11/01/2013

Watz Online - 11 Jan 2013

Former law student recounts losing her virginity to professor



The 41-year-old law professor caught in a sex-for-grades scandal asked the court to let him defend himself and cross-examine witnesses at the start of his trial Thursday.

This is even though he had already hired lawyers for himself.

Associate Professor Tey Tsun Hang from the National University of Singapore (NUS) is facing six corruption charges of obtaining gifts and sex from his former student Darinne Ko Wen Hui, who allegedly received better grades.

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I lost my virginity to NUS law prof: Darinne Ko



A young lawyer testifying against her former law professor in a sex-for-grades case said in court Thursday that she lost her virginity to him.

Darinne Ko Wen Hui, 23, said that on 24 July 2010, when she was a student at National University of Singapore (NUS), she and associate law professor Tey Tsun Hang, 41, had sex for the first time.

She had met him when he had been her teacher for a module and they had gotten to know each other when she helped him do research for a book he was writing. She was doing her internship and was no longer his student at the time their sexual relationship started, the court heard.

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Student lost virginity to professor on office couch


The student, Ms Darinne Ko Wen Hui, then 21

Ms Ko, who was the prosecution's first of 14 witnesses, gave details of how she lost her virginity to Tey on July 24, 2010, in his office at the university's Faculty of Law.

Averting her gaze from Tey as she spoke in the witness stand, Ms Ko said softly: "It was my first time and it was over pretty quickly."

The incident took place about a week before she left Singapore for a six-month exchange programme in the United States. The couple professed their love for each other on that occasion, she added.


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Ex-nurse testifies against doc in molestation case
 


A former nurse testified on Monday in court that she did not confront an anaesthetist who touched her buttocks on three occasions in one day in an operating theatre because she was busy assisting the surgeons.

The 26-year-old said that Senaka Liyanage, 37, had approached her from behind and outraged her modesty twice between 9.30am and 10.30am on April 5 last year.

He then tapped her on the buttocks again at about 2pm during the same operation at Changi General Hospital.

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Robber hit and choked mum-to-be



A robber who targeted pregnant women punched one in the head and tried to choke her when she would not let go of her handbag.

Ms Baquiran Majella Cybelle Fernandez, 34, who was eight months pregnant, stood her ground when jobless Muhammad Noh Mohammad Jais, 26, attacked her in a lift. He tried to snatch the bag, containing $3,000, but fled empty-handed.

Two days later on Nov 14, he struck again and snatched a handbag with items amounting to $515 from Ms Chng Seok Keng. The 29-year-old victim was then nine months pregnant and also in a lift.

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Singapore puts price on Australand

IT MAY have been a sparse few years for deal-makers in investment banking but the new year has got off to a quick start now the Singaporean government has formally put its controlling stake in Australand on the block.

Almost a month ago GPT went public with a bid to buy key assets out of Australand after earlier private approaches failed. GPT wanted to buy Australand's property portfolio along with its commercial and industrial assets, which between them account for about 80 per cent of Australand's assets.

Of no interest was the residential development arm, given the pressure on both the Queensland and Victorian markets and GPT's lack of exposure to this part of the market. Subsequent speculation Australand might prefer to deal with Mirvac proved wide of the mark as it bides its time.

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As Singapore's Casinos Slow, Will the Economy Suffer?

Even on a Wednesday afternoon, the casino inside Singapore's Marina Bay Sands resort is buzzing.

While it may not be as bustling as a Friday night, when lines to enter the casino are only beaten by the queues outside to get a taxi, there's definitely energy in the air.

In my first sweep of the main casino floor, I notice that gaming tables in the "high limit" corner are more than half full at midday. This wasn't what I was expecting to see on a week day.

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Businessman explains decision to sue Singapore hospital over cancer that never was

Claiming he was misdiagnosed for cancer that prompted him to undergo unnecessary operations, high-profile businessman Datuk Seri Clement Hii Chii Kok said today he is suing the Singapore National Cancer Centre (NCC) and a consultant surgeon to prevent others from suffering the same.

Hii, 54, the managing director of public-listed SEGi University Group and executive chairman of private investment vehicle HCK Capital Group, suffered complications after being treated for suspected pancreatic cancer at the top Singapore medical facility three years ago, only to learn months later that he did not have the ailment.

“I made my stand very clear to my lawyers at Straits Law in Singapore – I am suing because I want to create awareness for the need for hospitals and doctors to reduce or eliminate cases of unnecessary surgeries,” he said in a statement today.

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Temasek Affiliate Cuts Shin Corp Stake

An affiliate of Singapore state investment company Temasek Holdings has sold part of its stake in Thai telecommunications holding company Shin Corp. (INTUCH.TH) for around $687 million as Temasek reshuffles its portfolio, a person with knowledge of the deal said Thursday.

Shin Corp. was founded by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the brother of current Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. It has major stakes in Thailand's largest cellular-service provider and its sole satellite operator.

Cedar Holdings Ltd., in which Temasek holds a 49% stake, sold 330 million Shin Corp. shares, or 10.3% of the company, to Thai NVDR Co. and unnamed Thai investors, slashing its stake to about 13.3%, Shin Corp. said in a filing Thursday to the Stock Exchange of Thailand. 

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Nearly 60,000 affected in latest NEL train disruption



58,000 commuters were affected during the nearly seven-hour North East Line (NEL) train disruption on Thursday, reported Channel News Asia.

Service between HarbourFront and Dhoby Ghaut stations was down from 10am to about 430pm when full service resumed.

In a statement, the transport operator said the fault occurred at 9:51am and that the fault had been traced to three broken U-turn bolts which resulted in a power trip in a section of the tunnel between Outram Park and HarbourFront.

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STOCKS NEWS SINGAPORE-UBS downgrades Olam to 'sell' from 'buy

UBS downgraded Olam International Ltd to 'sell' from 'buy' and cut its target price to S$1.33 from S$2.95, citing uncertainties around the cost of its Gabon project.

Olam shares were down 0.3 percent at S$1.60 by 0100 GMT, around 8 percent below the level they were at before short-seller Muddy Waters launched an attack on the commodities trading company for its accounting practices and aggressive acquisitions.

UBS said the World Bank now estimates the total cost of the Gabon project to be at $1.5 billion to $2 billion, compared with Olam's initial estimate of S$1.3 billion.


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