SEA Games: cycling, silat and soccer updates

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Dinah Chan makes cycling history at SEA Games
National cyclist Dinah Chan made a triumphant comeback from injury and created Singapore history when she won the women’s 30km time trial at the SEA Games in Myanmar.

The 27-year-old’s preparations for the regional biennial event were thrown into disarray in September when she was hit by a car while training.

But her determination to bounce back saw her making a quick recovery and she has now reaped the ultimate reward for her efforts.

Her gold medal is the first cycling title that Singapore has won since the 1997 SEA Games.

Dark horse’ Alfian takes silat top spot
Mohd Nur Alfian scored a decisive win over Vietnam's world champion Pham Van Ty in the Men's Class F (70-75kg) final to end Singapore silat's SEA Games campaign on golden note.

Silat Team Manager Sheik Alauddin called Alfian a ‘dark horse’ who has delivered at these Games.

Singapore silat will return home with a total medal haul of one gold and two silvers.

Thailand and Myanmar on course to qualify for semis
Thailand and Myanmar are on course to qualify for the semi-finals of the SEA Games after their 1-1 draw at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon on Saturday evening.

The result leaves both teams with seven points and a plus-five goal difference, with Thailand leading the group by virtue of more goals scored.

The hosts took the lead just after the half-hour mark when substitute Nay Lin Tun rose the highest and headed the ball past Thai goalkeeper Kawin Thamsatchanan.

However, Thailand equalised two minutes after the break thanks to Pravinwat Boon Yong’s second goal of the tournament.

BPL: Man City humble Arsenal, Chelsea move second

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http://sg.sports.yahoo.com/news/manchester-city-overwhelm-arsenal-stake-title-claim-145514644--sow.html

Manchester City asserted their Premier League title credentials with an extraordinary 6-3 defeat of leaders Arsenal on Saturday that took them to within three points of Arsene Wenger's side.

Sergio Aguero gave City a 14th-minute lead, with Alvaro Negredo restoring the hosts' advantage after Theo Walcott had marked his first start for Arsenal since September by equalising.

City lost Aguero to injury early in the second half, but a brace from Fernandinho, a David Silva strike and a Yaya Toure penalty secured victory for the 2012 champions, with Walcott and Per Mertesacker replying in vain.

Having won all eight of their home games this season -- scoring 35 goals -- City climbed to third place in the table, with Chelsea moving up to second by narrowly beating Crystal Palace 2-1.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have now lost three times this season.

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Though victory momentarily took City up to second place, they slipped to third after Chelsea's win at home to Palace, which left Jose Mourinho's side two points behind Arsenal.

Ramires struck the winning goal with a sweet 20-yard drive 10 minutes prior to half-time, after Fernando Torres's close-range opener for the hosts had been cancelled out by Marouane Chamakh's volley.

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Everton clambered above local rivals Liverpool and into the top four after winning 4-1 at home to Fulham.

Dimitar Berbatov equalised for Fulham with a 67th-minute penalty after Leon Osman had curled Everton ahead in the first half, but Seamus Coleman, Gareth Barry and Kevin Mirallas scored late goals to secure the points for Roberto Martinez's side.

Fulham slipped below Palace to 19th, with both sides now a point behind fourth-bottom West Ham United, who were held 0-0 by bottom club Sunderland at Upton Park.

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Newcastle United moved above Spurs on goals scored after drawing 1-1 at home to Southampton, for whom Jay Rodriguez netted a 65th-minute equaliser after Yoan Gouffran had put the hosts in front.

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Meanwhile, Cardiff City moved four points clear of the relegation zone after Peter Whittingham's brave second-half goal gave the Welsh side a 1-0 win at home to West Bromwich Albion.

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In the day's late game, mid-table Hull City and Stoke City were left to rue missed opportunities to move further away from the relegation zone after they played out a goalless draw at the KC Stadium.

Nelson Mandela to be laid to rest

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http://sg.news.yahoo.com/nelson-mandela-laid-rest-021045348.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest Sunday at a funeral reflecting the traditions of his tribe and the pride of the country he transformed as both dissident and president.

His burial in the rural village of Qunu where he spent his early childhood, closes the final chapter on a towering public figure whose courage and moral fortitude turned him into a global symbol of freedom and hope.

And it ends 10 days of national mourning during which hundreds of thousands of South Africans turned out in torrential rain and searing sunshine to grieve, remember and celebrate the life of their first elected black leader.

Organisers said around 450 people, including Mandela's widow Graca Machel and ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, would participate in the private burial, which will be held according to traditional Xhosa rites.

Overseen by male members of his clan, the ceremony will include the slaughter of an ox -- a ritual performed through various milestones of a person's life.

During the ceremony, Mandela will be referred to as Dalibhunga -- the name given to him at the age of 16 after undergoing the initiation to adulthood

Mourners will wear traditional Xhosa regalia, with blue and white beaded head gear and necklaces.

1,000 cyclists take part in overnight ride to promote safe cycling

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/1-000-cyclists-take-part/923118.html

Some 1,000 cyclists have taken part in an overnight ride to promote awareness of safe cycling.

The ride, which covers 75 kilometres, is the largest community effort in Singapore to advance the safety cause.

In keeping with the safety message, participants at the event were seen togged in night-visible riding apparel and had proper protective gear.

They cycled around Singapore's eastern and central districts, passing through park connectors and dedicated cycling paths in areas including Tampines, Punggol and Yishun.

Ride to Sunrise 2013 also saw the breaking of Singapore Book of Records for the largest overnight cycling expedition, said the organisers.

597 cyclists completed the 75km ride, returning to the finishing point at PA Headquarters from 6.30am on Sunday after cycling for more than eight hours.

Riot breaks out at Little India (Part 8)

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Trains, buses to Little India less crowded than usual, say commuters
Most commuters said buses and trains arriving in Little India on Saturday were less crowded than usual for a weekend, and there were noticeably more empty seats and standing room in the buses.

Regular passengers said the buses that ply the main stretch of Tekka market were less crammed than usual on a Saturday.

While some dormitories have advised their residents to stay in, or at least away from Little India for now, some foreign workers turned up to buy groceries after work.

Man knocked out by his beer

All quiet in Little India, says police
The police issued the following statement at 10.45am on Dec 15:

As at Dec 15, 10am, there were no incidents reported in Little India. There were also no breaches of the alcohol ban detected and no one was caught for consuming alcohol in the public places in Little India.

Businesses in Little India affected as alcohol ban kicks in
The weekend alcohol ban in Little India kicked in at 6am on Saturday morning and when Channel NewsAsia visited the area in the afternoon, some shopkeepers said they were less busy than usual.

The Countryside Cafe normally sees about 25 customers for breakfast and lunch on weekends. However, on the first day of the alcohol ban in Little India, the cafe's manager said that only four to five customers turned up.

Two more Indians charged in Singapore for rioting
Two more Indians were charged today by authorities here for their alleged involvement in Singapore's worst outbreak of riot in over 40 years, taking the total number of Indians arraigned in the violence to 33.

Palanivel Dhasmohan, 27, and Karuppiah Chandrasekar, 31, were accused of being part of an unlawful assembly of 400 South Asian migrant workers and throwing pieces of hardened cement at police officers in the vicinity of Little India's Race Course Road on December 8.

China creates history with Jade Rabbit moon rover landing

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http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/china-makes-history-jade-rabbit-moon-rover-landing

China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover vehicle drove onto the moon's surface on Sunday after the first soft landing on Earth's satellite in nearly four decades, marking a huge advance in the country's ambitious space programme.

The Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, was deployed at 4:35 am (2035 GMT Saturday), several hours after the Chang'e-3 probe landed on the moon, according to official news agency Xinhua.

China is the third country to complete a lunar rover mission after the United States and the former Soviet Union - a decade after it first sent an astronaut into space, and ahead of plans to establish a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send a human to the moon.

The mission is seen as a symbol of China's rising global stature and technological advancement, as well as the Communist Party's success in reversing the fortunes of the once-impoverished nation.