JOHANNESBURG - IN A colourful explosion of traditional African music, dance and song accompanied by the deafening cheers of thousands of fans blowing on noisy plastic trumpets, the continent's first international football tournament opened on Sunday.

The two-week Confederations Cup is being used as a warm-up event for next year's World Cup - the first to be played on African soil.

HDB residents, not just their town councils, will be under the spotlight when the Government launches its assessment of town councils later this year.

This is because the exercise aims to make HDB residents more aware of what is going on in their towns and to do something about it, says National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.

WHAT began as a way to get a bit of shut-eye during army basic training turned into a life-long habit of blood donation.

Mr James Law, 61, has now given blood a total of 217 times, more than any other donor in Singapore. He is the first recipient of a Medal For Life award, given on Saturday (June 13) by the Singapore Red Cross for having donated more than 200 times.

TEHERAN - IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday defended his hotly disputed re-election as security forces cracked down on opposition protestors in Teheran, where fresh violence erupted.

Police said they have rounded up a total of 170 people over the massive post-election protests and street riots which erupted in the Iranian capital after Mr Ahmadinejad's defeated challengers complained of fraud and vote-rigging.