News Today

SAF insurance plan doesn't leave widows stranded
I EMPATHISE with Mrs Yim Bee Bee ('Widow excluded from Safra insurance scheme''; ST, Jan 20).My husband was a military reservist. but had been discharged from NS liability when he was 50. Both of us signed up for the SAF Insurance... [Read more]

Bangkok blast suspect 'linked to attacks in south'
YALA - INVESTIGATORS said yesterday that a suspect in the deadly New Year's Eve blasts in Bangkok may have links to the Islamic separatist insurgency in southern Thailand.Until now, the Thai government has denied any link to the southern unrest and... [Read more]

Firm banned from hiring foreign workers at 2 sites
WRITTEN warnings, fines and stop-work orders - construction firm Greatearth has had all of these. But it has not bucked up on its 'very poor safety and health management' record to the satisfaction of the Manpower Ministry (MOM), so it has... [Read more]

WP forms 'action plan' to attract more Malays
THE Workers' Party (WP) is rolling out its post-election plans to attract more Malay members and reach out to the community, starting with the young.Four Malays now sit on the 12-member council of the party's youth wing, compared to none when... [Read more]

Streetzone? More like dead zone, say angry mall tenants
ANOTHER group of retail tenants is locking horns with its management over what it sees as half-baked efforts to drum up business. This time, it is in Ang Mo Kio Central, in a mall scarcely five months old called Streetzone. Call... [Read more]

Tonight's Summary
Four new lifestyle groups for members'AKAN datang'' (Malay for coming soon) will be more affordable and fun activities for workers.That was what the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) new secretary-general Lim Swee Say promised as part of the organisation's workplan this... [Read more]

Petulant, pathetic, pointless
WALKING off the pitch when you disagree with a referee's decision is no way to behave. Lille players were wrong to protest against Ryan Giggs' winner in Manchester United's 1-0 Champions League first-leg win, which was played in Lens. It was... [Read more]

Man who made ITE world class calls it a day
THE first time he was asked to head the Vocational and Industrial Training Board, Dr Law Song Seng said 'No'. That was 1981, and the board's premises in Ayer Rajah were nothing to shout about. When it rained, the ceiling leaked.... [Read more]

Don't lose focus in the organ trading debate - it's the beneficiaries' survival we should be concerned about
The legality and ethical dilemma on the sale of organ issue requires an objective, and yet empathetic policy.I refer to the article, 'Should organ trading be allowed? No, says poll' (ST, Feb 4) . In that report, seven in 10 polled... [Read more]

PAP moves to counter criticism of party, Govt in cyberspace
THE People's Action Party (PAP) is mounting a quiet counter-insurgency against its online critics. It has members going into Internet forums and blogs to rebut anti-establishment views and putting up postings anonymously. Sources told The Straits Times the initiative is driven... [Read more]

Results
BASKETBALLNBA: Dallas 80 Houston 77, Cleveland 114 LA Lakers 108.CRICKETFirst Chappell-Hadlee series one-day match in Wellington: Australia 148 all out in 49.3 overs (M. Hussey 42; Bond 5-23, Gillespie 2-27, Vettori 2-26, McMillan 1-3). New Zealand 149-0 in 27 overs (L.Vincent... [Read more]