Japan pushes for mid east oil

THE STRAITS TIMES
TUESDAY MAY 1, 2007


japan is now offering massive loans , the use of okinawa for storage facilities to ensure energy supply. this can be rpetty shocking as oil is a finite resource such that it can be depleted and unrenewable. by allowing to use the oil reserve plant of saudi, japan can be more lax with the usage of oil and energy. this may seemed like a country to country problem, but looking at a bigger picture, it can cause the whole world to be affected

THE STRAITS TIMES
FRIDAY APRIL 27, 2007

CHIP GIANT QIMONDA TO INVEST $4b IN WAFER FAB PLANT HERE


i feel that this is a really good investent and a good opportunity for singapore as i have blooged recently about the raised in the number of jobs, this investment actually helps to create more jobs for people. it not only help to improve our social life, it also helps to improve our technology in terms of PC. with this huge investor coming to invest, it will help to attract other investors to invest in singapore as they see a potential country in producing quality chips. in actual fact, this investment will cause a chain reaction to occur.

THE STRAITS TIMES
WEDNESDAY MAY 2, 2007

SIngapore on "winning track" but must find ways to stay unique

this is what the PM said during the May day talk and this article caught my attention. there are several reasons to how singapore is ont he winning track. firstly the wages has risen and the number of jobs created rose to a significant number. this goes to show that singapore is transformig into a country that is full of hope and filled with people who are optimistic. this could help to encourage poeple to look forward and contine to strive for the better.

THE STRAITS TIMES
saturday may 5, 2007

Macquarie's $14b offer for qantas rejected.


alot of problems have arised when qantas made the announcement of wanting to sell the comapny away allowing more than 50% of the shares to be owned by foreign investors. however after much debate and arguements, qantas has decided not to allow singapore investors to purchase the shares and allowing less than 50% to be own by foreighn investors. this is because i feel that australia still value the fact that qantas is the symbol of australia, the national pride for australians. hence they chose to be the major shareholder of qantas, so as to allow them to make the overall decision.

may 6, 2007

the sunday times

how a fertilizer bomb plot grew


the black britions convicted in the so-called fertiliser bomb plot last week were part of an international terror network that spanned pakistan, the UK cananda and the US. i think that these day the terrorists are getting more and more innovative. they can even use somethinng that was used by the locals and get away scott free. alot because of these black sheep, it cause discrimination against the middle east people and ansians. in which, they are helping to worsen the discrimination and what is ironic is that they in turn balme the west for discrimniating them and cornered them such that they have to resort such violence.

the straits times
tuesday may 8, 2007

SARKOZY'S MANDATE FOR CHANGE


when i read this article, i felt that Sarkozy was a potential good leader for France. when i continued reading the articles, the promises that he made, seemed a little unpromising. this is because he promised to shorten the working hours of the local but he seemed to have overlooked the fact that he has to tackle some foreign policy and companies and the consequences of shortening the working hours. in which this may cause the investors to back away from France as the number of man hours is shortened and the standard of livning is very high.

the straits times
tuesday may 8, 2007

NEW PRIVACY LAWS TO PROTECT DATA OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS




in future names, age and even sexual orientation will be a "NO NO" to the researchers. this is because singapore is moving into the biomedical phase such that they require more poeple to participate and allow the researchers to find more discoveries. the reason why they implement new laws is because when the names, age and sexual orientation were shown, the participation dropped tremendously. this caused a setback to the researchers and cause worries to the people of a higher level.

THE STRAITS TIMES
Tuesday may 8, 2007

Its final - no return to pension scheme for officers.
the court of appeal actually rejected the plea by 100 civil servants who opted to join CPF 33 years ago. i feel that the court was too harsh onto the 100 civil servants as they simply dismiss their appeal. this is because one of the civil servant who does not want to be named, said that people under the age of 21 during 1973 was allowed to switch to the pension scheme but was not asked to confirm at the age of 21 but the court choose not to listen and consider this loophole. on the other hand, i feel that the court is doing the right thing. this is because if everyone were to be like these civil servants, the reserve of singapore will start to deplete and the dependence on the country's weath will be even greater.

Kids go on White House Easter egg hunt
By NATASHA T. METZLER, Associated Press Writer


It is interesting and exciting for kids to go on egg hunts. It is even more interesting doing so in the White House. Even I would be excited. Many activities had taken place there as well. Children competed in the egg roll races pushed eggs across a stretch of grass using giant spoons. The festivities also included an egg hunt, musical performances, reading, magicians and face painting. Such events not only bring fun to people but bring people closer together as well. I feel that we should have such events in Singapore as well. It would be real interesting indeed.

Artist Sol LeWitt dies at 78
Mon Apr 9, 12:01 AM ET


It is sad that an excellent artist has died. At least he has died with happiness and fame. His art pieces are unusual and unique. We would not be able to see him make any other new pieces but what ever he has done throughout his life would always be remembered. Anyone who has impacted people in one way or another would always be remembered not by everyone but by some.

Texas man to be exonerated by DNA
By JEFF CARLTON, Associated Press Writer


A Texas man who was prisoned for ten years as convicted for rape became free due to the DNA testing. It would be a huge relieve for him. But he I feel it is injustice of him spending 10 years for a crime he did not do. His not able to turn back time and he what can the government do to the waste of his time in the prison? Imagine some others who have been convicted for some crimes they have not done but have been prisioned as the evidences are unclear. I feel they should look into the cases very carefully before prisioning anyone. A person’s future is on line.

Mich. gunman shoots 3 in office building
One victim dead; police unsure whether gunman fled, or still in building
BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 12:40 p.m. ET April 9, 2007


Some were injured and a person had died due to an open fire. I am shocked that such an incident has occurred. Many a times such incidents occur overseas. Security is not tight? The country is unsafe? These questions pop up in my mind. Maybe these incidents occur as the country is too large to have much control. Singapore is such a small country and thus it is easier to have control over it. This incident shows me how safe Singapore is. This is one of the many reasons that encourages me to stay in Singapore and not migrate to a foreign country.

The family of the victim would definitely be very much affected. All I can hope for is the security to be tighter and that such incidents would not occur. Well all I can do is hope; the rest lies in the hands of the others.

Oil Falls Below $63 on Iran's Release of Britons, U.S. Supplies

www.bloomberg.com 10/4/2007


High tensions in Iran and the middle east have caused oil barrels to rise at record prices.
Oil prices have falled only due to the release of britons, thus easing tensions so far.
i feel that the US has been constantly brewing trouble between the middle east
countries, consequently causing itself to lose billions of dollars due to due to high oil prices
and reinforcing more US soldiers to the middle east. With the new nuclear plant program well in place,
i believe the tensions will likely to continue and oil prices will start to hit an all time high again.

happell Resigns as india's coach after first-round exit
the strait times under HOME, 05 april 07


India's shocking exit out of the cricket's world shows just how much a game
can vary due to poor performances, poor luck and poor attitude.
i feel that all these factors whether is it cricket or any other sports,
must be taken seriously if one's team wants to win. A team without a driving force cannot achieve all those factors.
India exit led to a series of events,
a resignation of australian coach Greg Chappell, loss of millions of dollars in advertisement
and endorsement deals, companies like sony also reported loss of millions of dollars.

PM, ministers to get pay rise of between 14% and 33%
(www.channelnewsasia.com) (Tuesday, 08 April 07)

I feel that the ministers shouldn’t get such a huge increase in pay rise. As Lee Kwan Yew quoted, saying would you (referring the citizens of Singapore) rather lose billions of dollars in funds and foreign reserves than to prevent an increment in pay rise for our ministers? Even the private sectors such as banks and lawyer firms, which have been doing very well in these 2 years, do not enjoy such increment benefits comparing to those working in the parliament. The revision on the pay increment for civil servants such as teachers was a right move. After all, we need to pay teachers well in order to attract better teachers in the future for our future generation.

BILLIONS FACE DIRE RISK FROM GLOBAL WARMING, SAYS EXPERTS
(The Straits Times) ( Saturday, 07 April 07)

Top climate scientists have issued another warning, stating that billions of people would suffer from lack of water as water supplies throughout the world dries up. The warnings came from the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC). The United Nations Kyoto Protocol, aims to control the emission of greenhouse gas. The G8 countries have all agreed to sign the protocol except the United States, as they would lose billions of dollars just to reduce the amount of greenhouse emission. I feel that the United States should sign the protocol policy. They should put the preservation of mankind and wildlife at the top priority instead of monetary gains. It would be an example for other nations to follow.

Aracruz, Arcelor, Petrobras, Tam and Vale: Brazil Equity Movers
(www.bloomberg.com) (Tuesday, 09 April 07)

I feel that the South America has already become one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Looking at the brazilian market, the stock index has been rising within these 2 years, due to heavy trading and the attraction of huge foreign investors such as Arcelor Mittal and VALE. Arcelor Brazil SA, one of the sub company under the world’s largest steelmaker company, Arcelor Mittal has been profiting from the rising market. Vale, the world's biggest nickel miner, stocks have been traded at record prices. Having such huge companies investing heavily in the south American markets, I believe the GDP would grow at least 8% this year.

Singapore has what it takes to be world-class medical hub

By Adrian Lim - Feb 27, 2007
AsiaOne
But it has to be clear what it wants to be known for, says Dr Goh Jin Hian, head of Gleneagles Hospital


To be a medical travel or a medical tourism hub? Which is the way forward?

The first step is to be clear about what Singapore wants to position itself as and it has the edge over others.


there have been many arguements towards this issue as Dr Lee Wei Ling rebutt against this politician. from this, we can see how we can help to improve this situation by compromising. i feel that what Dr Goh said was true. not taking sides with anyone, he personal feels that the healthcare sector needs to be clear which it wants to be known for, if it wants to seize the opportunities arising from the government's drive to make Singapore a world-class medical hub attracting one million foreign patients by 2012. only then can we reach our goal.

HDB rental jumps on spillover demand

Trend appears to be island-wide and for all apartment sizes, but resale prices stay flat

By Uma Shankari
Feb 27, 2007
The Business Times
(SINGAPORE) Rents for HDB flats have surged in the past 12 months, driven by spillover demand as rents for private housing have climbed.

Figures compiled by property agency ERA for BT show that public housing resale prices have stayed flat.

But on the rental side it's a different story. Increases range from 8.3 per cent for an executive flat at Jurong East to as much as 44.4 per cent for a four-room flat at Tampines. i feel that the government should do something about it as this will only benefit some group of the people. when this happens this will cause an unbalance consequences. i also feel that this is a great opportunity for people to earn extra bucks form the surge of the property price. this will not only help people to earn money but also help to improve the econmics in singapore.

Over 16,000 flee homes as floods hit again

THE STRAITS TIME SATURDAY, 13 JAN 2007


this is not the first time that Malaysia is being hit by the flood and Malaysia is not the only country that had been hit severely. i feel that this is one of the weather scenario that "flood prone" countries should take note of. only then people will be able to take precaution against it and reduce the damage.i also feel that the infrastructure should be much stronger so that the flood will not damage the infrastructure so easily.

More troops for Thai south after killer blasts

the straits times tuesday, february 20,2007

thailand is sending more troops to the troubled south after bomb and arson attacks marred the Chinese New Year, leaving 9 people dead and 44 injured.
this is a horrifying scene. the arson and bombings actually held during a festival that is worth celebrating and out of the blue, bloodsheds were spilled all over the southern part of thailand. this is getting out of hand ever since the coupe has taken over Thailand.

Pakistan hoping to sign nuclear security deal with India, despite train attack


Feb 20, 2007
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's foreign minister aims to sign a deal on nuclear security during a visit to India beginning Tuesday to underpin peace talks after a deadly attack on a cross-border train, an official said. i feel that this is neccessary as having allies is a form of protection against terrorism, showing that we are firm against issues like that. moreover it also helps to strengthen ties between india and paskistan. with this deal being approved, we are a step closer to the success to curb terrorism.

Malaysia air force begins probe into torture of trainee by senior students
Feb 20, 2007 Associated Press


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysia's air force is questioning 100 trainees at a flight college after a recruit claimed he was beaten with sticks, dunked in sewage and made to drink his vomit by older students, news reports said Tuesday. its a horrible thing to do to a freshman as he would be petrified. this also reflects badly to the locals as Malaysian actually did this to one another. this news was not only been spread locally but also the whole world, how would this reflect on the behaviour of the Malaysian.

Indonesia acts to curb smuggling of sand to Singapore

the straits times 18 February, 2007

Indonesia bans Singapore from importing sands from Indonesia since 5th of February as it would cause the maritime to suffer and the water territory to shrink. i feel that Indonesia have every right to ban Singapore for importing Indonesia sand as it might cause to compromise the shrinking of the territorial waters and Indonesia will would lose more of its territory when the islands in the border are disappear after sand is taken for Singapore reclamation projects.

foiled all because... Hijacker didn't know french

THE STRAITS TIMES FEBRUARY 18, 2007

Pilot used the language to tell passengers to prepare for fightback. this happened when the pilot was negotiating with the hijacker, to where the plane should land, the pilot then realised that the hijacker does not understand french and used that against him to save the 731 passengers and the 8 crew members. although this seemed like a action pact ed show whereby the the hero saves the day or an unpractical plan could save the day, but this is a reality whereby the pilot gave an ingenious idea to save the precious human lives. i think this is a wonderful thing that the hijacking did not take place, otherwise the consequence will be dire, be it political, economical or socially.

Feb 1, 10:36 AM EST
Oil Spill Hits Vietnam's Central Coast
www.asiaone.com

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- An oil spill from an unidentified source has hit Vietnam's central coast, blackening popular resort beaches as thousands of local people help with the cleanup. this has greatly affected vietnam's economy as tourists were kept out of the sea while employees at the Palm Garden Resort in Hoi An worked to clean up blobs of thick oil that left a trail of dead fish. in turn, this will affect the country's supply of fishes and it disrupts the aqua environment as oil have been spilt into the sea. fortunately this was discovered much earlier, otherwise the consequences faced by the country will be bad.

Indonesia to declare bird flu a national disaster

The straits Times. 2nd feb. 2007

It is a shocking news not only to the locals in indonesia but to the rest of the world. this is because in the past only the birds are affected with the bird flu and through them, human are infected. however in the recent days even dogs and cats are infected by the virus. this is indeed alarming as other animals are getting this virus. it can be said that this particular virus are mutating at a uncontrollable rate. medical researchers and doctors are now trying to do their best to stop this epidemic.