60 yr old woman blocks taxi after dispute

A 60 yr old woman was so enraged by a taxi driver showing her an obscene sign, she planted herself in front of his taxi.

Madam Lee Geok Hiok, a cleaner, was parking her car along the road behind People’s Park Centre at 11.30am on Tuesday when the taxi driver sounded his horn.

She said: ‘I gestured to him to wait and he made this rude sign with his finger.’

She marched to his stationary taxi, opened the driver’s door and asked him why he showed her the bad sign.

‘He tried to deny doing so but then apologised,’ she said.

She called the police and held onto the door to prevent him from driving off. (story)

3 more charged in illegal sexual enhancement drug trade

3 more men were charged in court on Thursday with peddling illegal sexual enhancement drugs after the authorities cracked down on the trade in February.

All three - Lee Teck Boo, Ong Nguk and Teo See Bong - were accused of selling Power 1 Walnut pills, which have caused at least 20 men to be hospitalised.

One went into a coma and another had a stroke.

The three men are said to have had a total of 64 of the China-made tablets on them. They are among eight men caught so far this year during raids on such peddlers in Desker and Rowell roads.

On Wednesday, four men were jailed between six and eight months for similar offences under the Medicines Act. All except one had with them Power 1 Walnut tablets.

Although labelled to contain only natural herbal ingredients, the pills were found to be adulterated with two western medicinal ingredients - Glibenclamide, a potent anti-diabetic medication that can cause severe and life-threatening symptoms of very low blood sugar, and Sildenafil, an active ingredient in Viagra. Sildenafil is a potent drug that should only be taken under a doctor’s supervision. (story)

Promising student dies in vehicle crash

She had the world at her feet but death robbed medical student Lee Nian Ning of a brilliant future.The straight As student, former state swimmer and accomplished Girl Guide was on the double-decker express bus from Penang to Kuala Lumpur which crashed near Slim River on Friday.

Nian Ning, 21, a Public Service Department (PSD) scholar at the University of New South Wales in Australia who was on her way to visit friends in Kuala Lumpur, was among three passengers who perished when the driver lost control of the bus and slammed into a divider.

“We learnt that the driver had 13 summonses against him. Why had the company not screened him and realized that he was not competent to drive that bus? (story)

“Lust, Caution” sweeps Golden Horse Film Awards

Taiwanese director Ang Lee’s erotic spy thriller “Lust, Caution” swept the top honours at the Golden Horse Film Awards, seen as the Chinese-language Oscars.

“Lust, Caution,” took home seven awards, including the coveted best film, best director, and best actor accolades.

Lee was also recognised as the outstanding Taiwanese filmmaker of the year at the 44th edition of the awards in a glittering ceremony in the Taipei Arena.

“I am really moved by the audience’s overwhelming support (of the film) in Taiwan and in Asia. I feel like I am sharing a joint effort with them,” Lee said.

The film, called “Se, Jie” in Chinese, also bagged best make-up and costume design, best original film score, best screenplay adaptation for Lee’s long-time filmmaking partner James Schamus and best new performer for Chinese actress Tang Wei. (story)

Tharman becomes Finance minister

In a widely-anticipated promotion, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam becomes Finance Minister from Saturday. He retains his other heavyweight portfolio as Education Minister - for now.

He will hold this post until after the Budget Debate next year, ‘when he will relinquish the appointment and the Prime Minister will make consequential changes to other Cabinet appointments’, said a statement from the PM’s Office on Thursday evening.

The brief three-paragraph statement left unanswered the question of just who will take over at Education.

After six years at the Finance Ministry’s helm, PM Lee Hsien Loong will step aside for Mr Tharman, who became Second Finance Minister in May last year. (story)

Singapore officer lauded for work in Afghanistan

People ould start to queue outside dentist Lee Chee Wee’s clinic from midnight. Many had travelled from many kilometres away. This was not an everyday scene here but in Afghanistan.

Major (Dr) Lee, 32, a dental officer from the Singapore Armed Forces HQ Medical Corps, was part of a five-man SAF team which set up a dental clinic in a hospital in the country’s Bamiyan province.

On Thursday, he was among 46 servicemen who received the Overseas Service Medal and Bar (Enhanced) from Second Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen. (story)

Singapore bans video game: Mass Effect

Singapore has banned a Microsoft Corp video game which contains a scene showing a human woman and an alien woman kissing and caressing each other, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.The Straits Times said “Mass Effect” — a highly anticipated futuristic space adventure game from Microsoft — was banned by Singapore’s Media Development Authority.

In October, Singapore’s parliament decided to keep a ban on sex between men, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the city-state should keep its conservative values and not allow special rights for homosexuals.

Singapore is the only country to have banned the game, so far, and it is the first Microsoft video game to be banned in the city-state.

(story)

Leaders gather to share global opinions

Bilateral issues aside, that was the essence of the meetings Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had on Friday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Both Indian leaders listened carefully as they probed Mr Lee’s thoughts on recent happenings within Asean, the rest of Asia and other issues of global interest.

At a half-hour call on PM Singh on Friday, Mr Lee was received as an old friend of India, according to officials who attended the meeting. Both described the relationship as “excellent.”

Dr Singh, who as finance minister started the economic reforms that are now yielding close to double-digit economic growth, noted with satisfaction the rapid growth in investment and trade ties between the two countries.

Singapore is currently the seventh largest trade partner to India, a nation of more than a billion people. (story)

PM Lee: be understanding to foreigners

Residents are seeing their MPs to complain about foreign workers and have asked that they be kept out of their neighbourhoods, PM Lee revealed on Monday. Noting the unease the growing number of foreigners here has caused, Mr Lee said some Singaporeans are worried even if such workers do not live in their blocks, but in quarters that are within sight from their flats.

‘On weekends in the Botanic Gardens or in Lucky Plaza, (they say) it’s okay, but meet them downstairs in your void deck, I think many Singaporeans have fears,’ Mr Lee told an audience of around 1,000 union leaders and foreign observers at an NTUC conference on Monday.

‘I know that some residents go and see their MP and say, you know, please keep them out of sight, (put them in ) somebody else’s GRC.’

But it is not possible to do so, said Mr Lee, as Singapore is a small place.

(story)

Man gets 7 months for causing death during test drive

A man who caused the death of a young sales consultant while test-driving a sports car two years ago was jailed seven months and banned from driving for 10 years on Wednesday. Regan Lee Da Wen, 26, originally accused of causing death by dangerous driving, admitted to an amended charge of causing the death of Ms Angelia He Xueli, 22, by a rash act along Upper Paya Lebar Road on Oct 29, 2005.

Ms He, an only child, died of multiple injuries about an hour later in hospital.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Imran Abdul Hamid said Lee, now unemployed, was driving at a fast speed in the open-top convertible with Ms He beside him when he failed to control the two-seater after negotiating a left bend.

(story)