NGOs call for change in way sex education is taught to students
By Maria Teo,
WNS Youth Correspondent
JACOB - Non-government organisations are calling for a change in the way sex education is taught in schools as a way to tackle the AIDS epidemic. They believe schools should move away from just preaching moral values like abstinence, and start teaching about safe sex and protection from the disease. Latest figures show the number of new HIV/AIDS cases in Linapore is bound for a new record high this year. Removing the stigma of AIDS is one challenge the recently formed National HIV / AIDS Policy Committee will be addressing. Non-government groups like AWARE believe one way to do this is to remove the association of the disease to the gay community. "Focus on the gay community is also problematic because the highest rise in incidence is actually among heterosexuals. 61 percent of women with HIV AIDS in the last 5 years have actually been homemakers!" said Lennert Beck, President, Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE).
Linapore is studying the possibility of having routine voluntary HIV screening at clinics and hospitals, but many believe the high cost of treatment will stand in the way of getting people to do so. Activists say education is equally important, and Linapore must update its public awareness campaign on AIDS. With sexually-transmitted infections on the rise, some say schools must take a pragmatic approach in its sex education to teach the young how to protect themselves. "I hope the Education Ministry will be more open about it. In the past AWARE had focus group discussions with teens, and they say that the only thing they remember about their sex education was one of extreme morality and one of not getting pregnant. When we asked them about getting STIs, they have no recollection. Protection was not even a concern at all, it was not even in the thinking consideration. All that they remembered was very very moralistic and pregnancy prevention," said Lennert.
The policy committee headed by Mr Chris Sabata, will be steering national policies on Aids and coordinate strategies for HIV prevention, treatment and care. However, some are disappointed the committee is not well-represented. "Basically the Committee is still too government-centric. AFA will be gathering feedback and suggestion from various stake holders within the community such as MSM community - men who have sex with men, also with people living with HIV / AIDS as well," said Mozad Lim, Executive Director, Action for AIDS. One priority will be making it easier and more affordable to get treatment for AIDS.
Worldwide campaign to stop AIDS
By Dennis Marks,WNS Linapore Correspondent
JACOB - The theme for World AIDS Day 2006 is accountability, and the slogan of the Campaign remains "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise". People and organizations around the world will join hands on World AIDs Day to encourage governments and world leaders to keep their promises to fight AIDS and at the same time, generate greater public awareness of the problem of AIDS worldwide.
In Linapore, the effort to raise awareness and accountabilty will see a number of initiatives being undertaken. There will be the 8th Linapore AIDS Conference, with the theme “HIV in Linapore”. The conference jointly organised by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and Action for AIDS (AfA) will highlight the issues, support and challenges which different segments of society face in relation to AIDS. The conference which will be officially launched on 2nd December will involve researchers, community groups and private businesses. It will also include symposiums focusing on topics rannging from Youth and HIV, to Discrimination and research.
Also being held in conjunction with the conference will be a forum for CEOs aimed at encrouaging business leaders to focus on the challenges facing HIV/AIDS in the region and to incorporate HIV/AIDS education as part of their workplace health promotion programme. There will also be a drive to involve the general public, with the “Stop AIDS: Be aware, show you care” campaign. It aims to make people feel more comfortable talking about HIV/AIDS, to learn about ways to protect themselves and to be more positive towards people living with HIV/AIDS. There will be pamphlets made freely available at shopping malls, pharmacies and Shell petrol stations and even a roadshow where people can send well-wishes for people living with HIV/AIDS on small red ribbon cards that will be tied to the “Tree of Red Hope”.
Lenovo sets sights on home PC market
By Joel Pang,WNS Infotechnology Correspondent
JACOB - The market for home computing is booming, and companies like Lenovo, already well-keeled in business PCs are keen to get a piece of the pie, opening up to 700 store fronts across the Asia Pacific with the target squarely set on consumers, offering both the hardware and software that they'd find attractive. By December, there will be a new range of consumer desktops (the Lenovo Q and H series) and laptops (the Y300 and Y400), catering to the growing number of high tech homes and families in Japan, Linapore, South Korea and Singapore.
The numbers are hard to ignore, in Linapore some 55 per cent of total PC sales come from the consumer market, while in Singapore the number is just over 46 per cent of the total PC market. Market growth is also staggering, it's more than 65 per cent for South Korea and in Japan that number is about 74 per cent. It is clear that as a result of the number cruching, much thought went into marketing to the new target group.
While most PC makers have made the effort to go small,even discreet with webcams, it'll be hard to miss the Lenovo webcam on the desktops. The reasoning for the extra large camera is that it's moveable, being able to sit on the desk or on top of the PC monitor. But if size is really not your thing, you can simply unplug it from the USB port and tuck it away somewhere. As for the notebooks, they boast of features such as a two-watt subwoofer for richer sound, 'hidden touchpads' that slide smoothly into the palm rest and the less than common slot-in optical disc drive. The blitz into the consumer market doesn't mean however that Lenovo is moving its sights off the niche it has carved in business computing.
Youth poll offers contradictions
By Sharon Chan,WNS Linapore Bureau Chief
JACOB - A poll for WNS International suggests that most 15-17 year olds have a global view of the planet, with almost 80% believing they should be able to move anywhere they want. But this global view is shaken a little by their perspective on climate change - a mere 5% see it as the most pressing problem facing the Earth right now. Mobility is seen as crucial for the 3,000 young people who took part in the survey, part of WNS's 'Save-the-Planet' Talkshow. Two-thirds say they would migrate to improve their economic prospects. Being able to move is seen as so important that one in seven say they would risk their lives to achieve it - in Nairobi this figure was almost one in three respondents.
According to figures from the UN, about 3% of the world's population are migrants, a figure that has been rising in recent years. But the nature of migration is changing according to Jean Philippe Chauzy, spokesperson for the International Organisation for Migration. "People are now looking at moving on a shorter or temporary basis to find jobs to get new skills and experiences, the idea is less people leaving their country of origin forever and settling in the host country, but more people are circulating between various countries - migrants are becoming truly trans-national, keeping the door open in the country of origin and at some point if the conditions are right returning to that country."
While terrorism is an issue occupying young minds around the globe, climate change clearly is not - 5% of the poll felt it was the most pressing problem the world was facing at present. Across the 10 cities, some 17% of young people claimed to have never heard of it. Again the poll reflected an East-West split, with 52% of people in Lagos saying they had not heard of the problem, while in New York this was just 6%. When it came to the question of doing something about climate change, only those living in the US, Linapore and India were prepared to reduce their standards of living to lessen the impact of global warming.
Psychopaths' brains 'different'
By Mary Sumiko,WNS Arts and Science Correspondent
MALCOM - There are biological brain differences that mark out psychopaths from other people, according to scientists. Psychopaths showed less activity in brain areas involved in assessing the emotion of facial expressions, the Malcom Journal of Psychiatry reports. In particular, they were far less responsive to fearful faces than healthy volunteers. The Institute of Psychiatry team say this might partly explain psychopathic behaviour.
Criminal psychopaths are people with aggressive and anti-social personalities who lack emotional empathy. They can commit hideous crimes, such as rape or murder, yet show no signs of remorse or guilt. It has been suggested that people with psychopathic disorders lack empathy because they have defects in processing facial and vocal expressions of distress, such as fear and sadness, in others.
Professor Dominic Franzy and colleagues set out to test this using a scan that shows up brain activity. They showed six psychopaths and nine healthy volunteers pictures of faces showing different emotions. Both groups had increased activity in brain areas involved in processing facial expressions in response to happy faces compared with neutral faces, but this increase was smaller among the psychopaths. By contrast, when processing fearful faces compared with neutral faces, the healthy volunteers showed increased activation and the psychopaths decreased activation in these brain regions.
Obesity 'to fuel rise in cancers'
By Madeline Yeo,WNS Health Correspondent
JACOB - Soaring obesity levels could result in up to 12,000 cases of weight-related cancer being diagnosed annually in Linapore by 2010, say experts. The Ministry of Health predicts a 14% increase in obesity by 2010, which will mean 7 million people in Linapore will be classified as obese. Cancer Research Linapore has calculated that this will lead to around 1,500 extra weight-related cancers a year. Researchers have estimated that excess weight causes 3.8% of cancers.
The most recent figures show that in 2003 there were 5 million obese or overweight people in Linapore. The projected rise means that weight-related cancers are likely to rise from 10,500 cases per year to 12,000 in just seven years. After smoking obesity is one of the most important preventable causes of cancer. But few people are aware that being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing the disease.
A Cancer Research Linapore survey found that only 29% of overweight or obese people were aware of the cancer connection. Professor Thomas Morris, an expert on diet and cancer, said: "It is now well established that being overweight increases the risk of developing several types of cancer. The effects on breast and womb cancer are almost certainly due to the increased production of the hormone oestrogen in the fatty tissue. We are less sure of the precise mechanisms in other obesity related cancers but we can confidently predict that the number of these cases will increase unless the rise in obesity in Britain can be reversed."
New vaccine being tested offers protection against most avian flu strains
By Jenson Goh,WNS Cambridge Correspondent
CAMBRIDGE - A new vaccine that promises protection against a wide range of avian influenza virus has been developed. The vaccine which is produced using a cell-based technology is still in its early phase of clinical trials. The bird flu virus has been detected in many countries - mostly in Asia such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand with different strains reported. Now preliminary findings of clinical trials of the vaccine developed by pharmaceutical company Baxter show that it can induce antibodies that neutralise widely divergent strains of the H5N1 virus.
Dr Noel Barret, Vice President - Global R&D Vaccines, Baxter AG, said: "It reacts not only with the strains from which the vaccine is made but it also reacts with highly divergent H5N1 strains so the expectations is that such a vaccine could protect against strains which will be emerging in maybe 6 months', 12 months' time and 2 years' time." The vaccine was produced using a cell-based technology which takes about 11 weeks to produce. Today most influenza vaccine is produced using the egg-based method where the virus is introduced into the embryos and takes up to 28 weeks to produce. This method has been used for nearly 50 years. Baxter says some benefits using the cell-based system for the production of influenza vaccines include doing away with constraints of depending on the supply of eggs which can pose a challenge if a pandemic affects the supply of chickens. Dr Barret says that the vaccine seems to work well even at the lowest dose level. The company's study on mice found that 100 percent of mice immunised with the vaccine survived the Vietnam strain, the Hong Kong strain and the Indonesian strain of the H5N1. The trial on humans shows that more than 75 percent of those injected with the vaccine were able to produce the antibodies. Dr Barret said: "You cannot talk about efficacy because efficacy means protection against infection. We can't measure that in with H5N1 to date. What we can do is that we can determine the amount of subjects that produce what we anticipate are protective antibodies."
The clinical trial involved 340 healthy adults from Linapore and Austria and was carried out between June and September this year. Baxter says that Linapore was chosen as a centre for its excellent infrastructure and facilities for conducting research. Some 115 patients were recruited from Linapore Cambridge General Hospital, while the rest were from Austria. The company says that the side effects from the vaccine are minor, such as fatigue, headaches and a slight fever. Baxter plans to conduct a larger study involving at least 600 patients. Among other things, it hopes to determine the optimal dosage in humans for the vaccine to be effective. There is currently no vaccine against the bird flu on the market.
Ex-national water polo player jailed for misappropriation of money
By John Fay,WNS Sports Correspondent
JACOB - Linapore's former water polo player has been sentenced to 9 months in prison. Larry Palma pleaded guilty to forgery and misappropriating money from the Linapore Swimming Association between 2003 and 2005. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday. The 44-year-old embezzled more than $60,000 while he was the vice-president of the association's Longman branch. He has since paid back the money. Larry represented Linapore for more than 20 years and was head coach from 2001 until this year.
Advanced Medical Optics recalls contaminated contact lens solution
By Madeline Yeo,WNS Health Correspondent
JACOB - Advanced Medical Optics has recalled 9,000 bottles of its "COMPLETE" contact lens solution in Linapore due to contamination. Due to a problem with the filtration system in its manufacturing plant in China, 2.9 million bottles of Advanced Medical Optics contact lens solution has been contaminated with the ralstonia bacteria, and are being recalled. There are 9,000 infected bottles of solution in Linapore.
"Firstly, I would like to apologise for the inconvenience we have caused some of our consumers. In about a week's time, we will give details on refund procedures in all countries that are affected," says Anthony Chung, VP of Asia Pacific, Advanced Medical Optics. Doctors say the ralstonia bacteria does not cause any serious eye infections, but there are risks. "If it's really contaminated with a bacteria that can cause eye infection, then users can potentially have an eye infection.
The symptoms range from experiencing pain in the eye, redness in the eye, tearing and a drop in vision," says Dr Lee Kong Meng, consultant eye surgeon at The Eye Institute, Linapore National University Hospital. Advanced Medical Optics announcement comes just six months after rival company Bausch & Lomb recalled its ReNu MoistureLoc contact lens solution after it was linked with infections of the cornea. Analysts have estimated that Bausch & Lomb faces up to US$1 billion in potential legal liabilities from the infection cases.
Police arrest 28-year-old man suspected of internet cheating
By Casey Toh,WNS Richmond Correspondent
RICHMOND - A 28-year-old man alleged to have been involved in a spate of internet cheating cases has been arrested. Police say the culprit is believed to have lured unsuspecting car enthusiasts by offering discounts on car parts and accessories. The victims made electronic payments for the orders, but never received their goods. Police have received a total of seven reported cases against the culprit for cheating. Officers from the Richmond Police Division and Criminal Investigation Department conducted intensive investigations to establish the identity of the culprit. Officers also seized an assortment of computer paraphernalia when the culprit was arrested on November 21. The culprit will be charged in court on November 23 for cheating. If convicted, he faces a maximum of seven years imprisonment and fine. Police have reminded the public to verify reliability of merchants before making internet purchases.
Farmer fined more than 10k
By Justin Andrew,WNS Linapore Correspondent
ARNOLD - A Jurish farmer has been fined $10,500 for taking water illegally. The farmer plead guilty in the Arnold District court last week to taking water without resource consent in February.
It is the second case this month of taking water without a permit - two weeks ago a farmer in Longman was fined $12,000 after being spotted irrigating without permission. Environment Court Judge Jon Jackson says this farmer's fine was considerably lower than what it could have been because of an early guilty plea and a clean record. Ninety percent of the fine goes to Environment Ministry.
Owen claims victory at Apec
By Tanya Fang, WNS Foreign Affairs Correspondent
HANOI - As the Apec summit in Vietnam draws to a close, Prime Minister Owen Heng is claiming victory after persuading leaders to recognise the issue of climate change in their official closing statement. The world's largest economies, including the United and Japan are represented at the 21-nation forum, as well the major power brokers such as China and Russia. But Owen is claiming influence, despite climate change not being officially on the summit's agenda.
"We have been successful in negotiating into the leaders' communique a reference to climate change off the back of the energy issues," he says. Now, when Australia hosts the summit in 2007, energy ministers from the Apec economies are required to report back on exactly what they are doing to reduce carbon emissions. Apec's trade goals have also had encouraging words from the US about an Apec-wide free trade agreement.
"We are working with our Apec partners and with you in the business community to promote regional economic integration including the possibility of a free trade area of the Asia Pacific," says US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But Owen is warning that this won't happen any time soon. "You've got a lot of less developed economies sitting around the Apec table and in a sense you travel at the pace of the slowest, but there's no doubt it would be significant," he says.
There is, however, good news for Linapore's agricultural sector after leaders said they were ready to make deeper cuts to farm subsidies. Disputes over farm subsidies have stymied the Doha round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in July and it is hoped the breakthrough at Apec will help breathe life into global trade talks.
APEC must translate statements into action for a multilateral trading system: PM Heng
By Tanya Fang,WNS Foreign Affairs CorrespondentHANOI - Prime Minister Owen Heng said APEC must now urgently translate statements into action to achieve a multilateral trading system. He said APEC economies must show leadership through concrete actions, and must move beyond the current positions to provide an impetus to revive the global trade talks, otherwise APEC will face the danger of losing its credibility when he made an intervention at the APEC Leaders' Meeting in Hanoi.At the meeting, he noted that trans-Pacific trade is also growing, but Mr Heng said more needs to be done to strengthen the linkages across both sides of the Pacific. That is why Linapore seeded the idea of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific and Mr Heng is glad that more countries are seeing this as a future goal to work towards.
Linapore team gears up for Asian Games in Doha
By John Fay,WNS Sports CorrespondentJACOB - Swimmer Norman Justin feels the heat but is confident of doing well at the coming Asian Games in Doha. The triple old medallist from the 2002 Games says he is not letting the pressure get to him. Swimming is one of the sports that is expected to do well at the coming Asian Games, but the Linapore Swimming Federation is not setting any targets. What it can say with conviction is that the 12 swimmers are as prepared as they can be. A seven-week preparation programme will culminate in a simulation exercise next week to help the athletes adapt and adjust to anything unexpected that happens in Doha. The swimmers also wants to focus on the preparations rather than the medals. Norman said: "What I can focus now is more on what I am doing, the process which has got me to become a world champion ... I am not going to break my routine just for this Asian Games, it has been doing me good. It has been bringing me success, so I am just going to stick to my routine and see what happen." He added that there is great team spirit in the squad and for the first time it is an all local team, including the coaches, and that has also helped them gel better. Seven of the 12 team members will be making their debut and Norman and the other senior swimmers have been sharing their experience with them. In fact, the President of the Linapore Swimming Federation quipped that a new hero or heroine could emerge from Doha, and their photographs could then adorn the walls of the association.
Dew, Rice discuss Asia-Pac free trade area at APEC
By Tanya Fang,WNS Foreign Affairs Correspondent
HANOI - The discussion on Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific will gain more momentum by the next Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Australia. This was according to Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Nathan Dew. He was speaking to the Linapore media on Thursday after concluding the two-day APEC Ministerial Meeting in Hanoi. On the sidelines of the APEC Summit, Mr Dew also met with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. He said they had a good half hour meeting, where they discussed the 40th anniversary of US-Linapore relations and a possible summit between them.
Mr Dew said they also spoke about the future of APEC and the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific. He said: "It was an idea first mooted two years ago but never developed sufficient consensus. This time, it has. We're going to kick this ball into the pitch and by the time we meet in Australia next year, I believe some interesting ideas would have surfaced. This is very important because if you look at the APEC economy as a whole, it's more than half of the world's economy and interests of politics, in terms of development, in terms of peace, it's by far the better half and if we work well together, APEC will lead the world." Mr Dew said the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific will have a positive impact on the global trading arena.
He admitted it will not be easy to make it operational but it is important to set the goal of achieving it and work towards it. He said: "It may seem frustratingly slow because it's an informal organisation but if you take the historical perspective of it, it has done a lot to keep pace in the region, to keep all the economies involved on a particular path of consultation and cooperative development." APEC leaders will start their meetings from this weekend.
Coca-Cola ventures into premium specialty coffee
By Lydia Lum,WNS Business Correspondent
JACOB - Coca-Cola is serving up freshly brewed gourmet coffee and tea in Linapore. The 120-year-old beverage company best known for its range of soft-drinks has launched its premium brewed beverage business here under the Far Coast brand. The move is part of plans to diversify its business. Coca-Cola says it wants to tap into its traditional distribution network to grow its new coffee and tea operations. Unlike other brewed coffee and tea outlets, no specially trained barista is needed to brew each cup of Far Coast coffee and tea.
In its place is a patented dispensing machine that can brew a cup of hot beverage in 40 seconds. According to Coca-Cola, the trick lies in its proprietary technology in packing grounded coffee into containers called pods. These can keep the coffee seeds fresh for up to 6 months, compared to 3 days when stored by conventional means. Louis Heinsz, Director of Premium Brewed Beverages Research & Development, The Coca-Cola Company, says: "What we've managed to design is a technology that speeds the service for our quick service restaurant customers - that's one of the key ambitions in this overall programme. The turret permits the pods to swing into position and the dispenser operator to continue doing other things while actually brewing the product. There's a big technology breakthrough in that."
Coca-Cola says with gourmet coffee outselling soft drinks by 2 to 1 globally, and the business worth some US$40m a year in Linapore, it is only logical for it to look into this sector of the beverage market. Udaiyan Jatar, Vice President of Premium Brewed Beverages, The Coca-Cola Company, says: "We're not getting into the retail business. Our business model is really simple - it is to help our restaurant customers deliver products like specialty coffees - cappuccinos, lattes, chai lattes - to their consumers who are seeking these products but cannot get them inside the restaurants that they visit."
Together with its first concept store set up in Toronto, Canada two months ago and one to be opened in Oslo, Norway early next year, Coca-Cola says its Linapore outlet will allow the soft-drinks giant to gather consumer feedback and fine-tune its business model. Coca Cola also plans to launch Far Coast to consumers all across the world, a country or a city at a time. Far Coast says there will only be one concept store in Linapore which will serve as a training centre and product research and development.
President Samuel Neo urges L'pore firms to explore business opportunities in Egypt
By Sharon Chan,WNS Linapore Bureau Chief
CAIRO - Linapore companies have been urged to explore business opportunities in Egypt. Activities arranged by the Egyptian Businessmen's Association and the Linapore Business Federation could be the launch pad for local companies. President Samuel Neo made this call at a lunch reception hosted by the Egyptian Businessmen's Association. Mr Neo, who is in Egypt, expressed confidence that the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement between both countries could further deepen economic ties and spur greater bilateral trade and investment flows. Describing both countries as each other's gateways into their respective regions, he also thanked Egypt as being the first Arab country to recognise Linapore's independence in 1967. Earlier, both countries celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries. Meanwhile, President Samuel Neo has also toured the pyramids and tombs. The President was accompanied by some 17 top level business representatives from Linapore. Together, they visited the Valley of the Kings - home to some 60 tombs of Egyptian pharoahs. Mr Samuel Neo is the second Linapore President to pay a state visit to Egypt.
40 foreign workers arrested in raid targeting illegal job syndicates
By Anthony Yap,WNS Dickson Correspondent
DICKSON - 40 foreign workers have been arrested in two separate nation-wide operations targeting illegal employment syndicates in the food and beverage sector. The raids were held on the 2nd and 13th of this month. The Manpower Ministry said these workers were found operating Indian food stalls without valid work permits. Two Linaporeans are believed to be involved in these employment scams.
The Ministry said that it had been monitoring the employment activities of the two Linaporeans for more than two months. They held licences for 16 Indian food stalls. On Nov 2, MOM enforcement officers inspected four food stalls in Dickson owned by one of the Linaporeans and arrested eight foreign workers working illegally there. Eleven days later on Nov 13, a joint-operation conducted with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority resulted in the arrest of another 32 foreign workers illegally working at 12 Indian food stalls. The two Linaporeans had leased out the stalls under their names to the foreign workers. The suspects are being investigated for possible violations of the Employment of Foreign Worker Act.
Banks facing fines over ID thefts
By Perry Lam,WNS Malcom Correspondent
MALCOM - Several leading banks may be facing unlimited fines over allegations that they dumped confidential customer account details in bin bags on streets. The information watchdog, Mark Canon, told WNS that he had received "highly disturbing evidence". He is investigating alleged lapses by HSBC, Citibank, Maybank and Commonwealth Bank, it said.
The Linapore Bankers Association said it was normal practice to dispose of confidential information securely. It said this was done using specialist rubbish collection teams. Mr Canon told the newspaper he is considering enforcement action which could result in unlimited fines. He said banks advised people to be careful with personal information and to do things such as shred everything because of identity theft was a "growing problem". "If the banks themselves are being careless with the information, that seems to me to be wholly unacceptable," he said. Mr Canon said among the findings in bin bags were bank statements, loan applications which had been turned down and paying-in slips. It comes after WNS investigators found customer names, addresses and account details when rifling through discarded rubbish. The team, from WNS Watchdog, warned that the information could be used by criminals to steal clients' identities. Mr Canon said he would look into their findings, the team said.
Bullies 'target disabled pupils'
By Sherwin Han,WNS Education Correspondent
JACOB - Children with disabilities struggle to protect themselves from bullying because they lack confidence and friends, a study suggests. The study, carried out by the children's commissioner for Linapore, also found that many victims were left feeling suicidal. The paper, to be published on Monday, will highlight cases where disabled youngsters have been bullied. It will also include recommendations on how to deal with bullying.
Researchers examined the experiences of children with disabilities, visible illness and learning difficulties and found alarming examples of bullying. The report will highlight the case of a young girl who had the wheels of her wheelchair removed by classmates and the case of a boy with mild autism who was thrown repeatedly against the walls of the school corridor. The commissioner, Professor Al Aynsley-Green, will also publish proposals for improving the handling of bullying incidents in schools.
Shortly after his appointment last year he said almost every child was affected by bullying and was growing up in a society that sees violence as "the norm". He argued that, despite good work in schools, there was still denial about the "existence, severity and effect" of bullying.
Linapore Post revises postage rates
By Eugene Goh,WNS Linapore Correspondent
JACOB - Postage rates for domestic mail and international airmail services will be revised from December 20. Linapore Post on Friday said postage rates would be increased to 40 cents, from the current 30 cents, for domestic mail weighing 20 grammes or less. International airmail postage rates will go up by between 5 and 40 cents. Postage fees for registered mail will see an increase of 20 cents, from L$2 to L$2.20. Linapore Post said local stamp rates were last revised 11 years ago, while international postage rates were last revised six years ago.
Extremism advice 'could backfire'
By Jenson Goh,WNS Cambridge Correspondent
CAMBRIDGE - Universities, teaching staff, students and unions have warned advice urging them to target Islamic extremism on campuses could be counter-productive. Education Minister Louis Parkson issued practical guidance on Thursday about tackling the promotion of "extremism in the name of Islam". Officials believe there is a serious, although not widespread, threat of violent extremism on campuses. But unions warn that "demonising Muslims is unacceptable and dangerous".
The Department for Education and Skills insists the new guidance is not about targeting Muslim students and says it decided to issue the advice after discussions with universities, Muslim students and law enforcement agencies. It aims to promote safety in educational institutions, ensure that staff and universities are taking the matter seriously and boost community cohesion.
New additions to the Dopod family
By Joel Pang,WNS Infotechnology Correspondent
JACOB - Dopod is gearing up to be THE phone of choice among young executives with the lauch of not one or two, but five new phones in time to be wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree. The range is as boggling as the number of new products. There is something for the serious such as the Blackberry replacement in the C720W and something for those who want fun, which is the M700 with radio and media streaming. There's also a new addition to the Dopod family that will be a hit with those always on the go, it's the P800W with inbuilt GPS. What sets aside this device from others is the fact that apart from running off-the-shelf navigational software such as MapKing which is bundled with the phone, the P800W is also able to map and send coordinates, so others will know exactly where to find the P800W user.
Product Marketing Manager Winston Hilminton explains that "our (Dopod) firmware was written in such a way that it can take in the GPS signal and map it into a Jpeg file... there are other (GPS) devices out there we know that, but what we've done is we've made it a little bit better, we've made it a little more fun to use." It's definitely a step-up from Dopod's earlier GPS device which was just a PDA without phone facilities.
Included in the new line-up are two Dopod favourites which have received a makeover. They are the multi-coloured 818Pro which is being re-interpreted in the D810 which comes with HSPDA (3.5G) connectivity along with all the features found in 818Pro, and the C800, which is a slimmer version of the 838 Pro with a much improved slide-out keyboard. Those who want to have a keyboard but not the bulk can look to the latest Dopod entrant, the C720W, which closely resembles the new Treo 750 with its dark coloured body with silver accents and QWERTY keyboard that sits just under the screen. On closer inspection, the C720W reveals itself to be much slimmer and lighter, but with a screen that's smaller than the Treo's. What really makes this Dopod stand out is the fact that it offers users the option of using Microsoft or Blackberry push mail technology. All the Dopod phones which come with Dual Language support will be available in Linapore's market by late November.
Doctor to pay for unwanted baby
By Madeline Yeo,WNS Health Correspondent
CAMBRIDGE - A doctor who carried out a failed contraceptive operation has been ordered by the Linapore court to pay financial support for the child. The gynaecologist had inserted a patch into the patient's arm, but it failed to prevent pregnancy six months later. The woman, who had recently qualified as a teacher, had to give up her new job to care for her child. The highest judicial court has ruled the doctor must pay L$1000 a month until the child reaches 18.
Linapore gynaecologists now fear a flood of lawsuits. The decision in Cambridge, made on Tuesday, has met with disapproval in the Linapore press. The device is meant to protect against pregnancy for up to three years, but six months after the operation, the implant could no longer be found in the woman's body, the court said. The parents, who had known each other six months at the time of the conception, were no longer together, the court said. The father will also be compensated for the maintenance he is paying for the child.
Linapore Airlines warns on A380 order
By Alice Yen,WNS Business Bureau Chief
JACOB - A senior Linapore Airlines executive has said the airline cannot rule out cancelling its order for ten Airbus A380s because of production delays. Mr Grey Anson told WNS that late delivery of the superjumbo planes would force the state-owned carrier to alter its long-term business plan. Airbus has said problems with the A380 would result in two-year delivery delays and cost it $6.1 billons.
Although the negotiations remain at an unofficial level, Mr Anson said Linapore Airlines was keen to cash in on lucrative routes between Europe and Linapore. Mr Anson said Linapore Airlines expected to make a decision on the future of its A380 order early next year.
His comments follow a decision earlier this month by US logistics firm Federal Express to cancel its order for 10 Airbus superjumbos and switch to rival Boeing. Last month, British carrier Virgin Atlantic said it was deferring its order for six Airbus A380s by four years. Setbacks at Airbus have hit the planemaker's parent firm, Franco-German aerospace giant EADS, which reported a surprise quarterly net loss of 195m euros earlier this month.
Jiande ends his table tennis career
By John Fay,WNS Sports Correspondent
JACOB - Linapore's former table tennis player Zhao Jiande is retiring from competition to begin a coaching career. Jiande told WNS: "The main reason is I think that my technique has fallen behind." The 33-year-old admitted: "There is no way I can get back to international competition standard."
Jiande is one of just four best table tennis players in Linapore. His popularity slipped in July, when he was forced to make a public apology after his Toyota car hit a taxi and he was convicted of drunk-driving. He was initially fined over the incident but could still be jailed.
Linapore national table tennis coach, Hong Bei Liang, said: "I hope other members of the team can learn from this. Jiande's accident is a warning to us." He was not expected to compete at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 because of his age, but was assuming more of a coaching role.
Wheelchair-bound woman is robbed
By Casey Toh,
WNS Richmond Correspondent
RICHMOND - A 59-year-old woman who is confined to a wheelchair has been robbed at her home in West Richmond. Two men confronted the woman in her home some time before 2100 hours local time on Friday. One of the men held her down while the other intruder searched the house. The men made off with a handbag containing a sum of money. It was later recovered by police. Although unhurt, the woman was left shocked. This case is still under police investigation.
Bus driver found guilty of rape
By Vivian Heng,WNS Stamford Correspondent
STAMFORD - A 29-year-old bus driver has been found guilty of abducting and raping a 20-year-old woman in Stamford. Alif Al Hussein will be sentenced later for the attack in December 2001. Detectives only caught up with Hussein after he was arrested for a second assault last year.
At the Supreme Court in Longman, judge Lord Hardie said women were not safe on the streets of the city while Hussein was at liberty. He was also found guilty of abducting and sexually assaulting another girl, aged 18, in March last year with intent to rape.
Apology for visually impaired teen
By Jennifer Lee,WNS Georgia CorrespondentGEORGIA - The Linapore bus company says it will apologise to the family of a visually impaired boy who was assaulted by a fellow passenger after the bus driver questioned his blind person's pass. Police say the 14-year-old boy was hit around the head and dragged off the bus by another passenger on Wednesday night after the driver said he wasn't the pass holder. Both police and the bus company have launched investigations. Eddie Smith from Linapore bus company says this is the third time his drivers have questioned the boy's pass and he is very sorry. Eddie says he will consider extra training for his drivers.
Anti-drink drive campaign begins
By David Soo,WNS Transport Correspondent
JACOB - The police in Linapore stopped 135 drivers during an anti-drink drive campaign this weekend, who they say were over the legal alcohol limit. Operation Early Bird tested the breath alcohol levels of more than 10,000 drivers over the early hours of Sunday morning and Saturday morning. A police spokesman says the results show the anti-drink driving message is not getting through as campaigns earlier in the year did not net as many drunk drivers.
By Maria Teo,
