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By Ewen Boey | What’s buzzing? – 1 hour 44 minutes ago Chinese actress and model Gan Lulu was attacked by her mother during a television talk show earlier this month. The video, which was originally uploaded to Chinese online video hosting service Youku, shows Gan's mother hitting, pushing and swearing at her while studio crew tried to calm her down. The two were featured on the "Lady Gua Gua" talk show after the mother uploaded a controversial video onto the Internet in February. She had filmed her daughter walking out of the shower naked, claiming that it was to help Gan find a suitor. After the incident, the pair recorded videos individually, defending themselves. Gan also tearfully begged netizens not to attack her mother and that the latter only meant well. The reason for the mother's attack on Gan was not known, but she can be heard on the video saying, "What's the meaning of this?" and "What do you think you're doing?". At one instance, Gan was seen talking to the camera, saying, "my mother hits me because she loves me," after which her mother rushed forward shoving her and yelling vulgarities. The video garnered over 3.1 million views in three days on Youku. In another online video of the same show, the mother recounted that her daughter copied her parents' sexual movements when she was only one-year-old. At that time, Gan was sleeping in the same room as her parents, and they would have sex while she was asleep. However, one day, they noticed that Gan was humping the bed and copying their "push-up movements". They initially thought it was funny, but Gan would not stop so they did not dare have sex in front of her again, the mother claimed. "We thought she was stupid and wouldn't know what we were doing," said the mother.

After fraggin' will be known as 'BENT-ko' coral.

US tags Quiapo as one of world's 'Notorious Markets' PhilStar – Thu, Apr 7, 2011 8:00 AM SGT By Pia Lee-Brago (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com) MANILA, Philippines - Quiapo district in Manila has been identified as among the “notorious markets” around the world in which pirated or counterfeit goods are reportedly available. “Quiapo is just one example of several locations and neighborhoods, especially in Metropolitan Manila, known to deal in counterfeit and pirated goods such as clothing, shoes, watches and handbags,” according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s latest annual report “Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets.” The Notorious Markets review identifies markets that are particularly prominent examples of markets in each category, and does not constitute an exhaustive list of all notorious markets around the world. The report said inclusion in the Notorious Markets list does not reflect a finding of a violation of law nor does it reflect the United States government’s analysis of the general climate of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the countries concerned. But the broader analysis of IPR protection and enforcement is contained in the annual “Special 301” report, published at the end of April every year. The Special 301 report is an annual review of the global state of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement, conducted by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). It identifies a wide range of serious concerns such as troubling “indigenous innovation” policies that may unfairly disadvantage US rights, the continuing challenges of Internet piracy in countries, and the ongoing systemic IPR enforcement challenges in many countries around the world. The report pointed that “global piracy and counterfeiting continue to thrive due in part to marketplaces that deal in infringing goods.” The Notorious Markets list identifies selected markets, including those on the Internet, which exemplify the problem of marketplaces dealing in infringing goods and helping to sustain global piracy and counterfeiting. These are marketplaces that have been the subject of enforcement action or that may merit further investigation for possible intellectual property rights infringements. The Notorious Markets list reflects an effort to further expose these markets, and is in response to the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator’s 2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. This document is the result of an Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets and follows a separate, dedicated request for comments from interested stakeholders, which was initiated on Oct. 1, 2010. Also identified as Notorious Markets are Bahia Market (Guayaquil, Ecuador), China Small Commodities Market (Yiwu, China), Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), Harco Glodok (Jakarta, Indonesia), La Salada (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Ladies Market (Mongkok, Hong Kong), Luowu Market (Shenzhen, China), Nehru Place (New Delhi, India); PC Malls (China), Petrivka Market (Kyiv, Ukraine), Red Zones (Thailand), San Andresitos (Colombia), Savelovskiy Market (Moscow, Russia), Silk Market (Beijing, China), Tepito (Mexico City) and Urdu Bazaars (Pakistan). The identified notorious markets sells large quantities of illicit goods, many of which are either counterfeit products, cited as a center for wholesaling of infringing goods, making them the origin of many counterfeit goods available internationally, selling counterfeit and pirated goods, particularly notorious for pirated optical discs or reportedly sources of pirated books.

ELECTRICAL FAULT behind Train Delay: SMRT By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene Thu, Apr 7, 2011 10:41 AM SGT SMRT says an electrical fault caused the major train delay that left 17,500 passengers stranded along the East-West line during peak hour traffic on Thursday morning. In a statement to Yahoo! Singapore, SMRT said the electrical fault caused an eastbound train to stall between Tiong Bahru and Outram Park MRT stations at 8.59 am. According to standard operating procedures, another train was then used to gently push the stalled train to the next station for passengers to alight. The stalled train was then directed back to the depot. But as the stalled train was crowded due to peak hour traffic, the train officer took a longer time moving from cabin to cabin to release the cabin brakes. The train doors also remained closed when it arrived at Outram Park station and had to be manually opened. This led to the process, which usually takes 20-30 minutes, taking over an hour to complete. To maintain train service, SMRT said some westbound trains were turned around at Queenstown MRT station while eastbound trains were turned around at Outram Park MRT station. Normal train service resumed at 9:50am. During the delay, two passengers near Tiong Bahru station felt unwell and had to be sent to Singapore General Hospital. According to a SCDF spokesperson, a man in his 50s felt giddy and a woman in her 30s experienced breathlessness and chest discomfort. Analyst Kelvin Chow, 30, said he was stuck in the tunnel between Redhill and Tiong Bahru for 20 minutes when the driver announced that a passenger was having chest pains. The driver could not move to the next station as the train in front was still stationary.The driver then asked for medical personnel onboard to help the passenger. "Finally after another 20 minutes, we moved to Tiong Bahru (where an ambulance was waiting) and managed to get the passenger off," he said. Public relations executive Felicia Goh, 24, told Yahoo Singapore she was stuck on the train for over an hour during rush hour traffic. "I was initially stuck at Clementi before moving two stops and stalling again at Buona Vista," she said. Undergraduate Jacqueline Wong, 22, was at Buona Vista station and after waiting for 15 minutes on the train and finding out about the long delay on micro-blogging platform Twitter, got off and took a bus instead. Her mother was not so lucky. She took one hour and 20 minutes to get from Buona Vista station to Outram Park, reaching work two hours late, said Wong. Jeremy Foo, 32, an engineer stuck at Outram Park station, added, "I heard trains have been delayed all morning. I've been waiting here for the last 25 minutes and still no train. This is bad." Another commuter stuck at the Outram MRT station, sales manager Germaine Chia, said what made it worse was that mobile phone reception was poor. "People have been complaining since I got here. The trains are not running and there' s no reception so we can't call in at work. Thankfully, this seldom happens," said the 27-year-old. Frustrated commuters also took to Twitter to complain about the crawling train service and warned others to skip the train ride this morning. @redha tweeted, "I think the delay affected a lot of places. Lots of grumpy people at Bugis MRT station when i got down just now." The SMRT has apologised for the inconvenience caused. It added that passengers who were unable to complete their journeys due to the disruption can file a claim for a refund at any of the MRT station counters within the next three working days. On Sunday, a train was delayed at the Ang Mo Kio station after a Thai teenage girl fell onto the tracks and was hit by a train.

Premier League - Blatter: Rooney could have been punished Sat, 05 Mar 16:51:00 2011 The English FA would have been within its rights to sanction Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney following an elbowing incident last week, according to FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The FA said it could not retrospectively take action against Rooney for elbowing Wigan Athletic's James McCarthy in the back of the head in a Premier League match because, under FIFA rules, as referee Mark Clattenburg had already given a foul against the England man for obstruction, they could take no further action. However, Blatter told a news conference after a meeting of the International Football Association Board: "This is up to the discretion of the national association. "They can use video evidence in the discipline and control committee. "They can impose or change a decision if a red or yellow card has been given to the wrong player. If there's violence the national association can intervene and punish a player -- this is permitted at the discretion of the national association." The FA were roundly criticised for taking no action against Rooney and their decision not to take any measures meant he was free to play in United's match against champions Chelsea at on Tuesday when he scored the opening goal, although United eventually lost 2-1. FA chairman David Bernstein, who was sitting next to Blatter at the news conference, said he was convinced the FA had done the right thing. Bernstein added: "In the Wayne Rooney situation, under FIFA regulations if the referee sees the incident, which in this case he did do, the FA has no authority except in what is called exceptional circumstances, really exceptional -- the Ben Thatcher incident is the only one where that has been used. "If you open the door to 'halfway exceptional' the floodgates will open. "I think that has more merit than meets the eye, the basis of the primacy of the referee staying in place has some merit even though that will upset fans sometimes and quite understandably." Bernstein added: "If the referee states he has seen the incident, the FA is not able to make decisions except in exceptional circumstances." The most famous case of "exceptional circumstances" in the Premier League was when former Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher received an eight-match suspension after he led with an elbow and fractured the skull of Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes in 2006. The Portuguese was sent flying into a pitchside advertising boarding and needed oxygen. Greater Manchester Police made public later they would have opened an inquiry into the incident if the FA had not taken action. FIFA's rule 77 covers "sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials' attention" and national associations can rectify "obvious errors" in the referee's disciplinary decisions. Meanwhile, Blatter called on managers to show more respect to referees after he was asked about Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson questioning the integrity of official Martin Atkinson following the match at Chelsea when Atkinson made a number of controversial decisions. Blatter said: "Everyone deserves fair play. Respect starts with self-discipline. This is what we are asking everywhere, from youth teams upwards and it is also valid for personalities. "The higher your position the higher your responsibility. Those that have more power should be more responsible towards others. This is a principle in life." Reuters Premier League - Rooney escapes ban over elbow Mon, 28 Feb 13:10:00 2011 Wayne Rooney has escaped any further action for elbowing James McCarthy during Manchester United's 4-0 Premier League win over Wigan on Saturday. The England star caught the Wigan midfielder round the head during the match at the DW Stadium. Referee Mark Clattenburg blew up for the incident, but did not give a card to the fiery striker as he presumed the clash to have been accidental. And the FA confirmed on Monday that no further action would be taken against Rooney. Referees chief Mike Riley has offered his backing to Clattenburg, insisting that his actions on the pitch and when subsequently writing his report were done in the correct manner. Riley, general manager of Professional Game Match Officials, said in a statement: "Mark took the correct course of action with this incident. "Match officials are trained to prioritise following the ball, as that's where the greater majority of incidents are going to take place. "However, we also do a lot of work around the area of peripheral vision to be aware of anything that might potentially happen off-the-ball. "In this incident Mark was following play but caught sight of two players coming together and he awarded a free-kick because he believed one player had impeded the other. "We should be clear that Mark did nothing wrong in officiating this incident as he acted on what he saw on the pitch." Rooney is available to face Chelsea on Tuesday night. Despite that fact, Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti has no problem with the striker lining up against his team in the rearranged fixture at Stamford Bridge. "If these are the rules, and the FA decided this, I am happy to play against Rooney," the Italian manager said. Eurosport

Rooney crossed the line Mon Feb 28 01:42PM Manchester United's trip to Stamford Bridge will be their third game in a week, so Alex Ferguson is very likely to make changes to the side that beat Wigan on Saturday. I would be very surprised if Javier Hernandez started again, despite scoring twice at the DW Stadium at the weekend. However, United will pack the midfield in order to compete with Chelsea's big men there, so Dimitar Berbatov may yet again be confined to the bench. That would mean Wayne Rooney playing as the lone front man, even though he should not even be available to play in this match. The FA have said he will not face any disciplinary action for his forearm smash on James McCarthy on Saturday, but what he did was totally wrong and out of order. It gives the Chelsea crowd something to try and wind him up about - it seems everyone in the world except referee Mark Clattenburg saw that as an immediate red card. There was no excuse for it. If someone ran past you in the street and did that then they would done for assault. It's not even as if McCarthy is an especially physical player who Rooney needed to combat. He is a talented, young, ball-playing midfielder, hardly an enforcer. Rooney really crossed the line there. After all the faith and support (and money) shown to him by Ferguson, I hope he has the riot act read to him for risking a long suspension and generally misrepresenting his club. There will always be players who like to put in a hard tackle early or give an opponent a bit of a shove to make a point. It is common practice. Of course, when I was playing it was a lot easier to get away with because there were only a few cameras in the ground. Nowadays, every Premier League match will have at least a dozen cameras filming it, so things will always be seen. I would say that players like Rooney and others who would do something like that are brain dead for thinking it won't get picked up on camera - but if the FA let these sorts of incidents go unpunished because of a technicality then perhaps it is not the players who are the stupid ones. - - - Chelsea have got a chance against United. After all, they are at home, and will surely raise themselves for such a big game. Results have not been great for them recently, but they are still capable of claiming a victory which will give their morale - and their league position - a big boost. Carlo Ancelotti has a great record against Alex Ferguson which stretches back to his time in charge of Milan, and he would be delighted if he could add to that and relieve some of the pressure which is currently on his shoulders. However, he must be looking at a sizeable contingent of his squad and thinking they have run their course. Regardless of what happens for the remainder of this season, there needs to be a major overhaul. There has been talk of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba all being shipped out this summer. Obviously some players are far more likely to leave than others, but a significant change in personnel is necessary. There are too many people still around who were a big part of the Jose Mourinho era, but that ended almost three-and-a-half years ago. They need more fresh faces who will be looking to the future rather than living in the past, always comparing whoever the current Chelsea manager is to their 'special' former boss. Whereas United's consistent success over the past two decades has been down to Ferguson regularly replenishing his squad, Chelsea's additions since winning their first Abramovich-era title have been, for the most part, peripheral - squad members which haven't improved the core of the team. Abramovich addressed that issue in January with his big-money signings of David Luiz and Fernando Torres, but at the moment the £50 million paid for the Spain striker still looks a big gamble. Torres has to really get back to his best form to justify that price tag. It will take time for the striker to adjust to his new team-mates, and vice versa, and you have to think he will at least partially regain his scoring form at some point. But time is something Chelsea do not have, especially now they are fighting to even secure a place in the top four this season. What is not aiding Torres's progress at his new club is the lack of creativity among his new midfield colleagues. Chelsea still retain their imposing physical presence in the centre of the park, and Lampard's eye for goal is still a potent weapon - but there is little in the way of the width or creative spark which the former Liverpool man has enjoyed in the past, especially while representing his country. Given his age and the fee paid for him, Torres is obviously going to be at Chelsea for a while yet. If the club is to get the most out of him, they need to invest in the right supporting cast this summer.

Major Aftershock shakes Japan's ruined Northeast Coast By Yoko Kubota and Chizu Nomiyama | Reuters – Fri, Apr 8, 2011 2:09 AM SGT TOKYO (Reuters) - A major aftershock rocked northeast Japan on Thursday and a tsunami warning was issued for the coast devastated by last month's massive quake and tsunami that crippled a nuclear power plant. The warning was later lifted and no tsunami were reported. No damage from the quake, measured at magnitude 7.4 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, was detected at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said. Workers struggling to bring the plant under control were evacuated soon after the aftershock struck, shortly before midnight. Large parts of northern Japan, where infrastructure was severely damaged by the March 11 quake and tsunami, were without electricity following the latest of many aftershocks, the biggest since last month's killer quake. Toru Hanai, a Reuters photographer in Oshu, Iwate prefecture, near the epicentre of Thursday's aftershock, said his hotel lost power and a water pipe burst. "Everything fell. My room is a complete mess and power is widely out in this area," he said. In the capital, Tokyo, buildings also shook. "It started out as nothing much, then the building started swaying quite strongly," a Reuters witness said. As of 01:30 a.m. (1630 GMT) seven people were reported injured, two of them seriously, a spokesman for the National Police Agency said. Last month's huge 9.0 magnitude quake triggered tsunami waves which swept in along the coast, wiping out towns. About 28,000 people were killed or are missing. The disaster also disrupted industry and affected supply chains around the world but it was not immediately clear if Thursday's aftershock would compound those problems. At the Fukushima nuclear plant, TEPCO said it was continuing to inject nitrogen into reactor No.1 after no irregularities were reported. Engineers, who sealed a leak this week that had allowed highly radioactive water into the sea, are pumping nitrogen into one reactor to prevent the risk of a hydrogen gas explosion, and want to start the process in another two reactors. There were no abnormalities in radiation levels around Tohoku Electric's Onagawa nuclear power plant, where fuel rods are being cooled with just one outside power source, Japan's nuclear safety agency said. As well as Fukushima Daiichi and Onagawa, nuclear power plants Higashidori in Aomori prefecture, Tokai No.2 in Ibaraki prefecture, and Fukushima Daini have been out of operation since the March quake. No abnormalities were reported at those plants after Thursday's quake, which the meteorological agency said was an aftershock from last month's quake. "Due to the (March 11 quake), the risk of landslides or buildings collapsing is higher than usual and there are possibilities of further damage with aftershocks," deputy chief cabinet secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama told reporters on Friday. MULTIPLE CRISES Japan's neighbours have sounded increasingly alarmed over the risk of radiation from the damaged plant 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, while tourists are staying away in what should be the peak season, and the country seeks ways to cut power use. The world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years is also raising concern over safety in the United States, which has more atomic reactors than any other country, especially at one plant which is similar to the one in Fukushima wrecked by last month's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO said late on Thursday it did not expect it would have to dump any more contaminated water into the ocean after Saturday. Earlier, TEPCO said the chance of a repeat of the gas explosions that damaged two reactors in the first days of the disaster was "extremely small". But as engineers battle multiple crises -- some the result of efforts to try to cool reactors -- officials admit it could take months to bring the reactors under control and years to clear up the toxic mess left behind. "Data shows the reactors are in a stable condition, but we are not out of the woods yet," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters. The government has already set up a 20 km (12 miles) exclusion zone around the plant, banned fishing along much of the northeast coast and set up evacuation centres for the tens of thousands forced to leave their homes following the crisis. Trace levels of radioactive material have been detected in the air in 22 Chinese provinces but the amounts did not pose a threat to health or the environment, China's state news agency Xinhua said. Earlier, China's Health Ministry said traces of radioactivity in spinach had been found in three provinces. In South Korea, some schools closed because parents were worried that rain could be toxic. "We've sent out an official communication today that schools should try to refrain from outdoor activities," an education official in South Korea said. South Korea's nuclear safety agency reported a small level of radioactive iodine and caesium particles in rain but said it was not enough to be a health concern. The few schools that closed were expected to reopen on Friday if the rain stopped. India said a blanket ban on food items imported from Japan was not warranted, though authorities would monitor the situation every week, a source in the trade ministry said. India said on April 5 it had imposed a three-month ban on imports of food from Japan on fears that radiation from an earthquake-hit nuclear plant was spreading to other parts of the country. (Additional reporting by Mayumi Negishi, Chisa Fujioka, Yoko Nishikawa and Hideyuki Sano in Tokyo, Sui-lee Wee in Beijing, Jack Kim in Seoul and Matthias Williams in New Delhi; Writing by Daniel Magnowski; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Tsunami Fears Ease After Fresh Japan Quake 7 hours 45 mins ago © Sky News 2011 A strong earthquake has shaken the northeast of Japan - prompting a tsunami warning for the coast devastated by last month's disaster. Skip related content The tsunami warning following the 7.1 magnitude quake was subsequently cancelled by the Japanese meterological agency. No further damage was detected at the crippled Fukushima plant and workers were reported to have been evacuated without reports of any injuries. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage elsewhere, but people in areas covered by the tsunami are being urged to evacuate to higher ground. US Geological Survey said it struck 40 miles (66 km) east of the coastal city Sendai, at a shallow depth of 15.9 miles (25.6 km). In the capital, Tokyo, buildings shook. NHK public television cited police as saying seven people had been injured, two of them seriously. It comes as the country struggles to bring the Fukushima 1 plant under control after the quake and tsunami on March 11. The disaster killed, or left missing, about 28,000 people.

Japan's Disaster in Figures 40 mins ago (Reuters) - The following lists the impact of the earthquake and tsunami that hit northeast Japan on March 11 and the subsequent crisis at a nuclear power plant. Skip related content On Thursday, a major aftershock rocked northeast Japan and a tsunami warning was briefly issued for the coast devastated by last month's massive quake and tsunami. Asterisk indicates a new or updated entry. DEATH TOLL * A total of 12,690 people were confirmed dead by Japan's National Police Agency as of 8 p.m. Japan time (1100 GMT) on Thursday, while 14,736 were missing. NUMBER OF PEOPLE EVACUATED * Around 157,600 people were in shelters around the country as of 1100 GMT on Thursday following evacuation, the National Police Agency said. The government has set up an evacuation area around Tokyo Electric Power Co's quake-stricken nuclear plant in Fukushima 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, with a 20-km (12-mile) radius. More than 70,000 people lived in the largely rural area within the 20 km zone. It is unclear how many of them have been evacuated, but most are believed to have left. Another 136,000 people were within a zone extending a further 10 km in which residents are recommended to leave or stay indoors. HOUSEHOLDS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY * As a result of the March 11 quake and tsunami, a total of 159,071 households in the north were still without electricity as of 0700 GMT on Thursday, Tohoku Electric Power Co said. * After Thursday's quake, more than 3.2 million households in the north were without electricity as of 0000 GMT on Friday, including those affected by the March 11 quake. HOUSEHOLDS WITHOUT WATER * At least 150,000 households in eight prefectures were without running water as of early on Thursday, the Health Ministry said. NUMBER OF BUILDINGS DAMAGED * At least 48,640 buildings have been fully destroyed, washed away or burnt down, the National Police Agency of Japan said as of 1100 GMT on Thursday. IMPACT ON ECONOMY The government has estimated damage from the earthquake and tsunami at 16-25 trillion yen $190-295 billion). The top estimate would make it the world's costliest natural disaster. The estimate covers damage to roads, homes, factories and other infrastructure, but excludes lost economic activity from power outages and costs arising from damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant, as well as the impact of swings in financial markets and business sentiment. The yen initially spiked to a record high against the dollar after the quake, prompting the first joint intervention by the Group of Seven rich nations in 11 years to help shield Japan's export-reliant economy. Japan's reconstruction spending will almost certainly exceed that of the 1995 quake in Kobe, when the government needed extra budgets of more than 3 trillion yen. Deputy Finance Minister Mitsuru Sakurai has signalled the government may need to spend more than 10 trillion yen in emergency budgets for post-quake disaster relief and reconstruction, with part of them possibly covered by new taxes. NUMBER OF COUNTRIES OFFERING AID According to the Foreign Ministry, 134 countries and 39 international organisations have offered assistance (Compiled by Tokyo Political and General News Team)

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Park Hyun-Jin in Prostitution Scandal Cinema Online Wed, Apr 6, 2011 2:15 AM SGT 6 Apr - Korean 3D erotica "Natali" is on limited theatrical release in Singapore, Hong Kong and several other territories, while lead actress Park Hyun-Jin was exposed by KBS TV for allegedly accepting money to sleep with the son of a former Prime Minister, reported Shin Min Daily News several days ago. According to KBS TV as reported by the daily, the boss (whose surname is Ok) of an entertainment production company accused a certain Mr A of fraud, who also happened to be the son of a former Prime Minister. He is currently a professor in a university in Seoul. The source further elaborates that Mr Ok said that in 2009, Mr A had expressed his willingness to exploit his social status to obtain a government grant worth HKD 71.42 million (about S$11.71 million) so that Mr Ok can organise a film festival last year, on the condition that Mr Ok arranged for a female star to have drinks with him. The report also mentioned Mr Ok's arrangement for a sultry female star to accompany Mr A at a bar, who was greatly satisfied with the arrangement and repeatedly requested for her company thereafter. Mr Ok claimed that Mr A had once paid the female star about HK$ 35,700 (about S$5852) for her companionship. He further provided evidence of the star's acceptance of the money and claimed that he paid Mr A about HKD 71,000 (about S$12,000) in "reward fees". However, Mr A did not keep his promise and never applied for the government grant on Mr Ok's behalf, which resulted Mr Ok's accusations of fraud against Mr A. After the news broke, netizens identified the "Natali" star, Park Hyun-Jin, as the prime suspect. Some news sources have pointed out that Park had vehemently denied her involvement when contacted by the Korean media, and even cried during the conversation. The 29-year-old beauty plays a dance student named Oh Mi-Ran in the Korean erotica, which is currently on limited theatrical release in Singapore and a few other territories.

Mavis PAN in "SEX" sequel Cinema Online – Wed, Apr 6, 2011 12:25 PM SGT 6 Apr - "3D Sex And Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" executive producer Stephen Shiu Jr. wants Mavis Pan Shuang Shuang for the sequel, according to Chinese reports. Although the film has yet to open (14 April in Hong Kong), Shiu was quoted as saying "These days, many people have praised the well-endowed and smoking hot Pan. People want to see her in a film." Dubbed by Chinese media as "Little Shu Qi" after similar bee-stung lips to the established Taiwan star and also "Edison Chen #2", she shot to fame only in recent weeks due to a sex scandal with Hong Kong actor-singer Raymond Lam, in which photos were published with them in bed. "Since the female lead is Pan, I won't object to make an open casting call to select a lead actor who resembles Raymond Lam in appearance," Shiu added, cheekily. The impossibly busty Taizhou, Zhejiang-born model is reported to have a waist of merely 46cm. Meanwhile in other "3D Sex And Zen" news, lead actresses Leni Lan Yan has been reported missing and some tabloids have reported fears of suicide. Said to be loosely based on Li Yu's 17th century classical Chinese erotic literature "The Carnal Prayer Mat", this 3D re-update of the record-breaking 1991 Hong Kong box office cult classic erotica stars Japanese AV actresses Yukiko Suo and Saori Hara opposite Hong Kong-based Japanese male model Hiro Hayama. Other cast include Vonnie Lui Hoi Yan, Tony Ho Wah Chiu, Irene Chen Chiu Ping, Jason Yiu and Tenky Tin.

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The Taiwanese MEN forgotten by History By News Desk in Taipei/The China Post | ANN – Wed, Mar 23, 2011 2:50 PM SGT Taipei (The China Post/ANN) - Whether researching the pot-making history of her family to revealing the heartbreaking stories of war veterans, director Kuo Liang-yin takes the audience back to the 1950s. In her latest documentary "Suspended Duty -- Taiwan Military Training Regiment", she tells the tale of a group of men forgotten by history. Kuo, a graduate from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, originally set out to depict the history of her family's aluminum cookware manufacturing business. "My grandpa told me he used to buy warplanes left behind by the Japanese army after World War II to make pots. I always asked myself the credibility of these stories," Kuo said. Her wondering turned into the documentary "Searching for the Zero Fighters", and the film led her to another discovery. Over 8,000 Taiwanese youngsters were recruited by Japan to make warplanes during World War II. After returning to Taiwan, some of them ended up joining the "Taiwan Military Training Regiment" and embarked on a sad journey that would last for almost half a century. The Men Forgotten by History The time was 1949, the Nationalist Party (the Kuomintang) was losing China to the Communist Party. The Kuomintang had no choice but to relocate the government to Taiwan. As increasing military power was a major priority then, the Kuomintang soon set up its first army base in Kaohsiung in 1950. It was known as the "Taiwan Military Training Regiment" and led by the then Commander of Taiwan Defense Command Sun Li-jen. Sun, educated at the Virginia Military Institute in the United States, was best known for his leadership during the Chinese civil war and against the Japanese army in WWII. The regiment recruited over 4,000 men in their late teens and early twenties, some volunteered while others were drafted. The men would later become officers of new army recruits when they completed the training. What they had hoped for turned out to be a mirage, as the whole regiment was put on "suspension of duty" when they ended their 21-month training. It was all because their leader, Sun, was arrested for allegedly trying to overthrow Chiang Kai-shek's regime with the CIA in 1955. The "suspension" was not a "discharge of duty," said Chang Fan-chou, head of the self-formed "Taiwan Military Training Regiment Discharged Members Association." "We were told that we were still on duty, but only to serve in our hometowns," Chang said, "We should be on call at all times to propagate government policies and execute orders." The recruited, all in their prime, could only stay at home and wait for the government to assign them new tasks. Sun remained under house arrest until 1988. Prior to his release, no one dared talk about Sun or his army, and the name "Taiwan Military Training Regiment" along with its 4,500 men faded into oblivion. Life After Suspension In Kuo's documentary, the veterans spell out their painful stories after the suspension order. "No one knew who we were. We were completely given up on," an elderly man said in the film. Because the veterans were never officially discharged from the army, it was difficult for them to pursue further education or find decent jobs. Many of the veterans could only take on odd jobs, barely making a living. "Even our children don't believe our stories," these men said in the film. In 1998, the government agreed to turn their suspension order into an official discharge order, finally granting them the official "veteran" status that they had sought for almost half a century. However, their newly found honors came without any of the benefits entitled to other veterans. Kuo said the government originally agreed to compensate the men with NT$2 million. The idea, however, never passed the Legislative Yuan as many government sectors said they had no idea that such a regiment existed, according to Kuo. Sun's name was eventually cleared in 2001, with the Control Yuan's investigation concluding that Sun had "no intention of staging a coup," but the men of the 1950 regiment are still waiting for an answer from the government. The men, who were passionate youngsters hoping to defend their country, are now over 80 years old, with a third of them having already passed away. Kuo hopes her documentary will let more people know that in the nation's short history of 100 years, a group of men who loved their country were forgotten. The documentary, a nominee in this year's Golden Harvest Awards, will be screened around the nation from April 5, with two special screenings on Thursday, March 24, at National Taiwan University and Sunday, March 27, at the Eslite Tunnan Bookstore.

Rant-astic Rooney rips up Role Model Act Mon Apr 04 09:00AM Wayne Rooney's apparently impromptu rant to mark his feisty hat-trick against West Ham will be scrutinised by the FA today after the latest instalment of the hit show 'When footballers go mad'. After subjecting unfortunately situated cameras to an epic expletive-laden diatribe, Rooney claimed he was simply "acting in the moment", but that is unlikely to deter the ruthless bailiffs, formerly of Soho Square and now warming seats at Wembley. A similar excuse was churned out by Diego Maradona after he burst three veins on his neck screaming at a nearby camera following his goal against Greece in the 1994 World Cup. But in little Diego's defence, that followed a Charlie Sheen-esque Winners' Circle bender. Rooney has no such barman-provided alibi to explain away his actions. As the forward so elegantly put it: "F***ing what? What? F*** Off." It was like an exceptionally inebriated man catching someone staring back at him in the mirror of the pub toilets. Rooney's belligerent and bombastic second half assault saw Sir Alex Ferguson trade his rampant rollicking at the break for eulogising about his side's subsequent display of character and team spirit, but the striker may still face an unprecedented sanction. In a touch of delicious irony, Sir Trevor Brooking, who in his guise as TV pundit on Saturday had urged the Hammers to 'show some fight', is now set to oversee the punishment administered to Rooney with his FA stooge hat on. Brooking, after confirming that the video tapes will be scrupulously examined (he actually used the term 'watched over a foamy macchiato'), the FA director of football feigned his shock at the incident. "It was a real surprise, after scoring a hat-trick, to react in that way. It's something we will have to look at..." Indeed, Sir Trev, it was rather galling. No one can quite remember who officially introduced the Role Model Act (ED believes this originated circa Eric Cantona's Bruce Lee impersonation with a Crystal Palace fan as the extra), but enforced intermittently by the media, it looms large over every player whose best volleys come in the form of abuse. There does appear to be provision for punishment in the FA's own rulebook about behaviour, in paragraph 43, chapter 72 of the 32nd edition of the patronising chronicles of English football, which ED pores over most mornings... It states: "A participant shall at all times act in the best interests of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour." This, of course, is not the first instance of Rooney upsetting the apple cart: he riled England fans during last summer's World Cup by turning to a television camera and verbally criticising them and questioning their loyalty at the end of the dismal goalless draw with Algeria. It may also be aptly recalled that Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was famously handed a three-match ban - with a further two matches suspended - by Michel Platini's UEFA (he told us to call it that!) for a similar offence during the 2009 Champions League semi-final against Barcelona but his tirade was deemed to have been directed at the referee. But Rooney's sensational rant after his third goal - a regulation penalty - was meticulously planned, make no mistake. Only the same people who buy every want-away star's excuses for hankering for a big-money move away from their home club would dispute the fact that every one of Rooney's public displays of emotion are not painstakingly orchestrated down at Paul Stretford's local watering hole. In an act of unbridled fury which is usually excused away as simply a footballer 'confounding his critics', Rooney actually only ended up confounding his supporters, who were left to roll out the 'heat of the moment' platitudes to defend their man. In pursuit of looking good, ED would like to say that it found Rooney's potty-mouthed routine utterly deplorable and contemptible. But, off record, it was rather entertaining. While Rooney was plundering his 'have some of that!' hat-trick and subsequently going berserk, Manchester United's rivals were losing ground. Arsenal and Chelsea both needed wins to stop Rooney et al. in their tracks, but all the two sides ended up doing was adding to the burgeoning price tags of Blackburn's Paul Robinson and Stoke's Asmir Begovic, respectively. The only one of United's rivals to hit their stride were Manchester City, who drubbed an insipid Sunderland 5-0 at Eastlands. If only to show Roberto Mancini that this kind of performance is what can be achieved if an attack-minded, enterprising approach is adopted, then it was a rampant success. City were utterly irrepressible and, no matter how dismal Sunderland were (and no, Titus Bramble was nowhere to be seen), Mancini's side again demonstrated what they are capable of when given tactical freedom. For the sake of the Premier League finale, and in the light of Arsenal and Chelsea's draws, let's hope the Italian gives his side free rein to cut loose for the remainder of the campaign.

Rooney is a SILLY BOY, says Redknapp Mon, 04 Apr 19:05:00 2011 Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has criticised Wayne Rooney after the Manchester United striker was charged with using foul language while celebrating a goal in Saturday's 4-2 win at West Ham United. The England international faces a two-match ban if he accepts the charge, which would rule him out of United's league match against Fulham and the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley. "Why is he so angry?" Redknapp asked at a news conference in Madrid on Monday ahead of Tottenham's Champions League match against Real. "I don't remember Bobby Charlton doing it when he scored," he added, referring to the former United and England midfielder, a World Cup winner in 1966. "Why do they have to be so angry with the world these young footballers earning hundreds of thousands pounds a week?" "I respect him a great deal as a player but he's a silly boy and he shouldn't have done it." Rooney apologised for his outburst soon after the match, saying he swore in the heat of the moment after completing a 14-minute hat-trick.

Premier League - Rooney charged over Outburst Mon, 04 Apr 17:10:00 2011 Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been charged with using foul language while celebrating a goal in Saturday's 4-2 win at West Ham United. "The FA has today charged Manchester United's Wayne Rooney for the use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language relating to an incident during his side's fixture with West Ham United," a statement from the governing body said. "Rooney has until 6pm on April 5 to respond to the charge." A one-match ban would rule Rooney out of Saturday's home game with Fulham, with a two-match suspension sidelining him for the following weekend's Manchester derby FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Sanctioning a player for swearing into a camera is understood to be unprecedented in English football. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was handed a three-match ban - with a further two matches suspended - by UEFA for a similar offence during the 2009 Champions League semi-final against Barcelona but his tirade was deemed to have been directed at the referee. There does appear to be provision for punishment in the FA's own rules about behaviour, which state: "A participant shall at all times act in the best interests of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour." Rooney's three goals at Upton Park helped his team to a 4-2 victory which took them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. But, after completing his treble, the striker uttered an audible expletive into a television camera as he celebrated. The game at was beamed around the world by Sky Sports and the incident prompted an on-air apology from the broadcaster. The 25-year-old upset England fans during last summer's World Cup when he turned to a television camera and verbally criticised them at the end of the dismal goalless draw with Algeria. PA Sport

Champions League - Ronaldo fit, Benzema out for Spurs clash Mon, 04 Apr 18:19:00 2011 Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has included forward Cristiano Ronaldo in his squad for the Champions League game at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Portuguese Ronaldo has not played since he was sidelined by a leg muscle strain two weeks ago but completed a full training session ahead of the quarter-final, first leg at the Bernabeu. Brazilian playmaker Kaka joined Ronaldo in the squad along with fellow injury doubts Marcelo and Angel Di Maria, Real said on their website. Striker Karim Benzema, who injured himself on duty with France, did not train on Monday and was left out. Nine-times winners Real, who are through to the last eight for the first time in seven seasons, host Champions League debutants Tottenham three days after the Spanish side suffered a shock 1-0 reverse at home to Sporting Gijon in La Liga. The loss spoiled their perfect home record in the league of 14 wins in 14 this season and ended Mourinho's incredible nine-year unbeaten run in home league games with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real. At a news conference on Monday, the Portuguese dismissed a suggestion his players would be distracted by Saturday's result, which left them eight points adrift of great rivals Barcelona with eight games left. "The Champions League is the most important club competition in the world," he said. "It's too important and nice to play to be thinking about anything else. It's a great match." Gesturing towards striker Gonzalo Higuain at his side, he added: "Do you really think he is thinking about Gijon?" The winners of the two-legged quarter-final will play Barca or Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine in the semi-finals. Reuters

NSF in photo has been counselled: Mindef By Angela Lim | SingaporeScene – Mon, Mar 28, 2011 7:45 PM SGT UPDATE The full-time national serviceman (NSF) who was photographed with his maid carrying his backpack identified himself to his commander and has been counselled, said Singapore's Ministry of Defence on Monday. A series of photographs of the NSF recently made its rounds on the Internet and generated much debate about whether Gen Y soldiers in Singapore were too "soft" and "spoilt". The Straits Times' online portal Stomp said that Colonel Desmond Tan, Director of Mindef Public Affairs, said: "The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has completed its investigation into the recent case of a serviceman who was photographed with his domestic helper carrying his field pack ("Deafening silence in army backpack saga'' by Mr Patrick Tan; Saturday). "The serviceman concerned has identified himself to his Commander. "He was a recruit undergoing the Physical Training Preparatory phase prior to the Basic Military Training phase. "The recruit is remorseful for his actions and realises that it was wrong for him to have allowed this. "He has been counselled and continues his training. The SAF has reminded all servicemen to be mindful of their conduct in public." When news of the photograph broke on 28 March, the NSF's parents were livid, my paper reported. The NSF, who has at least one older sibling, did not know what to do and was afraid of the consequences if he was identified. Tan said that the Singapore Armed Forces has issued a reminder to all servicemen to be mindful of their conduct in public. The photos of the NSman, which had been taken off Facebook and posted on Stomp, featured a young man, fully decked out in army fatigues, with his maid trailing behind him carrying his large backpack. The full pack the maid was carrying looks to be the newer type, which is bigger and has more compartments compared to older variations. The contributor claimed that the photos had been taken in the area around Tanah Merah MRT. Disgusted netizens began sharing the photos on social networking site Facebook and on online forums like hardwarezone.com.sg, triggering debate on whether the youth these days are too pampered. Most were critical of the soldier, calling him "lazy" and "spoilt". Some even said he "tarnished the image of Singapore". Others we more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, saying he could have been injured and needed help with his heavy backpack. A Ministry of Defence spokesman earlier said, "The SAF takes a serious view of the conduct of its servicemen in public." She added that the SAF is looking into the matter and will take appropriate action. Ex-NS men and NSFs who spoke to Yahoo! Singapore held differing views on the matter. 25-year-old Kelvin Wong, who completed his army stint in 2006, said, "This photo is just ridiculous. It's hard to believe that a grown man who is supposed to be serving the nation is making his female domestic help carry his backpack." "He's a disgrace to the army and makes Singaporean men look bad," he added. 23-year-old Karl Mak, who finished his stint in 2008, said, "He's probably a spoilt kid who had his bag carried by his maid since he was a child. I guess stuff like that is cultivated from a young age." A former army officer who only wanted to be known as Jonathan, was more amused than disgusted. The 28-year-old said, "When I first saw the photo, I thought it was funny. I've never come across such a scenario before and I don't think it's at all representative of our generation. In the army, we trained recruits to take responsibility for themselves." "Anyway, it's possible he had a shoulder injury and needed help with his bag. It's not a big deal and we shouldn't generalise this to the mentality of youths these days."

Japan Nuke Plant dumps Radioactive Water into SEA By MARI YAMAGUCHI and YURI KAGEYAMA, Associated Press Mon Apr 4, 9:19 pm ET TOKYO – Workers began pumping more than 3 million gallons of contaminated water from Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, freeing storage space for even more highly radioactive water that has hampered efforts to stabilize the reactors. It will take about two days to pump most of the less-radioactive water out of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, whose cooling systems were knocked out by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11. Radioactivity is quickly diluted in the ocean, and government officials said the dump should not affect the safety of seafood in the area. Since the disaster, water with different levels of radioactivity has been pooling throughout the plant. People who live within 12 miles (20 kilometers) have been evacuated and have not been allowed to return. The pooling water has damaged systems and the radiation hazard has prevented workers from getting close enough to power up cooling systems needed to stabilize dangerously vulnerable fuel rods. On Saturday, they discovered that some radioactive water was pouring into the ocean. The less-radioactive water that officials are purposely dumping into the sea is up to 500 times the legal limit for radiation. "We think releasing water with low levels of radiation is preferable to allowing water with high levels of radiation to be released into the environment," said Junichi Matsumoto, an official with plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. Workers need to get rid of the highly radioactive water, but first they need somewhere safe to put it. Much of the less-radioactive water being dumped into the sea is from the tsunami and had accumulated in a nuclear waste storage building. The building is not meant to hold water, but it's also not leaking, so engineers decided to empty it so they can pump in the more-radioactive water. The rest of the water going into the sea is coming from a trench beneath two of the plant's six reactors. More water keeps pooling because TEPCO has been forced to rely on makeshift methods of bringing down temperatures and pressure by pumping water into the reactors and allowing it to gush out wherever it can. It is a messy process, but it is preventing a full meltdown of the fuel rods that would release even more radioactivity into the environment. "We must keep putting water into the reactors to cool to prevent further fuel damage, even though we know that there is a side effect, which is the leakage," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for Japan's Nuclear Safety and Industrial Agency. "We want to get rid of the stagnant water and decontaminate the place so that we can return to our primary task to restore the sustainable cooling capacity as quickly as possible." Engineers have been using unusual methods to try to stop the more highly radioactive water leaking into the sea. They thought it was coming from a crack in a maintenance pit they discovered Saturday, but an attempt to seal the crack with concrete failed, and clogging it with a special polymer mixed with sawdust and shredded newspapers didn't work, either. They dumped milky white bath salts into the system around the pit Monday to try to figure out the source of the leak, but it never splashed out into the ocean. In the meantime, workers plan to install screens made of polyester fabric to try to stop some of the contamination in the ocean from spreading. Although the government eventually authorized the dumping of the less-radioactive water, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said officials were growing concerned about the sheer volume of radioactive materials spilling into the Pacific. It is not clear how much water has leaked in addition to what is being dumped purposely. "Even if they say the contamination will be diluted in the ocean, the longer this continues, the more radioactive particles will be released and the greater the impact on the ocean," Edano said. "We are strongly urging TEPCO that they have to take immediate action to deal with this." Experts said Monday that at this point, they don't expect the discharges to pose widespread danger to sea animals or people who might eat them. "It's a very large ocean" with considerable powers of dilution, noted William Burnett of Florida State University. Very close to the nuclear plant — less than half a mile (800 meters) or so — sea creatures might be in danger of problems like genetic mutations if the dumping goes on a long time, he said. But there shouldn't be any serious hazard farther away "unless this escalates into something much, much larger than it has so far," he said. Also Monday, a spokesman for the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, Sergei Novikov, told reporters that Japan has requested Russia send it a vessel used to decommission nuclear submarines, and that Moscow was considering the request. "If the Japanese side arranges answers to the questions we sent them, it can be transferred ... within a very short period," Novikov said, according to a statement on Rosatom's website. The nature of the questions wasn't specified. Novikov said the vessel, called the Landysh, was built with Japanese funds under the "Global Partnership" program to help dispose of liquid nuclear waste from decommissioned submarines. The crisis has unfolded as Japan deals with the aftermath of twin natural disasters that devastated much of its northeastern coast. Up to 25,000 people are believed to have died and tens of thousands lost their homes. The situation at the Fukushima plant has brought protests in Japan and raised questions around the world about the safety of nuclear power. Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told delegates at a nuclear safety conference Monday that the industry cannot afford to ignore these concerns. "We cannot take a business-as-usual approach," Amano said. General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, who was in Tokyo this week to meet with TEPCO's chairman, defended the industry when asked by a reporter if the Fukushima incident would cause global concern about nuclear safety. "This is an industry that's had an extremely safe track record for more than 40 years," Immelt said. "We have had more than 1,000 engineers working around the clock since the incident began and we will continue in the short, medium and long term working with TEPCO due to this horrific natural disaster." All of the plant's reactors were designed by GE, and Immelt offered assistance in dealing with the electricity shortage brought on by damage to the Fukushima Dai-ichi facility and other power plants. Japan is expecting a shortfall of at least 10 million kilowatts in summer, and Immelt said gas turbines with both short- and long-term capabilities are on their way from the U.S. Associated Press writers Ryan Nakashima and Noriko Kitano in Tokyo and Jim Heintz in Moscow and science writer Malcolm Ritter in New York contributed to this report.

CORRECTED - More ART than GOLD in Singapore's Fort Knox On Tuesday 5 April 2011, 8:49 SGT By Kevin Lim (Corrects name of Swiss high-security facility to Geneva Free Port and clarifies Natural Le Coultre's relationship with Geneva Free Port) SINGAPORE, April 4 (Reuters) - Just outside Singapore's Changi airport is an innocuous low-rise building ringed by high walls that holds more gold, art, antique cars and fine wines than almost any other location in the world. Singapore FreePort is a high-security facility for storing precious metals and other collectibles of the wealthy. It opened a year ago and already plans to double its size within the next two years as Asia's numbers of the seriously rich increase. "In Singapore you touch not only Chinese clients but also Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, everybody," Chairman Yves Bouvier told Reuters in an interview. "Changi Airport is a good airplane destination. It's not the same in Hong Kong where you touch only China." For Singapore, the facility complements the city-state's huge private banking industry by providing wealthy clients with a place to store their valuable collections. Boston Consulting Group estimates private banks in Singapore manage about $500 billion in assets. Singapore FreePort describes itself as a Fort Knox, and it boasts of security features that are comparable to the world's most impregnable building that is the depository of the United States' bullion reserves. The facility has armed guards and is ringed by security cameras. Visitors must pass through two checkpoints and undergo a full body scan before they can go inside the building, and staff need to key in passwords and pass a biometric check to access different parts of the complex. Photography is not allowed and the vaults are locked except when goods are being transferred. Visitors are always escorted by armed security guards and usually catch only glimpses of wealth. A giant metal sculpture dominates the lobby, with long corridors leading to the vaults protected by gates and motion sensors. Most of the vaults are temperature and humidity controlled -- Singapore FreePort is one of only two facilities in the world designed to store valuable collectibles. The other, called Geneva Free Port, is in Switzerland. Art collections take up most of space at the facility, but it also houses rare wines, antique and limited edition sports cars, bullion and jewellery, cigars and carpets. Singapore FreePort, which is fully tenanted, has already obtained land next to its existing facility and plans to build another 25,000 square metres of storage space to double the size of its operations, Bouvier said. "The land is already there," he said. Construction of the new space will take 18 to 24 months because of the technical complexity of the facility. Singapore and Hong Kong are vying to become the hub for Asia's fast-growing art market, which has taken off in recent years as rapid economic growth creates an increasing number of millionaires in China, India and most recently Indonesia. Bouvier, who is also chairman of Natural Le Coultre, one of the larger tenants in Geneva Freeport, said Singapore FreePort is already fully leased. Existing tenants will have first bite at the new space when it becomes available. The firm has no plans to expand its operations in Europe nor is it looking to build similar facilities in other parts of Asia, he added. "There is less crime here than anywhere else," Bouvier said, adding that Singapore government support, and its minority stake in the facility, were also important factors in his firm's decision to set up in the city-state. He declined to reveal how much his firm and partners had invested in Singapore or say how much the expansion will cost. ART COLLECTORS Singapore FreePort's tenants include British auction house Christie's, which is using the space to store antiques and other high-value collectibles for clients. Christie's also uses the facility to exhibit and sell artwork. Investment bank JPMorgan , through another Singapore FreePort tenant, operates a vault where clients can store gold and other precious metals. Asked whether he was concerned about rivals setting up competing facilities in Singapore or elsewhere in Asia, Bouvier said the operations were not easily replicated as new entrants had to understand security as well as the transporting, handling and storing of valuables. "Our products are very expensive and it is very difficult for people who are not professionals to handle them." Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

Thai Private Eye lifts curtain on cheating Spouses By Janesara Fugal | AFP News – Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:45 AM SGT Amnuaiporn Maneewan imparts the wisdom of her more than 15 years working as a private detective in Thailand: "The only man you can trust is a dead one. "If they're still alive, still breathing, then you can't trust them," she says. With her James Bond-inspired gadgets including spy cameras and tapping devices, Amnuaiporn specialises in digging up evidence to expose cheating spouses for a law firm in Bangkok. The 42-year-old has become a master at tailing the unfaithful, catching them in compromising situations with the use of tiny cameras and recording equipment hidden in pens, car keys, buttonholes and even calculators. Her work has made her a minor celebrity in Thailand, where having a "mia noi" or "little wife" on the side of a marriage is seen almost as a right by some. This "mistress detective" said there are more and more extra-curricular affairs in the country. "It's just increasing the whole time; it's not slowing down at all. Now, they don't just have one mistress, they have two or three mistresses," Amnuaiporn said. "It's like a fashion. It's normal. No man leaves the house without a mistress." Unsurprisingly then, business has never been better. Three or four new clients, mostly women between the ages of 20 and 60, contact her every day. Government officials are apparently particularly likely to have mistresses, traditionally exploiting their positions to net minor wives. "They have their status, they have power, they have money. It's quite easy for them to pay for another woman," said Ronnachai Kongsakol, psychiatry professor at Ramathibodi hospital in Bangkok. His research on extramarital affairs by officials suggests that opportunity, intimacy and sympathy are the main motives for men to seek mistresses. But it's not just Thai men who are tempted to stray. Amnuaiporn estimates that three out of 10 calls are now from suspicious husbands. Tales of infidelity abound in Thai society. Panaa had been living with her partner for seven years when she found out he was secretly seeing another woman. She tracked down the suspected mistress and confronted her, only to be faced with a surprising revelation. Her rival produced a marriage certificate that proved she was actually married to Panaa's partner -- meaning Panaa was the mistress. "I was shocked as I never thought that I would be the mistress. I never had any idea. I thought I was morally superior but it turned out I wasn't at all," said Panaa, whose asked that her real name be withheld. While she did not need a detective to reveal the scandal, many people do seek help to find the truth. "If there was no one like me, these people would have to suffer for a long time. Me, my job, helps people to open their eyes. I let them see the truth," said Amnuaiporn. Her job has got her noticed in Thailand where her good looks, chatty demeanor and anecdotes of sordid transgressions have been lapped up on television and in print. She has even produced her own book -- "The Private Eye: They ask me to investigate adultery" -- which is billed as the first in-depth account of the work of a female private detective. Featuring images of her in various disguises she uses for work -- including a native American Indian outfit complete with feathered headdress -- the book includes true stories from her years tracking the unfaithful. In one instance she was hired by a wealthy man who suspected his wife was straying. When he pretended to go on a business trip, his wife lost no time in meeting a man and going with him to a "short stay hotel", with Amnuaiporn and the husband in hot pursuit. He banged on the door of the illicit couple's room and confronted the wife's lover, who claimed to be alone. After a search of several nearby rooms, Amnuaiporn and the husband found the wife stuck to the wall of an adjoining balcony "like a gecko". The book also reveals basic tips on how to tell whether your partner is about to stray, such as a sudden upturn in their grooming and unexpected business trips to other parts of the country. While Amnuaiporn's career has brought her renown and excitement, her constant exposure to infidelity has given her little desire to settle down. "I am afraid that I will face the same problems I've seen. I think it's good to stay single," she said.