SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces is promoting 464 officers with effect from July 1. They include regulars and Operationally-Ready National Servicemen from the Army, Navy and Air Force. Those promoted to the ranks of Colonel and above received their certificates from Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean at a ceremony on Thursday evening. Among the five colonels who were promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General or Rear-Admiral (One-Star) this year was the first Malay general, Colonel Ishak Ismail, who is Commander of the 6th Singapore Division. The others include Commander, Air Defence and Operations Command, COL Kwek Kok Kwong; Head, Joint Communications and Information Systems Department, COL Lee Shiang Long; Chief of Medical Corps, COL (Dr) Seet Hun Yew Benjamin; and Commander, Maritime Security Task Force, COL Tan Wee Beng. Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General Desmond Kuek, gave out certificates to those promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. Mindef said the promotion exercise reflects the importance it places on rewarding and grooming officers who have performed well and who show potential and commitment to hold key leadership roles in the SAF.

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The Spongebob Has Spoken ...on 11:24 PM

HONG KONG : A Hong Kong bartender-turned-soothsayer fighting for the 13 billion dollar estate of Nina Wang told a court Thursday the tycoon had asked if she could get her kidnapped husband back using feng shui. On his second day of testimony in the epic court battle, feng shui master Tony Chan said Wang asked him on their first meeting in 1992 if he could help her locate her husband Teddy Wang. "She asked me whether it's possible to get Teddy back by using feng shui," Chan told the court. Teddy Wang's body was never found after he was kidnapped for the second time in 1990. He was declared legally dead in 1999. However, Lawrence Lok, lawyer for Chinachem Charitable Foundation, which has challenged Chan's claim to Wang's fortune, said the feng shui master had told others that he believed Wang's husband was still alive. "I put it to you that you told Gilbert Leung (a Chan client), that according to your feng shui findings you had worked out that Mr Wang was still alive, and... that Mr Wang was injured and he was in the eastern part of Hong Kong waters," Lok asked the feng shui master. Chan denied the allegation, and said he recalled telling Wang that it would be difficult to find her husband after such a long time, but that he could help her improve her luck by using his feng shui knowledge. Chan conceded that he wanted Wang to be his client and did not want to make her unhappy. But he added that he also did not want to give her false hope. The ancient Chinese system of channelling energy is extremely popular in Hong Kong and experts can charge huge sums for advice. Wang became fascinated with the system in the years before she died, the court has heard. Hong Kong's High Court will decide whether Wang, who at one stage was Asia's richest woman, left her entire fortune to Chan when she died of cancer in 2007 aged 69. The Chinachem Charitable Foundation, which is now controlled by her siblings, says a will awarding Chan the huge fortune is a fake. Before her death, the pigtailed, mini-skirt-wearing mogul fought a bitter eight-year court battle against her father-in-law for the estate of her late husband. Friends of Wang have told the court she never gave up the search for him. During the fight for control of his estate -- which mirrors the current battle -- Wang was accused of forging her husband's will. She eventually won. After his disappearance, Wang built Teddy's company, Chinachem, into a real estate empire with more than 200 office towers and 400 companies around the world. Lawyers for the firm spent the day testing Chan's credibility and casting doubt on his knowledge of feng shui. Chan denied claims that he had advised Wang to burn real banknotes in the special feng shui holes dug in several properties of the tycoon's Chinachem empire. Lawrence Lok, the lawyer for Chinachem, showed Chan a photo of one of the holes which showed a burnt green banknote. Chan said he had never advised Wang to burn real money as part of a feng shui ritual. "But there was an occasion that I accompanied Nina to burn real money in a temple, 10-dollar notes," he said, adding that the tycoon was doing it for fun after a boat trip together. Chan said the practice of digging holes had "become like a game between a married couple". He added the couple spent a huge amount of time together. The battle over Wang's fortune has filled the front pages of Hong Kong's media for weeks, with its mixture of huge wealth, love affairs and feng shui.

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The Spongebob Has Spoken ...on 11:20 PM

SINGAPORE: The H1N1 virus continues its spread in Singapore. The Health Ministry confirmed 95 new cases on Thursday, raising the total infected to 315. About half of the new cases have been investigated and they comprise 25 local infections and 22 imported ones. Of the 25 new local infections, 10 were Butter Factory nightspot patrons and staff, four were from the Maju Camp cluster and two caught the virus from close contact with imported cases. Nine were linked to a new Republic Polytechnic cluster, which had three previous cases. The remaining 48 new cases are still being investigated. Meanwhile, a trainee working in MediaCorp who contracted the H1N1 virus has been cleared and discharged from hospital. The Health Ministry said those who develop flu symptoms and have a recent travel history to affected countries should call 993 for an ambulance and should avoid taking public transport. Those who have symptoms but no travel history should put on a mask, visit a general practitioner and avoid crowded areas.

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The Spongebob Has Spoken ...on 11:17 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Maid abuse has become the latest issue in a diplomatic spat between Malaysia and Indonesia, as labour groups press for better protection for vulnerable migrant workers. Pictures of Indonesian domestic worker Siti Hajar with horrific scars all over her body were splashed across newspapers recently after she was reportedly tortured by her Malaysian female employer for three years. The 33-year-old, from West Java, says she was beaten with a cane and doused with boiling water. Her employer, 43-year-old Hau Yuan Tyung, has been charged in a Malaysian court and faces a 20-year jail term. Hau denied the charges. Reliving her painful ordeal, Hajar said she was still haunted by the actions of her employer, who allegedly threatened to kill her if she ran away. "I still can't sleep well at night as I always dream of her pouring hot water on me," she said in an interview with AFP. "I came here three years ago after the divorce with my husband as I needed money to pay for my two children's school fees. "I dare not run away, despite the abuses, because she repeatedly threatened me with death," she added. However, Hajar finally escaped from her employer's condo late one night two weeks ago, and hid in a nearby drain until sunrise when she persuaded a taxi driver to take her to the Indonesian embassy. Malaysia is home to some 1.2 million documented Indonesian workers and a further 800,000 who come here illegally to escape poverty. The country has no laws governing conditions for domestic workers but the government has promised to draft legislation to protect them from sexual harassment, non-payment of wages and poor working conditions. Last November a Malaysian former flight attendant was sentenced to 18 years in jail for using an iron and scalding water to inflict serious wounds on her Indonesian maid. Yet abuses have continued and about 1,000 maids experience violence and mistreatment in Malaysia annually, Indonesian officials say. Such incidents have sparked vocal protest from Indonesia as it considers a temporary halt to the flow to Malaysia of its domestic helpers, who work long hours but are paid just 450 ringgit (129 dollars) a month. A senior Indonesian diplomat warned that such incidents could hurt bilateral ties unless Malaysia protects Indonesian workers. "Relations are cordial at the government level but it can turn worse unless these issues are addressed quickly," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The bigger issue is that Malaysians tend to look down on Indonesians due to the economic disparity between the two countries," he added. The Indonesian government has established a shelter at its mission here and houses at least 200 women who have managed to escape their abusive employers. "We are making an effort to seek a better protection for the maids coming to Malaysia," Teguh Hendro Cahyono, the labour attache at the Indonesian embassy in Malaysia told AFP ahead of a key labour meeting in Jakarta Thursday. The labour meeting will be attended by Indonesian diplomats based here with officials from the manpower and transmigration ministry and police on ways to protect its domestic helpers. G. Rajasekaran, secretary-general of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, told AFP the government should enforce minimum standards on working hours, living conditions and minimum wages of 600 ringgit for the maids. "I also urge the government not to delay the enforcement of a day off every week," he said. "The abuse case of Hajar is just the tip of the iceberg. The mental torture experienced by maids is great. A day off to meet their friends will help them reduce stress," he added. Meanwhile Hajar says she hopes the court will punish her employer severely and prays for a speedy trial. "I want her to be punished as severely as possible ... I wish there will be a speedy trial as I miss my two children," she said. "I hope my story is a lesson to all Malaysian employers not to treat their maids as animals," she added.

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The Spongebob Has Spoken ...on 2:08 AM

WASHINGTON: Rescue workers searched through a mangled mess into the night after a Washington metro train rammed into another one during the evening rush hour, killing at least nine people and injuring 76. Rescuers used powerful blades to cut through the wreckage to find any more people trapped after a train slammed into a stationary one, forcing one subway car on top of the other and sending passengers hurtling through the air. Mayor Adrian Fenty warned the toll could rise in what he described as "the deadliest accident in the (33-year) history of our Metro train transit system." Fenty suggested the moving train may have been travelling too fast when it hit the stationary one. The rear car of the lead train compressed like an accordion before leapfrogging on top of it on an above-ground portion of the popular Red Line. "It was going at a speed that would have made that initial car literally compress to about one-fourth of the original size," Fenty told CNN, strongly hinting the toll could rise. "We have to go in (to the compressed rear car) and find out if there's any remaining bodies." The collision involving the six-compartment trains took place at 5:02 pm (2102 GMT) near the Fort Totten Metro station, said Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) general manager John Catoe. Rescue teams were seen carrying injured passengers on stretchers down the tracks as dozens of stunned passengers, safely evacuated from the train, stood by the tracks close to the collision site. Survivors were helped down off the other carriages by rescue workers. Some were limping and were clearly hurt. For passenger Abra Jeffers, the crash was a harrowing welcome to the nation's capital, where he was heading home from his first day of work Monday. "I was on the train that got hit. I thought it was an explosion," Jeffers, 25, told AFP. "I thought it was like the train bombings in London. There was smoke and dust everywhere." Fire chief Dennis Rubin said crews would work through the night to make sure no one was still trapped in the wreckage. "We have to at this time continue to act and behave as a rescue scene," Fenty said. With Washington just one day past the summer solstice, rescue workers took advantage of extended sunlight hours as they searched for any additional bodies and injured passengers who may be trapped at the crash scene. Among the dead was the female operator of the second train that rammed into the first as it awaited orders to proceed along the tracks, Catoe said. "The next train came up behind it and for reasons we do not know plowed into the back of the train," he added. The glaring safety failure - whether human error or system malfunction - will raise serious questions among investigators just nine months after the last major US train crash. Last September, 25 people were killed when the conductor of a commuter train in Los Angeles was sending text messages on his mobile phone while at the controls. National Transportation Safety Board officials were at the scene of the Washington crash to investigate. "We are committed to investigate this accident until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again," Catoe said. President Barack Obama said he and the first lady were "saddened" by the crash. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy," he said in a statement. Thousands of government employees ride the metro into work each day in a five-line rail system that travels into the suburbs in the states of Maryland and Virginia. Officials warned commuters to avoid the Red Line on Tuesday. Train passenger Jody Wickett told CNN she was texting a friend when she was sent hurtling through the air of the subway car. "We felt like we hit a bump and about five or 10 seconds later, the train just came to a complete halt and we went flying," Wickett said. "I went in there to try and help and (there was) debris and people pinned under and in between the two cars. We were just trying to get them out and help them as much as possible, pulling back the metal and whatnot."

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The Spongebob Has Spoken ...on 2:07 AM

SINGAPORE: More schools are following the Education Ministry's health guidelines in light of the current H1N1 situation in Singapore. Schools like Mercu Learning Point have taken steps to clean up their premises and will set up temperature-taking stations when school reopens next Monday. They said they will also minimise group outings, monitor hygiene levels and prevent large numbers of people from congregating. Apart from complying with MOE's guidelines, Mercu Learning Point also has a crisis management team which has been around since the SARS period. It comprises the External Liaison Team which helps get more information on H1N1, the Service Recovery Team which liaises with the parents, and the Health Management Team which does the cleaning and deals with isolating its students. Meanwhile, Republic Polytechnic will implement one week of home-based e-learning for all its Year One students starting Thursday. It is estimated that some 4,500 students will be affected. Republic Polytechnic have nine confirmed H1N1 cases. Nanyang Polytechnic will kick off its one-week home-based e-learning next Monday when the new school term begins. Common tests planned for this period have also been rescheduled. Lecturers will be contactable via email and phone. Nanyang Poly said this will apply to all 15,000 students, except those doing their Final-Year Project and Teaching Enterprise Project and those who are on Industrial Attachment, clinical practice and taking Continuing Education and Training courses. It said this is a precautionary measure and not a direct response to confirmed H1N1 cases on campus. Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic said they have no plans to implement e-learning for now. Some foreign students and workers living in dormitories are also taking precautionary measures against H1N1. One student hostel in Jurong, for example, has set up two isolation rooms. The hostel is home to some 1,800 students from 23 countries. Residents are also required to take their body temperatures when they return to the hostel. Meanwhile, the operator of a foreign workers dormitory has printed H1N1 advisory posters in six languages for its 12,000 residents. If there is an outbreak of H1N1 cases, unaffected workers will be relocated to another dormitory.

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The Spongebob Has Spoken ...on 12:59 AM

MANILA: At least eight people were killed while 12 others remained missing after tropical storm Nangka swept through the central and northern Philippines, officials said on Thursday. The dead and missing were mostly fishermen whose boats were damaged at sea or who were washed away by floods. The storm also forced more than 44,000 people to flee their homes due to rising waters, the civil defence office said, with at least five reported injured. Nangka brought heavy rains, strong winds, hailstorms and even a tornado to various parts of the country, causing floods, landslides, power outages and forcing the Coast Guard to suspend sea travel in the affected areas. This left almost 10,000 people and hundreds of vehicles stranded at ports when ferries were unable to sail, the civil defence office said. Seventy-seven people were also rescued from rough waters by the coast guard during the storm. Schools remained shut in the capital and surrounding areas due to rain and damage caused by the storm. As of 5:00 am Thursday (2100 GMT Wednesday), Nangka had weakened and was charted 170 kilometres (106 miles) west of Metropolitan Manila, packing winds of 55 kilometres per hour as it moved northwest, the government weather station said. However the government warned Nangka could still regain strength as it moves across the South China Sea towards Taiwan.

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The Spongebob Has Spoken ...on 12:45 AM