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News One:
Opponents of new Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Wednesday they would resume protests in the New Year, a day after forcing the premier to move the venue of his first policy speech.Thousands of red-shirted supporters of fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra dispersed overnight after blockading parliament for two days to press their demands for fresh elections. The protesters had prevented Abhisit from giving his maiden policy address in parliament Tuesday and the prime minister had to deliver the speech at the foreign ministry instead. "We will come back after the New Year break," Shinawat Haboonpak, a core pro-Thaksin protest leader, told AFP. "The fight is not over yet, we will not give up." The pledge raises the threat of 2009 starting with the kind of problems that marred 2008, during which a royalist, anti-Thaksin group called the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) held months of protests against the government.

Opinions:Thay should stop it as it might cause alot of problem for the country and the minister. Resulting in a lost of reputation and money as the toursist may not want to enter Tailand.

News two:
World powers struggled on Tuesday to find ways to press Israel and Hamas to end their conflict despite widespread anger over the mounting toll. Divisions within the western powers and Israel's warning to expect "prolonged conflict" blunted diplomatic initiatives to halt Israel's air strikes on Gaza and Palestinian rocket attacks into Israeli territory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice renewed calls for a halt to the fighting during telephone talks, Moscow said. They were to join a conference call with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, France's Bernard Kouchner, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and senior Middle East envoy Tony Blair, the European Commission said.Kouchner was also to host a meeting of European Union foreign ministers aiming to agree a ceasefire call. The international community has largely agreed on the need for both sides to halt the bombardments, though Germany and the United States have blamed the fighting squarely on the Palestinian Islamist movement. The United States has backed Israel's right to defend itself and Israel's warning to expect a long campaign has also undermined hopes of a quick end to the bloodshed that has already left more than 360 Palestinians and four Israelis dead since Saturday.

Opinions:Ceasing fire should be the best idea as it might cause more people's lives. The germany and the united states sholud also not blamed the fighting squarely on the Palestinian islamist as they themselves was partially in fault.

News three:

SINGAPORE: Additional independent back-up mechanisms are going to be installed at the Singapore Flyer, over and above the current standby generator, to ensure the wheel keeps moving. The Flyer stoppage last Tuesday was a harrowing experience for patrons and the attraction's management said they have contacted the victims who were trapped in the wheel's capsules for over seven hours by phone or through home visits to express their apologies personally. The other affected group are the tenants, and the Flyer management have decided to waive their rentals from the day of the stoppage until the end of the year. A meeting will be held with the tenants on Wednesday. A team of eight international experts, including engineers from the Flyer's Japanese contractor and consultants for the London Eye, have been flown into Singapore. Their key task, besides assessing the situation, is to see how the mechanism can be made safer. They have short-listed two back-up mechanisms to keep the wheel moving in the event of a similar stoppage. But no further details have been revealed. The experts have said they will stay here as long as they are needed.In a statement, Singapore Flyer's chairman, Florian Bollen, said the safety of the flight experience is and will always be the management's highest priority. He added that management and international experts are working to ensure the stoppage "will never happen again". Some have questioned the Flyer management's decision to conduct an evacuation with ropes when the stoppage occurred.

Opinions:I think Singapore's offerings as a tourism destination go beyond the Flyer. We have a wide range of attractions that people come to see. Anyway Singapore's tourism attractions are safe because in general, they are subjected to international audits before public entertainment licences are granted. The Flyer management have to get things rectified and assure the authorities of the safety standards because this is going to be critical if they are going to resume their business.

News four:
Raffles City's management said it is working closely with the police in their investigations into the near S$8 million theft at Cortina Watch on December 26. It also told Channel NewsAsia that it is satisfied with the level of security at the shopping mall. On Tuesday, it was business as usual at the Cortina Watch retail outlet at Raffles City. There are no less than ten cameras mounted on the shop's ceiling and whatever pictures these devices have captured will likely aid the police in their investigations. While a spokesperson for Cortina Watch declined to disclose any details about the ongoing investigations, Raffles City's management staff - who are also assisting the police - said they have handed over the videos as requested. Joanna Low, general manager, Raffles City, said: "We have adequate security and we are very confident of that. Besides us keeping vigilance, the tenants would also have to be more vigilant in their in-house security measures." Security providers Certis Cisco said a hallmark of a good security system is one which does not have a single point of failure. Charles Loh, managing director, Security Consulting, Certis Cisco, said: "A good security system must have three components – access control, surveillance system and intrusion detection system. What could have gone wrong is that there is a single point of failure and you are unable to detect the intrusion. "This may also be a case where the system is not working the way it is supposed to be, there is no proper check-and-balance system."

Opinions:They should always be vigilant and prepared. It's good as this can increase the security and safeness of the place.

News five:
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has said there is insufficient information to identify the affected biscuits that have been recently destroyed by Chinese authorities. AVA was responding to queries from Channel NewsAsia after a Reuters report on Tuesday said more than 1,500 boxes of Chinese biscuits exported to Hong Kong and Singapore have tested positive for melamine. But AVA added all China-made biscuits sold in Singapore are safe for consumption. It said all milk and milk products from China that were previously found to be contaminated with melamine have been destroyed. It added that the biscuits from China currently available in Singapore were the ones recalled earlier, but the products have undergone batch by batch testing to ensure they are not contaminated with melamine. AVA said it will only allow the import of milk and milk products from China which are produced on or after December 18. To date, there have been no new imports of such products since AVA lifted the import suspension on December 18. Such products must also meet certain conditions.
For example, the products must be from establishments approved for export by Chinese authorities, which must inspect and test each batch of the products and issue health certificates with results of melamine tests to accompany consignments exported to Singapore. Manufacturers are also required to test each batch of raw material and the end product.The imported products will still be subjected to testing when they arrive in Singapore to ensure that they are not contaminated with melamine.

Opinions: It's good and i hope that in addition, AVA will continue to monitor the products imported into Singapore.


News six:

SINGAPORE: The Education Ministry (MOE) is stepping up its recruitment drive. More than 7,000 teaching and teaching-support jobs will be available next year. In addition, the ministry is also looking at enhancing infrastructure and offering financial assistance schemes to students to cope with the economic downturn. MOE and its schools plan to fill 3,500 jobs, while a further 4,000 will come from institutes of higher learning and the kindergarten sector. This was announced at the appointment ceremony for 50 principals on Tuesday. The education sector in Singapore currently employs some 29,400 teachers. Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said: "We also recognise that the available source of people to recruit gives us an opportunity to push up recruitment now." In April this year, teachers and principals received a pay increase of as much as 18 per cent. With relevant work experience, teacher recruits can earn up to S$4,300 a month while they train to become a teacher. Trained teachers can earn up to S$5,000 immediately after training. Dr Ng said salary cuts across the board next year are unlikely. "For the education sector on a whole, I don't think it's government policy to say there's a paycut for everybody. It doesn't make sense economically because then you are basically controlling it centrally. Market forces will dictate." There will also be an accelerated training programme to help mid-career professionals become kindergarten teachers. Other mid-career options are positions like polytechnic lecturers and education policy analysts.

Opinions: Doing this is good as it can help some group of students who may not meet eligibility criteria under normal circumstances.


News seven:
MONTREAL: Police in western Canada said on Tuesday they found the body of an eighth snowmobiler killed by an avalanche in the Rocky Mountains. The lifeless body of Danny Bjarnason was found about an hour after rescue operations resumed late Tuesday morning, said Corporal Chris Faulkner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). His body was buried about one to 1.5 metres below the surface. The eight men went missing on Sunday when they were caught in avalanches in the mountains some 300 kilometres southwest of Calgary, British Columbia. After uncovering seven bodies on Monday, authorities called call off the search due to heavy snowfall and the increased avalanche hazard. The RCMP identified the victims on Tuesday - all snowmobilers from the Elk Valley mining town of Sparwood, population 3,600. The youngest, 20, and the eldest, 45, belonged to the same family. A first group of seven snowmobilers was buried by an avalanche on Sunday. After hearing cries for help, four snowmobilers hurried to the rescue, but a second avalanche buried the entire group. Two of the buried riders managed to get out from under the snow and rescued a third, but fled when the risk of another avalanche became apparent. Police said the three survivors sustained minor injuries. One of the survivors helped rescuers locate Bjarnason's body in their helicopter search of the area. All of the men were experienced snowmobilers and had appropriate gear, including shovels and probes, said Randy Roberts, the father of Bjarnason's girlfriend. But avalanches are "unpredictable," he said. "Nobody's at fault. Don't blame yourself. It's an act that happens," added a tearful Roberts. Some of those trapped under the snow carried devices to help rescue teams pinpoint their location in the event of an accident, but weather conditions on Monday made the search more difficult. The bodies of the snowmobilers found on Monday were buried under up to three and a half metres of snow. The victims "were all born here, they went to school here, most of them went to school with each other. Some of them are related," said Sparwood Mayor Wilks. "It's going to be a difficult time, but this community will meld together and be strong for those families and we will ensure that everything that can be done will be done." Locals held a candlelight vigil in memory of the dead snowmobilers late Monday, and two memorial services were planned for Tuesday. Avalanches cause deadly incidents almost every year in Canada, especially in the Rocky Mountains. In 2003, seven high school students from Calgary died in an avalanche during a school ski trip. The youngest son of former Canadian prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Michel Trudeau, was killed by an avalanche in 1999. That same year, nine people - including five children - died in the Inuit village of Kangiqsualujjuaq in northern Quebec during New Year celebrations after an avalanche smashed through a gymnasium wall.

Opinions:it is good to increased avalanche hazard but if the avalanche is unpredictable, they might want to not let people in.


News eight:
SINGAPORE: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) launched two new housing projects in Choa Chu Kang and Punggol on Tuesday in its last sales exercise of the year.

It will offer a total of 1,181 flats, from studio apartments to 5-room units, under the Build-To-Order (BTO) system - where flats will be built only after most of the units in a specific site have been booked. This brings the total number of flats launched for 2008 to 7,793.

The first project is called Sunshine Court, where 164 studio apartments, 117 3-room flats and 171 4-room flats will be built and sold at between S$58,000 and S$236,000.

Located along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3, the estate will be situated opposite a neighbourhood centre, which has amenities such as a supermarket and food court.

This is the first time that studio apartments are being offered in Choa Chu Kang and they will be fitted with elderly friendly features like grab bars and non-slip flooring.

The second project, Punggol Regalia, which will be located near the future Punggol Town Centre, offers premium flats with better finishes. There will be 546 4-room and 183 5-room flats, costing between S$252,000 and S$428,000.

In light of the recent debate on new HDB flat prices, the Board said the units are priced affordably, with average households forking out about 20 per cent of their monthly income to service their mortgage, which can be fully paid using CPF funds.

For example, a family with a household income of S$2,200 will end up paying a monthly mortgage of about S$460, after factoring in the Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) of S$20,000, for a typical 3-room unit at Sunshine Court that is priced at S$135,000.


Opinions:It is a good idea as it can help families with low income.