The Straits Times

April 18, 2009 Saturday

Updated

Straits Times Headlines

Casino body aims to strike right balance

Anti-Thaksin royalist leader shot

Inside

Pay now, reap the benefits in old age

View Points

Sondhi, once an ally of ousted premier

Quiet, devoted to religious activities

Sociable, chatty and a lover of good food

Some attend the same church

We're ready for the task, but why are some so angry with us?

Bank's public criticism of a senior officer sparks debate

3 hectic weeks

'Why the need to muscle your way into the executive committee'

Sacked by a terse e-mail

MM Lee sees long-term win-win ties with Vietnam

More illegals trying to slip into S'pore

Shin Min editor gets a day's jail, $2k fine

SAF warrant officer dies after 3km run

NEA to get tough on hygiene, fix lapse in grading

CEO responds to public comments

Breaking News

Suicide bomber kills 10

FBI played 'vital role'

Taiwan, China to hold talks

Vow to build up nuke deterrent

China marks navy anniverary **

Kids don't attend school

WHEN he was seven, Zul wondered why, unlike his neighbourhood friends, he never had to go to school.

He later found out that he was never enrolled because his parents did not want him to be 'contaminated' by the teachings in secular schools, he said.

While kids his age were studying, Zul and his younger brother played at East Coast beach where they lived in a tent. It was only at the age of 13 that he received free education under a self-help group.

FBI played 'vital role'

MUMBAI - THE US Federal Bureau of Investigation played a key part in establishing the case against the suspected Pakistani gunman on trial in India for last year's Mumbai attacks, a court heard on Saturday.

'FBI investigators have played a vital role in disclosing the truth in this case... and exposing the nexus between (Mohammed Ajmal Kasab) and the deceased accused,' said public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.

Punggol town transforms

WHEN Mr Samuel Ng first heard in 2007 that the Government had plans to transform Punggol Town into a vibrant waterfront town, he simply could not wait for the makeover.

On Saturday, Mr Ng, 52, a Punggol resident for the last seven years, glimpsed the future at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Punggol Waterway.

Community bonds key

SINGAPORE cannot let its guard down against the threat of terrorism - even if most people are now concerned about jobs in the downturn.

Sounding this reminder, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said on Saturday at the annual Community Engagement Programme (CEP) seminar:

'During these difficult economic times, the concerns of many people are job security. But we cannot afford to take our eyes off the ball.'

'A drain of resources'

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S prime minister slammed the opposition Saturday after one of its lawmakers resigned, triggering another by-election that Najib Razak said was costly as the country grapples with the global economic slump.

An opposition lawmaker in the northern resort state of Penang quit following unsubstantiated allegations of corruption. A date for the ballot to fill the seat will be decided soon. It will be the sixth by-election since March 2008 national polls.