LEWIS Hamilton stretched his lead over Felipe Massa to seven points with his third place at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, but said there is still a long way to go in the title race.
The 23-year-old Briton now has 84 points to Massa's 77 with three races to go in Japan, China and Brazil.
Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber has 64, Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari is on 57 and Nick Heidfeld, also in a BMW Sauber, has 56, and they are theoretically still in the drivers' world championship hunt.
But the title is the McLaren driver's to lose with Ferrari's Massa finishing in 13th and outside the points in the inaugural Formula One night race here.
'I enjoyed driving here and I'm pretty happy,' said Hamilton, who started second on the grid behind Massa.
'It was a tough weekend but we got some good points.'
'It was all about scoring points. We came here with a one point lead and saw that the Ferrari's were competitive and would be tough to beat.'
'Fortunately the race had a couple of incidents.'
While there is now a seven point gap between the two rivals, Hamilton said he was not getting ahead of himself, pointing to Massa's disastrous pit stop as an example of what can easily go wrong.
Massa was leading when he was given the green light in the pits with the fuel pipe still attached. He drove off, knocking a mechanic over, with the crew chasing after him.
He ended up sitting in his car at the end of the pit lane while his team wrestled to the pull the hose free. He was given a drive through penalty and rejoined in 18th place.
'Moving forward we will approach the remaining races the same as we have this weekend,' said Hamilton.
'We don't want to get ahead of ourselves as you can see the sort of things that can happen.'
'I'm just happy to have a podium finish in the first Singapore night race. I have no doubt that we have a competitive package to compete with the Ferraris.'
The next Grand Prix is in Japan.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Massa makes pitstop blunder
A DISASTROUS pitstop sent Ferrari's title contender Felipe Massa from first to last in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Brazilian, ahead of rival Lewis Hamilton and on course to take the championship lead at the time, was given the green light to go but the fuel hose was still connected as he accelerated away.
The hose tore off its mooring, spewing gasoline in the air and lashing a crew member who fell to the ground as the Ferrari drove away, less than 50 minutes into the race.
After realizing the error, Massa stopped further down in the pit with the hose trailing behind him, as stunned crew members rushed to help.
Having lost precious time, Massa rejoined the race in 18th position, wrecking what until then had been a perfect race from the pole.
He had been well in front of championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who started second.
The Brazilian was given a drive-through penalty for unsafe release because he almost collided with another car while leaving the pit with the hose.
The mechanic who was brought down by the snaking hose was carried away on a stretcher for a checkup at the on-track medical center.
A spokesman for Ferrari said the mechanic who had been dragged along by the car was not seriously injured but had been taken to the medical centre.
McLaren's Hamilton leads Massa by one point in the championship with three races remaining after Singapore.
In other incidents, Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed against a side protective barrier, while Ruben Barrichello found his Honda stopping suddenly.
Piquet was apparently unhurt, climbing out of his wrecked car before dashing across the track to get out through an opening.
Barrichello also found his way out of the track to mingle with spectators and shake their hands.
The Brazilian, ahead of rival Lewis Hamilton and on course to take the championship lead at the time, was given the green light to go but the fuel hose was still connected as he accelerated away.
The hose tore off its mooring, spewing gasoline in the air and lashing a crew member who fell to the ground as the Ferrari drove away, less than 50 minutes into the race.
After realizing the error, Massa stopped further down in the pit with the hose trailing behind him, as stunned crew members rushed to help.
Having lost precious time, Massa rejoined the race in 18th position, wrecking what until then had been a perfect race from the pole.
He had been well in front of championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who started second.
The Brazilian was given a drive-through penalty for unsafe release because he almost collided with another car while leaving the pit with the hose.
The mechanic who was brought down by the snaking hose was carried away on a stretcher for a checkup at the on-track medical center.
A spokesman for Ferrari said the mechanic who had been dragged along by the car was not seriously injured but had been taken to the medical centre.
McLaren's Hamilton leads Massa by one point in the championship with three races remaining after Singapore.
In other incidents, Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed against a side protective barrier, while Ruben Barrichello found his Honda stopping suddenly.
Piquet was apparently unhurt, climbing out of his wrecked car before dashing across the track to get out through an opening.
Barrichello also found his way out of the track to mingle with spectators and shake their hands.
S'pore the big F1 winner
FERNANDO Alonso was crowned Formula One's prince of darkness on Sunday, after streaking to the chequered flag at the sport's first night-time grand prix in Singapore.
The Spaniard's triumph at Formula One's 800th race was heralded by customary champagne-fuelled celebrations, the podium jubilation adhering to time-honoured motor racing etiquette.
But while Renault's twice former world champion will be forever noted as the Singapore GP's first winner, the F1 honour roll will not so easily record the biggest winner of the weekend - the South-East Asian city-state whose staging of a spectacular and innovative race has left the motor racing world agog with admiration.
A jewel in the Formula One crown is how the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone described the Singapore race, adding that floodlit events were the future for the sport.
It helped that Sunday night's race was an action-packed roller-coaster of thrills, drama and daredevil driving.
'In this part of the world, for sure, night races will take off,' the billionaire who owns the sport's commercial rights said on Sunday. Ecclestone plans to turn the Japanese GP into a night race next.
Singaporean extravaganza
McLaren boss Ron Dennis raved about the Singaporean extravaganza.
'It is not just a new experience,' he said.
'It is a real big step in the history of grand prix racing because it has been done so well.
'Everything has been proven now and we can take this model and apply it to anywhere in the world - either to bring to Europe the race at a time when people watch it, or even within Europe to make it more spectacular.'
Williams team boss, the eponymous Frank Williams, echoed Ecclestone's thoughts.
'It has a good chance of challenging Monaco for being the jewel in the crown of Formula One,' he told Autosport magazine's website.
From the floodlit 5.067 kilometre track, strewn across Singapore's downtown like a luminous ribbon, to the state-of-the-art facilities and clockwork organisation, the entire staging of the grand prix has been an exercise in how to get it right.
Organisers had faced a headache of eye-watering proportions in their ambitions to step into the unknown and host the extravaganza under the stars.
For the lighting alone, 1,600 lantern-like projectors were rigged up, requiring more than 100,000 metres of cabling and 240 steel pylons to illuminate the track.
Festival atmosphere
The result was some of the most spectacular images of any sporting event.
Pictures of gleaming Ferraris speeding through a hi-tech cityscape vied with images of cars streaking past the world's largest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyer - pictures which filled the media and fuelled the appetite for motor sport.
More than 300,000 people poured through the gates over three days, a sell-out, and created a festival atmosphere.
Organisers set up 'hawker stalls' offering visitors a taste of authentic Singaporean food while magicians, singers and jugglers entertained the masses.
'It costs a lot of money, the lights, the circuit and the organisation. But it is a great investment for the city. And, of course, it is fantastic for F1. It is, in the best sense of the word, a highlight,' Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug said.
Even the drivers, a breed of detail-obsessed, nit-picking perfectionists, gave it the thumbs up.
'The track and the facilities here have been phenomenal,' championship leader Lewis Hamilton said after finishing third.
'The organisers should be very proud of the job they have done.'
The Spaniard's triumph at Formula One's 800th race was heralded by customary champagne-fuelled celebrations, the podium jubilation adhering to time-honoured motor racing etiquette.
But while Renault's twice former world champion will be forever noted as the Singapore GP's first winner, the F1 honour roll will not so easily record the biggest winner of the weekend - the South-East Asian city-state whose staging of a spectacular and innovative race has left the motor racing world agog with admiration.
A jewel in the Formula One crown is how the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone described the Singapore race, adding that floodlit events were the future for the sport.
It helped that Sunday night's race was an action-packed roller-coaster of thrills, drama and daredevil driving.
'In this part of the world, for sure, night races will take off,' the billionaire who owns the sport's commercial rights said on Sunday. Ecclestone plans to turn the Japanese GP into a night race next.
Singaporean extravaganza
McLaren boss Ron Dennis raved about the Singaporean extravaganza.
'It is not just a new experience,' he said.
'It is a real big step in the history of grand prix racing because it has been done so well.
'Everything has been proven now and we can take this model and apply it to anywhere in the world - either to bring to Europe the race at a time when people watch it, or even within Europe to make it more spectacular.'
Williams team boss, the eponymous Frank Williams, echoed Ecclestone's thoughts.
'It has a good chance of challenging Monaco for being the jewel in the crown of Formula One,' he told Autosport magazine's website.
From the floodlit 5.067 kilometre track, strewn across Singapore's downtown like a luminous ribbon, to the state-of-the-art facilities and clockwork organisation, the entire staging of the grand prix has been an exercise in how to get it right.
Organisers had faced a headache of eye-watering proportions in their ambitions to step into the unknown and host the extravaganza under the stars.
For the lighting alone, 1,600 lantern-like projectors were rigged up, requiring more than 100,000 metres of cabling and 240 steel pylons to illuminate the track.
Festival atmosphere
The result was some of the most spectacular images of any sporting event.
Pictures of gleaming Ferraris speeding through a hi-tech cityscape vied with images of cars streaking past the world's largest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyer - pictures which filled the media and fuelled the appetite for motor sport.
More than 300,000 people poured through the gates over three days, a sell-out, and created a festival atmosphere.
Organisers set up 'hawker stalls' offering visitors a taste of authentic Singaporean food while magicians, singers and jugglers entertained the masses.
'It costs a lot of money, the lights, the circuit and the organisation. But it is a great investment for the city. And, of course, it is fantastic for F1. It is, in the best sense of the word, a highlight,' Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug said.
Even the drivers, a breed of detail-obsessed, nit-picking perfectionists, gave it the thumbs up.
'The track and the facilities here have been phenomenal,' championship leader Lewis Hamilton said after finishing third.
'The organisers should be very proud of the job they have done.'
Title hopes over: Kimi
KIMI Raikkonen has conceded that any hope he had of defending his world title has evaporated after his disastrous Singapore Grand Prix.
The Ferrari star finished outside the points for his fourth consecutive race after ramming his car into the barriers with just four laps left when he was in fifth.
It leaves the Finn 27 points adrift of leader Lewis Hamilton with three races to go.
'It was a pretty small chance anyhow,' he said of his title chances.
'I'm not sad for my fifth place but I'm sorry for the team to lose those points. But for sure we'll try to do better next race.'
Raikkonen has not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in April and the last time he scored any championship points was at Germany in July, when he finished sixth.
But his position at Ferrari is guaranteed after signing a new contract and he vowed to do all he could to help the team win the constructors' title.
'I am not used to giving up and I will do my very best to try and help the team reach its targets,' he told reporters.
With teammate Felipe Massa also finishing outside the points, there is every chance that Raikkonen will be under orders to help the Brazilian in his bid to win the drivers' title.
Massa is seven points behind McLaren's Hamilton.
'I know what the team wants - they want to win the world championship,' he said.
'We will see what happens. I'm trying to win races too and we will see what happens. I'm out of the championship anyhow.'
He added that he crashed as he tried to pass Timo Glock to lift himself into fourth position.
'I was trying to attack Glock in case he might make a mistake but I went slightly wide at the chicane, jumping over the kerb, and when the car landed I lost control and ended up in the barriers,' he said.
The Ferrari star finished outside the points for his fourth consecutive race after ramming his car into the barriers with just four laps left when he was in fifth.
It leaves the Finn 27 points adrift of leader Lewis Hamilton with three races to go.
'It was a pretty small chance anyhow,' he said of his title chances.
'I'm not sad for my fifth place but I'm sorry for the team to lose those points. But for sure we'll try to do better next race.'
Raikkonen has not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in April and the last time he scored any championship points was at Germany in July, when he finished sixth.
But his position at Ferrari is guaranteed after signing a new contract and he vowed to do all he could to help the team win the constructors' title.
'I am not used to giving up and I will do my very best to try and help the team reach its targets,' he told reporters.
With teammate Felipe Massa also finishing outside the points, there is every chance that Raikkonen will be under orders to help the Brazilian in his bid to win the drivers' title.
Massa is seven points behind McLaren's Hamilton.
'I know what the team wants - they want to win the world championship,' he said.
'We will see what happens. I'm trying to win races too and we will see what happens. I'm out of the championship anyhow.'
He added that he crashed as he tried to pass Timo Glock to lift himself into fourth position.
'I was trying to attack Glock in case he might make a mistake but I went slightly wide at the chicane, jumping over the kerb, and when the car landed I lost control and ended up in the barriers,' he said.
Renault Alonso's priority
FERNANDO Alonso's surprise victory in Singapore has put Renault in pole position to retain the double world champion's services next season, even if he said afterwards that it had changed nothing.
'I didn't say that,' the Spaniard replied when asked whether it could now be assumed he would be staying with the French manufacturer.
'This victory is also thanks to the massive effort they are making with this year's car and next year's but it's not changing the decision for next year.'
'Renault will be my first priority because I feel I'm at home in this team,' added the 27-year-old, who had said before Sunday's race that he needed a miracle to win after qualifying in 15th place.
Alonso rejoined Renault this season after an ill-fated year with McLaren, where he won four races but fell out with management and team mate Lewis Hamilton.
Sunday's victory in Formula One's inaugural night race, with Alonso gaining a big advantage through pitting before a safety car stint, was his first in more than a year and Renault's first since the Spaniard won his second title with them in 2006.
The manufacturer struggled last year and, languishing in fifth place overall before Sunday's astonishing turnaround, had not looked like returning to the top step of the podium this season either.
Alonso's future has been the talk of the paddock and the key to the driver market, with both Honda and BMW-Sauber waiting for him to decide before announcing their own 2009 line-ups.
Ferrari would have been his first choice but the Italian team closed the door by announcing earlier this month that 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen would be staying with Brazilian Felipe Massa through to the end of 2010.
The Spaniard said Singapore, with Ferrari failing to score a point and McLaren's championship leader Hamilton finishing only third, had been a big boost for Renault who moved up to fourth place.
'We started the season quite far away from pole position and from the top teams and now we are much closer,' he told a post-race news conference.
'So we are definitely one of the teams who have most improved their car but maybe it was not difficult because at the beginning of the season we were not at the right level.'
'I didn't say that,' the Spaniard replied when asked whether it could now be assumed he would be staying with the French manufacturer.
'This victory is also thanks to the massive effort they are making with this year's car and next year's but it's not changing the decision for next year.'
'Renault will be my first priority because I feel I'm at home in this team,' added the 27-year-old, who had said before Sunday's race that he needed a miracle to win after qualifying in 15th place.
Alonso rejoined Renault this season after an ill-fated year with McLaren, where he won four races but fell out with management and team mate Lewis Hamilton.
Sunday's victory in Formula One's inaugural night race, with Alonso gaining a big advantage through pitting before a safety car stint, was his first in more than a year and Renault's first since the Spaniard won his second title with them in 2006.
The manufacturer struggled last year and, languishing in fifth place overall before Sunday's astonishing turnaround, had not looked like returning to the top step of the podium this season either.
Alonso's future has been the talk of the paddock and the key to the driver market, with both Honda and BMW-Sauber waiting for him to decide before announcing their own 2009 line-ups.
Ferrari would have been his first choice but the Italian team closed the door by announcing earlier this month that 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen would be staying with Brazilian Felipe Massa through to the end of 2010.
The Spaniard said Singapore, with Ferrari failing to score a point and McLaren's championship leader Hamilton finishing only third, had been a big boost for Renault who moved up to fourth place.
'We started the season quite far away from pole position and from the top teams and now we are much closer,' he told a post-race news conference.
'So we are definitely one of the teams who have most improved their car but maybe it was not difficult because at the beginning of the season we were not at the right level.'
Ferrari vow to bounce back
ERRARI have vowed to bounce back after a disastrous Singapore Grand Prix saw Felipe Massa lose ground on Lewis Hamilton in the title race and Kimi Raikkonen crash out of contention.
'A black day, there's little else to say,' said despondent Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali after Renault's Fernando Alonso won the inaugural night race, with Nico Rosberg second and Hamilton third.
'We had the potential to finish first and second but we didn't even pick up a point. We are very disappointed but that doesn't mean we are downtrodden.
'We have always shown our ability to react, especially at the most difficult times, and we will do it again this time.'
Massa was leading Hamilton after 15 laps when he came into the pits and was given the green light to leave with the fuel hose still attached to his car.
The embarrassing blunder left him sitting in his Ferrari at the end of the pit lane as the crew frantically ran after him and managed to pull the hose free.
It cost him a drive-through penalty and he rejoined the race in 18th place, ending any hope he had of making the points. He finished 13th to Hamilton's third, leaving him seven points behind his rival with three races left.
To make matters worse, defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish after ramming his car into the barriers with just four laps left when he was fifth.
The Finn is 27 points adrift of the Briton and conceded he was now out of title contention.
The failure to score points left Ferrari one point behind McLaren in the constructors' championship.
But Domenicali insisted all was not lost as they prepare for the Japan Grand Prix at Fuji on October 12.
'The situation in the two championships has become more complicated but there are still three races to go and a lot of points up for grabs,' he said.
'We know what we have to do to reach our objectives. The first part of the race showed that our car here was the quickest on track.
'We must look ahead and prepare ourselves as well as possible for the remaining three races.'
With Raikkonen out of the hunt, barring major hiccups, the only other driver with a realistic chance of catching Hamilton and Massa is BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica on 64 points.
Hamilton was delighted to pick up points while Massa and Raikkonen foundered but insisted he was not getting ahead of himself with all still to race for.
'I honestly can't complain. As I said, it was just a bit unfortunate to be stuck in traffic,' he said, after being held up by a slow David Coulthard in his Red Bull.
'Nevertheless, to have a podium finish in the first Singapore night race is a great result and good points so I really can't complain. I'm quite happy with seven points.
'Moving forward I think we approach it the same as we have this weekend and definitely don't get ahead of ourselves because, as you can see, lots of things can happen, so we just focus on doing a solid job, scoring more points.'
Following Japan, the Grand Prix circuit moves to China before ending the season in Brazil.
'A black day, there's little else to say,' said despondent Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali after Renault's Fernando Alonso won the inaugural night race, with Nico Rosberg second and Hamilton third.
'We had the potential to finish first and second but we didn't even pick up a point. We are very disappointed but that doesn't mean we are downtrodden.
'We have always shown our ability to react, especially at the most difficult times, and we will do it again this time.'
Massa was leading Hamilton after 15 laps when he came into the pits and was given the green light to leave with the fuel hose still attached to his car.
The embarrassing blunder left him sitting in his Ferrari at the end of the pit lane as the crew frantically ran after him and managed to pull the hose free.
It cost him a drive-through penalty and he rejoined the race in 18th place, ending any hope he had of making the points. He finished 13th to Hamilton's third, leaving him seven points behind his rival with three races left.
To make matters worse, defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish after ramming his car into the barriers with just four laps left when he was fifth.
The Finn is 27 points adrift of the Briton and conceded he was now out of title contention.
The failure to score points left Ferrari one point behind McLaren in the constructors' championship.
But Domenicali insisted all was not lost as they prepare for the Japan Grand Prix at Fuji on October 12.
'The situation in the two championships has become more complicated but there are still three races to go and a lot of points up for grabs,' he said.
'We know what we have to do to reach our objectives. The first part of the race showed that our car here was the quickest on track.
'We must look ahead and prepare ourselves as well as possible for the remaining three races.'
With Raikkonen out of the hunt, barring major hiccups, the only other driver with a realistic chance of catching Hamilton and Massa is BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica on 64 points.
Hamilton was delighted to pick up points while Massa and Raikkonen foundered but insisted he was not getting ahead of himself with all still to race for.
'I honestly can't complain. As I said, it was just a bit unfortunate to be stuck in traffic,' he said, after being held up by a slow David Coulthard in his Red Bull.
'Nevertheless, to have a podium finish in the first Singapore night race is a great result and good points so I really can't complain. I'm quite happy with seven points.
'Moving forward I think we approach it the same as we have this weekend and definitely don't get ahead of ourselves because, as you can see, lots of things can happen, so we just focus on doing a solid job, scoring more points.'
Following Japan, the Grand Prix circuit moves to China before ending the season in Brazil.
Night race wows world
ON A night when sporting history was made, the big winners were Renault driver Fernando Alonso, Formula One and its fans, and Singapore.
Over 100,000 spectators, close to half of them tourists, turned up in the heart of the city to witness the world's first F1 night race yesterday.
Thousands more watched it on TV at home, at parties, and at nightspots. Many others who were downtown did not catch sight of the cars, but heard the howl of F1 engines and said it was something not soon forgotten.
And after an incident-packed two hours which saw several crashes and a horribly botched pit-stop involving pre-race favourite Felipe Massa of Ferrari, they were left hungry for more.
The race, won by Alonso - who had written off his own chances barely 24 hours earlier after developing an engine problem in qualifying - served up plenty of thrills for spectators and a worldwide TV audience estimated at 500 million.
There were three crashes, several lead changes and wheel to wheel action.
But while locals and foreigners alike said the race was quite the treat, they reserved the bulk of their praise for Singapore.
Many agreed the $150 million tab for staging it was worth it.
Said bank executive Joanne Lim, 27: 'To actually prepare to host the F1 in just over a year was amazing. Our successful staging shows the world the Singapore brand of efficiency.'
Foreigners vowed to return next year - Singapore has a five-year contract to host the race - charmed by what they had seen.
Said Briton Simon Crosse, 44: 'This is my first visit, and I've been overwhelmed. I've been to about 15 other Grands Prix, and this is the best.
'The night atmosphere, the organisation, it was just fantastic.'
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave the event the thumbs-up from the Pit Building yesterday, after watching part of the proceedings on track.
'The race itself is one thing. I think the audience, we've got the stands full, people are enjoying themselves and we've got a lot of publicity from this for Singapore.
'I've been watching it on TV the last couple of nights, not watching the cars, but watching the skyline, to see whether the skyline shows up and we see Singapore showing off its best.
'And I think that it's a city we can be proud of, and this is a valuable buzz, publicity for us around the world, which will benefit us in many ways.'
The praise flowed from many other quarters.
The sport's supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, called Singapore the 'jewel in the crown of F1'.
Across the world, newspaper and TV reports hailed the event as a stunning success. Writing in London's Sunday Times yesterday, for example, columnist and former race driver Martin Brundle called the Republic a 'world-class venue'.
Of night racing, he added, 'all of the senses are heightened, and the atmosphere...was electrifying'.
The accolades mean that two of the main aims of hosting the race - global exposure for Singapore and bolstering the Republic's reputation as an entertainment and events capital - have been met.
It is early days yet to tell if the other aim - boosting tourist receipts - has been met as spectacularly, but several entertainment and food outlets said business was definitely up over the weekend.
Indochine chief executive Michael Ma said: 'We've been extremely busy, roughly doubling our business over the weekend. It was a boon, especially for our Orchard and Clarke Quay outlets.'
Many Orchard Road retailers also said business was up by about 20 per cent over the weekend, thanks to the big influx of tourists.
To be sure, not everything went off without a hitch.
Despite an extensive business continuity plan, for instance, stores in the Marina area were hit by road closures which left many tenants twiddling their thumbs over the weekend.
Parts of the Marina Bay circuit also got the thumbs-down after Friday's practice sessions, especially the bumps in some parts and the high kerbing after St Andrews' Road.
But after organisers fixed the problems, drivers were effusive in their praise.
Said championship leader Lewis Hamilton: 'The most impressive thing for me is what an amazing job they have done here in Singapore to prepare the circuit.
'I think they did a tremendous job.'
The race itself? It was practically consigned to second place behind the praise for Singapore, but for the record: Nico Rosberg of the BMW team followed Alonso home in second place, with Hamilton finishing third.
Massa ended 13th out of 15 finishers, after he roared out of the pit lane with a fuel line still attached to his Ferrari.
The result leaves Hamilton on 84 points, seven ahead of Massa in the world championship standings with three races left.
Over 100,000 spectators, close to half of them tourists, turned up in the heart of the city to witness the world's first F1 night race yesterday.
Thousands more watched it on TV at home, at parties, and at nightspots. Many others who were downtown did not catch sight of the cars, but heard the howl of F1 engines and said it was something not soon forgotten.
And after an incident-packed two hours which saw several crashes and a horribly botched pit-stop involving pre-race favourite Felipe Massa of Ferrari, they were left hungry for more.
The race, won by Alonso - who had written off his own chances barely 24 hours earlier after developing an engine problem in qualifying - served up plenty of thrills for spectators and a worldwide TV audience estimated at 500 million.
There were three crashes, several lead changes and wheel to wheel action.
But while locals and foreigners alike said the race was quite the treat, they reserved the bulk of their praise for Singapore.
Many agreed the $150 million tab for staging it was worth it.
Said bank executive Joanne Lim, 27: 'To actually prepare to host the F1 in just over a year was amazing. Our successful staging shows the world the Singapore brand of efficiency.'
Foreigners vowed to return next year - Singapore has a five-year contract to host the race - charmed by what they had seen.
Said Briton Simon Crosse, 44: 'This is my first visit, and I've been overwhelmed. I've been to about 15 other Grands Prix, and this is the best.
'The night atmosphere, the organisation, it was just fantastic.'
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave the event the thumbs-up from the Pit Building yesterday, after watching part of the proceedings on track.
'The race itself is one thing. I think the audience, we've got the stands full, people are enjoying themselves and we've got a lot of publicity from this for Singapore.
'I've been watching it on TV the last couple of nights, not watching the cars, but watching the skyline, to see whether the skyline shows up and we see Singapore showing off its best.
'And I think that it's a city we can be proud of, and this is a valuable buzz, publicity for us around the world, which will benefit us in many ways.'
The praise flowed from many other quarters.
The sport's supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, called Singapore the 'jewel in the crown of F1'.
Across the world, newspaper and TV reports hailed the event as a stunning success. Writing in London's Sunday Times yesterday, for example, columnist and former race driver Martin Brundle called the Republic a 'world-class venue'.
Of night racing, he added, 'all of the senses are heightened, and the atmosphere...was electrifying'.
The accolades mean that two of the main aims of hosting the race - global exposure for Singapore and bolstering the Republic's reputation as an entertainment and events capital - have been met.
It is early days yet to tell if the other aim - boosting tourist receipts - has been met as spectacularly, but several entertainment and food outlets said business was definitely up over the weekend.
Indochine chief executive Michael Ma said: 'We've been extremely busy, roughly doubling our business over the weekend. It was a boon, especially for our Orchard and Clarke Quay outlets.'
Many Orchard Road retailers also said business was up by about 20 per cent over the weekend, thanks to the big influx of tourists.
To be sure, not everything went off without a hitch.
Despite an extensive business continuity plan, for instance, stores in the Marina area were hit by road closures which left many tenants twiddling their thumbs over the weekend.
Parts of the Marina Bay circuit also got the thumbs-down after Friday's practice sessions, especially the bumps in some parts and the high kerbing after St Andrews' Road.
But after organisers fixed the problems, drivers were effusive in their praise.
Said championship leader Lewis Hamilton: 'The most impressive thing for me is what an amazing job they have done here in Singapore to prepare the circuit.
'I think they did a tremendous job.'
The race itself? It was practically consigned to second place behind the praise for Singapore, but for the record: Nico Rosberg of the BMW team followed Alonso home in second place, with Hamilton finishing third.
Massa ended 13th out of 15 finishers, after he roared out of the pit lane with a fuel line still attached to his Ferrari.
The result leaves Hamilton on 84 points, seven ahead of Massa in the world championship standings with three races left.
20,000 flee from Pakistan
KABUL (Afghanistan) - THE UN says 20,000 Pakistani refugees have fled to Afghanistan to avoid fighting between Pakistan's army and militants.
The UN's refugee agency says nearly 4,000 Pakistani families have fled Pakistan's Bajur tribal agency into Afghanistan's Kunar province.
Pakistan's military has launched an offensive in Bajur, the most northerly of Pakistan's wild tribal regions, several of which have fallen largely under the control of militants opposed to the Afghan and Pakistani governments.
Tens of thousands of civilians have fled into other parts of Pakistan as a result of the 2-month-old offensive.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says it believes the majority of those who have crossed into Afghanistan will return home once the fighting stops.
The UN's refugee agency says nearly 4,000 Pakistani families have fled Pakistan's Bajur tribal agency into Afghanistan's Kunar province.
Pakistan's military has launched an offensive in Bajur, the most northerly of Pakistan's wild tribal regions, several of which have fallen largely under the control of militants opposed to the Afghan and Pakistani governments.
Tens of thousands of civilians have fled into other parts of Pakistan as a result of the 2-month-old offensive.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says it believes the majority of those who have crossed into Afghanistan will return home once the fighting stops.
Hit-and-run driver sought
POLICE are looking for a driver who ran over a fallen motorcyclist and sped off.
The hit-and-run accident took place on Saturday night along the Seletar Expressway.
Mr Heng Chang Yeow, 51, was on his way home when his motorcycle skidded along Seletar Expressway, going towards Tampines Expressway.
He was flung onto the right lane and was run over by a passing car which did not stop, said police.
The assistant engineer with Sigma Elevator Singapore suffered injuries to his head, face and chest and was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he remained in a coma for two days.
He died on Monday at 7.10 am.
Speaking to reporters at the funeral wake at Sin Ming Drive, his wife appealed to the driver to come forward to pay his respects at the funeral wake.
The hit-and-run accident took place on Saturday night along the Seletar Expressway.
Mr Heng Chang Yeow, 51, was on his way home when his motorcycle skidded along Seletar Expressway, going towards Tampines Expressway.
He was flung onto the right lane and was run over by a passing car which did not stop, said police.
The assistant engineer with Sigma Elevator Singapore suffered injuries to his head, face and chest and was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he remained in a coma for two days.
He died on Monday at 7.10 am.
Speaking to reporters at the funeral wake at Sin Ming Drive, his wife appealed to the driver to come forward to pay his respects at the funeral wake.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
S'pore jewel in F1 crown
FORMULA One supremo Bernie Ecclestone pushed hard to bring a night race to Singapore and on Sunday he described it as the jewel in the sport's crown.
The 77-year-old, renowned as a shrewd operator, has long worked to steer the glamorous sport towards Asia and the Middle East, and said the success of the Singapore spectacle on the city streets would open eyes.
When asked by the Straits Times newspaper here if Singapore could one day be the jewel in the crown, he replied, 'Why not? It more or less is now.'
Ecclestone continues to be bullish about Asia and the Middle East in the future development of the sport, seeing the untapped markets as critical to maintaining sponsor and spectator interest.
'For years I've been saying go East, not West,' he said.
With Singapore now on the calendar, Asia and the Middle East have six Grand Prix races - along with Australia, Bahrain, China, Japan and Malaysia being.
Abu Dhabi will make its debut next year with South Korea coming on board on 2010 and India, initially expected to stage a race in 2010, now slated for 2011.
Their inclusion comes at the expense of Formula One's traditional base in Europe as the sport aims for a more globalised calendar.
Ecclestone, the billionaire who holds Formula One's commercial rights, said Singapore was an example to follow and would make people reconsider their opinions of Asia.
'When you think about it, most parts of Asia where people have visited, they sort of put everything in one basket,' he told the newspaper.
'Singapore is the same as India, Malaysia and Thailand, that's how they feel because they don't know any better.
'But hopefully this will open people's eyes and they'll say, my God, Singapore really is alive and well.'
The 77-year-old, renowned as a shrewd operator, has long worked to steer the glamorous sport towards Asia and the Middle East, and said the success of the Singapore spectacle on the city streets would open eyes.
When asked by the Straits Times newspaper here if Singapore could one day be the jewel in the crown, he replied, 'Why not? It more or less is now.'
Ecclestone continues to be bullish about Asia and the Middle East in the future development of the sport, seeing the untapped markets as critical to maintaining sponsor and spectator interest.
'For years I've been saying go East, not West,' he said.
With Singapore now on the calendar, Asia and the Middle East have six Grand Prix races - along with Australia, Bahrain, China, Japan and Malaysia being.
Abu Dhabi will make its debut next year with South Korea coming on board on 2010 and India, initially expected to stage a race in 2010, now slated for 2011.
Their inclusion comes at the expense of Formula One's traditional base in Europe as the sport aims for a more globalised calendar.
Ecclestone, the billionaire who holds Formula One's commercial rights, said Singapore was an example to follow and would make people reconsider their opinions of Asia.
'When you think about it, most parts of Asia where people have visited, they sort of put everything in one basket,' he told the newspaper.
'Singapore is the same as India, Malaysia and Thailand, that's how they feel because they don't know any better.
'But hopefully this will open people's eyes and they'll say, my God, Singapore really is alive and well.'
Indonesia finds tainted products
JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S health ministry said melamine had been detected in 12 food items from China, including cookies, candies and drinks, as the fall-out from China's tainted-milk scandal spread to Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
Indonesia's Food and Drug Monitoring Agency found that 12 out of 19 Chinese milk products on sale in the country tested positive for melamine, the health ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
The government has temporarily banned imports of dairy products in China, and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency ordered all regional offices to pull Chinese dairy products off shop shelves for investigation as more details of China's tainted food scandal emerged.
Thousands of Chinese children have been admitted to hospital after drinking milk formula that contained melamine, a cheap industrial chemical that is used to make the protein level in low-quality milk appear better.
Tests showed melamine levels of between 8.51 to 945.86 milligrams per kilogramme, the health ministry said, adding that six of the products, including candies and soybean milk, had not been legally registered in Indonesia.
More than a dozen countries in Asia, Africa and Europe have banned imports of Chinese milk products over fears that the potentially lethal milk has made its way to their markets.
Indonesia's Food and Drug Monitoring Agency found that 12 out of 19 Chinese milk products on sale in the country tested positive for melamine, the health ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
The government has temporarily banned imports of dairy products in China, and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency ordered all regional offices to pull Chinese dairy products off shop shelves for investigation as more details of China's tainted food scandal emerged.
Thousands of Chinese children have been admitted to hospital after drinking milk formula that contained melamine, a cheap industrial chemical that is used to make the protein level in low-quality milk appear better.
Tests showed melamine levels of between 8.51 to 945.86 milligrams per kilogramme, the health ministry said, adding that six of the products, including candies and soybean milk, had not been legally registered in Indonesia.
More than a dozen countries in Asia, Africa and Europe have banned imports of Chinese milk products over fears that the potentially lethal milk has made its way to their markets.
Thai monsoon floods kill 18
BANGKOK - THE death toll from heavy flooding throughout Thailand has risen to 18, health authorities said on Sunday, while nearly 190,000 people have fallen sick.
Twenty-four of Thailand's 76 provinces have been deluged since September 11, and the public health ministry said that 18 people were swept away and drowned in the flood waters in north, northeast and central regions.
Nearly 190,000 people have received medical treatment for flood-related complaints, including trench foot, colds and skin irritations.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department under the interior ministry said in its latest report that 839,573 people have been affected, but flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains has receded in 19 provinces.
They estimated economic losses at 115 million baht (S$4.85 million), including damage to homes, bridges, reservoirs, temples and schools.
Twenty-four of Thailand's 76 provinces have been deluged since September 11, and the public health ministry said that 18 people were swept away and drowned in the flood waters in north, northeast and central regions.
Nearly 190,000 people have received medical treatment for flood-related complaints, including trench foot, colds and skin irritations.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department under the interior ministry said in its latest report that 839,573 people have been affected, but flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains has receded in 19 provinces.
They estimated economic losses at 115 million baht (S$4.85 million), including damage to homes, bridges, reservoirs, temples and schools.
Floods, landslides kill 33
HANOI (Vietnam) - FLOODS triggered by Typhoon Hagupit have killed at least 33 people and left five others missing as rescuers struggled to provide relief aid to isolated villages, disaster officials said on Sunday.
In the worst-hit province of Son La, 12 people were killed in the floodwaters and two others died when their homes collapsed, said disaster official Nguyen Van Loan. Three others were reported missing.
The death toll in the province could rise when access and communication is restored to villages isolated by the storm, he said.
Rescue workers had to walk to reach stranded villagers with food, water and medicine, he said.
In Quang Ninh province bordering China, four people were killed and one was missing in the floods, disaster official Nguyen Kim Thanh said.
Mr Thanh said two districts in the province remained inaccessible to cars Sunday and soldiers had to use amphibian vehicles to provide food, water and medicine to villagers still stranded there.
The Floods and Storms Control and Prevention Department said eight deaths were reported in Lang Son province, six in Bac Giang and one in Vinh Phuc. The provinces of Lang Son and Lao Cai each reported one missing.
The storm slammed into northern Vietnam on Thursday after killing 10 people in China.
In the worst-hit province of Son La, 12 people were killed in the floodwaters and two others died when their homes collapsed, said disaster official Nguyen Van Loan. Three others were reported missing.
The death toll in the province could rise when access and communication is restored to villages isolated by the storm, he said.
Rescue workers had to walk to reach stranded villagers with food, water and medicine, he said.
In Quang Ninh province bordering China, four people were killed and one was missing in the floods, disaster official Nguyen Kim Thanh said.
Mr Thanh said two districts in the province remained inaccessible to cars Sunday and soldiers had to use amphibian vehicles to provide food, water and medicine to villagers still stranded there.
The Floods and Storms Control and Prevention Department said eight deaths were reported in Lang Son province, six in Bac Giang and one in Vinh Phuc. The provinces of Lang Son and Lao Cai each reported one missing.
The storm slammed into northern Vietnam on Thursday after killing 10 people in China.
Track too bumpy
THE Singapore street circuit is too bumpy and a cause for concern, some of Formula One's top drivers say, but they are thriving on the challenge.
The island is hosting its inaugural Grand Prix and has been widely praised for putting on a spectacular show, but the city streets are proving problematic.
World championship leader Lewis Hamilton said it was twice as hard to negotiate as the more famous Monaco street circuit.
'Through certain corners there was lots of bottoming, and when you hit a bump it would throw the car around quite a bit - but it's an amazing venue,' said the McLaren driver.
'It's a very physical circuit - more than I expected, actually,' he added.
'You need to put a lot of work into the car to get a good lap. I'd say it requires double the energy of Monaco over a single lap. One lap around here is like two laps of Monaco.'
His teammate Heikki Kovalainen is also wary about the bumps. 'The track was quite bumpy. Perhaps we should also look at the pit entry - it could be quite difficult if a driver decides to pull into the pits at the last minute,' he said.
'However, everything else about the track is fine. This place has got some difficult corners but I quite like all the sectors.'
Ferrari's title challenger Felipe Massa agreed with Kovalainen about the pit entry.
'The entry and exit to the pit lane could turn out to be a bit critical in the race,' he said.
'In general, the track surface has a lot of grip but in some points there are some bumps that are a bit of a pain.
'It is a street circuit which means you have to concentrate all the time as there is no margin for error.'
Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima said the track was hugely challenging.
'It's a very tough track, hot and bumpy, probably the bumpiest track surface we encounter all season,' he said.
'As a consequence, I think it will be a pretty demanding race.'
His thoughts were echoed by Sebastian Vettel, who won his first ever Grand Prix in Italy earlier this month.
'Visibility is not a problem. Some places are darker than others and it's good fun,' said the Toro Rosso driver of hurtling round the circuit under lights.
'The track is very difficult, but unfortunately the surface is very bumpy which does not make life easy. It is tough and demanding for both car and driver.'
The island is hosting its inaugural Grand Prix and has been widely praised for putting on a spectacular show, but the city streets are proving problematic.
World championship leader Lewis Hamilton said it was twice as hard to negotiate as the more famous Monaco street circuit.
'Through certain corners there was lots of bottoming, and when you hit a bump it would throw the car around quite a bit - but it's an amazing venue,' said the McLaren driver.
'It's a very physical circuit - more than I expected, actually,' he added.
'You need to put a lot of work into the car to get a good lap. I'd say it requires double the energy of Monaco over a single lap. One lap around here is like two laps of Monaco.'
His teammate Heikki Kovalainen is also wary about the bumps. 'The track was quite bumpy. Perhaps we should also look at the pit entry - it could be quite difficult if a driver decides to pull into the pits at the last minute,' he said.
'However, everything else about the track is fine. This place has got some difficult corners but I quite like all the sectors.'
Ferrari's title challenger Felipe Massa agreed with Kovalainen about the pit entry.
'The entry and exit to the pit lane could turn out to be a bit critical in the race,' he said.
'In general, the track surface has a lot of grip but in some points there are some bumps that are a bit of a pain.
'It is a street circuit which means you have to concentrate all the time as there is no margin for error.'
Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima said the track was hugely challenging.
'It's a very tough track, hot and bumpy, probably the bumpiest track surface we encounter all season,' he said.
'As a consequence, I think it will be a pretty demanding race.'
His thoughts were echoed by Sebastian Vettel, who won his first ever Grand Prix in Italy earlier this month.
'Visibility is not a problem. Some places are darker than others and it's good fun,' said the Toro Rosso driver of hurtling round the circuit under lights.
'The track is very difficult, but unfortunately the surface is very bumpy which does not make life easy. It is tough and demanding for both car and driver.'
Massa takes S'pore F1 pole
FERRARI'S Felipe Massa stormed to pole position for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, topping the times during qualifying ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.
It was a crucial drive by the Brazilian with front row of the grid likely to be decisive on the bumpy Marina Bay street circuit where overtaking will be possible, but difficult.
His lap of 1:44.801 was 0.664 of a second ahead of the British world championship leader, who is one point in front of his rival in the title race with four Grand Prix left.
Defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen, desperate for a win here to keep alive his slim hopes of retaining his title, was third fastest for Ferrari and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was fourth in the Toro Rosso.
Heikki Kovalainen, in the second McLaren, was fifth ahead of Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber.
New kid on the block Sebastian Vettel, winner in Italy earlier this month, was seventh in his Toro Rosso with Timo Glock eighth, Nico Rosberg ninth and Kazuki Nakajima tenth.
Forecasters had said there was a 50 percent chance of rain over the weekend, but it held off Saturday, allowing the cars to be pushed as hard as possible in hot and humid conditions under the powerful spotlights illuminating the track.
But it proved to be a disastrous evening for Fernando Alonso, who was the world champion in 2005 and 2006, topped the final practice and looked to be good for pole position.
It all went wrong in the second qualifying session when the engine of his Renault cut out, leaving the frustrated 19-time Grand Prix winner no option but to climb out of his car and put his head in his hands.
It means the Spaniard will have to start from 15th, effectively ruling out any chance of victory here in only the third time he has qualified outside the top 10 this year.
Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella, whose car lifted off the ground after he misjudged a chicane and hit the barriers in the practice session, pulled off a similar stunt in qualifying and will start last in the grid.
Fellow Force India driver Adrian Sutil joins him at the rear of the race.
It was a crucial drive by the Brazilian with front row of the grid likely to be decisive on the bumpy Marina Bay street circuit where overtaking will be possible, but difficult.
His lap of 1:44.801 was 0.664 of a second ahead of the British world championship leader, who is one point in front of his rival in the title race with four Grand Prix left.
Defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen, desperate for a win here to keep alive his slim hopes of retaining his title, was third fastest for Ferrari and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was fourth in the Toro Rosso.
Heikki Kovalainen, in the second McLaren, was fifth ahead of Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber.
New kid on the block Sebastian Vettel, winner in Italy earlier this month, was seventh in his Toro Rosso with Timo Glock eighth, Nico Rosberg ninth and Kazuki Nakajima tenth.
Forecasters had said there was a 50 percent chance of rain over the weekend, but it held off Saturday, allowing the cars to be pushed as hard as possible in hot and humid conditions under the powerful spotlights illuminating the track.
But it proved to be a disastrous evening for Fernando Alonso, who was the world champion in 2005 and 2006, topped the final practice and looked to be good for pole position.
It all went wrong in the second qualifying session when the engine of his Renault cut out, leaving the frustrated 19-time Grand Prix winner no option but to climb out of his car and put his head in his hands.
It means the Spaniard will have to start from 15th, effectively ruling out any chance of victory here in only the third time he has qualified outside the top 10 this year.
Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella, whose car lifted off the ground after he misjudged a chicane and hit the barriers in the practice session, pulled off a similar stunt in qualifying and will start last in the grid.
Fellow Force India driver Adrian Sutil joins him at the rear of the race.
Alonso furious
TWO-TIME world champion Fernando Alonso was furious on Saturday after mechanical problems scuppered one of the best chances he has had this season of winning pole position.
The engine of the Spaniard's Renault cut out during the second qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix, leaving him in 15th on the grid and with little chance of making the points on a tight street circuit.
He said the car had been running better than at any time this year.
'Yeah, no doubt about it. We haven't been this strong anywhere,' he told reporters after his Renault stopped with a fuel pump problem.
'We have been first in nearly all sessions and with an easy lap in Q1 I was sixth.
'In other races we wouldn't have lost much but here we have lost the biggest chance we had,' added Alonso, who was fastest in Friday's practice and Saturday's first session.
He was understandably fuming at the lost chance.
'The race is lost. You can't overtake here and I'm starting from 15th, so I will be going out just to lap the track, but it's over already,' he said.
The engine of the Spaniard's Renault cut out during the second qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix, leaving him in 15th on the grid and with little chance of making the points on a tight street circuit.
He said the car had been running better than at any time this year.
'Yeah, no doubt about it. We haven't been this strong anywhere,' he told reporters after his Renault stopped with a fuel pump problem.
'We have been first in nearly all sessions and with an easy lap in Q1 I was sixth.
'In other races we wouldn't have lost much but here we have lost the biggest chance we had,' added Alonso, who was fastest in Friday's practice and Saturday's first session.
He was understandably fuming at the lost chance.
'The race is lost. You can't overtake here and I'm starting from 15th, so I will be going out just to lap the track, but it's over already,' he said.
F1 fever grips S'pore
SINGAPORE residents and visitors have succumbed to Formula One fever as the city-state hosts its first Grand Prix and the sport's first night race this weekend.
As the cars lap at speed against the backdrop of a stunning skyline framed by 1,600 light projectors along a circuit that winds through the business district, excitement is growing ahead of Sunday's race and the island's nightlife is thriving.
'There has definitely been an increase in the number of people coming. This week alone we have seen a big increase in our sales,' Ms Anita Lydia told Reuters on Saturday at the bar she manages in the popular entertainment area of Clarke Quay.
'It's not only members of the teams but also more tourists who have flown in to see the race,' she added.
'I can say I am proud to be a Singaporean as I think we have done a fantastic job. I am not working tomorrow (Sunday) but don't have a ticket so will watch it on television.
'There have been a lot of parties over the last two weeks to coincide with the event so I hope it becomes a permanent fixture on the calendar.'
Further along the riverside, restaurant marketing manager Joey Leong has also felt the positive effects of this week's first foray into Formula One.
'It's a very popular event in Singapore and it has boosted the number of people coming to the restaurant,' she said.
'We show it live inside and a lot of people come to watch while they dine.
'It is good that Singapore is able to hold the sport's first night race and I hope it continues for many years to come.'
Minor inconvenience
Despite parts of the city-state's downtown area being closed to the public for a majority of the week, taxi driver Vincent Toh said it was a minor inconvenience when weighed against the advantages of hosting the race.
'The grand prix is very good for Singapore. It brings more tourists to the country,' the 41-year-old said.
'True, it is a little inconvenient because a lot of roads in the downtown area are blocked but it's a very beneficial event for our economy.'
At the circuit, Indian tourist Rajat Bohra said the trip to Singapore had been well worth it so far.
'I came here just to watch the grand prix and I think it is brilliant... very well managed,' he said with a smile.
'This is the first race I have ever seen and I am really enjoying it.'
From his stall at the end of turn 5 into the straight on Raffles Boulevard, drinks vendor Ong Kien Sen was also full of praise for the event.
'It has been perfect so far,' the 51-year-old said.
'The night race is a new experience and it's very exciting as we have a great view on the bend here.'
As the cars lap at speed against the backdrop of a stunning skyline framed by 1,600 light projectors along a circuit that winds through the business district, excitement is growing ahead of Sunday's race and the island's nightlife is thriving.
'There has definitely been an increase in the number of people coming. This week alone we have seen a big increase in our sales,' Ms Anita Lydia told Reuters on Saturday at the bar she manages in the popular entertainment area of Clarke Quay.
'It's not only members of the teams but also more tourists who have flown in to see the race,' she added.
'I can say I am proud to be a Singaporean as I think we have done a fantastic job. I am not working tomorrow (Sunday) but don't have a ticket so will watch it on television.
'There have been a lot of parties over the last two weeks to coincide with the event so I hope it becomes a permanent fixture on the calendar.'
Further along the riverside, restaurant marketing manager Joey Leong has also felt the positive effects of this week's first foray into Formula One.
'It's a very popular event in Singapore and it has boosted the number of people coming to the restaurant,' she said.
'We show it live inside and a lot of people come to watch while they dine.
'It is good that Singapore is able to hold the sport's first night race and I hope it continues for many years to come.'
Minor inconvenience
Despite parts of the city-state's downtown area being closed to the public for a majority of the week, taxi driver Vincent Toh said it was a minor inconvenience when weighed against the advantages of hosting the race.
'The grand prix is very good for Singapore. It brings more tourists to the country,' the 41-year-old said.
'True, it is a little inconvenient because a lot of roads in the downtown area are blocked but it's a very beneficial event for our economy.'
At the circuit, Indian tourist Rajat Bohra said the trip to Singapore had been well worth it so far.
'I came here just to watch the grand prix and I think it is brilliant... very well managed,' he said with a smile.
'This is the first race I have ever seen and I am really enjoying it.'
From his stall at the end of turn 5 into the straight on Raffles Boulevard, drinks vendor Ong Kien Sen was also full of praise for the event.
'It has been perfect so far,' the 51-year-old said.
'The night race is a new experience and it's very exciting as we have a great view on the bend here.'
Typhoon soaks Taiwan
TAIPEI - HUNDREDS of people evacuated their homes as Typhoon Jangmi pounded Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday, causing a major landslide and forcing the cancellation of flights.
Forecasters warned of possible flash floods saying Jangmi, the sixth and biggest storm to hit Taiwan this year, could unleash up to 1400 millimetres (56 inches) of rainfall in some areas.
High-speed rail services were suspended and all domestic flights were cancelled, although international air traffic was largely unaffected.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from remote villages and fishing boats sought shelter at ports, the National Fire Agency said.
Jangmi, meaning 'rose' in Korean, made landfall in northeastern Ilan county around 3.40pm, the Central Weather Bureau said.
A major landslide disrupting traffic on a major highway in eastern Taiwan, rescuers said.
Local television stations compared the typhoon to a category five hurricane.
'This is a strong typhoon. No matter where it makes landfall, it could introduce powerful winds and heavy rains and accordingly wreak havoc,' the Central Weather Bureau's Mr Wu Teh-jung told reporters.
At least 14 people were killed and seven others reported missing earlier this month after Typhoon Sinlaku pounded the island, causing bridges, hotels and houses to collapse.
Forecasters warned of possible flash floods saying Jangmi, the sixth and biggest storm to hit Taiwan this year, could unleash up to 1400 millimetres (56 inches) of rainfall in some areas.
High-speed rail services were suspended and all domestic flights were cancelled, although international air traffic was largely unaffected.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from remote villages and fishing boats sought shelter at ports, the National Fire Agency said.
Jangmi, meaning 'rose' in Korean, made landfall in northeastern Ilan county around 3.40pm, the Central Weather Bureau said.
A major landslide disrupting traffic on a major highway in eastern Taiwan, rescuers said.
Local television stations compared the typhoon to a category five hurricane.
'This is a strong typhoon. No matter where it makes landfall, it could introduce powerful winds and heavy rains and accordingly wreak havoc,' the Central Weather Bureau's Mr Wu Teh-jung told reporters.
At least 14 people were killed and seven others reported missing earlier this month after Typhoon Sinlaku pounded the island, causing bridges, hotels and houses to collapse.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
100,000 Chinese evacuated
A POWERFUL typhoon ploughed into a densely populated area of southern China on Wednesday, prompting the state Meteorological Administration to issue an 'urgent red alert', its highest-level warning.
Authorities evacuated more than 100,000 people before typhoon Hagupit made landfall around dawn. The storm killed at least eight people in the Philippines earlier in the week.
Streets were deserted and shops and businesses shuttered as the storm uprooted trees and brought down billboards in cities across the booming southern Chinese province of Guangdong, including Maoming where the centre of the storm made landfall.
The state news agency Xinhua said a fishing boat sank but no casualties were reported.
It described typhoon Hagupit as 'the worst to hit Guangdong in more than a decade', but it was not clear by what gauge it was measuring the storm when typhoons in the past have triggered heavy death tolls.
Hagupit whipped past Hong Kong overnight, uprooting trees and causing flash floods in low-lying areas including Lantau island where the city's airport is located, with dozens of people injured across the territory.
More than 50,000 vessels had been called back to port and authorities in Guangdong, the manufacturing hub of China, Xinhua news said.
Torrential rain and more flooding was forecast. Hagupit would also hit Guangxi, to the west of Guangdong, and the tropical resort island of Hainan, authorities said.
Flights in Hong Kong were disrupted on Tuesday night, stranding scores of passengers in the airport.
Tropical storms in the region gather intensity from the warm ocean waters and frequently develop into typhoons that hit Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and southern China during a season that lasts from early summer to late autumn.
Another storm was brewing to the east of the Philippines.
Website Tropical Storm Risk said the storm, named 'nineteen', was expected to strengthen and head west towards China, following a similar path to Hagupit.
In China's quake-hit province of Sichuan, 14 people are missing after landslides triggered by heavy rain, Xinhua quoted a local official as saying.
Heavy rain, not related to the typhoon, also hit the Tangjiashan area, blocking the sluice of the dangerous 'quake lake', formed by mudslides blocking valleys, and raising its water level by five metres.
The lake was formed during the May 12 quake in which more than 80,000 people died.
Authorities evacuated more than 100,000 people before typhoon Hagupit made landfall around dawn. The storm killed at least eight people in the Philippines earlier in the week.
Streets were deserted and shops and businesses shuttered as the storm uprooted trees and brought down billboards in cities across the booming southern Chinese province of Guangdong, including Maoming where the centre of the storm made landfall.
The state news agency Xinhua said a fishing boat sank but no casualties were reported.
It described typhoon Hagupit as 'the worst to hit Guangdong in more than a decade', but it was not clear by what gauge it was measuring the storm when typhoons in the past have triggered heavy death tolls.
Hagupit whipped past Hong Kong overnight, uprooting trees and causing flash floods in low-lying areas including Lantau island where the city's airport is located, with dozens of people injured across the territory.
More than 50,000 vessels had been called back to port and authorities in Guangdong, the manufacturing hub of China, Xinhua news said.
Torrential rain and more flooding was forecast. Hagupit would also hit Guangxi, to the west of Guangdong, and the tropical resort island of Hainan, authorities said.
Flights in Hong Kong were disrupted on Tuesday night, stranding scores of passengers in the airport.
Tropical storms in the region gather intensity from the warm ocean waters and frequently develop into typhoons that hit Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and southern China during a season that lasts from early summer to late autumn.
Another storm was brewing to the east of the Philippines.
Website Tropical Storm Risk said the storm, named 'nineteen', was expected to strengthen and head west towards China, following a similar path to Hagupit.
In China's quake-hit province of Sichuan, 14 people are missing after landslides triggered by heavy rain, Xinhua quoted a local official as saying.
Heavy rain, not related to the typhoon, also hit the Tangjiashan area, blocking the sluice of the dangerous 'quake lake', formed by mudslides blocking valleys, and raising its water level by five metres.
The lake was formed during the May 12 quake in which more than 80,000 people died.
12 nations ban Chinese dairy
AT LEAST 12 countries - from Indonesia to Colombia - have banned Chinese dairy products amid fears over a widening tainted milk scandal that has killed four Chinese babies and sickened thousands of others.
Worries that compromised ingredients may have contaminated other foods like yogurts, cookies and candies have led several more countries, from Canada to Australia, to step up testing of Chinese imports.
The health scare has hit hardest in Asia, where nervous parents have rushed their children to hospitals for health checkups in recent days after China revealed that baby formula laced with a toxic chemical had sickened 54,000 infants.
'I'm still worried about my child,' said Ms Mary Yu, a Hong Kong mother who took her 3-year-old son for hospital tests on Tuesday, along with hundreds of other parents in the territory. 'I want to have a thorough check to play it safe.'
As the reports of sick babies multiplied - with at least five reported outside the mainland in the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau - even countries that don't import Chinese dairy began sounding alarms.
The European Union urged customs authorities on Monday to intensify checks on imports of 'composite products', such as bread or chocolate, to ensure they contain no traces of contaminated milk.
Growing public fears prompted some schools and stores to pull more products as a precaution. Even major international food makers such as Kraft Foods were hit by unconfirmed rumors of recalls of numerous snacks, including Oreo cookies and M&Ms.
The crisis was initially thought to have been limited to Chinese milk powder laced with melamine, an industrial chemical used to make plastics and fertiliser that can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.
But recent testing found melamine in samples of liquid milk taken from 22 Chinese companies - including the country's two largest dairy producers - and spurred nationwide recalls of milk and dairy products.
Since the scandal broke two weeks ago, Bangladesh, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Burundi, Kenya and Gabon have placed at least partial bans on Chinese dairy imports or foods that may contain milk.
Vietnam has ordered testing of all Chinese milk products and pulled several thousand litres of milk from supermarket shelves.
On Wednesday, Indonesia issued a sweeping ban covering 28 products - everything from liquid milk to Oreos and Snickers - out of concern they might be poisoned with adulterated Chinese dairy.
'The government has banned those products as a precaution even though we have not tested them yet,' said Ms Tien Gardini of Indonesia's food regulatory agency.
Colombia, which had not imported powdered milk or baby formula from China, specifically prohibited the import of all Chinese powdered milk and any products derived from it last week.
As import bans continued to crop up, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the tainted infant formula at the heart of the scandal might be smuggled across borders.
'I think the greatest fear is if there has been illegal movement of the heavily contaminated products rather than the legal movement of products that may have very low levels of melamine,' said Mr Anthony Hazzard, a WHO adviser on food security.
France heeded the call, saying it was checking to make sure no Chinese baby milk products have slipped into the market on a small scale.
But most consumers and regulators were focusing on legal imports.
Canada issued recalls for Mr. Brown brand instant coffee after Taiwan pulled the product off its shelves.
Bangladesh ordered testing of powder milk imported from countries known for tighter government regulations such as Australia, New Zealand and Denmark.
Malaysia expanded its ban on Chinese milk products on Tuesday to include candies, chocolates and any other food containing milk.
With consumer confidence shaken, international food makers were put on the defensive.
A major Japanese food maker, Marudai Food, pulled its cream buns, meat buns, and creamed corn crepes from supermarkets, but was still conducting tests.
After reports that a 16-month old in Macau developed a kidney stone after drinking Chinese-made Nestle milk powder made, the company rushed to assure consumers its products hadn't been affected.
Switzerland-based Nestle said in a statement on Tuesday that its milk products sold in China and Hong Kong are 'absolutely safe'.
No government tests have found melamine in Nestle milk products.
US-based Kraft Foods issued a statement saying Oreo products with milk do not contain any dairy from China.
A spokeswoman for Mars, maker of M&M candies and other sweets, said the company doesn?t source any ingredients from China's blacklisted firms.
Worries that compromised ingredients may have contaminated other foods like yogurts, cookies and candies have led several more countries, from Canada to Australia, to step up testing of Chinese imports.
The health scare has hit hardest in Asia, where nervous parents have rushed their children to hospitals for health checkups in recent days after China revealed that baby formula laced with a toxic chemical had sickened 54,000 infants.
'I'm still worried about my child,' said Ms Mary Yu, a Hong Kong mother who took her 3-year-old son for hospital tests on Tuesday, along with hundreds of other parents in the territory. 'I want to have a thorough check to play it safe.'
As the reports of sick babies multiplied - with at least five reported outside the mainland in the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau - even countries that don't import Chinese dairy began sounding alarms.
The European Union urged customs authorities on Monday to intensify checks on imports of 'composite products', such as bread or chocolate, to ensure they contain no traces of contaminated milk.
Growing public fears prompted some schools and stores to pull more products as a precaution. Even major international food makers such as Kraft Foods were hit by unconfirmed rumors of recalls of numerous snacks, including Oreo cookies and M&Ms.
The crisis was initially thought to have been limited to Chinese milk powder laced with melamine, an industrial chemical used to make plastics and fertiliser that can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.
But recent testing found melamine in samples of liquid milk taken from 22 Chinese companies - including the country's two largest dairy producers - and spurred nationwide recalls of milk and dairy products.
Since the scandal broke two weeks ago, Bangladesh, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Burundi, Kenya and Gabon have placed at least partial bans on Chinese dairy imports or foods that may contain milk.
Vietnam has ordered testing of all Chinese milk products and pulled several thousand litres of milk from supermarket shelves.
On Wednesday, Indonesia issued a sweeping ban covering 28 products - everything from liquid milk to Oreos and Snickers - out of concern they might be poisoned with adulterated Chinese dairy.
'The government has banned those products as a precaution even though we have not tested them yet,' said Ms Tien Gardini of Indonesia's food regulatory agency.
Colombia, which had not imported powdered milk or baby formula from China, specifically prohibited the import of all Chinese powdered milk and any products derived from it last week.
As import bans continued to crop up, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the tainted infant formula at the heart of the scandal might be smuggled across borders.
'I think the greatest fear is if there has been illegal movement of the heavily contaminated products rather than the legal movement of products that may have very low levels of melamine,' said Mr Anthony Hazzard, a WHO adviser on food security.
France heeded the call, saying it was checking to make sure no Chinese baby milk products have slipped into the market on a small scale.
But most consumers and regulators were focusing on legal imports.
Canada issued recalls for Mr. Brown brand instant coffee after Taiwan pulled the product off its shelves.
Bangladesh ordered testing of powder milk imported from countries known for tighter government regulations such as Australia, New Zealand and Denmark.
Malaysia expanded its ban on Chinese milk products on Tuesday to include candies, chocolates and any other food containing milk.
With consumer confidence shaken, international food makers were put on the defensive.
A major Japanese food maker, Marudai Food, pulled its cream buns, meat buns, and creamed corn crepes from supermarkets, but was still conducting tests.
After reports that a 16-month old in Macau developed a kidney stone after drinking Chinese-made Nestle milk powder made, the company rushed to assure consumers its products hadn't been affected.
Switzerland-based Nestle said in a statement on Tuesday that its milk products sold in China and Hong Kong are 'absolutely safe'.
No government tests have found melamine in Nestle milk products.
US-based Kraft Foods issued a statement saying Oreo products with milk do not contain any dairy from China.
A spokeswoman for Mars, maker of M&M candies and other sweets, said the company doesn?t source any ingredients from China's blacklisted firms.
Man faked death to cheat
A MAN faked his death so that he and his wife could collect their insurance money and Central Provident Fund contributions.
But the scam backfired for Shamsul Bahri Lamaon, 44.
Instead, he found himself behind bars for 42 months after pleading guilty to the two charges on Wednesday.
It all started when he was posted to Jakarta to work in 2004.
He chalked up a huge debt from his credit cards.
Two years later he quit his job. His Indonesian wife, Madam Rima Triyana, then hatched a scheme to fake his death and file claims with Great Eastern Life Assurance where he had five policies, and the Central Provident Fund Board.
They had planned to use the money to run a business, buy a house and for their children's education.
To avoid detection, Shamsul remained at Mdm Rima's parents village at Surade, Indonesia.
The wife managed to get a fake death certificate and supporting documents claiming he died of a heart attack on April 20, 2006.
The offences came to light after Shamsul decided to give himself up early this year.
He subsequently learnt that his wife had been paid $125,690 by GE.
He was afraid she would get her hands into another insurance payout of $200,249 which his son, a minor then, was the beneficiary.
He contacted his cousin who alerted the GE to stop the payment and to inform them he was alive.
GE reported the matter to the police.
Shamsul was arrested when he flew in from Jakarta on Feb 4.
Mdm Rima, 34, is at large.
He could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined on each charge.
But the scam backfired for Shamsul Bahri Lamaon, 44.
Instead, he found himself behind bars for 42 months after pleading guilty to the two charges on Wednesday.
It all started when he was posted to Jakarta to work in 2004.
He chalked up a huge debt from his credit cards.
Two years later he quit his job. His Indonesian wife, Madam Rima Triyana, then hatched a scheme to fake his death and file claims with Great Eastern Life Assurance where he had five policies, and the Central Provident Fund Board.
They had planned to use the money to run a business, buy a house and for their children's education.
To avoid detection, Shamsul remained at Mdm Rima's parents village at Surade, Indonesia.
The wife managed to get a fake death certificate and supporting documents claiming he died of a heart attack on April 20, 2006.
The offences came to light after Shamsul decided to give himself up early this year.
He subsequently learnt that his wife had been paid $125,690 by GE.
He was afraid she would get her hands into another insurance payout of $200,249 which his son, a minor then, was the beneficiary.
He contacted his cousin who alerted the GE to stop the payment and to inform them he was alive.
GE reported the matter to the police.
Shamsul was arrested when he flew in from Jakarta on Feb 4.
Mdm Rima, 34, is at large.
He could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined on each charge.
Girl, 4, cut by best friend
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD pre-schooler suffered two deep cuts which needed 12 stitches after she was slashed on her left leg with a paper cutter by her best friend in school.
The incident took placed on Sept 16 at the Punggol Central Education Centre in Compassvale Street.
Keertika Dana Panniselvam and her buddy, Maya (not her real name), also four, were playing alone in a corner of their classroom while their teacher was focusing on another group of pupils in another part of the room, The New Paper reported on Tuesday.
According to Keertika, Maya spotted a paper cutter lying on a nearby table and called out to her, 'Look, Keertika, look!'
Out of curiosity, Keertika reached out to touch the exposed blade and realised it was sharp.
Before Keertika knew it, Maya had slashed her below her left knee.
Despite her screams, Maya slashed Keertika again, this time lower down her shin.
The wounds were 4cm long and 2cm wide, said TNP.
Keertika's anguished cries drew the attention of the teacher, who alerted the principal. She also bandaged Keertika's wounds.
Keertika was admitted to the KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Her wounds required 12 stitches.
Meanwhile, Maya appeared to be unaware of the consequences of her actions, said TNP.
Keertika's parents do not blame Maya for the incident.
But they were disappointed with the pre-school's handling of the incident and want other schools to take better care of the children.
'They are clearly unprepared to handle such a situation,' said Keertika's dad, Mr S.K. Pannirselvam.
The incident took placed on Sept 16 at the Punggol Central Education Centre in Compassvale Street.
Keertika Dana Panniselvam and her buddy, Maya (not her real name), also four, were playing alone in a corner of their classroom while their teacher was focusing on another group of pupils in another part of the room, The New Paper reported on Tuesday.
According to Keertika, Maya spotted a paper cutter lying on a nearby table and called out to her, 'Look, Keertika, look!'
Out of curiosity, Keertika reached out to touch the exposed blade and realised it was sharp.
Before Keertika knew it, Maya had slashed her below her left knee.
Despite her screams, Maya slashed Keertika again, this time lower down her shin.
The wounds were 4cm long and 2cm wide, said TNP.
Keertika's anguished cries drew the attention of the teacher, who alerted the principal. She also bandaged Keertika's wounds.
Keertika was admitted to the KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Her wounds required 12 stitches.
Meanwhile, Maya appeared to be unaware of the consequences of her actions, said TNP.
Keertika's parents do not blame Maya for the incident.
But they were disappointed with the pre-school's handling of the incident and want other schools to take better care of the children.
'They are clearly unprepared to handle such a situation,' said Keertika's dad, Mr S.K. Pannirselvam.
5 more items infected
FIVE more products imported from China have been found to contain melamine, bringing the number of tainted Chinese diary products in Singapore to eight.
Two are flavoured milk and three are confectioneries containing milk powder as an ingredient, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a statement on Wednesday.
The affected items are Dutch Lady banana flavoured milk, Dutch Lady honeydew flavoured milk, Silang - House of Steamed Potato - potato cracker, Puffed Rice Rolls - butter corn flavour; and Puffed Rice Rolls - cheese flavour.
The other products which were earlier found to be contaminated with melamine are Yi Li Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection, Dutch Lady Strawberry Flavoured Milk and White Rabbit Creamy Candy
The chemical, normally found in plastics, has been blamed for killing at least three babies in China and leaving more than 50,000 others with problems like kidney stones.
At least 12 countries have banned diary products imported from China.
AVA advised the public not to be unduly concerned as it has suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China since Sept 19.
'We would also like to assure the public that the levels of melamine detected in the products are low and hence unlikely to result in adverse health effects,' it said.
'Consumers have to consume large quantities of the contaminated products over a prolonged period of time to have any potential ill effects on health.'
AVA said an adult weighing 60 kg or a child weighing 30 kg can ingest 37.8 mg of melamine and 18.9 mg of melamine respectively every day over a lifetime without any appreciable health risk.
Since last week, the authority has tested over 100 milk products for melamine, with 50 to 80 more samples being tested each day.
AVA will turn its attention to other products where content is a concern, such as cereals, after it has tested all the 400-odd samples of milk and milk products.
On Tuesday, some 1,800 litres of frozen yoghurt bars were destroyed at the Tuas incinerator.
Two are flavoured milk and three are confectioneries containing milk powder as an ingredient, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a statement on Wednesday.
The affected items are Dutch Lady banana flavoured milk, Dutch Lady honeydew flavoured milk, Silang - House of Steamed Potato - potato cracker, Puffed Rice Rolls - butter corn flavour; and Puffed Rice Rolls - cheese flavour.
The other products which were earlier found to be contaminated with melamine are Yi Li Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection, Dutch Lady Strawberry Flavoured Milk and White Rabbit Creamy Candy
The chemical, normally found in plastics, has been blamed for killing at least three babies in China and leaving more than 50,000 others with problems like kidney stones.
At least 12 countries have banned diary products imported from China.
AVA advised the public not to be unduly concerned as it has suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China since Sept 19.
'We would also like to assure the public that the levels of melamine detected in the products are low and hence unlikely to result in adverse health effects,' it said.
'Consumers have to consume large quantities of the contaminated products over a prolonged period of time to have any potential ill effects on health.'
AVA said an adult weighing 60 kg or a child weighing 30 kg can ingest 37.8 mg of melamine and 18.9 mg of melamine respectively every day over a lifetime without any appreciable health risk.
Since last week, the authority has tested over 100 milk products for melamine, with 50 to 80 more samples being tested each day.
AVA will turn its attention to other products where content is a concern, such as cereals, after it has tested all the 400-odd samples of milk and milk products.
On Tuesday, some 1,800 litres of frozen yoghurt bars were destroyed at the Tuas incinerator.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Rabbit sweets toxic, too
SINGAPORE has found traces of a toxic chemical in a third Chinese-made dairy product as a scandal over tainted milk spreads across Asia, authorities said on Sunday.
Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said samples of White Rabbit-brand Creamy Candy imported from China were contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical that can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.
Authorities on Friday suspended the sale and import of all Chinese milk and dairy products after finding melamine in samples of a Yili-brand yogurt bar and Dutch Lady-brand strawberry milk manufactured in China. The ban includes milk, ice cream, yogurt, chocolate, biscuits and candy, as well as any other products containing milk from China as an ingredient.
'Retailers and importers have been instructed to recall these products and withhold them from sale,' the AVA said in a statement.
'Consumers who have bought the affected products are advised not to consume them.'
Melamine has been blamed in China for four infant deaths and illnesses in 6,200 who drank tainted milk powder. A 3-year-old girl in Hong Kong was also diagnosed with a kidney stone after drinking milk containing melamine.
Since the problem of tainted milk products became public knowledge less than two weeks ago, the crisis has spread to include almost all of China's biggest dairy companies. Their products have been pulled from stores around the country, and in other places such as the self-governing Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau.
Starbucks stopped offering milk in its 300 outlets in China.
Hong Kong's two main supermarket chains said Sunday that they were recalling milk powder made by Swiss manufacturer Nestle after a newspaper reported it contains melamine.
Taiwanese company King Car Co. announced it has recalled packs of its Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea containing contaminated milk powder imported from China.
Japan recalled Chinese-made dairy products, and the governments of Malaysia and Brunei announced bans on milk products from China even though neither country currently imports Chinese dairy items.
Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said samples of White Rabbit-brand Creamy Candy imported from China were contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical that can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.
Authorities on Friday suspended the sale and import of all Chinese milk and dairy products after finding melamine in samples of a Yili-brand yogurt bar and Dutch Lady-brand strawberry milk manufactured in China. The ban includes milk, ice cream, yogurt, chocolate, biscuits and candy, as well as any other products containing milk from China as an ingredient.
'Retailers and importers have been instructed to recall these products and withhold them from sale,' the AVA said in a statement.
'Consumers who have bought the affected products are advised not to consume them.'
Melamine has been blamed in China for four infant deaths and illnesses in 6,200 who drank tainted milk powder. A 3-year-old girl in Hong Kong was also diagnosed with a kidney stone after drinking milk containing melamine.
Since the problem of tainted milk products became public knowledge less than two weeks ago, the crisis has spread to include almost all of China's biggest dairy companies. Their products have been pulled from stores around the country, and in other places such as the self-governing Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau.
Starbucks stopped offering milk in its 300 outlets in China.
Hong Kong's two main supermarket chains said Sunday that they were recalling milk powder made by Swiss manufacturer Nestle after a newspaper reported it contains melamine.
Taiwanese company King Car Co. announced it has recalled packs of its Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea containing contaminated milk powder imported from China.
Japan recalled Chinese-made dairy products, and the governments of Malaysia and Brunei announced bans on milk products from China even though neither country currently imports Chinese dairy items.
Police catch more jaywalkers
ON Orchard Road, near Paragon Shopping Centre, a woman hurried across the road with a stroller while cars sped past.
Further down the road, near Centrepoint, a man darted across the road to catch a bus which had just pulled into the bus-bay.
Jaywalking appears to be prevalent here despite it being a crime which can see offenders jailed. The Straits Times spotted a total of about 160 people jaywalking over a 2 1/2 hours yesterday.
The police are also catching more of them. In the first half of the year, 3,821 people were caught for jaywalking, up from 2,070 in the same period last year.
One favourite jaywalking spot was the stretch of Orchard Road separating the construction site near Somerset MRT station and Orchard Emerald.
While there were two traffic lights in close proximity, some 15 people crossed the road between the traffic lights during a 30-minute interval.
Within an hour, at least 80 people jaywalked across Grange Road which separates Orchard Building and Cineleisure.
Most of them were teenagers or looked to be in their 20s. Some stood on the divider, while cars drove by.
Mr Jimmy Chan, a 22-year-old operator, said it was 'not so convenient' to walk to the traffic light.
Convenience was also the reason cited by marketing executive Joseph Suriya, 28. He said he knew how to keep safe by gauging the traffic.
Further down the road, near Centrepoint, a man darted across the road to catch a bus which had just pulled into the bus-bay.
Jaywalking appears to be prevalent here despite it being a crime which can see offenders jailed. The Straits Times spotted a total of about 160 people jaywalking over a 2 1/2 hours yesterday.
The police are also catching more of them. In the first half of the year, 3,821 people were caught for jaywalking, up from 2,070 in the same period last year.
One favourite jaywalking spot was the stretch of Orchard Road separating the construction site near Somerset MRT station and Orchard Emerald.
While there were two traffic lights in close proximity, some 15 people crossed the road between the traffic lights during a 30-minute interval.
Within an hour, at least 80 people jaywalked across Grange Road which separates Orchard Building and Cineleisure.
Most of them were teenagers or looked to be in their 20s. Some stood on the divider, while cars drove by.
Mr Jimmy Chan, a 22-year-old operator, said it was 'not so convenient' to walk to the traffic light.
Convenience was also the reason cited by marketing executive Joseph Suriya, 28. He said he knew how to keep safe by gauging the traffic.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sweeping China milk recall
BEIJING - CHINESE supermarkets and shops pulled milk and a wide range of other dairy products off their shelves on Friday as a sweeping recall of goods tainted with a dangerous chemical hit full gear.Yili, Mengniu and Guangming - big brands consumed and trusted by hundreds of millions of Chinese - were affected by the recall after authorities checked their products and found traces of melamine, a chemical used in plastics.
'All problem products have been banned from our stores,' an executive at Jian-Mart, a popular supermarket chain, said.
'Products from Yilin, Mengniu and Guangming have been pulled off the shelves, including milk, milk powder and yoghurt,' she said, giving only her surname, Zhao.
EU wants explanation
The EU wants an explanation about a widening Chinese dairy scandal that has made thousands of infants ill, an official said on Friday, as global cafe giant Starbucks pulled some milk from its Chinese stores.
Fears that the scandal was much bigger than first thought appeared to be well-founded when a government quality watchdog said nearly 10 per cent of milk samples from three major dairies were found to be contaminated with potentially deadly melamine.
Robert Madelin, director-general for health and consumer protection at the European Commission, said the EU did not import Chinese infant milk powder, and there had been no reports of health problems in the bloc from other Chinese dairy products.
But with foreign consumers watching China again grapple with toxic food and claims of delays and cover-ups, Mr Madelin told reporters in Beijing he expected an account of what went wrong.
'We are trying to establish the facts. We are discussing all aspects of this crisis bilaterally with our colleagues in China,' Mr Madelin said.
'On the governance aspects, we are also asking questions, and we will learn the truth probably about the same time you do.'
The Chinese government agency in charge of product quality supervision on Friday issued detailed findings from a comprehensive national check, showing 24 the 295 batches it tested from the three dairy companies were contaminated.
'The manufacturers should of their own accord recall all products where melamine has been detected,' the agency said on its website.
Melamine can make products look like they are bursting with protein, but consumed in large amounts it can be lethal.
Four babies have died so far from kidney failure in China's most recent product safety scandal, and more than 6,000 have fallen ill.
The scare escalated on Thursday when the government announced that a number of milk products, and not only baby formula, are tainted with the chemical.
The three companies hit by the latest recall could not be reached for comment on Friday.
But retailers complained that the scandal was costing them dearly.
'Normally we can sell 53,000 yuan (7,700 dollars) of dairy products per day, but at present we sell less than 10,000 yuan,' said Ms Wang Feiqi, a manager at a branch of supermarket chain Wu-Mart.
'I think this will last at least one or two months. Customers won't come to buy these products unless they reach the national standard.'
'All problem products have been banned from our stores,' an executive at Jian-Mart, a popular supermarket chain, said.
'Products from Yilin, Mengniu and Guangming have been pulled off the shelves, including milk, milk powder and yoghurt,' she said, giving only her surname, Zhao.
EU wants explanation
The EU wants an explanation about a widening Chinese dairy scandal that has made thousands of infants ill, an official said on Friday, as global cafe giant Starbucks pulled some milk from its Chinese stores.
Fears that the scandal was much bigger than first thought appeared to be well-founded when a government quality watchdog said nearly 10 per cent of milk samples from three major dairies were found to be contaminated with potentially deadly melamine.
Robert Madelin, director-general for health and consumer protection at the European Commission, said the EU did not import Chinese infant milk powder, and there had been no reports of health problems in the bloc from other Chinese dairy products.
But with foreign consumers watching China again grapple with toxic food and claims of delays and cover-ups, Mr Madelin told reporters in Beijing he expected an account of what went wrong.
'We are trying to establish the facts. We are discussing all aspects of this crisis bilaterally with our colleagues in China,' Mr Madelin said.
'On the governance aspects, we are also asking questions, and we will learn the truth probably about the same time you do.'
The Chinese government agency in charge of product quality supervision on Friday issued detailed findings from a comprehensive national check, showing 24 the 295 batches it tested from the three dairy companies were contaminated.
'The manufacturers should of their own accord recall all products where melamine has been detected,' the agency said on its website.
Melamine can make products look like they are bursting with protein, but consumed in large amounts it can be lethal.
Four babies have died so far from kidney failure in China's most recent product safety scandal, and more than 6,000 have fallen ill.
The scare escalated on Thursday when the government announced that a number of milk products, and not only baby formula, are tainted with the chemical.
The three companies hit by the latest recall could not be reached for comment on Friday.
But retailers complained that the scandal was costing them dearly.
'Normally we can sell 53,000 yuan (7,700 dollars) of dairy products per day, but at present we sell less than 10,000 yuan,' said Ms Wang Feiqi, a manager at a branch of supermarket chain Wu-Mart.
'I think this will last at least one or two months. Customers won't come to buy these products unless they reach the national standard.'
New HK law amid milk scare
HONG KONG - HONG KONG said on Friday it will introduce a law against excess melamine in food amid a growing scandal over Chinese dairy products containing the potentially life-threatening chemical.
Health officials are studying safe levels of melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, said Mr York Chow, secretary for health, environment and food.
'We are preparing to legislate against melamine in food. The administration is expeditiously studying the standards laid down by the European Union, the US Food and Drug Administration, and other international bodies,' he told legislators on Friday.
The Hong Kong government has faced criticism that it was slow to act over the contamination scandal, which has claimed the lives of four babies in China and sickened more than 6,000.
It sought a recall on Thursday of all products made by Yili, one of China's biggest dairy companies, after finding the chemical in eight out of the 30 drinks, ice creams and yoghurt it tested.
But it has not ordered recalls of products from other companies that export to Hong Kong despite a Chinese government investigation finding some contained melamine.
Melamine can make products look like they are bursting with protein, but consumed in large amounts it can be lethal.
Mr Chow said it was possible for a small amount of the industrial chemical to 'migrate' to food products from plastic containers.
He also expressed concerned that retailers would seek to profit from the scare by raising prices for baby formula made overseas.
Demand for imported milk powder has soared this week as mainland mothers flocked to Hong Kong to stock up.
'We are worried about individual retailers taking the opportunity to raise prices of infant formula. We are working closely with the Consumer Council with the hope that these mothers will not be affected,' he said.
Mr Chow said suppliers had reassured him they would be able to meet an expected rise in demand of between 30 and 40 per cent.
Health officials are studying safe levels of melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, said Mr York Chow, secretary for health, environment and food.
'We are preparing to legislate against melamine in food. The administration is expeditiously studying the standards laid down by the European Union, the US Food and Drug Administration, and other international bodies,' he told legislators on Friday.
The Hong Kong government has faced criticism that it was slow to act over the contamination scandal, which has claimed the lives of four babies in China and sickened more than 6,000.
It sought a recall on Thursday of all products made by Yili, one of China's biggest dairy companies, after finding the chemical in eight out of the 30 drinks, ice creams and yoghurt it tested.
But it has not ordered recalls of products from other companies that export to Hong Kong despite a Chinese government investigation finding some contained melamine.
Melamine can make products look like they are bursting with protein, but consumed in large amounts it can be lethal.
Mr Chow said it was possible for a small amount of the industrial chemical to 'migrate' to food products from plastic containers.
He also expressed concerned that retailers would seek to profit from the scare by raising prices for baby formula made overseas.
Demand for imported milk powder has soared this week as mainland mothers flocked to Hong Kong to stock up.
'We are worried about individual retailers taking the opportunity to raise prices of infant formula. We are working closely with the Consumer Council with the hope that these mothers will not be affected,' he said.
Mr Chow said suppliers had reassured him they would be able to meet an expected rise in demand of between 30 and 40 per cent.
Triple murder in Yishun, Singapore
THREE Chinese nationals - two mothers and a daughter - were found dead and another teenage girl was brutally stabbed in a midnight triple murder that shocked residents of Yishun and the China community here.Two of the dead women, one in her 30s and the other in her 40s, were 'study mamas'. One of them was found at the foot of Block 349 Yishun Avenue 11 after midnight.
The other woman and a 17-year-old teenage student were found dead in a corner five-room flat on the sixth floor. A fourth victim, a 14-year-old teenage girl, was badly injured with multiple stab wounds on her body.
She was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and is still undergoing emergency operation.
Police have arrested a 42-year-old China man, who is believed to be the murder suspect.
He was found in the flat when police broke into it. The man did not resist when police arrested him. Two knives were recovered from the murder scene.
The horror of the multiple murders unfolded at around midnight. But most of the residents in the block slept through it and they only knew about it on Friday morning.
Several residents who were still up late on Thursday heard a shouting match from the 6th floor flat, then a loud thud, followed by piercing shrieks from several screaming women. Then it all went silent.
When they went out of their flats to check, they saw a woman's body lying near the rubbish chute.
She was clad in a floral sleeveless dress and beige panties. She is believed to have fallen from the kitchen window of the sixth floor flat.
Madam Mala, who lives on the fourth floor said she was in her master bedroom when she heard a loud thud. She looked out of the window and saw a body on the ground floor.
With her husband and son, they went down the block to check.
Madam Mala said the dead woman appeared to be plump and in her late 30s or early 40s.
'Moments after the loud thud, I heard several woman shrieking from a flat above. And then silence,' she told The Straits Times on Friday morning.
Another neighbour, who lives on the fifth floor, said her husband was playing computer game in his room when he too heard a loud thud around midnight.
Giving her name only as Mrs Loh, she said the woman had fallen from the kitchen window on the sixth floor.
Mrs Loh, 30, a housewife, said two of the dead victims were mother and daughter.
'The mother is tall, slim and appeared to be in her 30s or 40s. The younger girl looked like a student. She seemed demure,' she added.
Some neighbours also said they heard a quarrel from the occupants in the flat moments before the shocking tragedy.
Police said they received a call at about 12.50 am from a member of the public about a woman's body found at the foot of the block. She was facing down.
She was pronounced dead by paramedics at 1 am.
Police investigators searched the block floor by floor and found a blood-stained padlock on the main door of the sixth floor unit.
They broke down the door with the help of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and found three Chinese women with multiple stab wounds on their bodies. Two of them were pronounced dead at 2 am, while the third was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Inside the unlit flat was the murder suspect.
The Chinese occupants moved into the flat more than a month ago and kept mostly to themselves, said neighbours.
The floor outside the murder scene has been cordoned off. A forensic team is still going through the flat.
Police are treating the three deaths as murder and the fourth as attempted murder.
The other woman and a 17-year-old teenage student were found dead in a corner five-room flat on the sixth floor. A fourth victim, a 14-year-old teenage girl, was badly injured with multiple stab wounds on her body.
She was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and is still undergoing emergency operation.
Police have arrested a 42-year-old China man, who is believed to be the murder suspect.
He was found in the flat when police broke into it. The man did not resist when police arrested him. Two knives were recovered from the murder scene.
The horror of the multiple murders unfolded at around midnight. But most of the residents in the block slept through it and they only knew about it on Friday morning.
Several residents who were still up late on Thursday heard a shouting match from the 6th floor flat, then a loud thud, followed by piercing shrieks from several screaming women. Then it all went silent.
When they went out of their flats to check, they saw a woman's body lying near the rubbish chute.
She was clad in a floral sleeveless dress and beige panties. She is believed to have fallen from the kitchen window of the sixth floor flat.
Madam Mala, who lives on the fourth floor said she was in her master bedroom when she heard a loud thud. She looked out of the window and saw a body on the ground floor.
With her husband and son, they went down the block to check.
Madam Mala said the dead woman appeared to be plump and in her late 30s or early 40s.
'Moments after the loud thud, I heard several woman shrieking from a flat above. And then silence,' she told The Straits Times on Friday morning.
Another neighbour, who lives on the fifth floor, said her husband was playing computer game in his room when he too heard a loud thud around midnight.
Giving her name only as Mrs Loh, she said the woman had fallen from the kitchen window on the sixth floor.
Mrs Loh, 30, a housewife, said two of the dead victims were mother and daughter.
'The mother is tall, slim and appeared to be in her 30s or 40s. The younger girl looked like a student. She seemed demure,' she added.
Some neighbours also said they heard a quarrel from the occupants in the flat moments before the shocking tragedy.
Police said they received a call at about 12.50 am from a member of the public about a woman's body found at the foot of the block. She was facing down.
She was pronounced dead by paramedics at 1 am.
Police investigators searched the block floor by floor and found a blood-stained padlock on the main door of the sixth floor unit.
They broke down the door with the help of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and found three Chinese women with multiple stab wounds on their bodies. Two of them were pronounced dead at 2 am, while the third was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Inside the unlit flat was the murder suspect.
The Chinese occupants moved into the flat more than a month ago and kept mostly to themselves, said neighbours.
The floor outside the murder scene has been cordoned off. A forensic team is still going through the flat.
Police are treating the three deaths as murder and the fourth as attempted murder.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Blasts near US Embassy
SAN'A - EXPLOSIONS and heavy gunfire were heard on Wednesday morning in the vicinity of the US Embassy in the Yemeni capital and police swiftly cordoned off the area, witnesses said.
Al Arabiya Television said that the initial blast was caused by a suspected car bomb and that there were believed to be casualties.
Yemeni officials were not immediately available to comment on the cause of the blasts or the number of casualties, but ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene and police cordoned off the area.
A US embassy official declined to comment.
An embassy employee contacted by telephone inside the mission's compound in the eastern sector of San'a would only say that 'there has been a security incident.'
Regional TV networks, however, are reporting a car bomb explosion outside the embassy and an exchange of gunfire between guards and unidentified assailants. A fire broke out in one of the embassy's buildings, they say.
The reports, which could not be independently confirmed, made no mention of casualties.
In March, three mortar rounds targeting the US Embassy crashed into a high school for girls next door, killing a Yemeni security guard and wounding more than a dozen girls.
The US Embassy in Yemen, which is the ancestral homeland of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has been the focus of violence in the past.
In March 2002, a Yemeni man lobbed a sound grenade into the US embassy grounds a day after Vice-President Dick Cheney made a stop for talks with officials at San'a airport.
The attacker, who allegedly sought to retaliate against what he called American bias toward Israel, was sentenced to 10 years in prison but the sentence was later reduced to seven years.
In March 2003, two people were fatally shot and dozens more were injured when police clashed with demonstrators trying to storm the embassy when tens of thousands rallied against the US-led invasion of Iraq.
In 2006, a gunman opened fire outside the embassy but was shot and arrested by Yemeni guards. The gunman, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, claimed he wanted to kill Americans.
Al-Qaeda has an active presence in Yemen despite government efforts to destroy it. The group was blamed for the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden that killed 17 American sailors and an attack on a French oil tanker that killed one person two years later.
The United States ordered non-essential staff to leave Yemen in April, a day after an attack on a residential compound.
The Yemeni government joined the US-led war against terrorism following the Sept 11 attacks on US cities.
The government of the poor Arab country has also been fighting Shi'ite rebels in the northern province of Saada since 2004 and faced protests against unemployment and inflation.
Al Arabiya Television said that the initial blast was caused by a suspected car bomb and that there were believed to be casualties.
Yemeni officials were not immediately available to comment on the cause of the blasts or the number of casualties, but ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene and police cordoned off the area.
A US embassy official declined to comment.
An embassy employee contacted by telephone inside the mission's compound in the eastern sector of San'a would only say that 'there has been a security incident.'
Regional TV networks, however, are reporting a car bomb explosion outside the embassy and an exchange of gunfire between guards and unidentified assailants. A fire broke out in one of the embassy's buildings, they say.
The reports, which could not be independently confirmed, made no mention of casualties.
In March, three mortar rounds targeting the US Embassy crashed into a high school for girls next door, killing a Yemeni security guard and wounding more than a dozen girls.
The US Embassy in Yemen, which is the ancestral homeland of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has been the focus of violence in the past.
In March 2002, a Yemeni man lobbed a sound grenade into the US embassy grounds a day after Vice-President Dick Cheney made a stop for talks with officials at San'a airport.
The attacker, who allegedly sought to retaliate against what he called American bias toward Israel, was sentenced to 10 years in prison but the sentence was later reduced to seven years.
In March 2003, two people were fatally shot and dozens more were injured when police clashed with demonstrators trying to storm the embassy when tens of thousands rallied against the US-led invasion of Iraq.
In 2006, a gunman opened fire outside the embassy but was shot and arrested by Yemeni guards. The gunman, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, claimed he wanted to kill Americans.
Al-Qaeda has an active presence in Yemen despite government efforts to destroy it. The group was blamed for the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden that killed 17 American sailors and an attack on a French oil tanker that killed one person two years later.
The United States ordered non-essential staff to leave Yemen in April, a day after an attack on a residential compound.
The Yemeni government joined the US-led war against terrorism following the Sept 11 attacks on US cities.
The government of the poor Arab country has also been fighting Shi'ite rebels in the northern province of Saada since 2004 and faced protests against unemployment and inflation.
Siblings jailed for abusing maid
AN INDONESIAN maid, accused of theft, kept protesting her innocence.
But Ms Badingah, 29, was not believed - and went on to lose two of her front teeth, one after another, at the hands of a teenager wielding a pair of pliers. The 'dentist', Nur Rizan Mohd Sazali, an 18-year-old mother of one, was yesterday jailed for a total of 26 months - 12 months for forcibly extracting the two teeth and another 14 months for pouring boiling wax on the maid.
Nur Rizan was assisted by Ms Badingah's employer, Elsa Elyana Said, 25, who held the maid's head still and forced her mouth open.
Elsa, who pleaded guilty to punching the maid and abetting in the tooth extraction, will be sentenced on Oct 16.
She lived with Nur Rizan, as well as the teenager's mother and brother, in a flat in Jalan Minyak, off Chin Swee Road.
The abuse that Ms Badingah suffered at the hands of the four people under that roof took place between June 2 and July 26 last year.
Nur Rizan's brother, Muhammad Iz'aan, 20, was jailed for six weeks after having pleaded guilty to caning Ms Badingah.
The maid, in one of the punishments meted out for an unnamed infraction, had been ordered to stand facing the door through the whole night with one leg off the ground and holding her ears. Muhammad Iz'aan caned her when she put down that leg.
The siblings' mother, Maselly Abdul Aziz, 38, at first said the statement of facts read out in court contained falsehoods, but later changed her mind and pleaded guilty as charged.
Her guilty plea was rejected.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Natalie Morris said the abuses started three months after Elsa took Ms Badingah from her mother's flat to work in the Jalan Minyak household.
The four accused began suspecting that she was stealing their money and other small valuables.
Once, after Ms Badingah denied stealing their cellphones, Nur Rizan and her brother ordered her to take off her blouse.
They then bound her wrists with a bathrobe sash, after which Nur Rizan poured hot liquid wax from a melted candle over her head and back.
Pressing for a stiff sentence, DPP Morris said that over about two months, the victim was assaulted in variously 'morbidly creative ways' in a campaign of 'cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment amounting to torture'.
Ms Badingah, who had serious and extensive injuries, feared her abusers and for her life. One day, she jumped out of the kitchen window of the second-storey flat and ran for her life.
DPP Morris said that, by all accounts, the reactions of the accused were out of proportion to their respective triggering events.
Citing the Prime Minister's National Day Rally speech for Singapore to become a gracious society, the DPP argued that the considerations behind enacting heavier punishments for maid abusers 10 years ago had become more relevant now.
'As such, maid abuse, today more than ever before, cannot be tolerated, and perpetrators of extreme instances of abuse must be duly penalised,' she said.
Defence lawyer S.S. Dhillon said his clients were extremely remorseful for their actions, which were born of frustration. He said the case had brought immense shame to the family.
A Ministry of Manpower spokesman said the number of substantiated maid abuse cases handled by the police fell from 157 cases in 1997 to 68 last year.
ATROCIOUS ACTS
'Despite your youth, you have committed acts of appalling cruelty on a domestic maid.'
District Judge Jill Tan to Nur Rizan Mohd Sazali
YOUTH NOT AN EXCUSE
'You may have been instigated to do so, but you were 17 years old at the time of the offence, and I cannot believe at that age that you failed to understand how inhuman this act was.'
The judge, on the teeth extraction act, which she described as 'unthinkable'
HARSH PUNISHMENTS NEEDED
'Your guilty plea and your youth earn you a lighter sentence than I would otherwise impose. Yet, I cannot ignore the shocking and horrific acts which you subjected Ms Badingah to. Accordingly, a sufficient long term in prison is necessary for you to reflect on your deeds.'
The judge, on Nur Rizan's final jail sentence
But Ms Badingah, 29, was not believed - and went on to lose two of her front teeth, one after another, at the hands of a teenager wielding a pair of pliers. The 'dentist', Nur Rizan Mohd Sazali, an 18-year-old mother of one, was yesterday jailed for a total of 26 months - 12 months for forcibly extracting the two teeth and another 14 months for pouring boiling wax on the maid.
Nur Rizan was assisted by Ms Badingah's employer, Elsa Elyana Said, 25, who held the maid's head still and forced her mouth open.
Elsa, who pleaded guilty to punching the maid and abetting in the tooth extraction, will be sentenced on Oct 16.
She lived with Nur Rizan, as well as the teenager's mother and brother, in a flat in Jalan Minyak, off Chin Swee Road.
The abuse that Ms Badingah suffered at the hands of the four people under that roof took place between June 2 and July 26 last year.
Nur Rizan's brother, Muhammad Iz'aan, 20, was jailed for six weeks after having pleaded guilty to caning Ms Badingah.
The maid, in one of the punishments meted out for an unnamed infraction, had been ordered to stand facing the door through the whole night with one leg off the ground and holding her ears. Muhammad Iz'aan caned her when she put down that leg.
The siblings' mother, Maselly Abdul Aziz, 38, at first said the statement of facts read out in court contained falsehoods, but later changed her mind and pleaded guilty as charged.
Her guilty plea was rejected.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Natalie Morris said the abuses started three months after Elsa took Ms Badingah from her mother's flat to work in the Jalan Minyak household.
The four accused began suspecting that she was stealing their money and other small valuables.
Once, after Ms Badingah denied stealing their cellphones, Nur Rizan and her brother ordered her to take off her blouse.
They then bound her wrists with a bathrobe sash, after which Nur Rizan poured hot liquid wax from a melted candle over her head and back.
Pressing for a stiff sentence, DPP Morris said that over about two months, the victim was assaulted in variously 'morbidly creative ways' in a campaign of 'cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment amounting to torture'.
Ms Badingah, who had serious and extensive injuries, feared her abusers and for her life. One day, she jumped out of the kitchen window of the second-storey flat and ran for her life.
DPP Morris said that, by all accounts, the reactions of the accused were out of proportion to their respective triggering events.
Citing the Prime Minister's National Day Rally speech for Singapore to become a gracious society, the DPP argued that the considerations behind enacting heavier punishments for maid abusers 10 years ago had become more relevant now.
'As such, maid abuse, today more than ever before, cannot be tolerated, and perpetrators of extreme instances of abuse must be duly penalised,' she said.
Defence lawyer S.S. Dhillon said his clients were extremely remorseful for their actions, which were born of frustration. He said the case had brought immense shame to the family.
A Ministry of Manpower spokesman said the number of substantiated maid abuse cases handled by the police fell from 157 cases in 1997 to 68 last year.
ATROCIOUS ACTS
'Despite your youth, you have committed acts of appalling cruelty on a domestic maid.'
District Judge Jill Tan to Nur Rizan Mohd Sazali
YOUTH NOT AN EXCUSE
'You may have been instigated to do so, but you were 17 years old at the time of the offence, and I cannot believe at that age that you failed to understand how inhuman this act was.'
The judge, on the teeth extraction act, which she described as 'unthinkable'
HARSH PUNISHMENTS NEEDED
'Your guilty plea and your youth earn you a lighter sentence than I would otherwise impose. Yet, I cannot ignore the shocking and horrific acts which you subjected Ms Badingah to. Accordingly, a sufficient long term in prison is necessary for you to reflect on your deeds.'
The judge, on Nur Rizan's final jail sentence
Man fell while cleaning window
A 39-year-old man, said to be obsessive about cleanliness, fell 20 storeys to his death while wiping his living room window in Toa Payoh, a coroner's court heard on Wednesday.
Mr Jimmy Newton Lim Kim Soon, a creative director, was described by his mother as a perfectionist who was very particular about cleanliness and hygiene at home.
The incident happened at a block of flats in Lorong 2 on June 7.
A coroner's inquiry into Mr Lim's death heard that he was found lying motionless on the ground floor clutching a piece of wet cloth in his right hand.
A blue plastic stool and a pail containing murky water were found near the living room window.
Mr Lim's 74-year-old mother had returned from her routine morning exercise at about 7.10am that day when she found him lying on the ground floor and thought he had a 'normal'' fall. She tried to wake him up but to no avail..
Her 24-year-old daughter was sleeping in her bedroom and did not hear anything, said Staff Sergeant Raymond Chng in his investigation report.
State Coroner Eddy Tham recorded a verdict of misadventure or accidental death.
Mr Jimmy Newton Lim Kim Soon, a creative director, was described by his mother as a perfectionist who was very particular about cleanliness and hygiene at home.
The incident happened at a block of flats in Lorong 2 on June 7.
A coroner's inquiry into Mr Lim's death heard that he was found lying motionless on the ground floor clutching a piece of wet cloth in his right hand.
A blue plastic stool and a pail containing murky water were found near the living room window.
Mr Lim's 74-year-old mother had returned from her routine morning exercise at about 7.10am that day when she found him lying on the ground floor and thought he had a 'normal'' fall. She tried to wake him up but to no avail..
Her 24-year-old daughter was sleeping in her bedroom and did not hear anything, said Staff Sergeant Raymond Chng in his investigation report.
State Coroner Eddy Tham recorded a verdict of misadventure or accidental death.
Chelsea & Liverpool win
PARIS - ENGLISH clubs ran the rule over their French counterparts on Tuesday as Liverpool and Chelsea beat Marseille and Bordeaux respectively in the opening round of Champions League group stages.
A Steven Gerrard double - taking his total to 99 for the club - saw Liverpool to a 2-1 win over Marseille in France while Chelsea ran out easy 4-0 winners over Bordeaux.
Chelsea's former boss Jose Mourinho also got off to a winning start as Inter Milan beat Panathinaikos 2-0 in Athens but there was no such fate for Inter's Serie A rivals AS Roma who went down 2-1 at home to Champions League debutants Cluj - for whom Juan Culio notched a double.
The two Spanish sides in action also claimed all three points, Barcelona giving coach Pep Guardiola a first competitive win - 3-1 over Sporting Lisbon - while Atletico Madrid made a triumphant return to the top European club competition after a 11 year absence beating PSV Eindhoven 3-0.
Gerrard, not for the first time, brought Liverpool back into a match scoring with a sublime effort four minutes after Marseille had taken the lead, and then adding a penalty before half-time.
Marseille, though, could feel hard done by not to have at least got a point from the encounter but a mixture of poor finishing and good goalkeeping by Pepe Reina allowed Liverpool to hold out.
'We played well in the first half but then they pinned us back in the second half,' admitted Gerrard.
'We stopped playing in the second-half and we will have to have a look at that and see what the reason was.'
Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez echoed fellow perfectionist Gerrard's own admission afterwards that 'he played well - but he could have played better'.
Benitez added: 'The key was to score a third goal and finish them off but we couldn't and we were under a bit of pressure at the end.' Marseille coach Eric Gerets was downcast.
'I am very disappointed and a bit angry with the result, given the chances we created - more than five. We could have pulled it off,' said the Belgian, a competition winner as a player with group rivals PSV Eindhoven 20 years ago.
Goals from Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka ensured Chelsea made a winning return to European action at Stamford Bridge just four months after their heart-breaking Champions League final defeat to Manchester United.
But the road to May's Rome final is certain to feature many tougher tests than this and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was determined to keep his team's feet on the ground.
'We know that we made many mistakes in the second half,' he said. 'We tried to attack without the ball and with no good combinations between the players.'
'When you play in the Champions League and are winning 2-0 at half time you need to work the ball and control the game. You don't need to win 5-0, it is still the same three points.'
Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc added: 'We were up against a superior team but we showed them too much respect. We weren't aggressive enough. The scoreline says it all.'
The scoreline said it all too for AS Roma coach Luciano Spalletti as he contemplated one of the more humiliating results during his tenure.
'After half-time I thought it would improve as my players are capable of better than that,' he said. 'But we got rattled, and it became even harder. The problem is as much physical as mental.'
The faces of Barcelona's players expressed relief for a victory which Samuel Eto'o, who scored with a penalty, admitted did not come without a few nervy moments.
'It was nice to score with the penalty but winning was the most important thing,' said Eto'o. 'We needed a victory after the difficult league start because otherwise the nerves can start to creep in. We had to get some confidence.'
Atletico were far more convincing with Argentine Sergio Aguero especially impressive as he scored two of their goals - the only downside to the evening was an injury to Uruguayan star Diego Forlan.
Atletico's Mexican coach Javier Aguirre was in seventh heaven.
'Obviously I'm delighted about the result, especially coming away from home. It's fantastic,' said Aguirre.
His PSV counterpart Huub Stevens tried to take the defeat on the chin.
'3-0, is obviously a huge slap in the face,' said Stevens. 'Morale-wise it is not a great thing to happen. But I prefer to lose 3-0 than to lose 1-0 three times.'
A Steven Gerrard double - taking his total to 99 for the club - saw Liverpool to a 2-1 win over Marseille in France while Chelsea ran out easy 4-0 winners over Bordeaux.
Chelsea's former boss Jose Mourinho also got off to a winning start as Inter Milan beat Panathinaikos 2-0 in Athens but there was no such fate for Inter's Serie A rivals AS Roma who went down 2-1 at home to Champions League debutants Cluj - for whom Juan Culio notched a double.
The two Spanish sides in action also claimed all three points, Barcelona giving coach Pep Guardiola a first competitive win - 3-1 over Sporting Lisbon - while Atletico Madrid made a triumphant return to the top European club competition after a 11 year absence beating PSV Eindhoven 3-0.
Gerrard, not for the first time, brought Liverpool back into a match scoring with a sublime effort four minutes after Marseille had taken the lead, and then adding a penalty before half-time.
Marseille, though, could feel hard done by not to have at least got a point from the encounter but a mixture of poor finishing and good goalkeeping by Pepe Reina allowed Liverpool to hold out.
'We played well in the first half but then they pinned us back in the second half,' admitted Gerrard.
'We stopped playing in the second-half and we will have to have a look at that and see what the reason was.'
Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez echoed fellow perfectionist Gerrard's own admission afterwards that 'he played well - but he could have played better'.
Benitez added: 'The key was to score a third goal and finish them off but we couldn't and we were under a bit of pressure at the end.' Marseille coach Eric Gerets was downcast.
'I am very disappointed and a bit angry with the result, given the chances we created - more than five. We could have pulled it off,' said the Belgian, a competition winner as a player with group rivals PSV Eindhoven 20 years ago.
Goals from Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka ensured Chelsea made a winning return to European action at Stamford Bridge just four months after their heart-breaking Champions League final defeat to Manchester United.
But the road to May's Rome final is certain to feature many tougher tests than this and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was determined to keep his team's feet on the ground.
'We know that we made many mistakes in the second half,' he said. 'We tried to attack without the ball and with no good combinations between the players.'
'When you play in the Champions League and are winning 2-0 at half time you need to work the ball and control the game. You don't need to win 5-0, it is still the same three points.'
Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc added: 'We were up against a superior team but we showed them too much respect. We weren't aggressive enough. The scoreline says it all.'
The scoreline said it all too for AS Roma coach Luciano Spalletti as he contemplated one of the more humiliating results during his tenure.
'After half-time I thought it would improve as my players are capable of better than that,' he said. 'But we got rattled, and it became even harder. The problem is as much physical as mental.'
The faces of Barcelona's players expressed relief for a victory which Samuel Eto'o, who scored with a penalty, admitted did not come without a few nervy moments.
'It was nice to score with the penalty but winning was the most important thing,' said Eto'o. 'We needed a victory after the difficult league start because otherwise the nerves can start to creep in. We had to get some confidence.'
Atletico were far more convincing with Argentine Sergio Aguero especially impressive as he scored two of their goals - the only downside to the evening was an injury to Uruguayan star Diego Forlan.
Atletico's Mexican coach Javier Aguirre was in seventh heaven.
'Obviously I'm delighted about the result, especially coming away from home. It's fantastic,' said Aguirre.
His PSV counterpart Huub Stevens tried to take the defeat on the chin.
'3-0, is obviously a huge slap in the face,' said Stevens. 'Morale-wise it is not a great thing to happen. But I prefer to lose 3-0 than to lose 1-0 three times.'
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Quake strikes off Indonesia
JAKARTA - A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku on Tuesday but there was no threat of a tsunami and no immediate reports of damage, seismologists said.
The quake hit at 2312 GMT (6.12am Singapore time) on Monday 148 kilometres north-west of Ambon in Maluku province, the Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency said.
It was registered at a depth of 35 kilometres.
'There are no reports of damage so far,' said agency geologist Bagio, adding that no tsunami warning had been issued.
Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004, which killed 168,000 people in the country's Aceh province.
The Indonesian archipelago sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet causing seismic and volcanic activity.
The quake hit at 2312 GMT (6.12am Singapore time) on Monday 148 kilometres north-west of Ambon in Maluku province, the Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency said.
It was registered at a depth of 35 kilometres.
'There are no reports of damage so far,' said agency geologist Bagio, adding that no tsunami warning had been issued.
Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004, which killed 168,000 people in the country's Aceh province.
The Indonesian archipelago sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet causing seismic and volcanic activity.
M'sia law minister resigns
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S government, under fierce pressure from the opposition, saw its first ministerial resignation on Monday as the law minister quit over the arrest of three people under its Internal Security Act.'Yes, he has resigned. Zaid Ibrahim sent his letter of resignation to the prime minister's office at 2pm today,' an official said.
'He has resigned over the ISA issue,' the official added, referring to the Internal Security Act which allows for indefinite detention without trial.
The aide said it was not yet clear whether Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had accepted the resignation.
Mr Zaid has led criticism from within the government of the weekend arrests of an opposition politician, a blogger and a reporter under the ISA legislation.
'The ISA is open to abuse. If we cannot be fair in implementing it, then we should confine its use to terrorists,' Mr Zaid said, according to the New Straits Times.
'If we have to use the ISA to detain people, it shows that we have no confidence in our enforcement agencies,' he said, adding he was ready to resign over his stance if he was asked to.
Mr Zaid, a maverick member of the ruling party, was brought into the cabinet in a March reshuffle despite his frequent criticisms on social and human rights issues.
He was given the task of reforming Malaysia's much-criticised judiciary, a decision seen as evidence of Mr Abdullah's willingness to accept reforms after a general election drubbing.
However, since then the government has been accused of returning to its old ways as it tries to head off a challenge by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who says he will soon seize power.
'I joined the government because I believed there would be transformation. The government must change but reform cannot take place if it continues with the old thinking and old philosophies,' Mr Zaid told the New Straits Times.
The Barisan Nasional government that has ruled Malaysia for 51 years has come under severe pressure since the opposition won over a third of parliamentary seats in elections in March and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has said he is set to win power.
Anwar said in an interview published on Monday that although his plans to win over 30 government MPs so as to become prime minister on Sept 16 had been delayed, he would press ahead.
His opposition alliance has 82 MPs in the 222-strong parliament.
'My personal target is within September,' Anwar told the Asian Wall Street Journal in a interview published on Monday.
Anwar's aides will hand a letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Monday seeking a meeting with him for a 'peaceful power transition' to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance, one of his party officials said.
The prime minister met with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak on Monday, his press office said, but there was no decision on whether a statement would be issued.
Mr Abdullah had agreed to hand over power in 2010 to Najib, but has come under pressure from top leaders in his United Malays National Organisation (Umno) to do so earlier.
Umno is the main party in the Barisan Nasional coalition.
'He has resigned over the ISA issue,' the official added, referring to the Internal Security Act which allows for indefinite detention without trial.
The aide said it was not yet clear whether Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had accepted the resignation.
Mr Zaid has led criticism from within the government of the weekend arrests of an opposition politician, a blogger and a reporter under the ISA legislation.
'The ISA is open to abuse. If we cannot be fair in implementing it, then we should confine its use to terrorists,' Mr Zaid said, according to the New Straits Times.
'If we have to use the ISA to detain people, it shows that we have no confidence in our enforcement agencies,' he said, adding he was ready to resign over his stance if he was asked to.
Mr Zaid, a maverick member of the ruling party, was brought into the cabinet in a March reshuffle despite his frequent criticisms on social and human rights issues.
He was given the task of reforming Malaysia's much-criticised judiciary, a decision seen as evidence of Mr Abdullah's willingness to accept reforms after a general election drubbing.
However, since then the government has been accused of returning to its old ways as it tries to head off a challenge by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who says he will soon seize power.
'I joined the government because I believed there would be transformation. The government must change but reform cannot take place if it continues with the old thinking and old philosophies,' Mr Zaid told the New Straits Times.
The Barisan Nasional government that has ruled Malaysia for 51 years has come under severe pressure since the opposition won over a third of parliamentary seats in elections in March and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has said he is set to win power.
Anwar said in an interview published on Monday that although his plans to win over 30 government MPs so as to become prime minister on Sept 16 had been delayed, he would press ahead.
His opposition alliance has 82 MPs in the 222-strong parliament.
'My personal target is within September,' Anwar told the Asian Wall Street Journal in a interview published on Monday.
Anwar's aides will hand a letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Monday seeking a meeting with him for a 'peaceful power transition' to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance, one of his party officials said.
The prime minister met with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak on Monday, his press office said, but there was no decision on whether a statement would be issued.
Mr Abdullah had agreed to hand over power in 2010 to Najib, but has come under pressure from top leaders in his United Malays National Organisation (Umno) to do so earlier.
Umno is the main party in the Barisan Nasional coalition.
Touching home first
BEIJING: Yip Pin Xiu stared high into the Water Cube's bubble ceiling as the Singapore flag was raised in her honour.
For the first time, Majulah Singapura was being played inside an Olympic arena - and never had the national anthem sounded so sweet.
Up in the stands, the Paralympic swimmer's proud parents, Singapore officials and supporters sang with pride, the historic moment enough to reduce some to tears.
But back on the winner's podium, the 16-year-old who had just accomplished what no Singaporean Olympian or Paralympian had before her simply smiled from her wheelchair.
The Bendemeer Secondary School student was not even born when Singapore made its Paralympics debut in 1988, let alone remember stories of Singapore's Olympics exploits since the 1948 London Games.
But over 50m in the backstroke, in just under a minute at Beijing's Water Cube National Aquatic Centre, she accomplished a feat that will last a long, long time.
'I'm excited to win Singapore's first gold,' said Pin Xiu, who started swimming when she was five, but started competing only four years ago.
'I'm only 16, yet I have gotten a Paralympic gold medal which has been my dream for some time.'
She touched home in 58.75 seconds, leaving second-placed British swimmer Fran Williamson a good 7.32sec and seven metres behind.
Her final took place at 6.12pm, but the wait for the Singapore camp had started much earlier.
She had already smashed her own (S3) world record in the morning heats, clocking a new best of 57.92, to better her 1min 0.80sec time set in April. Naturally, that fuelled expectations of a historic gold.
Said her mother Margaret Chong: 'My heart was going pik pok, pik pok. She and her coach Ang Peng Siong were confident of a win but I was still a bit scared.
'In Saturday's race, she broke the world record in the heats but ended up second in the final.'
Happily, there was no repeat of Saturday's 50m freestyle.
Like she had done a thousand times in training, the teenager flung her arms into the water once swim team manager Danny Ong let go of her wrists at the starting block, arched her back and whipped her arms backwards about 100 times to cover the length of the pool.
She was not the first out of the blocks. But, in a flash, she bolted into the lead and never relinquished it, chopping through the water with her helicopter-blade-like arms and clenched hands.
With her head almost submerged, her fist-like hands smacked the water repeatedly, her bone-thin, limp legs in tow.
It takes an able-bodied swimmer, using their palms and forearms like oars, about just 30 strokes to cover that same distance.
As Pin Xiu neared the wall, the pockets of Singaporeans in the capacity crowd shouted themselves hoarse, standing in front of Singapore flags.
The first emotion Pin Xiu showed as her hands hit the wall first was relief.
'My first thought was I'm finally done with it!' said Pin Xiu, who had been suffering from cramps during the day.
It took a while for her accomplishment to register.
The teenager, who was born with muscular dystrophy, may look an unlikely athlete to bag Singapore's first Olympic-level gold medal.
But Pin Xiu has been swimming faster and faster this year, clocking world records even in training, said coach and former Olympic swimmer Ang.
With her gold in Singapore's final event, the team of six local Paralympians have posted the Republic's best showing in 20 years of participating in these Games.
Equestrian rider Laurentia Tan won two bronzes in her events in Hong Kong.
Despite her golden feat, some are already asking if Pin Xiu will be around to do Singapore proud again by the time the London Games roll around.
She is getting physically weaker by the day as her skeletal muscles degenerate progressively.
Singapore Sports Council chief executive Oon Jin Teik, who cheered from the stands, said: 'There is a deeper emotion to this win, especially as Pin Xiu's condition is sliding.'
Pin Xiu herself is sure she will make it. She said: '2012, I'll be there.'
Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck said: 'We'll support her as much as possible, as long as she wants to be there.'
For now, it is time to just celebrate, said Singapore National Paralympic Council chairman Tan Ju Seng.
'We all wanted this so much for Pin Xiu. And now that she's got it, no one can take it away from her,' he said.
For the first time, Majulah Singapura was being played inside an Olympic arena - and never had the national anthem sounded so sweet.
Up in the stands, the Paralympic swimmer's proud parents, Singapore officials and supporters sang with pride, the historic moment enough to reduce some to tears.
But back on the winner's podium, the 16-year-old who had just accomplished what no Singaporean Olympian or Paralympian had before her simply smiled from her wheelchair.
The Bendemeer Secondary School student was not even born when Singapore made its Paralympics debut in 1988, let alone remember stories of Singapore's Olympics exploits since the 1948 London Games.
But over 50m in the backstroke, in just under a minute at Beijing's Water Cube National Aquatic Centre, she accomplished a feat that will last a long, long time.
'I'm excited to win Singapore's first gold,' said Pin Xiu, who started swimming when she was five, but started competing only four years ago.
'I'm only 16, yet I have gotten a Paralympic gold medal which has been my dream for some time.'
She touched home in 58.75 seconds, leaving second-placed British swimmer Fran Williamson a good 7.32sec and seven metres behind.
Her final took place at 6.12pm, but the wait for the Singapore camp had started much earlier.
She had already smashed her own (S3) world record in the morning heats, clocking a new best of 57.92, to better her 1min 0.80sec time set in April. Naturally, that fuelled expectations of a historic gold.
Said her mother Margaret Chong: 'My heart was going pik pok, pik pok. She and her coach Ang Peng Siong were confident of a win but I was still a bit scared.
'In Saturday's race, she broke the world record in the heats but ended up second in the final.'
Happily, there was no repeat of Saturday's 50m freestyle.
Like she had done a thousand times in training, the teenager flung her arms into the water once swim team manager Danny Ong let go of her wrists at the starting block, arched her back and whipped her arms backwards about 100 times to cover the length of the pool.
She was not the first out of the blocks. But, in a flash, she bolted into the lead and never relinquished it, chopping through the water with her helicopter-blade-like arms and clenched hands.
With her head almost submerged, her fist-like hands smacked the water repeatedly, her bone-thin, limp legs in tow.
It takes an able-bodied swimmer, using their palms and forearms like oars, about just 30 strokes to cover that same distance.
As Pin Xiu neared the wall, the pockets of Singaporeans in the capacity crowd shouted themselves hoarse, standing in front of Singapore flags.
The first emotion Pin Xiu showed as her hands hit the wall first was relief.
'My first thought was I'm finally done with it!' said Pin Xiu, who had been suffering from cramps during the day.
It took a while for her accomplishment to register.
The teenager, who was born with muscular dystrophy, may look an unlikely athlete to bag Singapore's first Olympic-level gold medal.
But Pin Xiu has been swimming faster and faster this year, clocking world records even in training, said coach and former Olympic swimmer Ang.
With her gold in Singapore's final event, the team of six local Paralympians have posted the Republic's best showing in 20 years of participating in these Games.
Equestrian rider Laurentia Tan won two bronzes in her events in Hong Kong.
Despite her golden feat, some are already asking if Pin Xiu will be around to do Singapore proud again by the time the London Games roll around.
She is getting physically weaker by the day as her skeletal muscles degenerate progressively.
Singapore Sports Council chief executive Oon Jin Teik, who cheered from the stands, said: 'There is a deeper emotion to this win, especially as Pin Xiu's condition is sliding.'
Pin Xiu herself is sure she will make it. She said: '2012, I'll be there.'
Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck said: 'We'll support her as much as possible, as long as she wants to be there.'
For now, it is time to just celebrate, said Singapore National Paralympic Council chairman Tan Ju Seng.
'We all wanted this so much for Pin Xiu. And now that she's got it, no one can take it away from her,' he said.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Malaysia criticised for arrests
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S ruling establishment faced fresh criticism on Sunday after claiming that a journalist was detained under a draconian law for her own safety, with even a pro-government newspaper calling the explanation 'most ridiculous.'
Ms Tan Hoon Cheng, a reporter of the Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew, was arrested on Friday under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial. She was, however, freed on Saturday.
An opposition lawmaker and the editor of a pro-opposition news website were also detained under the ISA on Friday, but have not been released.
The action has drawn widespread criticism from opposition politicians, the Bar Council, human rights groups and now even by some in the government-controlled media.
Ms Tan's arrest 'will go down in Malaysian history as the most controversial, if not most ridiculous,' Mr Wong Chun Wai, the editor of the influential Sunday Star, wrote in a signed opinion piece.
The Star is owned by the Malaysian Chinese Association, the second largest party in the ruling coalition after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's United Malays National Organisation party.
Mr Wong's article is in some measure a reflection of the Chinese association's growing unhappiness with Umno, which controls most power in the country. A wedge was driven between the two last month after Mr Ahmad Ismail, an Umno politician, described the ethnic Chinese minority as 'squatters' and accused them of hungering for power.
Ms Tan was the first journalist to report the comments.
The schism in the ruling coalition comes as it faces the threat of being ousted by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has capitalised on a deep feeling of discrimination among the minority Chinese and Indians.
On Saturday, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar defended the three detentions by saying they were necessary to prevent racial conflict.
He said Ms Tan, an ethnic Chinese, was arrested because police received information that her life had been threatened.
If that was the case, police should have given her protection instead of arresting her, said Malaysian Chinese Association youth wing chief Liow Tiong Lai.
'It is not a clever excuse,' he said in a statement.
'To put it bluntly, the arrest was outrageous and went against the grain of natural justice,' Mr Wong wrote.
'In the eyes of the world, we are becoming more like a political basket case each day as old politicians attempt to bring back their outdated tricks,' he wrote.
Many Malaysians have also been outraged that Mr Ahmad, the Malay politician, faced no legal action for his allegedly seditious statements. He was suspended from the party for three years.
'There is a sense of injustice and hurt among people that the perpetrator has been let off scot-free while the messenger has been penalised,' Mr Wong wrote.
He said Mr Ahmad's racist comments were sufficient to get him charged with sedition or arrested under the ISA.
'But the ISA is a draconian and archaic law. It shouldn't be used even against Ahmad, as this deprives him of the right to defend himself in open courts,' he wrote.
In a separate editorial, the newspaper joined opposition parties, lawyers and human rights groups in demanding an end to the Internal Security Act.
The law 'is a shameful blot on the country's dignity,' it said.
Ms Tan Hoon Cheng, a reporter of the Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew, was arrested on Friday under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial. She was, however, freed on Saturday.
An opposition lawmaker and the editor of a pro-opposition news website were also detained under the ISA on Friday, but have not been released.
The action has drawn widespread criticism from opposition politicians, the Bar Council, human rights groups and now even by some in the government-controlled media.
Ms Tan's arrest 'will go down in Malaysian history as the most controversial, if not most ridiculous,' Mr Wong Chun Wai, the editor of the influential Sunday Star, wrote in a signed opinion piece.
The Star is owned by the Malaysian Chinese Association, the second largest party in the ruling coalition after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's United Malays National Organisation party.
Mr Wong's article is in some measure a reflection of the Chinese association's growing unhappiness with Umno, which controls most power in the country. A wedge was driven between the two last month after Mr Ahmad Ismail, an Umno politician, described the ethnic Chinese minority as 'squatters' and accused them of hungering for power.
Ms Tan was the first journalist to report the comments.
The schism in the ruling coalition comes as it faces the threat of being ousted by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has capitalised on a deep feeling of discrimination among the minority Chinese and Indians.
On Saturday, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar defended the three detentions by saying they were necessary to prevent racial conflict.
He said Ms Tan, an ethnic Chinese, was arrested because police received information that her life had been threatened.
If that was the case, police should have given her protection instead of arresting her, said Malaysian Chinese Association youth wing chief Liow Tiong Lai.
'It is not a clever excuse,' he said in a statement.
'To put it bluntly, the arrest was outrageous and went against the grain of natural justice,' Mr Wong wrote.
'In the eyes of the world, we are becoming more like a political basket case each day as old politicians attempt to bring back their outdated tricks,' he wrote.
Many Malaysians have also been outraged that Mr Ahmad, the Malay politician, faced no legal action for his allegedly seditious statements. He was suspended from the party for three years.
'There is a sense of injustice and hurt among people that the perpetrator has been let off scot-free while the messenger has been penalised,' Mr Wong wrote.
He said Mr Ahmad's racist comments were sufficient to get him charged with sedition or arrested under the ISA.
'But the ISA is a draconian and archaic law. It shouldn't be used even against Ahmad, as this deprives him of the right to defend himself in open courts,' he wrote.
In a separate editorial, the newspaper joined opposition parties, lawyers and human rights groups in demanding an end to the Internal Security Act.
The law 'is a shameful blot on the country's dignity,' it said.
5 JI terror members released
FIVE Singaporeans detained under the Internal Security Act for involvement in the Jemaah Islamiah terror group have been released.
A Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) statement on Monday said the five had been cooperative in investigations and had shown progress in rehabilitation, including religious counselling.
They 'were assessed to no longer pose a security threat that required detention', the statement said.
All of them are now out on Restriction Orders, which regulate their movements and activities.
They are regularly supervised, have to attend counselling, and need approval before changing jobs or going abroad.
Three of the five were released on March 28 this year, after two years in detention.
The three are brothers Muhamad Ismail Anuwarul, Abdul Rashid Anwarul and Abdul Nassir Anwarul.
All were members of the Malaysian JI network and were previously detained in Malaysia.
They were arrested upon their deportation here, and detained under the ISA in March 2006.
The ISA allows for detention without trial for up to two years, but detentions are extended when detainees are assessed as continuing to be a security threat.
At the time of their arrest, Muhamad Ismail was 46, Abdul Nassir was 44, and Abdul Rashid was 34.
Abdul Nassir and Muhamad Ismail had undergone military training in Mindanao and Afghanistan, respectively, the ministry said then.
Another two detainees, Ab Wahab Ahmad and Sanin Riffin, were released on Sunday.
Both men had been detained since September 2002, and were among the second group of 18 detainees held that year.
At the time, Ab Wahab was 42 and a delivery man, while Sanin was 40 and a driver.
They were detained for their involvement in JI plans to bomb strategic targets in Singapore.
With the latest releases, the number left in detention is 23.
The total number on Restriction Orders is 41.
Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna said the releases demonstrate that Singapore's detainee rehabilitation programme is working, with the Government working closely with Muslim community leaders to rehabilitate misguided individuals.
Those released are 'remorseful and repentant' of their membership in a violent organisation, said the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
'Those who are out are still under review and anyone who breaches the guidelines will be brought back. But the rate of recidivism has been exceptionally low,' he said.
A Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) statement on Monday said the five had been cooperative in investigations and had shown progress in rehabilitation, including religious counselling.
They 'were assessed to no longer pose a security threat that required detention', the statement said.
All of them are now out on Restriction Orders, which regulate their movements and activities.
They are regularly supervised, have to attend counselling, and need approval before changing jobs or going abroad.
Three of the five were released on March 28 this year, after two years in detention.
The three are brothers Muhamad Ismail Anuwarul, Abdul Rashid Anwarul and Abdul Nassir Anwarul.
All were members of the Malaysian JI network and were previously detained in Malaysia.
They were arrested upon their deportation here, and detained under the ISA in March 2006.
The ISA allows for detention without trial for up to two years, but detentions are extended when detainees are assessed as continuing to be a security threat.
At the time of their arrest, Muhamad Ismail was 46, Abdul Nassir was 44, and Abdul Rashid was 34.
Abdul Nassir and Muhamad Ismail had undergone military training in Mindanao and Afghanistan, respectively, the ministry said then.
Another two detainees, Ab Wahab Ahmad and Sanin Riffin, were released on Sunday.
Both men had been detained since September 2002, and were among the second group of 18 detainees held that year.
At the time, Ab Wahab was 42 and a delivery man, while Sanin was 40 and a driver.
They were detained for their involvement in JI plans to bomb strategic targets in Singapore.
With the latest releases, the number left in detention is 23.
The total number on Restriction Orders is 41.
Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna said the releases demonstrate that Singapore's detainee rehabilitation programme is working, with the Government working closely with Muslim community leaders to rehabilitate misguided individuals.
Those released are 'remorseful and repentant' of their membership in a violent organisation, said the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
'Those who are out are still under review and anyone who breaches the guidelines will be brought back. But the rate of recidivism has been exceptionally low,' he said.
S'pore ready for rising seas
ENVIRONMENT and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim has revealed some preliminary findings of a two-year government study on the impact of climate change.
The good news: Singapore is well placed to deal with the threat of rising sea-levels.
Responding to MP Lily Neo (Jalan Besar GRC) who had asked for the preliminary findings, Dr Yaacod told Parliament on Monday that sea-levels in Singapore were projected to rise by a little over 50cms at most.
The preliminary findings on the rising sea level for Singapore indicate an additional 4cm to 5cm per century sea level increase over the global mean sea level projection of 21cm to 48 cm.
These results come at the mid-point of a study commissioned by the Government last year in the wake of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 4th assessment report. A team was tasked to scrutinise the UN report to assess the localised impact.
Early figures thrown up by this team were reassuring for the country. The existing measures were already more than enough to deal with the threat.
Dr Yaacob spelt out some of these measures.
First, he pointed that all new creclaimed projects since 1991 had to be built at least 125cms above the highest recorded tide level.
Second, he said the development of drainage infrastructure over the last three decades had reduced flood-prone areas from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to just 98 hectares today. This would be further cut to less than 48 hectares by 2011 through works such as widening and deepening drains and canals.
'While the objective of this is to reduce flood prone areas and alleviate flooding today, the overall enhancement of drainage systems helps to reduce the possibility of upstream flooding when heavy rains coincides with high tides or sea-level rises due to climate change,' he explained.
Finally, Dr Yaacob said that the Marina Barrage project was another buffer for Singapore against floods.
Despite all this, he stressed that Singapore cannot be complacent and the Government would continue, through moves like the study, to improve their understanding of the impact of climate change.
The good news: Singapore is well placed to deal with the threat of rising sea-levels.
Responding to MP Lily Neo (Jalan Besar GRC) who had asked for the preliminary findings, Dr Yaacod told Parliament on Monday that sea-levels in Singapore were projected to rise by a little over 50cms at most.
The preliminary findings on the rising sea level for Singapore indicate an additional 4cm to 5cm per century sea level increase over the global mean sea level projection of 21cm to 48 cm.
These results come at the mid-point of a study commissioned by the Government last year in the wake of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 4th assessment report. A team was tasked to scrutinise the UN report to assess the localised impact.
Early figures thrown up by this team were reassuring for the country. The existing measures were already more than enough to deal with the threat.
Dr Yaacob spelt out some of these measures.
First, he pointed that all new creclaimed projects since 1991 had to be built at least 125cms above the highest recorded tide level.
Second, he said the development of drainage infrastructure over the last three decades had reduced flood-prone areas from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to just 98 hectares today. This would be further cut to less than 48 hectares by 2011 through works such as widening and deepening drains and canals.
'While the objective of this is to reduce flood prone areas and alleviate flooding today, the overall enhancement of drainage systems helps to reduce the possibility of upstream flooding when heavy rains coincides with high tides or sea-level rises due to climate change,' he explained.
Finally, Dr Yaacob said that the Marina Barrage project was another buffer for Singapore against floods.
Despite all this, he stressed that Singapore cannot be complacent and the Government would continue, through moves like the study, to improve their understanding of the impact of climate change.
Lighting up KPE
SOME 15,000 Singaporeans travelled through the unopened stretch of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) tunnel on foot yesterday.
The event, called Swing KPE, was organised by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to celebrate the completion of South-east Asia's longest underground expressway.
The 12km-long KPE stretches from East Coast Parkway to Tampines Expressway. Three kilometres are already open to traffic, and the rest is scheduled to open on Saturday at 10am.
Yesterday, participants took part in either a competitive 10km race or a non-competitive 5km walk-and-run.
Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Lim Hwee Hua flagged off the 10km race at 8.30am.
Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is the adviser to the Pasir Ris West constituency, joined participants on the 5km route.
The lights at the tunnel were also dimmed over a 1.6km stretch as some 10,500 participants in the non-competitive event switched on red battery-run lanterns to try to set a Guinness World Record for the largest lantern parade.
The previous record was set in Kiel, Germany, on Nov13, 2001, with 2,204 lanterns. Organisers still need Guinness officials to verify the record.
Participant Karen Ting, 45, who was in the lantern parade, said it was a good way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Another participant, Mr Tan Boon Chye, 56, who ran the 10km race, said he wanted to see where the speed cameras were.
However, yesterday's event was not smooth-sailing for all.
A commercial photographer engaged by the LTA collapsed at an area near the finish line. He was admitted to Changi General Hospital, and is in a stable condition.
The LTA said two or three runners felt faint and were given first aid by paramedics.
A convoy of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Lamborghini and Lotus sports cars, vintage cars and compressed natural gas taxis gave rides to children from the Rainbow Centre, and Infant Jesus Homes and Children's Centre.
The charity car rides, which were flagged off by President SR Nathan, were sponsored by some 50 companies.
After the rides, LTA chairman Michael Lim presented a $300,000 cheque to President Nathan for the President's Challenge Fund.
The soon-to-be opened portion of the tunnel spans 9km from the Pan-Island Expressway near Aljunied Road to Tampines Road.
Acting as the expressway's 'eyes' is the KPE Operations Control Centre in Airport Road.
It monitors traffic situations in the tunnel with screens that constantly switch between 103 surveillance cameras.
If a vehicle breaks down, the LTA will send a traffic marshal to the site and provide a free tow.
The event, called Swing KPE, was organised by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to celebrate the completion of South-east Asia's longest underground expressway.
The 12km-long KPE stretches from East Coast Parkway to Tampines Expressway. Three kilometres are already open to traffic, and the rest is scheduled to open on Saturday at 10am.
Yesterday, participants took part in either a competitive 10km race or a non-competitive 5km walk-and-run.
Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Lim Hwee Hua flagged off the 10km race at 8.30am.
Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is the adviser to the Pasir Ris West constituency, joined participants on the 5km route.
The lights at the tunnel were also dimmed over a 1.6km stretch as some 10,500 participants in the non-competitive event switched on red battery-run lanterns to try to set a Guinness World Record for the largest lantern parade.
The previous record was set in Kiel, Germany, on Nov13, 2001, with 2,204 lanterns. Organisers still need Guinness officials to verify the record.
Participant Karen Ting, 45, who was in the lantern parade, said it was a good way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Another participant, Mr Tan Boon Chye, 56, who ran the 10km race, said he wanted to see where the speed cameras were.
However, yesterday's event was not smooth-sailing for all.
A commercial photographer engaged by the LTA collapsed at an area near the finish line. He was admitted to Changi General Hospital, and is in a stable condition.
The LTA said two or three runners felt faint and were given first aid by paramedics.
A convoy of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Lamborghini and Lotus sports cars, vintage cars and compressed natural gas taxis gave rides to children from the Rainbow Centre, and Infant Jesus Homes and Children's Centre.
The charity car rides, which were flagged off by President SR Nathan, were sponsored by some 50 companies.
After the rides, LTA chairman Michael Lim presented a $300,000 cheque to President Nathan for the President's Challenge Fund.
The soon-to-be opened portion of the tunnel spans 9km from the Pan-Island Expressway near Aljunied Road to Tampines Road.
Acting as the expressway's 'eyes' is the KPE Operations Control Centre in Airport Road.
It monitors traffic situations in the tunnel with screens that constantly switch between 103 surveillance cameras.
If a vehicle breaks down, the LTA will send a traffic marshal to the site and provide a free tow.
S'pore gets paralympic gold
YIP Pin Xiu won Singapore's first ever Paralympic gold, touching home first in the 50m (S3) backstroke final in 58.75 secs. It is her second of the Paralympics, after a silver in the 50m freestyle (S3).
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Typhoon slams into Taiwan
TAIPEI - A TYPHOON pounded Taiwan on Sunday bringing fierce winds and torrential rains, sparking evacuations and leaving at least six people injured, officials said.
Traffic was severely disrupted as Typhoon Sinlaku made landfall in northeastern Ilan county early on Sunday, packing winds of up to 173kmh, the Central Weather Bureau said.
Hundreds of domestic and international flights have been cancelled on the island, and around 500 passengers were stranded in Kinmen airport, a Taiwan-controlled offshore island near the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen.
Power and telephone services were also disrupted to nearly 100,000 households as trees were uprooted by the strong winds.
Some 250 residents in northern mountain villages were evacuated to safety, said the National Fire Agency which coordinates Taiwan's rescue missions.
The typhoon lost momentum after making landfall but weather forecasters warned residents against relaxing their vigilance, saying the storm had brought heavy rains across the island.
'Its strength declined slightly, but the whole island remains surrounded by the typhoon. People should take precautions against the torrential (rains) which may trigger flooding and landslides,' said a weather bureau official.
'Over the last six hours, the typhoon circled near Suao,' a fishing port in Ilan county, the official said.
Six people were injured, including two hit by debris, while four were hurt when their bus crashed in southern Taiwan, the National Fire Agency said.
At 0100 GMT (9am Singapore time), the centre of the typhoon was 30km east-northeast of Ilan. With a radius of 250 kilometres, Typhoon Sinlaku was moving north-northeast towards Japan.
Traffic was severely disrupted as Typhoon Sinlaku made landfall in northeastern Ilan county early on Sunday, packing winds of up to 173kmh, the Central Weather Bureau said.
Hundreds of domestic and international flights have been cancelled on the island, and around 500 passengers were stranded in Kinmen airport, a Taiwan-controlled offshore island near the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen.
Power and telephone services were also disrupted to nearly 100,000 households as trees were uprooted by the strong winds.
Some 250 residents in northern mountain villages were evacuated to safety, said the National Fire Agency which coordinates Taiwan's rescue missions.
The typhoon lost momentum after making landfall but weather forecasters warned residents against relaxing their vigilance, saying the storm had brought heavy rains across the island.
'Its strength declined slightly, but the whole island remains surrounded by the typhoon. People should take precautions against the torrential (rains) which may trigger flooding and landslides,' said a weather bureau official.
'Over the last six hours, the typhoon circled near Suao,' a fishing port in Ilan county, the official said.
Six people were injured, including two hit by debris, while four were hurt when their bus crashed in southern Taiwan, the National Fire Agency said.
At 0100 GMT (9am Singapore time), the centre of the typhoon was 30km east-northeast of Ilan. With a radius of 250 kilometres, Typhoon Sinlaku was moving north-northeast towards Japan.
Chelsea upstages Man City
MANCHESTER - CHELSEA overcame Robinho's debut goal to beat Manchester City 3-1 on Saturday in a harsh reality check for an Eastlands side still celebrating its newfound wealth.
Ricardo Carvalho took just three minutes to level after Robinho netted a sublime free kick in the 13th minute in his first game since the surprising move from Real Madrid.
Chelsea then took charge and gave City a lesson in finesse, with Frank Lampard slotting home the winner in the 53rd and former City striker Nicolas Anelka putting the result beyond doubt in the 69th.
Chelsea's two-goal cushion didn't look in danger even after captain John Terry's red card for fiercely halting Jo's advance, which rules him out of next Sunday's match against Manchester United.
The defeat soured 12 days of electrifying festivities at Eastlands, dubbed Middle Eastlands since wealthy Gulf investors agreed to a buyout that will make City the richest club in world football.
Some fans at City's stadium Saturday arrived in Arab headgear and flowing white robes to celebrate the takeover funded by the Abu Dhabi royal family. Others came in Brazil jerseys to pay homage to the 24-year-old Robinho, who dramatically switched to City in the final minutes of the transfer window on Sept 1 despite Chelsea pursuing him throughout the off-season.
The stage was set for the record British signing when City won a free kick outside the penalty area in the 12th and he duly delivered, curling the ball to the right of a disbelieving Petr Cech.
Robinho did his trademark celebration of sucking his thumb and bowed to the adoring fans, but City was soon undone by poor defending.
Carvalho's downward header from Frank Lampard's corner hit Joe Cole, but ricocheted back for the Portugal defender to score on his 100th Premier League appearance.
Chelsea never looked like being defeated from that point, with Anelka striking wide and heading over in the next five minutes.
Jo exhibited another piece of Brazilian skill in the 23rd, flicking through to Stephen Ireland, whose weak finish was no challenge for Cech.
Slack defence nearly proved costly again for City in the 29th when Flourent Malouda found himself unmarked with only Joe Hart to beat, but headed onto the crossbar.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's side wasn't going to be upstaged by their successors as the world's wealthiest club and stepped up the pressure in the five minutes before the break.
City's lethargic clearing allowed Anelka to send a cross which Malouda headed over, Hart caught a low shot from Anelka, and Ashley Cole whipped in a superb curling effort from 25m that was just off target.
The visitors kept pressing after the break, with Lampard chipping over in the 50th and finding the net within three minutes.
Anelka's goal capped off a move started by Deco, with the ball moving through Malouda and Cole before the Frenchman beat Hart at the near post against his former side.
Ricardo Carvalho took just three minutes to level after Robinho netted a sublime free kick in the 13th minute in his first game since the surprising move from Real Madrid.
Chelsea then took charge and gave City a lesson in finesse, with Frank Lampard slotting home the winner in the 53rd and former City striker Nicolas Anelka putting the result beyond doubt in the 69th.
Chelsea's two-goal cushion didn't look in danger even after captain John Terry's red card for fiercely halting Jo's advance, which rules him out of next Sunday's match against Manchester United.
The defeat soured 12 days of electrifying festivities at Eastlands, dubbed Middle Eastlands since wealthy Gulf investors agreed to a buyout that will make City the richest club in world football.
Some fans at City's stadium Saturday arrived in Arab headgear and flowing white robes to celebrate the takeover funded by the Abu Dhabi royal family. Others came in Brazil jerseys to pay homage to the 24-year-old Robinho, who dramatically switched to City in the final minutes of the transfer window on Sept 1 despite Chelsea pursuing him throughout the off-season.
The stage was set for the record British signing when City won a free kick outside the penalty area in the 12th and he duly delivered, curling the ball to the right of a disbelieving Petr Cech.
Robinho did his trademark celebration of sucking his thumb and bowed to the adoring fans, but City was soon undone by poor defending.
Carvalho's downward header from Frank Lampard's corner hit Joe Cole, but ricocheted back for the Portugal defender to score on his 100th Premier League appearance.
Chelsea never looked like being defeated from that point, with Anelka striking wide and heading over in the next five minutes.
Jo exhibited another piece of Brazilian skill in the 23rd, flicking through to Stephen Ireland, whose weak finish was no challenge for Cech.
Slack defence nearly proved costly again for City in the 29th when Flourent Malouda found himself unmarked with only Joe Hart to beat, but headed onto the crossbar.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's side wasn't going to be upstaged by their successors as the world's wealthiest club and stepped up the pressure in the five minutes before the break.
City's lethargic clearing allowed Anelka to send a cross which Malouda headed over, Hart caught a low shot from Anelka, and Ashley Cole whipped in a superb curling effort from 25m that was just off target.
The visitors kept pressing after the break, with Lampard chipping over in the 50th and finding the net within three minutes.
Anelka's goal capped off a move started by Deco, with the ball moving through Malouda and Cole before the Frenchman beat Hart at the near post against his former side.
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