Today, 25 January 2001

Total Pages: 32
1 32 Today
  • 4 1 TODAY aftrhjdf Thursday «m«
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  • 455 1  -  Zackaria Abdul Rahman by zaekari a@n ews tod ay.com. s g EVER since the Government partially restored CPF from the beginning of this year, there has been just one question every journalist has asked every minister at every function. When will the remaining four percentage points
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  • Page 1 Miscellaneous

  • Page 2 Advertisements
    • 30 2 C if i%;^F:o^--: &sJ If '^SSF'-* x i^-i-iii-^^^^ffc-ri-^ ■'*|S«1 -■"^y^ an B^. -v jH .-si-BaS^Sl s?''; Bi^&'- iv;-- K ■^^■-^■;.v. -1 B i BH^Mft' I 3--.■■..-.■■■■ ;..:;i,.-.--^ :f"t, ,...?':i" BHB
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  • HOT NEWS
    • 374 3 They say comparisons are not fair KUALA LUMPUR Several Umno leaders have criticised Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong for comparing the achievements of Malays in Singapore to those of their Malaysian counterparts. The leaders included Umno Youth leader Hishammuddin Hussein (see picture), widely viewed as
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    • 102 3 ALVIN TOH He signed his name in Chinese. He distributed hongbaos to the Lion Dancers (above). President S R Nathan demonstrated what he meant by bonding with other communities when he turned up to celebrate the Chinese New Year with the Singapore Chinese Chamber
      ALVIN TOH  -  102 words
    • 214 3 Agencies SANAA A woman pilot and her colleagues saved 91 passengers and prevented a major diplomatic crisis when they tricked a would-be hijacker and then wrestled him down. In doing so, pilot Rosana Mustafa Abdul Khaldeq managed to save US ambassador to Sanaa, Barbara Bodine,
      Agencies  -  214 words
    • 108 3 SOMETIMES it takes a survey to state the obvious. Half of 500 commuters surveyed by Ngee Ann Polytechnic students said they were not happy with the availability of taxis on rainy days and said telephone booking operators were slow. They said taxi drivers seldom take the initiative
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    • 390 4  -  Zackaria Abdul Rahim Former Indon minister knows his business, not politics by zackaria@newstoday.cora.sg WHAT does it take to be the Minister for State-owned Enterprises in a country like Indonesia? A man who held that post when his country was trying to privatise is certain that you should
      HEDYKHOO  -  390 words
    • 111 4 Reuters KUALA LUMPUR Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad skipped a couple of functions to mark the Chinese New Year due to a bout of flu, officials said yesterday. The 75-year-old prime minister's weary appearance since his return from a recent trip to
      – Reuters  -  111 words
    • 325 4 A DISABILITY is only as big as you make it out to be. When you see Mr Peter Sim teaching his students good manners or watch Mr Philip Choy tinkering with computers at the Singapore Association for the Deaf, you would never imagine
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    • 175 4 Bangkok The 64-year-old deputy speaker of the Thai Senate has resigned from his post after being charged with statutory rape. Senator Chalerm Promlert allegedly had sex with four underage schoolgirls at a motel in Pathum Thani, reported the Bangkok Post. He gave himself
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  • Page 4 Miscellaneous
    • 117 4 READ 0N... US rate cut on the cards Fed chairman tipped to advise on this/7 Bush takes on education Just three days in his job, Bush proposes $81-bil plan/10 UK minister does it again Admits helping tainted businessman, embarrasses PM/T1 Soothsayers' slips Do prejudices come in the way of making
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  • Page 5 Advertisements
    • 42 5 Need to search for products and services? I Making a restaurant jff%, reservation? CitySearch™ <Sl9OO 7-777-777^ > Buying a gift for your loved ones www.yellowpages.com.sg Singapore's largest Search Directory |5U SingTel I^3 Yellow Pages For advertising enquiries, please call 351 1088 s* AMUr**,****,***,**,
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  • LETTERS
    • 513 6 Muslim council elaborates on inspection procedure WE would like to thank Mr Mohd Iqbal ("MSG debate raised doubts", Today, Jan 13) for his views and suggestions on halal food matters. Muis (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) would like to assure Mr Mohd Iqbal and
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    • 145 6  -  Namyana Narayana MR Anil Bhatia's article in connection with the myths and origins surrounding the Kumbh Mela (Today, Jan 17) was an interesting read. However, his statement that this festival takes place "when Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries" does not fit
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    • 181 6  -  David Kwok Ng Kan WE have all read so much about the vision of Community Development Councils (CDC) and Town Councils. I feel that residents who are not involved in grassroots work should be roped in to help. Ideally, they should also serve
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    • 241 6 Today's report on the Dialogue Session with low-income Chinese workers on Jan 18, said that Madam Pang Nyuk Yoon "wanted to be retrained, but for three years, she could not get into a class" and she "just kept filling in applications
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  • Page 6 Advertisements
    • 44 6 TbDAY^kV* MAlLy£j-)i Your letter can also appear on this page. Give your full name and address and write to Today, 24, Raffles Place, #28-01/06, Clifford Centre, Singapore *****1; Fax: 65-*****17; E-mail: news@newstoday.com. sg We reserve the right to edit all letters submitted for publication
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  • BUSINESS NEWS
    • 321 7 AFP SYDNEY SingTel's prospects of winning the battle for control of Cable and Wireless Optus' mobile phone business rose on Wednesday after competition regulators torpedoed a rival bid by Vodafone. With the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) virtually sinking
      AFP  -  321 words
    • 554 7 Bloomberg News Fed chairman tipped to advise on this WASHINGTON Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan (right) will tell Congress today the US economy is slowing and will suggest the Fed respond by cutting interest rates, analysts said. He is also likely to support a
      Bloomberg News  -  554 words
    • 160 7 SAN JOSE Microsoft Corp will pay Sun Microsystems Inc US$2O million (5534.6 million) and get restricted rights to sell products using the Java computer language for seven years under an accord that ends a three-year legal fight. In 1997, Sun, the biggest maker
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    • 107 7 Bloomberg News NEW YORK AOL Time Warner, the world's largest media and Internet company, cut about 2,000 jobs yesterday, spokesman Mr Edward Adler said. The firings had been expected, as AOL seeks to reduce costs and meet 2001 profit goals, analysts said. The company also plans
      Bloomberg News  -  107 words
    • 70 7 Compaq's 83 rise Bloomberg News HOUSTON Compaq Computer, the world's largest persona] computer maker, said fourthquarter profit rose 83 per cent as sales of powerful servers helped make up for slower PC purchases by consumers and small businesses. The company's shares jumped 20 per cent on the news. Earlier, rival
      – Bloomberg News  -  70 words
    • 447 8 Fund expects investor confidence to return with new presidency MANILA The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it expects investor confidence in the Philippines to return with the new government of President Gloria Arroyo. IMF deputy managing director Eduardo Aninat said the fund will continue the
      BLOOMBERG photo  -  447 words
    • 422 8 Bloomberg News MUMBAI Thanks to Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, investors in Asia may make more money in bonds than stocks in 2001. This is because the Federal Reserve Board will probably cut interest rates again this year, which would Spur growth in the
      – Bloomberg News |  -  422 words
    • 102 8 MITSUBISHI Corporation will make a strategic investment in Pacific Internet's e-business subsidiary, Pacfusion.com, by injecting US$3 million(Sss.l9 million) for an eight per cent stake. The capital injection values Pacfusion.com at US$3B million. Pacfusion.com will leverage on Mitsubishi Corporation's wide industrial base to identify bu
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    • 74 8 Reuters TOKYO Japan's economy is improving with gains by the corporate sector but the situation is still severe, the Ministry of Finance said. Corporate capital spending is seen recovering in most regions and almost all forecasting an improvement in corporate profits for the fiscal year to Mar
      – Reuters  -  74 words


  • WORLD NEWS
    • 302 9 Agencies Cordon following Falungong suicide drama BEIJING Tiananmen Square the Chinese capital's most politically sensitive spot was tense yesterday following a mass suicide attempt by the banned Falungong sect. Thousands of Chinese police clamped a ring of steel around the square as they crushed sporadic protests by
      – Agencies; Reuters photo  -  302 words
    • 41 9 -AFP photo Hindu holy men in the thousands dashing to bathe at Sangam, where the waters of the Yamuna and Ganges meet. Yesterday was the most sacred day of the world's largest religious gathering, the Kumbh Mela.
      -AFP photo  -  41 words
    • 65 9 PENANG About 450 guests, some clad only in shorts and swimming attire, fled their rooms on Tuesday night when the 36-storey Gurney Hotel caught fire. The fire engulfed the hotel in toxic smoke, reported The Star yesterday. Eight hotel staff were hospitalised for excessive smoke inhalation. The
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    • 149 9 -AFP JAKARTA The Indonesian police have arrested a Nepalese man trying to enter the country with 105 capsules filled with heroin in his stomach. The Indonesian Observer said the 21--year-old man was caught at the Jakarta international airport after arriving on a flight from Singapore
      -AFP  -  149 words
    • 124 9 Agencies BANGKOK A party headed by a former Thai military chief will join incoming Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government. By joining forces with the New Aspiration Party led by General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Mr Thaksin will control at least 251 seats in the 500-member
      – Agencies  -  124 words
    • 335 10 Agencies Three-day-olcl President proposes $81 bil plan WASHINGTON If President George W Bush gets his way and that is a big if obligatory reading and maths testing, and linking government aid to school performance win be key features of the American education system in the future
      – Agencies; Reuters photo  -  335 words
    • 103 10 Reuters KAZAKHSTAN A Russian cargo vessel has blasted off from Kazakhstan for the Mir space station, to guide the ailing orbiter to a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. "The rocket blasted off on time at 7.28 am (12.48 pm yesterday in Singapore) and everything is going
      – Reuters  -  103 words
    • 85 10 -AFP SAN FRANCISCO The organisation that oversees the Internet's address system has named a British-born mathematician and former California university technology chief as its top executive. Dr Stuart Lynn will will take over as president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) after the
      -AFP  -  85 words
    • 148 10 AFP LONDON Novelist Matthew Kneale has won Britain's prestigious Whitbread Book of the Year prize, but only by the slimmest of margins after judges were told they could not call it a tie. English Passengers, a tale of a 19th-century odyssey to find
      AFP  -  148 words
    • 168 10 -AFP JAKARTA The Indonesian government will not prevent its businessmen from trading directly with Israel if they want to, said a minister. "If businessmen prefer direct business (with their Israeli counterparts), go ahead," Antara news agency yesterday quoted Industry and Trade Minister Luhut Panjaitan as
      -AFP  -  168 words
    • 188 10 -AFP SEOUL In a sign that the "Dear Leader" is eager to embrace Chinese-style economic reforms, the North Korean media yesterday reported on a rare call by Mr Kim Jong-Il's on the need to improve the lives of his impoverished people. Mr Kim, fresh
      -AFP  -  188 words
    • 101 10 KUALA LUMPUR Four members of a gang who made unauthorised withdrawals from automated teller machines amounting to RM212,000 (5597,138) during the Hari Raya-Christmas holidays have been arrested. The police believed the gang was responsible for making 63 illegal withdrawals last month, reported the New Straits Times. The
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    • 396 11 Admits helping tainted businessman, embarrasses PM LONDON The "Prince of Darkness" has done it again embarrassing Prime Minister Tony Blair's government just as it is preparing for the general election. Mr Peter Mandelson the minister-in-charge of Northern Ireland, has admitted to personally intervening in a
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    • 188 11 CANBERRA Two key players in a global people smuggling ring have been arrested in Malaysia, disrupting a vital link in the pipeline of illegal Middle Eastern immigrants to Australia. Malaysian police on Tuesday charged two Iraqis suspected of running a huge operation to provide
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    • 149 11 -ATP -AFP PUERTO BAQUERIZO MORENO (Ecuador) The oil slick off the Galapagos Islands is threatening its sea-going iguanas, a prehistoric species found only in the Pacific archipelago. "Marine iguanas could be seriously affected in the mid and long term," Mr Fernando Espinoza, director of the Charles
      -ATP; -AFP; Reuters photo  -  149 words
    • 135 11 -AFP NEW YORK Ail unusual operation sealing a pregnant woman's ruptured birth sac helped save her baby. The woman delivered a healthy baby boy three months after surgeons repaired a rupture in the fluid-filled sac which protects a growing fetus. "This ts a remarkable
      -AFP  -  135 words
    • 168 11 -AFP AUCKLAND Fiji's military will seek foreign help to maintain national security if they cannot do it themselves, the Fiji Times reported yesterday. The military statement was delivered to a stunned interim government Cabinet on Tuesday. On May 19 last year coup
      -AFP  -  168 words
    • 143 11 AFP LONDON A British court has ruled that the twin sisters who were adopted over the Internet by a British couple, must remain in the care of social workers until an inquiry determines their future. Police and social services used an emergency protection order
      AFP  -  143 words



  • COMMENTARY
    • 657 12  -  Meera Thilagaratnam Do prejudices come in the way of making accurate predictions? IN two places in India there are men who will tell you about yourself in astonishing, disconcerting detail. They decipher destinies contained in ancient writings inscribed on ola leaves. They will describe, using only your thumbprint
      – Rf.utf.ks photo  -  657 words
    • 476 12  -  Neville Stack by nstack@es a tclear. ie AN ugly trend is spreading on British television. Call it Cruel TV. For the entertainment of the viewers, hapless volunteers are being subjected to remorseless humiliations by the acid tongues of inquisitors
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  • Page 13 Advertisements
    • 306 13 ?00k Subscribe to money, get a free gift m^^S^T and other subscriber benefits! Mjk Hot Iff \#jf ji' _^W T~~i SAVE 5612* AP^ V y It's like getting 3 issues FREE! ft $s*r **lir FREE GIFT! .Z^«,,-. i^^^ff^^^^-. Sf A. Snoopy gift pack worth $40! B. A set of two
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  • RELAX
    • 1027 14  -  Lisa Sabbage Contrary to popular belief, geishas are not highclass prostitutes. In fact, they were originally men by T?ORGET Madame Butterfly. According to a new book, Japan's geisha are much more liberated and independent than the western stereotype suggests. Geishas are in the news. First came Arthur Golden's
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    • SHOWCASE
      • 846 19  -  Rosalind Png Compiled by rosalind@newstoday.com.sg National Heritage Board Open House Today 9 am 6pm All three museums under the National Heritage Board will offer free admission today. You can visit the Singapore History Museum, the Singapore Art Museum and the Asian Civilisations Museum for free.
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    • 105 21 We can only guess what they're thinking, at the gala premiere of What Women Want What do women want? What does womanly Andrea de Cruz want? Perhaps Pierre Png, her "good friend", might know the answer? These local artistes know what they want: To stand out in
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    • 157 21 MODEL she may be, but Cindy Crawford (below) certainly isn't a model neighbour. Not in the eyes of her neighbours, at least. An angry couple who live below her Manhattan co-op have filed a lawsuit against Crawford and her restauranteur husband, Rande Gerber, for making
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    • 98 21 ALLY Mcßeal has quit looking for love. She doesn't need a man. She's found a new mission. In real life, we mean. She is now a mother. Actress Calista Flockhart (left) joined the ranks of Hollywood single mothers when she watched the birth of her soon-to-be
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    • 171 21 PEOPLE magazine's sexiest man alive isn't ready to be a papa. Six months after Brad Pitt's (above, left) marriage to Jennifer Aniston (above, right), the dishy actor said he has no plans to start a family, contrary to what some tabloids have speculated. They are
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    • 1015 22  -  Khairuddin Saharom The writer remembers his first Pesta and makes an interesting suggestion by_ COME Jan 27, the best shall be acknowledged and rewarded. The Malay television industry's equivalent to the Star Awards, the Pesta Perdana, shall reveal who's hot and who's not, who sizzles and
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    • 606 23  -  Jayne Barrick Back-to-work women may feel intimidated by the throng of younger, smartly-dressed co-workers at the office. It doesn't have to be that way, says a self-help expert. by_ MANY women who decide to go back to work after a lapse maybe to bring up baby
      puaykoon  -  606 words
  • Page 14 Advertisements
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  • Page 16 Miscellaneous
    • 597 16 ¥2 M-diaCorp g £TL I I B* II a lAf*iJL LI The popular 60s animated series by iff This is a battle of the funnies! ■<— the late Jay Ward is brought to i JHSI Mayhem is set to reign as Najip 's I screen, A Tarzan parody, it features
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  • Page 17 Miscellaneous
    • 830 17 Australian Open 2001 (Live) Winnie the Pooh /Vewf <»««.«»»» SportsCity, 10.30 am and 4 pm 800 To You Too! morning Catch some of the biggest tennis stars in the first Grand IVIQS vBnlTQl, IV tMI 6.00am Headlines S/om of the year. WiU the Williams sis ters rule again? m|';' s'a
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  • Page 18 Miscellaneous
    • 892 18 PQ U Smooth Grooves The Breakfast Show S 9 />m You are welcome to call in with your stories and 7-10 am Tune in to Smooth Groves The Green Room questions on 6911-938 during the programme. mS^m Each and every morning The Gold Breakfast Duo, Sessions by Heineken, for an
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  • Page 19 Advertisements
    • 30 19 If you have any coming events or cool venues, e-mail us at news@newstoday.com.sg or fax us at 534-4217. Snail mail to Today, 24 Raffles Place, #28-01, Clifford Centre, SE *****1
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  • Page 20 Miscellaneous
    • 1222 20 CZ) Vertical Limit: 11.15am, 1.45pm, 4.15, Accidental Spy <M): 11.10am, 11.30, Cast Away: 11.15am, 1.45pm, 4.15,6.45, >li*v 6.45,9.15, 11.45 11.50, 1.30. 1.50.3.50,4.10,4.30.6.10, 9.15, 11.45 C .J Rk\;:^: What Women Want: 11.30am, 2pm, 6.30,8.30,8.50,9.10, 10.50, 11.10,11,30, Vertical Limit 11.45am, 2.15pm, 7,9.30 {■■■I fe^M; 4.30,7,9,30, midnight I.loam, 1.30 What Women Want: 11.45am,
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    • 406 24 V <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Subscribe to TOD^v Subscribe to TODAY now m^^^^M|» ry and stand a chance to win gftlO CKtAVIf v home entertainment nt prize kmi P4JISI 52^ Projection TV systems from TiiiiSOi, 2nd prize v 29" True Ftar TV Q mmm «^p^^-« 3rd PRIZE 2J"Sw7TCfMBI£ I.OOKS TV v Every new
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  • SPORTS
    • 702 25 Renewed and revitalised, Collins finally comes clean NFL TAMPA In one of the most remarkable news conferences in Super Bowl history, reformed New York Giants quarterback Kerry Collins opened a vein and bled in front of America yesterday. Collins, the 28-year-old unlikely hero of an even more
      &LLSPOST photo  -  702 words
    • 273 25 NBA Lakers 80 Sonics 91 SEATTLE Nate McMillan and Gary Payton would get along just fine if the Seattle SuperSonics played the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers every night. Payton scored 34 points in his second game since being suspended by the team, and the
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    • 557 26 Skipper Adams may not be in the job for too long after this loss Cricket SYDNEY The West Indies plumbed new depths on its tour of Australia as it crashed to an embarrassing 47 run defeat. Four batsmen were out for nought, including Brian Lara,
      Allsport pkoio.  -  557 words
    • 333 26 Formula One LONDON Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve could beat drivers' titleholder Michael Schumacher given an equivalent car, according to the Canadian's team boss, Craig Pollock. "If Jacques has equal equipment with Michael, he is the only person capable of beating
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    • 549 27 Van Nistelrooy still looking forward to playing for Manchester United EINDHOVEN Under the knife, Ruud Van Nistelrooy realised his fightback had begun. Lying in a hospital operating theatre awaiting the most critical moment of your football career is not usually cause for beaming optimism. For Van Nistelrooy, though,
      549 words
    • 256 27 MADRID Real Madrid's Brazilian wingback Roberto Carlos (centre) is at it again. He has come out and said that fellow Samba king and Barcelona forward Rivaldo (right) is better than Portugal midfield maestro and club
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    • 545 28 -AFP Gutsy Coetzer nearly floors third seed Australian Open MELBOURNE -Venus Williams dug herself out of a hole to break the resolve of feisty South African Amanda Coetzer in a nail-biting Australian Open quarter-final yesterday. The third seeded American was staring defeat in
      -AFP; Reuters photo  -  545 words
    • 396 28 -AFP MELBOURNE World number one Martina Hingis fought back from 4-1 down in the final set to overcome Serena Williams in a thrilling, rollercoaster quarter-final at the Australian Open yesterday. The match of the tournament so far finished with Hingis emerging victorious 6-2, 3-6, 8-6 after
      -AFP  -  396 words
    • 337 29 Reuters MELBOURNE Australian fans worship their hero Pat Rafter and his odds with the bookmakers are shortening but the former world number one is no favourite at the Melbourne Park ticket office. Twice US Open champion Rafter outpunched Dominik Hrbaty on Tuesday night
      Reuters  -  337 words
    • 311 29 Reuters SEBASTIEN Grosjean, once told by French tennis officials that he was too small to make the grade, stood tall at the Australian Open yesterday after overpowering former French Open champion Carlos Moya to advance to the semifinals. Grosjean, now a more average 1.75m, produced a
      – Reuters  -  311 words
    • Article, Illustration
      426 29 Defending champ says he is better than ever MELBOURNE Defending champion Andre Agassi has failed to flourish since winning in Melbourne last year. However, after strolling into the semi-finals of the men's competition, it seems as if the Australian Open is a home away from home and a
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    • 730 30 Says S Gulam, impressed by Poulsen's charges THE one question almost all my friends asked me from the moment I landed at Changi Airport on Tuesday evening was: "How good are the Lions, really?" My reply was the same: "They are not very good
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    • 331 30  -  S. Gulam Among a number of incidents which caught my attention during the Lions' training: Steven Tan made a square pass in midfield and the ball missed Selva. Poulsen stopped play and barked: "Steven, never, never make a square pass in the middle...unless you are 110
      331 words






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    • 70 31 ■> <Bn I I^^F A! n BM B I I rA/ V P LI ~ir— U" LI f L/"" X p^L 1 Li "N I 74 i V I1IT: "41 I Ik Ik J ft" -':gjgjii|^^^^^|^ l\ A II bl bII I I l\ IV V^L( H VJy .'-V^V Br!
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