Focus on the big picture

South China Morning Post

• Accused 'making beer, not bombs'
  Three men arrested last week when police raided a Chicago apartment were being held yesterday on terrorism conspiracy charges, accused of trying to make Molotov cocktails ahead of the Nato summit.
• Facebook's muted debut could actually be good for markets
  As its modest stock debut shows, the jury's still out on Facebook - with investors trying to assess it on its merit,not on its eye-popping valuations.
• 'Pink' app steers big spenders in right direction
  Help is at hand for members of the gay community who feel discriminated against when shopping or socialising.
• Social network can't take Asian growth for granted
  To keep users interested and find ways to make boost revenue, site needs to make the service 'sticky'.
• Woman, 73, is oldest to climb Everest ... again
  A 73-year-old Japanese woman climbed to the top of Mount Everest yesterday, beating her own record to again become the oldest woman to scale the world's highest mountain.
• Chelsea beat Bayern on penalties to win Champions League
  Chelsea stunned Bayern Munich to win the Champions League for the first time after a penalty shootout in the Allianz Arena after a tension-soaked final had ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.
• Boys have light idea for Buffett
  Two young brothers headed to Omaha, Nebraska, this weekend for something most CEOs can only dream of: a chance to pitch their business idea to investment mogul Warren Buffett.
• Fugitive accountant uses 'China argument'
  A top accountant who fled Hong Kong after allegedly fleecing clients of HK$94 million is trying to block his extradition from Spain by using what is known as the "China argument".
• Day of mixed emotions for Chen supporters
  Friends and supporters of blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng , while happy to hear he had finally left for the US, expressed concerns over the fate of his relatives left behind in his Shandong home town.
• Chen flies out 'filled with deep emotions'
  Blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng, who caused a diplomatic crisis when he fled to the US embassy in Beijing last month, boarded a plane to New York with his family yesterday telling of his sadness at leaving his homeland.
• Artists explore their aural fixation
  Over the past few days, thousands of art lovers have gorged on a visual feast at the Art HK fair, but for some attendees, it was not the volumes of art on the walls that grabbed their attention, but rather the volume in their ears.
• SpaceX launch aborted at last second
  A new private supply ship for the International Space Station stayed stuck on the ground yesterday after rocket engine trouble led to a last-second abort of the historic flight.
• Ex-soccer star's new goals are political
  In a soccer career spanning decades, Romario de Souza Faria, Brazil's beloved rascal of the game, revelled in provocation. He partied until dawn as teammates adhered to curfews, brawled with fans, repeatedly disparaged the great Pele and routinely scoffed at having to practise.
• Chainrai could own Portsmouth for a third time
  Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai has confirmed he made an offer to buy back English soccer club Portsmouth despite still being owned £19 million (HK$233.44 million) by the stricken club. If he succeeds, it will be his third stint as owner.
• Qianhai sees bold future despite setbacks
  Shenzhen's ambitious plan to turn Qianhai, a 15-square-kilometre development zone, into "the Manhattan of the Pearl River Delta" has made an inroad with the opening of its over-the-counter stock exchange last week.
• Professionals hooked on fantasy game
  Most of the gamers feverishly trying to get their hands on Diablo III in the city yesterday were not teenagers but professionals in their 20s and 30s who grew up with the game.
• Raising the Concordia a mammoth task
  The firms charged with raising the wreck of the Costa Concordia have set out in detail how they will refloat the ship and tow it to the Italian mainland in what is described as the largest maritime salvage operation ever undertaken.
• From drug needles ... to a needle and thread
  Kenny Shum spent years honing his skills as a tailor, specialising in the intricate detailing of women's suits.
• HK may revise economic forecast if markets worsen
  Hong Kong may need to revise its economic forecast if a Greek exit from the troubled euro zone causes major turbulence in the global money markets, according to a government economist.
• 'Mother's boy' rock solid in tense times
  Ridiculed when he ran for president, Benigno Aquino is showing his mettle by standing up to China in a maritime dispute, writes Raissa Robles .
• May the sun shine on rare eclipse
  If the stormy weather blocks the sighting of the very rare annular solar eclipse tomorrow morning, we will not get to see the golden ring again.
• Briefs
  Christian youths in the Philippines continued to protest against Lady Gaga's upcoming concerts despite organisers' assurances that her performances would not threaten morality.
• Ratings for Ma hit rock bottom
  Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou probably never thought that his popularity could plummet to a level comparable to disgraced predecessor Chen Shui-bian, currently in jail for corruption.
• Whole world is a gallery for artists
  A gold coin symbolising Hong Kong's core value, abandoned neon signs advertising Coca-Cola and Sprite and video footage of forgotten communities - these are some of the items that have turned up in unexpected parts of Yau Ma Tei.
• Anger as Bahraini king joins queen's jubilee lunch
  Britain has been criticised for inviting the king of Bahrain to a lunch at Windsor Castle celebrating Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.
• Short Science
  In a clinical trial that could lead to treatments that prevent Alzheimer's disease, people who are genetically guaranteed to suffer from the disease years from now - but who do not yet have any symptoms - will for the first time be given a drug intended to stop them from developing it.
• Freak accident halts school extension
  Work on a HK$250 million extension at the King George V School in Kowloon has been halted after a steel pole fell 15 metres and speared a British teacher's BMW.
• Briefs
  Twenty people were killed in an explosion inside a partly built expressway tunnel in Hunan yesterday, state media said.
• Sex research academic claims HKU censorship
  An academic who specialises in sexuality and gender research has accused the University of Hong Kong of censoring his work by refusing to extend his contract when he turns 60 next month.
• Ma likely to keep to the status quo
  Ma Ying-jeou will be speaking to multiple audiences today when he gives a speech following his inauguration to a second four-year term as Taiwan's president.
• 'No propaganda department' for HK
  Chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying's government restructuring plan came under public scrutiny for the first time in the Legislative Council yesterday, as his top aide tried to dispel fears he is setting up a propaganda bureau - and that the overall system will be too complicated.
• Obama pushes for 'balanced' policies
  US President Barack Obama pledged at a summit yesterday to work with Europe on a package that balances growth with debt reduction as world leaders try to prevent the worsening euro-zone crisis from destabilising the global economy.
• Rugby boys hit by eye infection
  A city rugby boss is "very disappointed" his team was not warned of a health risk in Singapore after 40 out of 60 boys aged nine to 16 returned from a rugby tournament with an eye condition rarely seen in Hong Kong.
• Briefs
  A suicide car bomb tore through the car park of a military compound in eastern Syrian yesterday, killing nine people.
• A bad week for ...
  Manny Pacquiao denied having anything against homosexuals after a reporter quoted him as saying he was opposed to US President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage.
• Who said it?
  They want to see this sort of work no longer happening so you get rid of me, you get rid of the subject
• Briefs
  Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng refused to say whether she would stay on in the new government but said her husband had given her an ultimatum. She told DBC Radio it was not who she would be serving but the duration of the new term that had made her think twice.
• Abducted fishermen may have been released
  The owners of three mainland fishing boats seized by North Koreans said they were still unable to contact the kidnapped fishermen yesterday, although a Chinese diplomatic official in North Korea said some had been released and were on their way home.
• Demand to withdraw troops rejected
  Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday rejected international calls to withdraw troops from the island's former war zone as he marked the third anniversary of the Tamil rebels' defeat.
• Row over 'comfort women' memorial
  Two delegations of Japanese officials visited Palisades Park, New Jersey, this month with a request that took local administrators by surprise: the Japanese wanted a small monument removed from a public park.
• Security tsar will attend party congress after all
  Security tsar Zhou Yongkang was elected a delegate for Xinjiang to the upcoming Communist Party congress, dispelling renewed speculation that he might have been sidelined.
• Activist has already seen the worst
  Fighter for land rights Li Biyun says her local government has been brutalising her for so long that imprisonment and torture don't scare her anymore, writes Mimi Lau .
• High Court rejects judicial review of end to filibuster
  The High Court yesterday rejected a lawmaker's application for a judicial review of Legislative Council president Tsang Yok-sing's move to end a filibuster by democrats.
• New leader faces daunting challenges
  Former guerrilla leader and ex-army chief Taur Matan Ruak pledged to "respect the constitution" as he was sworn in as East Timor's new president today.
• HK-flagged ship breaks down near reef
  A broken-down cargo ship was drifting towards Australia's Great Barrier Reef yesterday, with fears of major damage if it were to run aground at the World Heritage-listed site. Authorities were rushing to the assistance of the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier, the ID Integrity, which broke down north of Cairns.
• How they see it
  China's claim to every unoccupied island, sandbar, reef and shoal in the South China Sea is no more than an attempt to bully its neighbours - and cash in on possible oil and gas deposits.
• Marines denied bail over killing of two fishermen
  An Indian court denied bail yesterday to two Italian marines charged with the murder of two fishermen who were shot dead off the country's southwestern coast.
• Testing the water proves therapeutic
  As well as the sheer enjoyment of swimming, scientists have found it prevents some of the common ailments that come with age and keeps the brain young, writes Jane E. Brody .
• Revellers' drinks spiked in ATM scam
  Police are warning revellers in Wan Chai nightspots to be wary of having their drinks spiked after a woman was arrested for allegedly clearing out an expatriate man's bank account using his ATM card.
• Tolerance Korea can learn from
  The appointment of Fleur Pellerin as France's first South Korean-born minister has prompted soul searching over social values in the country of her birth where she was adopted at the age of six months.
• Aching Jackie Chan quits action films
  Jackie Chan has landed his last punch as an action star, but says he is stepping into retirement having made one of the most important films of his career.
• Tank plant worker to be Putin envoy
  Vladimir Putin's first high-level appointment in his second term as president is a tank factory worker who offered to chase anti-government protesters off the streets.
• A good week for ...
  Gary Locke scored a PR victory over the Beijing Daily by releasing details of his monthly salary and personal assets on the microblogs of the US embassy and its consulate in Shanghai.
• Mammals scramble to outrun the heat
  As climate change transforms their habitat, some animals are already on the move. But new analysis by the University of Washington (UW) warns that many species won't be able to run fast enough to survive a warming world.
• Dedicated housing chief was set a tough task
  A former housing chief charged with implementing former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's controversial 85,000-a-year flat-building target in the late 1990s has died after a battle with cancer.