Third Malaysian policeman killed in Borneo: report

LAHAD DATU, Malaysia - A Malaysian policeman was killed by "militants" in a region where Filipino followers of a self-claimed sultan are holed up in a deadly standoff with security forces, state media reported Sunday.The police officer was killed when he was fired upon on Saturday in the Malaysian town of Semporna, 300 kilometres by road from the site of the standoff at Tanduo village...

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US Defence Secretary Hagel scolds budget cuts

WASHINGTON: Major budget cuts will endanger the US military's ability to conduct its missions, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel warned.His comments came hours before President Barack Obama authorized cuts in domestic and defence spending, following the failure of efforts to clinch a deal with Republicans on cutting the deficit.Hagel, whose budget at the Pentagon is set to be slashed by roughly...

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Initiatives outlined to make it easier for public to get legal help

SINGAPORE: The overarching theme of the Subordinate Courts Workplan seminar this year is to make it easier for the public to get legal help and information.In his first workplan keynote address, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon outlined a slew of initiatives to resolve informational inadequacy and litigation costs.These include the Primary Justice Project to have a team of lawyers who will...

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Asian markets rise on Wall St rally, ECB comments

HONG KONG: Asian markets rose Thursday after the Dow on Wall Street hit a more than five-year high, while the head of the European Central Bank soothed concerns over the eurozone.A strong bond sale in Italy also helped the euro despite uncertainty after weekend polls, while the yen resumed its downward trend after Japan's government nominated a fan of aggressive easing as the new central...

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Asian markets up on Fed stand, strong yen hits Tokyo

HONG KONG: Asian markets mostly rose on Wednesday after US Federal Reserve head Ben Bernanke reaffirmed the central bank's huge monetary easing scheme, but a stronger yen sent Tokyo lower.Investors remained hesitant and the euro came under pressure after Italy's election results which left no party in overall control, raising concerns that uncertainty in Rome could see the eurozone return...

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UN calls for independent inquiry into Palestinian death

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations called Monday for an independent inquiry into the death of a Palestinian in Israeli custody, warning that mounting tensions risk an eruption of violence in the occupied territories.The Palestinians also demanded an independent investigation in a letter to the UN Security Council, which said that Arafat Jaradat, who died at the weekend, could have been...

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Castro picks 'young' new heir to take regime into future

HAVANA: Cuban President Raul Castro on Sunday won re-election to what he pledged will be his last term, and finally unveiled a 52-year-old political heir he wants to bring the regime into the future. "This will be my last term," Castro, 81, told lawmakers after the National Assembly reelected him and named a new regime number two -- Council of State Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel, 52....

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Michelle Obama's dance moves go viral on YouTube

WASHINGTON - A video clip of First Lady Michelle Obama grooving with a dressed-in-drag Jimmy Fallon on his late-night comedy talk show on Saturday has gone viral on YouTube.In the video, the pair, each clad in conservative slacks and cardigans, and Fallon with a long brown-haired wig, perform a routine dubbed "Evolution of Mom Dancing," to promote Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" youth fitness...

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Street theatre catches fancy of India's youth

NEW DELHI: Theatre, which is a big part of Indian tradition, has evolved over the years.An ancient form of theatre which was once practised to drive home political agendas is today being extensively used to create awareness of social issues in the country. The growing prominence of street theatre has also caught the fancy of the young.She moves about with her arms stretched, hair strewn...

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Asian markets mixed, yen claws back some losses

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed on Friday, with Tokyo dragged by a further strengthening in the yen, while the euro faced selling pressure following weak eurozone data.Losses on Wall Street added to the gloom after disappointing US economic figures, while traders were casting an eye to a general election in Italy at the weekend.Tokyo fell 0.50 per cent by the break, Hong Kong lost...

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It's 'The Oscars', now officially

LOS ANGELES: They are the 85th Academy Awards, the climax of Hollywood's awards season, this coming weekend -- except officially they're not. This year, they've been rebranded to "The Oscars."The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which organizes Tinseltown's biggest awards, did not confirm the change revealed by show co-producer Neil Meron, who said "85th Academy Awards"...

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Scuffles at Dutch MP Wilders' Australia event

MELBOURNE: Mounted police restored order as scuffles broke out outside an Australian venue where Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders was speaking, but authorities said on Wednesday that no arrests were made.Populist Wilders spoke on Tuesday night in Melbourne, receiving a standing ovation from several hundred people who had heard him warn that mass migration from Islamic nations could...

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Rugby: All Blacks coach frustrated at Kahui move

WELLINGTON: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen expressed disappointment at Richard Kahui's decision to play in Japan next year, saying he was frustrated the centre never gave him a chance to change his mind.Kahui announced last week that he would move to Top League club Toshiba Brave Lupus in 2014 after seeing out the Super 15 season with the Waikato Chiefs."We were very disappointed with that...

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Motor Racing: Early-bird sales of F1 Singapore GP tickets

SINGAPORE: Fans of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix can buy tickets from Wednesday, with 65,000 general three-day tickets on sale for the early birds.They will enjoy significant savings and new initiatives for the sixth instalment of the world's only Formula One night race on 20, 21 and 22 September.As in previous years, race promoter Singapore GP will release the tickets in two phases:...

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Aviation industry dons 'shark skins' to save fuel

FRANKFURT: In its never-ending quest to develop more aerodynamic, more fuel-efficient aircraft, the aviation industry believes the ocean's oldest predator, the shark, could hold the key to cutting energy consumption.Germany's biggest airline Lufthansa announced earlier this month that two of its Airbus A340-300 jets would take part in trials starting this summer to test the properties...

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US cruise ship passengers' parting gift: bathrobes

WASHINGTON: The 4,000-plus exhausted passengers who lived a hellish four-day ordeal aboard the powerless and drifting Carnival Triumph cruise ship won't be left completely empty handed.The cruise company is making a gift to the travelers of the bathrobes they were using on the ship, the company announced Friday."Of course the bathrobes for the Carnival Triumph are complimentary," it said...

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Smoking out tobacco: The rise of the e-cig

PARIS: The camera zooms in on a bearded man dragging on a cigarette and blowing out a thick cloud of smoke with what seems to be great satisfaction.It resembles the TV smoking ads of yesteryear, now banned in most of the world, yet this modern-day offering is approved for American television viewers."You know what the most amazing thing about this cigarette is? It isn't one," explains...

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Chavez in 'tough' alternative treatment: Maduro

CARACAS: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is undergoing "tough and complex" alternative medical treatment in Cuba, his handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday."Our comandante is undergoing additional treatments," Maduro told state-owned VTV television after returning from a previously unannounced visit to Cuba to check up on the ailing president."The treatments are extremely...

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Train services between Marina Bay & Toa Payoh resume

SINGAPORE: SMRT said full train services between Marina Bay and Toa Payoh stations resumed at 11:20am.In a tweet by SMRT at 11:30am, it said free buses to continue until further notice.This comes after a cable caught fire in the tunnel at Newton MRT station, causing train services on the North South Line to be disrupted on Wednesday morning.In a statement, SMRT said the fire has been put...

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Australia central bank sells scandal-hit note firm stake

SYDNEY: Australia's central bank on Tuesday announced the sale of its stake in scandal-hit note printing firm Securency and said an independent governance review had cleared it of "inappropriate" insight.The Reserve Bank of Australia sold its 50 per cent holding in Securency, accused of taking bribes to win contracts in Asia, to British venture partner Innovia Films for A$65 million (US$66.7...

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