News Today

Pelosi wants to halve greenhouse gas output
WASHINGTON - THE United States has to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2050 and mandatory restrictions are the only way to do it, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said amid a growing debate on global warming. She told the House... [Read more]

Nine-storey deep storage solution under sea
IN FOUR years' time, the seabed off Jurong Island will be transformed. Rock caverns nine storeys deep, which can store up to 1.47 million cubic metres of oil, will lie beneath - a safe, environmentally friendly storage solution for the growing... [Read more]

Invest time and energy to guide and nurture the young
Making learning IT-based and engaging seems positive and enthralling. However, I view online-gaming way to learning with a certain degree of unease and scepticism. I concur with NUS sociologist Pauline Straughan's assertion that face-to-face interaction with the teachers and fellow students... [Read more]

Spacewalker sets US record
ASTRONAUT Michael Lopez-Alegria has set a US record for the most time walking in space as he and another astronaut did maintenance work outside the International Space Station (ISS). Commander Lopez-Alegria on Thursday surpassed the previous US record of 58 hours... [Read more]

Another safari to Africa
CHINESE President Hu Jintao has embarked this week on an eight-nation tour of Africa. Last year alone, Beijing's top leaders visited no fewer than 23 out of the 48 countries with which they have diplomatic relations. By any yardstick, this represents... [Read more]

Masseur jailed for molesting 2 customers
A MASSEUR who was convicted of molesting two women customers in his reflexology centre was sentenced to 30 months' jail and nine strokes of the cane yesterday. A request by Lim Cheng Ban, 47, to have his sentence deferred until the... [Read more]

Fliers playing it safe - slow pick-up in duty-free sales
PLAY-IT-SAFE passengers flying from Changi Airport are still wary of having duty-free items aboard - five months after anti-terror restrictions were slapped on by certain countries.Duty-free sales at Changi Airport on the affected routes have picked up, but only marginally.The Civil... [Read more]

Jakarta outlines plans to fight yearly haze
JAKARTA - INDONESIA yesterday spelled out its plans to fight the forest fires that shroud the region in haze each year, in hopes of convincing potential donor countries and agencies to help pay for the battle. Experts have estimated that Jakarta... [Read more]

Cup of cocoa may hold much promise for an ageing world
SAN FRANCISCO - A NICE cup of the right kind of cocoa could hold the promise of promoting brain function as people age.In an increasingly ageing world, medical researchers are seeing more cases of dementia and are looking for ways to... [Read more]

Drug-eluting stents - benefits outweigh the risks
THE first stent, a tiny metal scaffold used to hold the artery walls in position, was used in 1986 to prevent arteries from collapsing after they have been unblocked. But one in four patients with these bare-metal stents found their arteries... [Read more]

Festive plants can bring cheer...and mozzies
THE plants traditionally brought into the home for Chinese New Year may add to the festive feeling - but they could be breeding disease, too. The pots and water plates are potential breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito, which spreads dengue,... [Read more]

Suburban areas lead the way in rental growth

LANDLORDS of suburban homes are finally getting a taste of the rising private property market.

Rents of homes in far-flung areas such as Bukit Batok and Pasir Ris have shot up over the past year, rising faster than prime and islandwide rents.

Since January last year, average rents in the western part of Singapore, such as in Bukit Batok, have gone up 27.8 per cent, according to an analysis by consultancy Knight Frank.

Average rents in the eastern part, including in Pasir Ris, have risen 23.2 per cent.

Across the country, average rentals increased by a smaller 17.4 per cent in the same period.

Knight Frank said the jump in suburban rents is partly due to higher demand as tenants are priced out of the prime areas.

Prime rents have spiked over the past two years, largely because of the huge number of collective sales in the central districts, said Mr Nicholas Mak, Knight Frank's director of research and consultancy.

Residents of estates that have been sold en bloc are scrambling to find replacement homes, pushing up demand for rental units.

At the same time, supply of these units is decreasing as more estates are torn down. Several more developments are trying to go en bloc, which means that their owners are not keen to sign long leases.

'In the past it was a tenant's market, rents everywhere were low and tenants were spoilt for choice,' said Knight Frank's Mr Mak.

'Now, prime rents are rising but the housing budgets of tenants have not kept pace, which means that they need to look outside the central areas.'

He added that suburban rents are being boosted by newly completed developments, such as Hillview Regency in Bukit Batok and Blue Horizon in West Coast Crescent, which are more coveted by tenants.

Expatriates working in the aerospace industry and at Changi Business Park also look for nearby homes in the eastern part of Singapore, while others working in industrial areas are drawn more to the western half.

But Mr Mak also pointed out that suburban rents have grown faster than average partly because they started from a lower base.

And despite the quicker pace of growth, rents in these areas are still well below those in the central districts.

Average monthly rents for a three-bedroom unit in the northern and eastern areas are between $3,000 and $4,000, according to Knight Frank's calculations.

They range from $2,000 to $3,000 in the north-east and $2,500 to $3,500 in the west. In contrast, prime districts are commanding rents of $6,000 to $8,000.

But with more projects being sold en bloc, suburban rents might rise further.

Property agents say rents at individual condominiums have already risen dramatically in recent months.

At the 99-year leasehold Maysprings in Bukit Panjang, the asking rental of a three-bedroom unit is now $1,400 per month, up from $1,000 just last year. Similarly, a 3+1 bedroom apartment at Seletaris in Sembawang is now going for $2,500 per month on average, compared to less than $2,200 before Chinese New Year.

'Now it's very hard to find a three-bedroom unit, fully furnished and near an MRT station, for below $2,300 a month,' one agent told The Straits Times.

Rising rentals bode well for the suburban condominium market. They may begin to boost buyers' interest in the suburban areas, where home prices are still mostly flat, said Mr Mak.

fiochan@sph.com.sg





TIGHT MARKET

'Now it's very hard to find a three-bedroom unit, fully furnished and near an MRT station, for below $2,300 a month.'
A PROPERY AGENT, on the rental market

News Today

Doctor sacked for filming nurses in shower
A TRAINEE doctor at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has been sacked after he admitted to surreptitiously filming nurses in the shower.Described by colleagues and nurses as 'a wonderful co-worker', he had left a black waist pouch with a video camera... [Read more]

India to set up aerospace defence shield
NW DELHI - INDIA will set up an aerospace defence command to shield itself against possible attacks from outer space, officials said.The announcement came three days after Russia backed India's response to a Chinese satellite-destroying missile test that demanded a 'weapons-free... [Read more]

Personal issues affecting Mardan
JAKARTA - MARDAN Mamat is going through a rough patch in his life - both on and off the fairways.A famous win at the Osim Singapore Masters last year was to have catapulted the 39-year old Singapore professional to bigger things,... [Read more]

Speculation mounts over form of new Thai charter
BANGKOK - SPECULATION is intensifying in Thailand over the shape of the next Constitution, after the election of a controversial former intelligence chief to chair the 35-member drafting committee.Mr Prasong Soonsiri, 79, was among 10 members of the committee handpicked by... [Read more]

What it should have been
In our report, 'Asean Music Festival in S'pore' yesterday, it was stated wrongly that the five-day event at the Hard Rock Cafe Singapore will coincide with the Asean Tourism Forum, which will be held in Singapore from Jan 29 next year.In... [Read more]

Isetan burglary: 3 charged
THREE youths - including one who applied for bail so that he could collect his O-level results - were yesterday charged with housebreaking and theft of goods worth a total of $9,616. Ethan Khoo Ee Ren and Yuen Wei Jie, both... [Read more]

Pleased with unexpected service at this Starbucks outlet
ON Jan 16 at about 5.10pm, I was at the Bugis Junction Starbucks Coffee branch ordering two glasses of latte coffee.While I was queuing up for my coffee, the machine broke down due to a suspected power trip. The counter staff... [Read more]

Soccer Shorts
BARTON MAY FACE POLICE, FA PROBELONDON: Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton may face police and Football Association enquiries for making abusive gestures at Portsmouth fans, the Daily Star said.However, the club insist that he did no such thing in Saturday's 1-2... [Read more]

Nowak fund-raiser slammed
AN ITALIAN restaurant has caused outrage by holding a dinner to raise funds for the family of a Nasa astronaut charged with attempted murder. About 70 diners attended the event on Sunday at Silvestro's restaurant in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It was... [Read more]

The changing Okinawan diet
Before 1945Okinawans consumed mostly fish, soybeans, seaweed, vegetables, tofu and pork. The diet was rich in antioxidants, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and proteins that helped protect against vascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack, and lowered the risk of cancer,... [Read more]

Firms need 'up to 9 months' to prepare for GST increase
TAX experts have urged the Government to give the business community six to nine months to prepare for the higher goods and services tax (GST) rate to be announced in tomorrow's Budget. Some analysts expect the hike to kick in as... [Read more]

Zhang quits STTA to join husband

THIS time last year, paddler Zhang Xueling was looking for an HDB flat to settle in.

Yesterday, the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist decided to pack up and leave the Singapore Table Tennis Association.

She will head for Shanghai, where her husband Zheng Qi resides, later this month.

Zheng, the former national men's assistant coach, left last December.

Said Zhang: 'The main reason I'm leaving is that my husband has gone back to Shanghai.

'This is not a rash decision. I've been thinking of leaving for about a month.'

The couple met here in 2001 and were married last September.

She refused to comment on the other factors that led to her resignation.

It is believed that her relationship with the STTA has soured in recent months.

She is also unhappy with the lack of top-quality tournaments. She was dropped from the last five pro-tour events.

The 2006 Asian Games in Doha was her last competitive outing.

The world's No 52 plans to train in Shanghai and has no qualms about representing Singapore again.

She said: 'If Singapore wants me, I will come back to represent my country.'

Other than training, she hopes to continue studying. She has also not ruled out the possibility of starting a family.

The China-born Zhang, who became a Singapore citizen in 2001, admits that it is very hard to say goodbye.

'I can't even throw away my blanket, which I've used since coming to Singapore almost nine years ago.'

STTA president Choo Wei Khiang believes that Zhang's departure will not weaken the women's team.

He said: 'We have a strong group of players. I've tried to persuade her to stay. But she wants to be with her family and we have to respect that.'

Teammate Li Jiawei added: 'It's a pity that she has decided to go.'

Zhang's achievements include reaching the last eight of the 2004 Olympics and sweeping four golds at the last Commonwealth and SEA Games.

However, she could not single out her proudest moment in Singapore colours.

She said: 'But I will remember the times spent in training - times when I had to sweat it out.

'And then to see the rewards of all the hard work.'

stsports@sph.com.sg



'I'm leaving because my husband went back to Shanghai. I never expected such a turn of events. But this is not a rash decision.'
ZHANG XUELING

News Today

London police appealed for help
London police appealed for help yesterday in catching a serial rapist responsible for at least 28 sex attacks including rapes of elderly women as old as 93.Detectives working on the capital's biggest-ever hunt for a serial rapist said the man first... [Read more]

Blue skies again at Chelsea
LONDON - THERE was good news aplenty for Chelsea on Saturday.They beat Middlesbrough 3-0 in the Premiership to keep pace with Manchester United.The man tipped to replace Jose Mourinho as manager ruled himself out of the job.England international Frank Lampard insisted... [Read more]

Hutchison to vote on Indian telco sale next month
HONG KONG - HUTCHISON Telecommunications will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) next month to seek approval for the planned sale of Indian cellphone operator Hutchison Essar to Britain's Vodafone Group for US$11.1 billion (S$17 billion). Shareholders will vote on March... [Read more]

Rubbish-chute fire hits Shenton Way building
About 800 people were evacuated from a Shenton Way building yesterday morning after a fire broke out on the ground floor. No one was hurt at the 25-storey Shenton House. The evacuation was performed as a precaution by staff of the... [Read more]

Isetan burglary: 3 charged
THREE youths - including one who applied for bail so that he could collect his O-level results - were yesterday charged with housebreaking and theft of goods worth a total of $9,616. Ethan Khoo Ee Ren and Yuen Wei Jie, both... [Read more]

Fed officials see no rate cut, citing inflation risks
WASHINGTON - UNITED States Federal Reserve officials, armed with figures showing inflation picking up, made it clear that they are not close to cutting interest rates. Hours after the government reported on Wednesday that consumer prices rose more than forecast last... [Read more]

World Quickly
GLOBAL CHILD PORN RING EXPOSEDVIENNA: The Austrian authorities yesterday said they had uncovered a major international child pornography ring.It involved at least 2,360 suspects from 77 countries who paid to view videos of children being sexually abused.Interior Minister Guenther Platter said... [Read more]

Video game maker raided for using illegal software
A COMPANY that develops video games was raided on Thursday morning - allegedly for using illegal software. The case has more than a touch of irony, considering the company is part of an industry that has always railed against the impact... [Read more]

Impact of Deng's policies grows: Analysts
BEIJING - CHINESE leader Deng Xiaoping died 10 years ago on Feb 19, but the impact of his policies on China and the world has only grown with time, analysts say. China's official Xinhua news agency carried a long article on... [Read more]

Two fatal accidents in five months near condo - do something please
I am a resident of Springdale Condo in Upper Bukit Timah Road.On the morning of Feb 15, a fatal accident occurred just in front of the condominium. It's scary that two fatal accidents occurred within five months in the same location... [Read more]

Russia flexes muscles in Gulf, but US holds most of the cards
LONDON - FOREIGN ministers from the United States, the European Union and Russia were joined by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon in Berlin yesterday for another effort to restart the Middle East peace process. But all eyes were firmly on... [Read more]

News Today

Cramming in for art's sake
PHOTO: XINHUAThese art students are oblivious to the crowded surroundings as they took part in entrance exams for art school in Nantong city in China's Jiangsu province. The test centre did not expect the huge numbers, forcing them to hold tests... [Read more]

Extradition and defence pacts with Indonesia linked: S'pore
SINGAPORE yesterday reiterated its position that a Singapore Indonesia extradition treaty and a defence cooperation agreement should be linked and negotiated as one package.The Jakarta Post on Monday carried a report quoting an Indonesian official as saying that Jakarta wanted the... [Read more]

Have checks in place to ensure broadband speed
I RECENTLY had SingNet Broadband 10Mbps installed and was surprised that my maximum download bandwidth was a mere 3Mbps. The installation technician was clueless so I had to call the SingNet helpdesk. During our conversation, the helpdesk technician tried to convince... [Read more]

Oilfield gear supplier wins $68m in deals
OILFIELD equipment supplier Aqua-Terra Supply has won $68 million worth of contracts from Chinese state-owned oil giant China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC).The mainboard-listed company will be involved in providing services such as project management for the building of oil tankers,... [Read more]

Exceptional response to mio service caused temporary strain on resources
We refer to the letter "SingTel's mio service not up to par" by Ms Cherie Ball (ST Online Forum, 29 January 07). We have contacted Ms Ball and resolved the matter. The response to our recently launched Generation mio services exceeded... [Read more]

Directors' Trades
UNISTEEL DIRECTORS EXERCISE OPTIONS FOUR directors of Unisteel Technology have raised their direct stakes in the company by exercising their share options. The conversion follows Unisteel's release of its full-year earnings last Thursday, which beat most analysts' expectations. Unisteel, a specialist... [Read more]

Shipyards thriving as industry defies predictions
SOME years ago, sceptics predicted that the shipyard business was a sunset industry with poor prospects for workers. But they were proved wrong when some shipyards expanded operations and created many jobs, labour chief Lim Swee Say noted yesterday, after visiting... [Read more]

Screening process
UNDER Nasa's current recruitment process, astronaut candidates are given a battery of behavioural tests.They are also interviewed by both a psychologist and a psychiatrist prior to selection.The results of these interviews can be used to determine whether a given candidate is... [Read more]

Creativity big factor in award of SIA ad account
MR DORIAN Ball has it all wrong ('S'pore Girl born out of creativity, not statistics'; ST, Feb 15). The selection of the final group agencies for the Singapore Airlines pitch was made on a credentials presentation. This is simply because our... [Read more]

An offence to listen to music while crossing road
NEW YORK - CROSSING the street in New York while engrossed with a cellphone or an iPod could soon get you fined US$100 (S$150) under a draft Bill being presented by a state senator. Senator Carl Kruger blamed 'iPod oblivion' for... [Read more]

Awarding points to students for community work defeats purpose of education
I agree with Mr Kenneth Cheng's sentiments in his letter, 'Community involvement in schools should go beyond fund-raising and litter picking' (ST, Jan 24).I feel that the idea of awarding 'points' to students for contributing to the community or helping the... [Read more]

News Today

Climate change 'calls for better disaster tracking'
GENEVA - GLOBAL warming would require more robust monitoring of hurricanes, typhoons and other disasters, mirroring systems in place to watch for tsunamis, a top UN official said.Mr Salvano Briceno, director of the United Nation's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, said... [Read more]

Qantas suitor rules out higher offer
SYDNEY - A PRIVATE equity consortium bidding for Australia's iconic airline Qantas Airways yesterday rejected speculation that it would increase its A$11 billion (S$13 billion) takeover bid. In lodging its offer with Qantas shareholders, Airline Partners Australia (APA) confirmed that the... [Read more]

Repair delayed due to rare fault in plasma TV set
WE REFER Mr Li Jianming's letter, 'Philips' after-sales service a big letdown' (ST, Feb 15). We would like to clarify that the fault detected on Mr Li's plasma TV is indeed a very rare intermittent fault and hence a longer period... [Read more]

Drunk Thai worker attacked man at friend's bidding
DRUNK on rice wine and beer, Phengprom Wanna did not hesitate when a friend asked him to beat up another man, even though he had no idea what the victim was supposed to have done.The 31-year-old Thai construction worker leapt into... [Read more]

Rescued: 2 women who jumped into sea
TWO women in their mid-20s brought some unwelcome excitement to Merlion Park at One Fullerton yesterday. After what witnesses said was a heated quarrel at the pier, one of them jumped into the sea, followed by the other. Passers-by, who saw... [Read more]

NTUC Income-Yeo's S-League
THE S-League begins on March 4, and The Straits Times looks at the interesting faces in the league. Today, we feature the league's youngest professional, who earned his first pay cheque last month.Format: 12 clubs, 33 matches each.Teams and home stadiums:... [Read more]

I'm the target of witch-hunt: Israeli President
JERUSALEM - IN A speech tinged with rage, Israeli President Moshe Katsav attacked the police, the state prosecution and the media as he declared his innocence on charges of rape and sexual harassment levelled against him. 'Citizens of Israel, don't believe... [Read more]

Forget sex, clothes come first for US women
NEW YORK - GIVEN a choice between sex and a new wardrobe, most women will go for the clothes.In a survey spanning 10 cities in the US, women on average said that they would be willing to give up sex for... [Read more]

The first electric guitar
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Citibank goes couture
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Peanut butter made 290 ill in US
ALL varieties of the popular Peter Pan brand of peanut butter have been recalled from the shelves of Singapore shops following a salmonella scare in the United States.ConAgra, the manufacturer of Peter Pan, initiated the recall last Friday. The Agri-Food and... [Read more]