Small cars more popular after announcement of new car-buying measures

SINGAPORE: It is the first weekend since the government announced the tightening of car loans and increases in additional registration fees for more expensive cars.

Some car dealers said the popularity of small cars has gone up.

A showroom which sells mostly small cars with an open market value of less than S$20,000 said it has seen a 30 per cent increase in potential car buyers, compared to weekends before the measures were announced. The fees for such cars remain unchanged.

As for other showrooms selling larger, luxury cars - dealers said they have not increased prices yet.

These showrooms still have some Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) left from the previous round of bidding, which are unaffected by the new measures.

Such cars would fetch 10 to 100,000 dollars more in additional registration fees.

Johnson Tay, sales director at Jack Cars, said the company has not seen a drop in interest for now.

He said: "Due to some finance companies, the interest rate and loan quantum has not been decreased yet. Most of the customers will still come to us because of this kind of current interest rate and loan quantum."

- CNA/xq

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Growing calls for abolishment of China's labour camps

SHANGHAI: A hot issue likely to be discussed at China's upcoming National People's Congress in Beijing is one that is not often talked about - re-education labour camps.

The system allows for detention of up to four years without trial -- and there are growing calls for it to be abolished.

26 year-old Ren Jianyu was arrested and held in police custody for 36 days in Chongqing, after allegedly posting some anti-government comments online in 2011.

Under China's forced re-education system, or "laojiao" in Mandarin, Ren was then sent to a labour camp for 15 months, without trial.

Ren said: "They said what I put online constitutes incitement to subvert the government. At that time, no one dared to appeal on my behalf as my case was sensitive. No lawyer wanted to take it up."

Ren's case is just one of many which have caught the public's attention in recent years.

Critics and lawyers have called for the system to be abolished, as it is unconstitutional and violates human rights.

The Gulag-style regime started in the 1950s, as a way for the government to censor political opponents.

Experts say there are about 60,000 people detained in these camps currently.

Detainees include prostitutes and drug offenders, and they have no legal recourse.

Lawyer Yang Zhuang said: "Currently only the Public Security Department has the final say in the system, unlike lawsuits which go through the courts. The Public Security Department uses its internal legislative affairs office to determine a person's freedom. There are no checks on the system."

There have been moves to do away with the system.

In January, Guangdong province applied to the National People's Congress to be the first province in China to close down such labour camps.

While talk of abolishing the labour re-education system at the official level started in 2005, change has been slow due to differing opinions from the police and legislators on how to deal with existing detainees.

Professor Sun Bo from Shanghai Institute of Politics and Law said: "After the system is abolished, detainees will be separated. They'll be divided between the criminal system and the public security system. A portion of which will come under a new law for re-education due to violations. So who has the legal right over these detainees, whether it's the courts or the police, that's where the interests collide."

Experts say publicity over cases where authorities allegedly abused the system to detain some people have increased the public's attention and criticism on the system, putting pressure on China's new leaders to reform the controversial procedure.

Experts say at the upcoming National People's Congress, officials are likely to table more suggestions and set up a plan of action as a first step to closing the labour camps.

- CNA/xq

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N. Korea's Kim, Rodman watch basketball game: Xinhua

BEIJING: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un watched a basketball game with former Chicago Bulls' star Dennis Rodman on Thursday, Chinese state media reported.

In a dispatch from Pyongyang, China's official Xinhua news agency said that Kim and Rodman watched a game consisting of players from North Korea and the Harlem Globetrotters, a famed goodwill team from the United States.

Xinhua, which has a bureau in the North Korean capital, cited unidentified witnesses for its account.

Rodman, a 51-year-old Hall of Famer, was quoted as calling relations between the United States and North Korea "regrettable", though added "personally I am a friend of Marshal Kim Jong-Un and the DPRK people".

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

Nicknamed "The Worm" and famed for his changing hair colour, off-court antics and dating Madonna, Rodman arrived in the state this week with tensions high following the North's third nuclear test earlier in February.

Rodman wore dark glasses and a hat, Xinhua said, and sat to the left of Kim. They spoke to each other without any interpretation, according to the report.

He arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday with members of the Globetrotters on a goodwill visit to engage in "basketball diplomacy".

Kim is the son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and the grandson of the country's founder Kim Il-Sung. He is reported to be a huge fan of basketball and the Chicago Bulls.

Rodman has been actively tweeting during the visit, saying he was looking forward to meeting Kim, that North Koreans love basketball and that he was "honoured" to represent the United States.

North Korea and the United States, an ally of South Korea, have never had diplomatic relations.

Xinhua said Thursday's game consisted of 12 players from North Korea and four Globetrotters divided up into two teams.

The game, attended by college students, citizens of Pyongyang and foreign diplomats, among others, ended in a 110-110 tie, Xinhua said. North Korean cheerleaders in traditional dress and miniskirts performed during the break.

Separately, North Korea's state news agency reported on Thursday that Rodman and his entourage visited the landmark Pyongyang building where the bodies of Kim's father and grandfather lie in state.

"They paid high tribute to Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il before their statues", the Korean central News Agency said. "They entered the halls where Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il lie in state and paid homage to them."

- AFP/xq

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Sausages containing horsemeat found in Russia: official

MOSCOW: Russia said on Wednesday it had found horsemeat in a shipment of sausages imported from Europe, its first known case of horsemeat contamination.

Alexei Alexeyenko, an aide to Sergei Dankvert, the head of Russian agriculture watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, said that tests on sausages imported from the city of Linz in Austria found horse DNA.

"It came two days ago from Austria," Alexeyenko told AFP. "The shipment is over 20 tonnes," he said, adding that the enterprise that supplied the meat had been struck off the list of suppliers.

The contaminated meat will either be destroyed or returned to the supplier, he added.

Horsemeat is a traditional delicacy in Russia and can be found in many restaurants and stores across the country.

Alexeyenko said the problem with the contaminated meat was that it was not clear what it was made of.

"We are talking about adulterated meat products containing horsemeat," he said.

"The source of this meat is unknown," he noted, adding that old ill animals could have been used to make it.

- AFP/al

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Middle & lower-income groups may be priced out of car market: dealers

SINGAPORE: Car dealers on Tuesday said middle and lower-income groups may find it difficult to own a vehicle with the new rules in place.

The government on Monday announced a slew of measures, tightening the noose on car loans and registration fees.

This has prompted strong reactions from the industry and prospective buyers.

Under Budget 2013 measures, buyers have a maximum of five years to service their car loans.

They also have to foot a downpayment of 40 per cent or more for a new vehicle.

To top it off, Additional Registration Fee increases will apply to more expensive cars.

This has sent buyers and the market reeling.

Carway Enterprise, which helps buyers borrow to buy cars, said loan applications dropped by 30 to 40 per cent a day after the measures were unveiled.

Other car dealers said more time is needed to see what the real effects are.

Eddie Loo, managing director of CarTimes Automobile, said: "We have a mixture of customers -- those who come and buy (with) cash, but there are definitely people who want a hundred percent loan.

"So it's almost like 50-50 kind of market that people come into. So to penalise those who need a car and have to fork out 50 per cent of the loan amount, I think, the timing is not very correct."

Prospective car buyers are also feeling the pinch.

John Molina, a prospective car buyer, said: "I want to buy a car, but because of this, I mean it's impossible for me, or it's almost near-impossible."

Another prospective car buyer, Mark Lim, said: "For those people who are really very rich, to them there's no effect -- today I want to buy a Ferrari, for example, I don't even care about how much is the downpayment."

Still, others have suggestions on how to ease the pinch.

Singapore Vehicle Traders Association's honorary secretary Raymond Tang said: "The government should consider looking into the aspect of weighing these loan curbs -- should not be bringing it into the used car market."

He said the used car market is for people whose "budget is very constrained".

Questions which prospective buyers will be asking in the months ahead are: "To buy or not to buy, and which model? Can I even afford a car?"

Eyes will also be keenly watching how the Budget measures will affect the prices of Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) for cars. This will in turn determine just how expensive owning a set of wheels in Singapore will be.

- CNA/al

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Budget 2013: Govt projects budget surplus of S$2.4b for FY2013

SINGAPORE: A windfall from stamp duties and vehicle-related taxes will hand the government a bigger than budgeted surplus for fiscal year 2012.

However, the revenue growth is expected to slow this upcoming financial year.

The government is projecting an overall budget surplus of S$2.4 billion or 0.7% of GDP for FY2013 starting 1 April.

The government is expecting to post a higher-than-expected surplus of S$3.9 billion or 1.1 percent of Singapore's GDP for FY2012.

But the government is expecting to collect lower revenue for FY 2013.

It is forecasting operating revenue of S$55.03 billion, a 0.3 percent decrease from FY 2012.

However, Net Investment Returns Contribution (NIRC) is projected to increase 0.7% to S$7.7 billion, from S$7.65 billion the previous year.

The NIRC will be used to fund S$5.6 billion in top-ups to endowment and trust funds, including the GST Voucher Fund.

For the new financial year, corporate income tax will amount to S$12.94 billion, about 1.5 percent increase from the previous year.

Personal income tax will generate another S$7.56 billion in revenue, a decline of 1.2% after factoring in personal income tax rebates.

Revenue from "Other Taxes" is forecast to grow 19.8% to S$5.14 billion, attributed mainly to higher foreign worker levy collections.

And with the property market expected to cool, stamp duty collections are projected to fall 26.2% to S$3.1 billion in FY 2013.

A new tiered Additional Registration Fee structure will raise registration fees for cars with open market value of S$20,000 and above.

But a one-year 30% road tax rebate for goods vehicles, buses and taxis will reduce collections for motor vehicle taxes by 12.1% to S$1.6 billion from the revised FY2012 estimate.

Collections from vehicle quota premiums are expected to drop 11.8% to S$2.4 billion.

Collections from Betting Taxes are expected to remain flat, at S$2.3 billion.

The government also expects a 10.4% decrease in revenue from withholding tax, at about S$1.14 billion.

- CNA/ir

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Tennis: I can become world No.1 again: Federer

DUBAI: Roger Federer bristled a little when it was suggested to him that his days as world number one might be at an end because of his reduced schedule, and only a few seconds were needed for him to knock that idea back.

The 31-year-old top-ranking record-holder is only planning to play 14 tournaments this year, even dropping his home town tournament in Basel and the Miami tournament which has sometimes been described as the biggest outside the four Grand Slams.

Federer, who is now world number two, is already more than 4000 ranking points behind the leader Novak Djokovic, whose total is 40 per cent more than the Swiss legend.

This means that the chances of the sport's greatest legend adding to his record total of 302 weeks at the top would appear to be significantly reduced.

But Federer immediately contested that. "It's definitely realistic if I'm playing great, but I need to play absolutely great," he said, before expressing his doubts.

"I can play great, but will I be allowed to? Time will tell. My big focus is on making sure that every tournament I enter I am perfectly prepared. I am hopeful I will get enough matches but if not my schedule can be changed.

"I need to make sure I have enough time off, so that when 2014 comes I am in a position with options which I almost wasn't this year to a degree."

This is a reference to the options which will be open to him in 10 months time according to ATP Tour rules. These reduce a player's mandatory commitments to Masters events by one tournament for each of the following milestones - 600 career matches, 12 years' service, and 31 years of age.

But because Federer will have achieved all three, he will be able to skip as many as he wishes without penalty.

For this and other reasons Federer also insists he can extend his all-time record of 17 Grand Slam tournament titles.

"I strongly believe I have more Slams in me," he said. "Which Slam do I favour - does Wimbledon over-weigh the rest? Maybe, but looking back there have been amazing moments with each Slam.

"It depends how long I play. But I don't want to be depending on that. I am trying to be smart with my schedule. I am practising more.

"Your prime is 23 to 27 or 28 so for me it's very challenging - and exciting. I need to make the right decisions. I have family and not many guys have that."

Federer was even more adamant that retirement was not close. "I want to give myself the best chance to play as long as I can. Maybe then it will become clear that it is time to stop. You know things change very quickly, and you have to be ready and open about it.

"But I would like to give myself the chance to play for many years to come. I am happy with the way my body is. I am healthy and happy to be playing. And as for the number one ranking and Grand Slams, they are still really important to me.

"If I feel confident and am enjoying it I hope to play for a long time. I think I am playing excellent tennis. Some win Grand Slams at 16 and others at 34. It depends how you see things.

"The over-30 guys are extremely consistent. I think I can play good tennis not playing so much."

Federer's realism was shown by his reaction to Rafael Nadal's predicament as he tries to return to his former eminence after injuries and many months out of the game.

Not only did Federer show sympathy for Nadal but emphasised that others had something to learn from him.

"It's not only him who needs to be careful but all of us," Federer emphasised. "How much travelling can you do? How much training? How much sleep does the body need? How much time away from the game do you need? Everyone is different.

"At the end of the day the body and the mind can only take so much.

Federer's new time-and-energy economy will mean that he takes fully seven weeks off between next months Master Series in Indian Wells and the clay court season in May. he has played on three matches since the Australian Open four weeks ago.

A test of the effectiveness of this will begin at the Dubai Open on Monday when he plays a first round against Malek Jaziri, the world number 130 from Tunisia.

- AFP/fa

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Pistorius spends time with family on first day of bail

PRETORIA: South African Paralympic icon and murder suspect Oscar Pistorius on Saturday said he was thankful for prayers offered to his family and that of his slain girlfriend, a day after he was freed on bail.

"Thank-you to every person that has prayed for both families, Osca" read a tweet posted by his brother Carl, in the track star's first public reaction, outside of his court appearances, since his arrest for the Valentine's Day killing of Reeva Steenkamp.

The Olympic "Blade Runner" was spending his first day out on bail with his family pending trial for the killing of his lover.

Pistorius was freed on a record one million rand (US$112,770) bail on Friday after eight days in custody and an emotionally charged four-day bail hearing.

"I would like Oscar to just compose himself and to have a normal day," his uncle Arnold Pistorius told the local Eyewitness News.

He will return to court later this year when a date will be set for trial for having shot dead his model girlfriend and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day.

When contacted by AFP, his father Henke Pistorius declined to say how his son had slept at his uncle's house in Pretoria.

But a source close to the family told AFP late Friday that "the family just want time together. They haven't thought about anything except being together".

Pistorius claims he repeatedly shot at and killed his lover by mistake thinking she was a burglar.

Steenkamp's grieving parents, however, did not appear convinced.

"It doesn't matter how rich he is and how good his legal team is. He needs to live with himself if he lets his legal team lie for him," her father Barry told the Afrikaans-language daily Beeld.

Pistorius has assembled some of the best legal brains in South Africa to defend his case.

"He'll have to live with his conscience. But if he's telling the truth, I may forgive him one day," Steenkamp's father said.

But "if it didn't happen as he described it, he should suffer. And he will suffer ... only he knows."

Pistorius's family has sent flowers and a card to the Steenkamp family, but "what does that mean? Nothing," said June, Reeva's mother.

In addition to the bail cash he posted Friday afternoon, which experts say is among one of the highest ever set in South Africa, Pistorius had to surrender his passport and his firearms. The magistrate quadrupled the bail amount that initially had been proposed by the state.

He will have to report twice weekly to Pretoria's Brooklyn police on Mondays and Fridays. He was also ordered not to take alcohol or drugs.

Pistorius may also on Saturday hold talks with his trainer to get back on the track, despite being banned under his bail terms from competing outside South Africa.

"He is a professional athlete. He needs to keep his body in shape," the family source said.

His arrest on February 14 shocked the world and gripped South Africa, where he became a national hero after becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics last year.

The state charged him with the premeditated killing of 29-year-old Steenkamp.

If found guilty, Pistorius faces a possible life sentence.

Just hours before the magistrate's decision to release Pistorius on bail, arguing he was not a flight a risk and did not pose a danger to the public, defence lawyer Barry Roux appeared to concede that the star sprinter could be convicted on a lesser charge of culpable homicide.

That charge, which entails negligence rather than murderous intent, can carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

The prosecution meanwhile said it was confident it had evidence to convict Pistorius.

Winning a bail application "doesn't mean an acquittal", said spokesman for the prosecution Medupe Simasiku, "We still believe we have evidence to convict Oscar Pistorius."

-AFP/fl

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Air France losses widen as it takes on low-cost carriers

PARIS : Air France-KLM said Friday its net loss deepened by nearly 50 percent last year to 1.2 billion euros (US$1.59 billion) as it began restructuring to cope with the rise of low-cost airlines.

However the airline group said that underlying prospects were improving despite heavy fuel and restructuring costs, with its operating loss narrowing to 300 million euros from 353 million euros in 2011.

This was better than the average figure expected by analysts polled by Bloomberg financial agency of a loss of 334.6 million euros.

In the fourth quarter of last year, the operating loss was reduced to 143 million euros from 202 million euros 12 months earlier.

Sales rose by 5.2 percent in 2012 to 25.6 billion euros.

The load factor, the percentage of seats occupied, rose by 1.2 points to a record 83.1 percent.

Financial director Philippe Calavia said that 2012 was an important year for the group because decisions about the structure and transformation of the company had been taken.

"Today, all of the foundations for an improvement of competitiveness are in place and will produce their full effects in 2013 and 2014," said Calavia.

Air France-KLM has suffered from a fall of competitiveness in recent years, under the pressure of low-cost operators and the rise of airlines in the Middle East and in Asia.

In January of last year, the company announced a vast restructuring plan called "Transform 2015."

It booked provisions of 471 million euros under this plan to cover expenses related to cutting its workforce in order to boost productivity.

Last year some 3,300 out 100,000 staff voluntarily left the airline group and most were not replaced, said AirFrance-KLM.

The plan targets 5,122 voluntary departures this year.

Wages have been frozen and the fleet of aircraft trimmed.

Air France-KLM executives said this led to an improvement in the results on long-haul routes, but that in the medium-haul sector they had yet to turn a corner.

Chief executive Jean-Cyril Spinetta said the operating loss on medium-haul activities deepened from 700 million euros in 2011 to 800 million euros in 2012 due to a worse performance at Air France.

Losses at Air France regional hubs at Marseille, Nice and Toulouse were to blame, and the company has already taken measures to improve their performance.

Air France recently reorganised its three French regional airlines into one company, HOP!, which will begin offering next month flights in France and Europe at prices from 55 euros one way to compete with low-cost airlines.

Air France also boasts another low-cost unit, Transavia France, which under the Transform 2015 plan is also gradually being expanded.

Air France-KLM said that net debt, which weighs heavily on the group, fell by 540 million euros to slightly less than 6.0 billion euros.

The company aims to have cut it by 2 billion euros over 2012-2014.

Air France-KLM executives were cautious about providing any guidance for 2013 given the poor outlook for Europe and market volatility.

The company's shares dove 2.7 percent to 8.10 euros in afternoon trading while the Paris market was up 1.82 percent overall.

- AFP/ch

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Bulgaria confirms horsemeat in lasagne dishes

SOFIA: Bulgaria on Thursday became the latest European country to confirm the presence of horsemeat in products labelled as beef that were taken off shelves last week.

"Results from the two tests taken from the already banned products were positive for horsemeat, indicating 80 percent and 50 percent content," Bulgaria's food safety agency said.

The tests by a German laboratory were ordered last week when 86 kilogrammes (190 pounds) of "beef" lasagne dishes were withdrawn from a supermarket chain that was not identified.

The agency proceeded to destroy the dishes on Thursday, adding that it also sent for DNA testing five new samples from other products.

Some 30 samples from Bulgarian meat products were also tested in Bulgarian laboratories over the past 10 days, and were all negative, it added.

Horsemeat labelled as beef has already been detected in products across Europe in recent days in a major scandal that has even reached Hong Kong.

An investigation pointed to French firm Spanghero as the main culprit for mislabelling meat bought in Romania through a complicated network of traders in Cyprus and The Netherlands.

Since then, supermarket chains across Europe have removed millions of "beef" products while tests are carried out.

- AFP/de

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Fare structure of high-speed rail will determine impact on buses, airlines

SINGAPORE: Travellers have welcomed the move to build a high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Industry players, however, said the impact on buses and airlines will depend on the future rail link's fare structure.

Presently, those travelling by bus between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur pay as little as $25 per trip for the five-hour ride.

This is in contrast to just 90 minutes on the high-speed rail link to be built by 2020.

Some say they do not mind paying more - for speed and predictability on the rail link.

"It is more secure and more safety. And the timing will be more fixed."

"I'm expecting about S$80 to S$90 per trip, per one-way trip."

The Express Bus Agencies Association says the rail option may have a "tremendous impact" on the industry, and called on operators to be "prepared to re-strategise".

This includes complementing the rail service, by offering services to smaller towns from the stations along the rail line.

Still, it feels bus operators will retain some market share.

Mr Sebastian Yap, who is from the Association's Terminal Services sub-committee elaborates.

"We have to look at the fare structure, to me the high speed train cannot be cheaper than bus, there's no way about it. So in terms of the pricing, I think we still have a bit of a competitive edge," he said.

Flights between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur can take up about 40 minutes to an hour, with budget carriers offering cheap fares.

But industry watchers say budget carriers are less likely to see an impact, compared to full-service ones.

Mr Siva Govindasamy, Managing Editor from Flight global Asia, said: "The bigger impact could actually be on the full-service carriers, because passengers - the premium passengers, are the ones who would want to get from point A to point B comfortably.

"So if this high-speed rail system offers a premium proposition for these business people who need to get from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore comfortably and very fast, then I think it's the full-service carriers who could have a bigger impact, because the leisure passengers are still price-sensitive.

"The budget airlines cater to these leisure passengers, so they might not have an impact, as trends worldwide point that while the high-speed rail system - while efficient, are more expensive and that's the case here, then it might affect the full service carriers more than the budget carriers."

Mr Logan Velaitham, CEO of AirAsia Singapore, said: "This high-speed rail introduction to be implemented in 2020 is not going to be a big challenge to us because being a low-cost carrier, the biggest competitor for us is cost itself and if we keep our costs low as much as possible.

"Therefore we can compete against any form of alternative travel mode that is coming in. No doubt there will be some market shifting over to this mode of travel given the fact, the convenience they want to have or a stopover along the way which is hard beyond our reach."

When contacted, Tiger Airways said it will "re-strategise accordingly should business conditions change or new opportunities arise."

Singapore's Transport Ministry said that the Iskandar- Malaysia Joint Ministerial Committee will study details of the system including its alignment.

Separately, Malaysia's Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha said that based on initial study, the line may have five new stations stopping by Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Iskandar Johor, before heading to Singapore.

The stops are Seremban (Negeri Sembilan), Ayer Keroh (Melaka), Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Johor (johor).

- CNA/de

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BMW recalls 750,000 cars worldwide

FRANKFURT: German luxury car maker BMW is recalling about 750,000 cars worldwide over potential electrical problems, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

The recall affects mainly about 500,000 cars in the United States, specifically various versions of its 1-Series and 3-Series cars built between March 2007 and July 2011 and its Z4 model built between March 2009 and June 2011.

Cars sold in Canada, Japan and South Africa were also affected, the spokesman said.

The recall is the results of problems with a battery cable connector which could break and cause a loss of electrical power to the vehicle, causing the car to stall unexpectedly and even crash.

- AFP/fa

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Iberia strikers clash with police at Madrid airport

MADRID: Strikers at Spanish airline Iberia clashed with police at Madrid-Barajas airport on Monday as they launched a five-day action against job cuts.

Thousands of strikers tried to force their way into one of the terminals at the airport before being pushed back by police, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

After several charges by police armed with batons, the Iberia staff finally entered the terminal where they carried on a protest during the strike action, which led to hundreds of flight cancellations.

Iberia's cabin crew, ground staff and maintenance workers were striking from Monday to Friday in the first of a series of three five-day strikes to protest plans to axe 3,800 jobs.

The flag carrier said it scrapped 415 flights across Spain and Europe for the week including 81 on Monday alone. The airline said it expected to operate 135 flights on Monday.

Iberia's offshoots were hard hit. Iberia Express chopped 20 flights on Monday alone and regional carrier Air Nostrum cut another 57.

Iberia ground crew service flights for budget carrier Vueling, forcing that airline, also, to curb operations.

Vueling said it had cut 354 flights for the five days - 39 percent of its usual service. A list posted on the airline's web site showed 78 cancellations for Monday alone.

Iberia workers also plan to strike from March 4-8 and again from March 18-22 to protest against the job cuts announced by International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns Iberia and British Airways.

IAG announced last week that it would axe 3,800 jobs at Iberia to save costs but said it was still open to talks with unions during a formal 30-day consultation process.

Iberia executives say the airline accumulated 850 million euros ($1.1 billion) in losses between 2008 and September 2012.

The airline aims to cut its capacity by 15 percent this year, eliminating some loss-making routes to Latin America and trimming its fleet by 25 aircraft, including five long-haul jets

Iberia said there were no significant incidents during the first day of the strike action, with 85 percent of passengers already put on other flights and the other 15 percent reimbursed.

- AFP/de

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More youths doing volunteer work in North West District

SINGAPORE: More youths have stepped up to do volunteer work in Singapore's North West District. Last year, the number more than doubled, from about 470 to some 1,000.

Volunteers' Night was held on Sunday evening to show appreciation to those who have helped.

Members of Parliament from Holland-Bukit Timah GRC were present to show their support.

This year, the district aims to boost the number of volunteers of all ages from the current 2,880 to 4,000.

Programmes to assist the needy and bond residents will be beefed up, with a focus on building a caring and healthy community.

Mayor of North West District Dr Teo Ho Pin said: "We'll be engaging a lot of volunteers, especially from companies and the community to come forward to help our needy families, especially (those living in) rental blocks, so we're expecting about maybe 500, 600, or even 800 volunteers in that area."

The district had 1,250 volunteers across various age groups in 2011, which doubled in the following year.

- CNA/xq

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G20 pledges to refrain from currency warfare

MOSCOW: G20 finance ministers on Saturday moved to calm fears of looming "economic warfare" on the currency markets, pledging they would not target specific forex rates or devalue currencies to make them more competitive.

The jitters -- similar to previous disputes with China -- have been set off by Japan's plan of monetary easing to boost inflation and activity by reducing the value of the yen under new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"We will refrain from competitive devaluation. We will not target our exchange rates for competitive purposes," said the communique after the G20 finance meeting meeting in Moscow under Russia's presidency.

It echoed a similar recent statement by the G7 richest nations which like the G20 statement was also approved by Japan, whose monetary policy has been vehemently criticised by the West in recent weeks.

The statement made clear that forex rates should be set by markets, and not intervening governments.

It affirmed the G20's commitment to move "more rapidly toward more market-determined exchange rate systems and exchange rate flexibility to reflect underlying fundamentals."

Striving to give the impression of a united front among the world's top 20 economies, the G20 ministers vowed to "work more closely with one another so we can grow together.

British Finance Minister George Osborne had earlier warned of the dangers of slugging out "economic warfare" as countries tried to outdo each other with successive devaluations.

"Currencies should not be used as a tool of competitive devaluation. The world should not make the mistake that it has made in the past of using currencies as the tools of economic warfare," the British chancellor of the exchequer said.

European capitals fear that devaluations of currencies like the yen would make their own exports less competitive and harm extremely fragile economic recoveries at home.

For the first time in several international meetings, the concerns over currencies have overshadowed the economic troubles of the debt-ridden euro zone which leaders hope is heading to a gentle recovery.

All the G20 states are to a greater or lesser extent faced with the same dilemma -- how to boost fragile growth rates without overextending budget deficits or alienating international partners.

The final communique -- as expected -- stopped short of giving precise budget deficit targets which many governments would have found too tough to stomach.

But it said that "credible medium-term fiscal consolidation plans will be put in place" and implemented taking into account the economic conditions and fiscal possibilities.

Earlier, Britain, France and Germany also launched a new drive to help national budgets by making big business pay full taxes and not minimise payments through schemes such as offshore companies.

The G20 ministers agreed to take measures to combat corporate tax avoidance in coordination with the Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development (OECD) which is preparing an action plan on measures to be taken in a coordinated move by national governments.

"We are determined to develop measures to address base erosion and profit shifting, take the necessary collective action and look forward to the comprehensive action plan the OECD will present to us in July," the final statement said.

Profit shifting is the practice of shifting profits from the company's home country to pay less tax under another jurisdiction.

- AFP/xq

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Eastbound MRT service delayed due to faulty train

SINGAPORE: Eastbound train service on the East-West Line was delayed due to a faulty train at Raffles Place station on Friday evening.

Rail operator SMRT said passengers were asked to alight, and the train was taken out of service.

To maintain service on the unaffected stretches of the East-West Line, some trains were turned around at Queenstown and Outram Park stations (eastbound), and Bugis (westbound).

SMRT said announcements were made in the affected stations and trains to inform passengers of the delay.

Callers to the MediaCorp hotline said the delay started at about 7pm.

Some of the areas mentioned include Raffles Place, Paya Lebar and City Hall.

One caller said it took her more than 50 minutes to get from Buona Vista to City Hall, when it usually takes about 15 minutes for that distance.

SMRT has apologised for the inconvenience caused.

- CNA/xq

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Philippine gunmen "demand to stay in Malaysia"

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's government said Thursday its security forces have surrounded dozens of Philippine gunmen in a remote area of Borneo island, and a report said the group is demanding the right to stay.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters about 80 to 100 gunmen had been cornered by security forces near the small coastal town of Lahad Datu in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

He said security forces were in control and negotiating with the group, some of whom were armed.

The area was once controlled by the former Islamic sultanate of Sulu and has a history of incursions by armed Filipino Muslim groups.

Malaysia's national police chief Ismail Omar was quoted as saying the militants had declared themselves followers of "a descendant of the Sultan of Sulu".

Ismail, quoted on the website of The Star newspaper, said the group demanded to be recognised as the "Royal Sulu Sultanate Army" and insisted that as subjects of the sultanate, they should be allowed to remain in Sabah.

"They have made known their demands while we have told them that they need to leave the country," the police chief was quoted as saying, adding that negotiations with the group were still under way.

The report did not elaborate.

Earlier Thursday Prime Minister Najib Razak was quoted by The Star as saying police were negotiating with the gunmen "to get the group to leave peacefully to prevent bloodshed".

The report said a tight security ring including Malaysian army and naval forces had been drawn around the "heavily armed" group.

The Sulu sultanate, first founded in the 1400s, was once a regional power centre, controlling islands in the Muslim southern Philippines and parts of Borneo including Sabah until its demise a century ago.

Security on Sabah's coast has been a problem for Malaysia, with tens of thousands of Filipinos believed to have migrated illegally to the state over the past few decades from the adjacent southern Philippines.

People continue to move freely across the maritime border from the southern Philippines, which has been racked for decades by Islamic separatist insurgencies and other lawlessness.

In 2000, guerrillas of the Islamic militant Abu Sayyaf movement seized 21 mostly Western holidaymakers as hostages at the Malaysian scuba diving resort of Sipadan near Lahad Datu.

The hostages were taken to Philippine islands and later ransomed.

Mainly Muslim Malaysia hosted long-running talks between Manila and the southern Philippines' main Muslim separatist group that resulted in a framework agreement last year aimed at ending their insurgency.

A Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman has said Manila was in touch with Malaysia over the case.

-AFP/fl

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Former Romanian diplomat's trial resumes in Bucharest

SINGAPORE: The trial of former Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu resumed on Wednesday in Bucharest.

The judge handling the trial has expressed displeasure with the defence lawyer for dragging the case over three years.

He noted that the submission of evidence should have been long finished, but Ionescu's lawyer has asked for yet another witness to be heard.

Ionescu's lawyer replied that the blame lies with the Singapore authorities, which have been "slow to send the requested evidence".

Ionescu, 51, the former Romanian charge d'affaires in Singapore, is on trial for two hit-and-run accidents in Singapore in 2009, which left one person dead and two others injured.

- CNA/xq

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Three men in hospital after fight at mall in Sembawang

SINGAPORE: Three men ended up in hospital after an apparent brawl at Sun Plaza in Sembawang.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for ambulance assistance just before 6pm.

The three men were then taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Police said investigations are still on going.

An eyewitness, Nur Indra Abdul Karina, told Channel NewsAsia that one of the men involved in the incident was "covered in blood".

The witness said he felt something was amiss when he saw a huge crowd gathering just outside the mall.

He said: "I saw there was one body lying down there, facing me, panting. Seems to me like he is already half-dead. Then another indian guy, with a handkerchief on top of his head, also injured. The chinese guy seemed to be panting, like it was hard to breathe. I can see he is trying to say something like 'help help'."

-CNA/ac

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US withdraws military equipment through Pakistan

KABUL: The US military has started to withdraw equipment from Afghanistan through Pakistan ahead of next year's deadline for combat troops to leave the war against the Taliban, an official said Monday.

Two convoys, each hauling 25 shipping containers, entered Pakistan at the Chaman and Torkham border crossings on Sunday as part of the US redeployment of equipment from Afghanistan, US Lieutenant Colonel Les Carroll told AFP.

"The passage of these convoys marks the first US shipments from Afghanistan through Pakistan since July 2012," Carroll said.

Pakistan in July temporarily stopped NATO traffic after gunmen attacked NATO trucks, killing a driver, in the northwestern border town of Jamrud.

Islamabad also imposed a seven-month blockade on NATO traffic passing overland to Afghanistan after US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on November 26, 2011.

Carroll told AFP that the two convoys had been sent through Pakistan as a "test" as the military decides how best to withdraw the huge amount of US and NATO equipment in Afghanistan, more than 11 years after a US-led invasion brought down the Taliban.

"There are still 100,000 men and 200 bases. Some of the equipment will stay (in Afghanistan), some of it will be redeployed," Carroll said.

"We have got to use any feasible way to do that. The northern route and of course air are other solutions."

Pakistani-US relations have now largely recovered and the outgoing US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, and his successor, General Joseph Dunford, on Thursday held talks with Pakistani army chief of staff, General Ashfaq Kayani.

The New York Times reported last month that in the next two years NATO forces are expected to remove about 70,000 vehicles and 120,000 shipping containers from Afghanistan, and the way out will require rail lines and well-surfaced roads.

Although Pakistan is the most efficient and cheapest route, the blockade and Pakistan's past demands for more money have made Western officials wary of over reliance on Islamabad.

The New York Times said officials in Uzbekistan have offered to provide a land route for equipment leaving northern Afghanistan if vehicles and military supplies can be left behind for them.

The so-called Northern Distribution Network accounts for just over 50 percent of NATO cargo transport and 40 percent for the United States, which also receives around 30 percent of its supplies by air.

A Pakistani customs official in Jamrud said that Sunday's containers came from Bagram, the largest US-run air base in Afghanistan, and were trucked into Pakistan under tight security provided by paramilitary troops.

Hanif Khan Marwat, the president of the All Pakistan Goods Carriers Association, said the convoys were on their way to the port city of Karachi.

"The containers are carrying military equipment. This is the first time that such a big number of trucks are coming back to Karachi with NATO equipment," he said.

-AFP/ac

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