News Today

SM's call to wealthy: Give 0.5% of annual pay to needy
THIS is a call from Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong: If you are wealthy, donate at least 0.5 per cent of your annual income to help the needy. Mr Goh made it yesterday, saying he hoped Singapore will one day become... [Read more]

CapitaLand earns $40m from sale of office space
CAPITALAND has sold all its entire interest in the Samsung Hub office block to two different buyers for a gain of $40 million.The entire divestment of space in the central business district building amounted to $152.9 million.Property company Ho Bee Development... [Read more]

Homecoming kings
PHOTO: ALBERT SIMIt was a football homecoming to savour for Singapore skipper Aide Iskandar and the victorious Lions yesterday. They were mobbed by 300-odd fans at the airport upon their return from Bangkok, where they had clinched the Asean Football Championship... [Read more]

More than 100 accidents over New Year weekend
WHILE most people here were raising a toast to the Chinese New Year over the weekend, many families had to rush to hospital to attend to relatives involved in road crashes. There were 40 accidents on Friday, 35 on Saturday and... [Read more]

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

Changing tactics of terrorism
SINCE the start of this decade, more than 1,000 people have been detained in Britain under the country's anti-terrorism legislation. But the threat has not diminished. In a rare public speech last November, Ms Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of Britain's internal... [Read more]

Pakistan to erect fence along Afghan border
RAWALPINDI (PAKISTAN) - PAKISTAN will erect 35km of fencing to reinforce its porous mountain border with Afghanistan, President Pervez Musharraf said yesterday. He acknowledged for the first time that Pakistani frontier guards may be allowing suspected Taleban and Al-Qaeda fighters to... [Read more]

US plans to put on a more welcoming face
WASHINGTON - THE US government and private sector are launching a massive effort to reshape America's image for foreign visitors amid concerns that tightened security measures have made the country inhospitable. The campaign comes as the number of visitors to the... [Read more]

Some measures to be taken
Educate communities about the impact of the haze on their families' health. Train villagers in ways to prevent forest fires and help them use zero burning techniques to clear land. Reward farmers who reduce burning with funds for necessities such as... [Read more]

Undersea quake hits Indonesia's Maluku islands
JAKARTA - A STRONG 6.6-magnitude undersea earthquake rocked Indonesia's northern Maluku province yesterday, the meteorology agency said, prompting initial fears of a tsunami.The agency urged residents on Bacan island to be alert for signs of rising sea levels after the quake... [Read more]

Today's News Articles
La LigaTodayA. Madrid v SantanderVillarreal v R. Madrid Live, Ch22, tomorrow, 4.55amTomorrowGetafe v OsasunaGimnastic v EspanyolLevante v Sevilla Live, Ch22, 11.55pmMallorca v R. HuelvaR. Sociedad v BilbaoZaragoza v Deportivo Barcelona v Celta Vigo Live, Ch22, Monday, 1.55amReal Betis v Valencia Live,... [Read more]

Car hit by golf ball that flew through safety net

My car was hit by a golf ball that flew through the safety net and went out of bounds at Jurong Country Club while I was driving on the AYE between 6.30pm and 7pm on March 2.

I went to the club the next day to launch a complaint and claim. While the club was professional in handling the matter, it has been a chore since.

In addition to that, I was appalled by the remark of a diner at the club, who commented that it was a 'small matter' and that I was making a mountain out of a molehill. I was made aware that my case was the second in two weeks. This is shocking.

Did the club do anything about it after the first incident?

And why is the process to complete my claim for repair so complicated?

What is the club doing to penalise careless and inconsiderate golfers and members?

Also, the remarks by the diner. What would his reaction be if this had been his car or his family?

I hope he realises that it is not a 'small matter' at all. When it comes to safety, nothing is a small matter and the need to pre-empt and prevent is of paramount importance.

Chew Wee Bing (Ms)

All Singaporeans out of All-England in first round

SINGAPORE'S campaign at the Yonex All-England badminton championships ended after Ronald Susilo was shown the door in the first round by China's Bao Chunlai.

The world No 5 defeated Susilo 18-21, 21-15, 23-21 on Wednesday evening.

Singapore's top player felt the match had been close but he had been the victim of bad luck.

'I was actually leading the last game 20-19 but then I caught the shuttle with the edge of my racket and it went into the net.

'Bao then scored the next point and, even though I managed to level at 21-21, he pulled away to win.

'At this level, sometimes you need a bit of luck. It was a good match.'

Susilo's exit marked the end of Singapore's challenge at the tournament.

Earlier, Kendrick Lee had succumbed to Japan's Shoji Sato 12-21, 14-21.

Li Li and Xing Aiying also bowed out in the first round of the women's singles, while none of the Republic's doubles pairings progressed.

Nonetheless, Singapore Badminton Association acting chief executive Jacqueline Lim was encouraged by the players' performances.

She said: 'There were some close matches and we are pushing the top players from countries like China.

'We are aiming to peak for May's Aviva Open Singapore, which is our home event and a key target for us.'

The shuttlers will compete in the Swiss Open next week before returning home.

Meanwhile, former champion Peter Gade was the highest profile casualty on Wednesday.

The fourth-seeded Dane was beaten 15-21, 21-19, 21-19 by Dicky Palyama.

Gade saved four match points in a row and was denied the chance to save a fifth by a debatable line decision.

It happened after he had forced a defensive lift from his Dutch opponent.

The shuttlecock appeared to land two or three inches out, only for a line judge to indicate the shuttle was in.

Gade looked staggered, and Palyama looked a little surprised momentarily.

He then hurled his racket across the floor and celebrated his first win over the former world No 1.

Gade's demise may help China's Lin Dan, the top-seeded title-holder who is in the same half.

He beat Malaysia's Muhammad Roslin Hashim 24-22, 16-21, 21-9 to advance.

AGENCE-FRANCE PRESSE

Dhoby Xchange flop: SMRT should re-examine its approach

I read with empathy that Dhoby Xchange was a flop. More importantly, packed along with the shops as they close their shutters are broken dreams of possibly young budding entrepreneurs.

My partners and I were one of the few hundred who tendered for one of the shop lots. Before that, we had met up with SMRT's appointed marketing agent, who was reputable in the retail sector, to find out what the tenant mix SMRT intends to attract so that we could pitch our concept to secure the tender.

We did not place high bids as we were sceptical that given SMRT's concept, there would be throngs of shoppers. On the first failed bid, we met up with SMRT to present our proposal in the hope that SMRT would revise its concept. Our proposal was submitted together with our second bid and also in an e-mail.

We felt that the location was excellent, given the ready captive audience - commuters who had to take the train come rain or shine. So the emphasis is to have a tenant mix built round the needs of the commuters most of whom do not have deep pockets.

Forget about the upmarket trendy shops trying to attract shoppers from elsewhere or even fighting for a slice of the Plaza Singapura shopping crowd. Citing examples of the shops at SMU, where business is pathetic, did not help either. We are disappointed that our proposal fell on deaf ears and more so at SMRT's high-handed approach.

Train stations in big cities round the world feature humble shops that cater to the everyday needs of commuters like hot dog stands, newsstands, shoe repair shops and florists. There are no big labels to boast of, trendy shop decor or glitzy advertisements to draw the crowd. They are just focused on serving the needs of the commuters.

Tenants should not be blamed for the predicament of the mall. It is the tenant mix that draws the crowd, not the individual shops. If the mall fails to attract the crowd then SMRT should re-examine its approach in resolving the problems than merely adopting a draconian approach of relying on legal recourse.

Elaine Hong Wai Leng (Ms)

New record price for Sentosa Cove condo plot

SENTOSA Cove's latest condominium plot has set another record price for land in the luxury enclave.

Its 99-year leasehold Seaview Collection attracted five bids when its tender closed yesterday.

The highest is said to be more than $1,300 per sq ft per plot ratio (psf ppr) - or at least $440 million. It beat the $1,308 psf ppr Sentosa land record set by a bungalow plot in November.

Sources said boutique developer Ho Bee tabled the top bid for Seaview, closely followed by CapitaLand. City Developments, Frasers Centrepoint and Lippo Group are said to be the other bidders.

All the bids for the 157,108 sq ft site came in above $1,000 psf ppr, said Sentosa Cove. This means that even the lowest bid exceeded the previous $919 psf ppr record for condo land, also set by Ho Bee, for the Waterfront Collection last year.

At $1,300 psf ppr for Seaview, the break-even price for the plot would be about $1,800 psf ppr, which means the winning developer would have to price the condo units in excess of $2,000 psf, said consultants.

Mr Nicholas Mak, director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank, noted that the top bid 'is near some of the record land prices achieved for freehold land in districts 9 and 10'.

Other experts expressed concern that the recent stock market correction could affect investor sentiment in the property market.

FIONA CHAN

Sports World

WILSON WINS FOUR-MAN PLAY-OFF

FLORIDA: Mark Wilson birdied the third play-off hole to win the USPGA Tour's Honda Classic yesterday, edging out Jose Coceres, Boo Weekley and Camilo Villegas.

It was Wilson's first victory in his 111th start on the world's top golf tour.

Play was stopped because of darkness at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens on Sunday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONTOYA WINS FIRST STOCK-CAR RACE

MEXICO CITY: Former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya won his first stock-car race at the Nascar Busch Telcel-Motorola 200 in Mexico City on Sunday.

He beat Denny Hamlin to the finish line in Nascar's second-tier series by 0.498 sec after late-race caution periods bunched the field.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

MOGAKA TRIUMPHS IN L.A. MARATHON

LOS ANGELES: Kenyan Fred Mogaka beat countryman Moses Kororia to win the Los Angeles Marathon and its battle-of-the-sexes challenge on Sunday.

Kororia and another Kenyan, Christopher Kipyego, passed eventual women's winner Ramilia Burangolova at the 40km mark.

But Mogaka then surged ahead of all three to win in 2 hr 17min 14sec.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

News Today

Let a panel review strong objections of families
IT IS very sad and distressing to read about the recent scuffle between Singapore General Hospital staff and brain-dead man Sim Tee Hua's next of kin over an operation to harvest his organs for transplant (ST, Feb 8). We had in... [Read more]

Ford chalks up biggest full-year loss of $19.5b
DEARBORN (MICHIGAN) -FORD Motor lost a staggering US$12.7 billion (S$19.5 billion) last year - an average of US$1,925 for every car and truck it sold and the worst loss in the company's 103-year history. The company that invented the assembly line... [Read more]

Sports World
DOWIE TO RUN THE SHOW AT COVENTRY COVENTRY: Iain Dowie was hired as Coventry football club manager yesterday, three months after being fired by Premier League side Charlton.Dowie signed a 31/2- year contract with Coventry, who are 17th in the 24-team... [Read more]

President Nathan: Build cultural, social ties
MANILA - SINGAPOREANS should not only seize investment opportunities in the Philippines, but also embrace social projects and cultural exchanges here, President SR Nathan said yesterday. In an assessment of his four-day state visit, he said his meeting with Philippine President... [Read more]

Serie A
TodayTorino v UdinesePalermo v LazioTomorrowAC Milan v ParmaAS Roma v SienaAtalanta v CataniaCagliari v Reggina Live, Ch23, 10pmChievo v EmpoliFiorentina v LivornoMessina v AscoliSampdoria v Inter Milan... [Read more]

Retirement planning low on S'poreans' priority list
MOST Singaporeans are prepared for short-term financial emergencies and big expenses such as their mortgage and children's education. However, such planning falls well short in other areas like retirement.Those were the key findings of a new survey on how ready people... [Read more]

Sri Lanka peace plan scuttled by defections
COLOMBO - A GROUP of Sri Lankan opposition lawmakers defected yesterday, effectively scuttling a landmark peace deal aimed at ending decades of separatist violence on the island, officials said. Eighteen members of the right-wing United National Party (UNP) formally joined the... [Read more]

Israeli varsity eyes research partnership
IT WAS attraction at first sight. After being swept off its feet on a three-day visit to local universities, Israel's Technion university looks almost certain to become the latest partner in a billion-dollar research initiative by the National Research Foundation (NRF).... [Read more]

Full-day bus lanes will carry extra red line
I REFER to the letters regarding the impending bus-lane modifications. The bus-lane scheme was introduced in 1974 to give priority to public transport so that larger numbers of people can be carried more efficiently, quickly and reliably. Since then, we have... [Read more]

Sports World
DELAY IN LANDIS PROBE SLAMMEDMADRID: The Tour de France's director-general expressed frustration on Tuesday over the slow progress of Floyd Landis' doping case. 'The anti-doping commission in the United States won't meet until the first days of March to study the... [Read more]

NTUC Income-Yeo's S-League
THE S-League begins on March 4, and The Straits Times looks at the interesting faces in the league. Today, we feature the league's youngest referee, and how being the man in the middle has helped him.Format: 12 clubs, 33 matches each.Teams... [Read more]

South Korea's new tank can swim, sit, stand and kneel

SEOUL - SOUTH Korea unveiled yesterday what it calls the world's best tank - capable of fording shallow rivers, defending itself against missiles and firing 'smart' projectiles.

The XK2 Black Panther is a main battle tank of 'the highest technical level all over the world', said its developer, the state-run Agency for Defence Development.

Key features include an active defence system against incoming missiles and aircraft, automatic tracking and ammunition-loading systems, an active suspension unit and high underwater manoeuvrability.

'We have stolen a march over other developed countries in developing ground weaponry. The Black Panther proves it,' agency president Ahn Dong Mahn told journalists.

Mr Kim Eui Hwan, the official in charge of the project, said the Black Panther has 'more superb capabilities than any other existing tank'.

Its armament includes a 120mm smooth-bore main gun which is automatically loaded and capable of firing up to 15 rounds per minute.

A unique system enables it to fire on the move and compensates for errors caused by bumpy terrain.

A special suspension unit enables the tank to 'sit', 'stand' and 'kneel', allowing it to fire its main gun downhill.

Another key feature is Korean Smart Top-attack Munition rounds, which have their own guidance and obstacle-avoidance systems to hit hidden targets.

In another claimed world's first, the agency said the tank - using a special snorkel - can manoeuvre quickly in up to 4.1m of water and is ready for combat immediately after it surfaces.

With three crew members on board, the 55-tonne tank with a 1,500hp engine has a road speed of more than 70kmh and cross-country speed of more than 50kmh.

The Black Panther will enter mass production in three years and the army will take delivery of an unknown number in 2011.

The price tag is estimated at US$8.8 million (S$13.4 million) each and developers will seek export orders.

The tank has been developed by researchers at ADD and Rotem, a unit of Hyundai Motor, along with defence industry firms.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Jardine C&C profit declines for 2nd year in a row

DIVERSIFIED Jardine Cycle & Carriage (Jardine C&C) posted a 21 per cent drop in net earnings to US$223.8 million (S$342.3 million) for the year ended Dec 31.

It was its second straight annual drop in earnings since 2004, when it reaped a record profit of US$349.4 million.

Revenue almost doubled to US$7.19 billion, following the full consolidation of Indonesia-based Astra International, which has become a subsidiary.

Cost of sales rose 87 per cent to US$5.73 billion. Tax expenses more than doubled to US$174.2 million.

As a result, earnings per share sank to 66.02 US cents from 84.06 US cents previously. Net asset value per share however stood at US$5.56 from US$4.59 on a healthier balance sheet with net assets at US$4.06 billion, from US$3.53 billion previously.

Cash and equivalents at the beginning of the year was US$491 million, compared with US$177 million previously. At Dec 31, they were US$551.9 million, against US$491 million.

Group net debt shrank by 19 per cent to US$2.1 billion, on lower demand for consumer loans in Indonesia. Excluding consumer finance, debt dipped 1 per cent to US$600 million.

While its Singapore motoring business fared well on better Mercedes and Mitsubishi sales, it was not enough to offset the far larger Indonesian operation.

Consumer confidence there has yet to recover from the increase in interest rates and removal of fuel subsidies two years ago.

With the damaging floods in recent months, Astra's first-quarter performance in the current financial year will suffer. For the year ended Dec 31, Astra posted a 32 per cent drop in net profit to 3.71 trillion rupiah (S$619.6 million).

Jardine C&C group managing director (MD) Adam Keswick said that while motoring will remain a major business, the group will endeavour to be 'less reliant' on it by growing Astra's other operations. These include plantations and infrastructure.

He remains as hopeful as last year that Indonesia will turn around. He added that the group has no intention of lifting its stake in Astra of just above 50 per cent.

Mr Keswick will take up a new position at Jardine Pacific. His cousin Benjamin Keswick will take over as Jardine C&C group MD in April. Meanwhile, group finance director Neville Venter has retired. His post is being filled by the former finance director of Jardine Schindler, Mr SC Chiew.

Despite the profit shrinkage, Jardine C&C is paying a final dividend of 17 US cents per share.

The group is bracing itself for keener competition. Yamaha, for instance, is giving Astra's Honda a run for its money in the motorbike market. And Nissan, which recently launched a domestic model, could erode Astra's dominant position with Toyota.

In Singapore, the car market could shrink this year on a small supply of certificates of entitlement.

christan@sph.com.sg

Hefty rise in development charges for business areas

THE rush to buy homes in the Marina Bay area late last year has contributed to hefty increases in a charge payable to the Government by developers when they want to enhance a property site.

The downtown area also recorded hefty jumps in the charge for the commercial and hotel sectors.

The Government yesterday raised the development charge, as it is known, for non-landed residential use in the downtown areas of Marina Bay, Shenton Way and Robinson Road by up to 55 per cent.

While high, this was not a total surprise, given that new projects like Marina Bay Residences, One Shenton and Lumiere were sold at $1,600 per sq ft (psf) to $3,450 psf, late last year, well above the previous launch price of $1,200 psf for tower two of The Sail @ Marina Bay in late 2005, consultants said.

Development charges, which are revised twice a year on March 1 and Sept 1, closely mirror property values. They vary according to land use and 118 locations.

The charges can range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of million of dollars for large projects.

The National Development Ministry, in consultation with the chief valuer, yesterday raised the charge for non-landed residential use by 14 per cent on average, compared to a 9 per cent rise six months ago.

The charge for landed residential use rose by 6 per cent on average, from 1 per cent previously, while the charge for commercial use increased by an average of 12 per cent, from 2 per cent.

However, the biggest jump was in the hotel and hospital segment, where rates rose by 27 per cent on average, compared with no change six months ago.

The rates for other uses such as industrial use remain unchanged.

In the residential sector, Sentosa posted significant increases in the charge for landed use (28 per cent) and non-landed use (nearly 28 per cent) as the values of Sentosa Cove properties have risen considerably.

In the Orchard Road area, collective sales have led to a 16 to 21 per cent rise, though the hike is lower than the 32 to 38 per cent rise previously, said Mr Li Hiaw Ho, executive director of CBRE Research.

The hikes for non-landed residential use would affect the collective sale market to a certain extent as developers would have to price in higher charges, consultants said.

'But the increases would not derail the collective sale trend because the major shocks in development charge increases already happened in the past few revisions,' said Mr Lui Seng Fatt of property consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle.

However, some developers may raise the selling prices of existing and future developments as the increase in development charges have jacked up their replacement costs, said a property expert.

In the commercial sector, the charge for the Battery Road/Chulia Road/Collyer Quay area showed the biggest rise of 44.4 per cent, probably boosted by the keen competition and bullish bids seen for the Collyer Quay site, said Mr Li.

The Marina Bay area locked in a 31.6 per cent rise in the charge, giving the area an implied land value of $465 psf per plot ratio (ppr), he said.

However, the consortium developing the Marina Bay Financial Centre secured savings for phase two of the project by locking in its rate at $423 psf ppr in the middle of last month, said Mr Li.

In the hotel segment, the increases in the charges were dramatic - at up to 90.5 per cent in the downtown areas, reflecting the record bid for the Collyer Quay site, he said. Interest in hotel sites has been strong in the past six months, with four hotel sites awarded, up from one in 2005 and none in 2004, he added.

The Government had released several hotel sites for sale to cater to an expected rise in tourism.

Mr Lui said the hefty increases in the hotel charge had been expected. 'It has been almost 20 years since we have seen so many hotel sites made available.'

joyceteo@sph.com.sg