New SAFRA Toa Payoh officially opens






SINGAPORE: President Tony Tan officially opened the new SAFRA Toa Payoh on Tuesday.

The facility will provide better facilities to NSmen and their families.

The new club features a fencing academy which is a first for all SAFRA clubs.

Members can also look forward to a new gym, which will be the biggest among the clubs.

There is also an indoor playground for children.

The club at Toa Payoh is the most popular among the clubs, with more than 100,000 members visiting per month since it opened its doors in October 2012.

In 2015, SAFRA will be building a new facility in Punggol, bringing the total number to six. Themed a "Family Lifestyle Resort", the club will boast an indoor children's playground, interactive water play features and a childcare centre.

- CNA/fa



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MP minister presents AICC with Advani autobiography

BHOPAL: Reacting sharply to Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed's statement on LK Advani, Madhya Pradesh minister for industries and commerce Kailash Vijayavargiya on Tuesday sent a copy of the former deputy Prime Minister's biography 'My Country My Life' to AICC president Sonia Gandhi.

The book went with a letter to the Congress president asking her to pass it down to senior Congress leaders who should read it to know and understand the magnanimous personality of Advani and in future not make such objectionable comments about him.

Vijayavargiya's letter came one day after the BJP in New Delhi officially condemned Shakeel Ahmed's statement that BJP veteran leader L K Advani should have stayed back in Pakistan to serve his community (Hindus) there.

Ahmed had also argued that had Advani stayed back in Pakistan, he would not have got any benefits in exchange for his service like getting elected as a MLA, MP or be his party's prime ministerial candidate.

"Shakeel Ahmad's comment is also an insult to you and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," Kailash Vijayavargiya letter to Sonia Gandhi said. "Because you were born in Italy and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in what is Pakistan today. Does his comment apply to you and the Prime Minister also?" the MP minister asked.

For your information, during the time of partition, LK Advani was an RSS "pracharak" and had come from Karachi to Kota where he worked for the organisation for a long time. "He never aspired for any position, his only aim in life was service to the nation," the strong-worded letter said.

Vijayavargiya further wrote that he sending a copy of 'My Life My Country' so that the Congress president should also read and then pass it on to Congress leaders including AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi and party spokesman Shakeel Ahmad to know more about a man who is not only a former Prime Minister but the seniormost leader in the BJP oppsition.

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Space Pictures This Week: A Space Monkey, Printing a Moon Base

Illustration courtesy Foster and Partners/ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced January 31 that it is looking into building a moon base (pictured in an artist's conception) using a technique called 3-D printing.

It probably won't be as easy as whipping out a printer, hooking it to a computer, and pressing "print," but using lunar soils as the basis for actual building blocks could be a possibility.

"Terrestrial 3-D printing technology has produced entire structures," said Laurent Pambaguian, head of the project for ESA, in a statement.

On Earth, 3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, produces a three-dimensional object from a digital file. The computer takes cross-sectional slices of the structure to be printed and sends it to the 3-D printer. The printer bonds liquid or powder materials in the shape of each slice, gradually building up the structure. (Watch how future astronauts could print tools in space.)

The ESA and its industrial partners have already manufactured a 1.7 ton (1.5 tonne) honeycombed building block to demonstrate what future construction materials would look like.

Jane J. Lee

Published February 4, 2013

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Boy Rescued in Ala. Standoff 'Laughing, Joking'













The 5-year-old boy held hostage in a nearly week-long standoff in Alabama is in good spirits and apparently unharmed after being reunited with his family at a hospital, according to his family and law enforcement officials.


The boy, identified only as Ethan, was rescued by the FBI Monday afternoon after they rushed the underground bunker where suspect Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, was holding him. Dykes was killed in the raid and the boy was taken away from the bunker in an ambulance.


Who Is Jimmy Lee Dykes?


Officials have not yet provided any further details on the raid, citing the ongoing investigation.


"I've been to the hospital," FBI Special Agent Steve Richardson told reporters Monday night. "I visited with Ethan. He is doing fine. He's laughing, joking, playing, eating, the things that you would expect a normal 5- to 6-year-old young man to do. He's very brave, he's very lucky, and the success story is that he's out safe and doing great."


Ethan is expected to be released from the hospital later today and head home where he will be greeted by birthday cards from his friends at school. Ethan will celebrate his 6th birthday Wednesday.










Ala. Hostage Standoff Over: Kidnapper Dead, Child Safe Watch Video









Alabama Hostage Standoff: Jimmy Lee Dykes Dead Watch Video





Officials were able to insert a high-tech camera into the 6-by-8-foot bunker to monitor Dykes' movements, and they became increasingly concerned that he might act out, a law enforcement source with direct knowledge told ABC News Monday. FBI special agents were positioned near the entrance of the bunker and used an explosive charge to gain access and neutralize Dykes.


"Within the past 24 hours, negotiations deteriorated and Mr. Dykes was observed holding a gun," the FBI's Richardson said. "At this point, the FBI agents, fearing the child was in imminent danger, entered the bunker and rescued the child."


Richardson said it "got tough to negotiate and communicate" with Dykes, but declined to give any specifics.


After the raid was complete, FBI bomb technicians checked the property for improvised explosive devices, the FBI said in a written statement Monday afternoon.


The FBI had created a mock bunker near the site and had been using it to train agents for different scenarios to get Ethan out, sources told ABC News.


Former FBI special agent and ABC News consultant Brad Garrett said rescue operators in this case had a delicate balance.


"You have to take into consideration if you're going to go in that room and go after Mr. Dykes, you have to be extremely careful because any sort of device you might use against him, could obviously harm Ethan because he's right there," he said.


Still, Monday's raid was not the ending police had sought as they spent days negotiating with the decorated Vietnam veteran through a ventilation shaft. The plastic PVC pipe was also used to send the child comfort items, including a red Hot Wheels car, coloring books, cheese crackers, potato chips and medicine.


State Sen. Harri Anne Smith said Ethan's mother asked police a few days ago not to kill Dykes.


"She put her hand on the officer's heart and said, 'Sir, don't hurt him. He's sick,'" Smith said Monday.


Taylor Hodges, pastor of the Midland City Baptist Church, said, "Many people here don't keep their doors locked. Things are going to change, especially for our school system."


The outcome of the situation drew praise from the White House.






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Football: Europol uncovers vast match-fixing ring






THE HAGUE: European police warned on Monday that the integrity of football was at stake, as they revealed they had smashed a criminal network fixing hundreds of matches, including in the Champions League and World Cup qualifiers.

Europol said a five-country probe had identified 380 suspicious matches targeted by a Singapore-based betting cartel, whose illegal activities stretched to players, referees and officials across the world at all levels of the game.

"It is clear to us that this is the biggest investigation ever into suspected match fixing," Europol chief Rob Wainwright told a news conference in The Hague, adding that the fall-out hit at the heart of the world game's reputation.

"It is the work of a sophisticated organised crime syndicate based in Asia and working with criminal facilitators around Europe."

Wainwright said he would be writing to the head of European football's governing body UEFA, Michel Platini, but said all of football needed to "heed the warning" and be on their guard.

The revelations come after Interpol last month warned that global football corruption was helping to fuel the criminal underworld's domination of prostitution, drug-trafficking and gun-running and in the wake of several high-profile scandals.

They include the so-called "calcioscommesse" or illegal football betting affair in Italy, which overshadowed the country's preparations for last year's European championships and saw several top footballers arrested.

In the latest claims, Europol said that at least 425 referees, players and other officials were suspected of involvement, with matches rigged so that major sums of money could be won through betting.

Most of the allegedly fixed matches were played in the Turkish, German and Swiss championships, but other matches around the world are also concerned.

Two of Europe's Champions League matches and some World Cup qualifiers are also suspected, Europol said.

No details were given about which top-flight matches were involved because some investigations were still on-going, although it was revealed that one of the Champions League matches had been played in England.

Criminals made over eight million euros (US$11 million)in profits from betting on fixed matches.

Europol showed television coverage of a suspect match, an international between Argentina and Bolivia, during which a Hungarian referee awards a highly dubious penalty.

The probe was carried out by Europol and five European countries: Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Finland, Austria.

A further 300 suspicious matches have been identified outside Europe in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America, Europol said.

German chief investigator Friedhelm Althans said that showed "the true horrifying nature of the problem" and the implications were stark, including financial losses for legal betting firms, clubs, players and the trust of the supporting public.

"Operating from Singapore by heads of this organisation, bribes of up to 100,000 euros per match were paid in cash, which was taken all over the world by money couriers," he added.

FIFA's own "corruption-buster", former Interpol executive Ralph Mutschke, also said last month that no league in the world was safe from corruption, amid calls for common legislation to tackle the scourge of bribery in sport.

The international nature of match-fixing was highlighted by the case involving Singapore businessman Wilson Raj Perumal, who was suspected of rigging games in several countries and was jailed in Finland in 2011.

His name was also cited in cases in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

- AFP/xq



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Good samaritans will not face interrogation or forced to be witnesses

MUMBAI: In a significant step, the Centre has acknowledged that citizens often face harassment when they come forward to assist women in distress.

Now such Good samaritans will not be subject to any interrogation or be forced to become witnesses.

They will be protected so they may freely report a crime and help the victim or police.

In a parallel move towards better policing, more women will be recruited in the force and constables will receive training in gender sensitivity skills.

The government will also promote community policing and lay stress on value education.

The state has recognised that there is a continual need for gender sensitization among the police force, particularly at the level of the beat constables and at police stations.

It has said that training courses need to be organised on a regular basis by the police.

At the time of inspection of a police station, it will be mandatory for the inspecting officer to specifically record his findings regarding gender sensitivity of the personnel posted there.

He will also note the record of the police station and station house officer (SHO) in registering and investigating complaints of crimes against women.

The inspecting officer will check whether women are being discouraged from lodging complaints in that police station.

Strict action will be taken against police personnel and officers found to be displaying bias against women or neglecting their supervisory responsibilities in this respect.

The government now feels "an imperative need" to recruit more women in the police force. In order to incentivize the states to do so, the ministry of home affairs will formulate a suitable scheme within four weeks and obtain the necessary approvals. Another plan is to promote community policing.

"This will not only augment the effectiveness of the police force but will also motivate responsible persons in each locality to perform their duty as citizens," the Centre feels.

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Pictures We Love: Best of January

Photograph by Dieu Nalio Chery, AP

The magnitude 7 earthquake that struck near Port au Prince, Haiti, in January 2010 so devastated the country that recovery efforts are still ongoing.

Professional dancer Georges Exantus, one of the many casualties of that day, was trapped in his flattened apartment for three days, according to news reports. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg below the knee. With the help of a prosthetic leg, Exantus is able to dance again. (Read about his comeback.)

Why We Love It

"This is an intimate photo, taken in the subject's most personal space as he lies asleep and vulnerable, perhaps unaware of the photographer. The dancer's prosthetic leg lies in the foreground as an unavoidable reminder of the hardships he faced in the 2010 earthquake. This image makes me want to hear more of Georges' story."—Ben Fitch, associate photo editor

"This image uses aesthetics and the beauty of suggestion to tell a story. We are not given all the details in the image, but it is enough to make us question and wonder."—Janna Dotschkal, associate photo editor

Published February 1, 2013

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Ravens Defeat 49ers in Historic, Unusual Super Bowl













The Baltimore Ravens emerged Super Bowl champions after one of the strangest and most incredible Super Bowl games in recent memory.


It's the second championship for the Ravens, who pulled out a 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers at the Superdome in New Orleans.


The Super Bowl is the biggest spectacle in American sports, and each year becomes the most watched television event in history. This year, Jennifer Hudson kicked things off with a touching performance of "America the Beautiful" with a choir of students from Sandy Hook Elementary School.


RELATED: Super Bowl XLVII: Top 6 Things to Know


Alicia Keys accompanied herself on the piano for a long, jazzy rendition of the national anthem, before the coin toss which resulted in San Francisco receiving to start the first half.


Although the game looked at one point like it was going to be a completely unexpected blow-out, with the Ravens leading 28-6 at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, the 49ers got some unusual help that turned the showdown into a much more exciting battle.


About a third of the way into the 3rd quarter, right after a record-tying Ravens rushing touchdown, the power went out at the Superdome, knocking the lights and air conditioning out in the indoor stadium. The crowd of more than 71,000 strong, along with a lot of antsy players, coaches, and staff waited for 34 minutes for the power to fully come back on and the game to resume.






Chris Graythen/Getty Images











Super Bowl 2013: Beyonce Rocks the Halftime Show Watch Video









Alicia Keys Sings 'The Star-Spangled Banner' Watch Video









Hudson, Sandy Hook Choir Sing 'America the Beautiful' Watch Video





In a statement, the NFL said authorities were "investigating the cause of the power outage," and law enforcement sources told ABC News it was just an issue with the building.


That didn't stop many people on Twitter from jokingly blaming Beyonce, the energetic halftime performer who surprisingly reunited shortly with her former band Destiny's Child, for shutting down the power. After her performance, even her husband Jay-Z got in on it, tweeting "Lights out!!! Any questions??"


VIDEO: Super Bowl 2013: Beyonce Rocks the Halftime Show


The 49ers quickly followed the long delay with a touchdown, getting themselves right back into the game. Then just a few minutes later, they found themselves in the end zone again, and it appeared the power outage had flipped the momentum towards the 49ers.


With a score of 31-29 with more than 7 minutes left in the game, San Francisco looked poised to make the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, but the team, trying for its 6th title, wasn't able to overcome the Ravens lead.


Baltimore was able to run out the clock, and the game ended with a final score of 34-31. Purple and gold confetti fell as the Ravens rushed onto the field and celebrated -- with some colorful language from quarterback Joe Flacco audible on the live broadcast, who was caught saying, "f***ing awesome" on CBS' cameras.


The game was already historic thanks to the match-up for John and Jim Harbaugh, the first head coach brothers to ever face each other on football's biggest stage. It was also the final game for the future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, who is, as of the conclusion of the game retired from football.


This is the fifth season in a row that the Ravens have made it to the playoffs, led by Coach John Harbaugh, and SB XLVII MVP Quarterback Joe Flacco. It's the team's first Lombardi trophy since 2000. Their victor tonight made them the only team left in the NFL to have never lost a Super Bowl in multiple appearances.






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Accident at Pasir Panjang leaves one dead






SINGAPORE: An accident at Pasir Panjang Terminal Building on Sunday afternoon has left one man dead.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said its officers were alerted to the incident and found the driver trapped in a crushed cabin of a container truck.

It added that Pasir Panjang Terminal Building's in-house emergency response team was already at the scene when its officers arrived.

The two teams then used a forklift as well as hydraulic rescue tools to free the driver.

The driver was pronounced dead at around 5pm.

- CNA/ck



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No noble family will allow girls to become dancers: Hurriyat

SRINAGAR: Hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference today expressed surprise over Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's support for the valley's only all-girls rock band, saying there is no room to nourish western culture and immoral values in the state.

"Kashmir is a place of sufis and saints and there is no room to nourish western type of culture and immoral values," Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar said in a statement.

"Though in a civilised society there is no place for coercion and force, there are some values a citizen has to adopt to safeguard the ethical and religious traditions," he said.

"Hurriyat Conference expresses regret and surprise over the support of Omar Abdullah," Akbar said.

"As a matter of fact no noble family will allow their girls to choose their profession as a dancer so as to be a mere thing of pleasure for strangers," he said.

Akbar said Omar should have gone through the history of Kashmir to find out the high regard and esteem bestowed upon women in order to save them from being sold as commodity.

"It is a matter of concern for us the way Omar Abdullah backed the rock band because the dynasty he belongs to has since long disassociated itself from Islamic and ethical values," he said.

Referring to the reported threats being given to the rock band, the spokesman termed it "not good".

"Instead, parents should have rectified the things and provided advice to their daughters that their activities were not as per ethics of Islam, culture and our unique identity," he said.

Omar had come out in support of the girls yesterday saying police will probe the threats.

"I hope these talented young girls will not let a handful of morons silence them," he said.

The all-girls band, which came to limelight in late December last year after their performance at the annual 'Battle of the Bands' competition here, had defied the convention by stepping into the male-dominated field of music.

The girls' band has received abusive and hate messages on their Facebook page for defying convention by choosing the field of music.

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