snap shot

Tunku Abdul Jalil Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, fourth child of the Sultan of Johor, died yesterday of liver cancer.

Members of the Johor royal family were at his bedside, The Star reported. He was 25.

He was the fourth of six siblings.

Tunku Jalil was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer late last year and had undergone a liver transplant in China.

He was the first member of the Johor royal household to serve in the police force after completing his police training in nine months.

Tunku Jalil studied zoology in the UK and had worked as a zoo keeper at the Singapore Zoo for about a year and at the London Zoo for two years.

---

Negotiators from 195 nations delivered a blueprint yesterday for a pact to save mankind from disastrous global warming.

It raised hopes that decades of arguments will finally end with a historic agreement in Paris.

The planned deal would aim to break the world's dependence on fossil fuels for energy, slashing the greenhouse gas emissions from burning oil, coal and gas that are causing temperatures to rise dangerously.

And while many extremely contentious points still have to be resolved by ministers during a scheduled five days of talks starting tomorrow, delegates said they felt the foundations had been laid for success.

- AFP

---

The Singapore Red Cross is sending relief supplies worth US$150,000 (S$209,670) to the flood-hit Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

A team of volunteers is on standby to be deployed there.

The Red Cross has also launched an urgent public appeal for funds to aid flood survivors.

Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in a letter of support to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa that Singapore was contributing US$75,000 to kick-start the Red Cross public appeal.

India has bolstered its flood relief efforts with hundreds of additional soldiers and Chennai airport was partly reopened yesterday. The death toll across the state stands at 280.

---

Singaporeans must keep their eyes and ears open to the threat of terrorism in the country, said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Desmond Lee.

He was speaking at an event yesterday at Jurong West to train some 240 volunteers in safeguarding the community against terror attacks.

Organised by the People's Association (PA), the session is the first in a series of Community Vigilance Workshops.

The workshops are for PA's Community Emergency Response Team (Cert) volunteers, who are now trained in first aid and emergency response skills. They have also been trained by the police on safety, observation skills and crime prevention measures.