 10 per cent off for students and NSFs, and 50 per cent off for children aged 12 and below and senior citizens. xinmsn.com/celebrate2012
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10.00 Legend Of The Seeker II (Season Finale) MN Survivor XXIII: South Pacific (Encore) 1.00AM CSI IX 2.00 The Noose 2.30 India: A Love Story 3.30 Chase 4.00 The Dr Oz Show 5.00 The Martha Stewart Show VI
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3.00 The Dr Oz Show 4.00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show IX 5.00 Video Zonkers 5.30 Unbeatable Banzuke 6.00 India: A Love Story 7.00 Americas Funniest Home Videos XXI 7.30 Singapore Radio Awards (Live) 9.30 News 5 Tonight
CHANNEL
The Singapore Radio Awards honours our talents in radio with a total of 19 awards, including Most Popular Radio Personalities, Most Creative Radio Trailer, Best Radio Show, Best Newcomer and Most Stylish Radio Personality. Get set for a night of great entertainment and excitement in this first-ever television event, hosted by Justin Ang and Vernon A.
6.00AM 6.30 7.00 10.00 NOON 1 2.30PM 1.00 1.30 2.00 Dont Worry Be Happy 2 Battle Of The Best III Good Morning Singapore The Perfumed Arrow Trivia Trove 2 Destroyed In Seconds News 8 At One Of Rites And Rituals Secrets Of Soup 2.30 3.30 4.30 5.30 6.30 7.00 My Teacher, My Friend Golden Age Talentime 2011 Pay It Forward Mrs P.I. Singapore Today Kampong Ties (PG-Some Violence) 8.00 Buffet Buffet 2 8.30 Crimewatch 2011 9.00 A Song To Remember (PG) 10.00 News Tonight 10.30 Frontline 11.00 Golden Ferris Wheel (PG) MN On The Fringe 11 (PG-Some Violence) 1.00AM Immortal Love (Last Episode) 3.00 Invincible Warriors 4.00 Golden Ferris Wheel
paayUm pUli
Vasantham, 9pm
CHANNEL
8.00 Diamond Club 9.00 Ladies First 10.00 The Threshold Of A Persona (PG) 11.00 News Tonight 11.30 The Fugitive: Plan B 1 2.45AM 1.45 2.45 3.45 Paladins In Troubled Times Ladies First 100% Entertainment Close
10.00 LazyTown (prescHool) 10.30 Little Robots (prescHool) 11.00 Sunshine Station 11.30 City Of Friends NOON The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That! 1 2.30PM Hi-5 (prescHool) 1.00 Sunshine Station 1.30 Thomas & Friends 2.00 Mr Moon (prescHool)
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2.30 3.00 3.30 4.00 4.30 5.00 5.30 6.00 6.30 8.30 9.00
ON SINGTEL MIO TV
10.00 MN
Chuggington (prescHool) Art Factory Kids Rock Record Breakers Singapore Edition Sketch The Jungle Book Monster Allergy oktoLIVE! okto @ The Movies: Barbie: Princess Charm School Inside Life: Gobies (Rock Climbing Fish) Human Planet (PG-Graphic Visuals) Agatha Christies Marple Towards Zero Close
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Ku Milikmu Semanis Janji Khayalan II Periuk Malaysia, Belanga Brunei Bola Cinta Berita Tarikh Kematian Iris M.A.N. Berita Close
When his sister is killed by a smuggler, a mentally impaired man vows to deliver justice and joins a martial arts school. After training hard to become a master fighter, he takes on a new identity, Paayum Puli (Pouncing Tiger), and sets off for revenge. However, he meets a beautiful woman who puts a hitch in his plans.
ON STARHUB CABLE TV
8.30 Tamil Seithi 9.00 Vasantham Box Office: Paayum Puli MN Tamil Seithi 1 2.30AM Close
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6.00AM 6.30 7.00 9.00 9.38 10.00 10.33 11.00 11.33 NOON 1 2.32PM 1.02 1.32 2.00 2.33 3.00 3.32 4.00 Asian Home News AM Live! Early Edition AM Live! Asia Today World Watch World Today Expat Asia World Today Asian Home News World Today World Watch Insight Taxi To Asia Asia Today AM Live! Bite-size Asia Today Scene.City-Singapore Asia Today 4.33 5.00 5.32 6.02 6.32 7.00 8.02 9.00 9.31 10.00 10.31 11.00 11.31 MN 1 2.31AM 1.01 1.31 2.00 World Watch Asia Market Report Mind Your Money BlogTV.sg VI Super Science II Primetime Asia Being A Child Primetime News Get Rea! X Singapore Tonight Asia Business Tonight Asia Tonight Talking Point World Tonight Get Rea! X Singapore Tonight Asia Business Tonight Full Page Headlines
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Homeland season 1
Season Pass (mio TV Ch 731), New Episode Every Tuesday, Anytime On Demand
An American soldier presumed killed in Iraq returns 10 years after he went missing. The relationship between Carrie and Brody becomes more complicated when they head to the countryside for the weekend; Mike and Jessica face the fallout of the truth about their relationship; and Saul catches Aileen on the run to Mexico.
red
HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601), 10pm
The peaceful life of Frank Moses, a former blackops CIA agent, is interrupted when an assassin shows up, intent on killing him. With his secret identity compromised and his love interest in danger, Frank reassembles his old team to stay alive and figure out who is out to get them.
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